Newbie needs suggestions...

Fresh fragrances are good for someone starting out. They are light, refreshing and never too overbearing. I would suggest:
Mugler Cologne
L'eau par Kenzo
Azzaro Chrome
Bvlgari pour Homme Extreme
L'eau D'issey pour Homme

You may also like vanillic scents which are more full bodied:
Givenchy Pi Fraiche
Laguna Homme
Burberry Brit

I think what you're looking for is Guerlain's L'Instant.

I agree on the "fresh" fragrances as being a good starting point, adding Gendarme and Tommy T to the list. Mugler's Cologne is also one of the best in that vein and if you have access to Nordstrom's, you should be able to find the shower gel as well. It ain't cheap, but its really good and quite invigorating. I find it has more citrus than the EdT does and they work great in combination.

Happy for Men is another favorite of mine for those days of being laid back and casual. Its overly sweet and synthetic nature disappears really quick, so don't go by how the test strip smells. Try it on your skin (which I'd obviously recommend for everything you consider buying).

Swiss Army is a nice outdoorsy scent that is also good for casual wear and fairly inexpensive. If you have access to a Sephora, they carry it. I'd also recommend Sephora as a place to test sniff, since their SA's have never been pushy in any experience I've had when visiting. They have a great selection of current and classic designer label scents, with plenty of testers for you to sample at your own pace.

It may take you a few trips to find something you like, as you don't want to try too many things at a time. Your nose will get overwhelmed and possibly offput, giving possibly less than favorable impressions of the latter scents you test. I would usually limit myself to smelling five to six on test strips and four on my skin. After that, I was ready for a break.

Good luck and welcome to BN.

I think Hugo by Hugo Boss is a great starting point.

http://www.basenotes.net/ID26120796.html

Hey deleuze,
Welcome. My first advice would be to spend as much time as you can at the counters smelling stuff. Try to pick up the basic differences between Fresh, Oriental, and Spicy scents. Take notes onwhat you like - either in the store or at home. Pester them for as many samples as they can give. Don't worry too much about learning specific notes yet, just get a handle on what you gravitate toward. Many folks new to the hobby tend to start with the fresher fragrances - these are the Aqua and Citrus blends. They tend to very safe and inoffensive. The problem, however is finding a fragrance, fresh or otherwise, that suits you and your personality. The sales folks may push you toward something hyperpopular like Aqua de Gio - a nice fragrance, but it has become so overplayed that it really says little about your personality as an individual. So take some time, read the reviews here, and take it all with a grain of salt. Take time to find something that really gets under your skin, something that you fall in love with.
What stores are you near? Where do you do most of your shopping? Let us know so we can advise on what might be available.
That being said, I will recommend a few interesting ones to try next time you are out. These all should be readily available.

John Varvatos - A modern take on dark leather, and a great fall/winter scent.
Issey Mayake - Try his whole line for nice, fresher scents with some character.
Kenzo - Try whatever is available by this house. Interesting, unique, sometimes challenging.
And I will second the recommendation that you try L'Instant Pour Homme by Guerlain.
Good Luck. And let us know what you find.
Slim

Giorgio Armani Eau Pour Homme is what comes to mind.

Welcome aboard, good luck with your choice. Always trust your nose, its your best teacher...


Magnnum

I'm still a relative newbie too, and the steps below are how I got started. As I've built my modest collection, my nose and tastes have developed, but I'm still very happy with all the scents I have so far. Here's what I did:

--Read posts here and spent a lot of time looking through the directory, reading comments and reviews and comparing them to the listed notes of many fragrances.

--Made notes of fragrances that sounded interesting or might fit my personality and tastes, or that are frequently mentioned reference points.

--Went out to stores and tested as much as possible. When testing, I found that I to get a good idea of what a fragrance really smells like I MUST:

Test on my skin.

Wear the fragrance long enough for it to dry down and develop and (if I like it) continue to wear it to test longevity.

Test multiple times.

--Noted which particular scents, types/families and notes I like and use that information as context to evaluate the comments and reviews I read.

--Took a few carefully considered flyers on fragrances that sounded like I would like them, but couldn't locate to test. These blind buys have worked out well for me, but I have also gone out to test fragrances I was sure I was going to like based on the notes and reviews and found that I really didn't like them, so I've been lucky.

--Don't listen to the SA's. I chat politely with them, but I've learned to be very firm when they come at me with a bottle, saying, "Have you tried...?"

This is a lot of work if you just want to find a pleasant smell or two, but I find it a lot of fun.

--Steve

I'd suggest Truefitt and Hill 1805. I know the Marshall Fields on State St in Chicago has it or you can order it online. It is a fresh , masculine, somewhat aquatic fragrance that everyone likes. I really want a bottle of it myself. Unfortunately you would probably have to buy it blind.

If you are willing to invest a little time and money into the search I would recommend ordering a couple dozen samples, which will allow proper testing of fragrances. I'm really beginning to feel that you can't know if you enjoy fragrance until you wear in normally for a few days.

Spraying on one wrist and sniffing at it isn't good enough IMO.

You can get samples from some internet dealers, from manufacturers, and decants here on this forum and ebay.

Yeah, this is what I would suggest to.

If you decide you like Mugler Cologne, I'd spring for Creed Original Vetiver instead. Considerably better longevity (it lasts a lot longer), and it develops much better on the skin, whereas Cologne is rather static. Online, OV is about $85, which isn't more than what you'd pay for Mugler Cologne at a department store.