Maxims pour Homme (1988)
by Maxims

A slightly floral, slightly powdery, somewhat sweet blend (with a hint of spice) that dances around a pile of wood. That's mostly what I get (leaving aside top notes, which I try to avoid). I'm not getting any appreciable leather, patchouli, or oakmoss. Those who seek the kind of sandalwood note you get in a lot of "men's" fragrances from the 1970s and 80s might like this one, but I'm not a huge fan of it. If I didn't have others like it, I'd go ahead and try to grab a bottle cheaply. However, since I do, I will just keep my mini bottle of this one and be content. Longevity is very good and projection/"sillage" is just right. I'll rate it positive because I think it will satisfy those who seek this kind of fragrance.

I'm wondering if there was more than one formulation, because unlike some of the other reviews, I don't understand how this can be compared to Grey Flannel or Havana (there's not even a hint of tobacco). Nor is there an animalic element, leathery or otherwise. Vintage Woodhue Cologne for Men has a similar woody drydown, but I like its first couple hours better. I found a list of notes for it over at fragrantica.com, which is not identical to the one above: "...bergamot, lavender, lemon, clary sage and carnation. The heart features jasmine, rose, cedar, sandalwood, clove, and amber, while the base consists of oak moss, patchouli, cedar, vanilla, musk and leather."

4th July, 2011.

Maxims is a compelling woody fougere, with three very distinct phases.

A largely superfluous opening is excessively sweet, but mercifully brief. Beyond the forgettable top notes, it changes direction quite radically, becoming darker, arid and powdery. This deeply aromatic and woody phase only begins to soften with the emergence of the very rich moss in the base. It is lightly underscored by a very subtle sweetness, ensuring that the latter stages are as impressive as the heart notes.

Overall, and despite the flawed opening, this is a delightful fragrance. It is very obvious just why it has so many devotees

18th September, 2010.

While this scent is not quite to my taste, I certainly can find many things to appreciate here.
It starts with a *very* sweet opening – the “fruit note” is powerful, sugary, and almost toothache-inducing. Candy and powder are in abundance. As this opening blast settles down, good florals and some light but interesting woods emerge. Gradually the sweetness subsides, and a very genteel, old-school chord of mossy patchouli steps forward. I’m not a bit fan of patchouli, but this is not too heavy, and it has minty and herbal aspects. The patchouli works with the leather to give a soft dry-down.

26th March, 2010.

It’s been 8 hours and counting… MAXIMS POUR HOMME does not seem to be in any real hurry to go off, even if what is left on my skin is mostly musk, amber and rather surprisingly, patchouli.

But hours earlier, after a somewhat nose-wrinkling opening, I was treated to a smoky blend of floral leather and mossy woods which is neither smooth nor suave, but radiates authority. Think Grey Flannel on a power trip

And as masculine as this aromatic fougere is, it requires a great deal of maturity - I’d need to add another 10 years to my age before I can swing it with any real credibility. Even then I had my doubts for it’s just the kind of power scent you’d expect on a no-nonsense cigar-chomping son-of-a-gun. J. Jonah Jameson from The Daily Bugle would fit the bill perfectly.

While Maxims pour Homme does not quite match my style nor personality, I can appreciate how it could be a solid option, particularly if you fit the mould.

28th January, 2010.

Maxims pour Homme is one of those elusive, discontinued 1980s fragrances most often spoken of among connoisseurs in tones of awe and reverence. In other words, the kind of scent of which I’m instinctively suspicious. Maxims goes on in a cacophonous explosion that recalls the opening of the equally revered Havana: bergamot, aromatics, larger-than-life lavender, and clouds of tobacco smoke. It’s enough to make noses accustomed to Jean-Claude Elléna and Olivia Giacobetti scents recoil in horror.

Maxims takes its time getting sorted out, and remains harsh and disorganized long enough, I sure, to try some wearers’ patience. Once it settles down, Maxims reveals itself as a big, savory leather-tobacco scent with a distinctive smoky-salty accent. It’s still not worlds away from Havana in its overall structure, though its obviously more “savory,” more animalic, and more of an outright leather scent than the Aramis. Over the course of hours Maxims goes its own way, ending in a plush, smoky, animalic leather drydown of great dignity and distinction. I’m happy to report that my suspicions are allayed: Maxims pour Homme is a marvelous fragrance, and it’s a shame that it’s no longer made.

16th December, 2009.

While I don’t find the leather in Maxims pour Homme dislikeable (in fact, I enjoy it… just as I often enjoy mild leather notes in the older fragrances), the leather dominates my sense of smell over many of the other notes and accords of the fragrance. I can tell four minutes into the opening that this is about all this I am going to get from this fragrance: leather and the indoles from the heart jasmine. To me this is an extremely animalic fragrance. I don’t at all get any fruit note of any sort in the opening: I get a smooth, deep leather and a rather strong indole note from the jasmine… And “sweet”?… in no way does anything smell sweet. The leather and indoles override everything to my nose. No other florals than jasmine from the heart either. Occasionally throughout the long run of Maxims, I think that I can smell a bit of patchouli, then cedar, then amber… but they are gone so fast, I’m not sure I smelled them. I get no moss or musk. This is a linear leather fragrance with a strong jasmine indole note. I like it and I don’t say that often about a leather fragrance. Although I do enjoy it, eventually its linearity becomes more uninteresting than anything else. The age of my sample might also have something to do with the reduction of top and middle notes… Hard to tell…

14th November, 2009.