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Favorite "smell good"/"safe"/"blind buy" scent?

post #1 of 86
Thread Starter 
I really like La Nuit for this purpose. When I just want to smell good and please a crowd I throw this one on. I'm thinking of getting Chrome Legend for this too. What are yours?
post #2 of 86
There are simply too many for me but one I'll mention is Aoud Forest.
post #3 of 86
Acqua di Parma Colonia
post #4 of 86
Gianfranco Ferre for Man is first choice. Also like GF Lui. Burberry... All are pleasant, mild, and inoffensive in mixed company.
post #5 of 86
Too many to mention but Cuir Pleine Fleurs si always a winner for me...
post #6 of 86
allure sport, allure homme, versace PH, la nuit, boss bottle, aventus
post #7 of 86
Chanel pour Monsieur seems to be THE definition of safe (in positive way, as in clean-cut, no-nonsense, elegant yet understated, timeless, linear, well-rounded with no rough edges, calm, serene yet profound, classic yet versatile) to me
post #8 of 86
Green Irish Tweed, L'eau D'Issey, Canali, PE Red 360 or the Jack Black scents are what I generally reach for when I want to be safe.
post #9 of 86
Bleu Du Chanel, Chanel Allure are both safe and smell very good.
post #10 of 86
Personally, I bought Lolita Lempicka the first fragrance blind online, as not a single store sells the line near me, and I fell desperately in love
post #11 of 86
Chanel Platinum Egoiste, Creed Green Irish Tweed, YSL L'Homme are pretty much universally liked by everyone I have encountered.
post #12 of 86
Kapsule Floriental by Lagerfeld
and many, many others!
post #13 of 86
Light Blue by D&G has been a steady crowd pleaser but i'm very interested in testing out my new Kelly Caleche sample in public. I think it's going to be a hit.
post #14 of 86
I'd say something like Blue de Chanel, or YSL L'Homme, etc. They're not overly interesting but they are easy to wear and most people don't dislike them IMO
post #15 of 86
I don't think there's such a thing as "A Safe Blind Buy".
post #16 of 86
Rochas Man, safest blind buy at its price point and love it gets here.
post #17 of 86
2 of several are:

Givenchy Gentleman by Givenchy
Rive Gauche pour Homme by Yves Saint Laurent
post #18 of 86
+1 Issey Miyake, also English Fern
post #19 of 86
Gucci Pour Homme II
post #20 of 86
Polo Modern Reserve
post #21 of 86
TdH, Gucci PHII, Bulgari PH Soir
post #22 of 86
i agree that there is no safe blind buy. i dislike most of those "safe" recommendations for instance..
post #23 of 86
Givenchy Play
post #24 of 86
La nuit and aventus are mine.
post #25 of 86
It depends who's asking.

For someone that is new to fragrance, Bleu de Chanel, YSL L'Homme, and Rochas Man are very easy-to-like fragrances, and I think they're safe in the sense that few people in public would find these offensive. Rochas Man is also very inexpensive.

For someone that is experienced and into more challenging scents, there probably is no safe blind buy, unless you really know what they like.
post #26 of 86
LL Au Masculin;
Roadster;
Rochas Man.
post #27 of 86
Curve
Acqua Di Gio
Dolce & Gabbana Pour Homme
post #28 of 86
All said, there is no such thing as a "safe" blind buy. It's like gambling and there is a chance you will not like the scent and "lose."

Even if you bet $5.00 you can still lose that $5.00.

That said, try Cuir de Lancome. You can usually find this for under $40.00 at discounters, and it's a wonderful smoky leather floral suitable for men and women.
post #29 of 86
I am a newbie so I blind bought most of my fragrances as long as they are reasonable. Among them, my top 3/4 blind buy are:

1. +1 Cuir de Lancome
2. +1 Rochas Man / Eau de Rochas pour Homme
3. F pour Homme by Salvatore Ferragamo
post #30 of 86
Quote:
Originally Posted by CapriDog View Post

I am a newbie so I blind bought most of my fragrances as long as they are reasonable. Among them, my top 3/4 blind buy are:

1. +1 Cuir de Lancome
2. +1 Rochas Man / Eau de Rochas pour Homme
3. F pour Homme by Salvatore Ferragamo


Rochas Man and Eau de Rochas PH are different. Man comes in the frosted upside down cone bottle, and EdR PH is in the warped glass bottle. Man is a sweet gourmand and EdR is an herby/skanky citric. Which one do you mean?
post #31 of 86
Sorry for the confusion. I owned both of them and they are totally different as you mentioned. Man is a gourmand and the other is fresh/herbal. I like them both.
post #32 of 86
Rive Gauche
post #33 of 86
Eek, yea reading these suggestions, there really isn't anything such thing a a safe blind buy. There are quite a few listed that I just did not like. That being said, I think the more generic a fragrance the more safe of a blind buy it will be, which at least in my mind is the exact opposite of what to go for in a fragrance. But if that's not the reason for you, then I'd recommend Bleu de Chanel, generic and very crowd pleasing, or dare I say...Gucci Guilty.
post #34 of 86
+1 Bleu de Chanel
+1 La Nuit
Mugler Cologne
post #35 of 86
80% of my collection is blind buys, and I like all of them. Conversely, many of the the frags I bought after sampling at a department store, I ended up not liking so much after a few wears. The best way to go is samples and small decants. I have a shelf full of these. Turns out, when you have a bunch, they last so long that you end up not really needing to buy a lot of FB's.

PS: I would add Versace Eau Fraiche to the list as a safe, unassuming, fresh scent. You may not love it, but I doubt you will hate it. Not very long lasting though.
post #36 of 86
Diesel - Fuel For Life...
post #37 of 86
212 Men and 212 Men Pop! (that's becoming a little repetitive coming from me...)
Also, if you don't know them yet: Cool Water, Acqua di Gio or Allure Homme Sport.
post #38 of 86
YSL L'Homme
Chanel Platinum
Nautica Voyage
Ed Hardy Love & Luck
post #39 of 86
Acqua d gio
coolwater
Chrome
about as safe as it gets and loved by all.
post #40 of 86
+1 for Versace Pour Homme. To me, it's a very safe blind buy, that works in any season or any occasion (casual or dressy). Also, it draws compliments, and I can't imagine it offending anyone. It has both fresh and sweet elements as it evolves, so it's extremely versatile. It is similar to Chanel Allure Homme Sport & Allure Homme Sport Eau Extreme, but I find VPH fresher and more fitted to different occasions.
post #41 of 86
Versace Pour Homme is a very good blind buy. It's definitely a compliment grabber so I totally agree with Brian.
Another is Lucky You by Lucky Brand. It smells "clean". Some people would say soapy like Irish Spring, but it's a great scent to wear on a hot summer day at an extremely affordable price (which is why it's a good blind buy!). I can't see anybody getting turned off by it, compliments all day long. (or for about 3-4 hours).
post #42 of 86
Familiar, safe scents in no order: Bleu de Chanel, YSL L'Homme, Cerruti Image, Chrome, Acqua Di Gio.
post #43 of 86
Nautica voyage, acqua di gio. If by safe blind buy you mean a scent that is inoffensive to a majority of the population. As far as individually speaking, there is no safe blind buy.
post #44 of 86
Acqua di Gio
Gucci pour homme II
post #45 of 86
Bleu de Chanel
YSL L'Homme
post #46 of 86
I go for Coolwater when i want to buy my frst perfume..second is, Ck Be.
post #47 of 86
Quote:
Originally Posted by thebeck View Post

I don't think there's such a thing as "A Safe Blind Buy".

My scentiment exactly, some of us are lucky and some of us aren't when it comes to blind buys
post #48 of 86
hugo by hugo boss, rive gauche
post #49 of 86
LL Au Masculin.
post #50 of 86
There are a lot of really nice ones out there.
Dunhill Desire (Red)
L'Homme and La Nuit (one of which you own)
Chanel Allure Homme
Le Male
Versace (Fraiche)
post #51 of 86
Although none of them wow me at the moment, the Tokyo Milk line has been a pleasant surprise to me so far. I have 2 of them and I liked them on first sniff.
post #52 of 86
Jazz....a little old school but still intriguing. Envy if you're looking for compliments (and if you can find it)
post #53 of 86
Funny, I dislike about half of the "safe" blind buys mentioned on this thread. Are you guys serious? Some of these choices are just ridiculous and not "safe" at all (not saying which ones). IMO, the only thing close to a safe blind buy is Acqua di Gio. Everything else should be sampled first. Sample! Sample! Sample!

That being said, Kiton Men gets my vote. (just trying to break up the monotony)
post #54 of 86
I own it and rarely wear it, but I think Allure Homme Sport fits this
post #55 of 86
Acqua di Gio. You may not like the smell of it on you, but everyone else WILL! Especially the LADIES!!!

- - - Updated - - -

Acqua di Gio. You may not like the smell of it on you, but everyone else WILL! Especially the LADIES!!! Can you say panty dropper.

- - - Updated - - -

Acqua di Gio. You may not like the smell of it on you, but everyone else will. Especially tha LADIES!!! Can you say pantydropper.

- - - Updated - - -

Acqua di Gio.
post #56 of 86
+1 for Allure Homme Sport.

Also Bleu de Chanel.
post #57 of 86
If you don't mind limited longevity and sillage I find most of CK's stuff, with the exception of some flankers, to be fairly safe, innofensive and cheap. IN2U, One, Be, Eternity (for men), and so on. Obsession for men is the only one I could see causing problems, but then again I also think it's one of their better fragrances. Most colognes, particularly newer ones. Eau de Cartier, Lalique, CDG's cologne series, Cologne du 68, and quite a few by Roger & Gallet, Trumpers and Royall Lyme. Others: Lanvin l'Homme and Vetiver, Chopard Pour Homme - these three seem like typical 'office safe,' scents and are all dirt cheap - Aqua Allegoria Herba Fresca, Caron Pour un Homme and Yuzu Man. The last is probably considered Caron's worst masculine, but that to me is what makes it safe. Very few of these will wow you, but they're also unlikely to leave you doubled over in the bathroom hugging your toilet. The reformulated Worth Pour Homme (for older guys), Mont St. Michel Naturelle (simple, fleeting EDC lead by bergamot, half a liter for under $20) and Fraicher Intense (cooler, minty EDC, equally fleeting, equally dirt cheap), Zino by Davidoff, or Cool Water if you're younger, Givenchy Into the Blue, Pour Homme Blue Label, and the reformulated Xeryus. Eau de Hadrian, Eau de Guerlain and Eau Savage.

Out of all of these the cheapest are the safest. In my experience the more you spend, the higher your expectations. That said I believe all of these can be safe blind buys under the right circumstances. I would not recommend the majority of them to long-time fragrance lovers who demand complexity and want to be wowed, but for more modest collections I think most of these represent safe bets, and are quite wearable under the right circumstances.
post #58 of 86
For the majority (although "blind buys" are NEVER universally safe, it's hard to find too many people who "hate" these):
Mugler Cologne
Rive Gauche
GIT

Personally, my general "safe" and "smell good" frags are:
Mugler Cologne
Rive Gauche
Platinum Egoiste
Rochas Man
GIT
Himalaya
Chanel Allure Homme Sport eau Extreme
post #59 of 86
Quote:
Originally Posted by thebeck View Post

I don't think there's such a thing as "A Safe Blind Buy".

THIS.

I certainly have a few favorite feel-good scents, including Aventus which I consider to be a very safe scent... but safe blind buy? Blind buying isn't safe. All it takes is one note you don't like to turn a blind buy into money wasted.
post #60 of 86
Mugler Cologne and Green Irish Tweed.
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