Fougeres...either you love 'em or hate 'em

I tried Fougere by Pecksniff's some time ago. Â*It was pretty good.
Initially it smelled quite sharp on my skin - sometimes the Pecksniff's ones are like this - but it dried down to an almost mellow but green-ish smell.

Is Drakkar Noir a fougere? I tried this and nearly passed out (not in a good way) from the sheer strength of it. It made my eyes water.

It's not that I can't handle strong fragrances - I'm a huge fan of Antaeus and wear it regularly.

Apologies to those who love DNoir - but it frightened the bejesus out of me.

Great fougeres include...

Paco Rabanne PH
Azzaro PH
Herrera for Men
Bulgari PH

Nicolai Carre d As,excellent!

Hey - thanks for the welcome.

I'm sure Drakkar smells great on some people - unfortunately it smells vile on me!

Love Antaeus (I'd say it was a chypre too) although the husband won't touch the stuff even though he likes it on me.
He digs his Gaultier Le Male (much reviled on this site I gather) which smells gorgeous on him and Black Cashmere by Donna Karan.

Him in Gaultier & BC and me in Antaeus...hmm...perhaps that's how I always get the upper-hand?

YSL's Kouros is a fougere I think - I would like to try that again. I haven't smelled that one since the 80s when my sister and I bought some for our dad!

Of the designers:

Kouros, of course, is one of a kind and should be idolized.
Azzaro is the perfect classic.
Francesco Smalto is my nostalgic favorite--I am so incredibly fond of that scent.

I've also tried Fougere by Pecksniff and found it a very comfortable fragrance--extremely relaxing. I intend to pursue it further.

Even if I'm not much into fern, great fougère are for sure Paco Rabanne PH and Kouros...
btw I would define Coriolan a green-chypre and not a fougère

After years of smelling stuff it is still hard for me to use the classifications like chypre and fougere. I'm often wrong about what is what, no matter how often I study the classifications' ingredients.

All the same the fougere that I reach for for purest example of the category is Molinard's Rafale.

I love a lot listed on this thread as well.
--Chris

I guess without realizing it, fougeres have become some of my favorites.

Tuscany
Ungaro III
Van Cleef
Antaeus (loosely)
Bulgari PH

These are two of my favorite fragrances overall. I'm also very interested in trying Bulgari, which has been mentioned in several threads lately I have noticed.

Paco Rabanne pour Homme (my SOTD by the way) must be KING of fougere.

By the way: How would you in few words define what fougere is? I know what it is but cannot put words on it.......

Mic.

Years ago Tsar was my signature, but when I ran out of the bottle, I tended to gravitate towards woody/spicy frags, and only recently have I come back to fougeres.

I've got Jazz, for the first time, and also Live Jazz, both of which I'd call fougeres. Jazz does smell quite a bit like Tsar, though with a bit more sweetness and a rose note. Live Jazz has a dominant cilantro/coriander note, along with a mint topnote. And I have Azzaro PH, which is an amazing fragrance, I think.....green and sharp, but with a rounded base. Anise is dominant to my nose.

Paco Rabanne is on my "must have" list, I've sampled it a few times, it's dry and woody, but still predominately herbal/green, which is the definition of fougere for me.

Will have to check out some others listed.

Also, I don't think Van Cleef or Antaeus are fougeres, really...they are more leathery/woodsy, and don't smell very green to me.

I love fougeres. Â*I love the lavender and I love the austere aloofness of the fougere. Â*Fougeres are good to wear at the office, and I find that they really contribute toward the creation of a supportive atmosphere for doing mental work, such as working at a computer. Â*On my job, I sometimes have to work for sustained periods of time creating highly analytical documents on a computer, and I find that it is helpful, supportive, and enjoyable to wear fougeres when I am doing this kind of work. Â*
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One of my first fragrance purchases, around the time I was about 13 or 14, was Canoe, a fougere originally created in 1936. Â*I have a lot of good memories, and bittersweet memories, of the times I was wearing Canoe. Â*I havenÂt worn Canoe for many years now, but I recently tested it in the fragrance department of a local Sears. Â*I was surprised by how sweet it was. Â*My tastes have changed, and now I am not very attracted to sweet fragrances. Â*But other than this sweetness, I found that I still like Canoe. Â*I know a lot of people don't like Canoe, and I can understand why. Â*But I just have too many good memories associated with Canoe for me to not like it. Â*As a young teenager, my first romance with a girl was when I was wearing Canoe. Â*Ahhh, the power of memory! Â*Â*
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Another beautiful old fougere that I used to wear was YardleyÂs English Lavender, which was first created in 1873. Â*This is a wonderful fougere, as long as the person wearing it accepts the fact that it has little projection or staying power. Â*But the lavender is gorgeous as long as it lasts, and what a great drydown! Â*If I have a chance, I think I would like to buy a bottle of YardleyÂs English Lavender, which is very inexpensive. Â*It is good for me to be reminded that good fragrances do not always have to cost a lot. Â*
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Another very inexpensive fougere that I love is CaronÂs classic, Caron Pour un Homme, which has a drydown to a vanilla base that is absolutely beautiful. Â*I only discovered this one in the last year, since I have been a member of Basenotes. Â*And Caron has recently launched a perfume version of this one that is called LÂImpact de Pour un Homme. Â*This is a fougere in perfume strength. Â*I love it!
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Other fougeres that I have discovered and enjoyed since being involved with Basenotes are: Â*Cacharel Pour LÂHomme, Dior Jules, Caron LÂAnarchiste, and PenhaligonÂs English Fern, which is one of my favorites, with great longevity.
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A fougere that I like very much is Yves Saint Laurent's Rive Gauche pour Homme. Â*This is a beautiful, marvelously austere fougere. Â*Also, it is sexy. Â*Women seem to like this one. Â*In fact, everybody seems to like this one. Â*Unfortunately, Rive Gauche pour Homme irritates my eyes, and I cannot wear it. Â*Darn! Â*
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A fougere that I want to try, but havenÂt yet tried, is Good Life by Davidoff. Â*I read an article somewhere that Pierre Bourdon, the nose who created Good Life, attempted to create an impression of the Âgood life or Âlives well lived with the creation of this fragrance. Â*I am very curious to know what Good Life smells like.
Â*
I guess I should be classified as a person who loves fougeres! Â*

Would Guerlain Vetiver be a fougere?

Luckily this one is still available online, one certainly gets that green fresh feeling, but more sporty and modern with hints of floral. Â*It seems to evoke a feeling of sophistication, relaxation, and a calming effect, hence the "Good Life".[/quote]

Thanks for the feedback, iMaverick! Â*I don't know when I will get to try Good Life by Davidoff, but I know I will have a good time when I do. Â*Besides the wonderful smells, experiencing the feelings evoked by these perfumes is one of the most enjoyable aspects of being an appreciator of fragrance. Â* Â*

My favorites are
YSL Rive Gauche and Kouros
Lutens Encens et Lavande

I hope that lovely herbal Eau Noire CDior is also fougere

Luckily this one is still available online, one certainly gets that green fresh feeling, but more sporty and modern with hints of floral. Â*It seems to evoke a feeling of sophistication, relaxation, and a calming effect, hence the "Good Life".[/quote]

Thanks for the feedback, iMaverick! Â*I don't know when I will get to try Good Life by Davidoff, but I know I will have a good time when I do. Â*Besides the wonderful smells, experiencing the feelings evoked by these perfumes is one of the most enjoyable aspects of being an appreciator of fragrance. Â* Â*
[/quote]
I checked your wardrobe, and man!, I'm impressed by the collection of sophisticated scents you own!! Â*IMO, it will never compare to the complexity and elegance of those you own now. Â*Good Life is more casual, if it's any kind of first impression of description. Â*Plainly, it's not as fancy as what you own now, buddy![/quote]

You have a great collection yourself! Â*It doesnÂt matter to me that Good Life is more on the casual side. Â*Casual is good. Â*You canÂt always have fancy or formal. Â*Besides, I want to try everything, anyway.

And you know, there is no chance we will ever get to try 'em all. Â*There are are just so many! Â*I guess we will just have to be satisfied with trying several hundred! Â*Or maybe a couple thousand! Â* Â*;D ;D ;D

Sounds to me like someone is living the GOOD LIFE! Â*

I love 'em myself, but I hadn't realized it was a "hate it or love it" type of situation considering they encompass so many fragrances. I guess that's something else my inexperienced olfactory sensitivities have yet to understand.

This chart contains many examples of Fougeres. Â*Also Orientals and Chypres.

http://www.leffingwell.com/h%26rfrag...e_masculin.pdf

Haha, you speak dakine pidjin pretty good lahdat. Thanks for the explanations.

Rockford, I wish I had a wide-format printer. That chart is awsome!

Its been nice talking to you guys about my favorite fougeres tonight. Â*But it is 1:30 AM Pacific Standard Time. Â*And I have to retire now so that I can get some sleep so that I can go to work tomorrow so that I can earn some money so that I can buy more fougeres! Â*;D ;D ;D

YSL Rive Gauche Pour Homme,Feb/21/2006,Just got a couple of compliments from some high school girls(I think they were juniors), "you smell nice and sweet, what is it?"

I have a weird pattern of falling out of love with fougeres. Grey Flannel, Herrera for Men and Xs are all scents that I was goo-goo-gaa-gaa Bonkers about for a time, then shortly later could not stand. Of course, as anyone with any kind of variety in their wardrobe knows, one goes through waves and phases, but with fougeres, the highs and lows seem to be particulalry intense.

Grey Flannel is what I'm wearing today.....I think it's green, and fresh...reminds me of Green Peppers. But I note that Leffingwell chart classifies it as a chypre. Strange? Anyone else think it's more greeny than woodsy?

I'm with Giannis who posted early on this thread - Nicolai's Carre d'As is great.

S.

Fougere = Lavender / Geranium / Oak Moos / Patchouly / Tonka Beans- tobaco note (Coumarine)

Classic: Canoe, Brut

Lavender = Fougere with 60% top lavender herbal accord in top note

Classic : Atkinsons, Agua Lavanda Puig, Yardley

Fougere Aromatic = Fougere, spicy, musc, amber

Classic : Paco Rabanne pour Homme, Azzaro ph, Drakkar Noir

Fresh Aromatic = less fougere specialy in lavender note + Fresh citrus green Cologne + amber

Classic : Cool Water, Eternity, Herrera for Men, Egoiste Platinum, Dolce Gabbana ph