MSD

Sorry to take so long again, now that exams are over, it's full-time work.
Saks Fifth Ave and Nieman Marcus.
There are none around here, either. I've never seen any of those.
Since you want mysterious, I'm going to recommend what I like to call "Weird shit." This means that most people never heard of the fragrance houses. This means that many of them are unisex, because there are only so many things you can do while keeping it exclusively masculine. This means that I have to copy and past a lot of the names to avoid misspelling them. This means you have to try it twice before you make a judgment and smell it often throughout the drydown process to know what it's really like. Most importantly, this means you should really order samples before you buy a full bottle.

a few by L'Artisan Parfumeur

Voleur de Roses: A plum sliced open on a plate next to a fresh, deep-blood-red rose placed delicately in a glass of fine Cabernet Sauvignon wine on top of an oak table after a light spring rain in the French countryside. The condensation of classic noir romance into a fragrance.

Tea for Two: The scent of a stroll through a Middle Eastern street market in a movie (real life has too many flies and too much camel dung cinnamon and clove from the spice racks, a pot of honey in the distance, wisps of fresh oriental tea from inside a mystic's tent, racks of fresh tobacco leaves drying in the afternoon sun and smoke in the distance. Screams "mysterious."

Fou d'Absinthe: Not as strong of an an artemesia note as you'd imagine, but otherwise pretty much what you'd expect from something based on spiced absinth. This is what Vincent can Gogh would wear if he were alive today.


now to Strange Invisible Perfumes:

Atlantic: The only distinctly masculine fragrance offered by SIP, imagine the warm sea breeze coming in over the beach and through the woods on every island or coast in the world where you'd want to go on vacation, and more, all at once. You close your eyes and drift from Australia to Jamaica to England to Ireland to Florida to India, then open them to find that you hadn't moved, just sprayed on your cologne. Lavender, sandalwood, rum, peppermint, lime, and benzoin (think Vanilla, but not.)

L'Invisible: the essence of the word "exotic." Floral, but balanced with lemon. They say that it is the embodiment of the French word "sentir," which means both to smell and feel.

Black Rosette: back to the movies, this time you're in a Far East tea house with a fireplace burning, roses along the walls, and a hint of leather whose source you can't quite pinpoint.
I don't like Drakkar because it smells cheap to me and evokes the mental image of a guy with slicked back hair and gold chains cruising around central New Jersey in his IROC-Z.

Latitue and Longitude isn't bad, but isn't anything that special. I prefer things that are out of the ordinary, try new things, and stretch the imagination, not just something that was made because its ingredients happen to smell good together. A decent fragrance makes you smell good, a great one makes you feel good.

You'd probably be a good candidate for M7 by Yves Saint Laurent, but first I want you to try YSL's live Jazz. It's casual enough for every day, smells cool and fresh, and if it doesn't draw compliments, then I'm a monkey's uncle.
Glad you liked it, but I cringe to think how much you paid retail, the proper thing to do in department stores is to say you have to think about it and pay half price online.
I love Realm's skin and hair care products, but when I tried their men's fragrance I literally had to touch my nose to my wrist to smell it, only to discover that it smelled exactly like Skin So Soft lotion.
Hooray, I'm useful (/Zoidberg)
I maintain my position that both Curve and Davidoff Cool Water are lower-quality ripoffs of GIT, made with synthetics and without the masterful blending. GIT smells more high-class.

robot_parade

Well....??

How'd the exams go?!?

Hope they went well.

By the by, what do you think (if you have any opinion) of black phoenix alchemy labs? (http://www.blackphoenixalchemylab.com/) - a couple of people I know love their stuff, and my sister sent me some testers for my birthday, after I mentioned my interest in cologne.

They seem to operate on a different model than the normal perfume type place....they have a *lot* of fragrances, and apparently people trade/share their testers a lot, rather than just stick with one fragrance. They've got all sorts of goth/fantasy themed scents, which is kind of interesting. The ones my sister sent me are interesting, and I mostly like the scents, but they don't seem to last very long. I don't think I'd use any of them on a daily basis, but it seems like a good way to try something different.

telekinetic

It was $100 for an ounce, or $200 for four ounces. We bought one. It was only a day or two before our wedding, so the cost wasn't an issue.

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ShaniFaye

lol thats funny, I use skin so soft all the time (for misquitoes because im so allergic to them) and I dont think they smell the same at all....not even similar to my nose

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MSD

Exams went well, thanks for asking. I ended up stretching an 8-10 page paper on the history of, and political/social/economic change in Iraq into 26 pages, so I lost a whole lot of sleep.
Looks interesting, I'll have to get some samples when I have money.
Still cringing at the price, but it was for a good cause
That's one of the best parts of fragrances, they can smell completely different on two people. I'm remembering the SSS from the early '90s that we still have around, and I also use it to repel mosquitos.

MSD

I just thought I'd mention this since I've recommended it to a few people. I got a bottle of Ungaro III at Marshall's for $20 a month ago, and I've gotten as many compliments on it as I did with Himalaya, which I cannot afford for at least another few months. The first day I wore it, one of my friends hugged me, commented on how good I smelled, and called over another friend to smell me; they refused to let go so I just stood there being hugged for a few minutes. I've been tackle-hugged a few times (although at my size tackling doesn't quite work) since then.

The Axe effect can suck my balls.

Nimbletoe

Threads like this are the reason I just recently started visiting these forums again.

Anyway, I'm a 22 year old, pretty laid back guy. I generally wear jeans and a t-shirt, or a button down and khakis. I work at a casino as a blackjack/poker dealer. I'm a pretty laid back, easygoing guy and I was hoping to find something that would fit my personality. I don't want anything too metro, but I also want something the ladies will like. Your help is highly appreciated, I have absolutely no experience with cologne whatsoever. Thanks man.

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Nepenthos

Whoo; made it to college, made some money, and remember this. I'm planning on going cologne shopping rather soon; I'm sure this information will be invaluable. Any new suggestions?

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Midnight

Hmmm. MSD, I know you aren't much into womens fragrance, but I didn't see any of the fragrances I wear listed by any of the ladies that piped up, and just wondered if you had smelled them/liked or disliked/had any comments on them.
I vary what I wear based on time of year and or what I'm doing, but my perfume tray contains the following:

Bijan, by Bijan,
Halston for Women, by Halston
Boucheron, by Boucheron
Ysatis, by Givinchy
Chanel No. 19, by Chanel
360 by Perry Ellis

So.. if you know them and have any suggestions for others I might be interested in, feel free..

Comment on one thing you mentioned to Sultana. L'air Du Temps by Nina Ricci. My grandmother has worn this for as long as its been sold. You may hear "grandmother" and think - "oh god - an old lady perfume!" but no - Sultana - for all my grandmother's appearance of all things polished and refined nowadays - I have heard MANY tales of the wild girl she was - you might want to find this - you seemed to dismiss it from what I could tell in this thread's posts. It's worth a stop by the perfume counter to test I think - it might be right up your alley!

MSD

Sorry for the delayed responses, everyone. I have no internet access at home and the only expendable currency I've had in the past few months has gone to buying a tuxedo, so I haven't even been looking at colognes.
If you work in a casino, you definitely don't want anything too strong because of the number of people around you and the close proximity to people for long periods of time. I'm going to say you should try A*Men by Theirry Mugler, and B*Men if that's too sweet. It you try them and they don't smell good on you, tell me what's wrong with them and I'll come up with something else. Those two are definitely for our age range, and will attract the ladies.
So I guess your profile description of "broke college student" no longer applies?

The only big one I've found is Ungaro III, which I mentioned in my previous post. They use the same sandalwood essence as Creed, which was my favorite part of Himalaya, and even though I went from a light citrus to a heavy, woody aromatic, they smell very similar to me.

And honestly, who wouldn't want to try a scent that gets someone tackle-hugged (not to mention that a few people hug me frequently so they have an excuse to smell me.)
L'air Du Temps is a classy classic, but it is very common and targeted at an older crowd. My mother wears it, and her mother wears Chanel No. 5. As for your list, I remember liking Bijan, the only 360 I've smelled is Red for Men, and I don't think I've smelled any of the others. I really can't think of anything else I haven't recommended already.

mfh

Got any recommendations for a 23 year old who's turned into "young professional" after being "broke college student"? I work in a technical profession and when I go out I generally wear something like: blazer/light shirt and slacks, or just a dark shirt and slacks. I make more money than average but I do not work in finance, so I don't want to project that particular image or get into the $150+/bottle kind of stuff

I go to clubs, dance sometimes, but generally I'm just in a busy bar with other young professionals though, so something that will alert those in my immediate vicinity of the fact that I am wearing a scent, but do not want something that lingers or creates a large "wake".

I've read your suggestions for Creed GIT & Himalaya, Ferragamo, and Envy for men but I'm not sure which would fit my style.

Physically: 23 yo Asian, short black hair, not heavy but not skinny, 5'11", California weather (doesn't get very hot in summers here), laid back attitude

Thanks for any advice, this thread really piqued my interest in scents!

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mike

MSD

You'd do well with YSL's M7 or Ungaro III. Envy is really a winter scent, and more night-oriented than day-to-day (it's sexy in a bottle, and strong as hell.) If you don't want to get into the $150+stuff, Creed isn't for you. Ferragamo is a very light scent and would probably also work for you.

allaboutmusic

Hey MrSelfDestruct, I read this thread with some interest and thought perhaps I could pick your brain to lend me some expertise.

I am a musician and teacher in my late twenties. When I am in school I wear a suit and am generally quite well respected by my students... when I go out, I go out as a cool, artistic, musician type guy who dressed casually but smart. I walk tall and shave my head, and come across as strong and confident; I also flirt shamelessly with the young ladies whom I notice, or who notice me.

I'm not overly fussed about a scent to wear in school to be honest, but I was wondering if you could recommend a couple scents to try. At the moment I have Ralph Lauren Romance and Acqua di Gio (I know, I know, but it was a gift) and I do like the Romance one. I also tried a Marc Jacobs scent that I liked but I can't seem to find it again, it's not the normal one in a white bottle.

Thanks!

MSD

OK, I have a few you might want to try. For something powerful and masculine, Green Irish Tweed can't go wrong. For something spicier, try YSL's Rive Gauche Intense. Want to go for something ligter? Eau Parfumée au Thé Blanc by Bulgari is a toned down unisex that won't draw women in like a magnet (hardly anything can,) but will keep them there wanting to smell you one they're nearby. For laid back and relaxed, Creed's new Virgin Island Water comes in what looks like a tropical rum bottle for a good reason. It's a cruise in the islands bottled up and ready to spray on yourself.
And I can't believe I missed this question way back. Any good fragrance counter should have sample cards, and you can write down what each is before you spray it. When you've narrowed it down, put one on each wrist, and one on the inside of one elbow if you must try one more. Coffee (again, a good fragrance counter will have jars of beans out for you) shocks the smell receptors and clears your nose of any olfactory habituation so you can sniff the coffee between sniffs of scent and get the full experience each time.

PlanG

Hey there.
I'm 18 and a student (last year of college). I currently use Lacoste Original (80s citrus!) for day to day use and going out.

It has just run out so wondering what I should get?

I tried Joop Pour Homme, and found that while it was an alright smell, if very sweet, I got a bit of a headache from it and had to wash it off..

I'm looking for one that I can use for going out, and I'll buy more lacoste(£18 for 150ml or something so cheap) for day to day stuff as I like it a lot.

My current shortlist(£25 is pretty much my limit I think. Fairly sure these all fit within this category):

212Male - Caroline Herrera
Le Male - JPG
Sexual pour Homme - Michael Germain

Are these any good, or are there better recommendations, obviously I will try them out first, but it would be nice to have an idea.

Thanks a lot!

MSD

If Joop is too sweet, then my usual recommendation for a going out scent for your age, A*Men, will be too. Since you like citrus, B*Men is one to try in addition to the ones you listed.

PlanG

Thanks for that, I'll give them a try at the weekend

allaboutmusic

Thank you sir - does this look about right?

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.d...m=120171331742

I'll start with that one and gradually get the others as finances allow.

Another question for you - which concentration is usually preferable? Cologne, eau de toilette, eau de parfum, parfum? Is spray preferable to the standard drip applicator?

MSD

MSRP is $285 last I checked, so you're looking at a great deal even if it gets bid up. For application, I prefer EDP spray when available, with my comments in the first post of the thread on application still standing.

icevrething

Hi im 18, and my style is hoodie with skull cap, 5' 7" tall. I am a laid back, quiet person, but I like to go out and have fun. Right now i wear armani mania cologne, but I'm looking for something else for the fall season. Any ideas?

MSD

How much fun and what kind?

icevrething

Fun for me would be simply hanging out with friends stirring up trouble every once in awhile, but im the one who tames the ppl that get too out of hand so no one gets hurt or in trouble. Hobby wise i enoy skatebording, bball, video games. I'm sorry if this isn't the right info u need. Just tell me to elaborate if necessary.

allaboutmusic

If any of the other UK-based guys out there is interested in trying Rive Gauche, The Perfume Shop has them on sale for just £12.99 for a 60ml. I really like it. The perfume counter girl was very impressed by my taste (based on the perfumes I was naming) and I got her phone number, so thank you sir for more than just great fragrance recommendations!

She also had me try a couple others: Opium and Twice Iceberg. I didn't particularly like either... Opium was just too strong, and Twice Iceberg was too summery. I am aware that I may have been judging them relative to Rive Gauche which may be unfair - Rive Gauche just seemed so much punchier and oozed class (they had no coffee beans for health and safety reasons relating to nut allergies. Another customer said that a slice of lemon works too). Twice Iceberg was just £9.99 so I may visit the shop again in a couple days and try it out again.

Interestingly, she said she'd never heard of Creed despite being in the industry for several years.

MSD

OK, your three to try are, in order of preference, L'Anarchiste by Caron, M7 by YSL, and L'Eau d'Issey pour Homme by Issey Miyake. For a high-end, try Creed's Original Santal, although the exquisiteness is likely to be lost on the high school and college crowds who are satisfied with Axe and the like. Something good will set you apart, but if the people around you don't have the experience and sophisticated taste to appreciate a masterwork, you'll be spending a lot more just to impress yourself. I don't mean that to sound condescending, it's the same thing with college kids favoring Natural Light and box wine, quality takes a backseat to price.

If you like L'Anarchiste, you won't bother with the others, if you don't, give it another try another day.
Great! I'll have to look for Iceberg, I've never seen it before. And as always, if someone hasn't heard of Creed, it's because they don't advertise and are only sold online and in top-end places like Saks Fifth Ave; my local Saks doesn't even have one, I have to go to one in a wealthier town for a Creed counter. That's the only store in CT that carries them and there are 5 in NY state, two Saks, two Nieman Marcus, and two Bergdorf Goodman.

If you're in the US or Canada, here's where you can find authorized sales outlets: http://www.creedperfumes.us/creed_store_locations.php

In the UK: http://www.creedfragrances.co.uk/site/stockists

allaboutmusic

I went to look for fragrance-free products today to complement any fragrances I purchase. I found them pretty tricky to find. Some were fragrance-free, but still had a distinctive smell to them. What do you recommend?

MSD

Ban Original (not unscented) deodorant; there is no such thing as fragrance-free shampoo; Clinique post shave healer* if you have sensitive skin; and hypoallergenic, alcohol-free, fragrance-free moisturizer, like Kinesys Performance Moisturizer with SPF 15.

* this one: http://www.clinique.com/templates/pr...UCT_ID=PROD510

Jack The Lad

Fascinating thread - very informative.

My trademark scent is Herrera by Carolina Herrera. It's not a very well known fragrance where I live, but the smell is gorgeous (a masculine scent possessing a blend of fresh citrus, tobacco, musk and amber - recommended for daytime wear) and it tends to draw compliments wherever I go...especially from the opposite sex.

Can you recommend anything similar?

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MSD

For a different twist on tobacco and amber, try The Dreamer by Versace.

allaboutmusic

Thanks, I actually saw some unfragranced Vaseline moisturiser on sale which seems pretty good - that was the one I was looking for. I'll keep a look out for the others.

I've actually been using coconut shower gel, shampoo and conditioner which smells really great. What's the best way to complement this particular combination?

Jack The Lad

I'll look for that. Thanks for the recommendation.

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Schachman

Thanks for the great thread MrSelfDestruct - it's great to find someone willing to share their thoughts on this interesting topic!

One cologne that I enjoy wearing daily is Jill Sander's "Sander for Men". It's a scent that enlightens and brightens... gives such a good mood when I smell it. Also, not many men wear it, so I hear often - "what are you wearing?".

Have you ever tried it? Any thoughts on it? Do you know of any other colognes that are similar but yet slightly different?

Thanks again!

allaboutmusic

I was at Selfridges today and visited their Creed counter. Wow, they make some great stuff! I put a spritz of Green Irish Tweed on one wrist, and Virgin Island Water on the other, and walked down the street asking random girls to pick their favourite. Green Irish Tweed won by something like 35-0. I'm buying a bottle.

Which other Creed ones would you recommend I try? Thanks again MrSelfDestruct, I feel like I'm discovering a whole new thing I just didn't know about.

xepherys

While I was still at home, my new favorite scent was Sean Paul's Unforgivable. It was pretty atypical, regarding notes, of what I normally wore, but it really is quite nice. Sort of a sandalwood base note with a mild citrus top note. There's more to it than that, but I am NOT a fragrance snob, so I don't have an easy time picking them all out.

I also occasionally wore a scented oil from Global Scent Company called LeStadt. Despite it's name, it didn't bring forth visions of goth emo kids in psuedo-drag. It was a very pleasant but distinct light musk.

Bulgari Blu is probably my next most worn scent. The wife loves it and I like it well enough to wear it often for her.

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MSD

It's a pretty new one, I haven't checked any new fragrances recently because I've been broke, and busy with work and school. I'll look for it next time I'm at a fragrance counter.
Try them all if there's a Creed counter. And between asking random girls to smell you and getting the counter girl's number, this seems to be working out pretty well for you.
Unforgivable is a lot like Creed's Millesime Imperial, and the sandalwood and citrus are the two main notes. It's a pretty good knockoff of MI, although the citrus and a few other notes smell a bit synthetic.

I've never heard of LeStadt and can't find it on their website (which looks like it's straight out of 1997 ) Where did you get it?

MSD

If you're young and casual, those plus Silver Mountain Water are the ones to try. The older stuff of theirs might seem out of place on someone your age. If you want something relaxed but distinct that might work for you that nobody else in the thread has tried yet, get a sample of Acier Aluminium (even though using the European spelling of that word makes me feel dirty.)

allaboutmusic

I got my bottle of Green Irish Tweed today - fantastic fantastic stuff! eBay seems to be the place to buy. I'm going to try Silver Mountain Water as well next time I go to Selfridges.

Quick question for you MrSelfDestruct - in your first post you talk about 1/3 sprays and so on... how exactly do you do a 1/3 spray? My sprays seem to do nothing if you gently press them down until you reach a certain point and then it just sprays everything.

n0nsensical

I'm trying to start a fragrance business. Any tips?

troit

I'm a fan of BN9's Wall Street and Gramercy Park. I had no idea people even knew about this store - I thought it was a small New York boutique. (I live a couple of blocks from it).

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Willravel

Is Safari by RL still en vogue? I've been using it for years (still working on first bottle, which is something like 4-5 years old), but I like it.

MSD

Works for me. If it doesn't for you, just hold it back a bit and spray lightly. Because of the varying potency of different scents, I've started doing a spray on each side of the upper chest that covers the neck, too, a spray on one wrist and pressed against the other, and one on the back of the neck or on my hair (long hair projects and creates silage.) Go with what seems right, and for the first day or two, ask friends if it's too strong or too light. That method from the first post was when I was using EDP strength and potent EDTs like L'Anarchiste and Envy.
Get a wide range of what's popular, but also get some niche stuff that you can mark up and sell to people who want something out of the ordinary. Your startup costs are going to be obscenely high. Keep clear bottles away from UV light and keep the place cool. Have a coffee bar for customers. Make it look classy but still inviting to the average person.
They're trying to be the American Creed, and they're on their way there. They have some great scents and some that aren't so great, but it's definitely a place worth checking out.
Chaps, Sport, and Blue are the big sellers, with Black, Double Black, and Safari trailing behind, but they're all pretty good.