New to fragrance

[Doc Cervantes]

I'm not sure I really want to get into this stuff but I'm just trying new things to improve myself and for the sake of trying things. I never really been much of a cologne guy because I really hated the smell after my dad would force me to wear his gasoline smelling stuff. It made me really hate it when he would force me to go to school smelling like a chem lab. The only one cologne I actually liked was Cool Water because it seemed a lot smoother and less strong smelling. As a matter of fact a girl confessed to me that she liked me for a while because of the Cool Water I was wearing during my freshman in college (plus I play the sax). I would be lying if I said I'm not doing this to make women notice me but it's really not at the top of my list for picking this up. I'm doing it just to improve myself in any way. Is there anything you can recommend that is similar to Cool Water or better?

[tehtimmeh]

Creed Green Irish Tweed

Don't look at the price tag, just hold your breath and buy it.

[Doc Cervantes]

Creed Green Irish Tweed

Don't look at the price tag, just hold your breath and buy it.

I'm afraid to ask now, lol.

[michiganlover]

I'm afraid to ask now, lol.

It's roughly $300 a bottle (full retail). But the thing is, Cool Water is itself said to be a clone of Green Irish Tweed.

Cool Water started a whole new category of fragrances called Aquatics, and as such there are quite a few fragrances that are going to similar to it. The other really popular aquatic is Aqua Di Gio by Georgio Armani.

I don't know how much you are looking to spend, but on the low end of the spectrum, there are good choices by both Bath and Body Works, and Avon.

Bath and Body Works has a Signature Men's Line that has five fragrances: Ocean, Oak, Citron, Noir, and Twilight Woods. Ocean is the aquatic, and in the same family as Cool Water. You can sample all of them at your local Bath and Body Works, and they are $30 for a big bottle, but they run buy one get one free sales a few times a year which makes them quite the steal.

Avon has a fairly wide range of men's fragrances as well (Wild Country, Black Suede, Mesmerize, Black Suede Leather, Ironman, Musk Marine), and they can often be had for 2 for $22. Musk Marine is the aquatic in this range.

Also, there are two gentlemen on the board who offer samples/ decants of fragrances so you can try a small sample prior to committing to a full bottle:

Gary's Sample Shop

Archerfire Decants

[mdevine]

When my brother was looking to get into fragrances, I recommended three web sites. The first is the fragrance forum at B&B. Read through them, including the fragrance of the day thread. Most days, you will see at least a few fragrances reviewed and many comments on fragrance notes. I also just enjoy seeing what everyone is wearing. Also, the members here are friendlier and more eager to help than anywhere else I've seen. The second place to look is at Basenotes. There are reviews of almost every fragrance out there, and decent beginner forums. I find the members there to be knowledgeable but more likely to negative and snooty than they are here. Finally, I learned a lot just browsing around on The Perfumed Court. Although they are a site that sells decants, the categories that they break them up into are very informative. You can find fragrances by notes, houses, historical significance (i.e. John Lennon wore Dior's Eau Sauvage) and more others than you can imagine. Finally, go out and smell things, get samples and ask questions. Remember that although there are some great scents that are incredibly expensive, there are plenty of "five star" fragrances that can be had at bargain prices. For example, while I love Amouage Jubilation XXV at $250 a bottle, I also found Azzaro pour Homme ($19 at T.J. Maxx) to be a great fragrance. In the end, the important thing is that you enjoy it. When I was in college, I was looking for what I thought the ladies would love. Since then, I've found that I prefer wearing the scents that I enjoy. While women enjoy it when you smell nice, they are attracted to confidence even more! Good luck on your journey.

[StylinLA]

In the end, the important thing is that you enjoy it. When I was in college, I was looking for what I thought the ladies would love. Since then, I've found that I prefer wearing the scents that I enjoy. While women enjoy it when you smell nice, they are attracted to confidence even more! Good luck on your journey.

True that. Don't get too hung up on "what scents do women dig?" if you find something that works for you, you'll rock it...whatever the price. Look around in here, or Basenotes.

There is a stickied thread at Basenotes about which scents women really like. The funny thing is, it's around 3,400 posts. No one ever seems to figure out that virtually any scent you can think of is somebody's idea of a lady killer in that thread. What amuses me from observing the women's forum at Basenotes:

- Women never start "what scents do men dig" threads.
- Women pick scents they dig and don't give a second thought to men. If they can rock it, you'll love it seems to be their attitude. Or if it makes me confident, that's what will attract you.
- A lot of women just appreciate a man who is well groomed. As in, doesn't stink. I know for wet shavers, this may sound odd. We're likely a better than average groomed bunch. But i've seen a lot of references to smelly guys in women's comments there. Smelly as in unbathed. So any fragrance they don't loathe can be a "lady killer."

And, Green Irish Tweed is a great scent. The original. Its pricey. You don't have to buy the $300 bottle.

MichiganLover, Cool Water is not actually an aquatic. But I would say it was the precursor to the aquatic trend.

[jakespoppy]

My wife has certain preferences for scents that I wear, but what she mostly doesn't like is when a fragrance is over applied. Sort of goes against the conventional wisdom of guys who drench themselves before they go clubbing.

[Featherweight]

Cool Water (a fresh fougere, not an aquatic), spawned a gazillion imitators. Green Irish Tweed (also a fresh fougere) spawned the one fabled imitator - Cool Water. The two scents have been interconnected ever since 1988. If you like Cool Water and it works on you, why not stick with Cool Water? For a little cheaper and greener scent, there's also Aspen by Coty. But if you want something more affordable than GIT, but in the same ballpark as Cool Water, I'd give Platinum Égoïste by Chanel a try - it's about $80 for a 3.4 oz bottle at Macy's. It's very cool, crisp, and is also a quality fresh fougere. If you're uncertain about getting into fragrances, I'd discourage buying GIT. It's awfully expensive and there's plenty of other affordable things out there.

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http://frompyrgos.blogspot.com/

[jss4fish]

I agree with pretty much evything that has been said and will add my uneducated opinion. I hate Cool Water and love GIT. You can find the "scandalous" history of the two elsewhere if you care, but they are linked by birth. Point is, they aren't the same. IF you want to go with GIT, be careful where you buy it, it is one of the most (if not the most) counterfeited frags around and some of the fakes are pretty convincing - until you smell them! Get a sample from a reputable source (Neiman Marcus, some Saks stores, one of the well known decant sellers, etc) and buy from a reputable source. Bargain shopping for Creed can get you a $150 bottle of Cool Water!

As has already been said, look around for a while and when you find one you think you like get a sample and wear it for a couple days. Make sure you like the dry down a couple hours later and see how long it lasts on you. As always, YMMV!

[richardgleaton]

Well everyone has different views regarding fragrance...Some likes it and some not...Boys like some other sort of fragrance..And girls like little fragranc,which may be of flowers...

[Featherweight]

Luca Turin wrote either in his blog or his book that Cool Water would be better on women nowadays. I'm thinking he might be right.


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http://frompyrgos.blogspot.com/

[Indaco]

I'll reiterate what a few others have already said: find scents you like, rather than ones you think others will like. Be careful to avoid over-applying, as something that is nice in small doses can quickly become cloying and stifling in larger ones. What isn't present in a fragrance is as important as what is.

[Joe Frances]

Gendarme is a great mild, modern, way cool fragrance at a reasonable price.