Im gonna be honest, I'm generally not a huge fan of orange scents for anything, but the Smooth Operator is such a subtle and natural smell that I very much enjoy it. Definitely has the same feel as the regular Operator, which is something I already love. It *can* be used as a pre styler, and as the main styling product, but I would recommend using it just as the finishing product, unless you need some really high hold. But thats just my preference, and I wouldn't say its a bad thing. Overall tho...