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Which is more gender-neutral: Castile or Douro?

post #1 of 11
5/14/09 at 9:03am
Thread Starter 
Contemplating adding to my Penhaligon family in the very near future. I adore classic eau de colognes types and fougeres, regardless of gender category. I wear Hammam Bouquet and appreciate that Penhaligon preserves (except for some of their more recent offerings) the Victorian/Edwardian sensibility of generous use of floral elements in men's scents. I've seen Castile described as too feminine due to the predominance of neroli in it. But how about Douro? Is it butch, ultra-butch, or could it walk both sides of the divide? And what about Douro's sandalwood drydown - is it really as good as they say?
Thanks, all.
J.
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post #2 of 11
5/14/09 at 9:14am
Gender neutral: Castile IMO.
It is on par with universal/shared scents like CK One (but with a distinctive British twist).

Duoro is more masculine, and to my nose, the sandalwood hangs back in the shadows a bit.
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post #3 of 11
5/14/09 at 9:18am
I think Douro is masculine. I think it has a nice drydown, but to me it is a bit austere.
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post #4 of 11
5/14/09 at 9:19am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dimitri View Post

Gender neutral: Castile IMO.
It is on par with universal/shared scents like CK One (but with a distinctive British twist).

Duoro is more masculine, and to my nose, the sandalwood hangs back in the shadows a bit.

I agree that Castile is gender neutral.
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post #5 of 11
5/14/09 at 10:16am
Duoro is more masculine. Not very sandalwood-prominent in the lovely drydown. It IS as good as they say, IMO.
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post #6 of 11
5/14/09 at 10:21am
Castile, definitely.
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post #7 of 11
5/14/09 at 10:34am
+1 on Castile for more gender-neutral.
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post #8 of 11
5/14/09 at 10:36am
Castile is a gorgeous, soft orange-blossom scent.
Duro (aka Eau de Portugal, formerly known as Lords) is, as many have said, somewhat brisk, soapy and definitely woody. The DD is very good, and I get a good amount of sandalwood.
Men tend to like the latter more than the former, but they are both excellent scents.
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post #9 of 11
5/14/09 at 10:46am
Chock up one more vote for Castile being gender neutral. It's unisex in the same sorta vein that Acqua di Parma is, at least in my opinion.
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post #10 of 11
5/14/09 at 12:22pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Agent Zero View Post

Chock up one more vote for Castile being gender neutral. It's unisex in the same sorta vein that Acqua di Parma is, at least in my opinion.

Ditto.

As far as prefernce, mine is Castile, even though Duoro is classy and a little spicy, I love the elegance of sophistication of the neroli-rose combo in Castile.
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post #11 of 11
5/14/09 at 2:17pm
Thread Starter 
Thanks, everyone. I think I'll be hunting down the Castile soon. For a bona fide neroli hound such as myself, I think it would be a relatively safe blind buy. The Douro I'll sample first before risking the $$.
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Basenotes › Basenotes Forums › Fragrance Discussion › Male Fragrance Discussion › MFD Archive › Which is more gender-neutral: Castile or Douro?