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Femme Pour Homme

post #1 of 10
1/26/09 at 12:52am
Thread Starter 
To that eternally perplexing question- are all perfumes unisex, I must add my little voice- an unequivocally no! But as our taste evolves with time (I hope mine has!), so have some of our perception and prejudice. Some frags are truly androgynous- they easily cross over the gender zone. And the following made-for-women frags are frags that I can wear with conviction and joy.

1. Shalimar Eau Légère Parfumée
(This one has already catapulted to my top 5 all-time favorite. It's like a younger, prettier sister of Shalimar- all sparkling and light. Very beautiful).

2. Gucci's Rush
(I love the men's version. And just the other day, I stole a spritz from my sister collection (when she was out) and I was mesmerized. This is just a captivating sweet (but not cloying) scent that I can wear on a night out and this is so easily available. It garners a 5-stars citation from Lurin no less. Do not let the red rectangular box scare you off).

3. Eau de Rochas
(I have both this female scent and the homme version and I can and confidently wear both. I prefer the female version more really).

4. D&G Light Blue for Women
(This one puts the homme version to shame. Once I smelled this, I quickly sold the men's version and never looked back. This is also in my top 10 list)

5. Guerlain's Aqua Allegoria Pivoine Magnifica
(This is the first of my Aqua Allegoria purchase. I got it on a discount and I just love the dainty gold bottle. And I can safely wear this light fruity scent. Only gripe is that it doesn't last that long at all on my skin. Will be trying more from this series. Love Guerlain's Mitsouko eau de cologne as well.)

Looking at the list, what other outstanding perfumes pour femme should I consider as well? These are the ones that are no-go for me- Patou's Joy, Paco Rabanne's La Nuit, Gucci 3... tried as hard as I did, I just can't wear these at all. I don't take well to heavy floral.
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post #2 of 10
1/26/09 at 1:17am
The more feminine marketed fragrances I try, the fewer I find to be so feminine that I can't wear them. It's really only the sugary-sweet and sweet-fruity ones that turn me off. I'm even starting to get the 'white floral' genre, though it's taking some time because I tend to not like these notes.

From classics like Shalimar and Diorella to modern fragrances like Addict and Cashmere (by susanne lang), there's so many great feminine marketed fragrances that really are unisex. I can't even begin to list them all....

I credit BN for turning me on to the androgynous concept of fragrance collecting and appreciation, and I'd encourage everyone to be open minded and just appreciate the artistry. Don't get bogged down in marketing, preconceived ideas, or worrying about what people will think. It can be tough to go start sampling at the women's counter, but I've found most SAs just want to make a sale.

Some of my favorite feminine-marketed fragrances I recommend for guys:

Dior Diorella (a MUST try), Diorama, and Diorling

Chanel Cristalle EdT, Bois des lles (a MUST try), and No.5 Eau Premeire

Serge Lutens A la Nuit

Creed Vanisia

Guerlain AA Angelique Lilas, Mitsouko, Vetiver Pour Elle, L'Heure Bleu, Vol de Nuit, and about a dozen others. Guerlain probably has the most number of fragrances that can be worn by either sex.

Helmut Lang EdP

Givenchy III

AdP Iris Nobile

Hermes Eau/Elixir/Parfum de Merveilles (truly unisex, this isn't being marketed correctly)

Juliette Has a Gun Lady Vengence


These are just a few... I encourage you and everyone to be open minded in their exploration.
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post #3 of 10
1/26/09 at 1:18am
BANDIT and BAGHARI by Robert Piguet
VIVARA by Pucci
L 'HEURE BLEUE by Guerlain

and many others....
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post #4 of 10
1/26/09 at 1:32am
Having just bought some Bulgari Au the Blanc, I'll say no one seems to notice it's technically for women. I think it's mostly an association thing. Think it's for women, it smells feminine. Certain male scents are extreme, but I think most feminine scents can be worn on men. Would I? In general, no, as I don't like the smell of most women's frags. That said, like Au Blanc, there are some.
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post #5 of 10
1/26/09 at 2:41am
For the more daring amongst us hetero-gents: Try Beyond Paradise (not the men's) on yourself and see the reactions you get from both BNers and non-BNers. I won't even try to argue that the BP for women is unisex. It's not - it screams "feminine super-floral" all the way from top to drydown.
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post #6 of 10
1/26/09 at 5:11am
Thread Starter 
Thanks for all the advices especially to bbBD for imploring us to be 'open minded' in our exploration. I am certainly game.

I have my eyes on Dior Diorella for the longest time (this will be my next purchase!). And my SotD tomorrow will be Chanel no. 5 edt. But there're still so many men's frags I've yet to try. So many frags. So little time. And money.
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post #7 of 10
1/26/09 at 5:14am
Among the Guerlains try Après l'Ondée and Vol de Nuit and if you have the chance, also Sous le Vent
Among the Chanels No. 19, Cuir de Russie and Bois des Iles
Yves Saint Laurent Y
Molinard Habanita
Christian Dior Miss Dior, Diorissimo and Diorella
Givenchy L'Interdit and Givenchy III
Comme des Garcons 2
Robert Piguet Bandit
Jean Patou 1000
Hermès Eau de Merveilles and Hiris
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post #8 of 10
1/26/09 at 5:56am
Quote:
Originally Posted by justinh

Having just bought some Bulgari Au the Blanc, I'll say no one seems to notice it's technically for women

I may be wrong on this, but I think all the 'Au the' series (Blanc, Rouge, Vert) are all technically unisex. I've see the 'Vert' and 'Vert extreme' version for sale in the men's fragrance sections of some online sites.
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post #9 of 10
1/26/09 at 6:25am
A couple others not mentioned:

Lalique Perles de Lalique-a unique spicy floral chypre
If you like rose as a note it is worth trying out the Parfums de Rosine line.
I own the Rose D'homme and have really liked a number of others with Rose Kasmirie being the top of my list.
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post #10 of 10
2/18/09 at 4:23am
Thread Starter 
Strange but I re-tested Paco Rabanne la Nuit just now and this has gone from my 'hate' list to something I absolutely adore. This 360 degree turnabout takes me completely by surprise. I keep smelling the enticing tea note, so is it the 'honeyed woods' and I couldn't stop sniffing it. Another thumb up for a woman's scent (that any man can wear).
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