The strength of the smell really depends on how much you apply. You don't want anything that comes in a metal can. Keep in mind that to get your money's worth you should really use a shower gel and/or shampoo with no fragrances (Sanex 0% is available in most UK stores, with the added bonus that the lack of perfume is better for your skin)
http://www.basenotes.net is a good place to find a smell appropriate to you.
>>5460
It's good to go with the classics. And if you want decent quality, go for a decent name: expect to pay between £40-£60 and for a whole bottle to last you a year (as >>4890 says you don't need to douse yourself in it). Don't buy anything that comes in gimmicky packaging; it should be a glass bottle and not look like its marketed to the type of lad that puts LED strips on the underside of his Peugeot. Get yourself down to a department store (Debenhams, House of Fraser, etc.) and take home the sampler cards they'll spritz for you with the testers so you can see what you like outside the store (away from the atmosphere of thousands of perfumes) and what the scent fades to. The older D&G fragrances and nearly all Chanel ones are perfectly respectable, as are Ralph Lauren and a few Armani. Wearing anything by Paco Rabanne that was released after 2005 is liable to make you smell like an Asian phone salesman.
Pictured is one of D&G classics, Pour Homme, which is one of their consistent best sellers for a reason.
>>4897 This. Go in some department stores and smell them. However, you need to spray them on to your skin, usually the wrist, and to leave them for a while rather than using their strips.
For babby's first cologne get summat like Armani Code, Diesel Fuel for Life or summat by Boss. If you're in college or trying to impress college girls then you can get away with Davidoff Cool Water because they don't know any better and will think you smell "dead nice."
I definitely don't recommend any of the cheapo ones you can get from a poundshop such as the ill-fated and strangely suggestive "Night Club for Men", but I definitely can urge you to try Dunhill, the bog standard in the line:
I'm so confused. OP posts asking about aftershave with a can of deoderant body spray attached and people suggest perfumes.
If we actually want to talk about stuff you put on your face after shaving (you know, aftershave) then pic related is what I go for. Used to use what seemed to be industrial strength alcohol until my girlfriend started complaining I always smelled like vodka once or twice I hadn't even drunk anything.
If you want to talk about stuff that makes you smell nice that you can put on yourself independent of having shaved or not then Penhaligon's is expensive but great. You're looking at £80 a bottle but it has lasted me absolutely ages. You only want a few squirts where it matters.
>>4904 I think people conflate the terms aftershave, cologne, deodorant and other similar things a great deal. It seemed to me that what he meant was just something to make him smell nice, so pointing him at basenotes was relevant.
>>4906 As far as I know many people don't use aftershave and just use scented deodorant (on top of the various perfumes in their shower gel and shampoo) so the differences between the various other things isn't important enough to learn.
>>4898 I was recommended this by that particular fashion board. Went to Boots to try it out - and I was expecting an amazing all round cologne that I've been searching for.
Instead I got exactly as the reviews described, a cheap smelling bar soap / urinal cube odour. I was stupid enough to ask the woman to open the cabinet and give me a box - but as I walked to the till, I changed my mind. It was horrendously over-powering, basically screaming "I'm a cunt".
I really don't get why people think it's any good - a lot of reviews suggest some sort of classic "80's fragrance", but we're not in the 80's anymore.
Disgusting. Avoid.
I'd suggest getting 2 contrasting colognes. One is Blue by Chanel which is a great evening smell. And Hugo Boss by Hugo Boss, which is subtle but very distinctive.
None of the two are overly sweet or have any pervasive odours attached.
>>4913 Agreed, I don't have a girlfriend, live with m8s and would only ever really use it if I'm going out. Presumably what lasts some people a year would last me five or six, if not more.
So ? If it stays reasonably in good condition, then you'll always have some around. You'd be surprised - if you go on holiday, you practically use it on every night out. As a matter of fact any night out.
>>4915 >If it stays reasonably in good condition, then you'll always have some around.
Well, that's the question really. I'm considering getting some, if it decomposes in six months though it's a poor investment on my part.
>>4916 Well it's a solvent in one sense, it's composed of different alcohols, aldehydes, esters, etc. These elements tend to be sensitive to light and heat. Like I said, keep it tucked away in your closet and you should be fine for a good couple years.
