Fragrance Reviews by Griff

Caron has dropped the reference to Pour un Homme from the title. It's now just called "Impact."

I always felt that PuH was one of the strongest EDT's ever (one spray will do you) so I don't quite get the why of an EDP version. It isn't bad but it seems redundant. PuH is more interesting. Impact was a straight line from application to dry down to complete fade.

Buy it as a curiosity only. Stick to PuH otherwise.

Nat Sherman "Touch Of Cloves" cigarettes. We used to smoke them in the seventies when we were young and hip and slumming it in Boston.

Kretek is "Touch Of Cloves" in a bottle. The memories it conjures bring tears to these older eyes.

Find it, buy it and wear it out clubbing. I guarantee you that no one else in the house will smell like you or as good as you for that matter.

Hard-to-find but worth the effort, Orphee is unlike anything else. A refined version of that irresistable smell of watermelon bubblegum you can occasionally detect at supermarket checkout counters. Wait. That sounds cheap. Orphee is much better than that.

The fresh, clean, sweet bite of watermelon. Nothing less, nothing more.

Interesting. Kenzo Tokyo is, to this nose, a layered combination of Kenzo Jungle and Kenzoair. The initial notes are more Jungle. The later, basenotes are more like Kenzoair, so much so that the drydown is virtually indistinguishable from Kenzoair. I have always admired Kenzo for its unmistakable accord apparently across all its offerings. However, one expects that each new addition to a house's line will be somewhat original. Although Tokyo is pleasant (and definitely a Kenzo product) it is totally lacking in originality.

One of the joys of collecting and savoring scent is the discovery of an old school fragrance that one somehow missed when they were new. YSL pour Homme Haute Concentration, for example. I just found this one. I had no idea.

YSL pour Homme Haute Concentration could only have been concocted by the same house responsible for the equally disturbing and irresistable Kouros. This stuff is pure "swoon" in a bottle.

Hovering just beneath the initial soapy verbena blast of light (yes, the citrus is that startling) lurks a dark, animalic underpinning similar in composition to the base notes of Jicky or Ungaro II but in YSL HHC, the effect of cheery lemon and nasty musk is much, much more sinister. I realize none of these descriptives sound appealing but this weird combination of completely disparate light and shadow notes somehow works.

The drydown, though not entirely linear, is still remarkable. Instead of total metamorphosis, the two accords quiet down into a soft, slightly musty (think old leather books), slightly herbal (think dry gum tree leaves) delight that growls like a Bizzaro World Joseph Merrick, "I am not a man, I am, an animal!"

Woof.

A near dead ringer for Stardust (the mens cologne by Llewylln). FM is a tad more linear in the drydown. It doesn't change. Stardust is out of production and almost never shows up on line. Like Stardust? Fougeres Marines is a worthy substitute.

Griff

I have to ask myself if the reason I am so insanely mad for this relic is because it's out-of-production and I have to admit, that is a big part of the appeal (who doesn't lust for that which one cannot have, at least not easily?) but, difficulty of attaining and maintaining an adequate supply aside, this is the single greatest carnation scent of all time. There. I said it.

Unmistakably Ralph Lauren, (it's easy to follow the the sharp, distinctive green accord of the original Polo through Chaps and then to Monogram and beyond) no collection should be without a bottle.

The composition? Carnation of course, lots of it draped from top to bottom notes. There are woods, some pungent spice and bass clef animalistic note (ambergris perhaps?) but I don't detect even a whisper of citrus. The total effect is a deep, masculine, sophisticated blend of class and raw sex. My bottles sit prominently on my "never get sick of" shelf.

Ok. Listen to me. You hate this stuff. Sell me your bottles! Now!

Montale scents all share a particular sharp, pungent accord whose intial, sudden burst in the nose is always a pleasant, if startling, experience. Greyland's top notes-an intoxicating blend of sharp, resinous cedar, smokey incense and almost ethereal, very light citrus and cumin notes-make it one powerhouse of a frangrance. Unlike other cedar/incense fragrances in my collection, Greyland lasts all day (at least on my fair, dry skin). And it isn't one-dimensional. After the bracing top notes slowly settle and quiet down, the sharp cedar steps aside a bit to reveal a soft, surprising semi-sweet aquatic note. Astonishing.

I ordered a bottle which I received last week and am quickly working my way through it towards a second bottle.

Calchic's review below on the complex composition is spot on. I would only add that this now out-of-production citrus and spice gem is is definitely suitable for men. It even out-classes Eau Sauvage in the fresh citrus category. Eau de Patou is like a smooth, silky citron cousin to Caron's L'Anarchiste. Shame it is no longer available.

"What's your favorite? The one you couldn't live without?" Popular question among Basenoters. When it comes to absolute favorite, this fickle nose changes it mind ever few weeks, as it has done for years. How does one choose?

Funny, Jean Patou Pour Homme has been sat in my "favorite" throne more than anything else in my wardrobe. It is the one I reach for when leaving on a trip. It's the default when nothing else will seems right, or when I cannot make up my mind. It's the one fragrance I always enjoy with the same intensity and wonder as the first time I sniffed it years ago.

I am loath to overpraise it (its everything stated below and more) since the exisiting supply of this now out-of-production masterpiece is quickly disappearing and quite frankly, I don't want to assist my competition. Sorry, I am unashamed of my selfishness when it comes to Jean Patou Pour Homme.

Griff

Yes it is similar in some ways to Eau des Iles but they are discernable based on their familiar accords: L'Eau de Navagateur is unmistakably L'Artisan; lighter and brighter in composition-an oboe to EdI's bass bassoon--with sweet, smokey coffee beans, wood and spice. Also has a longer sillage trailer than EdI at least on my skin. Eau des Iles is unmistakably MPG, earthier, darker, moodier. I love them both for their differences and individual characters.

Of course, finding the now out-of-production L'Eau de Navagateur is becoming more difficult. I have finally acquired my third bottle. That should last me for this lifetime.

If you can pick up a decant or more, do so.

Griff

Xeryus is the closest thing to my holy grail artemesia (wormwood) foliage scent. Although listed as a top note, to my nose the artemesia permeates the entire composition, lasting right into the dry down of amber and heady, dry, resinous woods. And I mean lasts! Six hours and counting.

(I see "grapefruit" in the pyramid but I no smell "grapefruit.")

This refined fougere is one classic 80's scent that makes the transition to the 21st century intact and with no apologies. Wear it with confidence.

Yea, I can see the florals up there on the note pyramid. Don't be fooled. Aramis 900 is the most aromatic herbal cologne this nose has ever enjoyed. Guaranteed to clear your sinuses! All that is missing is a strong hit of balsam (I wonder what that would smell like). It calms down after a few mintues on the skin but the sharp snap of freshly broken twigs remains for hours.

900 is not for everyone. It's as green as it gets and there is nothing at all pretty about it.

Sample before trying. It's not for everyone.

The second-best men's chypre ever (Derby is the best) and the most refined of all the 80's colognes in my estimation. You would think, looking at the note pyramid, that JHL would be super strong. It's not. It does last all day and it has has an excellent earthy woody dry down but it is not an overbearing loudmouth like so many of that decade's introductions (Yes, I am talking to YOU Drakkar...)

The overall intial impression is one of a dry, sweet cinammon and pepper. The dry down reveals the true genius of the composition with a perfectly balanced foundation of patchouli and sandalwood woven beneath a airy wreath of carnation and rose.

Apparently, it was unavailable for quite a while then, without fanfare, it started showing up this year in select department stores (like Nordstroms). DO pick it up while you can. Buy three or four bottles and put the extras away in the fridge. It could disappear just as quickly as it reappeared.

If you like a refined chypre, you will take to JHL in a whiff.

Cumin-a controversial smell for most-has the be the most difficult note to use as a base for any scent. L'Autre by Diptyque is pure cumin. It is also probably the single most reviled odor in a bottle ever produced (I love it to death).

Of all the other cumin scents like Equipage and Quorum, Kingdom, to this nose, get's it right. There is no mistaking the curry ingredient but it does not stand alone. The initial rush of cumin fades down quickly and up wafts the lovely florals and light citrus, all continually supported by the fading but never gone cumin note.

This one does last forever on me. It is also one of the small group of scents in my collection that garner uniformly positive responses, even from those who when presented with the bottle to sample, recoil in horror.

Get it and revel in it.

High quality, refined woods composition but not long lasting, at least on my old skin. The top is is clean, smooth aquatic cedar accord. I would love to have told you about the middle and basenotes but the drydown for me was more like a die down. Gone in 15 minutes. Reapplications did not help at all.

It may last longer on your skin though. Sample it and see.

Think "pretty." Think "girly." Think "floral-y"

Now think the absolute opposite of all three. That's Kouros.

Say what you will, Kouros is the very essence of what most of us would call a "masculine" scent if one defines "masculine" as an opposite of all things "feminine."

Piss? Armpit? Sweaty testicles? Well, yes, Kouros smells a little bit like that but only figuratively, not literally. The thing is a work of genius in that it takes the most animalic composition of this-close-to-foetid notes ever squirted into a bottle and comes up with a long lasting, heady fragrance with a warm, almost sweet grassy drydown. This is one that only a girly man would disdain (and yes, that's a challenge pilgrim!)

Buck up Mister and wear this one like a man!

Griff

Buy it and then use it very sparingly. A little goes a long way and, as absolutely fabulous as this singular fragrance is, if you overdo it (wearing it for days at a time or too heavily), it will turn you off.

That said, the beauty of Piper Nigrum isn't just in its intial exotic and heady blend. The variations of notes slurring, appearing and disappearing over the basso profundo pepper sostenuto is never quite the same with each wearing. A mysterious changling, no collection should be without.

Griff

Chanel's masterpiece, Bois Noir flopped and was removed from the Chanel boutique shelves within the year of it's introduction (1987). It was re-launched in 1990 as Egoiste. As good as Egoiste is (and it is good, no, it is great) Bois Noir is far and away, a superior mix of the same notes found in Egoiste. It is a dirty rotten shame Chanel found it necessary to alter the formula, however slightly for it's relaunch as Egoiste but they did and of course, Egoiste was a huge success.

I sparingly use my Bois Noir mostly for very special occasions... like the election of a democratic majority in the house and senate...which is to say, my bottle will easily last me for my lifetime.

Griff

The ultimate 80's era rose scent for men. This is not a bright pink rose characteristic of so many, mainly women's fragrances; Iquitos is a dark blood-red rose whose petal tips have started to brown and wither. More "thorn" than "petal," the genius of this composition is the balance between patchouli, amber and green (vetiver?) with the humid rose not that lasts from top to bottom. Smells like...? Nothing else I know.

Griff

A proletarian take on the "Russian Leather" accord. Where Chanel's Cuir de Russie is sublime floral smoke and leather, and Creed's Cuir de Russie is a complex and kaliedescopic journey through a well-kept stable bursting with polished and oiled riding tack, Piver's offering is just a solid-if-flat concoction of a slightly harsh bergamot/carnation held aloft by a patently synthetic leather. The prominent note is not leather though; it's a metallic mandarin slightly evocative of L'Anarchiste but just barely. This isn't to say Piver's Cuir isn't good. It's actually not bad and in fact, it gets better during the drydown where the sillage improves with time as it slowly reveals cedarwoods and spice. Am I glad I bought it blind? Sure, but L'Anarchiste does this better. Will I actually use it? Maybe. Sometimes. Probably not often. It's certain to be a nearly full bottle at my eventual estate sale, pending my eventual demise of course.

A juuuuust barely thumbs up.

If only the mandarin or the cedar were a bit more prominent, this could be an interesting, perhaps even outstanding cologne. As it is, the sum of the notes though not unpleasant initially (the juniper is very prominent on the top then disappears), dries down into something like cheap baby powder. Great I suppose if you like baby powder.

The single best gentleman's chypre ever. Like the previous reviewers, this nose was struck with the potency of the leather and the bergamot but... don't discount that peppermint. It's shade permeates the entire drydown but not loudly. The only thing that comes (came?) close was Monogram but Derby is much more complex, more long lasting and more sophisticated. I cherish my only two bottles with my life.
Why oh why did Guerlain discontinue it?

Unremarkable. A trifle gourmand, like a low contrast A*men. Sweet and cloying. Ugh. But with that name, HOW could I resist?
Griff

I was of two minds regarding L'Instant. The composition is exquisite. A column of notes, all perfectly balanced. Definitely the sweetest Guerlain for men. However, there's that staying power issue. Somedays, it lasted for the entire day. Other days, it seemed to disappear an "l'instant." Doesn't seem to be weather or humidity related. Just a mystery. Final vote? A thumbs up. Well, how can you NOT add it to your collection?

The perfect fig leaf and fig scent. Only Jo Malone comes close (and JM is a bit more floral fig to my nose but I like both and I prefer this one).

Think, "overpacked train from Dehli to Bombay in the heat of the summer"; that's L'Autre (L'Outre?) This is singular and definitely NOT to most tastes but, as this is probably the only fragrance I could safely wear to a leather-bear bar and not be turned away at the door for wearing fragrance, it is now a part of my collection.
And it probably will come in handy for spicing up a so-so madrass curry.

Reminds me of a less complex version of LV Piper Nigrum. Definitely a must have (well, for ME at least...)

Unique. I bought a decant roll-on of this edt recently. To start, it moves fast. Right out of the bottle, the top note starts off with the scent of old lipstick (must be the carrier) but almost immediately blooms into a blend of juniper berries and a cedar-floral note I cannot nail down (I am so bad at this sometimes). Then from underneath, a hint something earthy and animal rises. If I pull the scent up deeply into my nose from right off the surface of my hand, there is a very subtle smell of... what else can I call it... baby vomit! but not in a bad way. It's clean and virginal baby vomit and it is WAY down there at the bottom where it serves as a good foundation for all this other stuff brimming to the top; cotton candy, amber, and a hint of grass. The sum effect is subtle and unmistakable and definitely incomparable. (It smells like...L'Homme de Coeur.) In case you are wondering, I like this one... a lot.

There is nothing like Yatagan. There is nothing out there that one can use for comparison. I spray it on and I can face the day as a champion. Plus Yatagan never fails to draw inquiry and approval if mostly from other men. ("Can I work for you? Lead us, O great leader!") Celery? Yes indeed and thank Allah. Plus the bite of dried oregano and the green aroma of just-crushed juniper berries. About one thousand light years from anything even remotely sweet or floral. Like two other Caron manly masterpieces--Royal Bain de Champagne and L'Anarchiste, Yatagan is an unmistakable, unforgettable and instantly recognizable scent. "A turkish curved sword" indeed!

Unmistakeable...and horrid. Nothing subtle about it--it smells to me like cheap generic cologne sprayed on unwashed underpants after a night of self abasement in attempt to freshen up quickly. And what is up with this frenzy to bid up bottles on eBay to $200+. Why? Why? Why?

Just discovered this one. The price was right so I took a chance. A very pleasant surprise. There's spice...yes... and wood...yes... and more spice...and...and... what is this? It's a strange smokey poke in the nose. And it's evocative of something from years ago... but what? Eureka! That's it! Building circuit boards! It's the smoke of burning flux from inside the lead wire one uses with a soldering iron. A highly unusual and intoxicating mash of masculinity, dirt and pepper. And on top of it all, the drydown lasts and lasts. Definitely an all-day wrist sniffer. One of my current favorites but you may hate it.

I picked up a bottle of Casran on a whim last year while on a trip. Didn't even try it right away and when i did give it a test whiff, it didn't strike me as anything too special. Then I tried it one day and wham!... Now, it's on my top five list of favorites, Casran is extraordinary. It doesn't yell. It's soft, subtle and a lightlyl sweet but not cloying or feminine. At least on my skin, this stuff lasts all day. Casran is one of the few colognes that I would recommend to anyone without hesitation. -Griff

Yes! Pencil shavings! I couldn't put my finger (or nose) on it right away but that is exactly it. Evocative as hell and on my top five list of the greatest colognes ever minted. Now, if someone could come up with a cologne that smells like mimeograph ink.... -Griff

This was my first favorite scent as an adult (my tastes as a teenager were unabshedly exorable--cataracts of Jade East and English Leather...) and although I still hold a soft spot for Gap Blue for Him, there are so many other fragrances and so little time. I don't get the "driftwood" (what the hell does THAT smell like???). This is a clean, strong, watery scent--very safe--that lasts and lasts and lasts. Always garnered plently of "snnnnniiiifff.... what is THAT you are wearing?" Mostly from women but sometimes from men . Sniffing it now brings back fond memories of a younger, callow and totally unexplored nose.
When I heard it was going out of production a few years ago, I bought 20 boxes.
And there they sit....

Luca Turin's comments regarding this admittedly bizarre women's fragrance (as relayed in The Emporer of Scent by Chandler Burr. If you haven't read it yet, do so) was what compelled me to first explore the world of classic women's perfumes. His description was so curious, (something about it being a favorite of urbane lesbians in the 1950's...the woman who wore this was not the girl you would bring home to mother...) I simply had to smell it for myself. I found my first full, sealed, 1940's vintage bottle in perfect condition (on eBay). Mesmerizing, potent and definitely singular. Absolutelyl unlike any other fragrance I have every encountered. Its sharp, nicotined-stained topnotes morph slowly down into a deep range of swarthy, dark mahagony basenotes with incredible staying power (for me, over 24 hours!)and like all Caron products, it is to my nose just a tinge nasty and dirty (but in an entirely good way). Hard to imagine this on any woman. Maybe that's why they discontinued it. They should have repackaged it as pour homme. For now, I treasure the stash I have collected. I sometimes dab Tabac Blond on my wrists before going to bed. It guarantees me some pretty torrid dreams.

I will never know why Guerlain killed this one off. It is absolutely ravishing. Feminine? Yes, but I like it too. Confession: Sometimes on a summer evening where I know I will be outdoors, I layer a mist of Après L'ondée over a generous spritz of either Marc Jacobs for Men or Jo Malone Fig and Cassis. The added note of fig in each seems to transmute and subdue the potent powder of Après L'ondée into something mysterious and masculine. Men AND women have asked what I was wearing and where they could get some. I just smile and say, "It's my own concoction..."

Underrated. I really like this one. The slightly unusual cardamom note lingers longer than the rest of the components, at least on my skin. I find myself sniffing my wrists (when no one is looking of course) just to drink it in. Andy Warhol is not obtrusive and it doesn't scream "cologne!". A subtle, clean scent that I like day or night, office or play, summer or winter.