Let us guess – you got a bottle of aftershave for Christmas, right? You and however many tens of thousands of guys the world over.
And let’s not disparage the gesture at all. Whoever bought you it – wife, partner, parents, kids, whoever – they know you’re the kind of man who takes pride in his appearance, who likes to look and smell his best. It’s a lovely thought.
But as you survey your bottles of cologne, don’t you get the nagging urge for something a little, well, different? It’s a new year, after all, traditionally a time for new beginnings and new promises to keep. You’ve renewed your gym membership, you’ve promised yourself you’ll cut out (or at least down) those bad habits. But what about a new look to go with the ‘new you’? What about a new fragrance?
There’s nothing wrong with those bottles of Hugo Boss, Ralph Lauren and Paco Rabanne you have lined up in your bathroom medicine cabinet. But if you’re one of those guys that gets a bottle of something smelly every Christmas, you’ve probably become well accustomed to these kinds of ‘high street’ cologne brands.
What about something different and fresh to give your sense of new beginnings a little olfactory kick? With the post-Christmas sales looming, it’s also a great time to treat yourself.
Here are three great alternative fragrance picks for men to kickstart your voyage of self-discovery.
Amouge Reflection Man
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Here’s an apt one to start with at what is, after all, a time of reflection and forward planning. Amouge started out making fragrances personally for the Sultan of Oman, so its reputation for luxury and opulence is well-founded.
Reflection is a great introduction to the Amouge style as it is a little less intense and therefore more versatile than many of the brand’s fragrances. It has a woody, creamy and slightly spiced base composed of cedar, sandalwood and patchouli, with musk, white flowers and subtle herbs cutting through over the top.
All in all, it’s clean enough to use day to day but with more depth and complexity than more mass-market rivals. And if you do want to dial up the extravagance, Reflection 45 Extrait is a sumptuous, velvety companion fragrance that ramps up the exotic complexity with myrrh, frankincense and an array of herbs and spices.
Byredo 1996
Byredo is a perfume house that specialises in unisex fragrances. And that’s worth noting, because perhaps one of the best ways to discover fresh new fragrances for 2023 is to start looking beyond the boxes of what ‘masculine’ and ‘feminine’ are supposed to smell like. Surely it’s just about smelling good?
If you’re new to the idea wearing a unisex fragrance, Byredo 1996 is a great starting point. It’s built around two scents you will be familiar with from very much male-oriented aftershaves and colognes – the tannin-y, earthy tang of leather and the gentle spiciness of patchouli.
These are offset by warm, resinous, ‘amber’ notes often used in luxury perfumes, along with floral iris and violet. Cutting through it all at the top is juniper – yes, the stuff used to flavour gin – which gives everything a crisp, sharp yet still woody and earthy edge. It’s a great balance, at once deep and full of body but with a complex delicacy to it.
Comme des Garcons 2 Man
Sometimes you have to look backwards to move forwards, and Comme des Garcons 2 Man is a classic example of how, occasionally, trying to reinvent the wheel really does pay off. 2 Man is a riff on the abidingly popular ‘chypre’ perfume concept, a style that dates back more than 100 years.
A ‘classic’ chypre will have a woody base, plenty of floral aromas in the middle, and clean, citrus notes cutting through at the top. Like the verse-chorus-verse structure of a pop song, it’s a timeless blend that just works.
Comme des Garcons 2 Man stays true to that formula, but takes it into new and exciting places. The base isn’t just woody – there’s a smoky, leathery, incense-like quality to it, too. Along with floral iris in the middle, there’s the dry grassy aroma of vetiver and the delicate luxuriance of saffron. At the top, you do indeed get citrussy kumquat – along with mint, nutmeg, caraway and the waxy, metallic tang of aldehydes.
All in all, it’s an intense, provocative feast for the senses, familiar enough to still be in your comfort zone but with a modern, streetwise edge perfect for making a statement with.
Want to try before you take the plunge with a new fragrance? With our extensive range of men’s aftershave samples, you can do just that. We’ll send low-cost sample-sized bottles of 100% authentic fragrances straight to your door.
