My job requires me to be on my feet most of the day and to meet a wide variety of people. People expect a certain level of professionalism and decorum when dealing with their doctor so I do try to keep myself to a high level of presentation and cleanliness, a more difficult task than you'd think on a 12 hour shift! With this in mind I try and keep a selection of aftershaves in my bathroom which can hopefully project some confidence (and hide some of that 4am smell!).

Hugo Boss "Hugo" is one of my favorite scents. I originally bought this back in 1999 when I wanted to get some nice aftershave for a date. I always remembered it as being a strong and forceful smell, but not overpowering. The date went well so I can only assume the aftershave worked! 12 years on and I'm still using the stuff, and so are a lot of other people too it seems.

Hugo comes in a green khaki cardboard box which is reminiscent of an episode of M*A*S*H or something. When you see the green you'll know what I mean, it looks like the colour of an old GI's helmet. Inside the military theme continues as the bottle, made of a thick clear glass, is capped by a silver thumbscrew, almost exactly like an army canteen from years gone by. The cap is linked to the glass by a green strap, again continuing the armed services persona. I quite like the design as it's quite unimposing sitting on a shelf and I feel it exudes a form of manly confidence, much like the smell itself actually.

I won't claim to understand a huge amount about fragrances but I'll try my best to describe the smell of Hugo. The base of the smell is a rich musty flavor similar to being in a lumber yard. It's quite masculine and strong and evokes quite a visceral reaction in your gut. On top of this are notes of spice and fruit. These notes however take a backseat unless you get close enough to smell the wearer's neck. They're a nice harmony to the woody tones but people will know you for the strong presence of the base notes. To put it in less fancy language; a patient recently asked me what aftershave I was wearing and after I told her it was Hugo Boss she responded with "Oh I thought so, it smells like a man". Now whether she was just trying to be nice or being honest I'll never know but I thought it was a good summary of the smell. Man.

Hugo is a relatively cheap aftershave when compared with the Armanis and JPGs of this world, weighing in at £36 per 150ml. As the smell is strong you'll find you don't need to apply a huge amount to retain a smell for the entire day.

If you want a nice fruity aroma that barely leaves a trace then look elsewhere, if however you want to smell like a cleaned up John Wayne then pick up some Hugo.