I am looking at high end colognes. I am stuck. I want C&S Cuba or say Floris Vetiver. To be honest....I want my moneys worth as this is my first true high end cologne. Maybe Aqua di Parma?
Just a piece of advice: sample, sample, sample - then go with what you like.
C&S No. 88 was so incredibly hyped up by people I impulsively put out an order for it: it's absolutely horrendous, and I have yet to come across a person in person who's said he or she likes it (I carry a decant of it around with me time to time to get people's reactions, invariably bad).
If you ask me, smelling a few and then picking one is a huge mistake. With the kind of cash outlay you're potentially looking at, I think you should really take your time and sample as many fragrances as possible. You'll start to recognize various fragrance "families": woody, fresh, oriental, chypre, oceanic, etc. You'll no doubt find a few families that you particularly like, and others you particularly dislike.
I'd suggest you start sampling any way you can. If you have higher-end department stores/boutiques in your area, they may provde some free samples, depending on who you get and your demeanor. You may simply walk away with some pieces of paper or some on your arm, which is unfortunate. Most quality fragrances change over the course of time, and should be worn several times so that you can really gete a feel for how it develops.
I suspect you'll eventually end up laying out some cash for samples, and it's worth the money, though you may balk at first. You might have to spend a hundred or more dollars to find that one fragrance that really speaks to you, but by doing so you'll have something you really, really like and that perfectly matches who you are. If you just try a few and pick one, you may grow tired of it or start to long for something else, and then you'll just end up spending more cash anyway.
The Perfumed Court is an excellent source for samples. Nearly everything is 3 bucks or more, but they have, well, nearly everything!
LuckyScent is another greaat source for samples.
There are also plenty of companies that will provide free samples for the asking, via email or sometimes via the web. You may have to purchase a "Sample library", but they are usually worth it.
Lots of other places on the web sell samples as well if you just spend a bit of time looking.
Scentronic has mentioned some excellent houses, and many offer samples for the asking, or for nominal fees. Some other great houses to look into are MPG, Czech & Speake, L'Artisan, Sonoma Scent Studio, Parfums di Nicolai, Guerlain, and there are many many more (and most are a far cry from the dept. store dreck that's no prevalent and cloned these days).
Good luck with the hunt: it can be expensive and time-consuming, but also very rewarding and, quite frankly, eye-opening.
I find keeping notes of my impressions of scents as I try them is very helpful.
Really?! Wow. You're the only person I've ever heard say they didn't like No.88! Maybe back up from the atomizer a bit (don't directly "nose-hit" the nozzle when you smell it) or try wearing less. I've found that it can be a bit sour and nauseating if you use too much and you haven't eaten. But still among my faves!
Well, you broke your own rule! I never make blind buys.
Next question, Best Vetiver?
If you ask me, smelling a few and then picking one is a huge mistake. With the kind of cash outlay you're potentially looking at, I think you should really take your time and sample as many fragrances as possible. You'll start to recognize various fragrance "families": woody, fresh, oriental, chypre, oceanic, etc. You'll no doubt find a few families that you particularly like, and others you particularly dislike.
I'd suggest you start sampling any way you can. If you have higher-end department stores/boutiques in your area, they may provde some free samples, depending on who you get and your demeanor. You may simply walk away with some pieces of paper or some on your arm, which is unfortunate. Most quality fragrances change over the course of time, and should be worn several times so that you can really gete a feel for how it develops.
I suspect you'll eventually end up laying out some cash for samples, and it's worth the money, though you may balk at first. You might have to spend a hundred or more dollars to find that one fragrance that really speaks to you, but by doing so you'll have something you really, really like and that perfectly matches who you are. If you just try a few and pick one, you may grow tired of it or start to long for something else, and then you'll just end up spending more cash anyway.
The Perfumed Court is an excellent source for samples. Nearly everything is 3 bucks or more, but they have, well, nearly everything!
LuckyScent is another greaat source for samples.
There are also plenty of companies that will provide free samples for the asking, via email or sometimes via the web. You may have to purchase a "Sample library", but they are usually worth it.
Lots of other places on the web sell samples as well if you just spend a bit of time looking.
Scentronic has mentioned some excellent houses, and many offer samples for the asking, or for nominal fees. Some other great houses to look into are MPG, Czech & Speake, L'Artisan, Sonoma Scent Studio, Parfums di Nicolai, Guerlain, and there are many many more (and most are a far cry from the dept. store dreck that's no prevalent and cloned these days).
Good luck with the hunt: it can be expensive and time-consuming, but also very rewarding and, quite frankly, eye-opening.
I find keeping notes of my impressions of scents as I try them is very helpful.
What he is too modest to mention is that he himself has an excellent decant service available, with many high-end and unique fragrances. He also has a lot of experience with many scents...plus he does that whole anal note-keeping thing.
Now that's its out there give the boy your address Chuck.
If you ask me, smelling a few and then picking one is a huge mistake. With the kind of cash outlay you're potentially looking at, I think you should really take your time and sample as many fragrances as possible. You'll start to recognize various fragrance "families": woody, fresh, oriental, chypre, oceanic, etc. You'll no doubt find a few families that you particularly like, and others you particularly dislike.
I'd suggest you start sampling any way you can. If you have higher-end department stores/boutiques in your area, they may provde some free samples, depending on who you get and your demeanor. You may simply walk away with some pieces of paper or some on your arm, which is unfortunate. Most quality fragrances change over the course of time, and should be worn several times so that you can really gete a feel for how it develops.
I suspect you'll eventually end up laying out some cash for samples, and it's worth the money, though you may balk at first. You might have to spend a hundred or more dollars to find that one fragrance that really speaks to you, but by doing so you'll have something you really, really like and that perfectly matches who you are. If you just try a few and pick one, you may grow tired of it or start to long for something else, and then you'll just end up spending more cash anyway.
The Perfumed Court is an excellent source for samples. Nearly everything is 3 bucks or more, but they have, well, nearly everything!
LuckyScent is another greaat source for samples.
There are also plenty of companies that will provide free samples for the asking, via email or sometimes via the web. You may have to purchase a "Sample library", but they are usually worth it.
Lots of other places on the web sell samples as well if you just spend a bit of time looking.
Scentronic has mentioned some excellent houses, and many offer samples for the asking, or for nominal fees. Some other great houses to look into are MPG, Czech & Speake, L'Artisan, Sonoma Scent Studio, Parfums di Nicolai, Guerlain, and there are many many more (and most are a far cry from the dept. store dreck that's no prevalent and cloned these days).
Good luck with the hunt: it can be expensive and time-consuming, but also very rewarding and, quite frankly, eye-opening.
I find keeping notes of my impressions of scents as I try them is very helpful.
So I can say that I am looking for something dry, earthy.
This is why I enjoyed Cuba so much. I want something brash. I dont really consider myself a "gentleman" in the normal sense, so I dont want to spend over 100 dollars to smell like one. It just isnt fitting to myself.
Dude - Terre d'Hermes!
Chris, you are too kind; you make me blush . Yes, I do offer a large number of samples/decants myself, from 60 cents for a sample of Tabac on up, in whatever size you need. I'm just not a huge fan of self-promotion, so (aside from the link in my sig), I didn't feel right mentioning my own service, especially when TPC and LS really are wonderful places to do business with.
But since, as you say, the cat's out of the bag:
http://badgerdecants.com for the goods.
You'll find just a few big links there, to:
Available Fragrances (and creams, aftershaves, etc)
Sample Sets
Containers (photos and descritions of your options)
and other stuff.
It's a very plain, just-the-facts-m'amm page for now, but it should be navigable enough.
Thank, again Chris.
I am looking at high end colognes. I am stuck. I want C&S Cuba or say Floris Vetiver. To be honest....I want my moneys worth as this is my first true high end cologne. Maybe Aqua di Parma?
What he is too modest to mention is that he himself has an excellent decant service available, with many high-end and unique fragrances. He also has a lot of experience with many scents...plus he does that whole anal note-keeping thing.
Now that's its out there give the boy your address Chuck.
Really?! Wow. You're the only person I've ever heard say they didn't like No.88! Maybe back up from the atomizer a bit (don't directly "nose-hit" the nozzle when you smell it) or try wearing less. I've found that it can be a bit sour and nauseating if you use too much and you haven't eaten. But still among my faves!
Well, you broke your own rule! I never make blind buys.
Just a piece of advice: sample, sample, sample - then go with what you like.