Selecting a Signature Fragrance. please help!

[m139]

I've always loved wearing cologne starting my freshman year in high school with Eternity, Obsession, Drakkar, Cool Water, Fahrenheit, etc... and now I'm 39 and still enjoy wearing cologne but no longer enjoy switching up.

Since starting DE shaving several months ago and joining B&B, I have tried dozens of shaving products and several scents. Additionally, I purchased several cologne samples from TPC. All in all, I really love the sandalwood note and my favorite colognes so far are Mont Blanc Legend, Dyptique Tam Dao, and Guerlain L'Instant. I could wear any of these every day and be perfectly happy (and proud) to call it my "signature scent".

Recently, I've been wearing Mont Blanc Legend daily and have gotten many compliments; not to mention SWMBO likes it the most so that's gotta count for something!

Can you guys help me to find a good quality shaving cream, AS splash, and ASB that compliment Mont Blanc Legend or Tam Dao?

I have AOS Sandalwood cream and balm but unfortunately they don't make a splash. I also have TOBS sandalwood cream and splash but the splash is very floral (at least it opens that way) and I'm worried that it may cover my cologne. The reason I want a splash is that I enjoy the cleansing effect after the shave and I don't always wear a balm; just on cold days or when my skin feels a bit dry.

I've heard that Aqua di Parma makes a phenomenal cream and the Colognia Intense is fantastic. I have no idea what it smells like so if it is anything close to Legend or Tam Dao, I'll try it. I also don't know if AdP is available in an aftershave splash and balm.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

In case you guys are wondering why I want a "signature scent", I'll explain. My grandfather passed away a decade ago but to this day I still remember what he always smelled like; Old Spice! Although today it's not my favorite scent, as a kid I always loved it when he came over because he always smelled the same and I guess in a way it made me think of him as reliable and dependable (not that he wasn't). But I always knew what to expect and I always looked up to him as my definition of a man. Today I have a 3-yr-old boy who is the love of my life and he always watches me shave and get ready for work. I hope that one day when I'm long gone, he can sit back and remember me by all the fun we had and by my signature scent. I know it sounds a bit awkward or perhaps sappy but hey, it's how I feel.

 

[bodistaffa]

Great thread! I don't think it is sappy at all. I'm not familiar with the scents you are inquiring about. I do know that the splashes dissipate so fast you will not have to worry about it covering up your cologne

 

[mistercitizen]

AdP is the whole package. I love the Intensa scent and you can get the cologne, AS lotion, and AS balm. It is citrusy/woodsy. It could easily be a signature scent. I don't know how it compares to the two scents you mention.

Ben

 

[dougr]

Aqua di Parma makes a phenomenal cream and the Colognia Intense is fantastic...this gets my vote.

 

[dougr]

Floris also has some very nice EDT's and No. 127 is outstanding, as an afterthought.

 

[petr]

penhaligons get's my vote for simplicity. it's difficult to find a good sandalwood - easy to find a good cedar

 

[GarrettReid]

I would say AdP Colonia, just the regular version.

 

[m139]

Following your comments, I placed an order for three small samples of AdP colognes from TPC (Colonia, Assoluta, and Intensa). I think AdP offers the ASB in each of the scents, but I'm not sure which one the shave cream matches.

Also, does AdP make an aftershave splash? If so, which line?

 

[tehtimmeh]

Looks like you're going to want the AdP Collezione Barbiere line. It has a cream/soft soap, splash, and balm. It complements any of the AdP colognes quite well. The original AdP Colonia is probably the closest to the Collezione Barbiere line, or possibly Colonia Essenza. Intensa and Assoluta are different beasts all together.

MB Legend is supposedly similar to A&F Fierce. Going to be tough to find a whole line of products with that same smell. Complimentary ones, perhaps.

For something complimentary to Tam Dao, I would go with Castle Forbes cedar/sandalwood cream and ASB or possibly the Penhaligons Opus 1870 line, but alas, no A/S splash to go with either of those options.

 

[Kostas_Greece]

penhaligons get's my vote for simplicity. it's difficult to find a good sandalwood - easy to find a good cedar

D.R Harris Sandalwood is the best i've tried. Stays on near a whole day. Not too heavy and definitely Old School.My wife loves it

 

[m139]

Looks like you're going to want the AdP Collezione Barbiere line. It has a cream/soft soap, splash, and balm. It complements any of the AdP colognes quite well. The original AdP Colonia is probably the closest to the Collezione Barbiere line, or possibly Colonia Essenza. Intensa and Assoluta are different beasts all together.

MB Legend is supposedly similar to A&F Fierce. Going to be tough to find a whole line of products with that same smell. Complimentary ones, perhaps.

For something complimentary to Tam Dao, I would go with Castle Forbes cedar/sandalwood cream and ASB or possibly the Penhaligons Opus 1870 line, but alas, no A/S splash to go with either of those options.

Wow, very thorough reply... Thank you! I know that each of the AdP scents offers a balm but only the Barbiere line offers a splash. If I only gave up the splash request, I'd have several options of ASB & EdT. I like the idea of CF with Tam Dao because I think Tam Dao is probably one of the most complex and intriguing scents I've come across... in fact, one night I went out with my buddies and I was wearing it and our waitress asked me what I was wearing. I told her and not surprisingly she did not know what it was but she said... "I've never heard of it but it smells delicious". Wish I had Tam Dao back in college!

Does the AdP splash last or does it wear off very quickly like Speick or Proraso?

 

[tehtimmeh]

Wow, very thorough reply... Thank you! I know that each of the AdP scents offers a balm but only the Barbiere line offers a splash. If I only gave up the splash request, I'd have several options of ASB & EdT. I like the idea of CF with Tam Dao because I think Tam Dao is probably one of the most complex and intriguing scents I've come across... in fact, one night I went out with my buddies and I was wearing it and our waitress asked me what I was wearing. I told her and not surprisingly she did not know what it was but she said... "I've never heard of it but it smells delicious". Wish I had Tam Dao back in college!

Does the AdP splash last or does it wear off very quickly like Speick or Proraso?

It doesn't last terribly long, but I still wouldn't mix it with Tam Dao. If you're settled on Tam Dao as your signature scent, I'd shop for a complimentary splash. Alternatively, unscented witch hazel/balm with a spritz of Tam Dao to the balm in the palm of your hand before applying is sort of a way to achieve a perfect match to your EdT.

 

[Edinburgh]

Penhaligon's Opus 1870.

 

[bemiller]

Saint Charles Shave Santalum Album (Sandalwood) Extract EDT and AS splash + Balm, and soap. Just got a bottle of the EDT and I personally love it. SCS also makes Sandalwood from Wood EDT which is actually made of shredded sandalwood in the shop. From what I hear it is a much richer version of the basic sandalwood extract.

 

[Occamschainsaw]

Wow, very thorough reply... Thank you! I know that each of the AdP scents offers a balm but only the Barbiere line offers a splash. If I only gave up the splash request, I'd have several options of ASB & EdT. I like the idea of CF with Tam Dao because I think Tam Dao is probably one of the most complex and intriguing scents I've come across... in fact, one night I went out with my buddies and I was wearing it and our waitress asked me what I was wearing. I told her and not surprisingly she did not know what it was but she said... "I've never heard of it but it smells delicious". Wish I had Tam Dao back in college!

Does the AdP splash last or does it wear off very quickly like Speick or Proraso?

Ah Tam Dao... What a scent...

Have you looked at ADP's blu mediterraneo line? I'm not sure that it would qualify as a signature scent since it's been made to be more of a summer fragrance, but it's really nice.

And what about Eau Sauvage?

ADP's Cream's spectacular, worth every penny in my opinion.

 

[m139]

I had the SCS Sandalwood AS splash but I did not love the scent. I gave it to a friend and I still have a full bottle of the balm.

 

[m139]

*** UPDATE ***

Today I received my AdP samples and I liked all three but I'm still wishing for a sandalwood product for my "signature scent". I also received a small bottle of C&E sandalwood ASB I ordered from Amazon before I ordered the AdP samples because C&E has a full sandalwood product line (cream/soap, ASB, Cologne, Body wash, etc). Well, I liked the C&E but did not love it like I do Tam Dao or MPG Santal. I just wish either of those fragrances came in a full line.

If I decided to go with Tam Dao, what would you guys recommend for shave cream/soap, AS, etc? I think someone earlier recommended CF sandalwood/cedar cream as a close match to Tam Dao.

Thank you.

 

[GarrettReid]

I would focus less on finding an entire range of the same scent, and more on finding that one cologne you love, and pairing it with unscented balm, cream, etc.

 

[m139]

I would focus less on finding an entire range of the same scent, and more on finding that one cologne you love, and pairing it with unscented balm, cream, etc.

In a perfect world, that would be great but I hate unscented creams! I used AOS unscented and while it's a great performing cream, the experience of shaving was lagging because to me, a nice scent while lathering is half the experience. You are perfectly correct in that would be the best route to take, but I would love to find a product line or some complimenting products (i.e. CF cedar/sandalwood cream & ASB with Tam Dao EdT --- as someone else suggested, I've never used CF so I don't personally know).

 

[tehtimmeh]

The Harris Marlborough line comes to mind as a complimentary set of products to Tam Dao. Or you could go with the Harris Windsor line to compliment Terre d'Hermes.