/cgl/ - Cosplay & EGL

Does all polyester resin smell god awful? I just did my first two practice pieces today because I'm interested in resin craft but holy shit the smell. I'll also add I did them in the garage with good ventilation but no respirator, just a thick scarf over my face. I learned my lesson already, despite my boyfriend saying he had no problem when he did resin a year or so ago. I'm going to be buying one before I do another one, will that help the fume smell?

Does UV or epoxy resin have the same issues? I'm interested in UV resin but it seems far more expensive, especially those Japanese brands.