Fragrance, aftershave and balm

1. You generally go for something unscented, or something with minimal scent. It's why people tend to look for unscented shampoos/conditioners and body washes, as well. 2. Honestly, it depends on the manufacturer. If you're buying Penhaligon's you're getting good shit (although expensive as hell). If you're buying Creed you're getting good shit. If you're buying Kors (who does make a very good fragrance for men), are you getting good shit? I don't know, personally. If you have an aftershave that works for you, and it's lightly scented or not scented at all, stick with it. 3. Get a forum account on Basenotes.net, and buy decants (small atomizers [little glass bottles]) that people sell. You can easily get 10-15 scents, with enough liquid to last you 4-5 wearings, for <$100. It's how almost everyone who is "into" fragrances in general tests scents. There are occasions where you want to make "blind-buys," but they're rare. Even trying a scent once in a store doesn't do it justice; the general consensus is 2-3 wearings to see if you acclimate yourself to it, and if you like the dry-down. It's easy to hate a sent on the second wearing you loved on the first and vice versa. For someone just starting out there's nothing wrong with any of the scents you mentioned. If I were you, over time, I'd try and get decants of some of the following, all of which are generally pretty popular and should be easy enough to find in decant form (you can feel free to whittle down this list heavily based on descriptions of the scents you find on Basenotes, you should try and get one or two with similar types of notes to start figuring out what types of scents you like): "Mainstream"/designer stuff: Unforgivable by Sean John, Dirty English by Juicy Couture, Versace l'Homme, Fuel for Life by Diesel, Very Sexy for Him by Victoria's Secret, Very Irresistible by Givenchy, Varvatos by John Varvatos, HM by Hanaei Mori, Desire (Red) by Dunhill, Black by Kenneth Cole, Lactose pour Homme, Elegance by Lacoste, London by Paul Smith, Michael by Michael Kors, The Dreamer by Versace, Bvlgari pour Homme, Bvlgari Black, Escada Homme, Truth by Calvein Klein, Europhia for Men by Calvin Klein, Marc Jacobs for Men, Eau Savage by Christian Dior, Egoiste by Chanel, London by Burberry, Weekend by Burberry, Cool Water and Silver Shadow by Davidoff, Dolce and Gabbana pour Homme, M7 by Yves Saint Laurent, M7 Fresh by Yves Saint Laurent, Envy by Gucci, L'Eau D'Issey pour Homme by Issey Miyake Perfume houses: Rochas Man by Rochas, Eau de Rochas homme (a personal favorite), L'Anarchiste by Caron, The Third Man by Caron, New York by Patricia de Nicolai (my favorite of all-time basically, it's kind of tough to find but I threw it in here anyway), Habit Rouge by Guerlain, Ungaro III by Ungaro, Green Irish Tweed by Creed, Himalaya by Creed, Millesime Imperial by Creed, Erolfa by Creed, Dzing! by L'Artisan Parfumeur, Merchant Loup by L'Artisan Parfumeur, Wall Street by Bond No.9, Riverside Drive by Bond No.9, Endymion by Penhaligon's

... generally I choose aftershave solely on its ability to soothe my face, not for scent. I generally use Thayer's witch hazel extract (Supermedicated), and the peppermint scent fades quickly. This is a splash which works for me in the summer. In the winter I'll switch to a balm and then it's Proraso which also works well with added moisture. What works for you? You'll have to try a few. Try badgerandblade.com to see aftershave reviews for a starting point. Scents: Guerlain Heritage is excellent. L'Instant is well-liked as well. Obsession - some may find it dated, but I routinely wear older scents like Antaeus and Yatagan and Giorgio for Men. Go with what you like. Some scents will work well for you and others will not, test carefully before jumping in for a full bottle (I buy blind all the time but I live dangerously like that). There are others you might try. Some classic colognes like Monsieur de Givenchy, or Guerlain Vetiver would be a good starting point. YSL Rive Gauche is a quiet contemplative scent, as is Chanel Pour Monsieur.