Basenotes › Basenotes Forums › Fragrance Discussion › Male Fragrance Discussion › MFD Archive › Kouros: Yes or No and why?
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

Kouros: Yes or No and why?

post #1 of 36
8/28/10 at 11:25am
Thread Starter 
Kouros. I'm considering it and (to a lesser degree) Kourum. Opinions?
I like Michael Kors for Men, Antaeus and feminine fragrances like Mitsouko, Jicky, Montales - Cuir D'Arabie, Aoud Leather, Black Aoud etc..
Is Kouros unisex? Does it better suit women or men? Asked on the women's board but didn't get much love for Kouros, although Quorum got a vote.
Thanks.

lodz.
Reply
Reply
post #2 of 36
8/28/10 at 11:31am
Kouros is – to me – one of the archetypical masculine scents. That doesn't mean that women can't wear it!

The opening of Kouros can be a bit overwhelming, and I guess this is where many dismiss it; but as it cooks on your skin it just gets better and better, hour after hour...
Reply
Reply
post #3 of 36
8/28/10 at 11:41am
Yes - because it simply is a great scent IMO.
Reply
Reply
post #4 of 36
8/28/10 at 11:43am
Yes- Kouros in my opinion is a more masculine scent. Although i long said it would be the worse fragrance i've ever smelled at first, i finally gave it a try and it went to a nice golden honey avnilla cinnamon scent. Its quite pleasant
Reply
Reply
post #5 of 36
8/28/10 at 12:02pm
Yes! I really quite like it. I don't love it, but it's fun, quirky, and if someone gave me a bottle I'd assuredly wear it.

It smells spicy and floral and a little tangy in a rude way. I definitely get the urinal puck association, but I'm at a loss to explain why a fragrance that smells like a well-used urinal puck is fun and enjoyable, and almost cuddly once the drydown arrives.

To my nose totally unisex, but I have no gender associations with this apart from the aforementioned.
Reply
Reply
post #6 of 36
8/28/10 at 1:07pm
It's a great scent. Get a sample and wear it a couple of times.

If you're going to run into a store and spray it on card, don't waste your time.

Women can wear anything, but Kourous is quite masculine I feel.
Reply
Reply
post #7 of 36
8/28/10 at 1:19pm
Too animalic for me, and I like animalic frags, if the blend is well done. I don't feel that Kouros is for someone with my skin chemistry. If your skin chemistry really "eats up" frags, then it might be for you. I've tried diluting it but that still does not work. The nasty animalic notes just sit there for hours, clobbering the others.
Reply
Reply
post #8 of 36
8/28/10 at 1:38pm
Absolute NO for me.

I find it absolutely disgusting. Why on earth would I want to smell of a urinal cake? Vile.
Reply
Reply
post #9 of 36
8/28/10 at 2:37pm
Yes! Absolutely! A Classic male fragrance.
Reply
Reply
post #10 of 36
8/28/10 at 2:54pm
Look, just spray it on your skin and give it a whirl. You will either 'get it' or not with Kouros. I absolutely love it and think its a work genius. There is nothing else like it at all.

You may absolutely hate it. It has this reputation for smelling like 'urinal cakes'. Whoever started this association I wish I could clobber round the head (in a friendly way . It is often better described as a 'clean-dirty' scent. In fact its very difficult to pinpoint what exactly it smells like. That's mainly because it doesn't smell like anything else!

There really is nothing left to say about Kouros. You'll either recoil in horror or will have it in your wardrobe for the rest of your life. Me? I'm in the latter category.
Reply
Reply
post #11 of 36
8/28/10 at 3:11pm
When I tested Kouros in a store, I didn't like it.
It came over to me as a fragrance for 30 - 40 + men.
Although I'm trying to get a spray sample of it, I want to give this a full application.

Quote:
Originally Posted by lodz View Post

I like Michael Kors for Men, Antaeus and feminine fragrances like Mitsouko, Jicky, Montales - Cuir D'Arabie, Aoud Leather, Black Aoud etc..

Well, I do think that Black Aoud is not that feminine, IMO.
Reply
Reply
post #12 of 36
8/28/10 at 4:39pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by JBL View Post

When I tested Kouros in a store, I didn't like it.
It came over to me as a fragrance for 30 - 40 + men...

Thank god there's still something for 40+ year-old men!
Reply
Reply
post #13 of 36
8/28/10 at 4:56pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Off-Scenter View Post

Thank god there's still something for 40+ year-old men!

Well I don't see a young guy pulling this one off easily, lol!
All the dirt and urinal cakes in this one need mature confidence.

Some people perceive Rive Gauche in the same age category, but I disagree on that one.
Reply
Reply
post #14 of 36
8/28/10 at 6:04pm
I say get it, but when you apply it, go easy...use a light hand. The top notes are bit loud, but once it dries, it's very ice.

Come to think I need another bottle. It's one of the few scents that I've actually finished in a years time. Nice scent for winter.
Reply
Reply
post #15 of 36
8/28/10 at 6:14pm
Yes, because It is one of the best male fragrances ever created - and is still infinitely better than most fragrances sitting on store shelves today.
Reply
Reply
post #16 of 36
8/28/10 at 6:18pm
I'm leaning towards a yes, and can see myself giving a definite yes in the future after more sampling. It is, however, the one scent which I have the most difficulty imagining a woman wearing.
Reply
Reply
post #17 of 36
8/28/10 at 7:09pm
No.....This smells really bad on me.....really bad.....And my Wife does not like this at all.....Body Kouros is another story!!!
Gary
Reply
Reply
post #18 of 36
8/28/10 at 7:32pm
Def. yes: it makes a statement, it is different from most, it is complex, etc.
Reply
Reply
post #19 of 36
8/28/10 at 9:34pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by mjcr

It is often better described as a 'clean-dirty' scent. In fact its very difficult to pinpoint what exactly it smells like. That's mainly because it doesn't smell like anything else!

There really is nothing left to say about Kouros. You'll either recoil in horror or will have it in your wardrobe for the rest of your life. Me? I'm in the latter category.

Agreed, word for word. You'll either "get" Kouros or you won't, and the only way to decide is testing it (preferably from a sample - it can take time to grow on you). Of course, I bought it blind and happened to love it, but I'm insane. The quintessential "love it or hate it" scent, as well as a fickle one in terms of skin chemistry. Kouros works brilliantly on some guys and rather...not-so-brilliantly on others.
Reply
Reply
post #20 of 36
8/28/10 at 9:50pm
Yes, it is classic and by today's standard's would probably be unique!
Reply
Reply
post #21 of 36
8/28/10 at 10:17pm
I'll give it another shot in 6 months when i dare to touch this stuff. When i tried it i found it cloying, obnoxious and simply repulsive. I got a urinal cake vibe but with a twist...of what i'm assuming is the whole "animalic" note
Reply
Reply
post #22 of 36
8/28/10 at 10:19pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by mjcr View Post

Look, just spray it on your skin and give it a whirl. You will either 'get it' or not with Kouros. I absolutely love it and think its a work genius. There is nothing else like it at all.

You may absolutely hate it. It has this reputation for smelling like 'urinal cakes'. Whoever started this association I wish I could clobber round the head (in a friendly way . It is often better described as a 'clean-dirty' scent. In fact its very difficult to pinpoint what exactly it smells like. That's mainly because it doesn't smell like anything else!

There really is nothing left to say about Kouros. You'll either recoil in horror or will have it in your wardrobe for the rest of your life. Me? I'm in the latter category.

And I'm in the former. I believe Gomez Addams would go for Salvador Dali PH but Kourus is strictly for Uncle Fester. But this is a well thought out post.

Trying it on! What a concept!
--I concur.

******************

Well, so far on this thread we've had lovers and haters which is OK by me. However we've also had comments on:

How high or low Kouros is on the Machometer.

Do chicks dig it ? Apparently not, judging by the Female Forum response.
Though I wonder who was the pervert (and I use that word with all respect and love) who dug Quorum over there?

Is it better on women?

Is it best suited for 40+ year old men? ( The poor bastards have one foot on the grave already)

*sigh*

In short all that we love about out Forum.

However, I am deeply disappointed that no one used this opportunity to bash a Creed fragrance!!

Deja Vu!

(That's French for: " For the love of God, type " Kouros " in the search engine and count the number of times this exact question has been asked. Not similar, EXACT.)


So...does GIT smell like Mugler?

Cheers,

Mario
Reply
Reply
post #23 of 36
8/28/10 at 10:21pm
I wear it and feel tucked in a cloak of dignity.
Reply
Reply
post #24 of 36
8/28/10 at 10:26pm
It's not one that is easily broken down into it's lesser parts. It's a complicated, multi-faceted beast of a scent. I don't get the "urinal cake" thing at all, although it's definitely sensory overload when first applied. It dries down nicely, but it's damn near impossible to describe as it's different on everyone.

I love it, but it's confusing. The only way I can describe it is that there's no best time to wear it, only a best mood.
Reply
Reply
post #25 of 36
8/28/10 at 10:42pm
No, because I like to smell nice - not like I just got done rolling around in dog shit
Reply
Reply
post #26 of 36
8/28/10 at 10:59pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Force of One View Post

No, because I like to smell nice - not like I just got done rolling around in dog shit

Wow, helpful AND informative.
Reply
Reply
post #27 of 36
8/29/10 at 12:16am
Leaving aside the skin chemistry point, meaning that if I had to assess Kouros based only upon mine, I'd say that it's a failed attempt at merging the Victorian kind of frag (musky, animalic, etc.) with the 80s "power frag" kind of idea. What results comes across as more of an attempt to cover up a horrible smell with powerful chemical disinfectants (thus the "urinal cakes in a men's room" impression) than anything else. I can understand Bijan for men, for a point of comparison, but not this, at least not for a personal and pleasant olfactory experience. I thought that diluting it might eliminate the harsh, unbalanced, offensive qualities, but it does not, though I've found that doing so makes One Man Show pleasant/wearable. In short, I think the idea was to "throw the kitchen sink" in and "amp it up to the max," thinking that moths are attracted to flames, or something along those lines. How it can be used to impress (or repulse) others is a question I'm not really interested in, but it's clearly a "statement making" frag.
Reply
Reply
post #28 of 36
8/29/10 at 2:58am
Yes because all the cool kids were wearing it when I was in high school.

Seriously, yes because I simply like it and find the smell keeps me wanting to smell it and keep thinking of how amazing it can be that I can smell so interesting because of it.
Reply
Reply
post #29 of 36
8/29/10 at 3:57am
Quote:
Originally Posted by lodz View Post

Kouros. I'm considering it and (to a lesser degree) Kourum. Opinions?
I like Michael Kors for Men, Antaeus and feminine fragrances like Mitsouko, Jicky, Montales - Cuir D'Arabie, Aoud Leather, Black Aoud etc..
Is Kouros unisex? Does it better suit women or men? Asked on the women's board but didn't get much love for Kouros, although Quorum got a vote.
Thanks.

lodz.

Yes. Because it's excellent, and women can wear any men's fragrance. The masculines often smell even better on women. Try stuff like Yatagan, Jules, and Lauder for Men as well.

The women's board here doesn't tell you much. They're not really into masculine fragrances from what I can tell over the last four years.

My girlfriend wears loves to smell Kouros on me. I know women who wear it. Check out Katie Puckrik Smells online. She wears it for the incense.
Reply
Reply
post #30 of 36
8/29/10 at 5:10am
YES
It is the greatest male fragrance of all time.
Reply
Reply
post #31 of 36
8/29/10 at 7:19am
Quote:
Originally Posted by tott View Post

Kouros is to me one of the archetypical masculine scents. That doesn't mean that women can't wear it!

The opening of Kouros can be a bit overwhelming, and I guess this is where many dismiss it; but as it cooks on your skin it just gets better and better, hour after hour...

damn right
Reply
Reply
post #32 of 36
8/29/10 at 8:38am
Yes.

It's the fragrance equivalent of sex in the bathroom.
Reply
Reply
post #33 of 36
8/29/10 at 8:46am
Kouros is a great masculine scent. Because of its tenacity, common sense dictates that the wearer apply it with a deft hand.

It really is a fragrance that gets better the longer it's on your skin. I wear it even in the summer months, here and there, but do so with light sprays. The Fraicheur rendition is awesome for this time of year.

I have never personally smelled it on a woman, but cannot see why it wouldn't work on a female since I wear some scents that are marketed to woman and pull them off no problem.
Reply
Reply
post #34 of 36
8/29/10 at 8:57am
Smells like a pile of elephant feces made out with a gorillas armpit.



























lol J/K.. it's not all that bad, but the top notes are not my cup of tea.
Reply
Reply
post #35 of 36
8/29/10 at 9:08am
I used to wear it and love it. Then I stop wearing it. Then I realized that I dont like how it smells in other people but I do when its on me (LOL).
Back in 1990 my at the time girlfriend used to go wild when I wore it... too wild all the time. Kouros is a titan no doubt of it, what a great fragrance , pure genus BUT... one must go very easy on the trigger and use it at the right time and in the right place.
Reply
Reply
post #36 of 36
8/29/10 at 9:23am
I would say no. It doesn't smell nice as a perfume. When I compare it to some of my favourites its very average, distinctive yes but very average.
Reply
Reply
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home
  Back to Forum: MFD Archive
Basenotes › Basenotes Forums › Fragrance Discussion › Male Fragrance Discussion › MFD Archive › Kouros: Yes or No and why?