New guy looking for suggestions

Hello all! My first post here.

My name is Carl, I'm 34 and I live in Tampa, FL. I've been working in a professional environment for many years but I recently made the jump to senior level management for a largish multi-national corporation.

This new job has afforded me several luxuries. One of my favorites is my new found ability to step up my game in the personal expression department. I've purchased a whole new wardrobe of clothing to include suits, nice blazers, trousers, nicer casual wear, etc.

I've been trying to set my self apart from my peers but doing this such as reviving the lost art of pocket squares. In addition, I'm looking in to fragrances.

I'm a total noob when it comes to colognes. My past stable has included mostly mainstream rather inexpensive colognes. I'm now in a position to spend a little more money on the good stuff and looking for some help.

Here's what is currently on my counter:

Obsession for Men - an old favorite of mine, but sometimes people find it cliche - as in, everyone my age wore it in high school. But I have a rather large bottle of it.

CKFree - bought it a while back because it was inexpensive and popular. However, I find it rather sporty and somewhat generic. I don't wear it much at all.

My 2 most recent purchases:

True Religion for Men - I like this scent.

Yves Saint Laurent L'Homme - a newer scent to the market and seems a little more refined and elegant.

My goal would be to find something that not everyone is wearing, that is classic, classy, luxurious and desirable. I'd like to find a couple of different fragrances that I could

1) Wear to the office daily or every few days (so maybe not the most expensive, not the cheapest, but still meets the above criteria;

2) Wear to the home office for executive meetings;

3) Wear to a nice dinner in an upscale steakhouse;

4) Wear to a pub/bar/club.

Perhaps that means 2 fragrances, or maybe it is 4.

I'm afraid, however, that what I'm looking for could be rather expensive and that after purchasing a bottle I might find I don't like it. I've checked the local department stores (Macy's, Dillards, etc) as well as the local Ulta and none of these have many samples to pass out.

There's a Nordstroms and a Saks in town that I could go to.

I've heard a lot about the new Tom Ford Grey Vetiver, but at $80 for a 1.7 oz bottle, it's a bit expensive to try out and not like.

I'm not opposed to having many fragrances to choose from, but I'm also not rich so I need to make some good choices and build up my collection.

I'm a total fragrance newbie and can't tell you the different between jackfruit and bergamot (at least not yet).

Perhaps you fine folks could help me find some good colognes and give me tips on where I can get samples?

I'm really looking forward to participating in your forums, although since I don't have a tuned nose yet I'm not sure how much help I can be.

Thanks in advance for any assistance rendered.

Best Wishes for a wonderful 2010,

Carl

I'm not certain if they do or not. I had not heard of Creed until this evening after reading some of the posts on this board. I plan to go to Saks this week after work since it isn't far from the office. I can report back!

Wow, thanks guys! That's a lot to take in, but I'm kind of excited to try out some new fragrances. I appreciate the suggestions and I see a few brands come up over and over again, so I'll probably start with those (Rive Gauche, Ford Grey Vetiver, Green Irish Tweed, etc.)

I'm thrilled to hear that the malls near me will mix up some samples. I think I'll head over to International Mall at lunch and see if I can pick up a couple samples of the popular names thrown out so far.

I'll start with 2 and go from there.

Thanks again, all, and I'll keep this thread updated with my experiences on the scents that I do sample.

Sitting in the board room last month with the CEO, EVP's, SVP's and I'm pretty much the lowest ranking member in the room and the only one with a pocket square. It's a nice touch and one that I received many compliments on (mostly from ladies). If you can't fold them yourself, you can purchase any variety of square at a place like Men's Wearhouse and ask that they "tack them down". Then they will fold it how you want and put a stitch through them. This makes the fold pretty much permanent, but you also don't have to worry about folding them every time. Men's Wearhouse though the last time I went was only carrying solid colors. But that is OK because if you do a pocket square today it's OK to match to your shirts rather than your ties if need be.


No kidding! That Green Irish Tweed is $250 for a large bottle although the specialist at Neiman Marcus said you only needed a spray or two and if you are using other fragrances a large bottle will last for quite a while (thus negating the high upfront cost).

So I picked up a sample of the Green Irish Tweed, Bois de Cedrat, AngelMen and Tom Ford Grey Vetiver. I wasn't really digging the Aqua di Parma and they had no samples so I'll come back to that one later.

I couldn't find any samples of the Rive Gauche. I may have to go to Sephora or Ulta for that.

These 4 samples should last me a couple of weeks so that I could make a decision.

I'll say right off the bat that I definitely liked the tester of Green Irish Tweed so I'll see how that smells on me.

The Tom Ford Grey Vetiver - is this what vetiver is like? It's complex, masculine and woodsy. I was surprised. It's a totally different type of scent than the popular "fresh and sporty" type colognes. I like it, so I'm interested to see how it wears on me.

Thanks again for all the suggestions and I'll post up my observations as I test these out.

Well that's great news on the discounts. I'll keep an eye open for the Creed sales on the Basenote sales forum. That's not completely out of my price range at retail, but if I can get it for less I'm certainly more apt to do so. Is eBay reliable for fragrances like that? Scared to drop even $120 only to get a fake.

I'll have a look at some of the sites you posted. Thanks for sharing.

Carl

I don't know what happened to my follow up post here. It just disappeared in to the nothingness of the net.

I was asking if purchasing product off a certain auction site (perhaps its proper name triggered a filter?) was reliable? I don't want to purchase an expensive fake. Although I see that fragrancenet.com has a substantial discount on the Creed products anyway.

Today I'm wearing a sample of the Tom Ford Grey Vetiver. It started out strong this morning - I used 3 sprays. 1 to my wrist, 1 to neck, 1 to chest. It's about 3 hours later and the fragrance is much less noticeable. Is longevity an issue with this product or do I just need to use more of it?

I like the scent so far... seems wintery though. Could Grey Vetiver be pulled off in the 90+ degree, 90% humidity predominant throughout most of the year in Tampa?

Thank you all for the suggestions and tips. Already appreciate this community. It seems like a good bunch of folks.

I've finished my sample of Tom Ford Grey Vetiver. I'm undecided on this one. It isn't an instant buy for me; it's just a "maybe some day".

On to the Burberry London.

Thanks for all the suggestions thus far! I'll go broke trying them all. HA!

Rive Gauche came in the mail today. I'll wear it tomorrow, but spraying a test strip, it invokes "Brut" at first wiff. Anyone else feel that way the first time they smelled it?

I tried some John Varvatos today. It's really a little more feminine and powdery that I'm looking for. Think that'll be a gift to a less well off buddy of mine to try out. Sort of syrupy in a way and didn't really last all day long. Started fading about 5 hours in to the day and dropped off fast after that. There's some more masculine notes in the finish, but I don't think this one is for me.

I picked up a 1.7 oz bottle of this on a sale thread for an awesome discount.

This was an excellent suggestion although somewhat of a blind buy. I sprayed some on a test strip an Neiman Marcus and wasn't really impressed. But since I'd read so many great reviews I ordered a bottle from a member here.

What an amazing cologne! At first I thought I'd be put off by the lemony orangy scent, but after wearing it today I really enjoy this fragrance. It tapers off to a floral note and finishes with a woody scent.

There's just 2 things:

It doesn't seem to last very long on me. And the price is rather high for something that doesn't last so long. I could see myself going through this rather quickly unless I used it on more special type occasions. That said, I definitely can see this on my counter as a permanent addition. It just smells THAT good to me. It smells like quality, too, and not a lot of synthetic (if any at all).

Does the Assoluta or Intensa have this same smell with more longevity? If so, I'm definitely in...

Have to say that I'm really enjoying this fragrance journey.

But....

There are SOOO many to try. I wonder how I can possibly have enough time and money to try even just what is on this thread.

Speaking of longevity - can someone frame up what is average? What is below average? and what is long lasting in terms of hours worn?

For instance - my sample of GIT lasts dang near 8 hours on me. The Rive Gauche is good for about 6. The AdP Colonia was about 4. My YSL L'Homme seems good for nearly 8 hours depending on how much I use. Obsession goes all day for me and well in to the evening.

I have some Opium en route from Canada and I think I am going to buy some decants of M7 and Tiffany for Men to test out.

So many fragrances, so little time!!

I met Joe on Sunday at International and we spent the better part of 3 hours spraying stuff on test strips and smelling a lot of these recommended fragrances.


Well advised. As an analytical sort of person I'm more or less trained to tackle a problem and find a solution. That is my ultimate goal here. To find several colognes (5-8 tops) that I like and can rely on. Then as each dwindles to either repurchase the same scent or to find another to try. I'm aware that the fragrance world is a massive undertaking and I hope to get a proper respect for the diversity out there while training to maintain my overall goal. I appreciate the suggestions.

I don't think I'm rushing to buy something quickly. I think I'm more interested in smelling lots of stuff so that I get a sense for what I do like and don't like and build upon the repertoire in selecting my "final picks", if you will.

I will say, though, that when I tackle something I tend to go all-in. I've read lots of the forum posts here, lots of the reviews, lots of the banter. My tendency will be to digest as much of the information as possible and curiosity will dictate that I have the opportunity to sample many of the suggestions in this thread and elsewhere on the board.

And I did spend 3 hours with a basenotes member this weekend listening to his points of view, commentary on different scents, etc.

But, thanks for the advice and welcome! Much appreciated.

Finding this to be a pretty interesting and helpful community.

Regards!

Carl

Finished my sample of Chanel Egoiste:

Really liked this one at first. It starts out crisp and spicy and after an hour or so calms down to a light floral scent. It lasted all day and into the evening for me. But that was a problem. After about 8 hours the fragrance got weird on me. I couldn't place the smell until I visited my nieces and nephew last night and that's when I realized Egoiste after 8 hours was smelling like a baby wipe on my skin - a smell I just can not stand! Too bad, because this one had the longevity and the first 8 hours were pleasing to me.

Next up: Zino Davidoff

When I was out sampling with another member here, I liked this enough to have the store make me a sample to check out. I'll let you know how I like it when I wear it.

So, finish my sample of Zino Davidoff. This one is, to my untrained sniffer, along the same lines as the Egoiste. At least as far as the woody and floral scents are concerned. Zino is imminently more wearable on my skin than the Egoiste was though. It is stronger and seems to project better for me. Some folks say it is very potent, but it seems to sit close to my skin, though not as close as the Egoiste did.

This one is definitely wearable. However, I've got a bunch more samples to go through and it seems to me that there are an awful lot of scents in the wood/floral arena out there as this is at least the 2nd one in 10 days that I've tried which exhibit those qualities. Taking that in to consideration, I must try a few more to get a good feel for the differences between them all and my tastes go. As a newbie, this is the fun part to me.

I got a sample of that Portugal at Neiman Marcus when I was there last. Haven't tried it yet. I'll put that Chanel on my "to sample" list. Thanks!

Thanks for the congrats - it appears I'll be getting promoted again in February if I accept a new position. Good stuff!

I tried Angel Men yesterday. WHOA! This is a really intense fragrance. It starts out hard and spicy - almost powdery to me. I didn't think I was going to like it, but after it calms down it because almost like chocolate and vanilla. Really interesting. I quite liked it. I guess this is what they call a "gourmand"? I sampled a few types of these when I was out with Joe. They make me think my wife will want to come nibble on me - which isn't a bad thing!

How does Angel Men stack up against Givenchy Play Intense? When I tested Intense at the store I kind of remember it being similar to the way Angel Men smelled to me yesterday. Are they even close?

You'll have to excuse my ignorance in not being able to yet pick out specific notes on a fragrance. Having said that:

I've finished my sample of Tiffany for Men. Of the scents listed above, so far this is my favorite. It starts out floral and spicy and later finishes out with a woodsy scent. I find it to be a quality fragrance and lasts all day on me. My wife likes it on me, too, which is a bonus.

There's something subtle but powerful about this one. It doesn't overpower you with any single note; they all blend together well. It forms itself nicely throughout the day and has a distinguishable progression. The finish is probably my most favorite part - that light but noticeable woody note lingers on me for hours and hours. All day and well in to the evening.

Really enjoying this one. Can anyone suggest for me something that has an even more pronounced woody finish? Not overwhelming, but perhaps more crisp, that is also of high quality? I'd like to compare the finish with something that has a different opening. I'm not sure what type of cologne that is as I'm still trying to understand the differences between florals, spices, powders, fougeres and the like.

Thanks in advance.

Carl