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I've used Dark Obsession by CK for decades, but it's gone now. Any recommendations with a similar profile?
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Cologne / Perfume Reviews
- Thread starter Aevry
- Start date
sleevedraw
Revolver Ocelot
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- 6,634
Some ideas here, but I can't personally vouch for any of them.
DecantX is good if you are just looking for small 1-2mL sample bottles, as is Scent Split. The per-volume cost is high compared with buying a full bottle, but it's also a lot less wasteful if you decide you don't like it (and saves the hassle of trying to re-sell on Ebay or whatever).
For full-sized bottles, Jomashop and Fragrance.com are the big gray market retailers.
Local brick and mortar department stores that are midmarket and above (think Macy's, Belk, Dillard's, Nordstrom, Nieman, Saks) will usually let you sample something you're interested in if you ask. Or if you have absolutely no idea where to start, they often sell sampler kits like this.
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SirFapsAlot
Von Clippowicz
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I use Decant House for samples, they have a huge selection of stuff. Takes a few days for them to ship out because they fill to order and if you get the standard shipping it might take a week, at least that's been my experience, but otherwise solid.
In addition to the sites sleevedraw mentioned, fragrancenet.com is another decent site. https://www.fragrancenet.com/
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Sludig
Potato del Grande
- 10,829
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Looks like Decant house will be worth a try.
Macys sampler annoyed me just because the website was kinda shit and was shockingly hard to find anything mildly interesting for $10-15 for free shipping.
Little lost on why you need a spring vs summer fragrance. I can kinda understand late fall/winter holiday season inviting woody smoky warm smells, but I'd think pretty much all the civilized months of the year would go well as something light and pleasant.
I hate wine snobs, so trying to read reviews kinda is lost on me. All in the beholder anyways. Only problem w/ decant is I'll be a little lost with options.
I don't really get so sweaty I get complaints. But I started my interest mainly because I feel self conscious that I stink more than I do working in body armor all day albeit indoors. So just kinda would like something pleasant to aid over and above what my normal deodorant does.
Macys sampler annoyed me just because the website was kinda shit and was shockingly hard to find anything mildly interesting for $10-15 for free shipping.
Little lost on why you need a spring vs summer fragrance. I can kinda understand late fall/winter holiday season inviting woody smoky warm smells, but I'd think pretty much all the civilized months of the year would go well as something light and pleasant.
I hate wine snobs, so trying to read reviews kinda is lost on me. All in the beholder anyways. Only problem w/ decant is I'll be a little lost with options.
I don't really get so sweaty I get complaints. But I started my interest mainly because I feel self conscious that I stink more than I do working in body armor all day albeit indoors. So just kinda would like something pleasant to aid over and above what my normal deodorant does.
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sleevedraw
Revolver Ocelot
- 2,279
- 6,634
As far as seasonality goes, it's mostly just winter and summer-geared things that clash. General rule - aquatics and citrus are mostly geared toward summer; "warming" things like coffee, smoke usually tend to be geared more toward winter, but there are some exceptions. Spring and fall are usually much more forgiving - most everything works, although in my mind, florals are more geared towards spring, while woods are more geared towards fall.
I personally focus more on temperature than I do strictly on the seasons. In Florida, you can pretty much wear aquatics year round. In North Dakota, you might only bring them out for July and August.
The above also assumes that you are "politely" wearing fragrance (i.e. trying to be conventional and blend in with other people, or have close personal contact with the public and are worried about sending someone into an allergic/asthmatic fit). If you are a member of the laptop class and work from home in a 70 degree house, you can pretty much wear what you want.
If the type of Old Spice you like is Swagger, it's predominantly cedar. Burberry Hero Parfum is pretty much a one-note cedar. Jo Malone makes a Whiskey and Cedarwood, although I personally wouldn't wear anything with booze notes in a work situation. Both of those would be considered more cold-weather fragrances. You can also take a look at Armani Code Parfum, which has some cedar, but also quite a few other things (iris, bergamot, orris, among others).
Or, if you want to try something other than cedar, look for a frag that people characterize as a "dumb reach" - one that works well regardless of situation. Some of the "in" ones right now:
BdC (Bleu de Chanel)
Dior Sauvage; Prada's Luna Rossa Carbon is considered to be a "cleaned up," more mature version
Versace Pour Homme
YSL Y (marketed to Millennials, but I think it's acceptable for men of pretty much any age)
Acqua di Gio (old classic that's been around since the 90s but may come across as dated and generic)
I've been wanting to try Pacific Chill so damn bad. Got a bunch of other samples to get through first, though.
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Sludig
Potato del Grande
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Went w/ macys sampler for now as I can't narrow down the others very well but I'll revisit later.
Kinda irritated me, had a 15% off sale compared to the other day when I looked. But got billed for $10 extra, cancelled it, but seems to be no discount codes etc valid when using paypal (Reduce my risk of compromised card etc). So had to redo it manually because Fk paying an extra 15%
Not sure how many spritz'es I'll get out of .07oz little vials. (And worse might be roll on not a spray) But $60 for like 30 and change samplers doesn't seem the worst. (Mens set + mixed gender to give the wife a few as a gift)
Kinda irritated me, had a 15% off sale compared to the other day when I looked. But got billed for $10 extra, cancelled it, but seems to be no discount codes etc valid when using paypal (Reduce my risk of compromised card etc). So had to redo it manually because Fk paying an extra 15%
Not sure how many spritz'es I'll get out of .07oz little vials. (And worse might be roll on not a spray) But $60 for like 30 and change samplers doesn't seem the worst. (Mens set + mixed gender to give the wife a few as a gift)
- 1
sleevedraw
Revolver Ocelot
- 2,279
- 6,634
There can be a little variation (some dispense more, some less), but assuming 2-3 sprays per day applied once, usually about a 5 day to a week supply per sample vial in my experience.
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SirFapsAlot
Von Clippowicz
- 1,128
- -4,660
Great site, definitely try it out when you're ready.
sleevedraw explained the spring / summer thing pretty well. It really is about the temperature. When it comes to Spring and Fall, you don't really NEED a dedicated fragrance, almost anything can work well during those seasons. I like to think of high heat fragrances as something that melts in the heat and releases the scent and cold fragrances as strong enough to bite through the cold. If you wear cold weather fragrances in the high heat, that shit is going to overwhelm your sense of smell and if you wear high heat fragrances in the cold, they're not going to perform.
In addition to his suggestions, I think Chanel Allure Homme Sport is great, it is a fresh, citrus, soapy / body wash type of scent, just more exquisite. The dry down has hints of vanilla in it and I think it's mind blowing. I don't find it to be overbearing in the least, it's "just right."
As far as seasonality goes, it's mostly just winter and summer-geared things that clash. General rule - aquatics and citrus are mostly geared toward summer; "warming" things like coffee, smoke usually tend to be geared more toward winter, but there are some exceptions. Spring and fall are usually much more forgiving - most everything works, although in my mind, florals are more geared towards spring, while woods are more geared towards fall.
I personally focus more on temperature than I do strictly on the seasons. In Florida, you can pretty much wear aquatics year round. In North Dakota, you might only bring them out for July and August.
The above also assumes that you are "politely" wearing fragrance (i.e. trying to be conventional and blend in with other people, or have close personal contact with the public and are worried about sending someone into an allergic/asthmatic fit). If you are a member of the laptop class and work from home in a 70 degree house, you can pretty much wear what you want.
If the type of Old Spice you like is Swagger, it's predominantly cedar. Burberry Hero Parfum is pretty much a one-note cedar. Jo Malone makes a Whiskey and Cedarwood, although I personally wouldn't wear anything with booze notes in a work situation. Both of those would be considered more cold-weather fragrances. You can also take a look at Armani Code Parfum, which has some cedar, but also quite a few other things (iris, bergamot, orris, among others).
Or, if you want to try something other than cedar, look for a frag that people characterize as a "dumb reach" - one that works well regardless of situation. Some of the "in" ones right now:
BdC (Bleu de Chanel)
Dior Sauvage; Prada's Luna Rossa Carbon is considered to be a "cleaned up," more mature version
Versace Pour Homme
YSL Y (marketed to Millennials, but I think it's acceptable for men of pretty much any age)
Acqua di Gio (old classic that's been around since the 90s but may come across as dated and generic)
I've been wanting to try Pacific Chill so damn bad. Got a bunch of other samples to get through first, though.
You'll be delighted with Pacific Chill. I read a few reviews that talk about its longevity being an issue, but I personally did not have that problem. If you're wearing a short sleeve shirt, try to hit the edges of the sleeves with your sprays and you'll be getting whiffs of it for a while. I usually spray my arms / shoulders instead of neck / back of neck, but if you spray the neck area, try to hit the collar with a little of it.
Are you referring to Decant House with the paypal issue? If you email them they will likely help you out, or at least explain what's going on. I know the owner is very active on Trust Pilot, so their customer service is good.
A lot of people don't wear scents, despite how popular it seems to have become, so if you wear anything pleasant, you'll stand out in a good way. Looked up Lagerfeld Classic, read the notes, seems like it smells fucking amazing.
- 1
Sludig
Potato del Grande
- 10,829
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No Macys. Like I said fixed it by cancel and redo w/ my CC directly, just annoying.
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SirFapsAlot
Von Clippowicz
- 1,128
- -4,660
Got it, wasn't sure. Got confused for a second because I remembered Decant House also gives you a percentage off your first order, but didn't remember at the time of posting if it was 10 or 15 percent, it's 10 percent.
SirFapsAlot
Von Clippowicz
- 1,128
- -4,660
Any one else amped up for the cold weather? Got my full bottle of Bentley For Men Intense, slacked on picking it up for a while.
Lost Virtue
Trakanon Raider
- 2,330
- 274
Fall/winter scents are my favorite. I am a huge fan of Huge Boss ‘Bottled Absolu’ (almost niche-like), Azzaro 'The Most Wanted' Parfum, Armani Code Parfum, PDM Layton/Althair, Ralph's Club Parfum, Spicebomb Extreme, Givenchy, Tobacco Vanille, Valentino frags. Basically the stereotypical fragrances but there is the reason these are huge sellers (even though the % of males that wear fragrances is actually very low). Killian's Angel's Share is great too but may be a tad sweet for most but is really great to wear around Christmas, warm apple-pie smell basically...
I have actually been getting more into high quality clone fragrances. I've recently been trying 'Montagne Parfum' House clones and a lot of them are stupidly spot-on to the originals. Their Louis Vuitton clones are about 90% similar to the real deal but substantially less expensive. They have a lot of the niche fragrance clones at a much better price and all made in the good ole' USA. I will say you have to let them sit for about 2-4 weeks though before they really get to their optimal performance/smell as their stuff is made-to-order rather than sitting in a warehouse maturing (blending) for a few months.
Montagne Parfums
I had YSL Tuxedo before and Montagne's Ambre Musc is 95% to the original but I feel lasts much longer. Their Aventus clones are also pretty close to the original. I basically became tired of purchasing $200-400 fragrances when I damn well know the mark-up involved is absolutely insane. Shit keeps going up in price every year too... High-quality clone houses are the future. I currently own their Tygr Cologne, Afternoon Dive (based on LV 'Afternoon Swim'), Imaginary (based on LV 'Imagination'), Ambre Musc (based on YSL Tuxedo), Vanille Fraiche (based on PDM 'Layton'), Perceval (based on PDM 'Pervical') but have sampled many others. All pretty damn close to the originals (if not basically perfect) and some actually improved on either the smell/smoothness or the performance (sillage/longevity).
Jomashop.com: Online Shopping for Watches, Handbags, Sunglasses, Apparel, Beauty, Shoes, Pens & More is the best place I feel for legitimate fragrances. They have some insane sales/prices and offer a massive assortment to choose from if you want the 'real deal' brands.
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Rajaah
Honorable Member
- 14,381
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Can recommend Gucci Guilty. It's about $130 for one bottle, lasted me years and years though. Want to say around 5-7 years but it might have been more than that. A girl picked it out and said it was the best out of all the colognes we tested, and it got me a lot of "you smell amazing"s from other girls for the next 5-7 years. So it's a sure thing, proven and all that, not just my opinion that it's a good one.
However, I can't vouch for whether it's the same now as it was when I got it, as I believe that was 2013. Hopefully these companies keep their formulas consistent and don't mess with what works.
Yarp, this is my favorite time of year. Minute it got cold out I was amped up. I've got a theory that this is the best time of year to meet wamen, since single people subconsciously want to find a mate before cold weather sets in. Something that probably goes back to caveman times. It's just a theory though.
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SirFapsAlot
Von Clippowicz
- 1,128
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Those are all highly regarded for a reason, agree with you 100% and yes, it's true not that many people wear fragrances, so when you rock a frag and do it right, you really stand out in a good way. Althair is a must have for sure, freaking amazing. One I have not tried any of is the Hugo Boss stuff, which I've been meaning to check out but keep forgetting. I have another sample run lined up, which does include Killian stuff which I wrote up a list of and of course, never ordered, but I guess it works out because I can snag the Hugo Boss samples along with this order. Winter stuff is the absolute best smelling and longest lasting, best dry downs, etc. You can also mess with different scents and ingredients and they just work for this time of year, summer I think works like this: the simpler, the better - so there isn't as much range as with cold weather.
I'm not a dupe guy myself, just a personal thing, but I'm indifferent whether people want to rock dupes or not, always comes down to the individual. ...especially with the prices of frags now, for instance the Chanel stuff has jumped up in price...if they go on sale at Macy's near Christmas time, then you're basically going to be paying yesterday's full prices for them lol...then of course, there's the By Killian stuff, Carolina Herrera's Mystery Tobacco from their exclusive line, etc... we're talking 200++++
I've been getting my full bottles from FragranceX, they ship really quickly. What's your experience with Joma like in terms of shipping time and how well they pack the stuff?
I'll add this to my sample order list. As for it being the same now versus back in the day, it's probably a thing that's true with a lot of frags now, I feel as if they're always reformulating to cut costs, especially with the bigger names and the names owned by big conglomo, I.E. MFK's Grand Soir I'd say got reformulated, it's still good, but it's not POTENT like it used to be, at least from my perception.
I've got an almost unused bottle of Jean Paul Gaultier's LE MALE from maybe 2002ish that I found and still haven't used it, but I'd guess it's more potent than today's offerings of the same frag, I'll have to test it.
Same here, we started getting a big cool down last week and I had my frags ready to go. 50s/low 60s here, but soon it will be even cooler. I don't think your theory is too far off lol
By the way guys, I can vouch for the original Chanel ALLURE HOMME EDT for fall / cool weather, it's a 10/10 in open spaces / outdoors in cool weather.
Lost Virtue
Trakanon Raider
- 2,330
- 274
Joma has been great. Usually ships next day and I have it to my door within 2-3 days. Packaging is fine, everything comes in the retail boxes aswell. I've ordered about 20 fragrances from them without issue and generally cheaper than anywhere else.
I personally prefer Huge Boss 'Boss Bottled Absolu' over 'Boss Bottled Elixir'.. I have not tried their 'Scent' line yet, just their 'Boss Bottled' line. Both Absolu & Elixir I would define as niche-quality frags ($300-600 fragrances) in a designer-frag price-point ($100-150). Hugo Boss killed it with these 2 fragrances.
I usually didn't like dupes/clones either but they are getting to the point where the the good ones are the same if not better performing than the originals they are 'inspired by'. The reason this particular dupe house needs to 'sit' is because the ingredients haven't had a time to mingle since these are pretty much made fresh rather than being made and then allowed to sit for awhile before being sent out to for distribution. Dupe houses like Afnan, Lattafa, etc mass produce so they can sit a little bit beforehand but I feel they usually smell a lot more synthetic than the originals or in comparison to 'Montagne Parfum' house. All fragrances will age over time due to things like oxidization and whatnot.
I do encourage you to try a Montagne decant if you can or just order a bottle since they aren't too expensive of a frag ($40-55 for 50mL) that you've always wanted to try/own (their Althair clone is pretty damn good for example). They also have a decently large subreddit where you can buy bottles and decants too. They do run out of stock on a lot of frags due to being out of ingredients but they do eventually restock them, just may take a few weeks and sometimes a month or 2. They are very quality over quantity. My first purchase from them was 'Ambre Musc' because I always wanted YSL Tuxedo (one of YSL's 'private label' offerings) but the original 'white-label' one is pretty much not available to purchase anymore. It was replaced with a new amped-up patchouli version with a black label.
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