Skin Bracer (1931)
by Mennen

With vague notes of mint, powder, and leather, Skin Bracer smells like Brut without the skank. It's also similar to Clubman by Pinaud, although I find it strange that the much-older Clubman smells more modern than Skin Bracer. For some reason this particular aftershave by Mennen smells stodgier, although if you're looking to capture that barbershop scent, you could do worse. I'm not particularly fond of these crude wetshaver fougeres. They tend to smell sythetic, and Skin Bracer suffers from the same stinky-sweet drydown of its peers. But all things considered, this gets the job done, and all for under $10.

13rd September, 2011.

The proto-Brut-Polo-Azarro PH? Yes. Smelled in the bottle while you're in a supermarket, drugstore or gas station convenience shop, this stuff is an acrid synthetic vanillac tobacco (phosphate?) mess. Slapped on the face after the purchase? Things get better, but not by a lot, at least for me. It's splashing some on the chest that makes it comes alive, and yes, getting some on your shirt: softer yet still assertive, some hint of menthol/mint, imagined florals, and the mood disorder of the vanilla resolved opening up to a fresh, fairly lush nonpowdery drydown. The big question: is there anise? Yes, but not as center stage or of course as crafted as in Azarro PH. The drydown here is dimensional, slightly oriental.

Unapologetically masculine stuff.

16th June, 2011. (Last Edited: 17th June, 2011.)

Great buy, great scent,classic style aftershave....better than AV anyday.......hey it was good enough for Jack Palance.......everyone should have this in their AS rotation.

26th February, 2011.

This a fresh aftershave, classic and it has a good smell. A+++

19th January, 2011.

While some of the previous reviews have said that this is a scent only for certain types or people of certain age ranges, the reader will surely agree that can either be said of every fragrance or it cannot be said about any. In either case, the comments are without substance. It's a classic, clean, minty, and (almost) licorice scent that should be worn with confidence. For a product of 1931 it wears it's age very well there's no powder blast here. If you're the kind of person who can wear and appreciate the classic scents of Old Spice and Brut, take Skin Bracer out for a spin. It won't disappoint. Personally, I think it pairs best with Brut. If Brut is distilled man, Skin Bracer is the same guy after a shave and shower.

24th November, 2009.

Yes, as many said, it evokes proletarian associations in its price, availabilty and the profile of its users. Or else, at its best, associations to loved or dead elders. Don't be brand - fooled, it is an amazing scent.

First of all, it is a skin bracer. That means that when applying it, it will actually brace your skin due to the presence of mint or menthol; after all, we are not talking about metrosexual users demanding physical or emotional comfort from their their wrinkle-control and moistureizing creams. This is for machos with a good pair of cojones, not the devalued kind of men so utterly common nowadays, so the "Ouch, it hurts" upon application can be well answered to with a "I am a man... so I ave to stand this as one."

Second of all, there are beautiful woody and spicy notes comming after the initial menthol / mint blast very much alike a diminished version of Ralph Lauren's Polo, this for just minutes; Skin Bracer has enormous sillage but its longevity is minimal, so you might as well play with it after showering or after shaving, and move on to you usual hour-long scent - BTW, Polo wouldn't be a bad choice, they match. There won't be a problem in this at all for they won't layer.

And if you are among the ones that would love a Skin Bracer with better longevity, just decant it into a sprayer and apply a generous amount of it to your clothes. It will draw compliments.

Take in mind that telling the truth won't work at all, for no one will believe you. So you can as well say it is a bespoke fragrance done by one of the world's best noses.

7th September, 2009.