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Help find a new scent in the same class?

post #1 of 20
8/28/05 at 4:29pm
Thread Starter 
Newbie here!

I don't have much expertise with fragrances, and am looking for a new scent.

I just finished off a bottle of Acqua di Gio, which my fiance really likes. Rather than get another bottle of a quite commonplace cologne, I'm trying to find something similar, but more unique. More advanced. More sophisticated and niche?

I've read hundreds of posts here the last week, and have some idea of where to go but would love some help.

If I wanted to stay along the same lines of the Acqua di Gio, what are some recommendations that people have that are similar?

I don't have a complete understanding of all the "notes" or "classes" yet. Can anyone lay out the strongest notes in Acqua di Gio for me to compare to others? From the directory here, the notes listed are: Top Notes
Jasmine, Rosemary, Hespiradic Notes; Middle Notes: Persimmon Fruits, Marine Notes; Base Notes:
Cedar, Patchouli, White Musk, Rock Rose

I guess for me trying to find something similar, its hard at this point to think in my head "ah yes, thats hespiradic" not knowing what in the world hespiradic even is in the first place.

Is the class considered marine? aquatic? are they synonyms?

Reading the forums, I am also VERY interested in trying out some of the more niche or upper-scale scents for their complexity and exclusivity. I have read a lot about the Creed house scents.

Is there a Creed scent that is a home-run for those who like Acqua di Gio?

What about other houses?

Lots of questions, I'm sorry! I really appreciate any advice!

In due time, I'll probably be looking for a new night-time scent, but I'm focusing first on something appropriate for work, not too overpowering or even offending to some. Ideally I think something that isnt too strong, not the first thing people notice about me, but when my fiance comes closer... she cant help but start drooling


By the way, I'm in my late 20s, if that helps steer any.
THANKS!
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post #2 of 20
8/28/05 at 4:36pm
Although I am new as well as you, I also do not really understand the notes yet. But, I wanted a bottle of aqua di gio and was about to buy it when I was told to try Perry Ellis 360 Red. The two are similair. If you are looking for something along the same lines I suggest you try Perry Ellis 360 Red!
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post #3 of 20
8/28/05 at 5:07pm
Hi Nitto,

Welcome to the madness! Of the lighter Creed scents I've tried, nothing comes to mind that compares to AdG. See if you can find a place to test some Creed scents, otherwise it's easy to purchase some decants from members here on the forum or through ebay.

I'd suggest Millesime Imperiale or Silver Mountain Water, although longevity is always an issue with Creed scents.
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post #4 of 20
8/28/05 at 5:16pm
I'll make some suggestions.

Essenza di Zegna - I think you'll like this one a LOT. If you like AdG, this is a lot like that, except longer lasting, fresher, crisper, a bit more refined, and a bit more mature. But still certainly suitable for a man of his late 20's, as I'm 25 and love this one!

Dolce & Gabbana Pour Homme - a solid, masculine cologne that I recommend to almost everybody. It smells pleasant enough to not offend, but it's a breath of fresh air when next to others in the "cologne" genre such as Polo, Drakkar, Halston, etc.

Clinique Happy - a big like AdG, it has a similar tonka base. Think of it as the wood of AdG with a sparkling citrus top. My most worn citrus. However, longevity is an issue.

There are no Creeds that are similar to AdG. MI and SMW are much lighter and fruitier than AdG. I think the closest to a "cologne" like AdG would be Bois du Portugal, Bois de Cedrat, Bois d'Argent or maybe Acier Aluminium.
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post #5 of 20
8/28/05 at 5:28pm
Try these Creed fragrances:

Green Irish Tweed
New Tabarome
Millisime Imperial
Silver Mountian Water
Himalaya
Erolfa

other good aquatic scents and along the lines of Acqua Di Gio:

Essenza Di Zegna
L'eau D'issey
Bulgari Aqua
Higher
Metal Jeans
Armanis Life
Givenchy Pour Homme

good night and evening scents:

YSL M7
Dolce and Gabbana Pour Homme
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post #6 of 20
8/28/05 at 5:33pm
Thread Starter 
Thanks for the comments so far! I can't wait for more. Of those mentioned so far, I've smelled magazine inserts of Clinique Happy and D&G and will add those to my "spray-test" list at Sephora to get a "scents" [smiley=grin.gif] of what they smell like on my skin. Being that you can only skin test so many on any one outing to the mall, this helps narrow the field.

I guess I should clarify that I am not looking for a "direct relative" to AdG per se, but just that I don't really have a good sense of what scents would qualify as "first or second cousins".

Curious about the whole Creed thing (so many psots here), I also just grabbed some sampler vials of SMW, GIT, and Himalaya off eBay, since I dont have a local store nearby to check these out.
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post #7 of 20
8/28/05 at 5:37pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by iMaverick

Hi Nitto,

Welcome to the madness!

And madness is what it seems, but it looks like its going to be an adventure (and hopefully not TOO much of a money sink!
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post #8 of 20
8/28/05 at 5:39pm
Welcome to basenotes!!! The most prominent notes of ADG that you probably find the most appealing are the citrus and melon notes. The citrus is that sourness you smell when you first apply it. Later on when the scent evaporates a little you get the melon notes which are sweeter. I suggest you try out L'eau D'issey by Issey Miyake. It has similar melon notes as ADG but it has a bitter twist in the beginning unlike ADG's sour notes.
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post #9 of 20
8/28/05 at 6:17pm
I'll place a vote for Lanvin L'Homme, Bulgari Pour Homme, and most of all L'eau du Gouverneur by Comptoir. Hopefully Dr. Creed will come along and back me up
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post #10 of 20
8/28/05 at 7:39pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by ironmics

I'll place a vote for Lanvin L'Homme, Bulgari Pour Homme, and most of all L'eau du Gouverneur by Comptoir. Hopefully Dr. Creed will come along and back me up

I'll back you up on the Lanvin and Bulgari!!!
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post #11 of 20
8/28/05 at 7:53pm
Salvatore Ferragamo Subtil
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post #12 of 20
8/28/05 at 9:03pm
Lanvin L'Homme is an excellent choice. I'll also suggest giving Gendarme 20 a try. It's not similar to AdG. But it is contemporary, versatile, sexy, and will have you standing out from the crowd. Why? Because it's fresh and subtle, without being synthetic smelling. I have more suggestions, but I'd urge you to give G 20 a try as a baseline.

#
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post #13 of 20
8/29/05 at 10:23am
The new Polo Black is pretty nice, but I didn't like it on me. Â*BWT--I'm a woman who prefers the fresher, sweeter guys colognes to many of the women's perfumes on the market today. Â*And, I wholeheartedly second D&G PH & Happy. Â*Both wonderful fragrances.

Edited to add Kenneth Cole Reaction
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post #14 of 20
8/29/05 at 11:21am
I'd second (or third, I guess, by now) the recommendation of Lanvin L'Homme. It's not at all like Acqua di Giò, and it's not niche, but it's a little out of the way, not being widely distributed in North America anymore. It's a great favourite of mine. A crisp and well-balanced blend of bergamot, lavender, herbs and violet-wood, it's subtle, refreshing and all-around classy.

Some of the scent-heads (and I say that with love, right, guys?) around here find that there is a melon note in Creed's Millésime Impérial. You may find, therefore, that it has a certain similarity to Acqua di Giò, in which melon is a definite presence. Melon isn't a quality I identify in MI, but my nose differs on this, I guess.

Happy for Men is good clean fun. In his idiosyncratic but vivid essay on ten of his favourite fragrances, journalist and scent-collector Chandler Burr says the following about Happy for Men:

Quote:
A rare example of the marketing and creative people working together, Happy for Men is exactly what it says it is. This is (let's be clear) a feminine fragrance being sold to men, and every man, and lots of women, should own it. Brush your teeth Happy, work Happy, go to the barbecue Happy; a guy who smells like this is sunshine and cool, summer beach and intelligence, snowboarding and sexiness. I'd describe the scent, but nah, track it down and try it. Damn this stuff is nice.
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post #15 of 20
8/29/05 at 12:35pm
Thread Starter 
wow, so many replies! Thanks guys!

Looks like I have some serious testing to do.
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post #16 of 20
8/29/05 at 12:50pm
Nitto, try these:

* Echo - Davidoff (fresh, sweet, with that metal smell)
* Ferrari Racing
* Ferrari Red (for a more fruity one)
* Versace Metal jeans (got that fresh watermelon smell)
* Polo Blue (for a sweet and lightly powdery smell)
* Romance Silver (a better and more mature version of acqua di Gio)
* Chanel Allure Sport
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post #17 of 20
8/29/05 at 5:05pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by nitto

Is the class considered marine? aquatic? are they synonyms?

I use the two terms interchangeably...and probably incorrectly. I think AdG falls generally into this category. In a quite different way, so does Creed's Erolfa, which has become over the years my favorite marine scent. It gives off a dirty, salty presence....perfect for a day at the beach. It's not heavy, but I don't think it's particularly fresh.

Another one to check out is Bulgari Acqua. Cut from the same mold as Acqua di Gio, I tend to think of it has having more depth.

Finally, not quite marine, but tropical nevertheless is Aramis Bermuda Tonic. Fresh citrus / green, with rum winding through it. Something in it reminds me of fresh kind of burnt sugar, which for me evokes memories of burning sugar fields. Anyway, another one you might want to test.

Cheers and good luck!
Jim
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post #18 of 20
8/29/05 at 5:56pm
Welcome-
May I suggest:
Creed - Erolfa (oceanic notes) I agree with Jim.

Versace L'Homme. It has some nice herbal components which are almost aquatic in nature, but I do not mean for you to get the idea that this scent is similar to AdG. I swear this has a vetiver component but I don't see it documented in osmoz. A hidden gen and rarely talked about on BN.

My feeling is that there are some vetiver scents which are on the verge of becoming aquatic - L'Occitane (reminds me of a river grove); Helan - Vetiver & Rum (is meant to be evokative of the sea).

I suggest trying the niche before buying, however. Something like Erolfa is going to cost you a lot of quid to try blind. I think aedes.com has some good deals for samples for niche frags.
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post #19 of 20
8/29/05 at 8:32pm
Welcome on board!

Hesperidic notes = citrus notes, like bergamot, grapefruit, lemon, yuzu, orange etc., plus bigarade - oil from citrus leaves, and fleur d`orange - oil of citrus flowers...

Second Bulgari Acqua and Carolina Herrera Acqua... though I do not like those watery-airy scents...
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post #20 of 20
8/29/05 at 8:34pm
Pssst... Try 'Idividuel' pour homme by Montblanc.
Yeah, just try it!
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