Fuel for Men / DK Men (1994)
by Donna Karan

Did you ever wish that there were five choices instead of three?
Did you ever notice that if you start a question with, "did you ever," you immediately read it in Andy Rooney's voice?
Did you ever really like the opening few hours of a fragrance only the have it taper off and become meaningless at about 4 hours in. By lunch I I kept thinking to myself, "this ain't so hot," but I know I felt like a million bucks at around 10.


So this positive comes with a disclaimer that the magic wears off quickly, but it absolutely lasts long enough if you're entering a "first impression" situation.

That's an important sentence, so it gets its little area. So how does it smell when it's chewing bubblegum and kicking ass? It smells like a wonderful fruity, ambery, suede with a slight marzipan vibe. And what happens to hurt it so much later? Well, it certainly doesn't go "bad," but it definitely gets the pizzazz drained out of it.

It is what it is.

13rd December, 2011.

I'm so glad this was re-issued as I was a fan of the bold DK fragrances from this period in the nineties (I still own a bottle of the outstanding Chaos).

The descriptions below are pretty spot on; a rich, slightly balsamic mix of sweet, smokey tobacco and a little fruit. There is also a strong hint of something like shoe polish in the mix which might put some people off.

As others have said it's GREAT in the first hour... but I'm less keen on the sweetened mustiness (not muskiness) that emerges during the dry down as it bares a very heavy resemblance to L'Air de Rien to my nose (not a scent I like, unfortunately).

Anyway, overall, Fuel for Men is a terrific fragrance.

23rd April, 2011. (Last Edited: 4th September, 2011.)

I got a whiff of the relaunched Fuel for Men at Bergdorf's in New York a year or so ago, but at the time I had so many fragrances on my wrists and hands and arms and nostrils that I could not judge properly. Concerning the original, I've still hoarded a supply of various mini bottles of this and I have a little bit left in my original full-size. I remember this scent very well from when I was a kid, and all I can say is that it is some high octane sh*t - a warm, creamy, leathery fragrance that is VERY masculine. Not offensive at all, but this can announce your presence very well. DK Men is a very distinctive scent, and once you smell it you'll never forget it.

So yes, a creamy, leathery fragrance that starts out smelling like leather and booze with a hint of fruitiness to me. As it dries down, it still retains this, however just becoming smoother and woodsier - like a warm burning fireplace. I would not be surprised if tobacco is in this. The sandalwood is a key player here, interacting with the juniper, almond, pineapple and musk to create the leather/smoky aroma. Suede and motor oil? You bet. This is THE scent to wear with a leather jacket, no doubt. Sillage isn't monster, but the fragrance does last a good while. An absolutely wonderful masculine cold weather scent, and one of my all-time favorites.

23rd October, 2010. (Last Edited: 9th January, 2011.)

I love the leather and musk tone in FuelForMen, it is discontinued since years and I did hardly find an equal leather scent... but after those years there is something that feels "old scool" to me, I don't know if its' cause it has its age in my wardrobe or if my nose got educated... but i still love it much!

13rd September, 2010.

I'm fortunate that I've discovered this at a time when it's not discontinued. I found this by looking for leather scents at theperfumedcourt.

It's by far my favorite out of all who claim to be leather, and it's achieved in a genius way. It initially struck me as being strangely rugged, yet warm? sweet? Leather, yes, but with a brandy like carmelized citrus enigma of unidentifiable notes.

Compared to other leatherish creations like Bandit, Cumming, D'zing, Nostalgia, Tuscan Leather, Cuire de Russie, and Lonestar Memories, DK Fuel is sweeter and actually fruitier with the citrus and pineapple notes.

Many of these other leathers are accomplished in a pungent earthy Chypre-like construction, while DK Fuel omits the mossiness, sweetens it with pineapple, and smooths it out with lavender and almond. It's genuis, masterfully mixed, and unique.

While definitely being on the masculine end of the spectrum, to my surprise I accidentally found a similarity with Love by Ralph Lauren. This link let me better understand Love as a darker scent than previously noted, and how DK Fuel isn't overly masculine either. It's a clever creation.

I haven't fully tested layering, but it can be further lightened up with any citrus or fruit based frag, and further darkened/grounded by mixing with woods/leather/tobacco. I would easily punch this up with Bergamote 22 or Reaction, or darken it further with Oud Wood or Fumerie Turque. I have yet to try Fuel with the high octane Nostalgia by Santa Maria Novella. VROOOOMMM!!!!

8th March, 2010.

I have loved this fragrance ever since I first smelled it back in the mid 90's. The Rerelease does have subtle changes and the petrol notes seem a bit more pronouced. This fragrance always has and probably always will be my favorite. Spicy, sweet (not overly), and sophisticated.
I only wish with the re-release they would have done something similar with the bottle.

4th February, 2010.