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

It still smells a little too synthetic for my liking but it's probably one of the better chocolate scents currently available on the market. Luckily, the tar notes do subside to reveal a smooth and rich combination of woods, patchouli and coffee.

Not bad!

[Original submission date: 28 May 2008]

As masculine as M7, as mature as Curve, as elegant as Axe, as subtle as Platinum Egoiste, as natural as Versace Dreamer. H*ll! Layer it with Le Male for a chemical meltdown. So intricately nuanced only praetorian noses can appreciate its delicacies. The Lolitas will flock to you, skip Rochas Man and go for broke! Oh Yumsters! Yumsters! Yumsters!

It's like being a muscle bound steroid grotesque. You will be noticed and some percentage of the population will find you irresistible. Given that, I see no need to caution against over spraying.

There’s little doubt that this is one of the most important men’s fragrances of recent times. The chocolate note in A*men brought sweet gourmand into the masculine mainstream, and the coffee note and the creamy lavender in the top of A*Men’s pyramid were touches of brilliance. The caramel note didn’t hurt, either. These notes are done well with a natural feel to them. A*Men is a true gourmand and for the first time, a masculine gourmand fragrance became successful -- the public went for it big time. But the gourmand elements weren’t the only strong points. The middle and the base levels of A*men are as good as or better than the top gourmand accords. The middle level comes through as woody – patchouli and cedar – with very pleasant masculine accords, good sillage,, and very good longevity. The base is inspired; it’s one of the best bases of all the fragrances of recent years IMHO: it's warm, sweet, rich, in its partial gourmandness… coffee, tonka, musk, and styrax… good refinement, very good projection, excellent longevity. I suspect that many of the young wearers of A*men were likely experiencing something they hadn’t experienced before: a well made fragrance that the ladies loved and that stayed great smelling for hours. Its gourmandness doesn’t offer the kind of accords that I like to wear, but A*men is finely made, creative, and interesting. (Edit of the 10 January 2006 review. Changed from neutral.)

I wasnt going to write a review about Angel because there are so many already but then I forced myself. I have worn this fragrance off and on for the last 5 years and that is against my style of "buying a bottle and when its empty i move on". This is the best fragrance my nose has smellled! I have tried and tried to find a fragrance that would challenge this thought but NO, the rest fell short for some reason. Its a wonderful experience every time I wear this. 10 out of 10 for the complete brilliance of this fragrance, complexity, sillage, and longevity. Thank you Mr Mugler!

The top notes are unpleasant but the drydown was excellent and really long lasting. I was almost gonna buy one, good thing I asked for a strip sniff. I was actually looking for a vanilla base frag and had two choices: Obsession Night and this one.

All the glam of this scent died with my first impression, so I took the strip scent with me and then waited until nighttime. Somehow there is some similarity with Terre d´Hermes during the drydown. After a good 5 hours, indeed the base notes are sweet and very pleasant. Somewhat tobacco and vanilla.

Dark chocolate bar dipped in licorice and sprinkled with coffee beans. It is incredible, only takes one squirt and it lasts an eternity. Great for the colder seasons, can be worn for any occasion depending on your application. Not for me, I prefer the “tea” notes, but still deserves a thumbs up!