Anika
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No better way to face the day
By chance, I discovered the metallic green box in the aftershave section of a drugstore while on vacation.
This is insane: this is my dad's aftershave!
In the late 90s, my father worked in the hospitality industry with young Americans. The "official language" was English. They shared an interest in classic cars, music, the American lifestyle, and didn't take themselves too seriously, laughing a lot. To this day, it seems to have been the best time of his life when he talks about those days. A colleague brought him a bottle of aftershave from the supermarket for Americans stationed in Germany at his request. A clear plastic bottle with a black screw cap. At first glance, it looks like nothing special... Today it is all the more so.
I remember exactly how my father smelled back then. However, as a child, I wasn't aware that he smelled of aftershave. The scent was: simply him.
I loved sitting on the washbasin as a little kid, watching my father shave his face after showering in the steamy, warm bathroom. "How I wish I could be a man too: then I could be as great as my dad." He winked at me, let his big hands fill with water under the faucet, and washed his face with hot water. Water droplets dripped from his blonde eyelashes. Then came the towel.
The finale was the slapping application of aftershave on his cheeks, neck, and nape. I can still hear it today when I think of it.
Mennen Skin Bracer smelled intensely sweet then and still does today.
I find it hard to break it down. Because in my scent memory, it is one. A fragrance. A smell.
Right after applying it to the skin, something powerful can be perceived. Herbal somehow. Lavender? Lavender might be in there too. In any case, menthol is present, which you can smell and also "feel." The aftershave feels wonderfully cool on the skin. Anise is noticeable! Delicious! Vanilla is the main player in Skin Bracer... sweet and very present, yet never cheap. I also think I can smell tonka bean, amber, and this green note that eludes me. Something mossy, edgy. It lingers only briefly. Almond might also be in there - something that smells of "care" and is very gentle. I can also make out a citrusy, sweet note. Grapefruit?
At first, Mennen Skin Bracer is very intense and strong. It settles down in the first ten minutes (unfortunately). The further development is exclusively sweet and powdery. I associate it with baby powder.
As a woman, I also enjoy wearing it today. I find it not distinctly masculine. I should mention that I have always liked men's fragrances, so you don't necessarily have to agree with me. Unfortunately, I can no longer perceive it on myself after a short time. I have to bring my nose close to my forearm to smell it again. But it is, after all, an aftershave and not an eau de parfum...
My father still smelled of it hours later from 2-3 meters away. Did Skin Bracer fall victim to a reformulation? My father recently denied my suspicion.
I gave my father a current bottle two years ago.
Now there are two in the bathroom. The same, nearly empty bottle from back then and "mine." I am happy for my father that he can use his Mennen aftershave more often again. Should it run out, he now knows he can easily get his scent from the good old days.
So for my dad, it means again "Mennen - No better way to face the day" - just like in the commercial.
I love you, Daddy.
This is insane: this is my dad's aftershave!
In the late 90s, my father worked in the hospitality industry with young Americans. The "official language" was English. They shared an interest in classic cars, music, the American lifestyle, and didn't take themselves too seriously, laughing a lot. To this day, it seems to have been the best time of his life when he talks about those days. A colleague brought him a bottle of aftershave from the supermarket for Americans stationed in Germany at his request. A clear plastic bottle with a black screw cap. At first glance, it looks like nothing special... Today it is all the more so.
I remember exactly how my father smelled back then. However, as a child, I wasn't aware that he smelled of aftershave. The scent was: simply him.
I loved sitting on the washbasin as a little kid, watching my father shave his face after showering in the steamy, warm bathroom. "How I wish I could be a man too: then I could be as great as my dad." He winked at me, let his big hands fill with water under the faucet, and washed his face with hot water. Water droplets dripped from his blonde eyelashes. Then came the towel.
The finale was the slapping application of aftershave on his cheeks, neck, and nape. I can still hear it today when I think of it.
Mennen Skin Bracer smelled intensely sweet then and still does today.
I find it hard to break it down. Because in my scent memory, it is one. A fragrance. A smell.
Right after applying it to the skin, something powerful can be perceived. Herbal somehow. Lavender? Lavender might be in there too. In any case, menthol is present, which you can smell and also "feel." The aftershave feels wonderfully cool on the skin. Anise is noticeable! Delicious! Vanilla is the main player in Skin Bracer... sweet and very present, yet never cheap. I also think I can smell tonka bean, amber, and this green note that eludes me. Something mossy, edgy. It lingers only briefly. Almond might also be in there - something that smells of "care" and is very gentle. I can also make out a citrusy, sweet note. Grapefruit?
At first, Mennen Skin Bracer is very intense and strong. It settles down in the first ten minutes (unfortunately). The further development is exclusively sweet and powdery. I associate it with baby powder.
As a woman, I also enjoy wearing it today. I find it not distinctly masculine. I should mention that I have always liked men's fragrances, so you don't necessarily have to agree with me. Unfortunately, I can no longer perceive it on myself after a short time. I have to bring my nose close to my forearm to smell it again. But it is, after all, an aftershave and not an eau de parfum...
My father still smelled of it hours later from 2-3 meters away. Did Skin Bracer fall victim to a reformulation? My father recently denied my suspicion.
I gave my father a current bottle two years ago.
Now there are two in the bathroom. The same, nearly empty bottle from back then and "mine." I am happy for my father that he can use his Mennen aftershave more often again. Should it run out, he now knows he can easily get his scent from the good old days.
So for my dad, it means again "Mennen - No better way to face the day" - just like in the commercial.
I love you, Daddy.
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