 | Kouros Cologne Sport by Yves Saint LaurentA mysterious scent, but sadly misnamed. It should rather be called "The Enigma of the Hour" or "The Phantom of the Pharmacy" or even, quite simply, "Afterwards". Here we have the formidably earthy creature that is Kouros (honeyed milky sweetness interfused with sperm, sweat and goat's urine) taken past the halfway house that is Kouros Fraicheur and ultimately refined into a clean, subtle, serene and elusive being. A whisper of the original Kouros smell informs this fragrance, and its reserved, slightly medicinal yet warm aura might just possibly invite some sort of "sport cologne" connection, but its real essence lies elsewhere. I think it has best been captured by the review of the admirable Indie_Guy (see below) who says "It smelled somewhat 'funereal' and conjured up images of burial linens. Spooky ... Fresh and yet has hints of otherworldly dark things floating through it." A brilliant and poetic observation. Not so much death as decay in a Victorian churchyard (which, to my nose, Van Cleef & Arpels Pour Homme can sometimes suggest) but death in mysterious Egyptian dimensions - a space of eternal shadows. Not to everyone's taste, perhaps, but don't be alarmed into thinking that, if you wear this scent, you will be mistaken for one of the walking dead. (One could equally compose a narrative placing this fragrance in an 1890s Parisian salon, imagining it being worn by a slightly eccentric young dandy and also, perhaps, by his elderly aunts). I merely meant to suggest that it does capture a real sense of mystery - hence the connection with death as the ultimate enigma. Like the original Kouros, in its very different way, a bit of a masterpiece, and one equally likely to divide opinion. 25th November, 2011. |
| | Cacharel Pour L'Homme by Cacharel "The King of Spain's daughter asked to marry me / All for the sake of my little nutmeg tree." 24th November, 2011. |
| | Coriolan by GuerlainElegant, evocative, enigmatic, eccentric - Coriolan seems to be one of those Guerlain fragrances that really divides opinion. Personally, I love it dearly - an alchemy of ingredients that almost defies description in terms of conventional fragrance categories and yet somehow achieves its own sort of odd perfection. Imagine a soiree in the Faubourg Saint Germain. In one corner, the Baron de Charlus sniffs his wrist appreciatively. In another corner, the ever-ailing Marcel, propped on a chaise longue, does the same. Both are wearing Coriolan. "It seems that forever," murmurs the Baron, "I have been seeking such an overture: this rich depth of plum-coloured velvet riddled with the aristocratic sharpness of watered silk, both companiably wedded to a sour-sweet, brackish sophistication and a heroic roughness!" "The overture," murmurs Marcel, "is pleasant enough. But the true glory of this scent is in the last, lingering moments of its basenotes. They have been present there like a phantom, from the beginning, but now, at last, they achieve their apotheosis, leading me into an underworld of disappearing echoes, lost lives, lost loves, full of pride, swagger, gratitude and regret. True poetry of the perfumier's art!" 24th November, 2011. |
| | Eau de Campagne by Sisley Visiting my friend Marcel in his hospital bed the other day, I was surprised to find him in a mood that was almost ecstatic. "As you well know, mon cher Nitram," he informed me, "I have long been anxious to recapture lost time. Well, here I have a veritable bottle of precious, elusive memories! At the first sniff of Sisley's Eau de Campagne, I was immediately transported back to my childhood! There I was, all of eight years old, dressed in my little sailor suit (de rigueur attire for children of my generation), crawling through the summer undergrowth at the bottom of our garden. The smell of cut grass and tall, dusty nettles, warmed by the sun, surrounded me on all sides, interspersed with the occasional whiff of herbs and tomato plants from our kitchen garden. Although a somewhat delicate child, I was determined to keep on crawling, in the vague hope that, somewhere in the midst of all this fragrant foliage, I would meet up with my first love Gilberte, also eight years old, and, nose to nose, we would declare our undying devotion to each other!" 19th November, 2011. |
 | Eau de Quinine by Crown PerfumeryProbably beloved of Sherlock Holmes, possibly enjoyed by Oscar Wilde in certain of his moods, perhaps appreciated by Jack the Ripper, almost certainly dismissed by King Edward "Tum Tum" the Seventh, Crown Eau de Quinine could well inspire the following adjectives: medicinal, metaphysical, mysterious, reserved, deep, complex, uncanny, sinister, quaintly traditional and oddly modern. In fact, a bit of an enigma. 18th November, 2011. |
| | Crown Imperial by Crown PerfumeryThe first delight is a visual one: the colour of this juice is an unusual deep, luxuriant orange. The second delight, on initial spraying, is the obvious purity and quality of the citrus ingredients. The third delight is that, after a couple of minutes, the citrus, to my nose, seems to take on the sharp, refreshing tang (sharp but never harsh) that is almost identical to the opening notes of YSL Pour Homme - one of my favourite opening citrus blasts. 18th November, 2011. |
| | Worth pour Homme by WorthUnexpected encounters in elegant corridors. A cousin of the original Paco Rabanne, Worth Pour Homme is quieter and more reserved. A beautifully blended scent at a budget price, putting many more expensive fragrances to shame. 17th November, 2011. |
| | Dolce & Gabbana pour Homme by Dolce & GabbanaA handsome man, and a strong one, smelling of lemons and tobacco, a hint of old-world charm and timeless menace. A touch of old Sicily, smiling, formal and polite. But tread carefully, spray gently, mind your manners. There's power and danger lurking here and more than a liitle ruthlessness. He definitely knows where all the bodies are buried. 17th November, 2011. |
| | Envy for Men by GucciA smooth limousine of a fragrance, this, with never a bump or a rough spot. It just sort of glides along, light and silky, woods and spices, simultaneously powerful and subdued. Some might find it almost bland in its quiet, oiled perfection. The limousine glides. Passers by crane their necks, eager to get a glimpse of who's inside. Well, obviously, it's Monsieur le Duc d'Elegance and Monsieur le Compte de Suave. 17th November, 2011. |
| | Noir by Network Health & Beauty Stranded in the jungle, surrounded on all sides by hostile tribes, his ammunition and his beloved Denim Original all used up, the intrepid English explorer Captain Bunty Fortescue-Smythe had little option but to accept the offer made to him by his chum, Captain Horatio 'Boy' Carruthers, to splash on some Noir eau de toilette. 13rd October, 2011. |
| | Weil pour Homme by Weil Visiting my friend Marcel in his hospital bed the other day, I was pleased to see that he seemed to have slightly recovered his health and his spirits. "I must tell you, mon cher Nitram," he informed me eagerly, "I have latterly made the discovery of Weil Pour Homme. An old school fragrance, if you like, but you know that I do like that sort of thing. It puts me in mind slightly of Cellini by Faberge, although the analogy is far from exact, Weil Pour Homme being somewhat drier, more haughty and more subdued. But Weil Pour Homme has something of the same overture of citrus and herbs, and something of that same rather delightful resinous quality. Its later developments are definitively smooth, warm and distinguished, in some ways like an expensive masculine soap, yet still with that herbal and resinous resonance. For some reason, it rather reminds me of the interior of a Bentley limousine. A rather traditional, elegant gentleman's cologne, to be sure. But, if you will excuse me now, I really must eat up this tapioca pudding which these kind nurses have put before me. I hope to see you soon." 17th September, 2011. (Last Edited: 10th October, 2011.) |
| | Cellini by FabergéVisiting my friend Marcel in his hospital bed the other day, he clutched my arm and whispered hoarsely: "You know, mon cher Nitram, I have such fond memories of the long discontinued Cellini by Faberge! It was the summer that Albertine and I undertook a motoring tour of the Italian countryside, and the smell of Cellini seemed to surround us everywhere - a splendid opening of lemon and herbs and - the thing I remember most - a unique development of such a sunny resinous warmth. I have never known its like in any other scent! It really seemed to sing of the Italian summer, good food, good fortune, happy futures, the promise between Albertine and myself! And to see me now, surrounded by the smells of disinfectant and tapioca pudding, bored nurses and self-important doctors! Albertine gone, Cellini gone, myself almost gone, and you standing there, twitching, unsure how to console me! Empty beds of the dead!" 17th September, 2011. |
| | Lagerfeld Classic by Lagerfeld Revisiting Lagerfeld Classic after some years, I am certain that the formula has been changed. My memories of Lagerfeld Classic are of a rich, warm, full-bodied, boozy kind of fragrance that enveloped the wearer in an olfactory cloud as thick as an overcoat, and which somehow conjured up a number of vivid, if rather jarring, images - elderly aristocrats, gentlemen's clubs, decanters of cognac, rich brown oak panels, oddly juxtaposed with pimps, pink cadillacs, heavy gold chains and murky backstreet business. In a way, this identity crisis was almost part of its charm. 13rd September, 2011. |
 | Mark Birley for Men by Mark Birley If memory serves me rightly and I am not fantasizing, this scent bears the name of a scion of the international jet set, owner of exclusive nightclubs, who numbered among his intimate friends both aristocrats and lions and tigers. Did he, perhaps, even keep a private zoo? 13rd September, 2011. |
| | Cotswold by Dukes of Pall Mall "I say, Jeeves, I was just about to slap on some of the jolly old lotion, but I can't seem to lay my digits on my Signoricci or my Bowling Green, my Marlborough or my Blenheim Bouquet. Have you seen them?" 12nd September, 2011. |
| | Quorum by Antonio PuigMy dark and elder green, surrounded by the brown murmurs of the forest floor, deep masculine shadows, shafts of sunlight through the trees, warmth of subdued but urgent spices. After a while of travelling through a tunnel in the earth - gloomy, musty, warm, profound - I somehow emerged into a chamber of great distinction where a group of gentlemen sat around a large table, discussing matters of great moment. "Messieurs, brethren, cameradoes," I announced, "I assume we are gathered here to discuss the mysteries of the much maligned Quorum. How sad that persons of otherwise good taste and discernment should relegate this fragrant poem, layered with strangeness and with depth, to a universe of sweaty groins and over-muscled machismo! Are they mad or merely prone to overspraying? Ancient of days! Essence of natural nobility! Mystical odour of a forgotten race of Peasant-Kings! Warm and kindly, rough with the earth but purely royal, a tinge of sadness, and such a well of enigmatic depth!" (de Charlus). 12nd September, 2011. |
| | Douro Eau de Portugal / Lords by Penhaligon'sHaving created Blenheim Bouquet, perhaps the finest citrus and pine cologne known to the perfumier's art, the House of Penhaligon always has an uphill struggle to match it with any other of its citrus creations. And so it is with Lords [Douro]. In spite of the obvious quality of its ingredients, it strikes my nose as one-dimensional and harsh, somehow combined with a dusty, fusty Englishness. 1st August, 2011. |
| | Quercus by Penhaligon'sQuercus - soft,warm, and brown. No, not like a sleeping puppy, more like a kinder, gentler, more civilized Quorum. Imagine a retired banker, of the old school, Eton and Oxford bred. Distinguished and masculine but with a slightly subdued sperm count. He potters about in his garden, he potters about in his club, he potters about at the County Show. Fellow says to him in the latrines: "What ho, Reggie, damned fine scent you're wearing! What's it called?" "Quercus, don't you know, well accepted everywhere, quality all the way. Doesn't shout too loud but lets you know it's got the money." 1st August, 2011. |
| | Endymion by Penhaligon'sA magical scent from the House of Penhaligon. A mysterious castle in an enchanted forest. The old nurse muttering incantations. The ancient chamber of the heir. A whisper of cloves amid the flowered, ethereal gardens? That fairy tunnel through the trees. And, strangely enough, not only highly poetic but also extremely wearable. 1st August, 2011. |
| | Van Cleef & Arpels pour Homme by Van Cleef & ArpelsAn ancient rose, filtered through grey gauze. Sober enough, and abstract, but pervaded by a stuffy Victorian sweetness. A gathering of diplomats on the lawn of an old chateau. An elderly aristocrat reading metaphysics in his paneled library. A hint of realms beyond. A smell of the grave almost. Distinguished and immaculate, but is it my imagination tells me that a bottle of this scent, presented to me in the 1980s by a certain Monsieur Suleiman, had much more depth and authority, but lacked that deathbed touch of sickly rose? 5th July, 2011. |
| | Bel Ami by HermèsMuch loved by The-odor (where is that great early Basenotes reviewer now, from whom I learned so much?), less loved by a reviewer from another site, who likened it to the guts of a squashed squirrel, baking in the roadside sun, I can see why Bel Ami divides opinion. Mellow juice of golden-brown, but with a definite undercurrent, speaking of deeper, dirtier things - it's certainly unique. 5th July, 2011. |
| | Ungaro II by UngaroThe Baron de Charlus once told me: "My undisputed favourite from the House of Ungaro, Ungaro II never fails to conjure a painting by Watteau: an aristocratic whirl of dancers in a lush and leafy glade, more than a little decadent and effete. Having obviously learned some of its dance steps from Jicky and Mouchoir de Monsieur, the secret with Ungaro II, if one is not to be overwhelmed by civet, is to apply it very lightly, very slightly. Then it can be a thing of glory: sweet lavender and lemon melting into a warm and golden glow. But apply too much and it becomes oversweet and sickly. Less medieval and strange than Ungaro I, Ungaro II is also far superior to the rather ordinary fruits of Ungaro III." 5th July, 2011. |
| | Ungaro I by UngaroThe Baron de Charlus once told me: "It has been some years since last I sampled Ungaro I, but I am left with an indelible impression of mature, almost rotting fruits, a whiff of delicate potpourri, damp castle dungeons, and an elderly Duke's undergarments - ancient body odour too long confined by the warmth of a velvet chair. I believe that my friend Naed Nitram has declared the much less famed Vendetta to be the perfume that Ungaro I could have been, should have been, and I concur. Indeed, I believe that I actually gave my bottle of Ungaro I away to my valet, thinking to myself: unusual, faintly poetic and slightly obnoxious as you are, when shall I ever wear you again? (In spite of this, how I admire the masterly review of this scent by the admirable Scentemental)." 5th July, 2011. |
| | Grey Flannel by Geoffrey BeeneIn theory, Grey Flannel ought not to work at all. The idea of mixing grandmother's violets with traditional banker's gravitas ought to produce a jarring, awkward result. But, in practice, to my nose, at least, whether because of luck or inspired blending, it works perfectly. Eternally chic, eternally ahead of its time, yet distinguished with a quietly confident, conservative weight that keeps it on just the right side of decadence and effeminacy, it seems to laugh at us, in a not unfriendly fashion, from its shadows of grey, black and mauve. 12nd December, 2009. |
| | Bowling Green by Geoffrey BeeneOne of the finest green and gold symphonies of masculine fragrance. It opens bright, light and sharp, citrus-green, tangy and refreshing,yet not at all harsh or crude. Very soon (not unlike, indeed, a gradually warming sun sending down its rays upon green summer lawns) some exquisite shafts of gold begin to seep into this sharp, refreshing opening. The interplay between green and gold continues, unfolding some truly sumptuous notes as it does so. Gradually, the lazy, luxurious gold gains predominance, but never completely annihilates the clean green tang of the introductory phase. Marvellous olfactory music! I love it dearly. 12nd December, 2009. |
| | Trimaran by Yves RocherLovers of traditional eau de cologne are unlikely to be disappointed by this fine offering (discontinued, but recently re-released) from the House of Rocher. The bright, sunny citrus opening - sparkling oranges and lemons - soon leads into the warm kindliness of its developments. Unpretentious, innocent, reassuring. 30th November, 2009. |
| | Denim by DenimIt is said of Captain Bunty Fortescue-Smythe, the intrepid English explorer, who liked to travel light, that he would frequently tell his companions: "A chap should be ready to travel anywhere in the Empire at a moment's notice, carrying only a small suitcase containing a revolver, a set of clean underwear, and a bottle of Denim aftershave!" 30th November, 2009. |
| | Nicole Farhi Homme by Nicole FarhiHail the icicle king. Chilly monarch with his throne set upon a mound of damp, musty winter leaves. Unusual and poetic, certainly, but not really my cup of tea. Rather too cold, distant, and even dreary, to be really wearable? 28th November, 2009. |
| | Brummel by Antonio PuigThe Baron de Charlus once told me: " It was in a small Spanish town at twilight that I first encountered Brummel by Puig. Beneath a streetlight near a nondescript tavern stood a curious figure, a tall, ancient dandy, with obviously dyed hair, cadaverous features, depthless eyes and blackened teeth. More curious still was the smell that emanated from him: soft and cheap, yet also clean, deep, distinguished and grave. Mellow citrus floating round a shadowy tomb, seeming to lead to a strange gulf of soft roses and dim powders of the womb - simultaneously enticing, forbidding, suave, eerie, comforting, warm, fleeting and sad. 28th November, 2009. |
| | Versus Uomo by VersaceWhaddya protesting about, Johnny? 28th November, 2009. |
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