Mark Birley For Men by Mark Birley, 1996

Mark Birley opens with a beautiful slightly sparkly lemon and bergamot tandem. The lemon remains into the heart notes, but becomes increasingly creamy and slightly powdery as the citric sparkle at the open disappears. Underneath the lemon remnants lies a very nice violet note that adds some real differentiation from your typical citrus scents, underpinned by base notes of clean vetiver, sandalwood and light musk. Projection is below average and longevity is poor. Mark Birley is quite the pleasant surprise. It is very light and subtle, while the slight powdery lemon is quite captivating and distinctively different from most citrus scents. There is a slightly off-putting almost ammonia-like undertone beneath the powdery lemon heart notes that could scare away some, but it really is not unpleasant at all and is certainly not the focus of the scent while successfully keeping one guessing as to its origin. Even though the base has a hint of sandalwood in it, the scent never is sweet, instead using the also present vetiver to convey a bit of slight earthiness to the composition. To close, with names like Bourdon and Malle associated with Mark Birley for Men, greatness is to be expected and in this release it is nearly achieved. The excellent smelling Mark Birley for Men earns a strong 3.5 to 4 stars out of 5 rating and an easy buy recommendation.

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? Nothing wrong with Mr. Birley having a scent named after him, except that it is such a truly awful scent. It would not matter so much that it is so relentlessly one-dimensional - which it is - if only that one dimension were more pleasant. But, to my nose, at least, it is decidedly unpleasant, crass, harsh yet cloying, frankly ugly - possessing an oppressive aura that is almost as dire as that of the terrifying Macassar by Rochas. As the excellent Oviatt says in his review (see below), it really does bear some resemblance to the cleaning fluids in a charlady's broom cupboard. Again, if memory serves me rightly and I am not fantasizing, the Baron de Charlus once told me that when he was a houseguest at the Birley estate, Mr. Birley gave him a bottle of his eponymous perfume. The Baron was so underwhelmed by it that he gave his bottle away to one of Mr. Birley's lions. The poor animal took one sniff and went into terminal decline. (On reflection, I believe the zoo may have belonged not to Mr. Birley but to his friend and fellow club owner John Aspinall. I wonder if Mr. Aspinall has a scent named after him?)

Top notes: Mandarin, bergamot, lemon Heart notes: Violet, carrot seeds, vetiver Base notes: Cedar, sandalwood, incense, musk The rarest of all birds, Mark Birley for Men is a modern masculine that's sophisticated, dignified and uplifting. Light and reserved, it's truly a gentleman's scent that invites others to draw near for delightful conversation or to close a business deal. Mark Birley employed two masters to create this fragrance: Pierre Bourdon (Green Irish Tweed, Kouros, Cool Water, Live Jazz) and Frederic Malle. He ran them through their paces before deciding that their 180th version of this scent was perfect. That tenacity and dedication to quality, start to finish, prompts rave reviews on Basenotes and other sites: "The best ever? I can't think of a better one." "Whenever I sample other fragrances, I'm always reminded why I only wear Mark Birley for Men." Imagine a scent that's lightly sweet, predominately orange and earthy, as experienced through a silver foggy mist. Yes, longevity may be an issue for some (it lasts 5-6 hours on me), but that's easily solved. When spraying your chest or neck, allow some spray to catch your shirt. On fabric the scent remains vibrant for over 12 hours.

Mark Birley For Men Notes: lemon, bergamot, mandarin, vetiver, carrot seeds, sandalwood, cedar, patchouli, musk, leather, violet, incense.


A classic fragrance with a nice balance of citrus, wood, vetiver, patchouli, violet and leather for a silvery ethereal complicated aromatic scent that avoids a simple definition. Its not really a wood scent, nor a vetiver fragrance nor an incense fragrance but it has elements of all of these. A unique middle note of carrot oil adds a raw rooty mystery earthiness that blends well with the violet - but if you smell closely it smells just like freshly cut carrots awash in the blend. Mark Birley for Men smells like old money, crisp linen and polished silver - a gentlemen's fragrance. Very similar to Erolfa from Creed or even similar in effect to Mazzolari's Vetyver while not having the marine quality of Erolfa or the softness of nutmeg of Vetyver. I think this is a traditional fragrance that reminds me of the polished and well kept fine things. In my opinion this is up there among the better fragrances designed by master nose Pierre Bourdon (Kouros, Erolfa, Cool Water . . . etc.). I don't wear it often, but it definitely gets my thumbs up vote!
Rewritten on 12/09 from reconsidered review on 2/07.