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FINALLY Tried Allure..

post #1 of 39
8/28/10 at 10:47pm
Thread Starter 
I could care less for it. All the raving.. just overhyped a pretty basic and generic fragrance imo. I get a grapeish accord in the opening similar to Polo Sports or even Swiss Army, but more laid back. Along with the pepper note; definitely not a black pepper, more of a synthetic green pepper. Vetiver and patchouli appear to me in the middle more than the dry down. I haven't tried many from Chanel, but this one certainly isn't a great icebreaker for a noob to their house. Chanel No 5 for women is a gorgeous fragrance that screams "high quality" while this stuff just smells cheap for the most part. No disrespect to those who say that this is a fragrance that comes at you from all directions, it smells a little like this and a little like that.. Ya, I just don't see it at all. Not horrible, just not worth all the love it gets.
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post #2 of 39
8/28/10 at 11:28pm
I own it. It's an odd blend of citrus and a milky creaminess that doesn't work that well for me. Meh...
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post #3 of 39
8/29/10 at 12:21am
I really like this one. There's a huge dose of labdanum in it that makes for a really good amber accord in the drydown. Although it's not treading any new ground it does what it does quite well, and unlike the new Bleu de Chanel, this one actually feels as if inspiration was involved in the creative process. It has far more soul than Bleu.
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post #4 of 39
8/29/10 at 1:36am
I like this one and I agree that is has more soul than Bleu. I think it's a good scent for fall and winter. My girlfriend loves it on me, so that's a plus.
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post #5 of 39
8/29/10 at 1:52am
Allure started the decline of Chanel's men's fragrances.......
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post #6 of 39
8/29/10 at 2:33am
Quote:
Originally Posted by petruccijc View Post

Allure started the decline of Chanel's men's fragrances.......

Oh such drama...Allure was a great fragrance and many men liked it. I believe sales were good too. Original Egoiste and Anteus didn´t do so well I believe
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post #7 of 39
8/29/10 at 2:40am
If it didn't have CHANEL written on the bottle, well, you get the point...

Extremely generic and boring fragrance. It's very difficult to hate it, but it's much easier to find other fragrances that handled this genre in a better, more interesting ways.
Again, I'm not saying it's a bad fragrance.
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post #8 of 39
8/29/10 at 2:44am
Confused here, Celcius32.
You sure you are talking about the original Allure Homme? or did you try Allure Homme Blanche , Allure Homme Sport or Sport cologne
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post #9 of 39
8/29/10 at 2:48am
Quote:
Originally Posted by eric View Post

Oh such drama...Allure was a great fragrance and many men liked it. I believe sales were good too.

Mediocrity for the masses - I think they all wore it to the Hootie and the Blowfish concerts that they went to.
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post #10 of 39
8/29/10 at 2:48am
Just so that I can be sure what everyone is talking about, we're talking about the first masculine Allure, Allure Homme, right?

I bought a bottle early in its life. Liked it then, but after a half dozen wearings it just seemed cloying on me. Too sweet, and seemed to be too much apple or something. A girlfriend thought it smelled like floor polish that my then-apartment building used. I haven't been able to like it entirely since I had one of those late afternoon moments of not being able to stand the odor around me and just wishing I didn't have to smell it anymore. So I'm not a real fan. Heck, I like Egoiste Platinum better and I don't even really like that.

But on the other hand the scent is complete at what it is, and is not "missing" any part that makes it feel awkward or unfinished to me. Just too much of what it turns out I don't like. I've worn it a time or two since the late afternoon when I said "I never want to smell like this again," and it hasn't been bad once I knew what I was getting myself into. In fact I'm glad you mention its patchouli, Colognist, because I think that's the nicest part of it in the cloying mix. Also I have to admit I liked the dried fruit smell of the floor polish in the old apartment building.

I've gone through hate and I'll-live-with-it with this fragrance. In general there are hundreds, perhaps a thousand, that I like better however.
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post #11 of 39
8/29/10 at 4:00am
Quote:
Originally Posted by eric View Post

Confused here, Celcius32.
You sure you are talking about the original Allure Homme? or did you try Allure Homme Blanche , Allure Homme Sport or Sport cologne

Oh, I'm sure. Not that the flankers are any better.
I have to give credit to Blanche, as it managed to portay one of the better
lemon accords I've smelt.
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post #12 of 39
8/29/10 at 4:09am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by DustB View Post

Just so that I can be sure what everyone is talking about, we're talking about the first masculine Allure, Allure Homme, right?

I bought a bottle early in its life. Liked it then, but after a half dozen wearings it just seemed cloying on me. Too sweet, and seemed to be too much apple or something. A girlfriend thought it smelled like floor polish that my then-apartment building used. I haven't been able to like it entirely since I had one of those late afternoon moments of not being able to stand the odor around me and just wishing I didn't have to smell it anymore. So I'm not a real fan. Heck, I like Egoiste Platinum better and I don't even really like that.

But on the other hand the scent is complete at what it is, and is not "missing" any part that makes it feel awkward or unfinished to me. Just too much of what it turns out I don't like. I've worn it a time or two since the late afternoon when I said "I never want to smell like this again," and it hasn't been bad once I knew what I was getting myself into. In fact I'm glad you mention its patchouli, Colognist, because I think that's the nicest part of it in the cloying mix. Also I have to admit I liked the dried fruit smell of the floor polish in the old apartment building.

I've gone through hate and I'll-live-with-it with this fragrance. In general there are hundreds, perhaps a thousand, that I like better however.

Yup Allure Homme, released in 99 I believe.

I also agree with you, celsius and petrucci. How celsius points out "difficult to hate" which is about right. There's no overly chemical accords, there's nothing too sour or overly sweet, and it is very well balanced. But.. I feel for the people who haven't tried it yet, who are maybe contemplating going blind on it; to think first. Because it really isn't much special.

Escada pH is very praised on here in reviews, and I for one love the stuff, but there are tons of people who hate it, they just don't voice their opinions in reviews unless the topic comes up on a thread. I'm glad I made this thread with Allure Homme, I was expecting a lot more "are you out of your mind, Cologneist" responses, when I'm getting more people who see eye to eye with me.

Just my thoughts..
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post #13 of 39
8/29/10 at 4:13am
Quote:
Originally Posted by eric View Post

Oh such drama...Allure was a great fragrance and many men liked it. I believe sales were good too. Original Egoiste and Anteus didn´t do so well I believe

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post #14 of 39
8/29/10 at 4:52am
my ex girlfriend loved Allure so every other woman that smelled it on me , I never wore a fragrance that got me so much compliments as Allure did. Allure seems to be all over the place wanting to be too many things at once, hard to pinpoint what it wants to achieve. I find it a decent fragrance and very versatile, sweet, metallic, citrus, amberish, crispy, aquatic and yet woody, as I said before a very chaotic medley of notes not managing to get along with each other and finalize a personality that can be defined.
I dont think its a mediocre fragrance but rather a "bridge" fragrance that brought Chanel into a new era of olfactory taste.
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post #15 of 39
8/29/10 at 10:15am
Have it and like it, although many others are better IMO.
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post #16 of 39
8/29/10 at 10:33am
I'm in like with it. And I agree that it's easier for me to like than Bleu is. I wore it heavily for a while in its early days, but I've drifted off to the flankers in recent years.

I will admit that I had hoped, when I first smelled it, that it would wow me as being as unique as no.5, but it really didn't. I know that there is the potential for something like that, because when I layer my Eau Première with various pyramid-compatible masculines (generally bergamot top, don't trample on jasmine, and don't cut the powdery base), I get extraordinary scents which are fully man-wearable, not mainstream, and are trademark Chanel. "The Beauty Is Out There".
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post #17 of 39
8/29/10 at 12:09pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by SculptureOfSoul View Post

I really like this one. There's a huge dose of labdanum in it that makes for a really good amber accord in the drydown. Although it's not treading any new ground it does what it does quite well, and unlike the new Bleu de Chanel, this one actually feels as if inspiration was involved in the creative process. It has far more soul than Bleu.

+1.
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post #18 of 39
8/29/10 at 12:11pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by The_Cologneist View Post

Yup Allure Homme, released in 99 I believe.

I also agree with you, celsius and petrucci. How celsius points out "difficult to hate" which is about right. There's no overly chemical accords, there's nothing too sour or overly sweet, and it is very well balanced. But.. I feel for the people who haven't tried it yet, who are maybe contemplating going blind on it; to think first. Because it really isn't much special.

...

Just my thoughts..

Hey that's cool. I wouldn't want it any other way either, my friend. And you also made an interesting thread on which members are thinking through their opinions on an important scent. (Sometimes doing that works, sometimes not so well.)

Good thoughts, so party on!
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post #19 of 39
8/29/10 at 12:15pm
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Allure is more of a mainstream side of Chanel house. In my opinion girls love it more on men than men love it on themselves. I personally like it and plan to own it one day, but I was not jumping for joy over it. It was not a discovery for me. Mayhaps even I should get myself Antaeus before Allure
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post #20 of 39
8/29/10 at 12:17pm
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How is Allure Homme hyped? Who raved about it?
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post #21 of 39
8/29/10 at 12:35pm
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Quote:
Originally Posted by KMF View Post

How is Allure Homme hyped? Who raved about it?

not hyped on this site, that itself might say a lot, but then again - nothing. Everything is relative
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post #22 of 39
8/29/10 at 12:49pm
I love the stuff! I told my brother to embalm me in it when I die Let me ask all the experienced noses this: Which fragrances, if any, would you say provide a similar olfactory journey but do it better?

To me, this thread is somewhat helpful in that it counters the mass appeal of Allure Homme providing an alternative review; however, sometimes I feel these threads can be excessively harsh when comments such as "over-hyped" are made. I don't know if its fair to call it hype since nobody promised you would like it. Hype to me is an unfulfilled promise, which Allure isn't (unless you consider the silly marketing that all brands do to be a promise). But this is not meant to offend or address one BNer in particular. I'm really talking about threads of this nature across the entire board.

I will say one thing though: I appreciate it when the Cologneist writes about his experiences with fragrances because the fragrances are often cheap, highly-accessible, and varied giving other users such as myself an opportunity to read about something we may have overlooked but can easily find. And even though his taste never seem to coincide with mine, I enjoy them all the same. I'm not into niche stuff yet, so I appreciate a good designer fragrance thread!
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post #23 of 39
8/29/10 at 4:27pm
I beg to disagree.

Allure Homme is a rich, luxurious cedar-heavy oriental, with all the structure and complexity I would expect from a Chanel product (and I can't really say that about most of the stuff they've produced recently). There's nothing cheap-smelling about it at all.

Considering what people are paying for "niche" products, it's not even that expensive.
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post #24 of 39
8/30/10 at 1:24am
I like Allure. It's rich, smooth, gentlemanly and contemporary. I much prefer it to many of the niches I have tried over the years, including Amouage's.
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post #25 of 39
8/30/10 at 1:46am
I love ALLURE HOMME as well as ALLURE EDITION BLANCHE.
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post #26 of 39
8/30/10 at 2:02am
Funny thing for me is that earlier in my scent journey I wrote it off as a generic, neither here nor there kind of scent. Only after experiencing so many more scents (far too many mediocre ones!) did my appreciation for Allure grow after I finally forced myself to resample it. I was expecting to hate it but found it much better than I recalled, and much better than expected.

I like it when ambers are labdanum and cedar heavy like it is in Allure homme. I like sweet scents, but sweet and thick ambers get cloying to me, fast.
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post #27 of 39
8/30/10 at 5:04am
Quote:
Originally Posted by eric View Post

Oh such drama...Allure was a great fragrance and many men liked it. I believe sales were good too. Original Egoiste and Anteus didn´t do so well I believe

With all due respect I must disagree. Good sales don't necessarily equate 'great fragrance'. Neither the argument that many men like it. Hell, there are probably even more men who love an Axe. Does that make Axe a great fragrance?

While I don't dislike Allure Homme, I happen to hold Chanel to a higher standard and Allure Homme just doesn't make the cut. Neither does the latest Bleu. Both aim to please the mass market and choose the easy way out with something safe. I'd rather wear something like Bois des Iles or No.19.
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post #28 of 39
8/30/10 at 5:45am
I really like Allure PH but i had to learn to appreciate it after i had some Perry Ellis m For Men by P.E. (got a free bottle as a gift), which is a less well "constructed" scent look alike of Allure PH.

Also,on a side note, it might be good if you try out also Lalique Pour Homme original and Equus, which have some very interesting developments.

cheers
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post #29 of 39
8/30/10 at 2:08pm
This thread inspired me to try Allure PH today and I was amused that Chanel produced this. It's not utterly charmless but it comes pretty close without being actively vile.
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post #30 of 39
8/30/10 at 2:36pm
I tried this just the other day after reading about it and it's flankers on the directory here and my conclusions were that it was very pleasant. Nothing I had to really think about, entirely inoffensive, but well made, well balanced, and perfect for a classy young man.

I think it's a good house's generic product. But what it means is that even if it's a relatively "boring" scent, it's still well done.
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post #31 of 39
8/30/10 at 3:18pm
I actually like Allure, even though I don't own a bottle.
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post #32 of 39
8/30/10 at 3:46pm
I never really cared for Allure - never even owned a bottle - but... I scratch my head sometimes when people say how generic things are or it's been done 1,000 times, etc. I've mentioned this before, but there's a certain context that is often missing when judging these releases that's akin to armchair quarterbacking.

While I certainly won't argue somebody's opinion of a certain fragrance, keep in mind that back in 1999, there weren't all these fragrances on the market. Niche truly meant "niche", and not just something with a price tag of over $200 (though what get's me laughing hard now-a-days is smelling a Niche fragrance that smells like a designer one from 20 years ago.... Cough cough Back to Black). Hell, you probably couldn't find more than a few fragrances that cost that much in the whole world 11 years ago.

Allure has been cloned to death by numerous other brands, so if anything, the old saying about imitation is the greatest form of flattery holds some merit. So, 11 years later, it's understandably "generic", but one shouldn't necessarily dismiss it simply as such just because every other Tom, Dick, and Harry went out of their way to devise some slightly tweaked version.
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post #33 of 39
8/30/10 at 5:50pm
I absolutely hate this stuff. I sprayed some on at macys once and couldn't wait to get home and wash it off. Somebody mentioned "milky creaminess" earlier and they couldn't have said it better. Very cloying and annoying, makes me want to barf.
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post #34 of 39
8/30/10 at 9:30pm
i love chanel allure
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post #35 of 39
8/31/10 at 12:35am
I think it's a very high-quality scent. One of those scents that leave a 'mystifying' trail. I thought it was WAY TOO sweet and cloying for me in the drydown. A good scent, but far too sweet for my skin. Makes me thirsty!
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post #36 of 39
8/31/10 at 7:54am
I don't find Allure particularly sappy compared to the vast majority of Oriental fragrances on the market nowadays.

If anything it's the strong cedar notes that make it a bit too sharp for everyday use.

Allure Homme is still a very fine formal/romantic fragrance in my book.
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post #37 of 39
11/16/12 at 11:14am
People always say allure is generic, but exactly what designer fragrances remind you guys so much of allure?

- - - Updated - - -

People always say allure is generic, but exactly what designer fragrances remind you guys so much of allure?
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post #38 of 39
11/16/12 at 11:18am
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Quote:
Originally Posted by eric View Post

Oh such drama...Allure was a great fragrance and many men liked it. I believe sales were good too. Original Egoiste and Anteus didn´t do so well I believe

Even though I really like Allure, Egoiste and Antaeus are far superior frags from all the angles.
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post #39 of 39
11/16/12 at 2:46pm
Allure Homme likes me. It’s one of the few fragrances I wear on my skin.

When editing a digital photograph, there comes a point when the color balance is perfected to the point that the image jumps to another, optimum, dimension. That’s Allure when it mixes with my chemistry. It shines, lasts, it lives.
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