I'm a guy but I like women's perfumes better...

This is a pretty good list:

http://community.basenotes.net/showt...inine+classics

I sampled Rose de Rosine again last night, someone mentioned it might be good on men and I agree. If you like roses, try that one.

Good for you, Naqshbandi!
I bet you smell amazing.

That's perfectly normal! There is - especially among the older fragrances out there - a much wider variety to choose from compared to the mens. I think this is part of the massive rise in unisex fragrances out there; a man and a woman's taste in scent may be exactly the same.

I can fully sympathize. I've found that most of my collection is either unisex or women's. I could care less if something smells "girlie" anymore. Up until recently (as mentioned), getting a unique men's fragrance was much harder. There was a time when there were many unique men's offerings, but it seems to be going backwards in terms of originality. I'm happy to share the women's scents with them.

Naqs,
Good for you! Although most of my collection is "male", I enjoy female perfume too. My 2 new ones are Shamilar and Le Baiser Du Dragon, and they're great. I'm hoping to get Coco as well. The old-school ones are so old that they're new, and if they're on a guy, they're even newer!

Although there are some stubborn people around who object to using perfume across sexes, if you like it, go for it. Besides, among perfume experts and makers, I've noticed that they almost all use perfume "across sexes". If you really get embarrassed by scent salespeople, you could always say you're getting it for your true love.

Willkommen,
Dave

Me too!
I enjoy Guerlain's Jicky (originally a women's perfume, the lady at the Guerlain counter told me it's considered unisex. She said it was a favorite of Princess Diana and that Sean Connery also wears it) and Vol de Nuit. The opening on Vol de Nuit smells very much like a classic men's fragrance to me, but then after an hour or few, it becomes a very warm and feminine scent. I love it.
I also like wearing Kenzo Flower (floral but not too flowery) and several of Jo Malone's fragrances (many of which are unisex anyway). I also love the licorice-scented Lolita Lempika (beautiful bottle too). The list goes on....
One of the other posts mentions Coco. I couldn't agree more.
As for a men's fragrance that smells wonderful, sweet, and if you didn't know you'd think it was a feminine fragrance: Hanea Mori. You have to smell this.
Also check out Luca Turin's musings on fragrances. He has his perfume guide published on his website and runs through countless fragrances, and comments on how they often smell on women versus men. Here's the link:
http://www.flexitral.com/research/Guide%201994.pdf
Anyway, my opinion on men wearing "women's" perfumes is that who said they were "women's" perfumes anyway? It's marketing and on who the sellers think the buyers will be. If a fragrance is worn in moderation (i.e. not killing everyone around you), most people won't notice what it is, and if they do they'll probably think you smell very nice.
Enjoy.

I use the female versions of the following colognes just because I totally love them

Escada Magnetism
Aigner Black for Women
Boucheron Trouble
Versace Crystal Noir
cK Euphoria

I thought Jicky was dveloped originally for men and the women stole it! Either way, all of us can wear it. I love it.

Wear what you want.

I tend to shy away from the heavy use of aldehydes & certain florals which tend to pop up in women's frags, so I gravitate towards mens frags.

There are a few womens ones which I'd wear:
Miss Dior
Eau des Marvellies
Safari (I think it's really close to Tabac Original. I get shouted out on the mens board when I mention that men could wear it.)
Opium (way better than the hideous men's version)
Bandit (I used to have it)

BTW, sooner or later someone will recommend Black Cashmere to you. I haven't tried it.

Well there are scents for women that smell like if they were created for man. Those aer quite easy to wear.

I remember one time that I was testing 2 female EDTs and Burberry Brit (which IMO smells quite feminine). I do not know why but I felt like wearing one of the most manly scents ever, even though the actual edts were not only feminine, but girlie.

One for all I can advice you to try:
Tabac Blond

Oh can I add Coup de Fouet? it's the edt version of Caron's Poivre (also a belter to try) and it's absolutely unisex to my nose. I'll second Tabac Blond as well. And Bandit of course.
And although many will say 'try Donna Karan Black Cashmere' and I agree it's very good, for a very similar frag but with a dab more warmth, try YSL Nu (round blue bottle).

Chanel's Bois des Iles is divine and I hear good things about Cuir Russie. Can't see why a chap couldn't wear them. Also, completely at the other end of the power band, what about the Aqua Allegorias? Maybe not the floral ones (though I have huge admiration for a man who is butch enough to smell of sweetpeas) but the citrus and the herbal ones. And there is a huge range of eaux de cologne with all kinds of overtones - roses, amber, etc etc.

Speaking of herbal - there's a whole sector of women's perfumery I don't hear chaps talking about but I think it could be the easiest cross-over i some ways. Do any of the chaps wear things like Blue Grass? (Or have I just made several men cross themselves and hiss at their screens?)

Oh and what about the women's Rive Gauche - I can't see why that metallic/ylang combo couldn't be worn by a man.
Chanel 19 anyone? What do the gents think of those suggestions? Am I way off the mark?

Good call Wordbird on the Aqua Allegorias - I have Pampleluna and love the real grapefruit - although it tends to not last more than about 3 or 4 hours on me.
As for your like of roses Naqshbandi, I just bought Kelly Caleche and am amazed at the real rose smell (was told after the fact that it has tuberose and iris). I'm wearing this to the office most days now. It doesn't smell girlie at all, just nice and light, subtle, and rosey. I don't smell the leather that is supposed to be there though. I agree Joe Malones Red Roses is also an amazing facsimile of real roses smell. Close your eyes and you're in a rose garden.
As for Joy, I just first smelled it this weekend in Bloomingdales. It's a pretty amazing scent, but I much preferred Jean Patou's 1000. 1000 just seemed a little sweeter and more pleasant to me, or maybe it's just my uncultured nose doesn't appreciate Joy as much? Either way, don't pass up 1000 if you can test it.
And finally, try and find a quality tea seller and see if you can get pink rose buds (red is also available, but they don't taste and smell as good to me). People typically make white tea and flavor it by steeping the rose buds in it. I have some and it makes a really pleasant tea. The upside is that the entire cupboard I keep the small bag (just an ounce!) in smells completely of roses. Maybe a few buds in an old coat pocket would freshen it up? Just a thought.
Glad you're enjoying your new fragrances.

AWWW dude, you're SUCH a fag!

Wear (and) whatever you like, man! (within the confines of good taste, of course!)

Speaking of tea, try Bulgari's Eau Perfumee au the Rouge.

A "feminine" scent i'm considering is Creed's Angelique Encens...Wow! My Aubupine Acacia is listed as feminine. Whatev.

Another one I'm crazy about is Montale's Oud Velvet, along with Velvet Flowers. L'Artisan's Fleur d'Oranger and Un Lys are possibilities as well, if I don't find a girl to buy them for very soon!

WordBird, Chanel No.19 is a fantastic fragrance to include here. I'll use the EDT anytime, anywhere without batting an eye. The parfum extrait, I'll use for something more cozy and relaxing - not something I'd wear to work, but definitely something I use and greatly enjoy.

Several people have mentioned Bandit, and I think it's a phenomenal pleasure to use. I love it. Cabochard is okay, but definitely softer and rounder. Bandit is bolder and is something that I can see any guy using.

Resounding endorsement of Chanel Cuir de Russie.

Also Tabac Blond, Cabochard and Bandit.

All of these "Bad Girl" scents work well as "Bad Boy" scents, IMO.

My wife has an off brand Jasmine and patchoulli perfume that smells wonderful on me. She gets a bit vexed with me since I use it some times, apparently it is a fairly expensive blend. I'll find the name for you all.

My favorite scent is Caswell Massey's Elixir of Love No. 1. It is billed as a woman's scent, but the combination of jasmine, lavender and Egyptian musk make it for me a sensual warm scent that is not too floral at all.

Remember, Jack Dempsey's signature scent was Caswell's Red Jasmine - one of my favorite summer colognes until it was discontinued. Nobody dared call him on it.

Above all, be yourself- one of the subtlest ways you can do this is by wearing a scent that describes you, no matter how it's billed sexually.

I don't believe there should be a dividing line between what is a 'male' or 'female' fragrance. I'm glad you're trying things out. The recommendations you've had here are splendid, so I can't really add to them. Have fun!

Two things to bear in mind are:
1) fragrances sell better if they are gender branded, and usually better if they are branded for women than men, thus companies are often pushed into dividing them even if they don't originally conceive them as such.

2) Lines of masculinity and femininity are personally drawn. I feel happy wearing some womens' perfumes but others seem too feminine to me to suit my particular personal take on my masculinity.

SMELL GOOD AND BE HAPPY!

I LOVE when people wear fragrances for the opposite gender... it's sexy and confident. My mother, who is very feminine in a classic sort of way liked to wear Aramis because it just truly worked for her. I went through a phase of preferring Thierry Mugler's A'Men over Angel because it was equally sweet and i never had to worry that another girl would be wearing it around me. I always shave with men's scented shaving creams... because I like how it leaves a slight masculine scent on my skin, letting me imagine that i've been near a man, hahahaha.

My best friend in college was always stealing my Herve Leger... eventually I just gave it to him. I really think it would be better for a man. It's worth checking out.

The most feminine male's fragrance I've smelled so far is Dior pour Homme. When I first tried it, it was like sniffing a beautiful girl's neck from behind and peering into her deep decolleté.

That is, until I realized I was sniffing the back of my own hand and the stuff was Dior pour Homme.

Yikes.

Clinique's Aromatics Elixer
Cartier's Le Basier du Dragon
Caron's Narcisse Noir, Tabac Blond and En Avion
Philosophy's Inner Grace
Cuir de Russie by Chanel
Opium
Fendi by Fendi
YSL's Nu
Jade by Sage Machado


Per the Carons I think that pretty much all of them can be worn by men because they're all so wondeful! : )

angle schlesser oriental edition 2,costume national 21, breath of god by guerilla,ambre gris by balmain,feerie by van cleef and arpels<summer time only for me> and molinard de molinard those are a few i own many more but some would be two much for most guys but these are one i regularly get asked about by other guys hope this helps.

Welcome to the group! I realize you're new, but this question was posed more than 5 years ago, and may not have much importance to the one making the inquiry at this point. Good suggestions nonetheless.

I hope you've found your way to this thread
http://www.basenotes.net/threads/317...the-male/page1
It's current and your suggestions would be welcome!

Don't wory about what people think - there are many of us males here on BN who enjoy wearing "women's" fragrances. I prefer EDPs over EDTs and colognes so naturally I gravitate toward the women's fragrance counter frequently since that's where most of the EDPs are. I love Tom Ford's Black Orchid and Guerlain's Mitsouko. I also understand that Chanel's #19 is very wearable for a man. Good luck and just remember that you have a lot more scents to choose from than the guys who refuse to wear anything marketed as a "female" fragrance.

I tend to agree with the theory that all (or most) scents are unisex anyway and that gender-based divides of scents is a relatively new (at least, compared to the multi-millennial fragrance history) trend, mainly invented and/or endorsed by marketing, as well as other social and economic imperatives.

Also, incidentally, some female scents are extremely suitable for unisex wear and could be easily pulled of by some or even most men (the aforementioned No. 19, but also Bvlgari Jasmin Noir, some Tom Ford, some of the green tea-based female scents etc. immediately come to my mind).

Alright: I recommend Black Cashmere (Donna karen)

I also think you should sniff:

Creed d'Amalfi
Tom Ford Black Orchid
Frederic Malle Carnal Flower
Amouage Jubilation, Epic and Interlude (all Woman versions)