Do make sure to try Kouros by Yves St. Laurent. It has some wood and spice oils in it that make it so you don’t smell like a French cathouse. It’s the only cologne I will voluntarily wear. I’ve even known some women who have liked wearing it.
My current collogne is Allure for men by Chanel. It’s not too heavy smelling, nor is it too sweet and flowery. Just right for me. I bought it on the reccomendation of my bro’s wife (who really loves it…i think she’s awesome so i took her advice)
I second Davidoff’s Cool Water. You’ll get lucky, I promise. This stuff is aphrodisiac in a bottle. Yum!
Polo by Ralph Lauren
If you’re not morally opposed to Abercrombie and Fitch (I know there are some people who are, for whatever reasons), try their colognes. They smell pretty good.
Another vote for Cool Water.
I have a miniature bottle of Cool Water, and I sometimes drip a few drops of it onto my body pillow. It’s nice to fall asleep hugging the pillow and wake up with hints of the scent on me.
Mmmmm…Cool Water…
That and Michael Kors’ Tattersal and Ralph Lauren’s Polo.
I’m also in the no cologne, just smell clean camp. But if you must, Hugo Boss is nice. It’s light and not overwhelmingly cologney.
With all due respect, I seriously can’t believe that no one you know likes cologne on men. I can’t think of ONE SINGLE GIRLFRIEND of mine who doesn’t love it.
A man wearing good-smelling cologne makes me melt. Guys who don’t wear cologne are just a little bit disappointing. My two favorites are Woods by Abercrombie & Fitch, and Obsession for Men.
Cool Water.
Guaranteed to make this girl want to get as close as possible—that scent just does it for me.
And I have to agree with ** Boli: **men who don’t wear cologne seem not quite complete for me.
I’ll throw in another vote for Gravity. Heck, I used to wear it. ~_^
My personal favorites are “4711” from Cologne, Germany (smells clean, like good soap, not musky or perfumy at all)
and Clubman after-shave (available at any Walgreens drug store for less than five dollars, smells great)
Grey Flannel was my personal favorite but both an old girlfriend and my newer wife nixed it.
I get compliments now on Obsession and Polo.
This is going to sound weird, but I assure it DOES work.
When choosing a cologne (or for the ladies, perfume), I was told by a friend who had lost her sense of smell that there IS a way to be sure the scent is the right one for you. You take the teeniest dab of the stuff, and touch it to the end of you tongue. The more it burns, the better the scent will smell on you.
(Waits for laughter to subside).
No, really! It DOES work. I’ve tried it with various people, both at work and in my family, and we’ve always had good results. The scents that stink on me produced no sensation whatsoever, the ones I really liked burned my tongue like crazy. Yet the same scent that burned me produced no reaction at all with my sister.
Just a suggestion.
I really used to like Michael Jordan’s cologne. It was nice.
My hubby wears Paul Sebastian on occation. Seems to work for me.
But, what do you like? What does Mrs. Beagledave like. Talk to the salesperson about what you guys like. Skip the little spritzers and bring home some samples. Try one a day so the scents don’t mix. If its horrid, you can shower.
This is how I’ve found my perfumes, and it seems to work well. But I don’t wear them anymore - they taste bad…
New Boyfriend wears Givenchy’s Pi. I love it!
He sprayed some on my elbow today. I smelled like a boy while meeting the new CEO.
AZZARO…I’ve used it for 25 years and still going strong. Unlike me 
My usual (when I can afford it) is Fahrenheit. I love that stuff. I’ve also used Drakkar Noir, and (when I can’t afford actual name stuff) Black Suede.
The “just plain soap” thing doesn’t work for me…usually by the time I’ve put clothes on after a shower I’m already sweaty (my body temp seems to be about 3 degrees higher than a normal person’s and simple room temperature in a normally heated house is enough to make me sweat) and the soap scent dies quickly. So it’s cologne for me. I’ve always envied guys who actually not only got their clothes on after a shower but managed to get all the way to the bar still smelling like soap, though.
jayjay
Although I agree with a female doper who wrote that not every man can wear it. My suggestion is to try it from the tester, let it “flash off” a bit and then get your SO or a friend to tell you what he/she thinks. It is also quite expensive at 45.00 for 2.5 Fl Oz. Watch for it on sale on Valentine’s, Father’s Day, and of course Christmas.
Quasi
… that even though it’s not a “designer” fragrance, I always liked the smell of Old Spice on my Dad, and I use the shaving cream to remind me of him.
Just a little anecdote: any of you 60’s dopers remember English Leather? I used to stop off at the local drugstore in Villa Rica, Georgia (where I grew up) before a date and use the tester to splash myself really generously. The pharmacist was always a good sport about it, and always kept a full bottle of it on hand.
What was that slogan?
“All my men wear English Leather, or they wear nothing at all.”
Quas’