Mauboussin Homme (2003)
by Mauboussin

Mauboussin Homme seems to be another of the fragrances that vary substantially between edp and edt concentrations. This sort of difference is a common enough in women’s perfumes, but having two concentrations at all is uncommon in men’s fragrances, nonetheless two concentrations that vary qualitatively from each other. I have the edp.

My overall conclusion is that I’ve found another contested ground between Luca Turin and myself, the first being his boredom with and my love for a glaring mixed-white floral. The second is lavender. Caron pour un Homme is one of the few fragrances I truly dislike, yet is in Turin’s 5-star category. He found Mauboussin Homme somewhere between tired and tedious, if I may paraphrase. I have to say his beau frère characterization is clever, but I don’t find MH to be the unpleasant relative.

MH connects the minty-medicinal feel of lavender to the camphorous cool of patchouli by highlighting both with culinary herbs. Both the lavender and the patchouli are long-lasting and the feel that their pairing produces last through the drydown. As to the notes listed for drydown, vanilla? sandalwood? Not so much. But there does appear to be a musk that keeps a Cliff Notes version of the topnotes, condensed and with lower wattage sillage, intact through drydown.

The concept that keeps MH interesting and lively is the contrast presented by lavender, whose very name literally speaks of its cleanliness, and patchouli, which on a certain level smells like fancy dirt. Clean/dirty. MMmmm.

17th October, 2011.

According to Michael Edwards, this is a woody oriental, but other sources class it a s an oriental fougère; in any case, it has a fairly prominent lavender note, which gives it a distinctly fougère feeling. The opening is very bright and pretty, but gets slightly muddied by the strange combination in the heart notes; one hopes it might have worked better if it had been balanced differently. I think cinnamon and sage is probably a tricky pair to pull off together. The base notes, however, are pure musky oriental, sandalwood and vanilla with musk, giving just a touch of powder. All in all very wearable, it does approach some of the great scents in quality, recalling the feel of Chanel pour Monsieur in some ways, for example.

19th September, 2008.

This isnt THAT bad but I hear people say (not on these boards) taht this is supposed to be a romantic fragrance (as in, you put it on while your lover is in the lavatory changing into something more comfortable)? This is nice at first, with the rosemary and other more potent yet edible spices. Perhaps there is a little bit of vanilla nd a unique note underneath. I believe there is some sandalwood definite in there (I also believe that sandalwood/musk accords are the sexiest things)/ Please test this! You might like it better than I. Give it a chance, it doen't work for me.

4th June, 2008.

Lavendar, spice and some strange limey note. Not bad, but not my favorite either. DO NOT BUY BLIND!

3rd June, 2007.

Mauboussin starts out nicely with a beautiful lavender, bergamot, rosemary accord — subtle and rich. It is an opening that reminds me a bit of Caron Pour Un Homme, but it is much more refined and smooth and elegant. This vibrant splash of lavender, rosemary, and bergamot dies down rather quickly to an attractive and much tamer spice and patchouli accord for the mid notes. The middle notes — herbal, spice, and patchouli—don’t quite have the superior elegance of the opening primarily because of the weakness of their sillage. The mid notes are a bit too transparent and just do not achieve enough presence in my opinion. The drydown is a gentle and subtle sandalwood / vanilla that sticks so close to the skin that it appears to disappear. It has even less presence, but is much nicer than even the close-to-the-skin drydown of Pour Un Homme. The accords of Mauboussin are well crafted and beautiful and there is not a trace of synthetics. This scent is elegance and refinement personified. I’ve learned to appreciate the transparent fragrances, and I have learned to admire Mauboussin for that reason and its quality and dependability. Anyone who likes the subtle fragrances should give this one a try—it is a quality fragrance, and it is a comfortable wear.

25th February, 2006. (Last Edited: 9th March, 2008.)

What a nice surprise. Nothing too extraordinary, but wonderfully aromatic and easy to wear. Simply smells great. Lavender and sandalwood with accents of dry vanilla housed in a gorgeous bottle. Fans of Caron pour un Homme, or Carven Homme - try this.

9th September, 2005.