New to basenotes and the Fragrance Community!

Hello and welcome.

Since you are unfamiliar with brands like Hermes, Dior, Tom Ford and so on that you mentioned. I urge you to try them at your pace by stopping by the boutiques or attaining samples.

This way you'll identify what you like and what you don't like and more important what needs further exploring.

Best to you!

I only like the ones that smell really bad so I guess I can't help out here. LOL.

Perhaps something like Burberry London.

Welcome to BN!

Best way to find something you like is to do a lot of sniffing!
There is a thread dedicated to perfume shopping in Chicago-- this may give you some ideas about where to try perfumes:

http://www.basenotes.net/threads/191365-Chicago

..and a Chicago area group:

http://www.basenotes.net/group.php?groupid=60

Hi, Jay08, welcome. This is the perfect place to get a thorough perfume education. Hang around and dig through the various threads. There is no hard and fast answer to all your questions in your introduction. (You may wish to make paragraphs between thoughts ... it reads easier, just saying.)

Be patient with the sometimes sluggish software reactions. It is worth the effort. Have fun.

Well patchouli is one of the main players in the drydown of A*Men, also the sweetness means youre probably fond of gourmandes.
I'm not a fan of the Hermes line at all so I can't help there.
For Tom Fords try Black Orchid and Tobacco Vanille
Try some designer gourmands such as:
Dior Homme Intense and L'Instant Pour Homme Extreme by Guerlain. I'm not a real fan of this side of fragrances but they are universally liked within the community and they would be a great place to start.

While I confess I did not like it at all, you might like Mandarina Duck Pure Black as it probably fits more with your tastes.

Welcome aboard !

Welcome!

As others were saying, you should just go on a few sniffing trips and try different things. Luckily, Chicago has a few good stores, as indicated in the previous posts. The best is probably Barney's on oak street, which has brands like Serge Lutens, Malle, Artisan Parfumeur, and others. But the big dept stores have stuff too, from Macys to Neiman Marcus and Saks, and then there's the Chanel boutique on Michigan for the Chanel exclusives.

You appear to like gourmand. Immortelle is a sweet-burnt sugar material that's very long lasting. A great example would be Sables by Annick Goutal (I forgot which of the big dept stores carry it, but certainly one of Nordstrom/Saks/Neiman does). Even more gourmand, Lutens Jeux de peau (at Barney's). Dior has an Eau Noire based on this material too, but it is sold only in Dior boutiques and I don't think there's one in Chicago.

Lutens has others hovering in gourmand/patch territory, like Borneo (patchouli chocolate) or Arabie (bitters).

For a completely different genre, I recommend that you also stop by the Chanel boutique and try Sycomore, a vetiver with a touch of woods, very fresh, natural smelling and long lasting. Another in the line you might be interested in is Coromandel, which contains patchouli.

cacio

Welcome!

Hi Jay08! Welcome to Basenotes!

I"ve noting to add to the good advice you've already received except:
always test on skin and go with your gut.

There are scents out there than we can possible smell in our lifetime so you'd better get started sampling

Welcome! You've come to the right place

I agree with those who say to smell lots of things and learn more about what you like. And avoid buying until you do!

If you like A*Men, I'm thinking you might like Serge Lutens's Borneo 1834, and also Coromandel from the Chanel Exclusives line. Since you seem to like heavier, sweeter things, other Serge Lutens scents might also appeal. I also thought of Parfumerie Generale and thought you might like Bois Naufrage, Un Crime Exotique, Coze, or L'Ombre Fauve.

Try:

A*Men Le Gout du Parfum/Taste of Fragrance (Pure Chili) - Here is a flanker to the original A*Men, wherein an enhancer, in this case chili or red pepper concentrate, is added to the mix to exalt the original's notes, to wit, the versatility of the patchouli and the richness of the coffee. I might add that it is done superbly.
Initially, one is treated to a somewhat mellow, yet familiar, cherry-vanillic, medicinal scent from the interplay of bittersweet bergamot, refreshing spearmint, fresh lavender, the nutty woodiness of coriander and magical, creamy tonka bean. A warm and smooth spiciness from the chili/red pepper showers the melange with its facets. Transitioning to the heart, aromatic patchouli releases its sweetish cocoa character, commingling with the tart fruitiness of pink pepper, as well as the creamy and sweet woodiness of Virginia cedar. Resultantly, a lovely, bittersweet chocolate plays with the spiciness of the chili/red pepper. A faint undercurrent of coffee brews and carries the melange to the base. Here, the rich, roasted coffee comes into its own and combines with the mystical, sweetly woody vanilla, capturing an extraordinary, cafe mocha aura, while a faint soapiness of musk flitters about. An alluring drydown ensues. This unique and masculine scent have average projection, 2-hour scent cloud, then becoming a skin scent, and average, 7-8 hours, longevity. A truly distinctive composition that can be enjoyed all year round.

&

Spicebomb by Viktor & Rolf - Upon application, one is treated to a somewhat refreshing, fruity and citric blend from the commingling of an orangey and peppery bergamot, the tangy bittersweetness of grapefruit and the mildly spicy fruitiness of pink pepper. And, an intriguing elemi showers the blend with its resinous and balsamic spiciness. Resultantly, an all-too-familiar, sweet, spicy, bubble-gum smell wafts to the waiting middle. Here, in the heart, the Bazooka-like opening is immersed in an enveloping stew of sweetly warm and earthy cinnamon, a pepperish paprika and a healthy dose of hay-like floral from saffron. A sweet, pipe tobacco undercurrent carries this inviting melange to the base. Here, the luxurious, cherry-almond, pipe tobacco comes into it own and interplays with the rich, green and smoky earthiness of vetiver. A faint background of a vanillic musk and leather present. A suave drydown ensues. This versatile and high-quality scent has good projection, with a 3-hour, scent cloud, and good longevity, 7-8- hours. However, this composition appears to have purloined its varied, scent paths from other, existing scents. And, although I give the fragrance a "Thumbs Up," it is given unenthusiastically because of the flagrant lack of originality.

&

Make sure you SAMPLE stuff and give it a good wear before you decide on buying! Especially with the niche stuff...

Some of my favorites:

YSL La Nuit de L'homme - The night time/flanker version to L'Homme which you have. It's sweet and spicy.
Dior Homme Intense - Powdery Iris which drys down to vanilla/cocoa. Great scent.
Chanel Allure Homme Edition Blanche - Very natural creamy lemon... think lemon meringue pie
Creed Millesime Imperial - Great fresh fruity aquatic... think chopped up melons by the sea side drizzled with salt
Ed Hardy Love and Luck - Similar to Millesime Imperial minus the salty accord and replace melon with pear... also a LOT cheaper
Carolina Herrera 212 Men - Fresh cut green grass that dries down to a nice sweet musk.
Acqua di Parma Arancia di Capri - Great orange focused citrus... just doesn't seem to last very long
Acua di Parma Mandorlo di Sicilia - Almonds and vanilla... very sweet and soft scent

Just get out there and see what you like... blind buying can be very expensive

Welcome to Basenotes! I'm pretty new here, too, and everyone has been very helpful. You might try just buying samples from ebay, Luckyscent, and other sites for a while and sniff everything you can at the dept. store counters. If you know what basic notes you like that goes a long way towards a successful blind buy. Lots of good reviews of fragrances on this site, but it can be confusing when there is almost always some difference of opinion about a certain fragrance. I think it all boils down to skin chemistry. I like to toggle back and forth between ebay listings and the reviews on this site to see if it's worth a blind buy. Good luck!