10 Budget-Friendly Fragrances That Smell Expensive

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Hey, folks! I hope everyone is doing well today. It's still hot here in South Carolina. It seems like this year has gone by quickly with everything going on in the world. However, this hot summer seems almost endless. Fall will come soon enough.

Today I will be covering 10 fragrances that pack well above their price point and smell expensive to me. I have tried to include some relatively unknown fragrances in here instead of making it a list that you have all seen before. All of these fragrances can be had for $60 or under for at least 30ml. This is not a top 10, so they aren't in any order.

None of the links are affiliate links. I have no sponsors. They only take you directly to the page that sells the fragrance for your convenience. Let's get into it!

NoteL You can wear anything for any season. The seasons category is just which seasons the fragrance excels in.


Ferrari Bright Neroli

Main Notes: Neroli, Grapefruit, Orange Blossom, Bitter Orange, Rosemary, and Vetiver

Price: $24/100ml @ Fragrancenet

Situation: Casual

Seasons: Spring and summer


Ferrari's Bright Neroli is a hyped one. I think this one is actually justified. While this fragrance lacks the depth that the natural notes would have, it does not smell synthetic. It's a bright and uplifting clean scent done in a classic Italian manner with modern ingredients. I absolutely love the value that you get with this one. There aren't many that can beat it.


Guerlain L'Instant de Guerlain EDT

Main Notes: Cacao Pod, Anise, Sandalwood, Tea, Patchouli, and Lemon

Price: $25.99/50ml @ Fragrancenet

Situation: Semi-formal, formal, or date night

Seasons: Fall, winter, and spring


I honestly could have put any Guerlain under $60 on here. However, that would have been boring to you folks. I figured you are tired of hearing about my love for Vetiver, so I would use this one. L'Instant is a gentleman's gourmand. It has gourmandy notes, but only comes off very slightly as a gourmand. Bitter cacao with creamy sandalwood, a healthy dose of anise, bitter black tea, and topped off with a slightly minty, but mostly woody patchouli. This fragrance is for working professionals who want something a bit different for nighttime wear. It's intriguing, mysterious, and sexy. Thi sisn't a sweet clubbing fragrance.


Zara Rich Warm Addictive

Main Notes: Bourbon Vanilla, Rum, Tonka, Honey, and Coconut

Price: $19.90/100ml @ Zara

Situation: Any

Seasons: Fall and winter

Zara Rich Warm Addictive is a new addiction to my collection. I picked it up from a friend of mine for $17. Shoutout to Michael Pahl Jr.! Anyways, this one surprised me for the quality. Yes, it's another hyped one. The last Zara I tried, Vibrant Leather Oud, was terrible. This redeemed the company for me.

This has a strong coconut vibe. I am not sure if it's actually coconut or if they used a coconut rum accord to mix with the vanilla. This is a 2018 version, for the record. I am not detecting any tobacco in this. I think they used tonka instead. The vanilla and chocolate facets of the tonka are smooth and not sem-bitter like they would be in tobacco. I am not getting the slight earthiness that would indicate tobacco is in here either. Also, the slight powdery spiciness would indicate tonka as well. Tonka is often used in place of tobacco because they are quite similar. There is also a sweet honey note that coats the entire composition.

This is a sweet one that offers great value for your money. I am glad to have it in my collection. Some people compare it to Parfums de marly Herod. I get where that comparison comes in with the rich vanilla in the dry down with the slight spice, but I don't think it's a clone or a copy by any means.


Scentstory 24 Gold

Main Notes: Vanilla, Amber, Oud, and Sandalwood

Price: $22.32/50ml @ Fragrancebuy (Tip: Get the 50ml. It's the older formula and it's better)

Situation: Any

Season: Fall and winter

ScentStory 24 Gold is a Kalemat style fragrance that features resins, spice, a bit of smoke that are the base for a rich vanilla and amber fragrance. Luxuriously Arabic and unapologetically strong, this fragrance is an attention grabber. It smells very expensive and the composition is quite rich. The bottle is an annoying fingerprint magnet though and it's difficult to tell how much fragrance you have left. I suggest getting this one before the 50ml bottles are gone. The price of these will skyrocket when they are.

Nicolai Vanille Tonka

Main Notes: Vanilla, Tonka, Incense, Cinnamon, and Pepper

Price: $60/30ml @ Lucky Scent

Situation: Any

Season: Fall and winter


Nicolai Vanille Tonka is a sweet and smoky balsamic fragrance with a bit of spice that was made with quality ingredients. I was actually shocked to find this is marketed to women. It is most certainly unisex. The vanilla and tonka aren't cream in this. They are strictly balsamic and sweet. Don't go into this one thinking it's going to be a gourmand. It's very far from that. There is a basil note in the opening that is distracting and ruins the fragrance until it dries down a bit.

Narciso Rodriguez Bleu Noir for Men EDP

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Main Notes: Vetiver, Musk, and Blue Cedar

Price: $33.79 @ Fragrancenet

Situation: Any

Seasons: Spring and summer


Narciso Rodriguez's Blue Noir EDP hails from a house known to create high-quality scents at an affordable price. Grapefruit tinged fresh vetiver meets clean powdery musk with woody blue cedar. This is one of those rare summer scents that just shines at night, but it can be worn during the day as well. It does have a dark cleanliness about it. This would be a great first date fragrance because it's unique, but pleasing. It's not something that most people will find offensive, but it's much different than your typical date night scents.

Houbigant Iris des Champs

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Main Notes: Iris, Musk, Ylang-Ylang, Lily-of-the-Valley, and Bergamot

Price: $51.99/100ml @ Fragrancenet

Situation: Any

Seasons: Spring and summer


Houbigant is another unisex fragrance marketed towards women. However, this one does lean slightly feminine. It's mostly a powdery iris with clean musk that is supported by a fresh bergamot note and various clean florals. This is the most elegant iris I have smelled in a fragrance yet. This stuff does retail for $200, so $52 is a steal for it. Houbigant is an old French house that is showing their roots with this one, while also keeping it modern. This stuff is certainly classy like a guy in a suit eating brunch with his lady in a white summer dress at a mansion, while wafts of their nearby spring garden sweep by.  It's just beautiful perfumery at work here and I am not sure why no one has mentioned this fragrance before.


Calvin Klein Euphoria Amber Gold

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Main notes: Amber, Cypress, Leather, Incense, and Vetiver

Price: $58.49/100ml @ Fragrancenet

Situations: Semi-formal or formal

Seasons: Fall and winter


If you are thinking this will be a rich and gooey amber from the bottle, think again. This is a resinous amber. The best way to describe this to you would be a deep forest with incense. I was surprised as well. While I will not admit that the fragrance itself is not overly impressive, it does exceed Calvin Klein standards by far. It does smell expensive, almost too expensive. That is why I think it's more of a dressed-up fragrance.


Baldessarini Nautic Spirit

Main Notes: Seawater, Curry Tree, Musk, Passionfruit, Cardamom, ginger, and Mango

Price: $29.89/90ml @ Fragrancenet

Situation: Casual

Season: Summer


I've said it before and I will say it again, Nautic Spirit is a gentleman's aquatic. Fresh seawater meets clean musk, sandalwood. A cool layer of mango and passionfruit meets contrast with fiery spices of curry tree, cardamom, and ginger. This isn't a sweet fragrance. It's clean, cool, and spicy. A very unique fragrance that no one talks about and it smells very high quality...Especially when you consider that Hugo Boss made this.


Al-Rehab Sultan Al Oud

Main Notes: Oud, Vanilla, and Oriental Spices

Price: $5.60/6ml @ eBay (I have purchased a few things from this seller and I can vouch for them)

Situation: Semi-formal, formal, or romantic

Seasons: Fall and winter

Al-Rehab Sultan Al Oud is a perfume oil that has smoky oud, cinnamon, cardamom, and vanilla. It's rich, resinous, and sweet. I really do love this one. Give it a bit after you apply it. Al-Rehab oils take several hours before they change. The openings are typically not the best, but most are tolerable. The magic happens in the dry down.

As far as I have researched, they don't make this in a spray. If someone can find it in a spray, please let me know. I'd love to get this in a spray form.


Conclusion

I hope you enjoyed this one and found some new fragrances to check out. I hope everyone stays safe. Remember to speak a kind word to someone today. You never know how much it can help them and it's free. Keep smelling great and being great!

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