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Question from newbie.

post #1 of 23
9/18/05 at 3:59pm
Thread Starter 
I'm kinda new on this board, and am looking for some tips from the connosieurs on here.
I'm indian, and i've heard of the "stinky indian" tag that many of us get. So, i'm out shopping for somethign that gives me the confidence to make sure i don't fall in that category. That said, i'm not looking for something very strong, as i am sensitive to strong scents, and used to get headaches as a kid from them.

Being in the middle of nowhere (Clemson, SC) makes for no possibility of exploring the stores and trying out colognes, since there is no sephora or something similar here. I've looked on ebay to try and buy tester samples, but the shipping costs plus the cost of one 8ml spray dispenser is like $10. If anyone knows where i can get samples (i don' mind paying for it, but $10 an 8ml vial is definitely out of my league as a college student living on ramen noodles) along with good suggestions for men's cologne, i'd apreciate that.

I am 23, so something that isn't a teeny bopper scent, and yet is a good choice for a young soon to be professional would be what i'm looking for.

Thanks for the time.
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post #2 of 23
9/18/05 at 4:11pm
Welcome to Basenotes!!! First I need to know a few things. Have you owned cologne in the past? Which ones? Which ones did you like? I'm asking because colognes fall into different categories. There are sweet ones, citrus ones, and so on. I just want to know your preferences so I can help you out.
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post #3 of 23
9/18/05 at 4:18pm
Vin,
I'm sure you'll get lots of good suggestions, but I just want to say that as long as your hygiene is good and you wear clean clothes (necessary for anyone of any background), don't give that "stinky Indian" bullshit a second thought. Easier said than done, I know, but people who think like that will probably just think of you as the "stinky Indian with the nice cologne", and the hell with them anyway.

Welcome to Basenotes.

--Steve
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post #4 of 23
9/18/05 at 4:28pm
Thread Starter 
Steve, thank you for your note. I very much expect the second bit, and i try my best to not fit the stereotype by following the new pair of clothes everyday thing. But, i believe some of the blame has to go to the spicy food that we eat. Either its that, or it is the smells from the cooking that gets onto the clothes, even though they are in the closet in a seperate room, and is difficult to get off.

Teflonguy, I've used deo sprays for about 6 years now. Never used a cologne though. The sprays that i like are those that just leave a trace for a couple of seconds after i'm gone. I prefer citrusy, or watery scents, but, am not sure if that is considered professional or masculine. I guess i'm looking for a masculine scent that isn't overpoweringly strong.

That said, i'm open to all the suggestions here, based on which i hope to get smoe testers somewhere, try them out and make an inestment in 1 maybe 2 different bottles of stuff that works for me.

EDIT: I love the "fresh from the shower" smell, but haven't found a way to make it last all day. Is there a way to do this ?
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post #5 of 23
9/18/05 at 4:32pm
Hi Vin, if you like citrusy scents, then I think Clinique Happy for Men is made for you!
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post #6 of 23
9/18/05 at 4:37pm
Vin-
Welcome to the board. I can sympathize with you regarding the fragrances and the prejudice you might encounter. I was unaware of the issue until my fiancee brought it up. My fiancee is Indian (I am not FWIW) and does not like fragrances reminding her of Indian spices.

For what it is worth, she unconditionally does not like Gucci Pour Homme. She says it smells like Indian spices every time I tried it. It is definitely a spicy-woody-incensey scent.

With this perhaps unrepresentative sample in mind, you might want to avoid straight-up spicy "oriental" types of fragrances. I'm thinking of spices where cinnamon is a major component ... Pierre Cardin Pour Monsieur, Halston Z-14, and Quorum comes to mind.

There are of scents out there which do not have a spicy component (Thierry Mugler Cologne, Grey Flannel, Guerlain Vetiver, Chrome), or are blended so that the scent is only moderately spicy (Jazz or Eau Sauvage for example).

Good luck!
K
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post #7 of 23
9/18/05 at 4:37pm
Here's a few fresh scents you might like. They're also pretty reasonable in terms of price.

1. Tommy T
2. Gendarme
3. Clinique Happy
4. Giorgio Armani Acqua Di Gio
5. Claiborne Sport
6. Polo Blue

There's more but these are the first ones that come to mind. I'll post more later. Â*[smiley=smiley.gif]
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post #8 of 23
9/18/05 at 4:38pm
vin welcome to the board. I know what you mean about our food stinking up our clothes. I'm pakistani-indian and every time my parents used to cook or now when I cook in my apartment it smells up the whole place and clothes just absorb it. Make sure you don't wear a scent with cumin in it (yes they put cumin notes in some colognes, don't ask me why).

As for you its hard to tell you what to buy because all our tastes are different. Also since you are in SC I'd suggest something available at the department store. Try to go to a Sephora if you have one at a mall and try out different ones on cards and if they interest you then try it out on your skin.

Some that I'd suggest for you to try out but not necessarily my favorites:

Bulgari Aqua
Escada Magnetism
Armani Black Code
Dolce & Gabanna pour homme
D & G By Man
Lolita Lempicka
Burberry Brit
Polo Blue
Polo Black
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post #9 of 23
9/18/05 at 4:39pm
I would give Bvlgari pour homme a shot. Its light,easy to wear and its not boring or a clone of anything else out there.

Oh yeah,welcome to Basenotes.

Jeff
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post #10 of 23
9/18/05 at 4:45pm
Thread Starter 
Thanks everyone for the suggestions. This board sure looks busy.

Any suggestions on where i can get testers ? i'd like to try something before i buy a 4oz bottle i'm not going to use after maybe 3 sprays.

EDIT: I'm looking for vials - those 5-8ml tiny little bottles, as pointed out in the next post.
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post #11 of 23
9/18/05 at 4:58pm
Try a search against the word "vial" at www.perfumebay.com to find a sample.

Not to confuse you, but a "tester" is usually a bottle without a box or cap which stores put out for display so people can try them. Sometimes these "testers" are for sale at sites like parfum1, perfumebay, scentiments, etc. at discounted prices from a regular bottle.
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post #12 of 23
9/18/05 at 4:59pm
Vin, If you are in a perfume counter in any department store you can ask the sales associates for a spray sample in your arm. Â*Walk around the mall to see how it evolves on your skin or to see if it is something that you can live with from day to day until the bottle is finished. Â*And you can do this on two fragrances each time. Â*The bulk Â*of citrusy colognes is exactly what you are looking for. Â*They are hardly overpowering. Â*On the contrary, citrusy colognes are usually too quickly evanescent.

I suspect that you will also go for clean and fresh soapy scents. Â*Check out the thread on that. Â*You might hit on something there.
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post #13 of 23
9/18/05 at 5:02pm
Vin, I send you a private message
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post #14 of 23
9/18/05 at 6:03pm
  • Xen
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I've got quite a few Indian friends and they all love Aramis! I think Aramis works well with Indians [smiley=smiley.gif] It works well with their natural body odour imo..
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post #15 of 23
9/18/05 at 9:35pm
Well I'm just a boring white guy, but I've always found the smell of Indian food and spices to be delicious! But hey, that's just me.
And if you're looking for minis -- those 5ml-ish bottles, there's a wide variety at really good discounts at Parfum1.com. Four, five, six bucks a pop. A few seven and eight -- but none, I think, over that. They've got testers as well. Give 'em a look!
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post #16 of 23
9/18/05 at 9:45pm
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Bvlgari BLV has galanga - curry. So I guess it must smell like a gourmand to you! [smiley=grin.gif]

Coleman, you're not alone here [smiley=wink.gif]
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post #17 of 23
9/18/05 at 9:48pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by AZsmells

vin welcome to the board. Â*I know what you mean about our food stinking up our clothes. Â*I'm pakistani-indian and every time my parents used to cook or now when I cook in my apartment it smells up the whole place and clothes just absorb it. Â*Make sure you don't wear a scent with cumin in it (yes they put cumin notes in some colognes, don't ask me why).

As for you its hard to tell you what to buy because all our tastes are different. Â*Also since you are in SC I'd suggest something available at the department store. Â*Try to go to a Sephora if you have one at a mall and try out different ones on cards and if they interest you then try it out on your skin.

Some that I'd suggest for you to try out but not necessarily my favorites:

Bulgari Aqua
Escada Magnetism
Armani Black Code
Dolce & Gabanna pour homme
D & G By Man
Lolita Lempicka
Burberry Brit
Polo Blue
Polo Black

This is THE perfect list! I'll just add Givenchy pour homme Blue Label.
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post #18 of 23
9/19/05 at 5:20am
Thread Starter 
Thank you to everyone who replied in such a short time. I never expected so many responses !

I would appreciate some more advice on buying stuff - from what i've read in other posts, buying online is best. I've looked at eBay, and there seem to be a lot of fakes. What are the websites to buy the genuine stuff from ? Also, where can i buy/get the small vials/samples of 3/5/8ml ones which i can use to try a cologne ?

All comments are appreciated.
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post #19 of 23
9/19/05 at 8:10am
Vin,

Welcome aboard. For that "fresh from the shower" smell that lasts all day there is one cologne that comes up over and over and is one of my personal favorites: Gendarme. A sample is available at perfumebay.com for $.99, but I don't know about the shipping costs. They have samples of some of the other suggestions as well, and the shipping cost is probably the same for 1 sample as for 10 samples.

A bit more terminology. "Samples" are usually 1-2mL vials which are really cheap and available free at department stores, though we usually have to pay a little for them online or on ebay. "Miniatures" are 4-8mL bottles that look like the regular bottle. These are considerably more expensive ($10+) because they have nice packaging and all. Don't get miniatures to try colognes, get sample vials. The 1mL in a sample vial is plenty of juice to wear the cologne for 3 or 4 days.

And one last note which may not have been made clear. You need to try fragrance on your skin and give it time before passing judgement because the scent will evolve over time.

Well, good luck and happy hunting. You may have just got yourself into a lot of trouble coming here for fragrance help (I went from 2 to 12 bottles in <1 year), but at least you'll smell great.

Tony
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post #20 of 23
9/19/05 at 8:25am
Vin,

Add Chanel Pour Monsieur to the list. Pour Monsieur is a sublime and sophisticated blend of long lasting citrus supported by the lightest vetiver and oakmoss. Fresh and a bit powdery. You might like it.

Griff
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post #21 of 23
9/19/05 at 9:37am
Vin,

A couple places to get free samples is www.trumpers.com and www.florislondon.com I emailed them and they sent out some samples to me, Trumpers probably sent me almost a dozen and Floris sent me 4 or 5. Trumpers also sent me some samples of their shaving supplies too.

Frank
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post #22 of 23
9/19/05 at 10:27am
Quote:
Originally Posted by vin

But, i believe some of the blame has to go to the spicy food that we eat.

Namastay!

That's what Paan is for, to mint away the curry, or so I discovered for the first time yesterday. Unfortunately there's no Paan vendors in SC. I'll also confirm that the smelly Indian stereotype is complete rubbish. What is true however is that India is heaven to the senses. Roll down the windows in traffic, the sights, the colors, the noise, the food, the smells, the faces. Spontaneous Ganesh parades, drums and dancing in the streets, traffic without any rules whatsoever yet working flawlessly. My favorite part of the day is going and returning from work, just for the senses. Oh, and welcome to America! I hope you're always treated as well as I've been treated here.

Plenty of good advice above. Good luck in discovering fragrance, and we can thank you for sandalwood. There was a display case full of sandalwood carvings. I slid the glass aside and poked my head in, inhaling. Floris Sandalwood did get it right, yet only after being grown here.
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post #23 of 23
9/19/05 at 1:08pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ed

...What is true however is that India is heaven to the senses. Roll down the windows in traffic, the sights, the colors, the noise, the food, the smells, the faces. Spontaneous Ganesh parades, drums and dancing in the streets, traffic without any rules whatsoever yet working flawlessly. My favorite part of the day is going and returning from work, just for the senses...

SO well put! Makes me want to get on the next plane for India. I personally LOVE the spicey aromas mentioned and find them intoxicating on another human (especially men).

Griff
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