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Help a noob (mid 20s) buy something top notch

post #1 of 28
10/31/07 at 8:36am
Thread Starter 
Hi all. I should really start by saying that I know little or nothing about fragrance which is why I find myself here.

I'm going to be in central London this Saturday and it seems as good a chance as any to buy myself a nice fragrance as an early Christmas pressie. I have spent many an hour looking at the Creed website and I think it's time to splash out, no pun intended, on a bottle of their Eaux de Toilette, but which one?

Going off at a slight tangent, I drink a lot of coffee and have spent a small fortune on equipment and beans, but once upon a time I was happy enough drinking instant. At the moment I wear CK Crave. I had some gift vouchers to spend a couple of years ago and Crave was one of the only fragrances I liked in the store. To continue the coffee analogy Crave would probably be instant coffee to espresso of Creed, on the face of it quite similar but in reality completely different animals.

I'm after something reasonably long-lasting, perhaps with the freshness (I told you I knew nothing about fragrance) of Crave but a more mature scent.

Any recommendations?

I'm aware of the rule of thumb about needing to enquire about prices, but how far will £100 get me at one of the department stores listed on their site? I don't want to take the risk of ordering online or face the barrage of questions I get whenever I get a package delivered and I could do with whatever I buy being in my grubby little mitts by Saturday evening, so buying in person is the order of the day. It would also make sense to see what they smell like before parting with my cash.

Or should I get something a little cheaper? Is there anything around the £50 mark that I should try before going for some Creed? I stand out from the crowd enough as it is and whatever I buy will ideally reflect that. It has to be distinctive rather than run of the mill.

Thanks in advance
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post #2 of 28
10/31/07 at 8:49am
I would highly recommend testing Creed's Original Vetiver and Green Irish Tweed.
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post #3 of 28
10/31/07 at 8:55am
I would recommend Green Irish Tweed. Its certainly not stand out from the crowd material but the de facto scent for fresh and sophisticated in my opinion, and the most famous Creed for good reason; its just so damn good!
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post #4 of 28
10/31/07 at 9:10am
seems you can be a guy digging into some of these
Silver mountain water
Green irish tweed
Erolfa
Millesime Imperiale
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post #5 of 28
10/31/07 at 9:10am
Going to London? You may want to visit Geo F. Trumper.
http://www.trumpers.com/

Their sandalwood is similar to Chanel Egoiste! I like it a lot.

Well, I'm a coffee drinker too. I have an espresso machine (Nuova Oscar) and the grinder (Rancilio MD40).
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post #6 of 28
10/31/07 at 9:12am
I have to agree with the previous posts Green Irish Tweed is a great fragrance.As you are going to London head for Selfridges or Fortnum & Mason & try out all the different scents.
Fortnums probably better because you will not be bombarded by sales people & you can try out the scents to your hearts content.
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post #7 of 28
10/31/07 at 9:25am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by KiatBkk View Post

Going to London? You may want to visit Geo F. Trumper.
http://www.trumpers.com/

Their sandalwood is similar to Chanel Egoiste! I like it a lot.

Well, I'm a coffee drinker too. I have an espresso machine (Nuova Oscar) and the grinder (Rancilio MD40).

I found a Gaggia Classic in the summer sales and paired it with an Iberital MC2. I'll upgrade them eventually, but only when I can afford to spend £1000+ on a machine

Until then, I'm happy with my little setup.

I might have to give trumpers a visit and see what's what, cheers for the recommendation.
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post #8 of 28
10/31/07 at 9:26am
I agree witht the Green Irish Tweed--it would be like going from the ridiculous to the sublime.... You might also try their Tabarome Millesime.
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post #9 of 28
10/31/07 at 10:17am
Thread Starter 
Should I be alarmed that none of you have mentioned the price?
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post #10 of 28
10/31/07 at 10:31am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bren_D View Post

Should I be alarmed that none of you have mentioned the price?


You did ask for "top-notch", didn't you? .

I'll second the Trumper...amazing fragrance.
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post #11 of 28
10/31/07 at 10:47am
May I suggest the 'Lordly"Crown Imperial , a wonderful, fresh, citrusy, English-born cologne:
Quote:
Reminscent of the Edwardian barber's shop. A classic citrus eau de cologne with notes of lemon orange and lavender.

. Great projection and longevity too.

http://www.englishhall.com/product_brand.php?brandId=10&cid=56&sid=71

That site in England doesn't show CI but you might call them.

Here it's priced in dollars: http://www.parfumsraffy.com/crown.ht...FQg1WAodVVbhcg

Scroll down to see CI.


Dan
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post #12 of 28
10/31/07 at 11:01am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dennard View Post

I would highly recommend testing Creed's Original Vetiver and Green Irish Tweed.

i second that both are great , GIT grabs lots of compliments , but OV gives me more pleasure it really is a refreshing scent for all occasions
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post #13 of 28
10/31/07 at 11:15am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bren_D View Post

Should I be alarmed that none of you have mentioned the price?

Be afraid. Be very afraid.
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post #14 of 28
10/31/07 at 11:17am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by knightowl View Post

You did ask for "top-notch", didn't you? .

I'll second the Trumper...amazing fragrance.

That I did, that I did.

I can see me being laughed out of Fortnums on Friday and heading to Trumper with my tail between my legs the next morning.
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post #15 of 28
10/31/07 at 1:00pm
The "fresh" creeds are MI and VIW. I never really considered GIT to be a fresh scent.

TNMA
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post #16 of 28
10/31/07 at 2:04pm
You might like Creed's Himalaya, citrus and a woody drydown (the woody drydown is characteristic of most Creeds anyway). The smallest size (30 ml., or about 1 oz.) can be had for under $100 USD.
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post #17 of 28
10/31/07 at 2:25pm
Phooey on the Creeds. Get some Azzaro pour homme for less than $30.00 on ebay.
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post #18 of 28
10/31/07 at 3:25pm
Crave is fruity fougere (green) scent with a light wood drydown. I'm not sure if a Creed will have something to match that, but try Green Irish Tweed (not fruity), Virgin Island Water (not a very woody drydown), Erolfa (aquatic / green but not very sweet), or Millesime Imperial (maybe the one, but questionable lasting power).

I've just tried Crave again, (Man, you've got to get a better fragrance) and I think the one that it is nearest to after the top notes is Erolfa - aquatic green and quality wood drydown, but Erolfa has so much more class.

There are other premium companies, too. I would suggest you try Maître Parfumeur et Gantier's Bahiana.

Warning: if you attempt too many fragrances at one time, you'll probably impair your sense of smell for an hour or two - you won't really know what you are smelling, so make sure you get the best probable choices first and spread out the time between fragrance stores.
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post #19 of 28
10/31/07 at 4:12pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dennard View Post

I would highly recommend testing Creed's Original Vetiver and Green Irish Tweed.

I too was once infatuated with Creed. Having tried most of their frags, I've yet to find one that I could live. Generally, they weren't long lasting, or they just didn't appeal to me enough.

Throwing my hat into the ring, OV is very similar to Mugler Cologne to the point of redundancy. Mugler is much cheaper and long lasting than OV too. GIT is very similar to Cool Water with some subtle differences in the drydown, and I'm at a loss as to why it is so popular. I would encourage you to go the Harrods and spray one scent on one arm and another one on the other arm and then you can make up your own mind.
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post #20 of 28
10/31/07 at 6:25pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Oviatt View Post

I agree witht the Green Irish Tweed--it would be like going from the ridiculous to the sublime.... You might also try their Tabarome Millesime.

Agree with the TM suggestion. Both Crave and Tabarome have a delicious sharp quality,
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post #21 of 28
11/1/07 at 4:25am
Quote:
Originally Posted by thenmarcher View Post

The "fresh" creeds are MI and VIW. I never really considered GIT to be a fresh scent.

TNMA

Yes I'd say MI and SMW are the most "fresh" of the good ones. I agree to some extent but then again Cool Water, GIT Lite, is always labelled fresh. Guess that tells you how similar they really are.
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post #22 of 28
11/1/07 at 4:33am
Go with Penhaligons Quercus.. Super quality as well as fresh!! (Lasts a long time too)
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post #23 of 28
11/1/07 at 5:47am
Quote:
Originally Posted by manicboy View Post

OV is very similar to Mugler Cologne to the point of redundancy. Mugler is much cheaper and long lasting than OV too.

I have to disagree here. MC is a light, close wearing, lighter scent that lasts about a half day on me. The OV is a much more potent, mouth-watering scent that lasts a full day. It's richer, deeper, and fuller bodied to me than MC. They're very similar but one doesn't replace the other for me.. all depends on the occasion.
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post #24 of 28
11/3/07 at 3:18am
I agree with jrd4t, MC is like a watered down OV. I used up their 125ml EDT in about a month last summer, yes it's that weak. I also find OV richer, more refined.

Quote:
Originally Posted by jrd4t View Post

I have to disagree here. MC is a light, close wearing, lighter scent that lasts about a half day on me. The OV is a much more potent, mouth-watering scent that lasts a full day. It's richer, deeper, and fuller bodied to me than MC. They're very similar but one doesn't replace the other for me.. all depends on the occasion.
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post #25 of 28
11/3/07 at 3:39am
i actually had the reverse experience. tested OV and was less than impressed, particularly at that price-point, and i have mugler cologne which lasts forever on my skin... if i use a little of the boby lotion, i can get 12+ hours out of it.
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post #26 of 28
11/3/07 at 7:24am
Where in Aus u can test Creed.
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post #27 of 28
11/3/07 at 1:12pm
If you are going to be in central London, there's really no reason to limit yourself to Creed. So many shops strewn around. Check the Ormonde Jayne shop if you don't mind paying (in particular, try Isfarkand...I think you would like it).
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post #28 of 28
11/3/07 at 1:38pm
Sadly, I found most of the mainstream creeds to be the ones that didn't interest me GIT is nice and I can see why everyone likes it, but the ones I like are New Tabarome; BdP; OS; Himalaya (is this one mainstream?); REL and AA, I'll ocassionally wear some VIW but that was all considered, a disappointment. Then, at the same time, the ones that I ctually like are more of an acquired taste, save the OS and the Himalaya, so I guess those are more mainstream; I wouldn't recommend BdP or REL or AA to a fragrance novice...

Maybe you can find some luck in the Original Santal, Himalaya, New Tabarome or GIT realm, and later give the rest a whirl.
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