Reviews of H.M. (1997)
by Hanae Mori

sweet, rosy, a bit femine, you can get some chocolate at the dry down

Started off a little powdery. Dried out quite unisex if not even feminine. Not sure what it reminds me of but if I smell this on a guy it would not give me a good impression of him.

at first I was feeling bad about this stuff--the lemon was ruining it for me, and I found out overly sweet and cloying, and a headache was coming on. but I let it dry down.

after about 15 minutes, on my skin, it turned into a nice, smooth, almost floral gourmand! still a bit sweet, but it's good in its own right.

This is the scent that got me excited about fragrances. It's multifaceted, and highly nuanced. This is one that definitely changes depending on your personal chemistry. On me, I never smell the gourmand properties as strongly as others have complained about. I smell the lemon and black currant, which is extremely warm and luxurious. My absolute favorite part is the base notes, especially the moss and amber. The base notes are dirty and musky, but in the most fantastic kind of way. This scent is extremely hard to explain, it's a complex enigma that I keeps me coming back to try and solve.

I've noticed that the EDT has stronger base notes, so it's my favorite choice. Bonus: It lasts as long as the EDP and is cheaper per oz. Who knew?

Vile stuff! I couldn't wait to wash it off of me. Your results may vary.

A flowerly/lemony/vanilla-y (?) smell. Very pleaent. This is nowhere near A*Men, its not as carmely or as strong. Just use it sparingly.

Yum this cologne smells wonderful and everyone Always ask me what I'm wearing. Sometimes my gf will lay on me just to smell this. When I first sprayed it I was unsure very very sweet lemon gumdrops like a lemon candy shop or something. Once it dries down its just so tastey definitely jump on this one should be in everyones wardrobe.

this is a nauseating, empty, overly sweet and cloying fragrance. one of the worst!

EDP Review: This stuff is just amazing. It's potent and lasts a long while. I didn't get much development out of this one but that doesn't matter to me. The sweetness is not obnoxious and everything about the fragrance is sensual. Some may even think it's feminine but not me. The EDP version is top-notch stuff.

Nice fresh gourmand fragrance. I like the minty lavender opening alot, and I have no complaints about drydown either, although it developes into overtly sweet fruity fragrance which smells awfully feminine to my nose. A close cousin to Angel for Women, this. Strawberry jam accord makes me think of Black XS, and then I also get something that brings Xeryus Rouge to mind.

I don`t get any chocolate here at all. It smells more like that strawberry jam I mentioned before, blackberries, pineapples and vanilla pudding with sugar overload.

Delicous, but to be honest, this is probably the most feminine fragrance ever made for male markets.

I really think women should try this. At least I would be happy to smell this one on a woman.

I bought my HM EDP from Sephora, and I instantly love the smell.
It's a very long lasting fragrance. I highly recommend it.

it smells like Plesure!

Very easy, very simple, linear, lavender, lemon, vanilla, flowers, choclate and yet it works on my skin.
Normally i hate these combinations. But this works on me.

Yes its very similar to A*MEN, despite my age (23yp I love heavy and sweet scents) and not so heavy well maybe begining which smells like a joss stick + lemon, but I would never wear it on hot days, that was my blind buy cus` its not available in poland and my friend shipped me one piece for 29,99$ I dont regret, 4 starts for me :)

I need a gourmand, but haven't tried many, so I'm not going to run out and buy this just yet. I've blown through about 10 samples I got at Nordies though, so that about sums up my review. It's fantastic. It opens smelling key lime pie-ish. After awhile it slowly changes to a "just walked into Carvel" scent, which I suppose is caused by the chocolate and vanilla.

I love this stuff as does my wife. Her initial impression was lemon then it toned down to vanilla. Reminds me somewhat of A*Men as well, but more defined.

HM is a really fun gourmand that smells like some kind of toluene-menthol-vanilla-white-chocolate mixture. At the EdT concentration, it's a light scent that shouldn't offend anybody. At the EdP concentration, it gives an aura of frozen menthol vanilla cream ether. Not everybody's cup of tea, but I'm something of a sucker for vanilla creme doughnuts.

Dripping with an amazing sweetness, this is probably the scent that Captain Kirk was smelling coming from the cloud creature in the episode "Obsession". That thing was scary.

The vanilla is what hits me first in this. And it's too heavy, too much, too long.

A rinse off of cold water (no soap) toned down the vanilla considerably. The scent then really bloomed into a very sparkling scent that I enjoyed. That was tempered with a light note of cocoa - without being dusty. Once the vanilla is killed off, HM is really very nice.

HM has sillage, projection, and staying power. This would be a good formal evening scent. Start with a light application.

This is a very nice scent! ON ME! It smells pleasent & very uplifting! It is a gourmet scent & it is sweet but not overly sweet. No matter if it was because I like the sweet/soft scents as oppose to the smoky/woods stuff! W/O a doubt this is a winner!

Yes, there is complexity to the scent and it seems well made, bit it is way to sweet for my liking. It is a scent that i would have thought would appeal to teenage girls of the Britney generation, but i am quite surprised that so many seemingly sophisticated reviewers like it. Shows how subjective a scent is.

arrghh..i hate gourmands like these cant stand it...probably its not good for our type for whether...its beautifully made and is nice, but just not for me...i wouldnt mind it on others atall.

no comparison whatsoever with A*men. they are poles apart. closest ti gets is with Rochas man, but rochas is still wearable in my books since it has a bitter and smoky feel to it...

H.M. is a candied mess i would never lay my hands on...

This citrus opening sure surprised the heck outta me. I was expecting something heavy and sweet. This opening is light, somewhat sweet and easy going.

After some time, I began to see it true rich chocolaty nature. Which is definitely for me.

But more than sweet gourmand side-- which isn't too sweet on me-- I found wonderful floral support as it moved through it's heart notes. I really enjoyed this on me.

I never felt this to be too feminine on me. I even received a remark from a friend that it smelt, "like a man". Or maybe that's just my natural scent... :)

Wore this stuff out of a sample atomizer today at work, and I couldn’t quite place what I was smelling right at first, though it was hitting me right in the face. It occured to me later that it is in fact a gourmand along the lines of A*Men, or possibly Armani Code. Where it differs from those two is the addition of citrus overtones, and some woods in the base make this an amazingly complex fragrance, especially for a gourmand. Think a toned down Gucci 1 or M7 without the bite, and the lush chocolate-vanilla notes of A*Men, and add the tiniest splash of Clinique Happy’s sweet orange notes, and you’re getting close to Hanae Mori HM. Very sophisticated, very classy for what it is.

Still, while I’ve got both A*Men and Code in my wardrobe, I really can’t be bothered to buy another gourmand, even one as nice as this. When I run out, though, it’s a whole different story. If you don’t have a gourmand in your lineup I recommend this sincerely.

H.M. starts out very lemony, very bright, slightly zesty, and calms to a more lemon drop sugaryness in about a half hour after which the florals are revieled. They do not replace the lemon (nor does the lemon completely disappear on my skin), rather, soften it, refine it. The drydown is elegant in an almost feminine way... sweet, delicate, yet still bright like the color of lemon yellow or of blond woods. To me this is light and fresh, with the more gormand/gracefully transparent wood notes mixing so seemlessly with the lemon lavender and moss, giving it an ever so gentle nudge toward masculine. It's really very beautiful.

I really tried to like this fragrance but the scent is just to sharp for me it does last forever but tends to get rather nasty smelling after several hrs and getting it on clothing makes it smell worse. Rochas man is my preferred gourmand so I will stick with that one.

An absolute gem in my collection. Sexy and long lasting enough to satisfy me and the lovely women that smell it! Jump on it while you can guys before it gets possibly discontinued...

a truly extraordinary gourmand perfume - and this is coming from someone who generally does not like gourmands. the opening is citrusy (strongly so for a gourmand), floral, tropically fruity and quite sharp -- and as it dries down it gets progressively more gourdmandy and vanillac. the fragrance is extraordinarily complex, yet never overloaded or confused since it is so beautifully blended, and so it isn't as brash as, say, A*Men or Pi. it is subtle, yet makes a strong statement due to its uniqueness, fundamentally gourmand character, and almost feminine presence. the EDT lasts very long and sillage is outrageous. i only wish i had more occasions to wear this -- it is so rich and heady a concoction that wearing it to, say, the office would just be out of place -- and making it an everyday perfume would trivialize it and eventually numb your nostrils to its special power and grace. i wonder who was the perfumer? truly a virtuoso performance. wow.

A designer gourmand EDT that opens with fruity, herbal, and lavender notes. On paper the green and herbal notes dominate; on my skin the main notes are lavender, current, and jasmine control the accord. It’s an interesting accord and nicely balanced—more than a bit sweet, but not excessively gourmand at this point. I don’t care for most sweet fragrances and Hanae Mori’s opening is not excessively sweet on my skin, as it apparently is on others. The sweetness does increase some as the fragrance moves onto the floral / green middle notes, but I think it’s the loss of the lavender and herbs replaced by the vanilla that make it seem sweeter; in other words the sweetness was always there, it was simply being masked by other notes. At any rate, the notes are balanced and proportioned excellently and the movement of notes is smooth and refined. The middle is listed as floral, but it doesn’t seem floral to me: The green and sweet notes still dominate, and I can’t pick out the individual rose, iris, or lily of the valley notes. The jasmine note is very much present. To my nose, the chocolate signifies the movement into the base. Only two notes — chocolate and vanilla — dominate the base — the others there are simply support notes to the gourmand accord. I like HM: It’s a nice, well-made, ultimately very sweet fragrance which exhibits good moves. It behaves nicely on my skin and I find it quite enjoyable.

Kinda strong at first sniff and subsequent hours... But, after that it is a really nice.

I purchased HM EDP unsniffed because of a recommendation from a colleague. I ordered it with high hopes - and my initial reaction upon my first spritz was "Wow." This is a powerhouse gourmand, swirling with chocolate, lemon, vanilla, lavender... I enjoyed it immensely the first few times I wore it. This fragrance has truly legendary lasting power. I have one sweater which picked up the scent from one wearing, and it was still detectable when I put the sweater on - two weeks later. Unfortunately, I discovered that after eight hours, this scent turned rather sour on me. I'm not sure whether it was a combination of the basenotes or my personal chemistry. Just make sure to be conservative when you spray.

According to legend, Mr. Mori was hungry and asked for his assistant to bring him an ice cream sundae. His assistant brought this back (EdP) instead. Yes, it is an ode to the ice cream sundae complete with cherries, vanilla, and chocolate. Now, on paper, you'd think this would come off as some dimestore teenage girl fragrance. However, the perfumer has done a masterful job in mixing the ingrediants particularly the chocolate which is very subtle. Probably the creamiest fragrance out there. Lasts long past dinner time so you'll have something to nibble on before bed.

It lasts all day, its great the dry down is wonderful, although the start of the scent, the citrus is also nice, but the dry down is intense sweet.. very nice. my signature scent :)

i call this the milder version of the oh so powerful A*Men. With the juxtaposition between the green and fresh notes and the gourmand and thick notes, a less severe solution is produced. Easy to wear. the opening is a bit too harsh but the dry down is soft and controlled.

A great gourmand scent! Vanilla, and chocolate go hand in hand with this oriental woody fragrance. I tried a sample of the EDT, and the longevity is average. I then decided to get the EDP, and the scent lasts even longer, too long that I got sick of the strong sweetness of the scent. Great scent, but I should of went for the EDT. Just two sprays of HM goes a long way.

A hyped dumbass oriental gourmand. May not be as obnoxiously strong as A*Men but I fail to see anything else that may be said in its favor.
These notes do not blend well at all. Try Rochas Man, try Jo Malone's Black Vetiver Cafe; or simply break your diet and go to the nearest retro 50's diner and order a chocolate shake.
You'll be much happier for it.

delightfull Gourmand - very good longevity and sillage / projection. However, it is sumtimes too sweet - I highly recommend that you wear this one for special occasions rather then daily/on a rotation. I did and i got sick of the sweetness!

The EDT and EDP smell decidedly different to me side by side, with the EDP having a sweeter cherry smell and the EDT having a more sweet citrus smell that is lighter; that might account for some of the varying opinions on the product. Both change to a smooth vanilla by mid-afternoon with still a hint of cherry in the EDP, although a deep whiff will still pick up some spiciness.
The EDP might have a place at night for those that own it, but I enjoy wearing my EDT during the day and I have received a number of compliments from the ladies (always a consideration!).

I find it a much more balanced and accessible gourmand then A*Men. It lasts well and projects nicely but in the end it is just too sweet for my tastes.

I know this is probably a very personal thing, but this made me physically ill. After I had it on for less than an hour I had to wash it off quickly. Not for me.

I first found this cologne randomly when I was searching for something new. I had never heard of it before, but after testing it out, I couldn't stop smelling myself, so I purchased the eau de toilette (EDT). Now, a few months later, I still like the cologne after it has dried down for at least 30-60 minutes. Initially, when I spray it on, all I can smell is lemons. However, when the dry down starts some of the other nice scents start coming out. After reading some other reviews, I found out there was an eau de parfum (EDP). I went to a dept. store and tried the EDT on one arm and the EDP on the other. The EDP is so much better. It really is smoother, better blended, and more complete smelling than the EDT. In addition, I was very happily surprised to discover the lemon smell was significantly reduced. I will definitely be buying the EDP asap.

First whiff out of the bottle: a hint of chocolate, followed by lots and lots of lemon. Too much even? Not necessarily. The rest of the fragrance tames down the lemon quite nicely - it's not as annoying as the sourness of, say, Acqua di Giò or L'Eau D'Issey (although I have to confess that I've only smelled the latter on paper). H.M. is not too sweet in my opinion. But then again, I have yet to encounter a fragrance that is!

A charming fresh gourmand, and a lasting one as well. One spritz on the chest in the morning and I still keep sniffing my T-shirt after 10-12 hours.

I found this to be very feminine smelling. Top notes are very fresh, green, fruity.
Once the depth starts to creep in, all I can get is very sweet vanilla - perhaps a hint of chocolate but not much.
Not an unpleasent scent, would make a nice women's perfume. Good luck rocking this if you're a guy though.

If I wanted to bathe in chocolate covered cherries and pound cake, I would.
Well, guess what? I don't. Ergo, I avoid H.M. much as I do tuberculosis, skirvy, and Jehovah's Witnesses alike.

Hanae Mori had so much potential for me but that damn vanilla went and spoiled the party. If you don't mind sweet but dislike vanilla, I would avoid it. One scent that comes to mind is Lalique Pour Homme.

I just sampled this recently and thought I'd like it based on its classification. Holy cow, I hate it! As some of the other detractors have said, it's a sickenly sweet, almost candy-like fragrance that I'm not clear on why it qualifies as a cologne.

Yuk! Unnecessarily sweet, with citrus and medicine-like notes that miserably fail to enhance what is already an abomination. Avoid!

Oh god. How are there so many positive reviews of this grotesque of a gourmand? Like one early reviewer, I find this sickeningly sweet. Smells like fruit punch syrup with a touch of milk chocolate melted into it. Gives me a headache. It just swamps the wearer and everyone anywhere near him with horrificly sweet sillage. Yikes! As if that were not enough, this is THE SMELL of every overcompensating, overage clubgoing dude everywhere. I have never been to a club where I wasn't swamped by this smell.

Very sweet smelling. My favorite cologne! Highly reccomend. I have not met anyone else who wore this, so its very original.

While others consider this a gourmand, I don't get any chocolate out of it until the drydown. Even then it's only a hint and not full blown chocolate like Rochas Man or A*men. It's a nice oriental scent that is somewhat versatile depending on your method of application. However, it has a lingering citrus note that I feel clashes with the sweetness. It reminds me of orange-flavored cough syrup. It's that one note that gets tiring to me at the end of the day. It's less apparent in the EDP version but it's still there. I much prefer the EDP because it's rounder, more balanced, and doesn't have that sharp sweetness to it.

This is really good, fresh sweet and chocolaty, much more tolerable then A*Men, would recommend for anyone who wants something like A*Men but lighter. The lasting power was ok, not as great as others have mentioned lasted about 5 hours on my skin.

The EdP version doesn't quit! The nice addition of Muguet in the mix creates some serious sillage that makes people definitely notice! The chocolate note is rather transparent, but the main focus is the sweet, fruity and citrus notes that just linger and linger on to the drydown. Not a bad scent at all, but I would not recommend wearing this during the day, I really got sick of it's smell by day's. It's more for a night on the prowl, IMO.

My personal favorite of all time. It really combines everything I like about fragrances into a single bottle. Smells clean, floral, and alive. Even the EDT lasts forever, EDP even more so. Everyone should at least sample this.

I don't see the chocolate in this one at all. It's rather like Habit Rouge in spirit on me, citrus blending into a heavy powdery dry down. Very clean smelling, lasts forever, refined too.

I love this cologne, a bit like A Men, but with more class and less of the chocolate note. I haven't tried the EDP version yet, and I'm willing to give it a go, as the EDT seems to be missing something (but not enough to keep it away from my skin!) Give it a try!

Very light floral, citrus and green notes at first, develops flawlessly into a sweet ambery vanilla. The fresh topnotes coexist with the sweetness throughout the duration of the fragrance. Extremely classy, understated masculinity.

Always starts off nicely but familiarity breeds contempt. Annoying. Too sugary. Plastic.

This is a very nice departure from most other designer Gourmand Oriental fragrances. It’s very fun, and very interesting. As the citrus fades, the chocolate begins to take over. Most gourmand fragrances steer very clear of citrus, but this one uses it to make it very versatile, and also to make it captivating and interesting. It’s big on contrast and depth. It’s a very fun fragrance, and it’s good for summer and winter.

On first application, I get more lemon smell, and even though I don't see it in the notes...it smells like some sort of melon is in there as well. However, after it has dried for awhile I start to pick up the vanilla more and that is when I really start to enjoy this one. Although it isn't my absolute favorite out of this type of scent, it is closer to the top than the bottom. I certainly like it better than A*men as I found that one to be too unpredictable to me.

My absolute favorite oriental, and probably second favorite fragrance overall. I truly adore this one. I totally agree that it's what Angel wanted to be but failed - this is a similar ingredient list, but blended to perfection and topped off with the kiss of elegance, while Angel is just a chaotic mess that not only sits there and does nothing, but will also cost you almost twice as much as Hanae Mori. I've worn both the Eau de Toilette and the Eau de Parfum, and I don't have a clear cut preference as they're both fabulous, but I will say that the Eau de Parfum has richer basenotes and is a bit creamier than the EDT. The lemon and bergamot "pop" in the EDT.

a veryyyyyyyy sexiii scent....smells similar to rochas but i prefer this instead....it smells awesome..however a few spray will do..this defintely isnt a light smell...Sexi and wear with caution....the girls might end up taking you captive

I really like this gourmand scent. The EDP version is very powerful, with a balance between floral and edible notes that's unlike anything else. The EDP may be too rich for hot weather, though. (Are we certain there's chocolate in the basenotes? Because nothing I can find from the company confirms this, and I had a sales rep. tell me that, according to the company rep., there's vanilla and tonka bean, but no chocolate. I don't know why I find the possibility that there *isn't* any chocolate in this grand mixture so disappointing, but I do.)

Perfect! What Angel wanted to be, but failed miserably.

Wow, this one is so awesome! Although it may come across as feminine to some, it just grabs *me* and makes *me* feels so spiffy. 8-) I fell in love with it after my first spritz at a Nordstrom, and then I bought the EDT soon thereafter from Sephora. It is unequalled in its texture, and it reminds me a lot of Rochas, but it lasts 10 times longer!!! I almost feel like royalty wearing this one. Highly recommended for those liking vanilla-melon-subtle musk men colognes. :>

An amazing fragrance. The best off all time. It's my signiture scent. I simply adore it. Everyone loves it on me. It lasts forever. For winter month use the edp as it's more powerfull.

H.M. has become my favorite by far. It is not as Chotic as A*men and does not have the strong vanilla smell that Rochas Man has. I still like and own all three, but H.M is my number one choice at the moment.

H.M.is one of the greatest of all time.All of the scents that I have(which is over an 150)H.M.continues to resurface up to the top of my list!!!!!

HM is a truly elegant gourmand scent. I highly recommend the EDP version as the chocolate is deeper and the fragrance is more well rounded. If you are shy about wearing something with edible notes HM will serve as a great introduction. It's light, draws attention and lasts a very long time.

Very sweet, almost sickly so. I don't care for it at all. It seems artificial on me. Two separate women, on separate occasions, told me I smelled like Cap'n Crunch while wearing it.

What a fun fragrance! It's full of sensual, seemingly edible, floral/fruitiness, but does not lose it's masculine charm by the presence of this intricately intertwined notes. The strength of the chocolate and rose really come out with my skin. The fragrance is sheer pleasure to smell as it unfolds on the skin. A great addition to my collection. Very unique and sexy.