H.M. (1997)
by Hanae Mori

Beautifully designed fragrance; a pleasure to add to my collection.
I bought the EDT and am definitely going to go get the EDP now.
This fragrance is marketed towards men but a woman could easily wear this also.

I would describe it as Bond's New Harlem meets JPG's Le Male.
It's an oriental, floral, fruity fresh with gourmand undertones.

It works out quite nicely in the end and has excellent longevity as well.

Some people think HM is a little too powerful, but for all the complaints I see about fragrances that smell great and have decent projection, yet disappear in 2-4 hours; it's definitely a plus for me -- bring it on! You will not be wondering what happened to your scent halfway through the day when you wear HM!

24th January, 2012.

Review is for the EDP:

The opening smells like a nice sweet lemon skittle/lemon head candy. The opening lasts for a very long time, quite surprised, but I quite enjoy the opening so I welcome it. I get a little Paco Rabanne Black XS working in the background, quite faintly. The florals give it a kind of brightness to the fragrance. Dries down to be a mellow lemon skittle/lemon head candy with a bit more of a faint gourmand quality of vanilla and chocolate, smooth and smell blended. To me the entire scent smells like the bright lemon brother of Rochas Man. I find it interesting and it's a keeper. The projection is decent, longevity is excellent. Great!

1st November, 2011.

A very sneaky gourmand. Has a very lemony sweet opening which will remain for the life of the fragrance. On my skin this strong candy open stays for about 2 hours and then dries down to a very close to the skin vanilla scent with the candy lemon relaxing in the background. Enjoyable from start to finish.

29th October, 2011.

A light gourmand not particularly brash or bold in order to privilege (anyway to try doing it) balance, complexity and moderation. The initial blast doesn't seem a prelude for a gourmand fragrance being it citrusy, herbal and green with an accord of synthetic mint and lavender very captivating and notable in the following faint gourmand evolution. In a few time some floral mildness starts rising in its rosey body and jasmine's lightness making the introdution for the upcoming gourmand pronounced sweetnes that has the smell of white choccolate, vanilla, rose-jasmine, minty Hedione and woods. The aromatic cream is light and apologetic under my nose in the way this fragrance, in support of its more notable balance, lacks that controversial, minimalistic and disputed brash and bold insolence of A*Man and Animale. The synthetic, mentholated " aromaticism" here is toned down in comparison with A*Man and obviously is not present that bombastic kind of patchouli that elicited the worldwide fame of the Mugler one. An opportunity in the "fragrantic" ocean.

5th October, 2011. (Last Edited: 7th October, 2011.)

This review is for the EDT.


H.M. is kind of unique in that it is a gourmand that is also highly suitable for warmer temperatures. This is due to the nice lemony citrus that remains present for the life of the scent as well as the moderately transparent nature of the fragrance.

H.M. opens with lavender and a citrus that I would describe as a sweet, candied lemon. It is accompanied by a light, though noticeable, blackcurrant note, which wafts in and out of the citrus, and some vanilla. I find the middle stage fantastic as the floral notes develop and compliment the opening very well. While H.M. is a gourmand fragrance, the floral aspect balances it, detracting from its 'foodiness.' The flowers are soft and unimposing, used to embellish rather than dominate. The final stage of H.M. exudes a heavier quality than was present in the opening and mid. Though the lemon persists, what you are basically left with is vanilla, chocolate, amber, and possibly some oakmoss. The lemon-chocolate combination is delicious, and reminds me of a lemon cake with chocolate icing.

I believe this is a very well-done fragrance. I found it immediately likeable. It is never clumsy, boring, or thin, and all the ingredients compliment each other very well. There are distinct stages throughout its development and they occur by way of the smoothest transitions. However, if over-applied, H.M. can become too sweet and cloying. I recommend a light application--two sprays and you're good to go. Don't worry, sillage and longevity are excellent.

The biggest complaint I've noticed with H.M. is that it's too sweet, or too effeminate, or both. Well,it IS sweet. But, with a light application it is not as sweet and does not become cloying. As far as its feminine quality is concerned, I'm not so sure. It is definitely not a 'manly' fragrance, but I wouldn't necessarily say that its feminine. I think it could be easily classified as unisex. I wouldn't mind if my girlfriend wore it because I think it smells so good, and at the same time, I don't mind wearing it myself.

H.M. is a casual gourmand fragrance that gives off something of a youthful vibe. It seems most appropriate for laid back dates or just hanging out. It can be worn in cold and warm weather, though I recommend not using it on really hot or humid days as the vanilla and chocolate will become cloying.

Relatively inexpensive, H.M. is definitely worth the money if you are in the market for this type of scent.

20th August, 2011.

Make no mistake, this is not the most masculine fragrance out there. It's so sweet, floral, and fruity that it would definitely be unisex and probably should be a perfume for women... that said, it is a wonderfully simple scent that blends together the sweetness of slightly acidic fruit notes with smooth florals and a hint of rich chocolate. As a guy, I really like sweet scents such as this, but it doesn't wear all that well on me. I'm far from being the androgynous type, no offense. Not my thing.

I have noticed it does last a very long time, since I can still smell it and get a lot of the middle notes with a little of the dry-down, which is very impressive seeing as I am sick and congested. This is a remarkably long lasting (and strong) scent in that respect.

It's very effeminate and would make a better gift for women than for men. It projects well, lasts a long time, and is rather strong, so easy on the sprays. The development of the notes are very gradual and smooth; no fast transitions or jumps across the gap. Overall I did not find its sweet, fruity nature to be too cloying or nauseating. A good spring/summer fragrance.

20th April, 2011.