Reddit mentions of Grey Flannel by Geoffrey Beene Cologne for Men, 4 fl. oz. EDT Spray

I was actually asked that very question about 10 days ago. I've copied the response below:

Okay, so I'll answer the question in two parts:

Aftershaves

This is a tough one. There aren't that many fougère aftershaves that are both good and inexpensive. The best I can recommend would be, in order of price:

Antonio Puig Agua Lavanda (ignore the literature and just trust me on this)

Pour un Homme de Caron Aftershave Balm, which is both soothing to the skin and one of the greatest lavender fragrances ever built. It's been a little battered by time and reformulation, but is still a masterpiece. Simple, unobtrusive lavender, vanilla, and clean musk.

D.R. Harris Arlington is one of the most revered fougères in shaving, though I must confess that I'm not terribly fond of its sweetness. I find it rather too lemony for me, which gives it an air of lemon pez.

Perfumes

I feel rather odd saying this but the absolute best compliment to Imperiale, in my view at least, is not a fougère at all, but a leather fragrance called Knize ("kuh-nee-sha") Ten. It's a dark, dry, old-style leather, the preferred fragrance of James Dean, and one of the most richly complex fragrances I've ever encountered. It's gorgeous stuff, jointly created by two of the greatest perfumers in history. That said, it's an extraordinarily divisive fragrance, so I'd order a sample of it if you think it might be for you. If you need recommendations for sample dealers, just let me know.

If you're looking for lighter and cleaner, I can recommend four brilliant fougères that would work beautifully with Imperiale:

1. Geoffrey Beene Grey Flannel: A slightly peculiar but eerily beautiful fougère with heavy emphasis on petitgrain and iris. Bitter and powdery, with rich oak moss base notes, and one of my favorite fragrances of all time. It's dirt cheap to boot.
   
   
2. Penhaligon's English Fern: Perhaps the most "classic" of the fougères on this list, though it's heavier on clover and anise than most other fougères I've encountered, which really plays up the "soapy green" aspect of such scents. Extremely popular in the shaving world and very much a "mature" fragrance; I never feel old enough when I wear it.
   
   
3. Azzaro Pour Homme: The only aromatic fougère on my list, this is one of the great masterpieces of perfumery and so historically significant that there are six individual perfumers who claim to created it. It carries a slightly bitter caraway note and has a bit of a rough beginning, but transforms into a beautiful, airy fougère within about 15 minutes. It's quite inexpensive, especially for what it is, and a little goes a long way.
   
   
4. Guerlain Mouchoir de Monsieur: The "Gentleman's Handkerchief" is my absolute favorite perfume of all time (and, coincidentally, the one I wore to my law school graduation). It was created in 1905 as the brighter, dirtier cousin to Aimé Guerlain's masterpiece Jicky. It carries a lot of lemon and a considerable dose of civet, which turns to a beautiful velvety power on my skin. There's really no replacement for smelling it in person, but it's unfortunately very difficult to come by in US department stores or even perfume specialty shops, so I recommend ordering a sample of it (and Jicky, if you're interested in the perfume that made Guerlain famous).
   
   Hope that helps.

I suggest going down to CVS or Target for your balm...

Duke Cannon Ice Cold or Cremo Cooling balm at Target is about $2.50 / ounce, so $10 for those (roughly), and CVS offers Aqua Velva 5 in 1 Sensitive Balm for about $6 (forget the product size, maybe 3 ounces?). You can also get the AV from Amazon for less, depending on seller.

IMHO, any of these three mentioned outperforms any currently offered artisan balms, and at a cheaper price point. The scents are mild, pleasant, and fade quickly, and that last point is seen with all artisan balms also, so is kind of a standard characteristic.

As far as EDTs, also suggest moving away from artisans, at least until you have funds built up and preferences established.

Grey Flannel is all of $17: https://www.amazon.com/Flannel-Geoffrey-Beene-Toilette-4-Ounce/dp/B000C1UEZI/ref=sr_1_1_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1539875209&sr=8-1-spons&keywords=grey+flannel+cologne+for+men&psc=1

Paco Rabanne PH EDT = $25: https://www.amazon.com/Paco-Rabanne-toilette-Spray-Ounce/dp/B000195QUO/ref=pd_sim_194_1?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B000195QUO&pd_rd_r=9f98cdfc-d2e7-11e8-b4d0-e1b91b9d888c&pd_rd_w=PX1it&pd_rd_wg=9FEW5&pf_rd_i=desktop-dp-sims&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_p=18bb0b78-4200-49b9-ac91-f141d61a1780&pf_rd_r=VGKK7S8TY20TGP2RN09Q&pf_rd_s=desktop-dp-sims&pf_rd_t=40701&psc=1&refRID=VGKK7S8TY20TGP2RN09Q

VC & A Tsar roughly the same price: https://www.amazon.com/Van-Cleef-Arpels-Toilette-Ounces/dp/B000CNP4HO/ref=sr_1_1_s_it?s=beauty&ie=UTF8&qid=1539875354&sr=1-1&keywords=tsar+edt

As is Aramis by Lauder: https://www.amazon.com/Aramis-Toilette-Spray-Body-Shampoo/dp/B000GSVJCY/ref=pd_sim_194_2?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B07HJS653R&pd_rd_r=df727a40-d2e7-11e8-99db-c5033403ba63&pd_rd_w=G03Iv&pd_rd_wg=41Axs&pf_rd_i=desktop-dp-sims&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_p=18bb0b78-4200-49b9-ac91-f141d61a1780&pf_rd_r=CN4KW05R616MJBSDPD6A&pf_rd_s=desktop-dp-sims&pf_rd_t=40701&refRID=CN4KW05R616MJBSDPD6A&th=1

Not even mentioning Brut or Old Spice! (Aim for EDC or EDP in both of those, not the aftershave.)

Anyway, you may not like each and every one of these fragrance choices, but based on what you've said so far, you seem to be OK with smelling like something other than "the ocean", or "fresh". So all of these are worth a try, and a 1.7 oz bottle of any of these will last you for 7 or 8 months, assuming constant use of three spritzes per day.

Most artisans are good at making soap. A very few are also good at making scents, but to me, it makes more sense to try older, cheaper classic scents first for best value and the most bang for the buck.