Male Fragrance: Inexperienced and in need of some help

Hey there fellow sniffers!

I've always, for as long as I can remember, been obsessed with scents. When I try to think of a relaxing activity, I think of walking around in the perfume shop just exploring and sniffing. The first thing I do when I give someome a hug or even just get close to them is trying to pick up a scent (subconsciously). Up until now I thought I was just weird for obsessing over perfumes, colognes and scents, but stumbling across this awesome forum earlier today convinced me otherwise. May I just mention that I've been reading through this forum for the last 3 hours.

Here's my dilemma though. I want a new perfume. Normally I go for EDT types, just because they seem to stick to me either way. Who better to ask than you guys, right?

I know I like my perfumes to be sensual, often being grouped as amber/woody/vanilla/spicy. I always find the amber coloured perfumes to be more appealing. They just make me think of cuddling up staying warm in front of the fireplace during winter (dream scenario). Mind you that the vanilla cannot be too overpowering. I find that sickening. Also I find that it has to be a very nice balance if there's floral hints in a perfume. I would not walk around smelling like a rose garden.

In general I like a lot of scents, but the ones that comes to mind right now is tobacco, lavender, vanilla, coffee, wood, cinnamon (and a ton of other spices). I must mention that I do not like the typical "old guy" smell (e.g. old spice etc.)

I have owned a few bottles now, and I have sniffed my way through a ton of perfumeries (and people) and so far these are the ones I've enjoyed the most:

1. "The One" by Dolce & Gabbana - This has been my go to perfume for the last year and a half (currently on bottle number 2). For me it suits every situation, but now that I've worn it for this long I'm slowly starting to pick up a chemical scent that I don't appreciate that much. I like the fact that it's spicy and sensual without being overpowering.
2. "Dior Homme" by Christian Dior - This brings back a lot of memories for me, sadly enough for me to not wear it. But I absolutely love the smell. If I was to describe the perfect scent I would probably start there.
3. "Diamonds" by Giorgio Armani - This is more fresh than what I would normally go for, but believe it or not this perfume smells amazing on me. I don't like it that much on others, but people kept complimenting me for it when it was my go-to perfume (before "The One")
4. "Hypnose" by Lancôme - This was the first perfume I bought. I used one bottle and decided I was sick of the smell, but I still remember fondly how much I did like it when I was younger.
5. "Spicebomb" by Victor & Rolf - I love love love this fragrance, but again it almost seems too mainstream now for me to get it. I want to stick out a bit.

I also used to have "Le Male" by Jean Paul Gaultier, but that smell really throws me off now. Might be because EVERYONE wore it at some point and I couldn't escape the fragrance if I wanted to. I do not enjoy it at all.

I am not the biggest fan of the overly masculine scents. The first scent that comes to mind is "Between Sheets" by Van Gils. It's just TOO masculine/strong for me.

So far I'm thinking either Spicebomb (even though it's kind of mainstream) or Rochas Man (even though I've never smelled it before). Any objections?

So, with this in mind - do you have any recommendations as to what perfume I should go for next? I want to stick out a bit, I want to keep the sensuality and mystery, I want to be classy, I don't want to be overpowering or overly masculine and I want to be able to wear it both during night and day.

Oh, I like the sound of that. Definitely going to check that one out. Feel free to give me more advice though.

Did some research on Serge Lutens web site, and they sound absolutely amazing. I should have mentioned that I am still a student though, so I can't afford that price yet. But I will definitely put them on my to-try-list! Thank you!

Thank you guys for all the wonderful suggestions! I have added all of them to my to-test-list. Keep 'em coming if you have some more

Do you think Halston Z-14 is a bad choice for me? I doubt I'd be able to find it in a store here. It's currently 70% off on this site and I noticed that it had Cinnamon notes. Had to ask, haha

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Never mind!

Ah! Sounds like Z-14 isn't really for me then. I didn't even think about getting decants! But man was that forum unorganized! I'll have fun looking through it. Thanks!

So far I am most interested in the Chanel Pour Monsieur Concentree, CH Men, Ambre 114 and Cartier Roadster. I would of course want to try the Serge Lutens, but right now I think I need to get at least 50 ml of a fragrance and SL is just too expensive at the moment.

Thank you so much, RedRaider430! I will most definitely note that! I am going to a fragrance shop tomorrow to check out some of the fragrances people have mentioned. I think I have a pretty long list now, haha. I like to smell a fragrance on my skin before I make any purchases. Just because it can change easily from person to person.

Hehe, I will try it. I live very close to a l'Occitane shop, so I can just wander in and sniff around Also noticed that the picture on that site said pour homme as well, haha.

Definitely giving Eau des Baux a whirl when I go over to the L'Occitane shop. I have to ask though; the site I got recommended - is it a good/safe site? And how are they with international shipping and stuff? Because it almost seems too cheap to be true! Not saying that's a bad thing.

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Oh, and the site is www.fragrancenet.com

So, today I went to a couple of perfumeries and drug stores, and I checked several of the ones you've mentioned and some new. I couldn't find every single one today, but I'm also trying again tomorrow. I thought it would be nice for you to see the verdict so I've listed the fragrances up below. The order is random.

1. YSL / La Nuit de L'Homme - I fell in love with this a little. It reminded me of a perfume I once tested called "His Aura (Purple)" or something, made by Van Gils. I could definitely smell the spices (especially cardamom), but it was more fresh spices instead of the warm spices I normally go for. A hint of a synthetic scent, but not a very noticeable one.

Verdict: Very good! Might actually get it!

2. Prada / Amber Pour Homme - Usually I tend to stay away from the overly soapy smelling fragrances, but this one had just the right amount of warm spices and aromatic scents to counteract the soapyness. It did fade pretty quickly, but being subtle isn't always bad.

Verdict: Good! Wishlist material!

3. Giorgio Armani / Armani Code - This one had me thinking for a while. Initially I thought it was very citric. So I'm guessing Lemon is one of the top notes. I tend to stay away from the overly citric ones, but I also picked up a hint of something floral - enough to make me wait. While waiting for it to dry I noticed that it had a soft spice and tobacco scent as well mixed with something leathery. I actually found this fragrance to be quite fresh but still complex and deep enough for me to wear it.

Verdict: Surprisingly good!

4. Chanel / Pour Monsieur (could not find the Concentrée version) - VERY citric! I did not like this one at all, but as far as I know the Concentrée version is supposed to be more spicy and aromatic, so I'll be on the lookout for that one.

Verdict: Not Good. Will look for the Concentrée version.

5. Dior / Pour Homme Intense - I had to smell this when I was in the store. It's still one of my favourites, and I know that I'll buy it one day.

Verdict: Still amazing.

6. Victor & Rolf / Spicebomb - This fragrance makes me hungry. I just love everything about it, except the fact that where I live it's been labelled The Douchebag Fragrance.

Verdict: Yum!

7. L'Occitane / Eau des Baux - This was probably the fragrance I was most excited about becuase I'd never actually tried any of the L'Occitane fragrances. The minute I sprayed it I recognized a lot from Spicebomb. But in a more classy and subtle way (if that makes any sense). Whereas the Spicebomb is more Cinnamon scented, Eau des Baux is much more cardamom scented and more aromatic. When the fragrance settled on my skin it gave off this sweet vanilla/incence smell while still having that hint of warm spices. Usually I stay far away from anything that's balmy or incence scented. This fragrance just intrigued me.

Verdict: Just very very intrigued. I might just end up buying this one.

8. Jo Malone - Vanilla & Anise (I just had to) - If it hadn't been for the price I could have gotten it. It was just the perfect blend of spicy and sweet.

Verdict: Very good! But personally I don't think it's worth the price.

So, at this moment I am torn between a couple of fragrances.
L'Occitane / Eau des Baux
YSL / La Nuit de l'Homme
Giorgio Armani / Armani Code
(Prada / Amber pour Homme).

I am also going to smell some more tomorrow, so feel free to give me more tips! You might even think of some new ones now that I've said what I felt about these.

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Decided not to get Armani Code or Amber pour Homme due to the price being much higher than others I liked equally as much or more.

Pretty sure I'll go with Eau des Baux

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Hey, what about Burberry London for Men? According to the Fragrance Directory it's supposed to have Bergamot, Lavender, Cinnamon Leaves, Black Pepper, Mimosa Flower, Port Wine, Leather, Guaiac Wood, Oakmoss, Oppoponax and Tobacco Leaf

I've noticed that a lot of the fragrances I like have Bergamot in them. Obviously this isn't an Amber fragrance, but is it worth checking out? Obviously it has no vanilla, so I guess it's not as sweet as some of the others, sadly.