Question:
I really must start by saying that the help on this site is amazingly friendly!!
I need advice with suggestions on STARTING OUT with niche scents..
Usually i head to bars and clubs.. I never have a use for anything formal!
The only ones iv tried are from the CREED line and the two that i would purchase so far are GIT and REL
Which frags would you recommend for someone thats just getting his foot through the door?

Answer:
I have yet to make that progression myself, haven't yet mainly for monetary reasons. So I am kind of in your position as well.
Nonetheless: The ones I looked at and which intrigued me, were a number of Comme des Garcons fragrances, some of which aren't even that expensive, and Serge Lutens Chergui. The CDG are sometimes very edgy, smoky and special, some even offputting, but nonetheless worth a look. I really like their concept of different series focusing on different types of scent. Maybe the Sweet and Incense Series would be best for clubbing/bars.
Concerning the Lutens one there are surely many many experts here that can give you a roundup on all of these, but Chergui felt like a rather complex experience, sweet and dark and WEARABLE, good for a night out. It may be the beginners Lutens, but I am a beginner, and you seem to see yourself as one, too I also tried Fumerie Turque from that line, but wasn't as convinced. They have many more to try, of course.

Answer:
Originally Posted by deck89 I really must start by saying that the help on this site is amazingly friendly!!
I need advice with suggestions on STARTING OUT with niche scents..
Usually i head to bars and clubs.. I never have a use for anything formal!
The only ones iv tried are from the CREED line and the two that i would purchase so far are GIT and REL
Which frags would you recommend for someone thats just getting his foot through the door? God !! Let's start with what kind of frag you like : spicy, fresh, fruity, woody, herbal ... ? Classical, modern, unconventional ???

Answer:
Originally Posted by xxerus God !! Let's start with what kind of frag you like : spicy, fresh, fruity, woody, herbal ... ? Classical, modern, unconventional ???
I notice that your post starts with GOD!!
I REALLY Hope that this is a spelling error!
Kind regards

Answer:
What first brought me to Basenotes and niche fragrances was, in fact, Comme de Garcons fragrances.
As was previously mentioned, many of their scents can be found inexpensively (although some of them are mid-luxury in pricing). Some CdG scents that I think might work for you are:
Odeur 53 or Odeur 71
Sequoia (part of the Red Series)
Avignon (part of the Incense Series)
Kyoto (part of the Incense Series)
Skai (part of the Synthetic series)
Guerilla 1 (part of the Guerilla series[duh!])
White
There are MANY MORE I want to recommend, but once you discover this house, you'll find the other great scents that they have too.
Another 'niche' house that I admire, but the scents are much costlier, is L'Artisan. Stick around here on Basenotes a little while, though, and you'll find samples/decants that you can try of this amazing fragrance house. Some of my favorite:
Voleur de Roses
Ananas Fizz
L'Eau de L'Artisan
Finally, I see you you already know about Creed. I don't LOVE Creed like many here on BN, but I absolutely adore Silver Mountain Water. Please try it. GREAT SCENT for clubbing!

Answer:
Thanks
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Originally Posted by mikeperez23 What first brought me to Basenotes and niche fragrances was, in fact, Comme de Garcons fragrances.
As was previously mentioned, many of their scents can be found inexpensively (although some of them are mid-luxury in pricing). Some CdG scents that I think might work for you are:
Odeur 53 or Odeur 71
Sequoia (part of the Red Series)
Avignon (part of the Incense Series)
Kyoto (part of the Incense Series)
Skai (part of the Synthetic series)
Guerilla 1 (part of the Guerilla series[duh!])
White
There are MANY MORE I want to recommend, but once you discover this house, you'll find the other great scents that they have too.
Another 'niche' house that I admire, but the scents are much costlier, is L'Artisan. Stick around here on Basenotes a little while, though, and you'll find samples/decants that you can try of this amazing fragrance house. Some of my favorite:
Voleur de Roses
Ananas Fizz
L'Eau de L'Artisan
Finally, I see you you already know about Creed. I don't LOVE Creed like many here on BN, but I absolutely adore Silver Mountain Water. Please try it. GREAT SCENT for clubbing! Excellent post!! Superb advice!!
Thanks

Answer:
I think L'Artisan would be a an excellent choice. They are very unique and won't break the bank as much as other niche lines. I would order samples from www.aedes.com. Fou d'Absinthe, Dzing, Mechant Loup, Passage d'Enfer, Timbuktu, Voleur de Rose and Dzongkha would be a good start.
Although most don't consider CdG niche, i think their Odeur 53 and Odeur 71 would be good club scents. Especially 53. You can find these at www.luckyscent.com. This could be another option. Good luck.

Answer:
Personally, I don't necessarily think that niche fragrances are always better than mainstream designer fragrances. The only one's I've sampled are L'Artisan & Etro. Some of their scents are unusual & nice.
P.S. I did sample Serge Lutens, and I didn't like most of them, (but I'm extremely picky) but they ARE different than most out there, and the Creed line, some are interesting, but truthfully, there's way too many for me to go through & sample. (don't have the patience) Sorry, not much help, but like I said before, I think alot of the mainstream designer MEN fragrances are just as good, IMO.

Answer:
A good way to get into the niche world is to e-mail various niche houses and kindly request samples. Most of them will oblige. With a little work, you should pretty easily be able to get 5 or so houses to send you free samples. Then go to a site like Aedes and order some samples (something like $15 for 7) and get whatever looks interesting. Between free samples and cheap samples, you'll have some stuff to work with. Good luck.

Answer:
I think that once you are getting into niches you don't really need to start out again. You are already familiar with colognes and the way they are composed/used. There are less generic niches, that might be seen as the stuff you have to work up to so I'll try to give suggestions based on that note.
Incense and Sweet Series from Comme des Garcons is easy to wear and find.
Creed is a good place to start out. They are fairly simple niches and are more "normal" among that class of fragrance. By normal I mean that they are more appealing to the masses similarly to designer stuff.
Serge Lutens is a great house. Most of the stuff is sweet and warm but it is a great place to find gems. I like Cherguie and Fumerie Turque the most.
The more obscure stuff would be L'Artisan, Etro, SMN, Montale...
Enjoy the hunt!!