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Modern/contemporary "Powerhouse" scents?

post #1 of 38
8/8/09 at 9:59am
Thread Starter 
Anyone know of modern scents that's as powerful as 80's powerhouse scents?
Personally, I think the best scents in the world are the type of scents my dad used to wear, scents wherein when he walked into a room, everyone knew it was him. I love 80's powerhouse scents, but I'm afraid I'm too young (or immature ) to pull off most of those scents.

so what I'm asking is, what would you say are modern scents , or scents that aren't the least dated that could still pass of as a modern or contemporary power house?

From the top of my head, the frags that I like that my dad used to wear, but not on me are:
Brut
Chaps
Paco Rabanne ( i think)
Woodspice (It's a Marks and Spencer body splash, but the sillage is ridiculously good)
etc. etc.

My Ideal powerhouse :
Fahrenheit
Grey flannel

What I think is a modern powerhouse
L'eau D'issey pour homme INTENSE : I think this is an absolute winner, very modern, citrusy with tons of spice, lasts forever and projects itself straight to all noses in sight.

so yeah, What's your input in this guys?
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post #2 of 38
8/8/09 at 10:09am
A modern powerhouse for me would be YSL M7. Try spraying it in the office and wait a few seconds to see the reactions all around. I have not tried this before though. Paul Smith London could be considered a modern powerhouse although it doesn't smell very manly to me. Lasts for days with nuclear sillage.

And lastly Bogart Pour Homme. Longevity of this is insane. Its so strong that it makes my neck burn and red. Another nuclear sillage frag. Wear with caution.

L'eau D'issey pour homme Intense - I tried it a few times but it was quite meh to me.
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post #3 of 38
8/8/09 at 10:19am
Thread Starter 
I Knew I should have tried m7 instead of Rive Gauche a few days back, don't get me wrong, I think Rive is a great scent, It's just not right for me... for now!

to be honest, I'm not very fond of coconut notes in scents, where I'm from, coconut trees are everywhere, and its oil,juice,meat etc. is used in everything like food,drinks and worst of all, as a balm/rubbing oil for those that need physical therapy, it's called "lana". but I guess Paul smith would be worth a try, like every other scent.

Oh, and I knew i should've gotten that bogart bottle for 17 USD along with my other purchases online. maybe next time eh?
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post #4 of 38
8/8/09 at 10:34am
Quote:
Originally Posted by TimothyX View Post

I Knew I should have tried m7 instead of Rive Gauche a few days back, don't get me wrong, I think Rive is a great scent, It's just not right for me... for now!

to be honest, I'm not very fond of coconut notes in scents, where I'm from, coconut trees are everywhere, and its oil,juice,meat etc. is used in everything like food,drinks and worst of all, as a balm/rubbing oil for those that need physical therapy, it's called "lana". but I guess Paul smith would be worth a try, like every other scent.

Oh, and I knew i should've gotten that bogart bottle for 17 USD along with my other purchases online. maybe next time eh?

I find RG much more wearable compared to M7. But M7 just has this very sensual smell to it that really stands out from the crowd.

We use a fair bit of cocunut here in Malaysia too. And some even apply it their hair. A bit of that on your hair and it will beat even the strongest sillage hands down. London's coconut note just smells too synthetic to me. The sprayer is crap btw, even worse than D&G PH

Bogart PH is really cheap isn't it...my 50ml bottle even came with a 200ml matching shower gel. If not for the redness and burning i get from it I would have worn it more often.

Another modern powerhouse for me would be Gucci Pour Homme.
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post #5 of 38
8/8/09 at 10:40am
Thread Starter 
Yes, I Think RG would be an easy wear, but the dry down is very similar to a scent I have, Escada Pour homme, and I rarely find the right mood/time to wear it. so I'm giving RG a pass for now.

yay, someone who knows the feeling. I know some might go gaga over coconut since it reminds them of a vacation on the tropics, but coconut from where we're from, is just something that I,personally could do without in a scent. I wanted to give Fahrenheit 32 a chance, But I only had two wrists, and thought that the sniff from the bottle screamed too much coconut for me.

Gucci pour homme, now there's a bottle I've been eyeing for a while, If you had to choose, Would you go for PH or ENVY PH?
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post #6 of 38
8/8/09 at 10:53am
Haha..coconut hell in a bottle. No offence to the fans of PS London. Most of the time if the reviews mentioned coconut in a scent i won't even bother testing it out. But chilled coconut liquor, now that's something really good...haven't had that in a while..LOL.

PH or Envy? Good question. I've got both and enjoy wearing both. I would have to go with Gucci PH. A lot of members consider this a frag with good longevity and sillage. But on me PH gets quite mellow but in a good way after about an hour. But longevity is very good. I love the creamy mellow woodiness with incense in the background. Meanwhile Envy can sometimes get quite cloying when it gets really hot. Both worth owning though.
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post #7 of 38
8/8/09 at 11:10am
Thread Starter 
I'll look into both, and would probably end up buying both If I think they're worth owning. I saw your wardrobe, And it certainly looks like something I would want to have in time, there is absolutely very little chance of me owning a collection of niche frags without a.) Having to order online, causing me to go crazy with all the wait and b.) Burning a deep deep deep deep hole into my pocket. so I'm sticking to mostly designer for now. thanks for the inputs! I Really appreciate it!

Anyone else? What does everyone else think about the topic?
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post #8 of 38
8/8/09 at 10:26pm
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At the moment I can only think of these to add to Jonny's recs(will add more when I think of them):
Aramis Havana (1994)
Rochas Lui (2003)
Guerlain Heritage (1992)
Mario Valentino Ocean Rain (1990)
Ungaro I (1991)
Ungaro II (1992)
Ungaro III (1993)

IMO there are loads of scents made in the 80s or earlier that smell more contemporary or less "dated" than some relatively modern offerings, powerhouse or not.
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post #9 of 38
8/9/09 at 10:06am
Kenzo Power is a very strong fragrance, Egoiste Platinum is very harsh and strong but take my advice and don't spray too much, I find Polo sport to be way too strong & very nice, Escape by Calvin Klein is too strong if not the strongest and very very hot to the instant of being intolerable.

And now for the not too nice fragrances, YSL Korous aka "The Women Repellent" is too much way too much add to it Ferrari Yellow Water and you are good to go.
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post #10 of 38
8/9/09 at 2:02pm
I'll second matthewfoo's recommendations of Héritage, Havana, Rochas LuÃ*, and Ungaro II, and add Lauder for Men, Devin, A*Men (though I intensely dislike it), Yatagan (timeless but challenging), and Ténéré (if you can find it). If you'll consider niche scents as well, there are several worth trying: Santal Noble, Parfum d'Habit, Black Aoud, Musc Ravageur, Knize Ten, and Noir Epices.
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post #11 of 38
8/9/09 at 2:12pm
Gucci PH is a definite must try, way better than Envy IMO. And if you don't mind sampling niche, I second Vibert's recommendation of Black Aoud... actually many of the Montale ouds are very powerful, Aoud Lime is also worth checking out.
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post #12 of 38
8/9/09 at 3:47pm
Try B*Men if you like Gucci PH.
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post #13 of 38
8/9/09 at 4:01pm
Thread Starter 
Thanks for the suggestions everyone!
And no, No niche scents for me atm , no way of getting them but online, I wouldn't want to shell out 150 USD and up for a 50ml bottle of something I haven't tried before. maybe next time when this addiction has growned, but I certainly hope not. lol

I Always smelled polo sport on passerbys and thought, Why can't I have that kind of sillage? and never actually thought of buying polo sport. lol, so I just might get a bottle of that, and maybe Kenzo Power.
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post #14 of 38
8/11/09 at 9:45am
Terre D'Hermes
Bogart PH
Rive Gauche & M7
Lolita Lempicka Au Masculin
Jaipur EDP
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post #15 of 38
8/11/09 at 11:34am
I think the biggest "power house" fragrance I've smelled recently is Black Orchid. It smells nothing like some of the '80s mens' powerhouses, but in a world where pale, limpid fragrances predominate for both men and women, Black Orchid screams "Hello World!" like few other designer realeases of the past few years.
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post #16 of 38
8/12/09 at 5:29am
Burberry London
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post #17 of 38
8/12/09 at 6:47am
Try TDH, Gucci PH, Michael Kors.
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post #18 of 38
8/27/09 at 8:20pm
Well..here's so far found list of the most long lasting:

Kouros - lasts days, try using on your shirt and check just after 2-3 days - trust me!

i knw, its only one yet, have around 10 - 15 of scents but then, got 2 use them, will let knw d longest lasting ones once found out.

Anyways, any updates on this thread? anyone?
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post #19 of 38
8/27/09 at 8:32pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by kbandarage View Post

Well..here's so far found list of the most long lasting:

Kouros - lasts days, try using on your shirt and check just after 2-3 days - trust me!

i knw, its only one yet, have around 10 - 15 of scents but then, got 2 use them, will let knw d longest lasting ones once found out.

Anyways, any updates on this thread? anyone?

Er...isn't Kouros fr the 80s?
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post #20 of 38
8/27/09 at 8:49pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Critic View Post


Terre D'Hermes

+ 1. Leaves everything else in the shade.
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post #21 of 38
8/27/09 at 8:57pm
Thread Starter 
I have a small decant of terre D'hermes coming in, And I'm excited to give that a go. I always read reviews that say that TDH doesn't last long or projects well, I Guess I'll find out soon nuff'

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post #22 of 38
8/27/09 at 9:26pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by TimothyX View Post

I have a small decant of terre D'hermes coming in, And I'm excited to give that a go. I always read reviews that say that TDH doesn't last long or projects well, I Guess I'll find out soon nuff'


Tdh projects well enough for me. Longevity is about 10hrs on me. Top notes can be a bit bracing to some.
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post #23 of 38
8/28/09 at 2:18am
and i heard that [Chrome - Azzaro] lasts longer as well, any exp?
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post #24 of 38
8/28/09 at 7:02am
Quote:
Originally Posted by kbandarage View Post

and i heard that [Chrome - Azzaro] lasts longer as well, any exp?

Chrome certainly lasts a very long time on me.sillage is very good too. My brother went out about 2 hours ago.he uses Chrome.when i got home about 30mins ago i could still smell Chrome lingering in my hall. Now that's longevity
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post #25 of 38
8/28/09 at 7:28am
For aquatic scents, Chrome is indeed very powerful.

Also, not in the same vein as the 80s powerhouse scents, I have always found Code to be very pwerful. Amazing sillage and great longevity. A bit more on the sweet side though.
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post #26 of 38
8/28/09 at 2:16pm
I don't get the whole coconut reference for PS London. I have the tester bottle and I don't see coconut listed anywhere in the ingredients. In fact, I don't even think the smell of green mandarin in the opening resembles coconut at all, but that's just me.

Anyway, my defition of a powerhouse scent is an EDT that is projectile, potent, and long lasting fragrance. By these standards, I would definitely suggest Narciso Rodriguez for Him as it is very potent. It projects mean sillage and has an almost annoying longevity. Seriously, you need to be ready to wear this fragrance to bed at night if you spray it on in the morning!
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post #27 of 38
8/28/09 at 2:36pm
I do consider Tauer's L'Air du Desert Marocain a contemporary powerhouse type of scent.
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post #28 of 38
8/28/09 at 5:09pm
My favorite three favorite designer powerhouses at the moment are A*Men Pure Coffee, Tom Ford Extreme, and CdG 2 Man. Pure Coffee brings the A*Men thing into a place where many more people like it, and Tom Ford Extreme is like Black Orchid without the leading floral notes. Also Comme des Garcons 2 Man is rather powerful. All three have a modern feel - definitely 21st century powerhouse. Pure Coffee is available direct from Thierry Mugler at the same price you would get it in a department store, basically. 2 Man is hard to find, but available, and Extreme has gone from limited edition to the regular lineup, from what I hear. Expensive, but you don't need much, and they have decent-sized samples out there.
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post #29 of 38
9/7/09 at 8:50pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by JoNnY 4 View Post

Chrome certainly lasts a very long time on me.sillage is very good too. My brother went out about 2 hours ago.he uses Chrome.when i got home about 30mins ago i could still smell Chrome lingering in my hall. Now that's longevity

Damn it! then..i should unpack those 2 CHROMES i have been saving
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post #30 of 38
9/8/09 at 2:26pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by JoNnY 4 View Post

And lastly Bogart Pour Homme. Longevity of this is insane. Its so strong that it makes my neck burn and red. Another nuclear sillage frag. Wear with caution.

LOL, ain't that the truth! I honestly think Bogart's sillage is measured in terms of 'kill zone area' while its longevity approximates radioactive decay.
Thank God the scent is masculine & good.
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post #31 of 38
9/8/09 at 2:36pm
I'll barge in to this Boy's Club and Gag softly, pointing to Angel, which I wish were less of a powerhouse.

And I LOVE 80s powerhouse scents! It's just that they were meant to be Orientals and Chypres, not *cough* sweet gourmands.

Sorry. That was mean. I just don't like that type of scent. But it is strong stuff, I think....definitely not a fade-to-nothing fragrance!
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post #32 of 38
9/9/09 at 7:25pm
Modern powerhouses, non-niche?

Easy. From my experience, these are the two most popular modern powerhouses:
-A*Men (Thierry Mugler)
-Le Male (Jean Paul Gaultier)

I wouldn't consider Azzaro Chrome a powerhouse... it's too clean and light to be considered one. Heck, clean and light Acqua di Gio, in the same genre, could be considered a "powerhouse" if applied too liberally.
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post #33 of 38
9/9/09 at 8:39pm
I agree with Vibert: you need to try Black Aoud by Montale.
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post #34 of 38
9/11/09 at 7:46am
As far powerhouse niche frags go, 1920 Extreme by Bois 1920. It overpowered everything else i tested with just one spray and I could still smell it on my wrist almost 48hrs later
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post #35 of 38
9/11/09 at 8:21am
I definitely second Ungaro III, and, although somewhat different from the 80's powerhouse concept, I also think that even Rive Gauche has some common points with the aforementioned decade's frag style.
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post #36 of 38
9/11/09 at 9:53am
The ones I know, launched after 2000, with good longevity and sillage as to my experience:

These ones I own:

YSL's Rive Gauche
Rochas Lui
Bogart pour Homme

These ones I tried:

Hermes' Terre D'Hermes
Kenzo Power - It got my attention when I tried it for its sillage and longevity: some time afterwards a friend of mine gave me a sample of Kenzo Power's hair and body shower gel. I concluded that if the EdT and the shower gel were used together, I might risk of smelling of it for five consecutive days.
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post #37 of 38
4/21/10 at 3:42am
Easy. From my experience, these are the two most popular modern powerhouses:
-A*Men (Thierry Mugler)
-Le Male (Jean Paul Gaultier)

I second your opinion.
Greeting
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post #38 of 38
4/21/10 at 8:49am
Dior Homme Intense
YSL Opium pH EDP
..Two sprays of this babies will last the whole day..
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