I thought it would be fun and helpful for anyone just getting started / on a limited budget in this hobby for us to start a thread on top budget picks: anything you can find that’s at least 50ml for $50 and under. This doesn’t have to just include ME brands or clones, it can also include designers you can find at discounters. These should be bangers you actually love to wear that offer fantastic value for the price! Here are some that I’ve come across that I’m so glad to have in my collection: - Fragrance World Star Man Nebula - Versace Man Eau Fraiche - Lalique Ombre Noire - Jimmy Choo Man Ice - Rayhaan Aquatica - Givenchy Gentlemen Only

Match #11 in my 40-fragrance tournament is another battle of opposites: #9 seed Chanel Antaeus versus #24 seed Giorgio Armani Acqua di Gio. Chanel Antaeus (1981, created by Jacques Polge) is a true classic, built around leather, oakmoss, patchouli, castoreum, and woods. It's bold, earthy, and unapologetically masculine. Performance is outstanding, and there's no question it's the more sophisticated fragrance of the two. Acqua di Gio (1996, created by Alberto Morillas) is the fragrance that defined fresh citrus for a generation. With lemon, lime, bergamot, mandarin, jasmine, and marine notes, it's clean, bright, and incredibly easy to wear. No wonder it launched what feels like five million flankers. This may be a bit heretical, but despite Antaeus being the more complex and better-performing fragrance, I'd still reach for Acqua di Gio on most days. It's simply easier to wear and fits my lifestyle better. So this one is an upset: Acqua di Gio advances, and the higher-seeded Antaeus heads to the loser's bracket.

I own the entire Day Three lineup, and to me this is one of the most underrated American artisan fragrance houses out there. The brand doesn’t rely on hype or flashy marketing. Instead, it focuses on quality compositions, creativity, and wearable fragrances that stand on their own. You can tell a lot of thought goes into each release, and most of them have their own identity rather than chasing whatever is trending. What really stands out to me is the quality of the materials and the blending. The fragrances smell smooth, natural, and refined from opening to dry down. They transition well throughout the wear instead of feeling linear or synthetic. Whether it’s a fresh release like Frost, a gourmand, or something darker and richer, they all feel like they belong to the same house because of the attention to detail. Another thing I appreciate is the variety. There is something for almost everyone without the lineup feeling repetitive. You have fresh, tropical, gourmand, woody, spicy, and darker offerings, yet most of them maintain their own personality. I never get the feeling that the house is simply releasing flankers or slightly tweaking the same DNA over and over again. Performance is solid across the line. Some fragrances project more than others because that is simply the style of the scent, but I judge performance by how well a fragrance actually works—not whether it lasts 16 hours or fills an entire room. Day Three fragrances generally have good projection, a noticeable scent trail, and respectable longevity while remaining well-balanced. Cons No house is perfect. Because Day Three is a smaller artisan brand, availability is more limited than designer fragrances, and you won’t find it in department stores. The fragrances also carry artisan pricing, which may be more than someone used to buying designers or clone fragrances wants to spend. While I appreciate that many releases are unique, a few may be more artistic or specific in their appeal and won’t be as universally loved as a typical blue designer fragrance.