I'm a bit bipolar when it comes to fragrance. You know those guys that wear one sort of style of fragrance? Not me. My tastes are as fickle as my moods, and vary along with the seasons. Light & fresh one day, heady the next. Complex, you see.
Favourites:
Kenzo Pour Homme. Marine, Cloves, Nutmeg, Sandalwood, Vetiver. For me the perfect balance between spicy and woody, but with the fresh 'green' smell of the ocean. One of the earliest 'marine' (or 'ozonic' as we called them in the trade) fragrances, and great for Summer. Think a forest grove near the ocean. Fire Island maybe.
L'eau par Kenzo Pour Homme. My other favourite by Kenzo. Yuzu, Ho Leaf, Lotus Leaf, Aquatic Mint, Green Pepper, White Musk, Mandarin, Rosewood, Waterlily, Floral Musk. If that ingredient list is hard to imagine, you're right. The balance is soft and light, an ideal daytime Summer fragrance. I'd buy it anyway, just because it has something called Ho Leaf in it.
Gucci Pour Homme. Sexy, sexy. White Pepper, Pink Bay, Ginger from Yunnan, Papyruswood, Orris Rhizome, Vetiver Root, Amber, White Olibanum, Leather. Heady, sweet, spicy and yet somehow sleek. I have more compliments when I wear this than almost any other fragrance.
Tactics by Shiseido. This is a very strange scent, but one that grows on you. Very floral but with a strong 'green' chypre note and quite woody. The ex-boyfriend of an old friend of mine used to wear it all the time after he bought it in Japan, and I had to seek it out after smelling it on him. I haven't had a bottle for this for ages, and it's very hard to find.
Santos de Cartier. Strong, intense, sweet, floral and spicy. Ideal for Winter. Smells like diamonds, expensive watches and arrogance. Lavender, Basil, Bergamot, Nutmeg, Cumin, Juniper, Sandalwood, Cedarwood, Patchouli, Vetiver. Was my signature fragrance in the early 90's when I was a fragrance & cosmetics buyer (read, free samples) and I've worked my way through a few bottles of this since, but it's very expensive.
Very Irrestible For Men by Givenchy. The new kid on the block. A Christmas gift from some friends who got it very right. The name irks me slightly though because it sounds a bit like a tautology, don't you think? I mean, something is either irresistible, or it isn't, right? Anyhoo. Grapefruit Peel, Mint Leaf, Sesame Seed, Mocha, Hazelnut Wood, Virginia Cedar. Woody and citrusy, tres masculine and a bit exotic. I've been wearing this since Christmas, to rave reviews.
L'Eau d'Issey Pour Homme by Issey Miyake. One of my all time favourites. Watery, clean, fresh, yet woody and spicy also. Verbena, Tangerine, Cypress, Yuzu Zest, Coriander, Clary Sage, Geranium Bourbon, Blue Water Lily, Nutmeg, Saffron, Cinnamon Bark from Ceylon, Amber Tobacco, Vetiver, Sandalwood, Musk. Sounds edible, non?
Some Past Favourites:
- Givenchy Gentleman
- Eau Savage by Dior
- "Incense" by Spanish luxury good brand LOEWE, sadly now discontinued. Used to make me want to claw myself in pleasure.
- Eternity and Escape by Calvin Klein
- Eau Parfumee Green Tea by Bulgari. Originally marketed as a unisex fragrance, now mostly marketed to women.
4 comments:
oh! oh I love talking about scents. I can't dissect them they way you do, but my favourites are:
warm, dark, spicy, seductive and 'womanly', yet hopefully not too heavy:
* Oscar de la Renta by Oscar de la Renta - discovered this when I was the tender age of 16. it smelt so delicious and womanly! my first real perfume. while everyone else jumped on the Poison (which The Delightful Mother thought smelt very cheap) bandwagon, I wore Oscar, which was much more obscure. what a poseur... heh... I think I used to wear too much in high school, but Mikey said once that it smelt so good, no-one could complain. I do hope he wasn't just being tactful :) still love this very much.
* Cabochard by Gres... a little obscure and I like that in a perfume... heh. again, I found this when I was young, whilst travelling, and it was very hard to find in Australia. tasty.
* Baroque by Fragonard - this makes me want to claw myself with pleasure - I know that feeling TOA! nuff said ;)
cool, spicy, spunky, delicious daytime wear:
* L'Eau d'Issey (the original one) - lovely, sexy in a daytime way, light but not too light, or frivolous. The Delightful Mother chose this at my request - I wanted a modern perfume a few years ago and she dismissed all the other designer fragrances as smelling cheap'n'nasty. she didn't even know this was groovy. she just knew it smelt so good. classy.
* Lune de Miel by Fragonard - evocative of the south of France (man that sounds wanky). I also love the fact that the name is the literal translation of 'honeyoon'. Moon of Honey. sweet (but not too sweet) and dreamy! makes me smile.
two others I don't wear much any more:
* Chanel No 5 - yeah, that hoary old dame ;) a classic, and I like it, but everyone wears it apparently... but then that's why it's a classic, isn't it?
* Eden by Cacharel - strangely lovely, a little sweet perhaps, but unfortunately very powerful - easy to overdo it so I don't wear this much.
and finally -
* White Linen - I don't actually wear this but The Delightful Mother does, and she really, really suits it. smells fantastic. for some reason I don't think it's for me.
My all time favorite is Clinique Happy. Simple and delicious. It makes me feel pretty. ;)
I also LOVE the new DKNY, Be Delicious. And Clean by Dlish. They are both, well, delicious.
Aqua Di Gio makes me want to have sex for 10 hours solid. Maybe I should James some of that...
Ho Leaf. ::snort:: (Okay, no snorting the Ho Leaf, I don't know where that bitch has been.)
Thanks for a groovy list of scents to check out. As always, I'm in retro mode so the newest thing currently on my vanity is CK One. This strikes you fashionable boys as very tragic, I know, but some of the chicks dig retro.
Oh, and I'll totally vote for degrees of irresistibility. There's irresistible as in: I have to leave because otherwise I'm going to do something dangerous; and then there's irresistible as in: ohmygod how did my hand get into this married woman's pants?
My ex and I shared a bottle of Clinique Happy for Men way back when. It's nice. Summery. Tangy. Sort of Melon-y.
(Maybe warn James before you buy the Aqua di Gio.)
I bought CkOne at Nordstrom in San Francisco on my first ever work trip to the US (when I was a buyer). It had just come out and I really liked the fresh summeryness of it. I like my fragrance to 'make a statement' (ie bring tears to your eyes) so I found the lightness of it a bit maddening though. Love the scent. Calvin's 'Escape' was a fave of mine for a loooong time.
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