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Old guy just starting out and could use some help

post #1 of 23
12/30/12 at 4:04pm
Thread Starter 
OK....so I'm going to be 53 and finally got over my thinking of after shaving it is all about the sting and not the stink when you put something on your face. Yes sorry to say after 37 years the O)ld Spice after shave has hit the trash bin. Not only has this surprised, no shocked, my wife but it has put my children into the position of having the old stand by of giving a bottle of Old Spice for Christmas , birthday or Fathers Day come to an end.
It all started after I expressed the mere idea of cologne and the next day my wife showed up with a bottle of "Le Male", naturally the bottle was an eye roll but after 28 years of marriage when the wife says just try it ...you do. Well I was shocked....could it be I ACTUALLY liked what came out of this very strange bottle? No...it is not possible...yet I found myself wearing it again and again. So I have given in and I am attempting to build a base of colognes but I need a bit of help.

I have been on the hunt and smelled countless cologne as well as containers of coffe beans. I have found I like a subtle but long lasting colognes. I have built a very small and after reading the information on basenotes, I find a very basic collection.
I currently have the following;
Jean Paul Gaultier - Le Male
Davidoff - Cool Waters
Armani - Code (code black)
Nautica - Oceans
Beckham - Instinct ( not a big fan, bought a small bottle for a few bucks on a whim)

Any suggestions for additions would be welcome, I have seen many on here liking Creed however I'm not quite ready to spend $200- $300 for a bottle yet....remember I just tossed the Old Spice.

Thanks,
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post #2 of 23
12/30/12 at 4:14pm
Eau Sauvage by Dior
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post #3 of 23
12/30/12 at 4:23pm
You may want to give Costume National Homme a sniff. It runs about $55-$60 a full bottle at discounters. It is very dark spicy, slightly sweet, woody, almost tobacco-like. Good stuff, IMO.
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post #4 of 23
12/30/12 at 4:30pm
Welcome to Basenotes! I would stick to some of the classics to try first. You can sample from a dept. store, if you live in a larger city or buy samples cheaply on websites like my perfume samples, lucky scent, surrender to chance to name a few. I recommend that you sample in whatever way a fragrance before you buy it or you may end up with something you don't like and wasted money.
I would recommend these and these are only a few of many:

Aramis
Habit Rouge by Guerlain
Vetiver or Vetiver Exreme by Guerlain
Heritage by Guerlain
Egoiste by Chanel
Antaeus by Chanel
Terre D Hermes by Hermes
Rive Gauche Pour Homme by Yves Saint Laurent
Kouros by Yves Saint Laurent
Givenchy Gentlemen by Givenchy
Fahrenheit Absolute by Dior
Burberry London by Burberry
Prada Amber POur Homme Intense by Prada
Opium Pour Homme by Yves Saint Laurent
Beyond Paradise for Men by Estee Lauder

These should give you a good start, I hope. Please come back anytime for help or just to join in the conversations!
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post #5 of 23
12/30/12 at 6:14pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by belt2606 View Post

after 28 years of marriage when the wife says just try it ...you do. Well I was shocked....could it be I ACTUALLY liked what came out of this very strange bottle?

This sounds like me. I came home with a bottle of Azzaro Pour Homme for my husband and said, "Try it, I think you'll like it!" He did. Congrats on being adventurous!

From what you've already listed, you may also like Dior Homme, Versace Man Eau Fraiche, and YSL L'Homme, all easily found at Sephora. (And don't be shy about asking them--or having your wife ask-- to make up some samples of anything you'd like to try.)

Bvlgari Pour Homme is also a nice scent (despite the panning it seems to get on the men's forums) and can be had in the $20-30 range at discounters like TJ Maxx/Marshalls/Ross.
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post #6 of 23
12/30/12 at 6:40pm
Southerngardens gave some fantastic suggestions. I'd start there!
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post #7 of 23
12/30/12 at 6:46pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by belt2606 View Post

OK....so I'm going to be 53 and finally got over my thinking of after shaving it is all about the sting and not the stink when you put something on your face. Yes sorry to say after 37 years the O)ld Spice after shave has hit the trash bin. Not only has this surprised, no shocked, my wife but it has put my children into the position of having the old stand by of giving a bottle of Old Spice for Christmas , birthday or Fathers Day come to an end.
It all started after I expressed the mere idea of cologne and the next day my wife showed up with a bottle of "Le Male", naturally the bottle was an eye roll but after 28 years of marriage when the wife says just try it ...you do. Well I was shocked....could it be I ACTUALLY liked what came out of this very strange bottle? No...it is not possible...yet I found myself wearing it again and again. So I have given in and I am attempting to build a base of colognes but I need a bit of help.

I have been on the hunt and smelled countless cologne as well as containers of coffe beans. I have found I like a subtle but long lasting colognes. I have built a very small and after reading the information on basenotes, I find a very basic collection.
I currently have the following;
Jean Paul Gaultier - Le Male
Davidoff - Cool Waters
Armani - Code (code black)
Nautica - Oceans
Beckham - Instinct ( not a big fan, bought a small bottle for a few bucks on a whim)

Any suggestions for additions would be welcome, I have seen many on here liking Creed however I'm not quite ready to spend $200- $300 for a bottle yet....remember I just tossed the Old Spice.

Thanks,

Good for you! If you live near a Nordstrom's go there and get some samples at the men's fragrance dept. In fact, pick up samples wherever you can. That's what I do because I don't want to waste my $ on something I won't wear. If you haven't already looked at the men's forum then you ought to investigate it for some good recommendations.
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post #8 of 23
12/30/12 at 9:33pm
Welcome!

Your current collection seems to go from sweetish barbershoppy (Le Male) to fresh (esp. Cool water and Instinct). I second many of the previous suggestions, especially Egoiste (warm sandalwood - note: the regular Egoiste, not platinum egoiste). I would add the Aramis range, which I think is quite solid and has a good price. Examples are Aramis 900 (resinous, patchouli), Tuscany (herbal), and the regular Aramis (macho leather).

cacio
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post #9 of 23
12/30/12 at 9:42pm
I am in the same age group so I think you might like Canali Style or any other from the Canali line-up; Declaration from Cartier is another consideration. If you live near enough to a L'Occitane shop, or don't mind buying on-line, then Eau des Baux is quite nice, and Chanel Allure Edition Blanche may also suit your style. Good hunting!
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post #10 of 23
12/30/12 at 9:50pm
There seemed to be some back-and-forth over whether Angel Men or Le Male was better. I'm assuming there are various similarities, but it might not hurt to try it A*Men out. I think it's hard to come by, though, so if you cannot find it to sample it, it might be a moot point or a potentially disastrous blind buy...
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post #11 of 23
12/30/12 at 9:50pm
If you like Le Male, try:
- Angel Men
- Pure Malt
- L'Instant de Guerlain
- Midnight In Paris
- Versace Dreamer
- One Million

Since you are older, I think you can pull off these masculine scents:
- YSL Rive Gauche
- Chanel Egoiste
- Dior Eau Savage
- YSL M7
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post #12 of 23
12/30/12 at 10:04pm
  • MFJ
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Hi there,

I really like the first 3 scents you listed, they are one of the best around. Haven't tried the others yet I think. You might want to test these generally well-regarded ones below, I just have a feeling you might enjoy them, I personally do :

L'Instant de Guerlain Pour Homme
Gucci Envy For Men
Paco Rabanne XS
YSL M7
L'eau D'Issey Pour Homme
Bvlgari Pour Homme (one of my absolute faves, a must try)
Bvlgari Aqva Pour Homme


Cheers

Edit: Oops above post beat me to the Guerlain and M7. His avatar reminds me you should try Dior's Fahrenheit as well.
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post #13 of 23
12/31/12 at 3:45pm
Thread Starter 
Thanks for all the feed back and the suggestions. I am excited to try out some different colognes. I already sent away for some samples of the suggestions. It will be interesting to branch out and see what I find interesting.
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post #14 of 23
12/31/12 at 4:16pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by hednic View Post

Eau Sauvage by Dior

+1. Classic fresh. Lemon and herb.
Quote:
Originally Posted by southerngardens View Post

Welcome to Basenotes! I would stick to some of the classics to try first. You can sample from a dept. store, if you live in a larger city or buy samples cheaply on websites like my perfume samples, lucky scent, surrender to chance to name a few. I recommend that you sample in whatever way a fragrance before you buy it or you may end up with something you don't like and wasted money. Sample sample sample!
I would recommend these and these are only a few of many:

Habit Rouge by Guerlain
Vetiver or Vetiver Exreme by Guerlain
Egoiste by Chanel
Sample first. These may have the same quality in Old Spice you are not fond of.
Terre D Hermes by Hermes
If you like amber/orange, this is good.
Rive Gauche Pour Homme by Yves Saint Laurent
Kouros by Yves Saint Laurent
These two are classic without being old.
Fahrenheit Absolute by Dior
different. sample first
Burberry London by Burberry
a basenotes favorite. christmas in a bottle, now with even more tobacco!
Prada Amber POur Homme Intense by Prada
amber
Opium Pour Homme by Yves Saint Laurent
too close to Old Spice

These should give you a good start, I hope. Please come back anytime for help or just to join in the conversations!

Quote:
Originally Posted by noirdrakkar View Post

If you like Le Male, try:
- Angel Men
- Pure Malt
- L'Instant de Guerlain
- Midnight In Paris very Le Male
- Versace Dreamer
- One Million
a lot of other gourmands, but sweeter
Since you are older, I think you can pull off these masculine scents:
- YSL Rive Gauche
- Chanel Egoiste
- Dior Eau Savage
- YSL M7

A lot of good suggestions here.
I will +1 Kouros as well.
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post #15 of 23
12/31/12 at 6:38pm
Encre noire is one you can find for a good price. Its totally different than most of your collection, but its worth checking out as a grown man. Terre d'hermes is seconded here. Geir ness and gendarme are good, as is mugler cologne. Canali style is seconded, as is the third man.
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post #16 of 23
1/21/13 at 2:00pm
Thread Starter 
Thanks for all your suggestions and here is what I have tried...........

Lagerfeld.... Burberry London...Costume National....Drakkar Nior...Eau Savage by Dior...all keepers in my book but I will admit it took a few times of wearing to get the amount of Lagerfeld right.

Agua by Bulgari...Grey Flannel.....on the fence

Boss Bottled Night.... no thanks

Next up are
Kouros by Yves Saint Laurent....Vetiver by Guerlain.....Ysl L'Homme by Yves Saint Laurent...Terre d'Hermes by Hermes
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post #17 of 23
1/21/13 at 2:54pm
I'm 46, and I think that if you want something transitional from Old Spice, try Dolce & Gabbana The One Gentleman. Otherwise shake things up a bit with John Varvatos(the original).
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post #18 of 23
1/21/13 at 2:54pm
Fahrenheit
Encre Noire
Mugler Cologne (If you want to spend a little extra, Original Vetiver is available on some discount sites. I think it's a better version of Mugler Cologne)
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post #19 of 23
1/21/13 at 3:49pm
LL

I recommend L Instant de Guerlain Extreme. Great scent that is surprisingly affordable yet hard enough to find that will insure it is unique.
LL
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post #20 of 23
2/2/13 at 11:48pm
I was in my late 30's when my wife got me interested in fragrances and I became an addict overnight. I think the biggest mistake I made (we all did it) was to buy a bunch of inexpensive/less expensive fragrances that I thought smelled good, rather than find a few that I felt really smelled great (regardless of thier price tags). Now I have drawers full of designer frags that I don't wear that often when I could have spent that money on the ones that I am now lusting after. If you like subtle scents and decide that you want to jump on the Creed bandwagon (I'm on it too) I would grab a bottle of Green Irish Tweed. You have to be careful with Creed because there are a lot of fakes being sold on the Internet, but there are some very reputable discountes on the net as well. I just bought a bottle from Beauty Encounter and could not be happier about the purchase. It cost about 1/3 of what the big retailers would have charged me and it was fresh juice - brand new and perfect.

I should add that many people feel that Green Irish Tweed smells very similar to Cool Water (composed by the same perfumer), so I would not want you to buy it then be disappointed that they smell somewhat alike. I think Green Irish Tweed is far superior to Cool Water, but that is just my opinion.

Buy some good stuff now and I guarantee that you won't regret it later.
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post #21 of 23
2/3/13 at 5:05am
eau sauvage definately. i tend to give my father my leftovers and he's 65 but will wear anything.for budget scents check out the fujiyama series and also the perry ellis 360 series especially red and black. all of these are under 25 bucks for the huge bottles 3.4 oz except the eau sauvage. also the body shop's white musk and white musk sport are great values..
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post #22 of 23
2/4/13 at 11:55am
Just so you know, many Basenoters consider Old Spice to be a wonderful classic fragrance. So, there is no shame in enjoying inexpensive fragrances that our fathers and grandfathers used to wear. So don't throw out all your Old Spice - guaranteed that you will want to come back to it every once in a while to reminisce. I love the stuff!

Quote:
Originally Posted by belt2606 View Post

OK....so I'm going to be 53 and finally got over my thinking of after shaving it is all about the sting and not the stink when you put something on your face. Yes sorry to say after 37 years the O)ld Spice after shave has hit the trash bin. Not only has this surprised, no shocked, my wife but it has put my children into the position of having the old stand by of giving a bottle of Old Spice for Christmas , birthday or Fathers Day come to an end.
It all started after I expressed the mere idea of cologne and the next day my wife showed up with a bottle of "Le Male", naturally the bottle was an eye roll but after 28 years of marriage when the wife says just try it ...you do. Well I was shocked....could it be I ACTUALLY liked what came out of this very strange bottle? No...it is not possible...yet I found myself wearing it again and again. So I have given in and I am attempting to build a base of colognes but I need a bit of help.

I have been on the hunt and smelled countless cologne as well as containers of coffe beans. I have found I like a subtle but long lasting colognes. I have built a very small and after reading the information on basenotes, I find a very basic collection.
I currently have the following;
Jean Paul Gaultier - Le Male
Davidoff - Cool Waters
Armani - Code (code black)
Nautica - Oceans
Beckham - Instinct ( not a big fan, bought a small bottle for a few bucks on a whim)

Any suggestions for additions would be welcome, I have seen many on here liking Creed however I'm not quite ready to spend $200- $300 for a bottle yet....remember I just tossed the Old Spice.

Thanks,
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post #23 of 23
2/5/13 at 2:07pm
As some others have suggested YSL Rive Gauche. Make sure you sample from the long tin can and not the newer squat glass bottle.
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