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Fragrance Top 10

rach2jlc

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Given the number of cologne threads going on and recommendations, I thought it might be a good idea for some of us to list our top ten fragrances of all kinds. Mainstream, niche, cheap, expensive, it doesn't matter, but please list some sort of description/high point to each, the approx. price, and any drawbacks to the fragrance. I thought especially that those of us enjoying the Scent-of-the-Day thread might want to post our favorites for others to try. I'll start (in no particular order):

1. Helmut Lang Eau de Cologne (and Eau de parfum): Warm, rich, soft, and subdued. The perfect companion to Lang's fashion. Price: Discontinued, but you can find some online for $30-50.

2. Helmut Lang Cuiron: Leather done right... not too dry and topped with plum. Price: Also discontinued and getting harder to find. Prices online run $50+ Drawbacks: No sillage and rather short lived (EdC concentration)... but still worth it.

3. Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche Pour Homme: Manly, warm, and unique, smells like the 70's (in a good way) Price: easily found from perfume discounters for $25 or so

4. Diptyque Philosykos: Woods and figs, very soft and subtle Price: Retails for $90 or so, but can sometimes be found cheaper online (Another that I almost put... but didn't just because it is so hard to find, is Anthousa Fig&Vetiver. It's lighter and less woody than the Diptyque, but adds vetiver for crispness and green).

5. L'artisan Parfumeur Voleur de Rose: One of my favorite roses. Deep patchouli keeps the rose from being too floral, while the rose keeps the patchouli from being too hippy/earthy. Excellent balance. Price: Retails for $90-120 Drawbacks: Unfortunately the longevity isn't so great.

6. Chanel Antaeus A classic. Nothing more needs to be said. A great 80's powerhouse that still works. Price: $65 or so

7. Guerlain L'instant pour homme Sweet, rich, and warm, with a lot of class. Price: Easily found for $30-40 from online fragrance discounters

8. Prada Amber Technically marketed for women, but no more feminine than the above. Added patchouli keeps the mixture grounded and deep. Price: $30+ if you find some online, $70+ retail

9. Frederic Malle Bigarade Concentree Stinky Oranges! Excellent citrus with woods and an added kick that keeps it from being too sporty. A "manly" orange. Price: $180 Drawbacks: A price of $180 is definitely the drawback, but unfortunately I've never found a citrus that I like better.

10. Creed Bois du Portugal Another classic. Very classy, very manly without being too spicy. All around powerhouse. Price: Depends on where you get it. Retails $180+, but sometimes you can find a bottle for $80-100 from online distributors like scentiments.com
 
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designprofessor

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A few I'll add:

1. Creed: Green Irish Tweed and Erolfa. Even if you are not a fan
of Creed. the longevity on these is great.
2. Miller Harris :Citron Citron, lemon initially then it goes quite mild
and richer basenotes come out. Great for sun / spring and blue blazers.
3. Gucci Pour homme, this was from when Tom ford was designer.
Very, dry woodsy/ spicey. some people say it smells like pencil shavings. I like it for evening.
4. Hermes: Terre D'Hermes. ounce for ounce problably one of the best I have.

Go to Basenotes.com for more eloquent descriptions on these or just about any other cologne in existence.
SF's Joel Cairo knows his way around this stuff as well.
 

rach2jlc

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Agreed. Basenotes is a great reference (I've been a member over there for a few years now), but it can be a little overwhelming at first, which is why I figured it might be good for us to list some of our favorites that members could then further research over at Bnotes.
 

JohnnyLaw

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I would like to add:

1) Guerlain Vetiver: Spicy and woodsy, very masculine and appropriate for most occcasions. My current favourite fragrance. Very affordable from online discounters (around 30$ / small bottle).

2) I'll second Terre d'Hermes. Mossy with some citrus. Great all-around fragrance. Moderately expensive (around 50-60$ / bottle online).

3) L'Artisan Parfumeur MÃ
00a9.png
chant Loup. Sweet and woodsy, honey and hazelnut gourmand. Fairly expensive and unavailable from discounters. Expect to pay 85-90$ for a small bottle.
 

amerikajinda

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My favorite is Fresh Cannabis Santal.
blush.gif
 

drizzt3117

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My list (of current favs)

1) YSL M7 Fresh
2) Terre d' Hermes
3) L' Artisan Merchant Loup
4) Creed Original Vetiver
5) Creed MI
6) Escada Sunset Heat
7) Armani Attitude
8) L' Eau d' Issey Intense
9) YSL Rive Gauche
10) John Varvatos
 

Rambo

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Surprised not to see your Dior on there Rach. I figured it would be #1. I've always hated Rive Gauche with a passion. It smells like a retirement home to me. Just awful. Good list otherwise. Drizz - You've got to stop shopping at Sephora.
smile.gif
For my part, I'll add L'Artisan Tea for Two, L'Artisan Passage de Enfer, Dior Homme, YSL Live Jazz, and Acqua di Parma Colonia. Anyone want to setup a little decant/swap network? I know Basenotes banned decants and the trading/selling boards have been pretty dead over there for a while now. What do you all think?
 

rach2jlc

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Originally Posted by rambo
Anyone want to setup a little decant/swap network? I know Basenotes banned decants and the trading/selling boards have been pretty dead over there for a while now. What do you all think?

Phil (Joel_Cairo) and I had our wardrobes listed for a while in the sales area after Bnotes stopped letting us do decants. I think it would be a good idea, perhaps, to start it up again.

Anyway, as for the Dior you mentioned, it was a close toss-up for me between that and the Helmut Lang edc. I wanted, in the top 10, to list different kinds of scents without repeats, and to be honest I find Bois d'argent to be in the same fragrance universe as the Lang, but I actually like the Lang better.

Here's my wardrobe. I have 10ml spray decant bottles that I can use if anybody wants to try things. I've recently gotten rid of probably 50 or more bottles that I didn't use, so basically this is my wardrobe of favorites and essentials.

http://www.basenotes.net/wardrobe/rach2jlc
 

Thomas

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Ok, I'll bite, but coming up with 10 could be troublesome...

The top three:
Chanel Antaeus - wear anywhere, to anything, with anything. The opening is warm, balanced, and vibrant, and the drydown is unlike anything else, with beeswax dominating the rest of the notes. If you're asking yourself "why do I want to smell like beeswax" well, you just haven't lived yet. Choose the vintage bottles over the current production, which seems watered down.

Caron Yatagan - should be required for every Texan. In-your-face spicy woodsy scent, think burning oak logs in the fireplace. Some find this a flamboyant scent, maybe it is, but it's a statement you won't regret making.

Aramis New West - Slightly astringent, sharp-fresh scent, with orange, blueberry, and rosemary in the lead. Getting rather hard to find, may be discontinued, the first scent I ever fell for, still gets me going in the morning.

More:
Helmut Lang Cuiron - Candied orange leather, every time I come back to it I wonder why they don't sell this in 55-gallon drums

Chanel Platinum Egoiste - Chanel's "sell-out" fragrance, it was a holy grail for a time, appropriate everywhere, never giving offense, and unlike Cool Water, this one had some personality.

Hermes Rocabar - Christmas in a bottle, clean and balanced and comfortable like an old sweater.

Ungaro III - Dracula, halloween, damp earth, roses on a grave, cool to start but warms up over time.

Pasha de Cartier - Another fougere, similar to PE, but a little more tightly wound, with mint notes peeking out here and there.
 

jleeo225

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What about Acqua di Parma Colonia? I agree with all the fans of Terre d'Hermes. I've been using that most recently.
 

drizzt3117

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Originally Posted by rambo
Drizz - You've got to stop shopping at Sephora.
smile.gif


I actually have been more interested in designer fragrances than niche lately. I cut down a lot of my fragrances a few years back but still have maybe 50 or so full bottles of niche stuff, and find that I just don't wear it as often.
 

Saltwater Wrangler

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I know it might be cliche, but out of the 7 or 8 colognes I currently own, I still find myself reaching for the original Lacoste. Maybe since it was one of the first I had as a young adult, but it still does the trick for me.
 

Rambo

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Originally Posted by drizzt3117
I actually have been more interested in designer fragrances than niche lately. I cut down a lot of my fragrances a few years back but still have maybe 50 or so full bottles of niche stuff, and find that I just don't wear it as often.
I figured, given the Creeds and L'Artisan on your list. I was just fuckin with you a bit.
 

Rambo

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Originally Posted by rach2jlc
Phil (Joel_Cairo) and I had our wardrobes listed for a while in the sales area after Bnotes stopped letting us do decants. I think it would be a good idea, perhaps, to start it up again. Anyway, as for the Dior you mentioned, it was a close toss-up for me between that and the Helmut Lang edc. I wanted, in the top 10, to list different kinds of scents without repeats, and to be honest I find Bois d'argent to be in the same fragrance universe as the Lang, but I actually like the Lang better. Here's my wardrobe. I have 10ml spray decant bottles that I can use if anybody wants to try things. I've recently gotten rid of probably 50 or more bottles that I didn't use, so basically this is my wardrobe of favorites and essentials. http://www.basenotes.net/wardrobe/rach2jlc
I PM'ed you on a few scents. If anybody's interested, I've got a few just barely sprayed bottles of main stream fare that I'm not using any more. M7, Kourous fresh, a small bottle of Curion, etc.
 

xtang3

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Creed Green Irish Tweed, Angel for Men, Gucci II, Issey Bleu....all are great!
 

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