Men's Fragrances

[Faust]

Thanks man. Will check it out. Also been looking at some Mad Et Len, too bad there are no places to sample such things nearby.

Mad et Len - accept no substitute.

[Shifts]

I will second Cire Trudon, classy stuff. Still on the fence about Mad et Len, but packaging is for sure the most appealing I know.

[Vanna]

Cire Trudon candle scents are great, I love burning Dada/Empire The only issue I have is their wicks need viagra. They always end up flopping into the melted wax and I have to dig them out to relight them.

[Faust]

Floriental by CDG

One of the most original scents I've laid my nose on. Really good.

http://www.sz-mag.com/news/2015/07/comme-des-garcons-floriental/

[trentk]

"Step by step, [perfume's] history followed that of our language. The perfumed Louis XIII style, composed of elements highly prized at that time, of iris powder, musk, chive and myrtle water already designated under the name of "water of the angels," was hardly sufficient to express the cavalier graces, the rather crude tones of the period which certain sonnets of Saint-Amand have preserved for us. Later, with myrrh and olibanum, the mystic odors, austere and powerful, the pompous gesture of the great period, the redundant artifices of oratorial art, the full, sustained harmonious style of Bossuet and the masters of the pulpit were almost possible. Still later, the sophisticated, rather bored graces of French society under Louis XV, more easily found their interpretation in the almond which in a manner summed up this epoch; then, after the ennui and jadedness of the first empire, which misused Eau de Cologne and rosemary, perfumery rushed, in the wake of Victor Hugo and Gautier, towards the Levant. It created oriental combinations, vivid Eastern nosegays, discovered new intonations, antitheses which until then had been unattempted, selected and made use of antique nuances which it complicated, refined and assorted. It resolutely rejected that voluntary decrepitude to which it had been reduced by the Malesherbes, the Boileaus, the Andrieuxes and the Baour-Lormians, wretched distillers of their own poems.

But this language had not remained stationery since the period of 1830. It had continued to evolve and, patterning itself on the progress of the century, had advanced parallel with the other arts. It, too, had yielded to the desires of amateurs and artists, receiving its inspiration from the Chinese and Japanese, conceiving fragrant albums, imitating the Takeoka bouquets of flowers, obtaining the odor of Rondeletia from the blend of lavender and clove; the peculiar aroma of Chinese ink from the marriage of patchouli and camphor; the emanation of Japanese Hovenia by compounds of citron, clove and neroli.

Des Esseintes studied and analyzed the essences of these fluids, experimenting to corroborate their texts. He took pleasure in playing the role of a psychologist for his personal satisfaction, in taking apart and re-assembling the machinery of a work, in separating the pieces forming the structure of a compound exhalation, and his sense of smell had thereby attained a sureness that was all but perfect.

Just as a wine merchant has only to smell a drop of wine to recognize the grape, as a hop dealer determines the exact value of hops by sniffing a bag, as a Chinese trader can immediately tell the origin of the teas he smells, knowing in what farms of what mountains, in what Buddhistic convents it was cultivated, the very time when its leaves were gathered, the state and the degree of torrefaction, the effect upon it of its proximity to the plum-tree and other flowers, to all those perfumes which change its essence, adding to it an unexpected touch and introducing into its dryish flavor a hint of distant fresh flowers; just so could Des Esseintes, by inhaling a dash of perfume, instantly explain its mixture and the psychology of its blend, and could almost give the name of the artist who had composed and given it the personal mark of his individual style."

Huysmans, A Rebours, chp 10. (full text free here: http://www.victorianweb.org/decadence/huysmans/10.html).

[Ben-Hurl]

Funny that! JK Huysmans caught red handed displaying exactly the type of potent orientalism :) that CdG is explicitly trying to question and deconstruct. Bearing in mind who made a certain use of Huysmans recently... Was it all done on purpose by CdG or am I reading too much into it?

[Faust]

I don't know but I am curious to hear if any other members have gotten a chance to sniff it. I'm in love.

[Law]

I don't know but I am curious to hear if any other members have gotten a chance to sniff it. I'm in love.

Tried it yesterday, whilst I'm always excited to try new CDG releases, this one was a bit of a let down personally. Got a sample though, so will continue to see if it grows on me.

[Verdandi]

I didn't care much for it either. To me it smelled like Comme trying to do a Lutensian oriental. It is nice a bit too generic.

[Law]

To me it smelled like Comme trying to do a Lutensian oriental.

Exactly.

[Faust]

Ah, ok. I am not a perfume expert, don't know who does what. Smells good to me :-)

[Ahimsa]

^I tried it over the weekend. As a non-perfume expert as well, I found it quite pleasant, which is good as I'm on the fence with many CDG perfumes and most perfumes in general (enjoy Wonderwood and love Black though ;) )

[Law]

Ah, ok. I am not a perfume expert

"But I have a friend who is......"


Have you been to MiN in Soho?

[resolution653]

Sampled Suédois Euphorium Brooklyn recently. Would definitely appeal to those who enjoy Patchouli 24 and Bois d'Ascese. All share the smoky aspect. I prefer the creamy sandalwood drydown in Suédois over vanilla in Patch24, and it's a more interesting journey than the straight up campfire smoke of Bois d'Ascese.

[Faust]

Have you been to MiN in Soho?

Naturally. I am not saying I am a novice, just that it's not an area I have interest in delving into.