Men's Fragrances

[jogu]

speaking of perfumes that others loathe i wore musc koublai khan today , i hung out w/ my mom and i asked her what she thought of it and to be like honest . she said it smelled smokey , sweet like a pipe , floral . i was like ok what else ? she just said maybe a smoking pipe and something floral and sweet like amber . no poop , no sweaty ball soup . i told her what it was and if she smelled anythin musky ? she leaned in again and was like hmmm maybe a little since u mentioned it but not really , maybe a bit of fur like from an animal .
me personally i like musc koub khan and havent had anyone complain about me wearin it , in fact ppl tend to like it on me and i think it would smell good on others also . somethin bout that wild animal fur is appealing , to me anyway

edit : i just smelled my shirt collar rite now , can still smell it , its sweet and floral and alot of the muskiness is gone , only vaguely furry . its still pretty rich and dense at this point and its been like , idk 7 - 8 hours maybe . i dont have much of my decant left and i dont wanna change my shirt yet cos im liking it

[darkbydesign]

I love the CdG red series, but have always avoided "Carnation" because well.....I figured it'd smell like carnations, which kind of remind me of funeral homes or something.

Anyhow, I just got a bottle and I was pleasantly surprised because it's more of a peppery / definitely CLOVE bomb. There's so much clove in there that it seems to have longevity equivalent to something like FM EdP Carnal Flower.

Because I like clove and also like mixing peppery scents with rose scents, I'd definitely recommend this one. I like Harissa for a more exotic vibe, but Carnation is a great clove scent. For me it's like 70% clove, 10% pepper, 10% powder, 10% floral.

I read somewhere that it reminded them of a Clove Necco wafer and I'd say that's exactly right.....and I like it for that reason. haha

[MetroBulotDodo]

Shifts:

I can get a little bonkers for fragrance. I've got a "fragrance reference library" -- samples and decants. It's really useful.

As for the "psuedo nastiness" (aka, the beauty, the love) referred to by Jogu, an idea:

El Attarine and Fumerie Turk or Bois et Musc by Serge Lutens

Different Company's Rose Poivree (cumin/civet intense!)
L'Artisan Timbuktu (incense and resin heavy)
I like to dab a single dot of Amouage Homage Attar (the taifi rose is screamer of a note) and tone it down by layering a dot of oud oil. With Homage, I've been layering Kuno Kayu from AgarAura which is a minty leathery oud -- not barnyard-y, fruity or skanky at all. It is beautiful together.
Profumum "Olibanum" Frankincense and dried orange peel. Addictive.
Homage Jubilation XXV Gorgeous layering by Duchafour

As for non-skank: I've been surprised to find myself reaching for Calamity J by Juliette Has a Gun. I hear that the Oud scent in this line is fantastic but I have yet to smell it.
I've also become a big fan of Hermes's Santal Massoia -- they are kind enough to stock me up since I have to have my watches and leather cuffs maintained there...

I have long been addicted to Rose Oud and Incense Oud by By Killian. I think many of the guys here may object to the powdery aspect of Rose Oud, but certain days call for it and nothing else (as with Guerlains Apres l'Ondée or Parfums d'Nicolai Le Tempes de Une Fete.) or Malle's Portrait of a Lady, which I love on men and women. I am also really into Kurkdjian's Oud. I CRAVE IT.

Strong scents that carry: Profumum Arso - Cigar, Leather, Man, Puredistance M is also a crazy projector of a fragrance. Any Nassomatto, too. Esp. Black Afgano. Lordy that projects.

If anyone wants to trade or buy samples/decants, I have a package with a couple of wishlist items coming to me from a friend returning from Paree.


On my "try" wishlist : Lutens: La Vierge de Fer, Une Voixe Noir, and Fourreau Noir. And Encre Noir. For vintage formulations of the Guerlains: Vol d'Nuit, Apres l'Ondee, l'Heure Bleue or vintage Caron Tabac Blonde or the Chanel classics Cuir de Russie or Bois de Iles, I'd be willing to trade some top grade Oud from Ensar or AgarAura.

Get in touch,

MBD

[Verdandi]

I tried the Iron Maiden last weekend. And while it's a well done perfume I didn't bring a bottle home with me. It is, for a lack of a better word, really pretty. Almost too pretty for a Lutens. It leans definitely towards the feminine side and would make a great bridal scent in my opinion. I had hopes the lily would get an Iris Silver Mist treatment but there is nothing 'cool' or 'chilling' about this fragrance, just a well done white floral that would be good for any occasion.

[MetroBulotDodo]

Oh, what a disappointment! Is it a soft floral versus the personality heavy white floral of Carnal Flower?

Still, there are some "pretty" scents in the Lutens lineup. Scents that, dear god, don't feature heavy doses of spice or wood that I would admit to liking. Boxeuses (a plummy floral) is one. Others I'm much less fond of include Gris Clair (Lavender), Un Lys (as you may expect from the name), Nuit de Cellophane (smells exactly as a cone of plastic would that had recently held a grand bouquet of flowers) and Bas de Soie (like the silk stockings of its namesake, light and insubstantial.)

Now I am on a mission to sniff Une voixe noir and de Profundis...

MBD

[Verdandi]

It would place it more on the "soft" side. It is inoffensive and would make a perfect everyday scent (but maybe I am not the best person to judge here because I don't wear perfume to work).
Don't get me wrong, I liked it and thought it was really well done, but I already have quite a few 'really well done white florals' sitting in my vanity table drawers and I didn't love it enough to add another one to those.

I think it has some jasmine in it as well but not in the doses of A la nuit or Sarrasins.

I like some of the Lutensian 'pretty perfumes': I love Un Lys (which is really a different side of lily compared to the iron maiden) and the silk stockings.

I didn't care much for De Profundis. It was a blind buy for me because I let myself get lulled in by the advertisement copy and to me it smelled like violet candy laced with incense. A friend however loved it so my bottle went to her.
Une voix noire is fantastic!

[Shifts]

I'll be in Paris for five days starting Wednesday next week. The Lutens boutique is one of my stops. Mostly to smell La Vierge de Fer, but if it "only" is a pretty lily, then I might skip it. I have to revisit Mandarine-Madarin (or is it the other way around, I never remember) and get to know De Profundis and Encens et Lavande. For some reason I've never tried those.

Also looking into the new Kurkdjian, his creation for Dior: Eau Noire. Will also revisit Nassomatto's Black Afgano and Amouage Opus IV, both fragrances I fell in love with earlier this summer. I will try to limit myself to one bottle, but it will be hard.

[MetroBulotDodo]

I'll be in Paris for five days starting Wednesday next week. The Lutens boutique is one of my stops. Mostly to smell La Vierge de Fer, but if it "only" is a pretty lily, then I might skip it. I have to revisit Mandarine-Madarin (or is it the other way around, I never remember) and get to know De Profundis and Encens et Lavande. For some reason I've never tried those.

Also looking into the new Kurkdjian, his creation for Dior: Eau Noire. Will also revisit Nassomatto's Black Afgano and Amouage Opus IV, both fragrances I fell in love with earlier this summer. I will try to limit myself to one bottle, but it will be hard.

Shifts,

If you buy one bottle, I highly recommend Iris Silver Mist from Lutens. In my opinion, it is one of the most magical and unique scents available and the flaçons are not available in many places! Be sure to ask for a pack of wax samples from them...

Nasomatto you can get anywhere, and ordering Amouage from London is pretty easy. Be sure to get something that is specific to a French perfumer!

Enjoy and let us know what you get

[Shifts]

MetroBulotDodo: I've been using Iris Silver Mist since 5 or 6 years back, but it is a good call still! It is one fragrance I use very, very, _very_ rarely, but I would never want to be without.

About getting something specifically French, I don't know really what that would be. This is my 4th trip to Paris in 12 months, so I stop by quite regularly. I'm not in for exclusive buys, but for good shopping experiences and great scents! And to get to sniff things I can't get my hands on easily in Stockholm.

Nothing is hard to get anymore, everything can be bought through the internet really. Even things that are supposed to be city exclusive is available.

Oh, another thing I'm definitely smelling is Vero Profumo's Onda and Kiki. I've already been smitten by her Rubj, so I really have to become acquainted with the rest.

I'll be sure to let you know though, it is a promise. :)

[Ahimsa]

The NYC Le Labo currently has all of the city exclusive scents available until October (15th I believe) in case anyone wanted to try them without having to go to all those cities.

[cowsareforeating]

really liking "pale grey mountain, small black lake" despite the kitschy name. worth a look see if youre in any of the barneys locations that has it



EDIT:

Purchased that and Isle ryder. i couldnt really resist how beautiful they were

[Castor]

I'm thinking now that fall is in the air that I need to add something very rich and decadent. Recently purchased Black Aoud from Montale and love it, but now I need something crazy oriental. Perhaps something from Amouage, but there are so many options, I get a little confused. Maybe Jubilation XXV. Any thoughts? Incense, resins, frankincense, rose. Open minded and interested in thoughts on Amouage.

[Dane]

I'm fond of their Memoire (the ladies)...the one in the black bottle. Great for fall.

[rudo]

I personally love lyric for men by amouage. Not sure if it is oriental, but it is a dark masculine rose. It is a bit linear though.

[byhand]

The bieber fragrence is great !!!!

Does it smell like prepubescent delusion?