Basenotes › Basenotes Forums › Fragrance Discussion › Male Fragrance Discussion › MFD Archive › Dior Homme Cologne review.
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

Dior Homme Cologne review.

post #1 of 31
6/19/08 at 4:46pm
Thread Starter 
This was one of my more impulsive impulse buys. I have a bottle of Dior Homme EDT and rarely wear it, but something about the notion of a Dior Homme Cologne intrigued me. Plus that weird bottle with its steel ovipositor thing drilling down through the juice looked so goofy this time around on the Cologne version, that I just had to buy it.

Blind buy. It came today. It seems much closer to the original EDT than I would have thought. When it goes on, it's got a slight initial smell that reminds me of the breading on frozen fish sticks or something. Kind of strange, though not as bad as that sounds. Somewhat more transparent and less of that powdery thing that the original has. I do get a slight neroli smell and it's very faint. It seems like all of the elements of the EDT are still here, it's just lighter in sillage and in character. I was expecting more difference in the initial signature, but there wasn't much. Not as much citrus as I would have thought. Still about the same on the androgyny scale as the original.

I wish I could do a better review of this one, but there's not much difference from that EDT that I can really elaborate on. I do prefer this version however, as I can't wear the EDT in the heat-- this one wore quite well today while I was out running errands. My problem with the EDT is that it gets cloying to me quickly, and that's one of the reasons I don't reach for it often. This one is much better behaved, yet it lasts long on the skin. And I like the spray nozzle for this (same as the EDT), because it's somewhere between a spray and a stream. It really allows you to control the amount of application and the juice goes on your skin-- it doesn't waste too much juice in a cloud of mist. If I had to choose one between the Cologne and the EDT, I'd take the Cologne.
Reply
Reply
post #2 of 31
6/19/08 at 4:57pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Indie_Guy View Post

This was one of my more impulsive impulse buys. I have a bottle of Dior Homme EDT and rarely wear it, but something about the notion of a Dior Homme Cologne intrigued me. Plus that weird bottle with its steel ovipositor thing drilling down through the juice looked so goofy this time around on the Cologne version, that I just had to buy it.

Blind buy. It came today. It seems much closer to the original EDT than I would have thought. When it goes on, it's got a slight initial smell that reminds me of the breading on frozen fish sticks or something. Kind of strange, though not as bad as that sounds. Somewhat more transparent and less of that powdery thing that the original has. I do get a slight neroli smell and it's very faint. It seems like all of the elements of the EDT are still here, it's just lighter in sillage and in character. I was expecting more difference in the initial signature, but there wasn't much. Not as much citrus as I would have thought. Still about the same on the androgyny scale as the original.

I wish I could do a better review of this one, but there's not much difference from that EDT that I can really elaborate on. I do prefer this version however, as I can't wear the EDT in the heat-- this one wore quite well today while I was out running errands. My problem with the EDT is that it gets cloying to me quickly, and that's one of the reasons I don't reach for it often. This one is much better behaved, yet it lasts long on the skin. And I like the spray nozzle for this (same as the EDT), because it's somewhere between a spray and a stream. It really allows you to control the amount of application and the juice goes on your skin-- it doesn't waste too much juice in a cloud of mist. If I had to choose one between the Cologne and the EDT, I'd take the Cologne.

I agree completely with your review. I bought a bottle of the Cologne recently after selling the EdT. I am much more comfortable with the Cologne. It isn't cloying and I can wear this one most of the year here in Memphis. Cool bottle and packaging for sure.
Reply
Reply
post #3 of 31
6/19/08 at 5:20pm
Agree! I find the cologne much more wearable than the original. It's not as powdery and cloying in the heat, yet it retains the distinctive iris note.

There's one big but in the equation though: Dior Homme Cologne only comes in a huge 125ml bottle that is also quite expensive.

That's the reason why I have a 10ml mini of the original stuff here.
Reply
Reply
post #4 of 31
6/19/08 at 5:30pm
Very interesting! You guys have piqued my curiosity to try this now! I imagine ordinary DH wouldn't wear too well in the heat, but what kind of heat are you talking about? I think it behaves fairly well at least up until 20 degrees Celsius or so. Are we talking a version of DH for hot, humid summer days here?
Reply
Reply
post #5 of 31
6/19/08 at 6:22pm
I would do Dior Homme at 20 degrees celcius without direct sunlight or with a breeze. But at 25-30? I'd take Dior Homme Cologne for sure!

It is what it is: the slightly more citrussy, slightly less sweet, less cloying Dior Homme.
Reply
Reply
post #6 of 31
6/19/08 at 6:29pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Stereotomy View Post

I would do Dior Homme at 20 degrees celcius without direct sunlight or with a breeze. But at 25-30? I'd take Dior Homme Cologne for sure!

It is what it is: the slightly more citrussy, slightly less sweet, less cloying Dior Homme.

Exactly.
Reply
Reply
post #7 of 31
6/19/08 at 8:42pm
Ok, I don't see how Dior Homme is cloying when many here are splashing nasal wall clogging Montale Ouds and amber bombs in 90 degree weather. On my skin, DH comes alive in hot weather, its latent notes of spices and leather submerged under the powdery iris note suddenly elevating to create the scent it was always intended to be. I tried the cologne but due to its decreased concentration it doesn't perform the same.
Reply
Reply
post #8 of 31
6/19/08 at 8:51pm
Bummer...good thing i didn't buy the EdC when i had the chance. I'll stick with the EdT.
Reply
Reply
post #9 of 31
6/19/08 at 8:52pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by zztopp View Post

Ok, I don't see how Dior Homme is cloying when many here are splashing nasal wall clogging Montale Ouds and amber bombs in 90 degree weather. On my skin, DH comes alive in hot weather, its latent notes of spices and leather submerged under the powdery iris note suddenly elevating to create the scent it was always intended to be. I tried the cologne but due to its decreased concentration it doesn't perform the same.

agreed completely.

i thought the cologne just felt diluted....nothing more, nothing less.

i think the EdT is just about perfect! not a scent i would call 'cloying' in any way at all!
Reply
Reply
post #10 of 31
6/19/08 at 9:34pm
In the shop I didn't find about nothing differences between the two. Maybe I was ignorant, I'll give it a more thorough try. But I miss the Intense version, as I read, it's more different. Alas, Douglas doesn't carry it.
Reply
Reply
post #11 of 31
6/19/08 at 10:14pm
I have worn the EdT in the heat before and I loved it.

I'm interested in the Cologne and the Intense, but I have tried neither yet. Maybe when I am in the mood for some frozen fish sticks.

If you get the Intense, I hope you'll review that as well.

I actually didn't like the look of the 125ml Cologne bottle. I like the 100ml EdT and the 30ml EdT bottles, and I would have liked to see a 100/30ml Intense, with the smoky black. Not really a fan of the 50ml squatty bottle.
Reply
Reply
post #12 of 31
6/19/08 at 11:04pm
Indie_Guy, you expressed my views on the scent completely. Every single time I've tried it has always felt exactly like the EdT. No big difference there really. I'm glad it works out for you to wear though, Dior Homme is such an amazing fragrance to my nose. It is, together with l'Eau de l'Artisan, the one given the most rotation over here.
Reply
Reply
post #13 of 31
6/20/08 at 12:06am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by zztopp View Post

Ok, I don't see how Dior Homme is cloying when many here are splashing nasal wall clogging Montale Ouds and amber bombs in 90 degree weather. On my skin, DH comes alive in hot weather, its latent notes of spices and leather submerged under the powdery iris note suddenly elevating to create the scent it was always intended to be. I tried the cologne but due to its decreased concentration it doesn't perform the same.

I'm not a guy who wears heavy scents on hot days. I'm sure that Dior Homme EDT isn't the worst choice for a hot day, but I found the Cologne to be better suited. It feels more relaxed to me, where the EDT feels a bit stuffy and persistent sometimes. The Cologne doesn't have the depth of the EDT, but its emphasis of the topnotes convey more of a true Eau de Cologne feeling-- which is interesting to see a scent like Dior Homme adapted in this way. I like the leather and vetiver in the EDT, but it feels like I have to get through so much powder and dust and isomethyl ionone to get to it-- and sometimes, it's just not worth it to me.

Don't get me wrong, Dior Homme EDT is a good fragrance, and quite unusual for a masculine scent-- but in terms of personal style, I like the subtle approach of the Cologne more.
Reply
Reply
post #14 of 31
6/20/08 at 1:40am
I like the Cologne but it lacks the exceptional construction (some of the best I've experienced) of the EDT. It's a significantly different feel overall, lacking the dynamic interplay between notes, has a relatively persistent doughy, bread-like accord and a lot more bergamot. The development is adequate, but what I get for the first five minutes is a lot like what I'm left with hours later. I haven't worn it much so these perceptions could change. It was made by Francois Demachy who made Ungaro 1, and also worked with Jacques Polge to make Egoïste. Who knows how Dior came up with Demachy to do the Cologne, but it's ironic since it was Jacques Polge's son Oliver who made Dior Homme EDT. I don't like chocolate in a fragrance, but it's well done in Dior Homme EDT. Either way, when the fragrance isn't appealing to me, it's primarily because of the mild chocolate influence. I tend to wear it in spurts, but when it's right it does the job well. I don't relate with all the feminine shit people associate with it. My masculinity overrides all that by a mile, and I've never even given any thought to it. The stuff is cool as the other side of your pillow and women tend to love it. I'd have never expected an Intense, nor a Cologne, but it's nice to see the fragrance companies putting some thought into it. I haven't tried the Intense, but the Cologne is a worthy effort, and a good alternative for those who don't get on with the EDT.
Reply
Reply
post #15 of 31
6/20/08 at 1:49am
i like the EDT purely for its powdery comfort and silky smooth feel/aura and the bitter touch of chocolate and Iris..thts missing in the cologne version...its pretty much wearable in all wheathers, even in the humid wheather we live in...
Reply
Reply
post #16 of 31
6/20/08 at 1:51am
Quote:
Originally Posted by pluran View Post

I like the Cologne but it lacks the exceptional construction (some of the best I've experienced) of the EDT. It's a significantly different feel overall, lacking the dynamic interplay between notes, has a relatively persistent doughy, bread-like accord and a lot more bergamot. The development is adequate, but what I get for the first five minutes is a lot like what I'm left with hours later. I haven't worn it much so these perceptions could change. It was made by Francois Demachy who made Ungaro 1, and also worked with Jacques Polge to make Egoïste. Who knows how Dior came up with Demachy to do the Cologne, but it's ironic since it was Jacques Polge's son Oliver who made Dior Homme EDT. I don't like chocolate in a fragrance, but it's well done in Dior Homme EDT. Either way, when the fragrance isn't appealing to me, it's primarily because of the mild choclate influence. I tend to wear it in spurts, but when it's right there isn't anything much better. I don't relate with all the feminine shit people associate with it. My masculinity overrides all that by a mile, and I've never even given any thought to it. The stuff is cool as the other side of your pillow and women tend to love it. I'd have never expected an Intense, nor a Cologne, but it's nice to know this kind of thought is going on. I haven't tried the Intense, but the Cologne is a worthy effort, and a good alternative for those who don't get on with the EDT.


And let's not forget that Dior Homme is for men who are fully in touch with their sexuality and have had a great deal of life experience.
Reply
Reply
post #17 of 31
6/20/08 at 2:28am
If you really want to get the best out of Dior Homme, try a light misting of Hiris by Hermes over the top. It lifts the Iris nots and gives it greater lightness and transparency. This also works for Prada Amber pour homme.
Reply
Reply
post #18 of 31
6/20/08 at 5:42am
I agree with the OP...I *liked* the original, but it didn't suit me for some reason. The Cologne remains essentially the same while adjusting a few of the levels, and really makes it more comfortable to wear (for me anyway). The lasting power is quite something too...one of the best in the category in my collection.
Reply
Reply
post #19 of 31
6/20/08 at 5:52am
Edt, Edc, and Edp
All year-round
for me!
Reply
Reply
post #20 of 31
6/20/08 at 9:44am
I want to take about the Cologne - Indie mentioned that it has neroli in it (although he said it was faint). Do any of you other lovers of the Cologne get a prominent neroli note?

When I saw the Cologne being marketed, it was about the same time that I got thru my decant of Dior Homme EdT and started to love it. When I read about the Cologne, the combo of the scent of DH mixed with neroli sounded kind of gross. But noone is mentioning this in the comments above.

Please advise.
Reply
Reply
post #21 of 31
6/20/08 at 2:24pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by mikeperez23 View Post

I want to take about the Cologne - Indie mentioned that it has neroli in it (although he said it was faint). Do any of you other lovers of the Cologne get a prominent neroli note?

When I saw the Cologne being marketed, it was about the same time that I got thru my decant of Dior Homme EdT and started to love it. When I read about the Cologne, the combo of the scent of DH mixed with neroli sounded kind of gross. But noone is mentioning this in the comments above.

Please advise.

I would have thought that neroli would have ruined Dior Homme as well, but it's barely perceptible. Don't worry-- nothing like the neroli in Habit Rouge Legere. Very subtle. Kind of reminds me of the neroli in CdG Anbar, though still barely perceptible. I was afraid that this would be smell like it had a bag of oranges tacked onto the hood, but thankfully it doesn't.

I don't think this fragrance differs so much in the addition of new ingredients so much as the balance between topnotes and basenotes has been retooled. I like the top and basenotes of the EDT, but the heart notes not as much. It does seem weaker, when I did an A/B test with the Cologne on one arm and the EDT on the other-- the EDT seemed persistent, while the Cologne comes and goes, off and on like Rive Gauche PH does. However, it's still there hours later, along with a very faint leather that reminds me of that in SMN Nostalgia's drydown. Pluran is right about the bergamot in this--I didn't notice it at first, because it's integrated very well, but it's wonderful.

I just got back from the gym. I did 45 min of cardio and was feeling pretty sweaty. I reached for the Dior Homme Cologne. Incredible refresher after a workout-- and in this context the brilliance of the Cologne shines through. Cool and clean like a powdered sugar donut after sitting through church. The regular EDT sits like a Butterfinger bar on my skin sometimes. The Cologne is great alternative to citrus colognes for freshening up. Most people will be fine with just the EDT since they are so similar,--and my praise and preference of the Cologne is no slight to the EDT, but if you're a person for whom the original Dior Homme just didn't quite work, the Cologne might interest you.
Reply
Reply
post #22 of 31
6/20/08 at 2:42pm
OK guys, tomorrow I must do a left hand/right hand comparison of them Sad news lurking in my life, this might be some escape route of my mind...
Reply
Reply
post #23 of 31
6/23/08 at 8:36am
Thread Starter 
I got a pretty nice compliment on the Dior Homme Cologne. A girl I work with went to tickle my neck with her tongue (to demonstrate an inappropriate gesture that a male coworker had done to her, lol) and afterwards she blushed and said "Wow. You smell GOOD!"

Reply
Reply
post #24 of 31
6/23/08 at 8:40am
Smell or taste?
Reply
Reply
post #25 of 31
10/9/09 at 8:50am
I am wearing this today for the 1st time. Indie_Guy captured the scent quite well, so I don't know that I have much to add.

I like Dior Homme but never felt like owning a bottle. I think the chocolate actually worked against it, for me, and I think I confirmed this when I wore Dior Homme Intense (from a sample) a month ago.

But in the Cologne, the iris is quite flattered by the subtle neroli and it just feels much more crisp, gentlemanly and sheer. It's HOT in Miami today - a short walk outside a few minutes ago (to go to my bank next door) made me sweat through my undershirt, and yet the DHC doesn't feel too sweet or sticky at all.

It mixes the best parts of Infusion d' Homme by Prada and Dior Homme, into one scent.

Highly recommended. Now, I want more...
Reply
Reply
post #26 of 31
10/9/09 at 9:02am
I've always heard this was DH's best incarnation. I'd lov to find a version of DH that I could wear as I find the accord quite revolutionary for a men's fragrance.
That said, I owned the original and found it way too cloying in the New England winter weather! I can just imagine what the Concentrate version would do to me, I could see the headline of my obituary now, Mr. Ruggles, Overcome by Fumes From Bottom of Woman's Handbag.
Reply
Reply
post #27 of 31
10/9/09 at 9:17am
I bought a bottle of this last year...really enjoyed it, and still think it's a great scent. That being said, I got bored with it and gave it to my brother. I still the original is the way to go...applied lightly...and maybe on cooler days.
Reply
Reply
post #28 of 31
10/9/09 at 10:37am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by mikeperez23 View Post


It mixes the best parts of Infusion d' Homme by Prada and Dior Homme, into one scent.

Highly recommended. Now, I want more...

I love Infusion D'Homme and I agree with that. One could go even further and look at Infusion D'Homme sharing a lot of mutual inclusion between Dior Homme Cologne (Iris, Neroli) and Terre D'Hermes (Benzoin, Olibanum, Cedar, Vetiver). I think that's what satisfies me so much about Infusion D'Homme-- it's like a combination of Terre D'Hermes and Dior Homme. I just wish they would release a stronger, deeper version of Infusion D'Homme.

Glad you like Dior Homme Cologne! For me, it's like the story of the "Three Bears". It's just right.
Reply
Reply
post #29 of 31
10/9/09 at 11:50am
I love DH in all its iterations - it's such a great mix of gourmand, leather, and light woody notes. There's days when I just love what I'm wearing and Dior Homme never fails to give me that feeling. The Cologne is probably the most technically proficient, best balanced composition. It's also had the most distinct iris feel. Being the best balanced doesny make it my favorite, and evn though Intense is brash and obnoxious I can't help but enjoy it just for those reasons.
Reply
Reply
post #30 of 31
10/9/09 at 6:57pm
Hey, I missed this thread the first time around. Glad to see DHC getting some much deserved love. It's definitely in my top 5 right now, and I agree about it just taking what was good about DH and taking all the crap that weighed it down, and made it tiresome out. It's sheer, fresh, and sexy. Love it.
Reply
Reply
post #31 of 31
10/13/09 at 3:37pm
I tried the EDT today and it is one of the most beautiful smelling fragrance I have experienced. Now I am beyond curious about the EDC and I am grateful I ran across this thread before I purchased the EDT, which I was about to do.
Reply
Reply
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home
  Back to Forum: MFD Archive
Basenotes › Basenotes Forums › Fragrance Discussion › Male Fragrance Discussion › MFD Archive › Dior Homme Cologne review.