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Are any of these unique fragrances?

post #1 of 20
8/20/09 at 3:26pm
Thread Starter 
I have a very limited collection right now of 4 colognes. I'm still trying to detect how men can even spot the notes in the dry down, however I am eager to work on expanding into a collection. I have spent time, probably too much time, gathering a list of some fragrance options. I was hoping that everyone reading could share their input after scanning the list below. I seek to carry no greater than 7-8 for each climate, warm and cold. My goal is to also stick with the scents which have not become so overtly mainstream. If the fragrance is too common or growing too rapidly to remain a rarity to cross other men wearing, I would prefer to avoid it, or at least wear it less often. Given that I'm from the NYC metro area and working in the city, I don't want to become captured as a man wearing something identical to a man down the block. Feel free to add any of your other choices and I'll be sure to search for samples or small bottles.

The list:

Warmer Climates
Creed Himalaya
Creed Millesime Imperial
Creed Green Irish Tweed
Creed Silver Mountain
Guerlain L'Instant
Burberry Touch
Burberry Brit
Dior Homme
Bvlgari Aqua
Issey Miyake

Cooler Climates
Vera Wang
Armani Code
John Varvatos
Balenciaga Cristobal
Burberry The Beat
Burberry London
Gucci Envy
Bvlgari Black
Dolce & Gabbana The One
Givenchy Pi
Marc Jacobs
Rochas Man

Thanks for all your advice and recommendations.
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post #2 of 20
8/20/09 at 9:31pm
Creed GIT works in warm & cold as does Guerlain L'Instant PH. It sounds like you're favoring a lot of Creed fragrances, so I would highly recommend Creed Bois du Portugal - which I think many shy away from because of its complexity and aura of "formality".

Bvlgari Aqva is a very nice aquatic - the best designer aquatic out there, IMO.

Burberry London is decent enough, though I grew tired of it quickly. It also got a bit sweet on me. Givenchy Pi, if you really enjoy the genre, could be upgraded to a much nicer woody-vanilla that doesn't get cloying and obnoxious.

From Creed, I'd also check out Millesime Imperial - which is great on its own or can also be layered with the aforementioned Bois du Portugal to give you an amazing experience. Best of luck, and welcome

Edit: To answer your question about them being unique - this really depends on who you ask. Bvlgari Aqva is very popular (for good reason). It sounds like you'll enjoy exploring niche houses like Lorenzo Villoresi, Serge Lutens, Amouage, and looking more closely at the classics produced by Guerlain and Chanel.

Quote:
Originally Posted by mike880 View Post

The list:

Warmer Climates
Creed Himalaya
Creed Millesime Imperial
Creed Green Irish Tweed
Creed Silver Mountain
Guerlain L'Instant
Burberry Touch
Burberry Brit
Dior Homme
Bvlgari Aqua
Issey Miyake

Cooler Climates
Vera Wang
Armani Code
John Varvatos
Balenciaga Cristobal
Burberry The Beat
Burberry London
Gucci Envy
Bvlgari Black
Dolce & Gabbana The One
Givenchy Pi
Marc Jacobs
Rochas Man

Thanks for all your advice and recommendations.
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post #3 of 20
8/20/09 at 9:43pm
RE Title: Are any of these unique fragrances?

In a word - no. You have a few good fragrances in there, and a few which are not commonly worn, but most of them are fairly well-known designer fragrances. Were I to pick from your list, I would choose L'Instant de Guerlain Pour Homme from the first list, and Bulgari Black from the second - more for their quality than for their rarity. The Creeds are also less common, but you have picked the most commonly sought-after Creeds, and thus they do not serve your purpose, if you are truly looking for an uncommon scent, worn by a very few people. Among Creeds, I also like Bois du Portugal, mentioned by Anthony above, which I like in cool weather. Santal Imperial is another Creed - very light - which works in warm weather and is not commonly worn.

For your purposes, you really need to look to niche perfumers. But you are in New York City. You can find these with no difficulty (unlike me, in the midwest). So I recommend looking for scents such as these (which just happen to be ones that I like, but which also have a bit of a designer feel):

Sel de Vétiver by The Different Company
Angeliques sous la Pluie by Frederic Malle
Takashimaya by Neil Morris (I've not tried it, but Burr gave it four stars, and I love most Neil Morris)
Poivre Samarcande by Hermès (not niche, but an "exclusive" in-store offering from a designer house)

Bottom line - if you are serious about wearing scents that nobody else is wearing, you need to sample a bunch of niche scents. Niche and exclusives are where the rarity is at. Get out to Barney's, Takashimaya, and Hermès, and start sniffing!

PS - Welcome to Basenotes!
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post #4 of 20
8/20/09 at 9:49pm
This man knows what he's talking about

Exploring the Frederic Malle selection (@ Barneys) is extremely worthwhile. A glorious selection of high-quality fragrances from which you can select something that is both unique and complex - something you'll come to enjoy.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Redneck Perfumisto View Post

RE Title: Are any of these unique fragrances?

In a word - no. You have a few good fragrances in there, and a few which are not commonly worn, but most of them are fairly well-known designer fragrances. Were I to pick from your list, I would choose L'Instant de Guerlain Pour Homme from the first list, and Bulgari Black from the second - more for their quality than for their rarity. The Creeds are also less common, but you have picked the most commonly sought-after Creeds, and thus they do not serve your purpose, if you are truly looking for an uncommon scent, worn by a very few people. Among Creeds, I also like Bois du Portugal, mentioned by Anthony above, which I like in cool weather. Santal Imperial is another Creed - very light - which works in warm weather and is not commonly worn.

For your purposes, you really need to look to niche perfumers. But you are in New York City. You can find these with no difficulty (unlike me, in the midwest). So I recommend looking for scents such as these (which just happen to be ones that I like, but which also have a bit of a designer feel):

Sel de Vétiver by The Different Company
Angeliques sous la Pluie by Frederic Malle
Takashimaya by Neil Morris (I've not tried it, but Burr gave it four stars, and I love most Neil Morris)
Poivre Samarcande by Hermès (not niche, but an "exclusive" in-store offering from a designer house)

Bottom line - if you are serious about wearing scents that nobody else is wearing, you need to sample a bunch of niche scents. Niche and exclusives are where the rarity is at. Get out to Barney's, Takashimaya, and Hermès, and start sniffing!

PS - Welcome to Basenotes!
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post #5 of 20
8/20/09 at 10:14pm
Hi Mike,

Welcome to basenotes, you're sure to find good advice about unique frags here and I see that 2 of my favorite basenotes have already chimed in w' great suggestions.

Your idea of creating lists is sound. Go out and test as much as you can stand, take samples home if you can because it takes time to figure out a fragrance.

If you want to stand out fragrance-wise look for niche products but be warned they can be edgy and more expensive. If you don't mind paying the extra dosh I'd say explore Creed, The Different Company, Frederic Malle, and the Hermessence lines to begin with. I found something I like in each of these lines and due to the high entry barrier (price) they're not too common.

HAVE FUN!
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post #6 of 20
8/20/09 at 10:45pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by mike880 View Post

Burberry Brit
Bvlgari Aqua
Issey Miyake
Armani Code
Gucci Envy
Dolce & Gabbana The One
Givenchy Pi

These are the best sellers off your list to my recollection, thus would be the most "common".
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post #7 of 20
8/20/09 at 11:49pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by mike880 View Post

The list:

Warmer Climates
Creed Himalaya
Creed Millesime Imperial
Creed Green Irish Tweed
Creed Silver Mountain
Guerlain L'Instant
Burberry Touch
Burberry Brit
Dior Homme
Bvlgari Aqua
Issey Miyake



Thanks for all your advice and recommendations.

Wouldn't suggest Dior Homme for summer wear. That said, it is an excellent frag.
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post #8 of 20
8/21/09 at 6:16am
It's interesting how some people wear certain fragrances for certain climates. I kinda think your Burberry Brit and the Beat should switch places. For me, the Beat seems like a spring/summer scent, and Brit moreso a fall scent.
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post #9 of 20
8/21/09 at 7:39am
give also a chance to the house of Caron, I think Third Man and L Anarchiste are very unique so is Yatagan
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post #10 of 20
8/21/09 at 7:49am
For your warmer climate, Creed Millesime Imperial is great, but it was ripped off by Sean John's Unforgivable, so I would scratch that out as unique and go with the Silver Mountain Water.

For your cooler climates the most unique IMO are Marc Jacobs and Rochas Man. The only fragrances that smell similar to those (Philosykos and New Haarlem, respectively) are expensive, hard to find (ie. niche), and not frequently worn by your average person.
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post #11 of 20
8/21/09 at 7:58am
I would argue that Dior Homme and L'Instant are cool weather fragrances. Good list in general though.

I'm not familiar with men's fragrance-wearing habits in NY, so I can only comment generally on popularity: Code, Envy and Issey are all pretty big sellers.
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post #12 of 20
8/21/09 at 8:07am
If you are in NYC, I would suggest you go to some places like Barneys and Aedes de Venustas and sample, sample, sample! They have some very good and unique fragrances there. I am sure you will find something to your liking that not everyone else will be wearing.

Good luck!
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post #13 of 20
8/21/09 at 9:12am
At one time the Creeds were unique, until they were copied by so many designers. That being said, the Creeds you listed are all extremely good.

Burberry London is somewhat unique for a mainstream designer. A nice boozy, tobacco fragrance.

L'Instant is another better suited for cool weather. Again, not exactly unique, but very good.

The One is unique for a mainstream designer. It kind of harkens back to a more opulent era in men's fragrances design.

Rochas Man is another real good one, but not exactly unique.

Bottom line, you have many great selections on your lists, but nothing stands out as unique.
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post #14 of 20
8/21/09 at 11:27am
With emphasis on the word "unique", i would think that among the Creeds (for example) only SMW is unique, in the sense that it has no (common/popular/designer) kissing cousins. Although i know which is superior, it still amuses me when people tell me that they like my Cool Water when i am actually wearing GIT! When i correct the people, telling them its Creed GIT, they go like "Creed what". So, would i call my costly niche GIT unique? I am not too sure

The same goes for some of the scents on the mike880's list. If any have featured (correctly) on the various "kissing-cousins" and "A smells like B" threads and other posts, i wouldn't call them unique.

Unique (to me) could be Salvador Dali pour Homme (my latest discovery ), which smells like no other frag i have come across in my quite limited exposure.
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post #15 of 20
8/21/09 at 3:11pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Redneck Perfumisto View Post

RE Title: Are any of these unique fragrances?

In a word - no. You have a few good fragrances in there, and a few which are not commonly worn, but most of them are fairly well-known designer fragrances. Were I to pick from your list, I would choose L'Instant de Guerlain Pour Homme from the first list, and Bulgari Black from the second - more for their quality than for their rarity. The Creeds are also less common, but you have picked the most commonly sought-after Creeds, and thus they do not serve your purpose, if you are truly looking for an uncommon scent, worn by a very few people. Among Creeds, I also like Bois du Portugal, mentioned by Anthony above, which I like in cool weather. Santal Imperial is another Creed - very light - which works in warm weather and is not commonly worn.

For your purposes, you really need to look to niche perfumers. But you are in New York City. You can find these with no difficulty (unlike me, in the midwest). So I recommend looking for scents such as these (which just happen to be ones that I like, but which also have a bit of a designer feel):

Sel de Vétiver by The Different Company
Angeliques sous la Pluie by Frederic Malle
Takashimaya by Neil Morris (I've not tried it, but Burr gave it four stars, and I love most Neil Morris)
Poivre Samarcande by Hermès (not niche, but an "exclusive" in-store offering from a designer house)

Bottom line - if you are serious about wearing scents that nobody else is wearing, you need to sample a bunch of niche scents. Niche and exclusives are where the rarity is at. Get out to Barney's, Takashimaya, and Hermès, and start sniffing!

PS - Welcome to Basenotes!

What he says.
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post #16 of 20
8/21/09 at 4:13pm
Thread Starter 
Thanks for everyone publishing so many tremendous options! It is interesting to see there are more colognes to essentially choose other than Armani, Bvlgari, Chanel, Dior, Ralph Lauren, Kenneth Cole, and similar name brand mainstream names.

I'm going to start focusing on just four houses:
Amouage
Different Company
Frederic Malle
Creed

There's just one problem with the houses I am targeting; cost! Unfortunately, the houses I'm focusing on now are sold in Barneys and similar high-end boutiques (I guess that's a good thing if you're looking for distinction). The only two online retailers offering these houses seem to be LuckyScent and BeautyEncounter. I'm still trying to find out what excuse I can justify paying the $145 or $250 asking price on these websites. Each brand, apart from Creed, is nowhere to be found on Scentiments or Fragrancenet for a deeper discount.

I'm going to start with reading more into the basenote reviews on the colognes for these houses, and then despite the costs, see if there is enough incentive to give any a try.
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post #17 of 20
8/21/09 at 4:17pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by mike880 View Post


I'm going to start with reading more into the basenote reviews on the colognes for these houses, and then despite the costs, see if there is enough incentive to give any a try.

Maybe you could try large decants from TPC first so you could give them a decent 'wearing' before jumping in @ full retail.
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post #18 of 20
8/21/09 at 4:37pm
If you want to avoid common popular colognes, scratch off: Bulgari Aqua, all Burberrys, Issey Miyake, Code, D&G, and Pi. I feel the same regarding widespread colognes, I also want to be a special flower. Don't worry, none of these are that great or interesting.

I'd cop Himalaya if I were you.
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post #19 of 20
8/21/09 at 5:41pm
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Comme des Garcons is second to none in terms of uniqueness, problem is not many can pull off the smells of "oxygen, tree, gold etc,etc. Give them a try anyways, they are a lot cheaper than the above mentioned, which is a big plus.

Lorenzo Villoresi is another great house with variety and quality, the frags are also reasonably priced.
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post #20 of 20
8/21/09 at 7:14pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Big_Scooter View Post

Wouldn't suggest Dior Homme for summer wear.

Having tried Dior Homme in July, I wholeheartedly agree.

Some semi-unique aquatics to try: Fougere Marine (Montale), Sel Marin (Heeley)
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