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CHEAP but GREAT!

post #1 of 23
3/5/05 at 4:02pm
Thread Starter 
Hmm, let me go ahead and throw in my suggestions on this topic:

Cubano Gold
English Leather
Halston Z-14
Jovan Sex Appeal for Men
Tabac Original

Thereâs my drugstore / grocery store colognes that I like. I used to think Old Spice was good for casual as well, but I think theyâve changed it or something. It smells much cheaper than it used to. Kind of foul now.
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post #2 of 23
3/5/05 at 4:13pm
Jep ..

try a lot of things and your taste will develop.

Cheap things don't have to be bad.

P.S. Coleman your're perfectly right. I bought a bottle of old spice (with some russian text on the box) and I couldn't find a lot of the old juce in it.
After two hours it started to resemble the old thing. So the base may have been untouched.
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post #3 of 23
3/5/05 at 4:40pm
A recent thread concerned someone on a limited budget who wanted to try new scents.

This topic has been done before, but not for a while, and I suspect we have a number of newbies here who might benefit from our suggestions....and maybe some old-timers as well!

Two frags immediately spring to mind for me: Bogart's wonderful One Man Show and Jacomo de Jacomo.

Two great frags that prove a bottle doesn't have to cost a mint to smell terrific.

ahaha....my little soldier Jacomo...it stands proudly, in its cheap but loveable plastic bottle, right next to Amouage's Silver in its leaded crystal bottle! ÊOne costs $12.000 at ÊTJ Maxx and the other cost $150.00! They both have a place in my heart! (And on my skin!)
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post #4 of 23
3/5/05 at 4:53pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ballardbeau


ahaha....my little soldier Jacomo...it stands proudly

Hey Ballardbeau, I was wondering how you find its longevity?
Reason I ask is that I just got a bottle of Jacomo de Jacomo also, and I think the fragrance itself is quite nice... but I find it tragically weak on my skin. So weak that I suspect I may have bought an "old stock" bottle (it was also a tester) that has more than one foot already in the fragrance-grave.
So how is it on your skin? Does it last okay? Anyone else care to chime in & help me out, feel free...
Thanks, and sorry for jumping on this string...
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post #5 of 23
3/5/05 at 6:35pm
TJMaxx/Marshall's (all $19.99 or less):
Lacoste (original)
Japur Homme
Versace Green Jeans
Cabochard
Aramis
Givenchy Insens
Gucci Envy
Gucci Nobile
Bulgari Black
Horizon (Guy Laroche)
Givenchy Gentleman
Puig Agua Lavanda
Coriandre
Diesel Plus Plus
Helmut Lang
Escada Homme
Guerlain Vetiver
Oscar for Men
SJ Dupont Homme
Rochas Man
Fendi Uomo
Nu (EdP, please, not EdT)
Bowling Green

Big Lots (yep):
Monsieur Musk
Coty Wild Woods
Coty Wild Spice
Captain Molyneux

Drugstores, Mass Merchandisers (USA):
Canoe
Jovan Musk for Men
Coty Wild Woods
Coty Wild Spice
Obsession for Men

Direct Merchants:
Yves Rocher:
Nature Millnaire pour Homme

Caswell-Massey:
Persian Leather
Greenbriar
Tricorn
Number Six

My best advice: look everywhere and sample everything you can get your mitts on. I've bought fragrances at Marshall's and TJMaxx for years, but ignored other discount stores until seeing them mentioned here or on MUA or POL.
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post #6 of 23
3/5/05 at 7:13pm
Adding to the great lists previously posted:

Sung Homme
Lagerfeld Photo
Halston 1-12
Paco Rabanne (original)
Azzaro Pour Homme
Gray Flannel
Swiss Army

All of these can be found for a really low price.
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post #7 of 23
3/5/05 at 7:42pm
Agree that you have to hit TJ Maxx. One time I got a 2.5 oz Guerlain Vetiver for $7.00. Be sure to look through the women's stuff too ... a lot of times mens fragrances will be mixed in with the ladies fragrances. Right now my TJ Maxx has 1 oz Lacoste Original for $9.99. (Personally I prefer Bowling Green)

I'd also recommend getting some vials from perfumebay.com if you wanted to try before you buy. I think they cost $0.99 to $2.99 each.

My votes go to:
Tabac Original
Sung Homme
Z-14
Quorum

Keep in mind that a scent which you really enjoy and wear often may be a better value than a scent which is inexpensive, if you don't wear it.

In that respect the $70 4 oz decant of BdP I love to wear is a bargain, while the $6 Old Spice which I rarely wear is a waste of money.
K
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post #8 of 23
3/5/05 at 8:01pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by K

Keep in mind that a scent which you really enjoy and wear often may be a better value than a scent which is inexpensive, if you don't wear it.

In that respect the $70 4 oz decant of BdP I love to wear is a bargain, while the $6 Old Spice which I rarely wear is a waste of money.

Excellent point!!! Any scent, no matter how inexpensive, is still a waste of money if it's never worn. Better to pay full retail for a handful of scents you love and look forward to wearing.
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post #9 of 23
3/5/05 at 10:10pm
Good stuff guys.

My god, I am amazed at the fine scents listed for under 20 bucks at the Maxx. I am going to have to go there more often!

Coleman, I'd say Jacomo has an average to a little below average lifespan on me, which is a little disappointing as it's a really nice scent.

That being said, I can think of other scents costing a lot more that last even shorter--for me they are most Hermes, and classic citruses like the otherwise wonderful Eau Savage (ten minutes max).
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post #10 of 23
3/6/05 at 8:14am
MJH pretty much listed all the ones I've discovered.

Some of my personal favorites:

Coty Wild Spice - $4 never smelled so good. Easily my favorite of the "wild" series from Coty.

Bellagio gift set - I found this at TJ Maxx for $19.99. Great value.

Tommy T I bought a gift set of this on clearance at Wal Mart. It included 1 oz of the EdT and a small shower gel. It was under $20.

Eau Parfume au Th Verte Extreme - I got 50 ml of this for around $20 at TJ Maxx and it was in the "ritual" packaging, which basically means the bottle had kanji printed on it.

Nautica Latitude Longitude Got 30 ml for $9.99 at TJ Maxx.

Burberry Weekend Same deal as the Nautica, though I didn't buy this one.
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post #11 of 23
3/6/05 at 9:50am
The Adidas line has some decent fragrances. Nothing to write home about, but for a few dollars I think they're great for casual day wear.
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post #12 of 23
3/6/05 at 4:43pm
My list is as following (I do suggest you seek these out if you have never tried them)

1. Royal Copenhagen
2. Pierre Cardin
3. Aspen
4. Royal Secret for men
5. Carlo Corintino Rouge
6. Lapidus Pour Homme
7. One Man Show
8. Jacomo de Jacomo
9. Worth Pour Homme
10. Colors de Benetton
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post #13 of 23
3/6/05 at 4:46pm
Swiss Army and Allitude
Tommy Hilfiger 1994 Original (10.00 or less on ebay)
Tommy T (10 or less on ebay)
Alfred Sung Hei
Adidas Moves
Versace Blue Jeans and Metal Jeans (15 or less on ebay)
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post #14 of 23
3/7/05 at 8:53am
Something that is hardly even on the event horizon here is Tom Prune. Today I am wearing Coral Island. Golden Wood is also nice. Both are available from Scentiments for $14.95 per 2.5 oz bottle.

Also from Scentiments: One Man Show is $8.68 per 100 ml, 4711 is $12.68 per 300 ml, Lapidus PH is $14.18 per 100 ml, also inexpensive are Halston and Grey Flannel.
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post #15 of 23
3/7/05 at 9:34am
Some of the low cost stuff can smell really great:
British Sterling seems similar to Monsieur Givenchy and Jovan Wild Woods is very close to Joseph Abboud. Trust me it is super close. Although I am suprised at the number of responses. I am still trying to figure out who Mary Kay and Avon fragrances are close to: Avon RPM=Clinique Happy is the only one I know but when I posted a message trying to figure it out I think I got only a response or two, one of them kind of a smarta** reply. I think you guys are alright. I to am a Ebay and bargain store hunter and do not feel bad I am not a Creed/big buck fragrance owner.
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post #16 of 23
3/7/05 at 10:07am
I've really thought the Caswell-Massey stuff available here in the US is good quality at a great price. Particularly Persian Leather, Verbena, and Greenbriar. The Patchouli and Original Patchouli also qualify as scents that make a mark on the nose such that they can't be forgotten.

I haven't bought a sandalwood from them but they're cheap and the time is coming.
--Chris
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post #17 of 23
3/7/05 at 10:26am
The original Azzaro pour homme is always really cheap here and a great classic, very distinguished.

MMM
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post #18 of 23
3/7/05 at 10:58am
Worth Pour Homme is elegance in a bottle and can be had fairly cheap. Musgo Real is also very nice.
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post #19 of 23
3/7/05 at 12:48pm
Boy, do I agree with you on Worth!

This is a tragically overlooked scent that is one of the classiest and most distinguished I own.

I would rate its quality right up there with almost any niche scent I have smelled.
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post #20 of 23
3/7/05 at 5:01pm
Chaleur D'Animale is very inexpensive and has a great drydown.
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post #21 of 23
3/8/05 at 4:44am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ballardbeau

Boy, do I agree with you on Worth!

This is a tragically overlooked scent that is one of the classiest and most distinguished I own.

I would rate its quality right up there with almost any niche scent I have smelled.

Hello, Dave!
this Worth pour homme that you're talking about is from "Je Reviens"?
Is it really good? How does it smell like?
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post #22 of 23
3/8/05 at 7:53am
diesel ++ in tj maxx for $9.99 was one of my favorite cheap scores... it's worth a try

i also scored tsar once in marshall's for $20 so i was very happy with that.

keep looking, you never know what you might find... and in the less well-organized stores, look around all the toiletry shelves because things have a habit of turning up in the strangest places
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post #23 of 23
3/8/05 at 4:51pm
RV, check the directory for Worth Pour Homme by Worth.

I am terrible at describing scents, but the directory has its notes as well as one review which pretty much sums up my feelings about this one.

Don't be thrown off by the cheap looking bottle. They have replaced it with a clear, ribbed glass one. It is very dignified looking, which matches the frag.

I would put this one in the old skool, very much like Chanel's Pour Monsieur. Not that it smells like it, but it evokes the same kind of feeling--formal, masculine and very, very nice smelling.

Worth is one of my "secret scents" that can be had for a song, is hardly ever discussed, and few own it--the others being Roger and Galley's "Open," Bogart's "Witness," and "Carven "Homme."

Try it, you'll like it!
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