Colognes need assistance

[atomb]

Well let me start with Im lost when it comes to colognes.
As of the moment I have one cologne my wife bought me that she loves its
Abercrombie & Fitch. I have to say that I kinda like it too. With that said smelling like most 16 year old guys is not my thing.
So i figured the smartest thing was to grab some samples to begin with, Im looking at the website The Perfumed Court and not sure what would be the best sampler to purchase. I guess I want to know if you all have some recommendations for me. My brother is telling me to go to creed and get some samples but I kinda like delivery.

 

[john parker]

Start at department stores; free sampling.

 

[blary54]

Yeah goto the department stores...they will hook you up with lots of samples(depends on who's helping you)

I need more information if I am going to recommend any scents to you. Do you know what you like? (example: aquatic scents, musk, clean, citrus etc).

Oh and Creed is great but at $150.00 a bottle do you really want to spend that much.

 

[StylinLA]

It's a pretty broad question. We don't know your age and what kind of change you want to spend or any other preferences. Not knowing your location, not sure what stores and therefore scents you have access to test in-store.

Fierce is around $40. Standard department store designer scents are usually in the $50-$60 range. Many can be found online much cheaper.

Creeds are excellent, but they're in the $130+ range. There are some niche scents that are more and some that are less.

You appear to be mostly interested in appeasing your wife and don't seem to have a passion for scents. My stock advice in your situation is to go on a shopping run with wife in tow. I completely understand your aversion to Fierce. It is a fine scent, but like, rilly, it like rilly, rilly rules among teen crowd fur sure. The A&F staff douses their clothing in a bottle of Fierce everyday when the store opens.

If she likes Fierce on you, it tells me she's got fairly contemporary tastes. Many of our faves in here are traditional, conservative manly scents. So some of the suggestions may fall very flat with her and result in a wrinkled up nose rejection from SWMBO.

Never the less, I'll toss out some scents to research in the cologne reviews:

Guerlain Vetiver
Rive Gauche Pour Homme
Creed Green Irish Tweed or Davidoffs Cool Water
Creed Millesime Imperiale or Sean Jeans Unforgivable
Trumpers Sandalwood
Terre D'Hermes (a fairly recent, solid designer offering. May be in the same ballpark as Fierce, but more grown up)
Penhaligons Racquets, Opus, Endymion (she'll likely like Endymion, it's a lady killer)
Armani Acqua di Gio or Code (hugely popular)
L'Eau d'Issey by Issey Miyake (hugely popular)
Czech & Speake No. 88

Some of these are overly popular for many fume head's preferences, but they are good scents and women tend to like them.

The two I'll suggest you avoid despite their popularity with young men (and the women they chase):

JPG Le Male (ugh- I smell this one on every other 20-something guy in Los Angeles heading to a club. They bathe in it.)
A*Men (A very distinctive and LOUD scent that is very polarizing. Some people like it and some REALLY loathe it. I wore to office once and nearly got sent to HR)

But if you go on a sampling run, smell these for sure for grins.

 

[Go West Young Man]

The thread right below yours addresses the same question
http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?t=151786

 

[atomb]

wow im new and cant believe the responses..... Okay some background,although i want to appeasae my wife I find my day is a litle more pleasant smelling something nice so its for me as well. Im looking for something right now for the summertime and price is important but like anything if its that good id be willing to pay the premium. Style in LA I want to thank you for your pointing me in the right direction, Im going to review the scents you listed and take your advice.

 

[Tyronious]

Like many have said already, try free sampling first (with your wife), especially if theres a place that sells Creed's locally. Creed is top of the line quality, with awesome frags.

Sampling at department stores like Dillards, Macy's, JC Penny or even Wal Greens and Rite AID are better than buying $3, $5, and $10 1mm samples (plus $6 shipping) from theperfumedcourt.

If you become interested in hard to find Niche frags, then go that route, but sample for free first.

Also try luckyscent.com for Niche frags.

 

[atomb]

Im glad i posted ,Ill have to get off my but and get to the department store.
Thanks fellas

 

[The Knize]

Welcome, atomb! We are glad you wrote in, too!

 

[blary54]

I have also found that if you write companies...explain that there is no where for you to get samples from in your area(sometimes this is true sometimes not ) and you are in the market for a new cologne they will send you some.

This has worked for me for Penhaligons, Truefitt and Hill, Czech and Speake, Coronal Conk, just wrote Hermes a few days ago and the samples are in the mail. Got the whole scent collection for Truefitt and hill anc C&S for free (now they are charging money).

Creed however did not take the bait. But they did give me a place to try their scents that I never knew existed.

 

[Featherweight]

Why jump right into expensive designer/department store fragrances right off the bat? If you're totally new to it and have no real idea of what you may like/dislike, maybe try from the "ground up" so to speak - I would just go to your nearest Walgreens or drugstore and see what they have. Sometimes they have a decent range of testers, and Marshalls is the kind of place where you can usually just pop the box open and try it yourself. Stuff like Azzaro pour Homme, Grey Flannel, Cool Water, Polo, certain CK scents (namely Obsession for Men), Halston Z-14 (noticed the Marshalls in my area has like 6 bottles of it, and a few of 1-12), etc.

Those are all great scents IMO (except Obsession & Cool Water . . . they're just eh) and most can be had for well under $50. Azzaro should be twice what it costs, it's that good.

......

 

[global_dev]

so where is the update... you still rocking A&F fierce...?

 

[Monsieur]

Brands to try: Penhaligon's, Floris, Creed, Guerlain and L'Artisan Parfumeur

 

[mdevine]

Some other reasonably priced colognes that smell great but are uncommon enough that you aren't likely to smell like the guy next to you include;
-Geir Ness
-L'Occitane Evx de Beavx or Cade