Today we're helping Jesse, who is looking for an adventurous evening scent — he doesn't usually wear fragrance during the day. The right fragrance would be more Errol Flynn, less Tom Cruise. It should be something masculine and classic, but not too heavy, and he wouldn't mind if it was the sort of thing that elicited compliments. He'd like to keep the cost at around $50 - 75, but he'd go up to $125 for the right thing. Locally, he is restricted to Macy's, Ulta & Perfumania, but he goes to Chicago occasionally and he is willing to shop online. Here is what we know about Jesse:
Jesse just turned 30. He is from Alaska and currently living in the midwest.
He is a graphic artist by trade and a college biology student by night; he also moonlights as a DJ.
He had a long (and well kept) pony tail for years, but recently cut it off and donated it to the cancer society. He's more inclined to wear a leather jacket than a suit coat, but he's not the Harley type.
Jesse currently wears Dunhill Desire (a "strong, sweet, sort of round smell...it's like a Werthers Original mixed with lime and oak and malty beer"). He also likes Dunhill London. He was recently given Juicy Couture Dirty English, CO Bigelow Black & White and Zirh Ikon as gifts, but none of them excite him. He also occasionally wears Caswell Massey Lime Cologne and CO Bigelow Lemon, but both of them are too possibly too citrusy for him.
Jesse doesn't want anything too clean or that has that "cold melon / cucumber smell". He also dislikes Bvlgari Black (too rubbery and smoky).
What say you?
Note: image is Richmond Green by Mike_fleming at flickr; some rights reserved.
Hi Jesse! What about Dior Homme? Really nice, and I think destined to become a classic.
I love Dior Homme — I think that’s a good suggestion, although it might be a little too heavy (it’s one of the heavier colognes in my stash).
I think it’s beautiful. Nice choice.
oh, I don’t like Dior homme
I like Dior homme sport tho
Or another Dior, Eau Sauvage? Given the time of year, OJ Man could be nice, too.
2nd the Eau Sauvage
The original John Varvatos might be a good one to try!
Seconding that he try John Varvatos, but adding that he try both the original in the black bottle and the Vintage in the dark brown bottle.
Varvatos Vintage was one of the first things i thought of as well
My husband has allergies and likes very few scents; JV Original was the only scent both of us instantly liked upon first sniff. I think you will enjoy it.
Hey Jesse, you mentioned ‘more Errol Flynn’ and I think a delicious scent on a man is Burberry Londen for men. It’s a little sweet but smoky too and smells classic but not in any way dated.Top notes are violet leaf, lavender, bergamot and pepper; middle notes are mimose and leather; base notes are opoponax, tobacco leaf, guaiac wood and oakmoss. It’s appropriate for all times but will wear well this winter- I’m sure you would get compliments! Good Luck!
Tamara, you read my mind before I opened the comments! I was going to recommend London also. Good choice.
Joe,
Haha isn’t that funny when that happens?
Burberry London isn’t very appreciated but it’s such a good scent!
Errol Flynn all the way imho
Knize Ten. Elegant, down to earth, and way underpriced.
I would put Errol Flynn, as Captain Blood, in Bay Rum.
My thoughts exactly!
You changed your gravatar again! Awwww! Horsey ears! (Ok, I know that was related to absolutely nothing about fragrance. Although I love the smell of horses.)
Oh, they do smell good don’t they! Love those horsies!
Now that I’ve learned how to do it, I’m having too much fun to stop! Obviously, I need to get out more.
Beautiful gravatar, Rapple! And you must check out Denyse’s review of Cartier’s L’Heure Fougueuse on Grain de Musc. She notes that it has what the perfumer, Mathilde Laurent, calls “l’accord crinière,” the “mane accord”!
I looked up Bay Rum and turns out there are a zillion manufacturers that make a bay rum after shave or cologne. Which is the original/best?
Not sure if it’s the best, but it’s very good indeed – Royal Lyme Bay Rhum –
http://royalllymebermuda.com/
(no affiliation)
Of the ones I’ve tried, I like St. John’s Bay Rum the best.
A man after my own heart! As a lady who studied Biology, DJed and wears CO Bigelow Lemon I have a few suggestions.
From the lumberjack in front of the fire camp, I’d suggest: I’d suggest Terre d’Hermes as a great flinty-wood classic. Comme des Garcons also has many great classics – Avignon from the incense series comes to mind, and #3 is one of my favorite wild cards – it’s supposed to be a flower from space but it smells to me like bunsen burners, driftwood, basil, dill and sparks.
For citrus, I think CB I Hate Perfume’s Russian Caravan Tea is heartbreakingly beautiful. It’s the most perfect bergamot-tea scent and has great longevity. I also liked several of the St. John Bay Rums – they offer a generous sample offer here:https://www.stjohnsbayrum.com/Samples.asp Frapin’s L’Humaniste is a wonderful warm round citrus scent, but it clocks in at $130.
You may also like the genderless scents by Ineke, The Different Company and Byredo – all the ones I’ve tried have been light, complex and wonderful. Happy sniffing!
Do you have Penhaligon’s in your Town? Endymion would’ve been nice according to your description.
The classic of classic men’s scents – Guerlain Vetiver. A much new offering – Sonoma Scent Studio’s Tabac Aurea.
Tabac Aurea seems to be quite the chick magnet, according to some posts I read somewhere… fragrantica? or maybe it was Brian at I Smell Therefore I Am, talking about letting female friends sniff and all of them falling into a swoon.
I just know it does that to ME. I say, “Men should smell like this. Period.”
Not everyone wants to be a chick magnet.
Just ribbing you.
Oh, true!
But don’t YOU like to smell it as well?
Rapp & Mals, I was also going to suggest Tabac Aurea! It is so different – sensual, rich, not too much… very masculine. I wear it and my husband wears it when I dab it on him, lol. But he likes it. It is a perfect scent. If I smelled that on a man in a bar, watch out!
Along those lines, and kind of way out there is the Smell Bent Never Never Land. It is really unusual woody chypre type thing with all kinds of sensual aromas. I love wearing it and have nearly drained my tester. It would be tremendous on a man. Notes are: amber, guaiac wood, vetiver and “arid outback”.
The “arid outback” made me laugh. But mostly because I own an Outback, and I was thinking of what my car smells like.
Maybe L’Instant Pour Homme would also be quite a nice choice
Fourthing SSS Tabac Aurea. For a chick and/or guy magnet!
Knize Ten is another excellent suggestion.
How about L’Artisan’s Tea for Two? I love it on hubs.
Or YSL M7, if you can find it online? Another in the masculine classic category.
I’ll throw Mugler Pure Malt out there — sample it first then check online discounters for good deals.
Other options worth sampling:
– Marc Jacobs Bang
– Prada Amber pour Homme
– Acqua di Parma Colonia Intensa
And I’ll add another vote for Terre d’Hermes because I love it so much — or maybe the new Voyage d’Hermes if it’s within price range.
I was going to recommend Acqua di Parma Colonia Intensa & Voyage d’Hermes, as well. Both strike me as having a adventurous quality to them — admittedly it’s the packaging of the AdP that draws that emotion, I think. Very Old World Italian.
That said, I’d enjoy smelling either on a man or anyone for that matter.
Chanel Egoiste, not the Platinum but the original. I believe you should be able to find it for reasonable prices online
Haha, we’re thinking the same today. I nearly posted that as well, but wasn’t sure how available it was.
Oh, I agree that Egoiste would be a good one to try!
How about Cumming? Smoky but not overwhelmingly so, and it’s got that whiskey-peat-fire-y thing going on. I think it’s discontinued, but you can get a sample at TPC and there are often cheapish bottles on eBay. The Terre d’Hermes others have mentioned is also a terrific option, and definitely easier to find!
Cumming is just fantastic! Love it and it’s not well known so you’d definitely stand out
You want something really adventurous?
Tauer’s Lonestar Memories. Smoky, phenolic, campfirey coffee-ish backed by a generous dose of sweet vanilla (with an awesome vanilla-baked-good drydown, kinda Guerlain-esque). It’s kind of amazing – my bf has been wearing it for the last few weeks and it has this amazing ability to seemingly morph into other fragrances – for instance, he’d never wear Jicky, but I asked him if he was wearing it yesterday because I was convinced he actually picked up the wrong bottle (how you could mistake the giant bee bottle for the “glass star” of the Tauer bottle I am not sure.)
I liked it at first sniff because it was so odd; I *love* it now (but more on him than me.)
It is a little towards the top range of your price but you can get a sample from LuckyScent or Tauer’s website for cheap before you commit.
I’d say LM has the “weight” of a Bvlgari Black without the “tire fire” aspect of it. And it’s much more full-bodied than Terre d’Hermes (which I really like a lot – but ultimately did not buy because it was just too lightweight.)
I’ll second Lonestar Memories. I was thinking about that too. Guaiac wood seems to keep coming up in my mind.
My first thought was Lonestar Memories too…
You could try L’Air du Desert Marocain too (Laurence of Arabia — close enough to Errol Flynn… ).
I agree with L’Air du Desert Marocain and Lonestar!
Third the Terre d’Hermes, it is just such an interesting and delicious scent. Also try Guerlain Vetiver; smoky, but not too smoky, citrusy, but just right … You may also want to try Serge Lutens Chergui, which is a rich mix of tobacco and hay (which sounds awful but is actually wonderful). Or Hermes Equipage. You can find all of these at the online discounters for a good price.
I second the Vetiver, it is fabulous genderless and ageless, and I never tire of it on me or on anyone else.
how about YSL rice gauche pour homme?
classy but not too clean..
great for office (or school for your case) and still (personally) awesome for clubbing..
& i imagine it would smell great with leather jacket..
sorry, YSL Rive Gauche Pour Homme
not Rice
How about Hunter…can’t remember who makes this??? same as Maine?
..and Caswell Massey has something, not sure if it is d/c, called Tricorn! Worth a sniff…
OJ Man is also worth sampling…
Dzongkha by L’Artisan Parfumeur.
Notes: Cardamom, iris, tea leaves, incense, cedar, leather.
It’s a very soothing scent to me, smoky but still airy. Luckyscent calls is both “bewildering” and “meditative”. If you want something that is different but not hard to wear, this is worth a try.
I second this suggestion!
Cartier Declaration Essence – cardamom, smoky and rich (but not heavy) and masculine without being overpowering.
I’m normally horrible at making fragrance recommendations, but I really think you ought to try Knize Ten and Guerlain Habit Rouge. Just a hunch.
Le 3º Homme de Caron, masculine, classic, not strong, Errol Flinnes, low cost, and fantastic.
Agree on all counts, SL (awesome nom de parfum, by the way!).
I suggest Heritage de Guerlain
I have a few other suggestions besides Lonestar Memories —
First up, Let Me Play the Lion… playfully dry.
Next, Field Notes from Paris. In the classic vein, it nonetheless has a little twist: some gorgeous beeswax, which wafts in and out of the background. Lovely, long-lasting and unusual.
The next ones are out of your price range, but you can always try decants or travel sizes — French Lover (very Errol Flynn), and Byredo’s Baudelaire.
masculine, classic but not too heavy… maybe Bvlgari extreme? you could get it cheaper than $50 online and is value for money IMO. citrussy to begin with, but loses that after about ten minutes (on me). Kind of a good all rounder scent.
“Cuir Ottoman” by Parfum d’Empire – the 100 ml bottle is more than your price range, but I think they produce smaller bottles and you can buy it on-line.
“Bel Ami” by Hermes – a classic, but I don’t know how much it costs at present.
“Cologne du 68” by Guerlain – you can buy this on-line too, and you should be able to find it within your price range.
A guy I work with makes Givenchy Play smell amazing! But when I sniff it in the store it smells meh. So try it on skin.
Definitely try Guerlain Vetiver, and the Annick Goutal Vetiver, if you can find it. Vetiver is so wonderful and classic. Don’t know if you can find a way to test Etro Gomma, but the name is so Errol Flynn, and it’s a great leather that can be found inexpensively on line.
There are several things that need to be considered. This person is still quite young, so nothing too sophisticated. At first, I thought of the John Varvatos, but he’s still quite intellectual and would probably like to portray that. He also dj’s at night, so this fragrance would have to be versatile, which would be able to be worn from day to night as well as from a formal to relaxed setting. We’re also going into winter, so he would probably want something that would be able to last. He’s also from Alaska, so it would be nice to encorporate the image of what Alaska is reveered for. There would be a few fragrances that I would have to recommend. Considering he likes his citrus fragrances, I would definitely have him try Artisan by John Varvatos, Ferrari Black, Drakkar Nior by Guy Laroche, Boss Bottled and Boss Bottled Night by Hugo Boss, as well as Jean Paul Gaultier’s Le Male. They all contain a subtle citrus note in them, but if I were to have to choose one, it would have to be Boss Bottled Night since it’s new and has a classic feel to it. Second would be JPG Le Male, third would be Artisan and fourth would be Drakkar.
Ignore my little blerb at the beginning, I’m tired…just skip to which fragrances I chose. Its past 1am right now, LOL.
Bless you for saying 30 is still quite young, but I disagree that he should avoid “too sophisticated” scents. If he likes a scent, he is sophisticated enough to wear it.
While 30 may be “quite young,” Jessie is already sophisticated enough to know who Errol Flynn was, and why Flynn is a different sort than Tom Cruise (although they both made careers playing reckless adventurers). I would rather even a sixth grader wear Commes Des Garcons then a body spray.
I’d recommend 2 mainstream fragrances: CHIC for men (by Carolina Herrera) and Police Pure. Both are masculine but not too much silage. Also, I find these smell unique in their own way.
If I may add, both recommendations (Chic and Police Pure) are within your initial budget of $ 50 to 75. Good luck on your search!
Jesse, go for one of the older, classier Chanels. Antaeus is very masculine and intriguing. Egoiste is lighter and absolutely gorgeous. Can’t go wrong with any of these two. And they are most probably available online and within your budget. Good luck!
I do agree on lots of things already mentioned and add Burberry Brit (cheerful spices) and Gucci Pour Homme I (lovely, murmering, smoky dry woodsiness).
My immediate thought was Bay Rum too but tried to think of a more modern take on this classic for a disc spinning Errol and the closest I have found recently is Comme des Garcons Monocle Scent 2 Laurel. Should be just within the price range..
My first thought was Chanel pour Monsieur. The second, Parfums de Nicolaï New York. Both very classy, but still approachable scents. I have absolutely no idea what they would cost in the US. Should not be too expensive though. The Nicolaï is sold in a 30 ml. bottle which is great for trying a fragrance.
Burberry London and Guerlain Heritage, already mentioned above, also crossed my mind. Others that may be interesting–the new Chanel Bleu (which has some similarities to Heritage, IMO) and Tom Ford Grey Vetiver.
Maybe investigate Versace The Dreamer? & definitely sample Terre d’Hermes. Good hunting!
Hello everyone. This is the aforementioned Jesse. Sorry for the delay, the life of a full-time working, night school student single dad is a busy one! THANK YOU for all of the suggestions. I’m putting them all down in my note pad and will have to commence my sniffing.
Again, THANK YOU ALL!
– Jesse in Fort Wayne