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Guerlains Mouchoir de Monsieur Question

post #1 of 31
6/21/12 at 3:17am
Thread Starter 
I am intrigued with this Guerlain but have never tried it. I do not mind the civet but I noticed that it has lavender and vanilla like Caron Un Pour Homme. I'm not keen on the low quality vanilla or how it mixes with the lavender to give a pastry accord in Carons offering.

Does Mouchoir de Monsieur have the same feel as Caron Un Pour Homme with the lavender and vanilla as this would be a deal breaker for me?
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post #2 of 31
6/21/12 at 3:41am
No, not at all IMO. Think Jicky (EdP), but slightly more herbal/aromatic/'masculine' and more civet.
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post #3 of 31
6/21/12 at 3:51am
No, it is very different to Caron Pour un Homme. I have both. The vanilla in MdM is of much, much higher quality than Caron's offering, and the lavender is subtler - an oil rather than an absolute.
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post #4 of 31
6/21/12 at 3:59am
Thread Starter 
Thanks for the answers I am relieved as I have my eye on this one.
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post #5 of 31
6/21/12 at 4:07am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Larimar View Post

Think Jicky (EdP), but slightly more herbal/aromatic/'masculine' and more civet.

This. To me Jicky feels denser and more complex - in short: more interesting. Mouchoir has been reformulated and I'm sure e.g. Mr. Guerlain could give further explanations.
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post #6 of 31
6/21/12 at 4:34am
Have both and agree that they're quite different.
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post #7 of 31
6/21/12 at 4:51am
As much as I hate Pour un Homme, I absolutely adore Mouchoir de Monsieur. Be aware it smells disgusting on a paper strip though...
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post #8 of 31
6/21/12 at 5:28am
Outstanding fragrance but personally I find Jicky a better alternative with more complexity and an overall less dandified vibe. That being said, the level of appreciation of either of these fragrances is more related to one's personal tolerance to civet than to vanilla. They both contain boatloads of civet.
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post #9 of 31
6/21/12 at 5:31am
Yup, vastly superior to Caron's Pour un Homme, and still an excellent fragrance.
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post #10 of 31
6/21/12 at 5:52am
They really aren't similar at all. MdM and Jicky share the same theme but MdM is more herbal with patchouli in the drydown. It's more powdery than Jicky. I'm not sure which of the two I prefer. I love Pour Un Homme, by the way.

Don't worry about reformulation too much - the current formula is excellent. You should order direct from Guerlain - they offer free 3-day shipping and will give you a many samples as you want. Generous ones!

Edit: sorry, to be more specific, order from Guerlain by phone. I prefer the Toronto boutique for US orders because they have pretty much everything and the staff is fantastic.
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post #11 of 31
6/21/12 at 5:55am
Nice observation - I have both, but never realized the connection until now. Fortunately for you, if you don't like Caron Pour un Homme, don't despair. Mouchoir de Monsieur is substantially different. The lavender/vanilla accord is far background. The civet is more upfront, but the entire composition is well-blended, so you're spared any single, screechy notes. Applied lightly, it's a real compliment-getter. Overapplication could be problematic, especially in warm weather.

Overall, highly recommended. A welcome addition to any well-rounded collection.
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post #12 of 31
6/21/12 at 6:45am
They marginally resemble in terms of vanilla and lavender notes, but MDM is way more complex and multi-layered, though I do know and like both.
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post #13 of 31
6/21/12 at 9:35am
I love both, but strangely I smell very little vanilla in MdM.

IMO, to enjoy MdM it must be overapplied. Drench yourself in it and then sit back and enjoy a treat.
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post #14 of 31
6/21/12 at 10:12am
The main difference to me is that Caron Pour un Homme has a gritty, rough lavender that totally dominates the opening and has nothing to balance it. Guerlain's (Jicky and Mochoir) lavender is more integrated, and IMO the addition of the civet is a masterstroke. Lavender and vanilla only is like a bicycle without a rider. It will just sit there and will topple over without something providing power and momentum...civet. It really transforms the scent.

I've heard Caron PuH does include civet, but I find that hard to believe. If so, it's so tame that it doesn't do anything for the scent.
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post #15 of 31
6/21/12 at 10:31am
From what I remember reading, isn't CPUH with lavender absolute and MdM with lavender essential oil.
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post #16 of 31
6/21/12 at 11:25am
Thread Starter 
Thanks for all the help, I have ordered a bottle and I'm expecting it tommorow. I will take Mike's advice and drench myself in it and see how I fair and report back.
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post #17 of 31
6/21/12 at 11:58am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Larimar View Post

No, not at all IMO. Think Jicky (EdP), but slightly more herbal/aromatic/'masculine' and more civet.

Larimar said it perfectly. I think PUH is a little bit sweeter and has not civet.

Enjoy the MdM, Jack!
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post #18 of 31
6/21/12 at 12:57pm
Excellent comments guys!

Love the bicycle analogy, LiveJazz.

I also dislike PuH and prefer the complexity of Jicky to MdM, but agree MdM is a lovely dandyish affair with lots of civet and not much vanilla.
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post #19 of 31
6/23/12 at 3:47am
Thread Starter 
Update.

I managed to get the only bottle of this in the shop and the sales assistant said that was only because they got a bottle by mistake as they do not usually sell this outside London. So I got lucky.

Opening the box you are presented with a gorgeous bee styled bottle which is worthy of keeping after the juice inside is gone.

Taking Mikes advice I drenched my body all over with 12 sprays (why not lol) and waited. It opens with a musty lemony lavender and the fragrance is extremely subtle and stays close to the body even after 12 sprays.lol

It stays like this for a half hour and I was trying hard not to come to judgement to quickly which I'm glad I did not as after that half hour the magic happens.

The fragrance then unfurls into a symphony of notes. It gets slightly sweeter in powdery way and floral, I take another smell and I start to pick up different aspects of the symphony of notes. I could smell patchouli and some woods and a lot of fragrance notes constantly shifting and moving upon my skin in harmony. Wonderful

It's amazing that a fragrance that starts off not to pleasant with the lemony lavender mustyness can unfold into a lovely orchestra of notes. I have had to re wire my brain differently in the way I judge fragrances as this scent seems to work completly differently to the usual modern day fragrances.

Though the fragrance is very subtle and close to the skin it is a highly tuned fine piece of work that shows its magic after the first half hour. I'm impressed and will have to check out more old style Guerlains to see if I get that magic. Wonderful stuff!
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post #20 of 31
6/23/12 at 3:54am
Now you're ready for Jicky Parfum
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post #21 of 31
6/23/12 at 4:39am
A symphony of notes indeed...nice description of a great scent Jack
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post #22 of 31
6/23/12 at 5:20am
Quote:
Originally Posted by alfarom View Post

Now you're ready for Jicky Parfum


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post #23 of 31
6/23/12 at 6:00am
I'd say Jicky EdP next... same rule - lots of!
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post #24 of 31
6/23/12 at 6:12am
Thread Starter 
Ok I get the message, Jicky is on my to buy list.lol
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post #25 of 31
6/23/12 at 6:16pm
I'm so glad to hear that you like it Jack and your description above made me want to rush over to my bottle (my 2nd one) and spray some on.

I first fell in love with MdM (from a sample from zztopp) because the first time I tried Jicky I hated it. After I fell for MdM then it became easy to 'get' Jicky, even though I still detest the Eau de Toilette and struggle with the Eau de Parfum / Parfum de Toilette. I only own Jicky in parfum (the new juice is just fine) and once I owned it in the hard-to-find Eau de Cologne which is a fantastic MdM-esque version of Jicky. My ultimate Guerlain fantasy is for there to be soap, body cream or shower gel scented with Jicky...one can dream, eh?

Shameless plug: Did you read my review of it I posted years ago on Perfume Shrine: http://perfumeshrine.blogspot.com/20...fragrance.html
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post #26 of 31
6/24/12 at 2:12am
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jack Hunter View Post

Ok I get the message, Jicky is on my to buy list.lol

Try to get EdP Jack, the EdT is weaker than MdM. Suppose you could try 20 sprays though!
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post #27 of 31
6/24/12 at 3:24am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by mikeperez23 View Post

Shameless plug: Did you read my review of it I posted years ago on Perfume Shrine: http://perfumeshrine.blogspot.com/20...fragrance.html

I did Mike I spent a lot of time reading up and you are right the fragrance is "the quiet and silent type". The funny thing is the civet in this just comes across as a bad breath note and not like the civet in Leather Oud. So for me it was not a challenge, I'm just glad its nothing like Caron Un Pour Homme.lol
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post #28 of 31
6/24/12 at 11:43pm
Jicky and MdM are wonderful.

The Jicky in the EDP, IMO, is the best version. The civet adds another dimension. Pour Un Homme is pleasant, too, but not animalic.

I love lavender and vanilla!
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post #29 of 31
6/25/12 at 2:39am
Thread Starter 
This scent is great on fabric, I sprayed some on my pillow on Saturday. It smelled great then faded, today waking up I could smell the faded notes out of no where on my pillow with the sun streaming through the windows. It has put a spring in my step today.
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post #30 of 31
6/25/12 at 2:54pm
Yep, it was IMO sort of made to be sprayed on fabric (with the reference to handkerchiefs in the name). I think it was BN member le mouchoir de monsieur who said he sprayed the lining of his jackets with it, to great effect.
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post #31 of 31
6/25/12 at 3:44pm
It's fantastic on fabric, yes. If I recall correctly, leMdM prefers shirting cotton and cotton generally. Myself, I prefer linen, which holds it very well. Some kinds of silk also work, but in my opinion linen and cotton are better options.

If you look at Guerlain's site, they recommend dousing a handkerchief in it, and putting it in the midst of one's clothes when packing them away to travel. I've not done this, but I dare say it is worth trying.
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