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Your impression of Ralph Lauren Safari for Men

post #1 of 47
2/25/10 at 11:52am
Thread Starter 
What do you think about it ?
Do you think this fragrance is suitable for spring/summer?

I do not need objective answers like "You can wear it any time, you like, it's your choice", I prefer seeing your opinion.
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post #2 of 47
2/25/10 at 12:00pm
I know Safari for Men has many followers here, but the only time I sniffed it at a perfume store last september, the first thing that came to my mind was: old man's cologne...and I'm 48 myself...Somehow I think it's era has far gone by, IMHO.
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post #3 of 47
2/25/10 at 12:04pm
Yes. I haven't owned it in a long time, but I like it a lot.
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post #4 of 47
2/25/10 at 12:23pm
It is very good with a very poor atomizer, at least with the bottle I have. The atomizer makes such a fine mist that it is very difficult to get the fragrance on your skin.

To me, Jazz is actually similar, and a superior replacement for Safari.

P.S. Safari is great for year-round use.
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post #5 of 47
2/25/10 at 2:15pm
I remember it as Montana Parfum d'Homme ("red box") with powdery and ambery notes added. So, it's got spices, geranium, and lavender that are strong. I don't know if there was a strong "green" note, but I would guess not. These days, I prefer frags that are more "focused." For example, Adidas Sport Field is green, with lavender, geranium, and spice (ginger is listed), but without any powdery or sweet aspect (though it's not dry either). KL Homme by Lagerfeld is the closest frag to Safari that I can think of, but I think KL is a bit more focused. It's really a matter of preference, but I certainly can understand it being called "dated."
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post #6 of 47
2/25/10 at 2:17pm
I suppose there is a similarity to Jazz, as vonMises says. Safari for Men is a bit dated in a preppy kind of way, but it was my signature scent for a little while. I can see Safari for Men as a more mature replacement for Platinum Egoiste. I always thought the bottle was very classy for this one also. For some reason, Safari for Men seems to be forgotten about.
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post #7 of 47
2/25/10 at 2:29pm
Yes Safari is one of my favorite designer scents
the only thing I complain about is the longevity
other than that, its a wonderful sophisticated frag that smells clean yet dirty at the same time
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post #8 of 47
2/25/10 at 6:28pm
A very classy Fragrance that I Love.....Gary
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post #9 of 47
2/25/10 at 6:51pm
It's good quality and better than Polo. I think it's way too strong though.
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post #10 of 47
2/25/10 at 7:00pm
I remember wearing this at one time, good enough Frag
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post #11 of 47
2/25/10 at 8:55pm
Safari for Men is a very nice scent, suitable for year round use. My personal preference is to use it more frequently in warm weather. It's dry and crisp, like biting into a quince. It has light to moderate sillage, and women at work frequently compliment me on the scent when I wear it to work.

Since I've only been using it for less than a year, I don't associate Safari for Men with any other era other than this one or any other social class other than my own. I just enjoy it.

I don't see it as the "Burt Reynolds on the bear skin rug" fragrance that Luca Turin described.

PS: Safari for WOMEN (sadly, discontinued) is one of my favorite scents for women. I recently scored a bottle at TJ Maxx and gave it to my girlfriend (her first experience with the fragrance.) It makes her more mesmerizing than she is already.
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post #12 of 47
2/25/10 at 8:58pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by bossanova_boy View Post

I don't see it as the "Burt Reynolds on the bear skin rug" fragrance that Luca Turin described.

Yes, I was surprised that this was Turin's impression of Safari because I'm a fan.
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post #13 of 47
2/25/10 at 9:30pm
One way to think of Safari is that it has a "80s power frag" approach (all those notes, including the usual ones - lavender, geranium, some florals, etc.) but tries to be "soft" and "rounded." So I can understand the Reynolds/rug imagery, a tough but attractive guy (not from a Patrician family) trying to show his "softer," "sensual" side.
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post #14 of 47
2/25/10 at 9:52pm
I wish they would make an EdP
I would be all over that
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post #15 of 47
2/26/10 at 10:02am
Thread Starter 
Thank you for your answers and opinions. Appreciate it.
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post #16 of 47
2/26/10 at 10:06am
Safari is totally the wrong name for the fragrance.
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post #17 of 47
2/26/10 at 12:32pm
One of my long time favorites
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post #18 of 47
2/26/10 at 7:11pm
It was my signature about 10 yrs ago. I got it as a Christmas gift and used up the whole bottle. I thinks it's better for fall and winter. I see it as Aramis-for-those-who-hate-Aramis. It has solidly masculine character as Aramis, but different; more updated and gentle.
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post #19 of 47
2/26/10 at 9:26pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by trapper View Post

What do you think about it ?

It smells cheap, and something
a grandpa would like to wear.
Not for me, not at all..!
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post #20 of 47
2/26/10 at 9:50pm
Not my favorite, either. Made me sneeze, too.
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post #21 of 47
2/28/10 at 10:04pm
I like it. It was my fathers signature scent for years. Sometimes I steal a spray or two when I visit. But I don't think i'd ever buy it for myself.
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post #22 of 47
2/28/10 at 10:31pm
This one works good on me (I'm lucky in the respect that I can get away with wearing just about anything) and I love the smell. I ran into a bottle at TJ Maxx the other day and bought it because it had been so long since I wore it. Anyone know if they did any reformulation to it since the mid 1990s? It seemed a lot more citrusy up front at least when I first put it on. Otherwise thereafter it smelled the same as I remember, was only the first few sprays out of the bottle it seemed. I have a small tester bottle from about 10 years ago I'll eventually compare it to.
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post #23 of 47
3/1/10 at 3:33am
Safari is a strange name for this one. I own a 75 ml bottle which I picked up new on close-out at Wal-Mart for only $11.00 (I just couldn't pass it up). I had tried Safari for Men a couple of times in duty free shops prior to making this purchase, and I was not very impressed. It definitely seemed like a Spring/Summer fragrance to me, so that's when I wore it. I forgot I had it until it was recently mentioned in another thread, so I 'rediscovered' it. My wife sure does like it (she thinks it's classy!), and I've changed my mind on this one as well. I initially thought that it was a bit of an 'old man's type fragrance' (and I'm in my 50s!), but the more I wear it, the more I consider it to be a classic gentlemen's style fragrance. While it could easily be worn all year around, I believe that Safari is more suited to the Spring and Summer because it has a fairly green smell to it (in my opinion). It took a while, but Safari has really grown on me. It is a pleasant, dignified wear.
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post #24 of 47
3/1/10 at 3:46am
I remember my older sister really liking it in HS, she bought a mini bottle not to wear it, but just to smell it, much like it is mentioned here that many older women used to buy Guerlain vetiver, not to wear, but to remind them of their GI boyfriends returning from france with the Guerlain Vetiver way back in the mid-20th century.

So, of course, i snuck some from my sister's mini, and remember not liking it, washing it off, thinking it smelled like old man jovan musk type. Perhaps I would have a different opinion now, not sure.
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post #25 of 47
3/1/10 at 3:50am
I used to own it a while ago. It is a pretty good fragrance IMO - but not anywhere in the league of Polo (original) or Crest. However, it is much better than most of the designer pablum lining the shelves these days.
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post #26 of 47
3/1/10 at 1:19pm
It is my favorite by RL that I have tried so far. Definitely more mature, but I don't find it too out of place on me at 25. My GF likes it too.
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post #27 of 47
5/25/10 at 4:51am
Thread Starter 
I own it for 2 months now, and it grew on me a lot. I can feel that this is old-school, but in a good way, it has character, it has a luxurious feel and it's perfect for very hot weather.
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post #28 of 47
5/25/10 at 12:01pm
I recently acquired a bottle in a swap, and I'm glad it's not like Montana "red box." The eucalyptus is clear but not too strong, and the base has a nice sweet leather, with the supporting notes popping in and out. The top notes are nothing special, but I try to avoid them anyway. Long lasting and with just the right sillage too.
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post #29 of 47
5/25/10 at 2:52pm
I'm glad I didn't purchase this again. About a week ago I was going through some old saved bottles and came across Safari with a little juice left in it. I sprayed it on my wrist and dear god. EUCALYPTUS BOMB, smells like wet paper. Personally I pretty much hate eucalyptus in any fragrance. however eucalyptus oil is somewhat soothing and medicinal. But, in fragrances.. I'll have to pass.. they come out too synthetic smelling, strong and with this wet paper and chemical smell to post of them. I wish I could revise my Safari review -- I submitted a completely different one and hopefully it will work out. I'll give it a B for uniqueness, a B for sillage and projection, an A for longevity, but a D for overall smell; at least to my nose.. most of this fragrance is unappealing to me.
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post #30 of 47
5/25/10 at 2:56pm
If eucalyptus bothers you, but you want that kind of pleasant leather base, I suggest trying Devin by Aramis.
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post #31 of 47
5/25/10 at 2:57pm
I used to wear this and I still love the smell. It's hard to wear, especially if you are young. It's not an everyday frag. But by god it smells good!
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post #32 of 47
5/25/10 at 3:28pm
I was thinking i could wear anything in summer. but now some of them bother me. I like Safari, but now i can't comport it. In my region sometimes temperature reaches to 50 Sylsyvs degree.imo i should attend people around me.
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post #33 of 47
5/25/10 at 4:10pm
Hated it, very 80's + "old timer" smelling.
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post #34 of 47
5/25/10 at 5:18pm
I like it a lot. It's probably my favorite scent from Ralph Lauren. It just doesn't last long on me. It's not something I would wear with a t-shirt at a baseball game. It's suited more for business-casual and formal occasions imo.
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post #35 of 47
5/25/10 at 5:27pm
I could not get an impression of it, as it would not stick on my skin. I have smelled a fair number of fragrances, and this has been the weakest of them all.
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post #36 of 47
5/25/10 at 7:30pm
I used to own a small bottle of Safari years ago. I liked it when I first tried it the store, which is why I bought it. However, after about 3 wearings I quickly got sick of it, and grew to hate it. I thought it was a masculine but painfully boring, overly sweet scent. It smelled like it was trying to be every old-school, traditional leather and fougere fragrance ever created, poured into one bottle. It smelled confused and poorly constructed to me, if memory serves me right.

However, this thread has inspired me to give Safari another chance now.
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post #37 of 47
5/25/10 at 7:37pm
I might have to buy more of this. I'm getting nostalgic for Safari.
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post #38 of 47
5/25/10 at 7:55pm
I bought it years ago, I used it regularly as an office scent. I did not like it that much because of the top nores, but I really enjoyed the drydown. I almost run up the bottle I have and I planned on buying a new one, but it is difficult to get down here, few stockists carry it, and if found, it is sold at a very high price (USD 120). So, better safe money for something more original: the bergamot / musk combo is very 1990's and easily found on many other scents. And the presentation is, well, tacky as well as affected, to say the least.

I do miss the fact that PRL cannot launch better scents than the ones released lately. In this sense, Polo, Crest and Safari are IMHO way better than the ones coming after them.
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post #39 of 47
5/25/10 at 8:26pm
Safari is good year round. Fresh and spicy. Classy, mature but not old-fashioned.
Wouldn't be a good pick for the skate-boarding, Ed Hardy wearing, Justin Bieber wannabes.
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post #40 of 47
5/26/10 at 7:47am
I remember this to be one of RL's better releases, but not in the same class the classic Polo. But you know how time & nostalgia can give one a rose-tinted view. I still like it but I actually prefer the women's version, something my first GF used to wear.
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post #41 of 47
5/26/10 at 11:41am
I find it rather odd that guys who wear Black XS, Lolita Lempicka au Masculin, etc. find Safari for men to be overbearing. LOL.
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post #42 of 47
5/26/10 at 2:34pm
Safari is utter trash IMHO.

Better off with a classic like Grey Flannel or Pour un Homme de Caron. Inexpensive, oldschool, and will never disappoint.
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post #43 of 47
5/26/10 at 2:41pm
"Utter trash?" Come now, your opinion is not very humble at all ! LOL.
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post #44 of 47
5/26/10 at 2:51pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bigsly View Post

"Utter trash?" Come now, your opinion is not very humble at all ! LOL.

ha I know. I was going for "honest" but okay.
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post #45 of 47
5/26/10 at 5:04pm
Lolita Lempicka may project but it's sweet, when something that smells like an old bad og make up (Safari) projects so much, it's offensive. LL may offend as well, but it does settle down. To me Safari is just a eucalyptus/cinnamon/herbal/spicy concoction that smells like an old bag of make up and wet paper. The smell to my nose is overpowering and is ancient. Strangely I don't hate it, it just isn't for me. It also gives me a headache. Gorgeous bottle design though.

I will say though that my opinions for fragrances twist and twirl as some of you know.. one minute I love something, the next I hate it. I'm okay admitting that though, which is why I really shouldn't be doing many reviews. (lol) While some things like Fahrenheit, Corduroy, GIT and others always stay at the top of my list, Safari doesnt. I may have a completely different view on it sometime down the road, but as for now.. it's pretty bad.
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post #46 of 47
9/30/10 at 8:25pm
It was my dads signature scent for years and years. Whenever i smell it it just reminds me of my childhood. I just saw it at Marshalls for very cheap so i said wat the hell why not and i picked it up. Its defiently mature, but IMO its not oldman mature. Its just classy sophisticated "business man" type mature. I picture a businnes man in a suit when i smell this fragrance, maybe because thats what my dad was and he wore Safari. Im still 18 so i dont know of TOO many occasions when i can wear this. Most likely ill wear this to special occasions when most of the people are much older then me
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post #47 of 47
10/1/10 at 6:40am
I have a bottle of Safari laying around and don't wear it all that much.

It's like a classic lavender/leather British fragrance -- on steroids. I don't know how helpful that is, but I'm not sure how else to describe Safari. It's good for an evening at the pub, but not really a formal scent and way too loud for office use.
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