Fragrance Reviews by Carlos3

One of the so-called gourmand fragrances spawned to compete with Thierry Mugler’s Angel Men, Rochas Man from the once couturier House of Rochas is often held up as a more evolved, or superior iteration. While I would agree that it is a much more refined fragrance than Animale Animale – the first chocolate based fragrance, I think it falters next to the star of Angel Men.

It is a fairly strong fragrance with an illusory softness. It opens already dominated by chocolate, its soft floral topnotes coated with a powdering of dutch cocoa. It has a full-bodied bitter-sweetness touched with espresso and vanilla . On the whole the feel is velvety but quite potent. On drydown the chocolate note softens, becoming smoother: from cocoa powder to warm cocoa. The spiciness remains bittersweet, the coffee pungent. It ends simply as chocolate milk, sweet and rich with vanilla.

It is a pleasant fragrance, almost a comfort food. I had bought it thinking to use it in the day, but it ended as an evening relaxation fragrance. On the whole I find it a bit one note, too dominated by chocolate, too static. On repeated uses I am finding it to be a bit overbearing. I think that it might make a good nightclub fragrance.

Angel Men is definitely one of those fragrances which leaps out at you right from the tester card. A clever ploy no doubt: With your olfaction wearied from sampling several fragrances in series, the appearance of Angel Men is like a sudden burst of light through the clouds.

Whatever its intended image as the superheroes EdT, at its heart Angel Men is a classic oriental fragrance: floral, powdery, and laced with vanilla. I wonder how different its reception would be if it were presented in a bulbous antique-style EdP bottle with gilt furnishings, rather than in monolithic chrome with its dramatic blue-black faceted star.

It opens with its oriental nature dominant, heady and floral, underlaid with the sweetness of powdered confectioners sugar. As it dries down into the first hour the once controversial gourmand note of chocolate begins to surface, as does the wood at the core of the fragrance, bringing new warmth. The mouthwatering confectionary union finds its final form deeper in chocolate and sweetened spices.

It is the least overtly “perfumey” of any fragrance I have used, and seems to meld into my skin and emanate from it naturally. It is certainly the most sensual fragrance I have owned – it’s scent draws you straight to the skin, and that is where it smells the most beautiful.