Oscar de la Renta pour Lui (1981)
by Oscar de la Renta

Outdated, loud, cheap, vulgar, tacky, depressing: these are just some of the words I can find to describe this fragrance. I never liked the vintage version (it was the type of 80s powerscent I DON'T like), but at least it was better constructed and had better materials than this foul mess. It's a typical bad 80s-styled powerhouse - a depressing mossy base with heavy, blaring spices and amber piled on top of it, perfect for clearing out whole city blocks. The phrase, "This smells like a household product" has been overused by critics, but it is very fitting here. I'm not a hater of powerscents, and in fact two of them (Kouros and Giorgio For Men) are on my top 10 all time favorite list. Oscar Pour Lui, however, brings back awful memories of 80s/early 90s horrors like Fendi Uomo, Fahrenheit, Bijan, etc. I wouldn't even use this as a bathroom scent for guests to use after they stink up the place.

Supplement to Review:

Though I remember not liking this very much when I first smelled it about 14 years ago, I recently decided to revisit the old formulation, due to all the attention and positive comments it's been getting recently on the discussion boards. I bought a .33 oz. mini of the old stuff for only $5.00. My tastes apparently have changed since then, because I am really enjoying this scent now. Although this scent just screams out "1980s" with a bullhorn, I find its intense spiciness, face-melting potency, and incredible complexity to be irresistable. I can now see why it's gotten the rave reviews by some members. Although I smell similarities with the new formulation, my opinion of the new version has not changed - it still smells messy, confused, cluttered and cheap to my nose, and I don't enjoy it at all. I do often get irritated hearing endless complaining about how reformulations aren't as good as "vintage" versions, but I have to agree with those observations about this fragrance. Big thumbs up for the old version.

Although i used the original Oscar de la Renta pour Lui in my university days and up to the early 90's, this review is of the reformulated edition. An admittedly weaker version of the very rich original, but a good scent in itself. Unfortunately i did not have this positive nostalgic identification with the new Antaeus and therefore do not feel too short-changed having to use the new formulation.

The new pour Lui is still a powerful scent and not for those who just want an aura of scent very close to themselves. In the opening "blast" my limited nose gets the aldehydes, lavender and anise, although lots more is going on. I will always remember my first sniff of pour Lui in 1983 in which i thought it smelt like no other scent i had come across. I still got that feeling in my "re-union" first sniff of this edition 17 years after last using it. pour Lui is a scent which i wish could retain its top-notes throughout its life on my skin, and THAT is unusual.

A few hours into the wearing, i perceive a perfumey quality in pour Lui which reminds me of Sung Homme (which i only came across last month). It may just be me, but it is not a bad thing at all.

Despite my wish for a protracted top-note phase, the drydown of pour Lui is yet another matter entirely. The (mainly) oakmoss and musk notes are an experience! An experience one has the luxury of enjoying for a while, as the longevity of pour Lui is significant. On me it is one of those scents that survive mere water and soap.

Oscar de la Renta pour Lui (reloaded) is a very good scent which i will not hesitate to recommend any day, especially to those who appreciate 80s scents.

The ORIGINAL 1981 "Oscar de la Renta Pour Lui" has been relabeled “Pour Lui” and with that relabling there apparently has been a reformulation. The Pour Lui – the one being sold recently – according to others is significantly different (weaker) from the original ‘80’s powerhouse. This review is of the ORIGINAL 1981 Oscar de la Renta Pour Lui:

I think this is one of the most powerful fragrances I own — it boasts sillage that has the potential to fill a room if I’m not careful in application. It has twenty-hour longevity. Its accords are old school, harmonious, and bold. It opens with less intensity than the later stages — aldehydic, green, spicy, and citric notes in an excellent combination that doesn’t really psychologically prepare me for what follows. The potency increases drastically in the mid notes, which are floral, green, and coniferous with green and coniferous dominating over the florals — this stage is sharp and abundantly full of aromas. The sharpness of the middle notes is softened and made darker by the incense and moss from the base, which is a combination accord with no note dominating to my nose — well, possibly the incense… The base is the richest and most sensual level of the fragrance; it is addictive and it holds on for hours. I think Oscar de la Renta Pour Lui is a excellent fragrance... it's a powerhouse if ever there was one. It's a fragrance that has stopped in time and reminds us of the abundance, organicness, and drama of our past. I don’t wear it as often as I’d like because I usually find it just too much for me for most occasions, but I treasure it - especially as a symbol. (Edit of 03 February 2007 review.)

Be advised that Pour Lui has been reformulated. The new version pales in comparison to the older-vintage version so much so that the new version is unwearable. The opening is pure watered-down cola. Even the drydown is thin and feeble. Yes, it’s true - Lui’s manhood has been severed.

Now let’s talk about the vintage version which still can be scored for a good price if you know where to look. The opening is quite unique in that it smells great but you are unsure as to what you are smelling. Aldehydes? I believe so. There’s a pleasant green-pine note that pops up from time to time. The midnotes of carnation and patchouli shift this beast into overdrive as the sillage gets stronger and bolder. One also gets a faint breeze of cinnamon and incense. Ends with a big oak mossy finish that would put most 70’s scents to shame. This is truly a great scent and deserves better treatment from Oscar. Shame.

Powerhouse fragrance. Excellent leather chypre from the early 1980's.

Anise,Bergamot,Juniper Berry,Basil, Cumin, Galbanum, Lavender,Thyme and Aldehydes in the opening !!!

Green Florals with cinnamon and patchouli in the heart backed up by the standard leather base. If someone ever pitted Oscar Pour Lui against Desprez Versailles PH in a steel cage match, no one would come out alive. These 2 are the strongmen from days gone by.

You need chutzpah to wear the original formulation of this scent. I say this with no disrespect intended ; If you are partial to scents of a lighter nature, don't even take the lid off this juice. It's out of your league and will jap slap you like a biatch.

Huge thumbs up from me on this classic.

wow.... wow.... bought this blind and received it today... sprayed it on a shirt going into the laundry to test it's "agreement" with my own sweat and thought it smelled lovely... then, post shower, i hit myself with two sprays (great spray mechanism) on the chest and two on the wrists...
here we go on our journey
the first few seconds i actually sneezed it's got a lot of oomph coming out of the bottle. then i got hit with an amazingly soft floral (not soapy at all like prada amber but similar in it's execution)... now i'm sitting in the middle with a hybrid z-14 citrus and soft powder feel that renders me longing for soft linen sheets in a uppercrust penthouse. Now I'm an hour in, and although the citrus element still hangs on rather strong on my wrists, my chest smells so good i actually want to eat it. I wish I had a more discerning nose so that I could pick out the individual notes, but I'm beginning to feel that the sillage is actually much more beautiful than the "romantically close" drydown. I would love to say this is top five, but I guess I'll need several more hours (based on numerous reviews) to truly understand this monster. The fact that I got it for less than 30 usd including shippping (way less than the 120 usd i paid for the overhyped Creed Himalaya) already makes this all the more beautiful