Mauboussin Homme (2003)
by Mauboussin

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

Wonderful! Absolutely wonderful! I love patchouli and this is THE patchouli fragrance. It starts off with elegant lavender, joined by bergamot and rosemary that imparts zing to this otherwise subtle scent. The heart superbly blends scintillating cinnamon, deep patchouli and sage. All these notes are rounded by musk, fresh Bourbon vanilla and sandalwood. A word of warning though: don't expect this fragrance to leave a strong sillage as it is very subtle and intimate, which is why some people think it is short-lived. Enjoy it!