Aftershave : That nostalgic true masculine smell!

[BellyTank]

I have the Weleda Rosemary too.

Neroli and Petitgrain are known to be good for the skin(when diluted).

I worked for years at this establishment in London-

www.baldwins.co.uk est.1844

Very enjoyable it was- and fragrant.

B
T

 

[Pilgrim]

Bay Rum, since I started shaving @40 years ago. Can't be beat. Occasionally for a change of pace, Pinaud's Lime after shave.

 

[J.B.]

Pee-yew-ee!

.....I know I hate it when folks wear too much cologne. Reminds me of the way-too-much-Giorgio that was everywhere in New York in the 80s, that made me sick to my stomach.....

Heh. Just as a point of interest -- it's funny that you mention the Giorgio line! Their discontinued Red for Men usually brings in over $200 a bottle when on eBay?!

...and I always thought it was ghastly!

 

[Katt in Hat]

As a Magnet for the Women, I Still Find That...

Zizanie by Fragonard; used sparingly, and a bit of alcohol on my breath, does wonders for me. My smoking of Dutch or German zware or ¬? zware tobacco cigarettes has done me little or no harm in this regard.

The ciggies have impaired my health of course... ♥

 

[Benny Holiday]

Tuscany by Aramis & Yardley English Lavender brilliantine

form my signature scent. And years back, my Dad bought me some Yardley Gold talcum powder as part of a birthday present. I loved the smell of that powder! It was used up long ago, and I've never gotten around to buying some more of it.

I haven't met a woman yet who doesn't love the smell of Tuscany, but most importantly my wife adores it above all other colognes.

 

[Tomasso]

Creed Imperial Millesime
Dunhill Edition
Polo
Captain
Creed Green Irish Tweed(My favorite)

 

[adamgottschalk]

Unexpected favorites

By way of samples of different kinds, I've tried at least a dozen colognes over the last couple of week, everything from Safari to Nautica Voyage to Creed Green Irish Tweed to Carlos Santana. Two have risen to the top as the clear winners, for me and my lady friends:

1 Nautica Competition (yellow, the new version), for casual and everyday, fresh, citrusy, a little floral, but suited for a man without being macho

2 Liz Claiborne Spark (for formal...maybe), this one really came out of the blue; I think it reminds me of YSL Kouros, but haven't smelled that in years so I can't say for sure; sweet and warm, comfortable and comforting

An extra that came was Paris Hilton. Yuck, I thought, and, indeed, it smelled like bubble gum to me. However I gave it to my friend Ariell and it smells great on her, and she tells me she's gotten dozens of compliments on it in only a couple of days. I was expecting to like the Creed GIT a lot, but it's very similar to the Nautica Competition (or vice versa) and I definitely like the new Competition better.

 

[Tony in Tarzana]

Bay Rum, since I started shaving @40 years ago. Can't be beat. Occasionally for a change of pace, Pinaud's Lime after shave.

Just got some Bay Rum today, from J. Peterman. I like it, so far.

 

[Mike K.]

Here's my line-up...

Ralph Lauren Safari (my old standby)
Armani Mania (makes my girlfriend weak in the knees)
Este Lauder Pleasures
Ralph Lauren Romance (for those candlelight dinners)
Old Spice (classic)
Florida Spyce (a local brew)
Dominica Bay Rum (lightly scented but distinctly Caribbean)

 

[Brad Bowers]

Just curious - has anyone ever compared the different brands of Bay Rum? I'm wondering how much different they might be.

I love my Clubman Bay Rum and so does my wife, but if I run across any others in my travels I might have to pick some up.

Brad

 

[adamgottschalk]

Just curious - has anyone ever compared the different brands of Bay Rum? I'm wondering how much different they might be.

I love my Clubman Bay Rum and so does my wife, but if I run across any others in my travels I might have to pick some up.

Brad

Haven't compared, but I got some Pashana Bay Rum hair tonic. It's extremely subtle, which is great. A unique scent for sure. Not so "carribean" as I would've expected, more "rum." And seemingly more about "hair health" than smelling up the room.

 

[Orion]

I use the Dominica Bay Rum, as well as their Lime variety, and the Clubman Bay Rum. The Clubman is not a bad scent at all, especially for the price. The Dominica Bay Rum is earthier/woodier and I prefer it more, overall. The Dominica Lime is nice and tropical, but I personally think the Lime scent overpowers the other spices in the mix. Both of the Dominica formulations are subtler than the Clubman.

And of course, any Bay Rum is the perfect match for a good shave with a straight razor.

 

[Tomasso]

I was expecting to like the Creed GIT a lot.

There's nothing inherently unpleasant about the scent of Green Irish Tweed. Like any fragrance, it will smell better on some than others. Many of the classic scents do not work with my PH, much to my dismay.

 

[Fred G.]

Fellas,

I tailor my cologne to the situation... the citrus-smelling colognes, I use in the summer, especially the weekends. Escape by Ralph Lauren is good. Burberry Brit smells great-- they make a nice aftershave balm, too.

Evenings out on the town, I prefer the more woodsy/spicy fragrances. A lot of compliments received when wearing Aramis, also Hugo Boss.

For the office, I stick with the more soapy-smelling stuff, like Tommy Hilfiger.

These aren't really classics, I suppose, just nice fragrances I have found over the (many) years. I have tried bay rum, not sure I like the smell as well as other colognes.

Someone commented on the amount-- I agree too much of any is not good. I like the lady to be close to me to capture the scent.

Freddy

 

[Mike K.]

Just how many Bay Rums are out there? Anyone know? Just off the top of my head I count:
1. Dominica
2. Pinaud-Clubman
3. St. Johns
4. Pashana

I have the Dominica and my brother has the St. Johns. The Dominica is definitely a more earthy, woody, leathery smell. The sweet bay tree grows wild where I live in southwest Florida and I've personally used it "direct from the tree" for scent, flavoring, etc. The Dominca label Bay Rum definitely uses the pure bay tree extract. By comparison, the St. Johns label has an entirely different smell - much milder, smoother, not as earthy. As for the others, I haven't explored any of them.

I'd say if you want the true West Indian scent, go with Dominica Bay Rum as it definitely uses the essential oil extracts from the bay tree (take it from a Caribbean biologist).

 

[adamgottschalk]

There's nothing inherently unpleasant about the scent of Green Irish Tweed. Like any fragrance, it will smell better on some than others. Many of the classic scents do not work with my PH, much to my dismay.

No nothing unpleasant at all. I like it better than the ladies around me seem to. That's totally fascinating to me how different scents smell different on different people, and depending on your skin's pH? The Paris Hilton stuff, for example; I thought it smelled just awful with a dab on my wrist, but it smells super great on a female friend of mine (I think it's marketed as cologne). Claiborne's Spark is, remarkably, similar to my own natural scent; not my "body odor" (thank god), but the scent that lingers on my sheets, etc. (The main reason I'm aware of my scent is that I have an older brother and he's got the same one, which I smelled (and hated) long before I hit puberty.) After the Claiborne stuff has been on overnight, I smell a spot where I put it the night before and there's still a little bit left, but I'm hard pressed to tell the difference between the smell of my wrist and the cologne. I like that. Off to try a few more...

 

[Shaul-Ike Cohen]

I don't really understand the Green Irish Tweed hype. But I don't find anything over-average in its less expensive version, Cool Water, either.

I tried several Creed fragrances, and found some were great (Cuir de Russie and even English leather), others were disappointing (Tabar?¥me and Tabar?¥me Vintage).

By the way, the other day I saw, and snuffed at, a cologne that looked really "evil", heavy-metal style, Gothic letters, black bottle: Black XS by Paco Rabanne. It's ridiculously smelling like the artificial strawberry flavour from marshmallows and the like. That alone would have been just not interesting, but the gap between image and fragrance was too funny.

 

[Tomasso]

I don't really understand the Green Irish Tweed hype.

The mystique of Green Irish Tweed lies in its provenance. The scent was created, as bespoke, for Cary Grant and was not offered for sale to the public until after his passing. That said, fragrances are extremely personal and I wouldn't wear something that I didn't love, no matter its history.

 

[adamgottschalk]

Winners I'm sticking with a while

Tried a few more out. Here are the winners, both for my nose and those noses of my lady friends:

1. Guerlain Eau de Cologne Imperiale--sublime. I saw this has Neroli in it and I just had to try it. Very, very hard to describe. Certainly unisex. A cross between herbal, floral, and spicey. Smells like an old, old flavor. My only disappointment is that it's not very strong and I fear I'll go through it quickly. Thanks Marc Chevalier. Do you know if they make an eau de toilette? I'm going to try their L'Instant that MissTayva mentioned too.

2. Armani Acqua di Gio--I find this similar to the Nautica Competition I liked, but a lot classier--less jock-ish as one lady put it (makes sense, Water of God as opposed to Competition). Citrus type, fresh, for more casual.

3. Armani Mania--I find this similar to Claiborne Spark, but, again, classier. Spark is warm and likable but too sweet--very 80s. Not aweful, but the Mania is warm, likable, approachable without that hint of too-much sweetness.

Of course, I'm sure all you loungers know that, if you pick and choose carefully, you can get some amazing deals on colognes and perfumes on eBay.

 

[Zach R.]

I picked up some Burberry Brit as well a few weeks back, so far so good.

Before that I used Realities for Men, which is relatively cheap and seemed to garner nothing but compliments.