This is the masculine counterpart to the last shopping challenge poll. Your new challenge, should you accept it: you are off to Macy's. You have $75, and you are to buy one bottle of perfume as a gift for a man you hardly know. He is in his mid-20s, and all you know about him is that he wears trendy clothing.
What will you buy?
It would really help if you'd do a quick search before leaving your comment — if someone else has already mentioned your choice, add your vote to theirs instead of starting a new thread.
Note: image is Macy's on 34th by paulaloe at flickr; some rights reserved.
Young, trendy – how about Play by Givenchy?
That works.
Bvulgari Black.
I haven’t really explored “men’s fragrances” much, but I’ve found that I like many perfumes traditionally considered feminine on men. I also love Old Spice on me, I think it is a great carnation, and I would love to smell the original stuff which I’ve read had more rose in it.
I’ll second that (and wearing it today!)
I third that!
My 16-yr-old nephew agrees…OS is his frag of choice these days.
Oops, and just realized everyone was seconding and thirding BB, not OS. Oh well.
OS is a great scent 🙂
I love that the next generation is re-discovering a classic fragrance like Old Spice. If it was good then, it’s good now. I’ve purchased it for my boys along with the original deodorant which is aluminum free. It is way better than Axe or the other one.
Another vote for Bulgari Black (like it for myself, too).
I’ll throw a vote on the pile! and the rubberized bottle makes it a fun gift to hold.
Thought I’d join the chorus on this one… seems like a good young/trendy choice… it’s easy to find, yet not everyone will be wearing it, and I dig the bottle.
I have tried like hell to love Black, and I just cannot get behind the rubber. For women, I think that MV3 is a very similar but more wearable option.
I might get him Tom Ford for Men- smells very nice, great bottle, and Tom Ford’s hypersexual persona might appeal to young, trendy men. If “trendy” translates to “metrosexual”, I would get him Rochas Man, which is DELICIOUS and smells extremely similar to New Haarlem (same perfumer, Maurice Roucel).
Does your Macy’s carry all of those? The one by me has a terrible fragrance department. I have to go to Sak’s and Neiman’s for those.
Hi Julia! I believe my Macy’s does but I may be confusing it with Bloomingdales. I currently go to school in Baltimore, a shopper’s wasteland, and so I have not seen either store in an unbearably long time 🙁
Black was the first thing that came to my mind. My favorite fragrance to smell on men, and appropriate for any age. Plus I can borrow some!
I agree-Bvlgari Black is fabulous!
Black was my first thought too. Although it may be a little “strange”, it might be appreciated as an unusual choice and something not being worn by everyone else.
My runner up: Prada Infusion d’Homme.. which I’m sure appears further down this list. (Also would consider Burberry London or Varvatos Artisan.)
Black! My handsome, $100 for a pair of jeans husband, who swears he hates men’s fragrance really likes this. He even puts it on before bed : )
Chanel Pour Monsieur (unless the tester smells of reformulation) because it is amazing and maybe one day he will give it a spray and become a scent hound (I like that better than perfumista). I also really like the Diesel Fuel for Life, which would be my back-up choice (and way trendier).
Nice pick.
I once dated a “younger man” who was in his mid-20s. He wasn’t exactly the “trendy” type, but was definitely a yuppy, a sports fan, and he had Chanel Pour Monsieur in his apt. Think it was actually a gift, but he did use it, so I’ll vote for Chanel!
Terre de Hermes – you can’t go wrong. But I second Black. Both smell great to both sexes, so whichever way he swings, he’ll get attention. Hopefully he isn’t one of those guys who wear the waistband of their pants a few inches above their kneecaps. What if there was an emergency and they had to run?
Do they carry Hermes at Macys? If so, I now know what to spritz myself with if I’m disappointed by the new releases.
I don’t know if they do or not. I don’t think I’ve seen Terre d’Hermes there, but that doesn’t mean much.
I don’t think Macy’s carries it, but it’s not hard to find, just go to the Sephora at the same mall.
This would be my choice in any case. It smells good to most people, even people who don’t like most fragrances, it doesn’t smell like an “old guy cologne,” it’s not expensive, and it’s easy to find.
I’d pick that as a go-to as well.
Hermes is not carried by Macy’s. If it were, I’d be all over voting for this.
Kenneth Cole Black.
Uhhh…. Diesel Only the Brave? John Varvatos is trendy around my local haunts, so maybe Vintage (or my preference Artisan)?
I like Artisan too. That was one of my first thoughts as well.
Mine too.
I’ll also vote for Artisan, even if it wasn’t your first pick.
Eau Sauvage, as ieveryone needs a great classic, and because it’s easy enough to wear for most people.
And it’s in the Preppy Handbook! That gives it 80’s cred on top of it’s classic appeal – both of which are quite fashionable now. I don’t know how this one slipped my mind, but I love it.
I pulled out my Preppie Handbook the other day! Love it.
I would also vote for Eau Sauvage, but my Macy’s has a terrible Guerlain collection.
Young guys in their 20’s are typically not that adventurous in terms of scent and if he’s graduated from Axe body sprays, chances are that he’ll still want to smell like the rest of his male friends (and by that, I mean familiar & boring): I say I’d pick up Ck free, Acqua Di Gio, Issey Miyake, or if he’s hip enough, Diesel Fuel for Life if he’s a hipster, and Ralph Lauren Polo if he’s a tad more conservative.
Yes , Acqua Di Gio is the way to go. It been a top seller for years , and every girl knows it and loves it.
Of course, dont buy any fragrance at Macys, they charge the MSRP. Take your $75 to an online discounter and get 2 Acqua Di Gio for the same price, and you can have a gift for TWO strange men!!
I don’t. On either count. 😀
Calvin Klein ck free if I don’t expect to subsequently get to know this guy. (Someday I am going to write an essay on “good to think about,” as applied to fragrance.)
If I thought I was going to get to know this guy more, and thought I might have a chance to influence his tastes, Bvlgari Black, as more than one person has already posted.
Laughing at the “so long as I don’t have to smell it” idea.
What does CK Free smell like? I just read the notes and I’m coming up blank.
It smells like air. its free of fragrance.
You made me giggle! I was hoping it would be a woodsy sage desert thing, a sprightly citrus or a weird berry fruit thing like I Am King.
I haven’t even smelled it; all I know is that more than one reviewer has described it as a competently made but otherwise generic contemporary male scent. This one is distinguished only by bearing the Calvin Klein brand, which I’m guessing would appeal to a trendily dressed young man.
Chanel Platinum Egoiste. It’s rather “drone clone”, but no where near as objectionable as some others (Acqua di Gio, I’m looking at you!)
What’s funny is that when AdG came out, I loved it. I actually bought my first bottle abroad before it was available in the States. I had no idea that it would sell as well as it does, and within a few short months, I discovered that I couldn’t swing a dead cat without hitting someone else who was wearing it too. My love affair with it ended rather abruptly. Now when I smell it, I think to myself “is it 1996 again?”
Christian Audigier
I didn’t smell the men’s — is it good?
Good. A co worker wears it and he leaves a nice trail when he passes.
Ive smelled it. It tricks you into thinking its good for 45 mins, and then its really NOT good, in my opinion.
Tricks you? That’s funny! Tricky trail! HA! 🙂
Terre d’Hermes is too expensive, right? And I seem to remember from the previous challenge that Macy’s don’t stock CdG so I’m going to go with Dior Homme.
And while we are on the subject of of young trendy guys and fragrance, it recently struck me just how girlish they seem to smell these days. I was having my hair cut a few weeks ago and the hairdresser wore something so sweet and chocolatey that it would make Angel seem butch by comparison.
You guys are way overestimating Macy’s. They carry Dior Homme Sport but not Dior Homme.
Dior Homme Sport is quite nice, though. I would wear it if someone gave me a bottle.
I admit I have never smelled it.
I actually looked up Terre de Hermes to see if its price point was in line with the challenge. I’m seeing $75 for 1.7oz as “list price,” though online shops have it for less. So, yes, you can mall shop it with our assigned budget… 🙂
TdH it is then!
A male hairdresser? Not generally a chosen profession for the heterosexual man. He might smell girly because he is trying to attract another guy.
A guy who is trying to attract another guy who would be attracted to a guy is probably going to want to smell like a guy and not girly, since they’re both guys and all.
Just sayin’.
Heh, that’s a whole lot of stereotyping. Anyway, this was just one example and the one that made me realise that I’ve been encountering a fair bit of sweet fragrances on young men recently. Whether it’s a trend in perfumery or just a local thing, I’m not sure.
Hey Abyss (and I’m trying to ignore the potential problem of stereotyping that’s making my head spin) — it’s true that there’ve been some notable efforts to sort of break the traditional “masculine fragrance” mold. Notable JPG Fleur du Mâle and also the JV Artisan, which is very orange blossom heavy. I’m not sure how successful or popular they are.
Definitely a trend!
I would hesitate between:
– He woods (dsquared)
– A-man (with or without coffee) by Mugler
but would probably go for the first!
DSquared is too upscale for Macys, but you could get the A*Men.
A*men? You haven’t been to my local Macy’s which is just about one step up from a Kohls….
Ditto, and you’d think they’d do better, given the location. But maybe they get too much competition from Nordstrom, Bloomie’s, and Sephora (right outside their door) at this location to be bothered. My old Macy’s was better…but then, it wasn’t a Macy’s at the time, it was Dayton’s.
Second Dsquared.
How about Juicy Couture’s Dirty English? It’s young, trendy, and has a bit of kicky leather and booze.
That would work too.
Good suggestion. I’ve only tried this on paper, but I liked it and need to go back and test it on skin. It has a little of the salty quality of Eau des Merveilles, at least to me. (And it doesn’t bug me the way the Juicy Couture stuff for women does!)
I need to try this one! It’s been on my to sample list for a long time – I believe I read about it in a magazine and it sounded like something I would like. I always forget to check the men’s section when I’m in Sephora – next time! I do love a boozy fragrance!
It’s harder to find in most department stores here, but Escada’s Magnetism for men is *amazing* and ridiculously sexy. I wear it, too, so I don’t know if it counts, but I love that one on a man.
If I had to choose a more available backup, I’ve always liked CK’s Obsession for men, but am rather fond of EL’s Beyond Paradise for men as well. If he’s more sporty, I might lean toward the Beyond Paradise, but if he’s more of a dress casual kind of guy, it’s Obsession.
I have not smelled the Magnetism for men!
Oh if you get the chance, you definitely should. It doesn’t strike me as a typical fragrance aimed at the male demographic, and it works well both in winter but especially in summer. It’s also a steal for 100 ml for under $30 (when I bought it at I believe either perfumania or midtown perfume, they had it for $20) if you do a bit of shopping around, and it’s definitely and easily unisex.
Another vote here for EL’s Beyond Paradise for Men (in addition to other suggestions like Bulgari Black and Juicy Couture Dirty English). It’s certainly affordable at less than $40 for a small bottle (though I think the rainbow bottle is kind of hideous). I tested it one day because I was intrigued by Luca Turin’s rave review. I like it partly b/c it doesn’t scream “masculine!” — too many men’s frags try too hard, and I find this one smooth and appealingly unisex.
Super late to the conversation here (reading the archives during work? Never!) – but I’ll also go with BP for men – though I have trouble imagining a guy liking the bottle.
Another vote for He Wood.
And and l love the spice in SL Rousse….
I think MDCI Les Rivages could be good for a guy that likes neroli…or a more bitter neroli?
You are way outside of Macy’s now! The challenge here is to find a reasonably priced mainstream scent 😉
ooops! sorry! just thinking out loud..the scents carried me away!
‘S ok!
Armani Code would be great for a “GQ”-ish trendy young man who enjoys being a grown-up and wears suits to work.
Anyone else find this harder than picking something for a trendy female 20-something? I really have not a clue what young men are into these days, and cohabiting with my “I want to smell like a cowboy” boyfriend is far from illuminating.
Probably harder for the women to pick, at any rate.
If he seems adventurous (bold colors): Mugler’s Cologne. Who wouldn’t love a big fluorescent green bottle of the stuff?
And if he’s more conservative (fitted suits): Bulgari Green Tea.
And if he’s more retro-trendy (bespoke shoes and Japanese selvage jeans): Eau Sauvage
I also vote for Thierry Mugler’s Cologne. I bought a bottle for my young teen-age son for Christmas, and he liked it. It’s cool looking, smells clean and fresh without smelling like something that every other guy is wearing.
I personally love green tea scents, so I would go for both these choices.
Nice classic picks.
Again, I think Mugler is the only one of the three that’s actually carried by Macy’s. I still need to try that darn Mugler Cologne, too!
I promise they have Bulgari – or at least they have it in their online store. I checked!
Eau Sauvage they may not have. I know they have a Dior counter, but it may only carry a few ladies scents. In my experience, Macy’s has a whole lot of scents, but they are strangely organized and lean heavily towards the trendy. But I think Bulgari is in that mix somewhere!
Oooh! Sorry! I didn’t realize they had some of the tea collection. I sure wish my local Macy’s had Thé Rouge, because I’ve been wanting to smell that forever. Even the one time I remembered to ask at Nordstrom, they didn’t have any in stock.
The Rouge turns up in TJ Maxx every so often…
I vote for the Mugler,and maybe DKNY for men?.
My pick would be Chanel Allure Edition Blanche!!! Im absolutely loving that one right now!!! Or the wonderful Infusion D’ Homme!! You cant go wrong with either one. : )
I was going to suggest the IdI, rather than the IdH. LOL! And CAEB is a really nice one too.
I also love the Chanel Allure Blanche! I haven’t seen it around as much – I wonder if the limited edition has run it’s course.
The Chanel is (was?) a great scent.
Edition Blanche is one of my favorites… unfortunately not at Macy’s, but if we can break out of bounds and walk down to Nordstrom… 😀
Wait, could swear they had it at the Chanel counter, back when it was out, anyway? This is even more restrictive than I thought.
At my local Macy’s which is very small…. On smell alone I would pick Lancome Magie Noir – the bottle is so plain that I don’t think the guy would even know it was from the women’s collection. Otherwise…? Bulgari Black (as mentioned above) if they have it, which actually I don’ t think they do? Hm. Ok. Egoiste or plain old Aramis.
Ack — I think he’ll figure it out!
Well, Macy’s tends to have a very limited supply. Couldn’t it have been Nordstrom instead?
In any case, given the selection I’d go with Bvlgari pour Homme.
The point of the exercise is to stick to mid-tier department store stuff that you can get anywhere. I know it’s hard though!
It’s an interesting challenge, but difficult because most of everything I like for myself as well as men is upwards of $100.
That said, I don’t think I’ve ever even looked at the fragrances in Macy’s. Nordstrom & occasionally Sephora are my go-to stores — the latter often has dreadful fragrance consultants which has turned me off, though.
Interesting that many have mentioned older scents – Chanel Pour Monsieur, Acqua di Gio, Eau Sauvage (?!) – for someone who’s in their early 20’s and wears trendy clothes! Seems that many of us want to “educate” this young guy and get him to wear something non-trendy and classic. Would he go for it? Or does he really want that Givenchy Play instead?
I looked on Macy’s website for the new men’s scents, as well as the celebrity scents. Would you believe there’s a Paris Hilton scent for MEN? Wow. I’d be curious to know if anyone’s buying it, and if so, WHO?!
Anyway, I would probably forego the classics and buy the latest trend – most likely Givenchy Play, Power by 50 Cent, or something by Ed Hardy.
I know what you mean. I feel like the trendy youth scents are like cigarettes – similar products aimed at different demographics.
I had a (very macho) coworker who wore the hell out of Mark Jacobs and kept a bottle on his desk. Since I knew he liked fragrance, and he had talked about liking “manly” scents of woods and desert plants, I have him a small Terre d’Hermes thinking he might enjoy it. (And secretly hoping it would replace the Jacobs which was starting to make me gag.) No matter, he kept wearing the Jacobs. I guess the lesson is either 1) scent is intensely personal and people like what they like or 2) for some people scent has nothing to do with it, and they will wear a brand that they like. My guess is that my coworker thought of himself as a Mark Jacobs man, because I can’t fathom the love of that particular odor.
Ultimately I think I would do a poor job guessing which consumer demographic our young friend would identify with, so the best I can hope for is choosing something that smells good. And looks nice – it’s a gift after all.
Karin, agree, although that’s not necessarily a bad thing. But I think people were more “willing to play” with the women’s poll than they are here. Perhaps there’s better trendy stuff for women?
For me, I know much more about trendy women’s perfumes than I do men’s. I’d need to go to Macy’s and sniff around before choosing something. Perhaps this is a factor. Although, I’d wager the guys as well as younger women participating in this discussion probably have a better knowledge than most of us “older” women. Do I know what Play smells like? No idea! But I do know what Le Male and Acqua di Gio smell like. Those USED to be the trendy scents a few years ago. Not anymore, though they’re still popular. Remember how huge the men’s Obsession used to be? Now it’s only the “old men” who buy it!!!
Which brings up an interesting topic – what connotes an “old lady” perfume? Something that was worn to death in the past, and is still worn by those who wore it “back then”. Giorgio, Poison, even Angel are now sometimes marked as “old lady” scents. They were popular then, but now they’re “out of style”. My husband actually came home the other day and asked me, “what’s that horrible perfume that older women wear?” I think I know the one he’s talking about, and I have no idea. It’s powdery and sweet and nauseating. Next time I smell it, I’ll ask.
Some day all of these sweet, fruity florals will be known as old lady scents! Look out Pink Sugar!!!
Exactly — “old lady” smell is just whatever was popular back in the day, and some day, that will be Pink Sugar.
Someone mentioned A*Men Pure Coffee up there, and that was my first thought, since it tones down the more overwhelming aspects of A*Men and is delicious to boot, but I think it’s been discontinued, so I’ll say A*Men Pure Malt instead, which is also very good. I don’t know if it’s trendy, but it’s wildly different: it doesn’t smell like everything else aimed at a trendy young man, so unless he really needs to blend into the crowd, I think it’s a good choice.
Yep, good choice.
My boyfriend (who is in his thirties and not really trendy at all) likes YSL L’Homme a lot. It is by no means a groundbreaking scent, but it smells good on him. There is nothing offensive about it and it is a fairly new release so this young man wouldn’t think it is “so nineties” or anything. Another commenter suggested Givenchy Play, and I would vote for that except I think the Play Intense is better.
YSL L’Homme is very nice, and the bottle is beautiful.
I was just going to say, for a trendy guy who is “sooooo into the 90’s”, CK1 might be fun. I guess the kids are divided over whether the 90’s were cool or tool.
My pick would be Herrera for Men. A beautiful fragrance that is often overlooked. The young man will smell lovely and different than his crowd without having to taking over the weird.
LOL at “without having to taking over the weird”!
I’d pick Narciso Rodriguez For Him…he won’t smell like everyone else and it’s no where near “edgy,” so it will not scare off any regular folk (by that I mean the non perfume obsessed).
Good thinking.
I’m not sure if Macy’s would have it, but I’d choose L’Instant pour Homme, which I think is delicious and falls within the price bracket (I checked.) Maybe not trendy exactly, but it’s newish, and smells great. I’d like a bottle for myself.
It is a great scent, agree.
I wore it just yesterday. It’s easily my favourite mass-market men’s scent of the last ten years. Not only does it not smell like everything else, it doesn’t smell like anything else.
I’d tell him to pop over to the women’s side and get Cuir de Lancome.
🙂
I vote for Jean Paul Gaultier Le Male, with John Varvatos as a second pick. I think the scent of either would be perfect for a young and trendy man, and without the ozone/fresh acquatic thing (which I hate). The bottles are both cool and trendy too!
Le Mâle crossed my mind, but I don’t think I’d ever give that bottle to someone I didn’t know. It feels inappropriate somehow. Does it strike anyone else that way? I mean, I know it’s not anatomically correct or anything, but it would just feel strange. Maybe just me…
I wouldn’t even buy it, but then, I’m a notorious prude… or, as a college friend put it more kindly, “you’re so very Victorian!”
And then there’s me on the other end of the spectrum… always ready to be completely, delightfully, and shamelessly inappropriate. Naked man shaped perfume bottles for everyone! 🙂
Maybe you could come up with a nice costume to hide the disturbing parts….Something knitted perhaps?
If the 80’s are back again, then my suggestion would be Antaeus by Chanel…
Are the 80s back? I hope not.
Bulgari Blv Pour Homme
I love it but can’t pull it off…so I guess a twentysomething with trendy clothing might give it a shot! 🙂
I love Blu too. (And I like to think I can pull it off. I’ll bet you can too!)
Unfortunately I’ve been in a class with someone who bathed in it, so I’m a little less enthusiastic about giving it as a gift that might be misused. 😉
Well it is just that my body chemistry kind of amplifies the notes and i get screaming CARDAMOM! TOBACCO! SANDALWOOD! all very “warm” verging on “too hot please turn off the thermostat” and I feel I am drowning in a tobacco field, and powdery too!
I should try again applying VERY little perhaps.
Many great suggestions here. My mind first went to Bulgari Black, but I think Givenchy Play might be the best “trendy” option out there right now. Of course, there is always an array of Burberry’s at Macy’s.
But, I’m going to go with Fahrenheit to give our trendy guy some retro edge.
Retro edge never hurts!
Chanel Allure Edition Blanche….. John Varvatos Vintage/Artisan… Tom Ford for Men….Some of the better mens fragrances to come out in that price range in the past few years…
Nice picks.
oh no, i can’t accept the challenge…already i have decided to go and find terre’d’hermes at a much better deal…and BB ( i can find it with a soap for US$30)
but wait, my ceo is soooo not trendy and definately not 20, so why would I choose it for this 20yr old when Terre de h is perfect on my man
and….i love bb
Terre d’Hermes is wonderful stuff. Ok, you don’t have to accept the challenge 🙂
Diesel Fuel for Life for Men. I know this stuff definitely under $75.00 and I think a guy this age would like it very much. My husband wears it and it smells delicious on him.
Do they carry Narciso Rodriguez Essence? An easy going (without being dull) fragrance and a beautiful bottle!
Sorry, not at Macys!
my boyfriend is mid 20s, fairly fashionable clothing and not much opinion on scent and the last aftershave/cologne i bought him was Massimo Dutti’s ‘Absolute’. Can you get this in US? It’s a European franchise and I find it inoffensive and quite classive without being too strong. Smells great on him!
I don’t know it, sorry!
I’d probably walk out with Burberry London Special Edition. It’s a great year-rounder.
And a great bottle.