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Good starter cologne for 18 year old college student

post #1 of 29
2/19/13 at 2:15pm
Thread Starter 
Nearly through my first year of college now I just got out of a long term relationship, and realized I was no longer 12 and axe doesn't interest women nor smell professional.

I've started to look into some various colognes through BN and figured as a newcomer (and first time cologne user) I should start a thread to get a more personalized suggestion from some veteran users. I heard cologne must fit your lifestyle so that's where I'll start.

Lifestyle:
5'9" Athletic Male
College Student
Various Clothing Styles:
Wear lots of thermals (3-4 days a week)
Casual fitting jeans nearly daily
Sports and Music related shirts
White Nike's or Timberland Boots (Depends on the weather)
Looking for a daily wear, until I expand my line of scents

Btw I've seen good things about Body Kouros, Happy Clinique, MI Creed (probably not in my price range), etc.

Just looking for some help or suggestions. Thanks!
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post #2 of 29
2/19/13 at 2:34pm
I don't agree on cologne fitting a particular lifestyle, obviously it should fit your preference. Anyway, I found Givenchy Play Intense, Emporio Armani He, Armani Acqua di Giò pour Homme, Versace Pour Homme and Hugo Boss Bottled to be great starters. All of the fragrances I have mentioned should fit into your price range and aren't offensive to most, some BNers may disagree...but again that's preference. I'd suggest you go grab some samples online or at a local department store to see what best fits you.
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post #3 of 29
2/19/13 at 2:44pm
second the Boss Bottled suggestion. I also would check out Love & Luck as a good Creed MI alternative
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post #4 of 29
2/19/13 at 2:45pm
Burberry London
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post #5 of 29
2/19/13 at 2:47pm
Boss Night.
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post #6 of 29
2/19/13 at 2:53pm
Voyage d'Hermes or Platinum Egoiste
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post #7 of 29
2/19/13 at 2:54pm
I'd also recommend Brooks Brothers new York Gentleman as an inexpensive and accessible chypre
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post #8 of 29
2/19/13 at 2:55pm
Mont Blanc Legend
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post #9 of 29
2/19/13 at 2:56pm
Thread Starter 
I've entertained all of your responses and thank you all.

Furthermore, I've heard really good things about La Nuit as an everyday cologne. Apparently it's quite the crowd pleaser. Any thoughts?
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post #10 of 29
2/19/13 at 2:58pm
la nuit is a good everyday cologne. a lot of people say its great for night time, but i think it's great in the day. in fact, i wear it on summer days.
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post #11 of 29
2/19/13 at 3:01pm
Gucci Pour Homme II
YSL L'homme
Boss Bottled

These work for everyday, no matter the season.

Love and Luck or Unforgivable as MI alternatives. I liked Unforgivable because it had a little boozy note to it. Both have similar openings and overall feel as MI.
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post #12 of 29
2/19/13 at 3:20pm
I'd recommend L'Eau par Kenzo pour Homme, Touch for men (Burberry), Azzaro pour Homme L'eau.
On the cheaper side, the Zara line has some interesting frags.
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post #13 of 29
2/19/13 at 3:49pm
Gucci Pour Homme II
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post #14 of 29
2/19/13 at 3:50pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by monotoneculprit View Post

Nearly through my first year of college now I just got out of a long term relationship, and realized I was no longer 12 and axe doesn't interest women nor smell professional.

I've started to look into some various colognes through BN and figured as a newcomer (and first time cologne user) I should start a thread to get a more personalized suggestion from some veteran users. I heard cologne must fit your lifestyle so that's where I'll start.

Lifestyle:
5'9" Athletic Male
College Student
Various Clothing Styles:
Wear lots of thermals (3-4 days a week)
Casual fitting jeans nearly daily
Sports and Music related shirts
White Nike's or Timberland Boots (Depends on the weather)
Looking for a daily wear, until I expand my line of scents

Btw I've seen good things about Body Kouros, Happy Clinique, MI Creed (probably not in my price range), etc.

Just looking for some help or suggestions. Thanks!

Well, you can get Millesime Imperial for about $140.00 for four ounces from many online discounters. 4 oz. is a big bottle. Yes, it's more expensive than the others you've mentioned, but to many of us it's worth it. Granted, I wouldn't buy it at full retail.
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post #15 of 29
2/19/13 at 4:42pm
Another vote for Gucci Pour Homme II.
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post #16 of 29
2/19/13 at 5:05pm
Just be careful with GPH II. On me it was very sweet and cloying after a full day's wear. It does have great longevity and the smell is great. It just sickened me after numerous hours.
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post #17 of 29
2/19/13 at 5:12pm
A lot of stuff is great and could work for you. In my opinion though, on young males that are looking to please the peers theres really two genres with lots of choices that are great.
One is the "fresh scent" . Smelling clean is always a good thing, especially at college dorms that can get sort of dank, no?
There's the no brainer Aqua Di Gio as well as maybe Fierce and then a ton of Aquatics which are all over the place, or you could get a bit more interesting with the greener fresh scents, Platinum Egoiste... I really like Dune for men.

Then what I see as becoming the new trendy scent idea amoung the younger crowd are scents with gourmand elements, particularly vanila or cocoa bases: Dior Homme/Intense , LIDG/LIDGE, or maybe Chanel Allure Edition Blanch which kinda starts fresh citrus and ends gourmand like.

I would try a couple things from the different genres and see what you like generally and then maybe pick from the subgroup?
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post #18 of 29
2/19/13 at 5:16pm
Express Honor, Polo Blue Big Pony, YSL L'Homme. All smell awesome on my 17 year old son.
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post #19 of 29
2/19/13 at 6:10pm
If you can, like at a Sephora's, sample Prada Amber pour homme. It's a nice, clean soapy scent with some sweetness (but not overdone like many frags). Hard to imagine anyone saying they don't like this one. Women dig it, and good longevity.
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post #20 of 29
2/19/13 at 6:13pm
Acqua Di Gio is right up your alley
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post #21 of 29
2/19/13 at 8:33pm
+1 boss bottled, gucci pour homme II (just picked this one up for myself), YSL L'Homme/La Nuit even Libre (although not everyone likes it), Bleu De Chanel, dior homme/intense/sport, armani code, rochas man, DG pour homme, etc. etc. etc.
sample lol. theres literally thousands of options.
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post #22 of 29
2/19/13 at 8:53pm
Boss Bottled
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post #23 of 29
2/19/13 at 9:00pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by hednic View Post

Burberry London

I agree! Burberry London is an excellent college scent.

I also recommend Chanel Allure Edition BLANCHE and Creed Virgin Island Water for the Summer!
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post #24 of 29
2/19/13 at 9:05pm
What you need to do is grab a small notebook and a pen. Head to Sephora or Nordstrom. Smell stuff. Write down the name of anything that you like or even think you MIGHT like. Before you leave, pick your two favorites from those you sampled. Spray one on your right arm and the other on your left. When you get home, look up the ones you liked at fragrantica and here on basenotes. How are the ones you sprayed on your wrists doing after a few hours? Do you like them more with time? Do you like one more than the other?

Go back to Sephora or Nordstrom after a few days and try again.

We can give you lists of stuff to try, but you need to figure out what you like because only you know you. Here are a few to try:

These first two are kind of similar, but not.
- Allure Homme Sport
- Versace Pour Homme

Also try:
- John Varvatos
- YSL L'homme
- Dior Homme Sport
- Acqua Di Gio (every guy owns it, but it's a can't-go-wrong choice)
- Gucci Pour Homme II (it's a very gentlemanly scent)
- Hanae Mori HM (it's a great date scent)
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post #25 of 29
2/19/13 at 9:12pm
Dior Homme Sport (2012)
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post #26 of 29
2/19/13 at 9:55pm
Hanae Mori HM. A really good scent and young chicks love it. You can get it really cheap too. An under rated scent that never gets cloying, is a bit sweet in a good way, and tips a bit to the gourmond in the dry down. Do not pay full retail! Ebay has it from many good sellers at very good prices.
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post #27 of 29
2/19/13 at 10:05pm
Bleu de Chanel
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post #28 of 29
2/19/13 at 11:15pm
get in on a split for creed aventus!
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post #29 of 29
2/19/13 at 11:18pm
A&F Fierce
Creed Aventus
Azzaro Chrome
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