find notes you like and go from there. most of the stuff at sephora/department stores, while not bad, is pretty same-y and blended in a way to be readily approachable from top to bottom with nothing jutting out too much. IMO dior's offerings stand out a bit in that they have unusual notes (iris and/or myrrh mainly) for men's fragrance, and if your sephora has a good selection of hermes they are worth a look too.
some nicer department stores will have jo malone which edges toward a more 'niche' sensibility, where one or two notes are dominant with a background of other accords for support. wood sage and sea salt is a pretty classic masculine offering from them, but most of what they make is straight up feminine floral or spicy unisex stuff. dyptique is also worth a look if it's around. there are so many brands and bottles out there you can spend months digging.