recommendation?

First, welcome to Basenotes, hope you enjoy your "stay".

I think you may want to try some of the commonly termed "fresh / clean" sort of scents to see what you think of them. These would include Mugler's Cologne, Gendarme and Tommy T. None of them are "obtrusive" or likely to land you the moniker of "too much" cologne guy.

Tommy T is the best value since I find it lasts a fairly long time and is great for spring and summer. It is obviously synthetic smelling at first, but given a few minutes on your skin and it really does turn into a light citrus tinged smell of freshly laundered t-shirts. Its inexpensive too.

Mugler's Cologne is also quite good and if you want to make the extra $30 investment, has one of (if not the) finest shower gels available.

Gendarme smells great, but you won't smell it for long if you are like most people. Others will still detect its fresh out of the shower aura, but you may not. It was the reason I got rid of my full bottle, but had to go back and get a decant of from a fellow BN member.

Finally, you may want to try Inis: Energy of the Sea. It isn't easy to find and I've only ever seen it available online. If you check out the original Issey Miyake and imagine all the bitterness being replaced by a softer scent of lily of the valley, that will give you a pretty good read of how Inis will smell. Its very casual, easy to wear and lasts all day on me. My favorite of all the "marine" family of scents.

I would try Bvlgari PH (not the Extreme). Its light,versatile and long lasting.

Jeff

Difficult recommendation... light/fresh scents would be easier to try out at first, but I think you should go for something slightly deeper and more complex.

I would recommend:
- Azzaro Visit
- Laguna
- Hugo

These all have a fresh, easy edge, but have some richer notes lurking beneath the surface which develop over time. A bit more mysterious

Go to your local store and sample a few, make sure you pop a squirt of one or two you like on your wrist as the scent changes over time, in contact with your skin.

Perhaps also your taste in fragrance might change when you start to wear it. You would do well to look at the sell/swap board here as many fellow basenoters are happy to decant a few mL's of their favourite scents into smaller bottles - and your $50 would stretch a lot further!

Happy hunting!! Make sure you let us all know what you decide on!

I was thinking Bulgari Pour Homme as well. Very classy and clean, but with a definite character of it's own.

Dior's Eau Sauvage is very easy to wear as well and a great classic.

Guerlain's Habit Rouge might suit you as well if you feel a bit more daring. It's unusual and a little sweet, but still reeks (maybe wafts subtly sounds better) of class and intelligence.

Take a look at the scents from Gendarme. I'm particularly fond of Gendarme V, but I have yet to try the other scents. Gendarme V is one of theose scents which is perfect in any situation. Cost tends to be on the high side, but I think a 2.5 oz bottle is within your spending limit. My GF described it as "soapy but REALLY good french soap" ... this is her favorite scent on me. Gendarme V is subtle, but on me it has incredible duration.

I think you will be interested in the Gendarme line because they were created by a man whose allergies are supposed to be "legendary."

I second the Mugler Cologne and agree on the matching shower gel. One of my faves, and the bar soap is great too.

As for purchasing, I suggest that you test out the scents at a local department store on your skin (never on a card) and then buy online. I've had very good luck with PerfumeBay (www.perfumebay.com), and other Basenoters have suggested Scentiments(www.scentiments.com).

Good luck on your search and happy sniffing!

Welcome to Basenotes, Rlw!

I'm going to recommend two superior yet hard to find scents. Online they are easy to get and cheap. Molinard's Madrigal, an herbal mix dating from the 1930s and Molinard's Rafale, a fern and musk from the 1970s. 100ml (3.4oz) bottles of each can be had for $20 or less from several online distributors. Both are fantastic and reliable in the situations you describe yourself in. Both show very good taste.

If you're in the USA many malls have L'Occitane shops. L'Occitane's Vetyver is beautiful and natural smelling. Also inexpensive, and it has a line of bath gel and shaving stuff to compliment it. This one will show good taste, fragrance uniqueness, and please anyone sniffing you the same as the Molinards I've mentioned.

Other suggestions on this thread are also really good.

Good luck and with some sniffing you're surely going to find something you like yourself in.
Best,
--Chris

I suggest that you try Yang by Jacques Fath.

It last long, it has sillage and at the same time I think it won't offend anyone. (There will be exceptions though).

Hi,i think that a good recommendations is this:


*Eau de Cartier
*Hierbas de Ibiza
*Acqua Di Colonia, LV
*Mugler Cologne

and something more special but in this line:

*Le Nomade by D'orsay

Hi rlw ,

Have you tried Fahrenheit, Hugo Dark Blue, Lacoste(Style On Skin) or Givenchy pour Homme.

Welcome!

Since you tend to be academically oriented and conservative in dress, I would recommend the following -

Bvlgari pour Homme: fresh, dry, pepper/tea, subtle, long lasting, versatile

ETRO Vetiver: mildly sweet tobacco and spciy vetiver, subtle, long lasting, distinguished

Chanel Pour Monsieur (regular and concentree)
Sander for Men
Boucheron PH
Lancome Miracle
VC&A Tsar
Lanvin L'Homme
Ungaro III
Jacomo Paradox (blue & green)

For someone in an academic setting, conservative in bearing, but progressive thinking, not a kid, but still young; I'd lean to recommending something with more complexity than some of the "fresh and clean" fragrances already suggested.

Guerlain Habit Rouge, Salvador Dali Laguna pour Homme, and the Molinards suggested would be very reasonable choices as well as the Chanel pour Monsieur. Others that have a certain refinement without being overbearing might include:

Caron pour un Homme
Jaipur Homme
Lalique pour Homme
Givenchy Gentleman
Hermes Bel Ami

Try several before you buy and keep us posted what you choose...you may want a few from different categories for different occasions.

I'm also nearing 30 and single with a conservative nature of dress---I do have a girlfriend who's 19 who has a pretty good nose for scents. She loves it when I wear Azzaro Visit, D & G pour homme, Claiborne Sport, Givenchy pour homme, and Polo Blue. Some of these are pretty common but they really smell great and won't let you down.

The Azzaro Visit was mentioned earlier in another post and would make a great statement without being over-the-top. Good luck!!!