When it comes to luxury clothing, Burberry is up there with the names most mere mortals would have to skip a few meals to be able to afford. £9.99 for 100ml eau de cologne splash, from Fragrance Direct.īurberry Brit Rhythm Men Intense Eau de Toilette Tabac’s punchy blend of lavender, sandalwood, carnation and tobacco will come as a shock if you’re only used to contemporary fragrances, but it’s a shock worth subjecting yourself to. “It is deeply uncool yet clinging on for dear life in certain quarters,” says Lizzie Ostrom, author of Perfume: A Century of Scents, of this corner-shop chemist classic. Tabac has, rather unfavourably, been described as the string vest aftershaves.

£12.99 for 100ml eau de toilette, from Zara. Remember that if you do like this or any other of Zara‘s fragrances, it’s worth grabbing a couple of bottles because, much like the retailer’s clothing, styles don’t always stick around for long. In the past, the high street behemoth has worked with the likes of acclaimed fragrance designer Alberto Morillas (Calvin Klein CK One and Giorgio Armani Aqua di Giò) to come up with relaxed, especially wearable summer fragrances like the fresh, perky Midsummer Orange Zest. Good for more than just fast and affordable fashion, Zara is worth a nose for an everyday fragrance, too. £8.76 for 100ml eau de toilette, from Amazon. It’s a solid option for fans of Givenchy Play, as it comprises similarly spicy (but significantly less expensive) notes characterised by its top note of bergamot. Aromatic and woody with notes of lemon and tonka bean, but with an energising edge, Adidas Extreme Power debuted in 2012 and is, well, really quite good. Wait, before you run away, no this isn’t part of another naff gift set. £13.50 for 75ml eau de toilette, from Feelunique. If his lyrics with Craig David are anything to go by, the inexpensive eau de toilette is a favourite of British MC Big Narstie (a man who could well afford most money-is-no-object alternatives), cementing it as a budget scent that nothing short of a steal.

Versace could well have hiked the price of its woodsy, citrusy Blue Jeans, but the fact it remains a highly affordable option only adds to its charm.

Versace Blue JeansĪ classic, masculine fragrance that men have returned to for more than two decades. Can you get a decent fragrance for minimal spend? We took a cold, hard sniff of the market’s entry-level options to find the scents under £20 that are actually worth buying.

Lizzie ostrom perfume