A*Men / Angel Men (1996)
by Thierry Mugler

Fun gourmand. A bakery in a bottle.

A buddy of mine, a local night club owner, was telling me about A*men... he mentioned that he ran into a friend of his a few days prior to our conversation and she was telling him about how difficult it was to leave her boyfriend for the simple reason that she couldn't get over how amazing he smelled--he wore A*men. My buddy mentioned to me that he had a few other conversations over the years which revolved around the A*men awesome smell and that I might just have a little shred of hope with the ladies if I would just try it out.

Within minutes of receiving his email, and reading the reviews here on Basenotes, I was in Macy's to see what all of the hype was about... I was sold at first smell. It was simply amazing how so many different notes were present, some awful, like burnt tar, but as bad as the burnt tar is, it actually smells good when mixed with the other scents. After it had a minute to settle down, it was a really nice smell, as if I had just shaved and then the chocolate and vanilla came out to play for a while. Well, I'm not too fond of Vanilla... I think it was my highschool days of smelling Vanilla Fields on all of the young girls that gave Vanilla a bad name, but this Vanilla is different, it's really difficult for me to put into words, but I really don't mind it when mixed with all of the other notes.

I wasn't sure which bottle was the A*men, and the lady behind the counter didn't have a clue, so I ended up with what I now know to be A*men and B*men, which complements A*men nicely and I now mix the two.

The reactions from the ladies? Well, I've only worn it out on the town once, but I have worn it during my 9 to 5 and have noticed a difference in the amount of people willing to strike up a conversation with me, many more! In fact, I've met more people in the last two weeks than I have the entire year! People tend to move closer in to me and want to stick around for a while... I don't know, maybe it's a coincidence, but further studies will be held, rest assured. Oh, and that night I went to the club and wore A*men? I don't think I wore enough of it... I had been experimenting with how much to apply the few days leading up to the club night, but I don't think I had it right. Never-the-less, I did meet a lovely lady and we talked for hours.

I totally recommend this cologne... I can't wait to see what other shenanigans it gets me into, it should be fun!

ANGEL = Starbuck's for Men !

I like sweet and spicy fragrances, full of character, but i don't get this one.
Can't imagine anyone who would like to smell this way. If you want to smell like "Angel" you could rub your neck with chocolate and coffee just as well.
The only thing that i like about this one, is the idea to create something totally different.

Definitely in the love it or hate it category.

But i will give a Neutral thumb for idea and courage!

Fashion fragance....nice for cold weather but not very versatile. For to walk in the mall, nice afternoons with your girl friend, ok ok ok.....but not for office wear.
Original, yeah....but its not enough.

A*Men - its a classic. nothin else out there smells quite like it and could make you feel exclusive, rich, suave and most importantly, makes you feel good!

caramel? chocolate? vannilla? Tonka....if it brings you pictures of Rochas Man, then you are sadly mistaken. till date never been able to enjoy a scent the way i could Angel Men. its like reading a book, the notes keeps unfolding, morphing into each other with such precise manner that you will stop and you will sniff your wrist closely time to time to admire this beauty. its quite potent and last forever. Thumbs way up for this one. a Keeper.

The first time I wore this beast was truly a fearsome experience. I recalled correctly that the top note of A*Men almost fell me to the floor, and I was astounded because it was just ONE spray at my wrist. Few weeks later, due mainly to the fact that A*Men is the most reviewed perfume in Basenotes, I decided that I should revisit this cologne by buying a metal flask of 30ml.

It took me seven days in getting used to the smell of A*Men which started harshly before becoming to a terrific drydown. Yes, I was suffocated, tolerated, vomit induced, hardly breathed at the first few days of wearing A*Men; however, I began to appreciate every state of A*Men since then. This stuff has been my signature scent already!

For those who disgusts A*Men, I bet you could possibly turn out loving it after spending sometime with it (7 nights and days for me). It will be choking you at the very first time; then, you continue being stubborn, and you will find why half the world adore this scent.