*****
Cleanliness is key. Your collection of sweaters, oxford shirts, and chinos will do you no good without it. A well dressed but foul smelling man just might as well be wearing rags. However, if you are reading this blog, the chance you need to hear this very slim. You already know it. However, I will still point out that there is a difference between not smelling bad and smelling good. Today's post is about the latter. Most guys want to smell good, and have wanted to since they were tweens. Remember the days of Axe body spray after gym class or before your 8th grade dance? You wanted to smell good then too, and wanted to prove it by dousing yourself in cheap chemicals that are probably now burning a hole in the Ozone layer. Well, now that your body spray days are (hopefully) over, it is time to select a scent of moderation and maturity. I will be giving four reviews of products ranging from inexpensive to premium makers.
Old Spice Classic Cologne & Aftershave
Confession time: yours truly was of the body spray crowd too when he was in middle school. However, Axe was never my go-to. Old Spice put out their own collection of sprays as well, which I was enamored with. After doing my fair share of atmospheric damage with the numerous cans bought over the course of my middle school days, I one day decided that my spraying days were over, and switched over to designer cologne for a few months (Aramis & Drakkar Noir). However, my allegiances soon returned to Old Spice after discovering that they too had a cologne that was much more inexpensive.
 |
| Old Spice cologne comes with a spraying function. Meanwhile, aftershave (above) is to be dabbed or splashed on. |
The great thing about Old Spice is its price and availability. While the cologne is harder to find (but not by much), the aftershave can be found in just about any drugstore, and for slightly over $10. Probably the most Ivy of my favorite fragrances. Combine with the scents Brylcreem and cigarette smoke for the smell of just about any 1960s college campus. Madison Avenue made this the scent of the alpha male back then, and continues to today (for other products).
Chesapeake Bay Spyce
We now shift to another spice, or rather "spyce". Chesapeake Bay Spyce is a local company based in Easton, MD (see my post). However, I have found the cologne in men stores as far South as Williamsburg, VA. I received a bottle as a Christmas gift, and it is now my go-to every day scent that doesn't clash at all with my Old Spice aftershave. Just like Brylcreem, a little dab 'll do ya. This stuff is strong! For all my Maryland, Delaware, and Virginia readers (on and off the Peninsula), I especially recommend this for you. Look in local men stores, pharmacies, and gift shops. I got my bottle from the Ward Museum of Wildfowl Art in Salisbury. And if you happen to live somewhere else, such as the landlocked Midwest, and want the smell of the Bay, I won't accuse you of cultural appropriation. You can get Chesapeake Spyce on Amazon for the same price as in stores!
 |
| A 4 oz. bottle of CB Spyce sells for about $30 for those who are wondering. |
 |
| Showcasing the Delmarva Peninsula on the back of the box. |
 |
| It wouldn't be a Chesapeake Bay cologne without something involving the Blue Crab. |
Caswell-Massey Sandalwood Cologne
The oldest American fragrance company (so old, it used to be British) puts out the next fragrance on our list. I bought a bottle three years ago before my summer class at William & Mary. While a haze of Axe hung over the rooms of many of my other dorm mates, the room I shared always had the smell of Sandalwood. For these reasons, I always associate this sweet smelling fragrance with the school and the wonderful people I met there. After a year of almost daily use of Sandalwood, I made the move back to Old Spice during my senior year of high school, only using the C-M for special occasions.
 |
| With a thin layer covering the bottom of the bottle, my bottle of Sandalwood has lasted me nearly three years. Oddly enough, the price has gone up from the time I bought it. Being $35 in 2015 and now $45 in 2018. |
St. Johns Bay Rum
Highest on the price spectrum of my recommended fragrances is this bad boy. Imported from the Virgin Islands and costing $50 for a bottle, Bay Rum can be found in local men stores and giants such as Brooks Brothers alike. I am always sure to take a sample spritz when shopping at the stores that carry it. After I finish my bottle of Chesapeake Bay Spyce, I will likely move on to Bay Rum before deciding which scent to actually stick with.
Honorable and Dishonorable Mentions
 |
| Ivy-Style.com coins Bay Rum as the "scent of Madison Avenue". Want to smell like Don Draper (minus the stench of cigarettes)? Then this is the cologne for you! (picture property of ivy-style.com) |
The scents endorsed above are certainly not the only ones that will do. While I typically recommend against them, some clothing companies do produce a decent cologne for a decent price. Brooks Brothers and Polo are examples of this. Do not bother with Tommy Hilfiger or Nautica's lines of fragrances. The biggest NO I give is Fierce by A&F, and I'm not even going to explain why. Even colognes from high fashion houses such as Gucci, Armani, etc. I recommend against. Their specialty is clothes, so buy from someone whose specialty is fragrances. Then again, as I said before, exceptions can always be made. In the end, once you have found a scent you like, wear it proudly and stick with it.
*******
