Jaïpur Homme (1997)
by Boucheron

When I first started using Jaipur I had only discovered the EDT. Even so, I was transfixed immediately, so much so that it has become one of my perennial favorites. Jaipur smells like nothing else I have ever experienced - the vanilla is really something else, it punches out from the second the juice is applied. It is one of the few fragrances I have worn that have caused strangers to ask me which cologne I am wearing. I was happy with the EDT.

Then, while in Paris, I sprayed on some of the EDP, and it was an epiphany - how, I wondered, could it be that these brews could share the same name and yet be so different? By "different", of course, I mean "more magnificent".

I reach for my Jaipur EDP regularly. Sometimes I am so torn between it and Antaeus that I have to flip a coin to decide which one I'll spend the day with. Jaipur Homme is very potent, long-lasting, and projects calm, confident masculinity. And in the words of one of my work colleagues, "it smells very very expensive". It is quite sweet off the top, which could be mistaken for a feminine characteristic, although it fades away quickly to leave a spicy, oriental sillage that lasts for many, many hours. If you're hung up about the idea of wearing a fragrance that's a little sweet, then by all means drown yourself in Yatagan or Quorum and stick with that. If you're comfortable with your masculinity and it's not threatened by wearing a fragrance that can sometimes smell a little androgynous, then get yourself a big bottle of Jaipur Homme EDP, and enjoy.

Very refined and luxurious.... Jaipur's appeal is evidenced by the scores of great reviews. Jaipur fits into the rare slot of an oriental that is totally versatile - it works in the office or on a date, dressed in a tux or in shorts/t-shirt at Starbucks. The notes are those typically found in fresher fragrances, but they are presented so richly that the fragrance could never be so categorized.

I own the EdP and it lasts forever and throws good sillage. I don't suggest over-application.

I loved this at first but then it turned into this ever cloying thing that won't go away. A powdery vanilla, verdant in oriental style perfumery. This gets too much for me.

To re-assess this, I love the initial citron smell and the controlled sweetness, as I love the heliotrope, tonka and vanilla later. This could almost be a unisex scent and I've tried the EDP as well as the EDT. I much prefer the EDT, as the EDP is too cloying and lasts too long (till next day). It also doesn't have the beautiful subtlety of the EDT and seems to want to whack you with all the notes all at once. Jaipur doesn't remind of the opulent East at all, just like Hammam Bouquet isn't a scent reminiscent of the Ottoman east; they are both ideas from the West of what they think it should smell like. For full-on 'Oriental' reminders, try Serge Lutens and others, or Arabian Oud scents. Jaipur, on the other hand is a fantastic fragrance on its own two feet, probably for romantic nights out.

This review is under revision.

EDP review:

For some reason, Jaipur just doesn't work well on my skin. At first it smells too classy for regular use but then it goes a bit 'off' on me.

Definitely not my cup of vanilla tea...