Basenotes › Basenotes Forums › Fragrance Discussion › Male Fragrance Discussion › MFD Archive › Caron, Third Man/Le Troiseme Homme Cologne
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

Caron, Third Man/Le Troiseme Homme Cologne

post #1 of 48
3/4/10 at 9:16pm
Thread Starter 
Few questions (it seems a bunch of people like it here):

1) Is it suitable for office / spring+summer?
2) Longevity? Can I get a good 4hrs + on it ?
3) Do they make smaller version than 4.2 oz ? I couldn't find anywhere ?
4) 30 bucks on amazon seems like a bargain if it's as good as everyone makes it to be? Am I better to buy at Caron store in NYC to smell/buy or is amazon somewhat trusted on this one. I might give Yatagan a whiff, but for an office scent seemed like 3eme homme would fit best.

Many thanks.

NH
Reply
Reply

Features on Basenotes

Petals Falling From The Sky - A Report From The Cote d'Azur's Bataille De Fleurs
Basenotes Reader Awards 2013 - Finalists Announced.
Greatest Hits: Annick Menardo
post #2 of 48
3/4/10 at 9:31pm
1 - yes
2 - Easily
3 - 4.2oz is the only size in production; if you find another size, that's vintage juice
4 - Yes, the juice sold on Amazon is the same juice in the Caron store (Caron has a store in NYC?). Yatagan may not be suitable for the office.
Reply
Reply
post #3 of 48
3/4/10 at 9:36pm
Thread Starter 
Caron Boutique: 715 Lexington Avenue, New York, NY 10022-2053 (According to google).

Troiseme homme is a more suitable choice for the office than yatagan and other Carons?
Reply
Reply
post #4 of 48
3/4/10 at 10:13pm
Welcome to Basenotes!
1) Yes, just adjust the application amount. You have tonka, moss and musk at the base that will persist.
2) Absolutely
3) ...the more the better. Any version is fine.
4) I would say yes, this is more suitable in the way that it's the type of scent that's more familiar to people than something like Yatagan. However, the most conservative one would be Pour un Homme if you're concerned about that.
Enjoy!
Reply
Reply
post #5 of 48
3/4/10 at 10:24pm
Le 3 Homme is probably Caron's best though no Caron scents have really impressed me.
Reply
Reply
post #6 of 48
3/5/10 at 8:10am
I'm wearing it right now. It's a good scent, but the more I wear it, the less I like it. It just smells less and less interesting to me every time I put it on.

Longevity is good. I get about 8 hours out of it. Very appropriate for office setting. Although it's not at all a typical designer scent, it's definitely safe and non-offensive, which is probably why I'm getting bored with it.
Reply
Reply
post #7 of 48
3/5/10 at 8:24am
Wow. I guess I lucked out. There's a store in Beverly Hills that sold me a 30ml bottle.

I generally like it, but don't really find myself wearing it much if at all. I am not a Luca Turin fanboy, but his review basically stated it is so artfully done, buy it even if you don't wear it. It is indeed a very "pretty" men's frag.

Seems like it has much better than average longevity for a designer frag that can usually be found reasonably priced.

I haven't really given all of them a fair test, but of those I've sampled, this is the most striking, distinctive and wearable Caron imo.
Reply
Reply
post #8 of 48
3/5/10 at 10:26am
Yatagan is an amazing scent, and much better than 3rd Homme, IMO. I wear it to the office all the time (granted, I am self-employed so no one's going to give me a hard time). It is extremely bold and unusual, though not super strong.
Reply
Reply
post #9 of 48
3/5/10 at 10:40am
Quote:
Originally Posted by StylinLA View Post

...
I haven't really given all of them a fair test, but of those I've sampled, this is the most striking, distinctive and wearable Caron imo.

Having finally smelt 3rd Man, i am inclined to agree. I recently got a 30ml vintage bottle. My first impression was how much it reminded me of Etienne Aigner No. 2 (1976), one of my all-time favourites.

It is quite suitable for office wear. Living in the tropics, weather is irrelevant to me. It wears well in the heat though. 8+ hours longevity.
Reply
Reply
post #10 of 48
3/5/10 at 10:43am
Yatagan is not an all-occasion scent, but Troisieme is safe.

Very pleasant and even for a woman...or for a very pretty man, as Luca Turin described. I wear this not *everyday* but certainly in my rotation.
Reply
Reply
post #11 of 48
3/5/10 at 3:28pm
The Third Man is one of those fragrances that you don't want to wear UNLESS you're in formal attire. That's the feel I get when I'm wearing it. A formal, dress shirt/slacks, tie preferrably. It's soo formal to me. So gentlemanly. Sillage is good, longevity the same. I think you can pull anything off in any season, with the right application. Just go light in the spring/summer.
Reply
Reply
post #12 of 48
3/5/10 at 9:00pm
It's now 17 hours after I put Third Man on this morning, and I can still get whiffs of it believe it or not. It's like this stuff is sticking to me. I'm really starting to dislike this scent. I'm reminded of why I hardly ever wear this cologne.
Reply
Reply
post #13 of 48
3/5/10 at 9:05pm
I love The Third Man and highly recommend it, as well as the other Caron men's fragrances (Yatagan, L'Anarchiste, Pour Un Homme). I wear all of them to work (office environment).
Reply
Reply
post #14 of 48
3/5/10 at 9:05pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by shamu1 View Post

It's now 17 hours after I put Third Man on this morning, and I can still get whiffs of it believe it or not. It's like this stuff is sticking to me. I'm really starting to dislike this scent. I'm reminded of why I hardly ever wear this cologne.

So the good news is it has fantastic longevity. The bad news- you hate it. In my quest for longevity, I'm surprised I don't have more scents like that.
Reply
Reply
post #15 of 48
3/5/10 at 9:16pm
I can't say I hate it (yet), but I'm really not enjoying it much. I have a feeling I'm going to be putting this on the swap thread in the near future.

I can understand why lots of people like it, but on me it just smells sour.
Reply
Reply
post #16 of 48
3/6/10 at 9:48am
Third Man is okay. But it's the least interesting of the four Caron scents I own, the others being Pour Homme, Yatagan, L'Anarchiste.
Renato
Reply
Reply
post #17 of 48
3/12/10 at 10:54am
With the approach of warmer weather in the Northern Hemisphere, I am anticipating breaking this scent out more often.

Any thoughts about lavender scents in warm weather? I always like the jasmine in this...
Reply
Reply
post #18 of 48
3/12/10 at 11:53am
I wish I liked this one more. It sounds like a good gentlemanly, formal fragrance - but it smells like cotton candy and scented erasers to me. Tooth-achingly sweet. More appropriate for a pre-teen girl in my mind. How does that happen, I wonder? Such a disparity of impressions!
Reply
Reply
post #19 of 48
3/12/10 at 2:11pm
Great Longevity and suitable for anywhere IMO.
Reply
Reply
post #20 of 48
3/12/10 at 3:36pm
Great year-rounder and anytime/anywhere scent for me. Works formally and casually and always impresses with longevity. I think others notice it long after I think it's gone.

FWIW it's really only the opening of Yatagan that is shocking (and it's not that extreme). The drydown is very classy and classic and quite suitable for an office.
Reply
Reply
post #21 of 48
3/12/10 at 4:07pm
its one of the very few sweet scents I enjoy
maybe because it does not really remind me of food, but more of sophistication and elegance (I know, its weird)
Reply
Reply
post #22 of 48
3/12/10 at 4:30pm
This one's been in and out of my wardrobe so many times. It's one of those that I appreciate, but don't enjoy wearing. I agree with the others that claim it's just too pretty for its own good. I have the same sentiments about the gorgeous Richard James Savile Row and Mouchoir de Monsieur: too sweet, too floral and too dandified for my lifestyle.
Reply
Reply
post #23 of 48
3/12/10 at 4:53pm
It is a scent you have to trust, against first impressions, that one or two shots is plenty. More than that, and the development is very different, and much more floral-sweet than I like. Otherwise, the development is very nice. Remember it contains a rose note that, to me, is especially strong after a few hours -- this is definitely a male floral scent, so it may be very different from the fragrances in a typical male wardrobe.
Reply
Reply
post #24 of 48
3/13/10 at 9:26am
I have had a difficult relationship with this one. I find it very interesting, actually, and not in any way simple or 'pretty' as Tonya Sanchez does. It's just as difficult and complex as Yatagan to my nose. The difficulty to me is the combination of sharpness and sweetness. It can seem like an assault, and in combination with the heady jasmine, that sharp/sweet contrast can be overwhelming. Recognizing the aromatic/camphorous thread of this scent has allowed me to enjoy it very much, though. It is related to big 80's floral fougeres like Salvador Dali pour Homme, but to a lesser extent also--I think, anyway--to modern camphorous frags like Hinoki. I sometimes wish it were less sweet, but after the first two hours and with light application I really enjoy it.
Reply
Reply
post #25 of 48
3/13/10 at 2:10pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ruggles View Post

This one's been in and out of my wardrobe so many times. It's one of those that I appreciate, but don't enjoy wearing. I agree with the others that claim it's just too pretty for its own good. I have the same sentiments about the gorgeous Richard James Savile Row and Mouchoir de Monsieur: too sweet, too floral and too dandified for my lifestyle.

Ruggles, you nailed it! That's exactly how I feel about Third Man - it smells very good out of the bottle or on a smelling strip, but I don't like actually wearing it on my skin. I find it irritatingly sour and sweet to wear. It smells to me like lemon hard candy. I don't want to smell like candy.

I'm demoting this frag to a "two star" rating in my wardrobe.
Reply
Reply
post #26 of 48
3/14/10 at 10:06am
My two cents on the original questions:

Use lightly for the office, but maybe avoid in summer

Lasts forever. FOREVER.

I don't remember seeing anything smaller than 4.2, which really annoys me. Still, very cheap for that size.

It's very close to what I would like my sweet woody scents to be, with a little floral element that I could do without. Somehow this makes it feel just the slightest bit too desserty and not woody enough to me, and maybe a little too "pretty" as someone said before.

I do agree that it's fairly "safe" and conventional, so nobody will find it out of place for the office. Still, you have to be willing to go that far along the sweetness spectrum, and thus I understand why some people like it but don't like to wear it.

You could try Corduroy or London for the office for less floral alternatives...corduroy is very low-concentration so you don't have to be so careful spraying.
Reply
Reply
post #27 of 48
3/14/10 at 10:43am
  • kbe
  • offline
  • Gender:
Like many foods I found The Third Man to be an acquired taste. At first try, two spritzes and I thought it was just ghastly and overwhelming. The second try, one spritz only, things immediately changed for the better. Now, four half-spritzes well distributed about is just about perfect for a long lasting and very enjoyable wear.
Reply
Reply
post #28 of 48
3/14/10 at 11:34am
Quote:
Originally Posted by nharris View Post

Few questions (it seems a bunch of people like it here):

1) Is it suitable for office / spring+summer?
2) Longevity? Can I get a good 4hrs + on it ?
3) Do they make smaller version than 4.2 oz ? I couldn't find anywhere ?
4) 30 bucks on amazon seems like a bargain if it's as good as everyone makes it to be? Am I better to buy at Caron store in NYC to smell/buy or is amazon somewhat trusted on this one. I might give Yatagan a whiff, but for an office scent seemed like 3eme homme would fit best.

Many thanks.

NH


1) Yes

2) Yes and then some.

3) You won't want a smaller bottle, this stuff is so good, you'll use it.

4) Buy it blind, you won't regret it.

This is a beautifully classy fragrance that is every bit as good as people say.
Reply
Reply
post #29 of 48
3/14/10 at 1:56pm
I bought my bottle completely blind and don't really like it anymore. I've been trying to convince myself for the past two years that I like this.

However, if you don't like it, you'll easily be able to find someone here to swap for it.
Reply
Reply
post #30 of 48
3/22/10 at 3:22pm
Well, I've finally had it with Troisieme Homme, and I just gave my bottle this morning to my wife. She loves it, and it smells great on her.
Reply
Reply
post #31 of 48
3/22/10 at 5:21pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by shamu1 View Post

Well, I've finally had it with Troisieme Homme, and I just gave my bottle this morning to my wife. She loves it, and it smells great on her.

LOL! This scent is truly a gender-neutral. I have Troisieme Homme and bought it for myself. At least this way, you can still enjoy it, yes?
Reply
Reply
post #32 of 48
3/22/10 at 8:21pm
Like many others who've commented on this thread, I own the Big 4 Caron masculines: PuH, Yatagan, 3rd Man, and L'Anarchiste. PuH is PuH; an absolute classic that I think I'll always appreciate in part for its very simplicity. Though I like all the other three, my feelings about them go up and down. But the one with which I have the most difficult relationship isn't 3rd Man, but L'Anarchiste, about which I feel similar to a lot of the thoughts expressed upthread about 3rd Man: I love the way it smells, but less on my skin than elsewhere; it lasts too long; and there's something in the drydown that goes on and on and on that I find more and more cloying with each passing hour. I only wear this about once a month (if that often), but it happens to be my SOTD today. And I'm experiencing what seems to be my set pattern with L'Anarchiste: I spray it on (sparingly). My first thought is: wow! this is better than I remember it! why don't I wear this more often? But now, about ten hours later, I find myself thinking: why did I wear this again?
Reply
Reply
post #33 of 48
3/23/10 at 3:17am
3rd Man is deep, rich, and complex. We are lucky it's available; especially at this price. People would gladly pay three times the money if it was a Lutens. I don't wear it often but when I smell it I think : "Bless those people at Caron".
Reply
Reply
post #34 of 48
3/23/10 at 9:08am
Quote:
Originally Posted by PhinClio View Post

And I'm experiencing what seems to be my set pattern with L'Anarchiste: I spray it on (sparingly). My first thought is: wow! this is better than I remember it! why don't I wear this more often? But now, about ten hours later, I find myself thinking: why did I wear this again?

Me too! L'Anarchiste is the only fragrance I spray once, and from a distance. Wonderful at first but it's linearity bores me at the end of the day.
Reply
Reply
post #35 of 48
3/23/10 at 1:03pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by PhinClio View Post

But now, about ten hours later, I find myself thinking: why did I wear this again?

That's exactly how I feel about 3rd Homme. Except I get that "Why the hell did I wear this??" feeling about 15 minutes into it.
Reply
Reply
post #36 of 48
3/23/10 at 1:04pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Primrose View Post

LOL! This scent is truly a gender-neutral. I have Troisieme Homme and bought it for myself. At least this way, you can still enjoy it, yes?

I do like it when she wears it, but I don't love it (I guess my saying it smells "great" on her was all relative compared to how it smells on me). It doesn't smell as sour on her as it does on me. The drydown smells almost vanilla-like on her skin. On my skin, it just smells like hard lemon candy and musk.
Reply
Reply
post #37 of 48
8/3/11 at 5:39pm
Out of all the research I've done looking for a new signature scent I came up with:

Le 3 homme
Lauder for men

Today I received Le3 and I have a hard time saying anything great about it. At the same time I can't really say anything bad about it because the ingredients used are obviously high grade. To me it has an oriental baby powder smell. You can smell something in it that has possibilities yet that is short lived as it turns into a pasty mess of scented baby powder.

The judgement is in. I will stick to chanel PE or Egoiste. Maybe It isn't original but most people aren't fragrance nuts like us so I wouldn't be called on it AND I really love both fragrances. Today I bought decant bottles....not strong enough no problem since I can carry it with me.

I am tired of spending money on lame purchases for myself.

Creed Irish Tweed was also a great recommendation but too expensive to use the way I like to abuse cologne.
Reply
Reply
post #38 of 48
8/3/11 at 5:44pm
Classy, long lasting, good sillage, unique smell...

Problem is that i can't see it as an everyday fragrance. I feel it too elegant for that
Reply
Reply
post #39 of 48
8/3/11 at 5:52pm
thatmakesscent, blind buying is risky and you can end up thinking you're wasting money. I've been looking with my blind buys (not so many and always more or less cheap). I blind bought Le 3ยบ Homme and it's not an easy fragrance. I needed some time to appreciate it.
A fragrance from the 80's or 70's will always be a risky choice for a blind buy in my opinion. Nowadays many frags are "more of the same" and the only risk is lack of longevity or unoriginal smell, all of them al commercially pleasant. Not so back then.
Reply
Reply
post #40 of 48
8/3/11 at 8:38pm
The only other masculine floral I like better is Givenchy Insense. Between the two, I prefer the Caron in cool temps and the Givenchy in warmer months.

I can see why alot of folks have a difficult time with 3rd Man, but I still think it's one helluva fragrance.
Reply
Reply
post #41 of 48
8/3/11 at 8:47pm
From the reviews I read, my major concern at this point is the ingredient quality. I'm not a huge fan of this kind of frag, so while I'd like to sample it, I'm not going to go out of my way to obtain one.
Reply
Reply
post #42 of 48
8/3/11 at 8:50pm
I'd be willing to swap with somebody. Although I haven't gained access to the proper thread yet.
Reply
Reply
post #43 of 48
8/4/11 at 1:37am
If you are concerned about smelling different to the other guys: don't buy it. If you can handle that: buy it - it's beautiful.
Reply
Reply
post #44 of 48
1/27/12 at 3:03am
Wearing 3rd Man for the first time today. Very nice scent. To me it seems quite close to Chanel Pour Homme after the first 30 minutes. Anyone else get that?
Reply
Reply
post #45 of 48
1/27/12 at 2:56pm
For me, the new one is good for outdoors in cold weather. The vintage is similar to vintage Emeraude PdT, and so most would find it too "old" to wear, except at home.
Reply
Reply
post #46 of 48
5/8/12 at 2:45pm
Excellent reply, manicboy -

I concur on all accounts. Fantastic fragrance and one I adore in my collection.

Cheers,

ericrico

Quote:
Originally Posted by manicboy View Post

1 - yes
2 - Easily
3 - 4.2oz is the only size in production; if you find another size, that's vintage juice
4 - Yes, the juice sold on Amazon is the same juice in the Caron store (Caron has a store in NYC?). Yatagan may not be suitable for the office.
Reply
Reply
post #47 of 48
5/8/12 at 8:05pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sticky Threads View Post

Wearing 3rd Man for the first time today. Very nice scent. To me it seems quite close to Chanel Pour Homme after the first 30 minutes. Anyone else get that?

I get a mix of Chanel Egoiste, Chanel Pour Monsieur & Guerlain Vetiver in my 125 ml EDT bottle of Caron Le Troisiemme Homme. I like it occasionally, but prefer it used in a blend with Zino Davidoff old formula.
Reply
Reply
post #48 of 48
5/9/12 at 8:16am
Yes, a wonderful scent. Wearing it occasionally makes me imagine that it could've been worn by poets from the Romantic Era. Though the sweetness in it is only one part of it, I thought for the longest time that that sweetness came from the fruity or citrus notes. But after careful consideration I now believe it's the heart note of jasmine, perhaps combined with the rose. I'll have to wear it tonight!
Reply
Reply
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home
  Back to Forum: MFD Archive

Features on Basenotes

Petals Falling From The Sky - A Report From The Cote d'Azur's Bataille De Fleurs
Basenotes Reader Awards 2013 - Finalists Announced.
Greatest Hits: Annick Menardo
Basenotes › Basenotes Forums › Fragrance Discussion › Male Fragrance Discussion › MFD Archive › Caron, Third Man/Le Troiseme Homme Cologne