All Invited! ♥ Sniff 'n' Speak Saturday, September 6, 2008 ★★★ OPPOSITE-GENDER FRAG

Weeeeeell, I'm away from my regular stash, so I will have to see what I can find from my travel collection (darling! I'm so cosmopolitan! *snort*) Bulgari Black is the obvious choice since I am Jicky-less.

Though I suppose this would be an ideal prod to go to the men's counter and try something truly different. You know - 'getting your Anteus out of the bathroom cabinet'. Hmm. Should I be brave and post a request for suggestions on the men's board? Ooooh!

I knew I bought m bf perfumes for a reason, I'll go manly all the way and not go for bvlgari black or jicky since I wear that regularly already.

So it could be m7 fresh, fou d' absinthe, habit rouge or third man.

Im in on this one too... I will have to do a panty-raid in my wife's knickers drawer (where she keeps her perfumes) and swipe something that will be challenging to pull off.

Methinks the hardcore gourmand-ness of La Prairie's Silver Rain is a likely contender!

Oooooh, can I watch

It will be Sean John Unforgivable for moi.

Are fougere scents still part of this month's Sniff 'n' Speak?

Weeee--I wanna play too!

I'm wondering if anyone can help me choose for Saturday ~ and am I right, are these fougeres? Ideally I feel I ought to REALLY go all the way and choose a men's fougere.

Here are a few I am considering, are these all fougeres? (And while I have looked at last year's thread about fougeres, I'm just not sure about all of these.)

Gris Clair
Jicky
Grey Flannel (pretty sure this is a true fougere)
Fahrenheit?
Habit Rouge (sample for husband)?



Thanks for looking!

Oh yes. I am so in the mood to wear Jicky. I wonder just how many will join me?

I hope someone picks Egoiste or Anteus because I would certainly like to hear an in depth description of these, especially Egoiste. This will be interesting for me to read because I'd like to know more about men's colognes. I know about the directory, but I'd like to hear more.

I think I'll sport me some Grey Flannel. Hmmm...or M7? I think Grey Flannel...

I would like to join with you on this one too! I will try something more masculine, but I have several fragrance that already is something unisex. But I like leathers so, I will try from my housemate - Creed Royal English Leather!

I might wear Egoiste,but I wear than one regularly already,so would be fun to try something else....*hmmm*

SMM sent me a bunch of goodies a few weeks back.

I'm gonna dig through them and see what works.

Though I could use it as an opportunity to swipe the SO's Farenheit too

Take his whole bottle

Thanks Quarry! I ought to be a wee bit less lazy, huh!

Silverbullet: I agree Habit Rouge is awesome stuff. We don't have a bottle, (notice how I include all of my husband's stash into my own?) so I may be using up OUR tiny little vial on Saturday.

Good thing I just got my husband Grey Flannel. Looks like I'm swiping some.

I'm excited to hear GF is a true fougere, because as of yet I don't really have a true sense about what that category smells like.

Well, this is a dilemma.

It will be too hot here for Grey Flannel, the fougere of choice.

As for opposite gender, I tend not to think in those terms. I probably have a Diptyque sample (one of their jardins maybe) or maybe Poivre Samarcande. The Hermessence line tends to be considered female by the people-at-large. And PS works very nicely in hot weather.

Some rummaging around the sample truck tonight might turn up something.

Right: I'm going to go and ask the boys for some suggestions on which men's frag to wear, given that I have to be able to get to a tester in an ordinary department store or chemist's.
I'm actually a little bit nervous about this - how silly is that?

Oh Wordbird, I so understand! I actually posted a thread asking for help for a frag for my husband a little while ago and I was so nervous!!! But they were all so sweet and helpful--you have my e-support, go forth!

<--have a slice of cake for support

Want some spice from 1986? One squirt and this spicy, woody, oriental should last the whole day.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RyQVYIFDVeo

Shocking and I don't know if this is even possible, but I googled Calvin Klein's Obsession for men in several places and got all these notes. I gave up before I found more.

Bergamot, Lavender, Myrrh, Clove, Nutmeg, Amber, Sandalwood, Musk, Mandarin, Spice, Lemon, Sage, Fern, Carnation, Moss, Vanilla, Benzoin, Vetiver, Patchouli, & Coriander.

Please be kind, I'm brand new.

I go over to the boys side all the time--they're just fine

I have some fougeres in my collection. However, I am not going to count SJP Covet among them unless this scent clicks in some way for me. I wrote about it in yesterdays SotD thread, so I won't repeat here.

One men's fougere I tried recently (and liked very much) is Divine L'Homme Sage. However, I really am yearning to be in on the Jicky action, so we'll see how I feel on Saturday!

I've got lots to choose from. My favourites are Dior Homme and Terre d'Hermes but I wear them anyway, so a different one is called for tomorrow. I wonder if I can carry off Knize Ten? It might be too big for the company I'm keeping, so I'll probably aim for something else.

I missed the last two SnS days so I'm glad to find another one. I enoy these days.

Thanks Q.

I think I'm going to do what Wordbird did and ask for some advice on the Men's Fragrance board.

Update: my poor little request is sinking down to the bottom. I guess I'm on my own!

Azzaro pour Homme for me.

It is one of my favorite fougeres - I should wear it more often!

My wife, Gabrielle Rose, likes to participate in our Sniff 'n' Speak days and will join us in Jicky.

Oh drat I forgot to go nick my bf's Azzaro PH bottle. So therefore I'm in Green Irish Tweed today.

Well, I didn't manage to get any of the boys' recommendations from the counters yesterday, so I"m in one of the two samples I did manage to snag: Lolita Lempicka au Masculin.
It's not bad. Lolita Lempicka with more brawn.
Actually, I feel like I'm cheating because this could easily be a female frag.

Aww, Wordy- just relax and enjoy .

I know the dilemma- I love L'Homme Sage, too.
Was tempted to steal my son's Habit Rouge.

Last night, before bed- I trult pitied my DH-
I had on:
Bois Du Portugal
New York
Troisieme Homme
Maharadjha
Chanel Pour Homme
Mouchoir de Monsieur
Tabarome Vintage

Today, I'm a-Jicky-in'.
Swimmin' in EDT...
Soooooo good.

Today I'm in Chanel Egoiste. This is one of the first male scents I tried...And I was really pleased to find out the drydown was a bit similar to the gorgeous Bois des iles. On me Egoiste smells of sweet citrus (tangerine or orange?) , fresh coriander leaves and maybe a touch of roses to begin with.Later on it develops into a sweeter and spicier scent. The most pronounced notes to my nose is cinnamon and sandalwood. There's also quite a lot of the typical,sparkling Chanle aldehydes in the mix and this is very pronounced in the topnotes. All in all this has become on of my all-round scents that I enjoy both at work and when going out,winther and summer. Suprisingly unisex too in my opinion too.

Today I'm wearing La Prairie's Silver Rain - a hardcore women's gourmand (in a similar strain to Mugler's Angel). I wore it to the local fleamarket and to grab some groceries, and strangely the "tropical fruits" in the mix receeded, and a peppery note emerged on my skin. Its almost as if all the notes shifted a few notches, to bring the more masculine notes to the fore. Theres a nice burnt sugar feel to it, but its a nice mix of spice, patchouli and fruits here. Much like Valentino V for Him.
Overall Im enjoying the experience.

Oh, I didn't even know that La Prairie had launched fragrances ...
These should be really good. Am I wrong ?

My problem is that I owe much more male frags than he has !

Absolutely.
At the time of its launch, it was sensational... and, for a short time, one of the most expensive "mainstream" releases.

Here is what the gorgeous bottle looks like...

I've had to tear myself away from sampling some new stuff that I received recently, but today I will do what I've been meaning to do for a while -- comparing Caron Yatagan and Romeo Gigli Sud Est. I like them both, and find them similar, but haven't compared them side by side before.

At first spray, side by side, they seem less similar than I thought. Yatagan is uncompromisingly aromatic. I know it's artemisia, but to me it's rosemary. Sud Est, when compared directly side by side, is really quite FLORAL. A little metallic-y. (Metallic-y in the way that deer meat is kind of gamey.) And still aromatic, but not nearly as much as Yatagan. I still like them both.

Update: 5 hours later, yeah, they are totally the same. The metallic-y smell of Sud Est is gone, leaving just a trace of floral -- jasmine -- but still predominantly AROMATIC ROSEMARY. The biggest difference is that Yatagan is still going strong, and Sud Est is quite a bit fainter. I gotta hand it to Yatagan to have much more longevity.

Note: Thank you to the generous Basenotes members who supplied me with samples and a full bottle. . . . I can't thank you enough. My perfume bottle overfloweth.

Today's choice - Carthusia Uomo
Thanks SMM!
Top is a definite orange blast. After a couple of minutes, a lavender note appears. 2 minutes later, wood and citrus. 10 minutes after that - the citrus morphs to a green aquatic note. There is still some wood. The whole is obviously high quality and if I liked citrusy / aquatic / fresh scents more I'd be all over this. 30 minutes later - a pleasant woody scent with a hint of citrus.

Sorry ScentBro - this one just don't sing to me, as beautifully crafted as it is. I may try this on the unsuspecting SO (maybe I can spritz him as he sleeps) to see what he thinks and to see whether it smells better on him than on me.

Dimitri has a fantastic review of this one on his blog.

Grès Cabochard for me.

Leather and greens. Dark, 'tight', intense and powerful. I couldn't wear this to work and feel comfortable, but for leisure time it is most interesting.

For today's SnS I chose Guerlain Heritage.

I own and regularly enjoy lots of masculine frags, so my challenge today was to pick something I haven't worn in a while. When I thought of Heritage, I realized I hadn't worn it in months! What a pleasure to revisit this gem.

I've seen Habit Rouge often compared and linked to Shalimar, but Heritage has always struck me as more similar, almost like a spicy Shalimar. Warm, rich, spicy, woody, and smooth. Released in the early 1990s, its character is that of a scent belonging to another, earlier era; timeless and classic, elegant and classy.

Thanks for yet another enjoyable SnS! So much fun.
Terry

I must try that Azzarro - anything that gets a 'vulgar' HAS to be good!
And I did love the Fougere Bengale when I tried it. I think that if I smelled that on a bloke I'd fin it very sexy. The tarry note with the rough leather and balsamic green just shout 'sexy gardener' or 'Mellors!' to me (Sean Bean played Mellors the gamekeeper in a famous BBC version of Lady Chatterly's Lover and by jingo was he well cast! Sorry. It's my hormones. Or something. Can I take that fifth amendment thing?)(And we won't mention Alan Titchmarsh and my strange crush on him.)(British readers just sniggered at that, I bet.)

Mouchoir de Monsieur is supposed to be a close relative of Jicky - how do you think it compares, Chaya?
And Terry - now I MUST try both Heritage and Habit Rouge!

I think the Lolita Lempicka au Masculin was very similar to the ladies' version (which I don't wear) and had a salty licorice note I liked and felt was like L. It had a good dollop of 'butching' though - I think through some judicious addition of patchouli and subtraction of sweetness. I'd certainly recommend trying it to any ladies who like LL fragrances but find them a bit sweet or girly. It was very nice. If it was in a blind test I'd say it was unisex and niche.

I'm going out tonight and have showered and changed into Bulgari Black - a more 'trad' gender bender choice. As I was spritzing myself I thought about how far my ideas of perfumery have changed, that I now see rubber/vanilla/leather as a nice cuddly 'regular' fragrance for wearing out to dinner.

I sniffed around my husband's collection of fragrances and finally decided on...



Obsession for Men (1986)
top notes - Mandarin, Grapefruit, Lavender, Coriander
heart notes - Carnation, Jasmine, Rosewood, Pine Needle
base notes - Patchouli, Vetiver, Vanilla, Amber

This is a bottle that my husband has had since before I knew him (over ten years old). I suppose Obsession is rather a cliché and a joke by now, but Im really enjoying this fragrance on this rainy morning (Ive also been interested in the womens version of Obsession again lately). I think it must be so old that the top notes have gone off, because I dont get much grapefruit or coriander in it. It's warm and sweet and boozy, a bit like rum cake, or bourbon sauce for bread pudding, a nice fragrance for sitting by the fire. As a florals-loving woman, I find it quite wearable and smooth, unlike several others in my husbands collection that are just too stridently manly for me. Also, the amber is not overwhelming. This is still a great scent.

I looked on my husband's perfume cabinet and I'm between these two:

Eau Savage
Egoiste Platinum

I think maybe I'll do the first during the day and the second one tonight.

Wearing Tom Ford Black Orchid

This is just an incredibly complex and evolving scent on me.
Starts with a big blast of numerous notes I get citrus, floral and something more basic that might be the infamous truffle note.
Then it turns into creamy vanilla under the flowers before settling into the woody base There is a sweet sugar that runs throughout and the basic note that is there in the beginning returns more subtly in the base.
This goes through by turns floral/citrus to a light gourmand to a floral wood base.
It works really well on me.
I am a little confused why this isn't marketed more as a unisex scent.
Based on the stats i know there are some guys who wear it a lot but it seems like it can be easily worn by a guy, in my opinion.

Well, a rummage through my samples turned up a number of surprises I'd forgotten about! For today's SnS:

Penhaligon's Artemisia
Head Notes: Nectarine and Green Foliage
Heart Notes: Green Apple, Lily of the Valley, Jasmine Tea, Violet and Vanilla
Base Notes: Oakmoss, Sandalwood, Musk, Amber and Vanilla

While it has vanilla in the notes, it's not detectable to my nose. For which I'm grateful. Artemisia is a really nice, ethereal scent (reminds me of an Ellena frag). The nectarine and green are very evident, with a dash of dry powder.

When I first wore my sample of Black Orchid, my husband told me he thought it smelled like a man's fragrance. I agree with you - it's easily unisex.

Creed's ROYAL ENGLISH LEATHER for me this S&S. Kind of speaks for itself. Warm, comforting and leather, leather, leather! Yum!

Dior Homme is my selection for today's SnS.
My sister & I spent the summer really getting to know more of the traditionally masculine scents. It was a huge sacrifice for her, as she is a major fan of big white florals. I, on the other hand, am not.
I enjoyed every single moment of our quest.
As a result, she fell in love with Gucci Pour Homme II & I with Dior Homme.
Dior Homme is the complete package, as far as I'm concerned. It's the perfect balance of yin & yang on my skin: iris & tobacco. Heavenly!

Today's SotD for Sniff 'n Speak is:

Divine L'Homme Sage

Notes: saffron, mandarin, cardamom, lychee, aromatic woods, immortelle (or everlasting flower), patchouli, oak moss, amber, incense (from luckyscent)

When I wear it, I smell licorice in the top notes, even though it is not listed. It develops much as a typical fougere, and is quite pleasant. However, I do not see it as all that unusual except for the amazing top notes which are dry, herbal, rooty, and a little bit of incense.

Last night for my SotE I wore Jicky EDP, and probably will do so again tonight.

Notes (from the BN directory):
Top Notes--Lemon, Mandarin, Bergamot, Rosewood
Middle Notes--Orris, Jasmin, Patchouli, Rose, Vetiver
Base Notes--Leather, Amber, Civet, Tonka, Incense, Benzoin

It is a beautiful fragrance with sweet, bitter, herbal, citrus and animal notes. It is like one of those old-fashioned "tonics" that is good for you AND tastes great

JICKY! JICKY! JICKY! I imagine the chanting of the passionate get louder and louder as a wonderful jickyesque haze rises from the earth and heads out to seduce other planets.

So I've tried to revive Wordbird's thread on the guy's side with a question about male fougeres. See, I'm trying to choose both a "male" fragrance that's also a fougere. Not sure why I'm being so stinkin strict with this thing! Time's a tickin, though. Also, I am going out to a schmancy dinner tonight and can't smell toooooo manly, if that makes sense(?). Otherwise I'd proudly sport my DH's Grey Flannel.

I've asked the guys to help i.d. if any of these are fougeres: Gris Clair, Dior Homme, and Fahrenheit. I own and easily wear Jicky and Bulgari Black. The thing is I'm comfortable wearing any of those, and I thought this exercise was to push the envelope a little.

Yes, Quarry, I understand the dilemma!

Should I just go full bore and wear that Grey Flannel, damn the torpedoes?

I completely forgot to post here as well. Thank you, my dear Quarry.

For Sniff 'n' Speak Saturday, the 'Opposite Gender Frag'

When I was young, I 'borrowed' my fathers fragrance. Somehow that scent became something wonderful on the skin of a sixteen year old girl.
It was his signature scent.

When he died, I took the last bottle I gave him with me and there it stayed in a drawer, untouched.
Maybe I should have chosen something different today but I followed my instinct.

Habit Rouge

Back in time, where I was his young daughter

Wearing TERRE D'HERMES, one of my favorites of the few "serious" fragrances I've talked my husband into wearing. I've worn it a couple of times, and like it, but I'm deciding it's better on him. The strong grapefruit at the beginning is a bit much for me; I like it much better when it settles down. It's funny, I wear Sel de Vetiver from time to time, and it has strong similarities to TdH. The SdV is airier and more interesting, I think, and IMO the superior fragrance.

Tonight we are going to a party, and I'm going to switch to a feminine fragrance - not sure which.

Wishing all a great weekend!

Riannon, just read your touching story! Thank you for sharing it.

L'Artisan's Fou d'Absinthe for SnS. I'd sniffed this a while ago when I got the sample and hadn't thought much of it.

Something has changed, maybe me. I like this. Anise and green definitely seems like cologne or barbershop but I can actually wear this one. It might actually be a really nice summer addition to my wardrobe.

Yes, lushsoup, sport the Grey Flannel with me!
I'm wearing two frags today:

Grey Flannel on the left wrist - ohhh, nice. I bought a mini a while back just for novelty because I loved it as a teenager when I smelled it on men. But I'm definitely enjoying this on myself. It just went from that bright green beginning, straight to a soft, violet-powdery center. This will be great and very cozy and comforting in the cooler months.

Royals Heroes (by Washington Tremlett) on the right wrist - The notes according to Lucky Scent: mandarin, bergamot, clove, anise, cedar, patchouli, tonka. Hm. Not so sure about this one on me. I mostly get the spices but, strangely, behind it and quite prominent to my nose in the beginning, a very funky, almost fecal thing. Luckily this is fading away while the spices remain. Funny there are no herbs as I thought; when bf puts it on I immediately smell thyme and rosemary but I guess they're not there!

When the Perfumista of the Prairie calls, the townsfolk come a-runnin'!


Love this scent - definitely worth sampling. More on my blog here.


Absolutely! I don't own this yet, but it's just a matter of time. I was blown away by this one when I smelled it in Saks. I was wondering what all the fuss was about. No question now. I think L'eau de Kasaneka may win on the bottle, but Black Orchid wins on the juice.

I think you should.

I just found a bottle of vintage Royal Copenhagen on eBay, which is the scent my late husband wore every day. Right after he died, it was too painful to smell it, but recently I've wanted to have a bottle to smell to remind me of him. But I wasn't sure I wanted to wear it and smell it all day, so I went with Egoiste instead. I don't have any masculine associations with this - I bought it for myself because it reminded me of Feminite du Bois.

Round 2 SnS - The SOs Fahrenheit.

On him - a peppery ambery thing.

On me - pure saddle leather.

I think this may have to do with application. He puts on his clothes and sprays his shirt.
I put it directly on skin.

Interesting.