Men's Fragrances

[Shucks]

I'm guessing Hurricane is a female and simply means she's not sure if a guy would like it as much as she does. No need to be so aggro.

i guess u guessed wrong.

[casem]

Edit: Let's be friends.

[Shucks]

don't be so aggro, casem (maybe i should have put a smiley after that second post tho...)

anyway, i don't get the point of dividing fragrance up in 'masculine' or 'feminine' (or 'unisex' for that matter). it seems so crude and arbitrary. that was basically what i was trying to say since it seemed to me like hurricane08 was basing his preferences on how someone else had assigned the scent a certain 'gender-appropriateness'.

[casem]

^OK, that I can agree with.

Funny story happened recently, at a dept. store went to the Diptyque section to try on some stuff as a very midwestern sort of lady was also being helped. I must've tried one of the fragrances she was about to buy and she started panicking asking the SA, oh is this one for men??? Which are for women?? Like she was freaked out that she might accidentally buy something intended for men. Funny thing is, what I was trying is probably labeled for women but I consider the Diptyque line more or less unisex. Funny that me trying the same thing threw her into a gender panic.

[resolution653]

For floral I am enjoying "Asphalt Rainbow" from Charenton Macerations. Their first release "Christopher Street" is a favorite, so was excited to try this one..

Inspired by street art, there is a slight spray paint/aerosol when you first apply then quickly comes in the rose, not a jammy rose but bright, crisp, clean and a slight "pavement/asphalt" vibe underneath it. It is pleasant for warm weather, longevity and projection are both moderate. Smelling it out the vial I get a weird lactonic scent, thankfully that aspect doesn't come out on my skin.

Worth trying. Doesn't stand out as much as "Christopher Street" but I'll gladly wear it any day this Spring/Summer.

[casem]

^Sounds interesting!

BTW, I can't recommend enough going to the Malle boutique if you're in NYC. So helpful and knowledgeable. After trying a bunch more, I really like Lys Mediterranee but not sure it's for me. A lovely natural floral with some salt and sea breeze, but maybe too "pleasant" for my taste. Tried Fleur de Cassie, there's something in this I REALLY hate, but it's well reviewed so must be a note I have a bias against. My nose was getting tired but next I want to try Geranium, Magnolia, and Bois D'orage. Also, the new Malle frag comes out on the 8th and sounds good.

It's fun getting into a new house as I've never tried much Malle before. Still haven't quite decided which is bottle worthy but Carnal Flower is in the top for me right now. Overall, I find Malle's fragrances take a little more time to appreciate as they are more subtle than the kinds of things I'm used to. But there's an elegance to the way they meld with your body and develop over time.

[unwashed]

Bought a Terre noire candle from Mad et Len. While the smell is fantastic, it really perfumes less than my Byredo Bibliothèque candle (still my favorite candle with Aedes Indica).

I had the same feeling with my Mad et Len and expected to be more present. I guess it depends on the scent maybe.. My Dyptique Figuier isn't really present as well, but the mousses is quite the opposite and fills a room.

Although some fragrances do fit a specific gender, I share multiple fragrances with my GF (Dyptique Philosykos, Vetyvero, le Labo Bergamot, Dior Bois d'Argent). Just wear whatever you feel like wearing.

[darkbydesign]

Also try out Parfume de Therese next time. It's great stuff alongside Angiliques Sous La Pluie which are both older ones.

The one coming out on the 8th is by Dominique Ropion so guaranteed to be good and also floral. It's called Cologne Indelebile and it's a more mainstream vibe, particularly for Ropion. Still good, but a citrus/floral/musky sorta frag and full of strange combinations particularly for a cologne.

Also, anyone ever try The Night by Dominique Ropion / FM? It's weird because they don't usually do city exclusives but I believe it's only found at Bloomingdales in Dubai. Sounds like a great amber / rose / oud combo and has gotten a lot of good reviews, but I still haven't tried it nor seen it online yet. As he often does with the overdose of florals, it seems like he pumped massive amounts of oud into this one.

^Sounds interesting!

BTW, I can't recommend enough going to the Malle boutique if you're in NYC. So helpful and knowledgeable. After trying a bunch more, I really like Lys Mediterranee but not sure it's for me. A lovely natural floral with some salt and sea breeze, but maybe too "pleasant" for my taste. Tried Fleur de Cassie, there's something in this I REALLY hate, but it's well reviewed so must be a note I have a bias against. My nose was getting tired but next I want to try Geranium, Magnolia, and Bois D'orage. Also, the new Malle frag comes out on the 8th and sounds good.

It's fun getting into a new house as I've never tried much Malle before. Still haven't quite decided which is bottle worthy but Carnal Flower is in the top for me right now. Overall, I find Malle's fragrances take a little more time to appreciate as they are more subtle than the kinds of things I'm used to. But there's an elegance to the way they meld with your body and develop over time.

[Chinorlz]

Just wanted to pop in and say a BIG thank you to Verdandi and darkbydesign for turning me on to Iris Silver Mist. I am hooked. Its so crazy with layers of scents. The earthy, raw component up front giving way to a softer, more powdery floral nose with just enough spice to keep it balanced and give it a darkness.

Love this.

also got some decants of other Serge Lutens, but when I smelled this one, everything else went to the background.

[darkbydesign]

s^^Awesome! The combination of good clothes and intricate scents makes for next level fashion to me and inspired community participation, so really glad you're into it.

I think good frags are like a romantic tribute to chemistry/science, so complexity is amazing when your olfactory senses appreciate it. Silver mist is definitely one of those that inspires memory, association and various thoughts, so definitely a physical experience, IMO. So glad you enjoy it. I'm almost out and need more! Just have a jar of Sarassins coming from Serge Lutens this week and super excited about that!

[Chinorlz]

s^^Awesome! The combination of good clothes and intricate scents makes for next level fashion to me and inspired community participation, so really glad you're into it.

I think good frags are like a romantic tribute to chemistry/science, so complexity is amazing when your olfactory senses appreciate it. Silver mist is definitely one of those that inspires memory, association and various thoughts, so definitely a physical experience, IMO. So glad you enjoy it. I'm almost out and need more! Just have a jar of Sarassins coming from Serge Lutens this week and super excited about that!

Very cool. I need to order some more small decants of SL's stuff so I can get some sniffing in.

I see a lot of parallels between some of the designers here, the perfume/cologne makers (if that is what you call them) and winemakers. All the top people in these fields all create a product that can be processed and enjoyed on multiple levels with layers of concepts and aesthetics. Like wine opening up with air, warmth and in the glass, these scents change and are really fascinating... far from one-dimensional. Some of the designers like Poell's work also have deeper meaning and concepts applied that go beyond just what you see on the rack.

[darkbydesign]

^^Absolutely. Love the multifaceted fragrances that inspire vast curiosity and trigger memories at the same time.

Interestingly I really like a lot of green and earthy fragrances and also enjoy the same in wines. Wines from resource starved land often taste wonderful to me. Very Earthy and somewhat unexpected particularly once some oxidation occurs when you open it up. There's a region in Australia where the grapes grow in otherwise resource starved land and they have adapted to survive and by doing so in such difficult conditions, it sure does make the wine taste amazing. Earthy hints and a mild alkaline balance that is hard to find in wine. Anyway, killer.

What samples are you looking for by SL?

[Chinorlz]

^ yep, make the vine work harder yields a deeper depth and complexity in the grape and so the final product!

Man... in Manhattan the wine world is your oyster! The Ten Bells, Contra, Pearl & Ash all close to each other... then June out in Brooklyn... Flatiron, Frankly, Astor... I've been buying from these 3 shops for a number of months now and eagerly awaiting new influx/stock in the fall already haha

Right now I have Fleurs D'Oranger, Daim Blond, and the Iris Silver Mist, also Heeley Ophelia.

[casem]

^Funny, I'm exploring Serge's line at the moment as well. Just received samples of Fleur D'oranger, L'eau Froide, and Tubuereuse Criminelle.

First thoughts:
Fleur D'oranger, wanted to try this after Carnal Flower peaked my interest in tuberose (a note I previously thought I disliked). It's really lovely, has a touch of that skanky quality I'm intriuged by in a heavy white floral. Overall a tad sweeter and brighter than Carnal making me prefer Carnal still. But really interesting and multifaceted, also seems it can be had for a steal online.

L'eau Froide, wore this today. I like anti-perfume and appreciate synthetics so in concept I like this. It definitely has an interesting "cold" smell to it and while subtle, it persists for an impressive amount of time. However, it's been reminding me of something and I realized it when I went to wash my hands... it smells VERY close to those cheap hand soap with names like "sea breeze" or "fresh". This realization kind of ruined it for me.

Tubereuse Criminelle, I actually wonder if I got the wrong decant, or a very old one that had expired or my chemistry is just weird with this one. I've read the reviews so I know to expect the strange mentholated top note after which a gorgeous tuberose is supposed to reveal itself. What happened to me is all I get is those top notes as described then... nothing. Not even a hint of tuberose. I actually really like the smell of it but I'm baffled because others have described it as a huge creamy tuberose at its heart and I get nothing. I kept spraying and still nothing but that synthetic top note which quickly becomes very faint. The smell reminds me of something CDG which is why I'm wondering if the decant is wrong and got mixed up with something that has a similar opening from CDG, or is it possible in an old bottle the tuberose degraded? It's not possible I'm anosmic to tuberose, with Carnal Flower I can smell it for days. Anyone have an idea what might be going on here?

[jogu]

gahhh i couldnt get into tuberose criminelle. i really liked the 1st few mins but quickly began to hate it. i dont remember it being that big white tuberose either. smells more like pink my lil pony turds . im over the weird, strange, dark, heavy perfumes too . i dont like leaving a long trail of perfume around me. i like smelling nice and good but not mainstream with a sillage closer to my body and more personal . christ , when im on the bus or train or god forbid in class and someone walks by and the whole area reeks of perfume ... i dont wanna be that. i only want me and someone nearby like my barber to smell what im wearing