Help Me Find My Office Scent

I have really been looking to find a nice, primarily daytime scent for the office. I am really new to the world of fragrances but I have tried quite a few (many Creeds, blenheim bouquet, Eau Savage, allure Homme, and others). Right now, I primarily wear GIT or MI (though the latter seems to have some sort of musk or something on the drydown that i dont like that much) in the office.

here is basically what i am looking for:

- something bright/fresh (but not something that gets too sweet or floral - this was my issue with most of the Creeds that I tried. After about an hour or two, they all seemed to settle down into this floral/powdery scent that i did not like)

- something that is formal enough to go with suit and tie

- something that has elements of classicism and yet is still modern and fairly young (i am in my mid-30s)

- something that does not get too woody, spicy, or leathery on the drydown

- my overall appearance is fairly 'sharp' or crisp - my tailoring is on the fitted side, i have an energetic, brash personality - and I guess i am really looking for the same in my cologne

- oh, and perhaps an impossible request - but maybe something not so common as to remind someone of the department store cologne section I would expect that recommendations would be of fairly popular scents (and i am ok with that) but dont want to smell cheap or reminiscent of the department store


soooooo...does anything exist that fits the bill well??? what should i give a shot?

thanks all!

guys, thanks A LOT for the excellent recommendations - i at least feel like i can have some direction again when trying/testing scents...walking into the store with shelves upon shelves is fairly daunting!

a couple recommendations for this one - i assume the 'concentree' is different and not quite as readily available as the PM? what is the difference? just an extreme (or concentrated) version of the same underlying scent or is it totally different? Am wondering if I can not find the Concentree in stores, if the 'regular' would give me an indication of the fragrance?

interesting - i am fooling around today with my first penhaligon extended wear, blenheim bouquet. heard it was such a classic scent and had some of the qualities i was looking for. so far so good, quite pine-ey. i like the overall 'edge' that it seems to have - that british aristocrat type vibe...but im not a huge fan of pine either

any comparisons to allure homme and allure edition blanche? ive tried allure and allure sport in the past. they were ok but felt they got a little creamy or powdery if that makes sense

interesting - i REALLY like Trumpers Extract of Limes but the damn stuff lasts about 20 mins...what a blast though...is the longevity of GFT at least a little better than this

if any one has some general thoughts on the following that i have heard good things about and whether it might fit in with what i am trying to do it would be helpful:

- guerlain vetiver
- creed aventus
- AdP colonia

thanks again guys. I was able to spend some time in the stores over the last week and try quite a few recommendations (on paper, wrists, and testers). You guys must really know your stuff, as there was pretty much not a single example that i just flat out could not wear. That being said, i feel like (though they were pleasant enough) there was always some specific element that prevented me from pulling the trigger. for example:

- Bulgari Pour Homme: started out really well. After about an hour, i started to detect some sort of note (maybe tea or something) that was underneath that started to annoy me a bit. it wasn't 'sweet' but it was something somehow similar to that.

- Gucci Pour Homme II: again, the top was great but there was some sort of licorice or chocolate or some sort of sweet note underneath that felt like it was almost too sensual or something for suit and tie

- YSL Homme: i did like this...but it smelled 'common' somehow (not that it would be a dealbreaker)

- Guerlain Homme: really liked it but it was almost too refined or smooth. certainly would go with suit and tie but not sure it is brash enough for what i am looking for

- Boucheron Homme: this was awesome, but i couldnt help feeling like i should come back to it in about 15 years (which is what i also worry about with AdP, maybe i shouldnt worry about this?)

- Chanel Allure Edition Blanche: there is something vanilla-ey or something that i has turned me off of the allures i have tried in the past. though not as noticeable, i felt like this one also had that note.

- Aventus: it is a very pleasant scent to me in the beginning. the drydown wasnt fantastic (it is a little powdery or something and just didnt last or project well for me)


so, today i think i am going to be able to try the creed OV, Creed Windsor (this is out of the blue but somehow there is a sample testing going on at a local store that the Creed SA let me know about), and some others...

So, with this new data in mind - any continued recommendations?

like i said, many above were great scents but i felt like they either turned sweet/powdery, were a bit too smooth/mature, or were sort of 'typical' cologne smell.

i am starting to wonder if i almost want a bracing, aftershave type scent - what is this 'barbershop' vein people refer to? perhaps that is what is in my head but that i can not articulate?