New York

Wearing cologne means walking the razor's edge: too much means fumigating innocent bystanders; too little means smelling like yourself. For a subtle solution, try D.S. and Durga.

A homemade, all-natural line of man-fragrance, DS&D's a collaboration between an NY musician and an architect, the latter having grown tired of her blueprints smelling of NY musician. Their debut line comes in four flavas: light and relaxed Cowboy Grass (Haitian vetiver, white thyme, prairie sage brush), musky Marblehead Reds (oakmoss and bergamot), spiced up Barbados (clove, nutmeg, bay, and Mysore sandalwood), and the cedarwood and mandarin peel Bear Trapper -- modified from "a 16th century Russian alchemist's potion to attract bears" (then coach them to stardom on So Bear Thinks He Can Dance?). DS&D also purveys two after-shave tonics: Singe Batch Bay Rhum (West Indian bay and Jamaican allspice), and a non-drying, slightly astringent tincture called New England Pine -- guaranteed to cover up the smell of cheating.

DS&D retails in .67oz and 1.3oz dabber bottles, but just this week they began offering 1 dram pocket vials at the Brooklyn Flea -- allowing you to walk the razor's edge between smelling like yourself, and being outed as a guy who carries backup cologne.