Basenotes › Basenotes Forums › Fragrance Discussion › Male Fragrance Discussion › Help: Is Monsieur Balmain sharp as YSL pour Homme?
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

Help: Is Monsieur Balmain sharp as YSL pour Homme?

post #1 of 25
2/12/13 at 2:12am
Thread Starter 
i don´t like the sharp lemons of YSL pour Homme. In the other side, i do love the lemons in Live Jazz and i just wanted something in this way: fresh, pleasant, non body-odor like citrusy smell. Monsieur Balmain fits my description? Thank you!
Reply
Reply

Features on Basenotes

Basenotes Reader Awards 2013 - Finalists Announced.
Greatest Hits: Annick Menardo
Petals Falling From The Sky - A Report From The Cote d'Azur's Bataille De Fleurs
post #2 of 25
2/12/13 at 4:04am
Quote:
Originally Posted by voidvader View Post

i don´t like the sharp lemons of YSL pour Homme. In the other side, i do love the lemons in Live Jazz and i just wanted something in this way: fresh, pleasant, non body-odor like citrusy smell. Monsieur Balmain fits my description? Thank you!

I would say yes, you get quite a realistic zesty lemon smell, with some sandalwood, but none of the sweat you find in the YSL.
Reply
Reply
post #3 of 25
2/12/13 at 5:33am
I would say yes. You could also try Chanel Allure Edition Blanche for a lemon cream pie vibe.
Reply
Reply
post #4 of 25
2/12/13 at 6:52am
Monsieur Balmain IMO has a wonderful lemon component.
Reply
Reply
post #5 of 25
2/12/13 at 9:32am
Good reasons so far to try this scent and eventually purchase it, as far as I talked to other Basenotes members, this a is a quite recommendable scent.
Reply
Reply
post #6 of 25
2/12/13 at 11:10am
I think you'll much prefer the Balmain over the YSL. Definitely smoother & fresher.
Reply
Reply
post #7 of 25
2/12/13 at 4:02pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ivory88 View Post

I think you'll much prefer the Balmain over the YSL. Definitely smoother & fresher.

Yeah, i don't want that kind of sweat smell that exists in YSL pour Homme.
Reply
Reply
post #8 of 25
2/12/13 at 4:29pm
Smoother and "brighter"....or shall we say, "zestier" (is that a word?) than YSL PH. (I am assuming we speak of the red-capped version here? The black cap is even more gritty!) The ONLY scent I know of that's fresher and MORE citrusy than Monsieur Balmain is (...and this is no joke) the Mickey Mouse scent from about 12 years ago. I got a bottle as a gift and "fresh and citrusy" is just the beginning. I loved that stuff in the summer. And I feel the same way about Monsieur Balmain.
Reply
Reply
post #9 of 25
2/16/13 at 12:37am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Richie_B View Post

Smoother and "brighter"....or shall we say, "zestier" (is that a word?) than YSL PH. (I am assuming we speak of the red-capped version here? The black cap is even more gritty!) The ONLY scent I know of that's fresher and MORE citrusy than Monsieur Balmain is (...and this is no joke) the Mickey Mouse scent from about 12 years ago. I got a bottle as a gift and "fresh and citrusy" is just the beginning. I loved that stuff in the summer. And I feel the same way about Monsieur Balmain.

Thanks! Summer here is very hot these days. I learned to love citrus scents a bit, and balmant with be my next. I do love the freshness in live jazz. Looking for more!
Reply
Reply
post #10 of 25
2/16/13 at 4:10pm
As a fan of Balmain I have to admit that this is the one, (along with Gres Pour Homme) that I do not like.
For two reasons. Firstly, I find Monsieur Balmain to be a very monotone lemon fragrance ~ rather boring. Secondly, I find it very abrasive and sharp ~ almost crude. I have given it several tries.
So I have to differ with the other comments and would advise you to test a sample before buying !
Reply
Reply
post #11 of 25
2/17/13 at 6:49pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by david View Post

As a fan of Balmain I have to admit that this is the one, (along with Gres Pour Homme) that I do not like.
For two reasons. Firstly, I find Monsieur Balmain to be a very monotone lemon fragrance ~ rather boring. Secondly, I find it very abrasive and sharp ~ almost crude. I have given it several tries.
So I have to differ with the other comments and would advise you to test a sample before buying !

Thank you David!
Reply
Reply
post #12 of 25
2/17/13 at 7:41pm
Zesty? Yes. Sharp? No. While I agree with the 'monotone' comment, Monsieur Balmain offers great value given the price.
Reply
Reply
post #13 of 25
2/18/13 at 9:12am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Diamondflame View Post

Zesty? Yes. Sharp? No. While I agree with the 'monotone' comment, Monsieur Balmain offers great value given the price.

I have a problem translating "zesty", but i thing this is a quality isn't it? About YSL PH i can't wear it. It is so pungent, almost like a sweat smell. Definitely i prefer fresh lemons instead of dry lemons, maybe that is why i like live jazz.
Reply
Reply
post #14 of 25
2/18/13 at 9:45am
You say you don't want sharp so you won't want MB imo - Edition Blanche will probably suit you better, at around the same price.
Reply
Reply
post #15 of 25
2/18/13 at 11:11am
By zesty, we mean to say that the fragrance bears the "oomph" found in the outermost peel of a citrus fruit. In our case, the lemon. Think of it as being bolder in the flavor of the citrus, but it is not pungent or harsh. I guess that's why I chose to use the adjective "brighter", but seeing as "bright" is usually perceived visually, it's sometimes difficult to make the association in an olfactory sense.
Reply
Reply
post #16 of 25
2/18/13 at 5:41pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Richie_B View Post

By zesty, we mean to say that the fragrance bears the "oomph" found in the outermost peel of a citrus fruit. In our case, the lemon. Think of it as being bolder in the flavor of the citrus, but it is not pungent or harsh. I guess that's why I chose to use the adjective "brighter", but seeing as "bright" is usually perceived visually, it's sometimes difficult to make the association in an olfactory sense.

Now i got it. And pretty good explanation of yours. But seems there is not a consensus here. I can´t imagine something more acid than YSL PH and YSL PH haute concentree.
Reply
Reply
post #17 of 25
2/18/13 at 5:50pm
Nothing acidic about Monsieur Balmain. It's very lemony, true; but it lacks the bold underpinnings of the YSL PH scents. On me, just my recollection, it stays mainly a lemon/citrus scent, and towards the end of about 5 hrs or so, the woody basenotes come about, and ultimately, my skin pH works through and makes the scent seem like a very light verbena/musk scent, but by this point, it's SO close to the skin. I can't speak for many here, but I have a feeling that the "sharp" they are referring to is in the sense of how much citrus is present. I will assure you I have not sensed anything putrid or nasty about Monsieur Balmain. That's not to say that the initial blast doesn't smell like a lemon, freshly sliced, placed up to one's face.

I feel that the use of the word "sharp" may refer to the boldness of the lemon.
Reply
Reply
post #18 of 25
2/18/13 at 6:20pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by david View Post

As a fan of Balmain I have to admit that this is the one, (along with Gres Pour Homme) that I do not like.
For two reasons. Firstly, I find Monsieur Balmain to be a very monotone lemon fragrance ~ rather boring. Secondly, I find it very abrasive and sharp ~ almost crude. I have given it several tries.
So I have to differ with the other comments and would advise you to test a sample before buying !

I have to agree with david. I found it unwearable, as I did the YSL.

My go-to-zesty lemon scent I'd recommend would be Guerlain's Eau de Guerlain or the bright-candied lemon on Philtre d'Amour.
Reply
Reply
post #19 of 25
2/19/13 at 4:41am
YSL PH is pungent and dirty in the first half hour, but then (on me) has a very good soapy vetiver drydown.

Monsieur Balmain is a soft, sweet lemon citrus scent that is much easier to wear, but has poor longevity and a light drydown. It is nowhere near as sharp as YSL PH.

For a fresh clean lemon scent I prefer Eau D'Hadrien edp. And for oranges, Concentre D'Orange Verte.
Reply
Reply
post #20 of 25
2/19/13 at 2:29pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by grasslands View Post

YSL PH is pungent and dirty in the first half hour, but then (on me) has a very good soapy vetiver drydown.

Monsieur Balmain is a soft, sweet lemon citrus scent that is much easier to wear, but has poor longevity and a light drydown. It is nowhere near as sharp as YSL PH.

For a fresh clean lemon scent I prefer Eau D'Hadrien edp. And for oranges, Concentre D'Orange Verte.

Are you talking about the Eau d'Hadrien for women right? Because there is one in a flat glass bottle for men. Great words, thanks!
Reply
Reply
post #21 of 25
2/19/13 at 3:42pm
I would suggest trying the classic Lacoste for Men, (1984). A wonderful fresh soapy lemon fragrance ~ see reviews.

I do not like Monsieur Balmain, for the same reason you do not like YSL PH.

- - - Updated - - -

Just to recap. I have looked on the basenotes directory and there are 2 different versions of this fragrance. The newer version is reformulated. Sir Slaty says in his review, (the original version) " Lemon with a touch of GRRRRR. Seems to have lost that part in the new formula."
I am definitely referring to the original version. I have never tried the new version, which is supposed to be softer.
Reply
Reply
post #22 of 25
2/19/13 at 8:59pm
Re: Eau D'Hadrien
With the Annick Goutal fragrances the edt formulations that are sold in both the square bottle (for men) or the curved flacon (for women) are identical.

For example Eau D'Hadrien edt is sold in both bottles and they're identical. Some fragrances are only sold in the square bottle (e.g. Vetiver) or the curved flacon (e.g. Passion).

All spray edps are sold in the curved flacon only. So the edp formulation of Eau D'Hadrien in the curved flacon is the same unisex lemon fragrance as the one for men but the concentration is different. I have seen a splash edp of Eau D'Hadrien in a cylindrical bottle as well.

Clear as mud?

And david is correct concerning Monsieur Balmain - it has been reformulated. I've got the reformulated version, and it is very soft and light.

Good luck in your quest.
Reply
Reply
post #23 of 25
2/20/13 at 5:10am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by david View Post

Just to recap. I have looked on the basenotes directory and there are 2 different versions of this fragrance. The newer version is reformulated. Sir Slaty says in his review, (the original version) " Lemon with a touch of GRRRRR. Seems to have lost that part in the new formula."
I am definitely referring to the original version. I have never tried the new version, which is supposed to be softer.

The reformulation you mean is the one in a cube glass bottle or already the cylindrical bottle?
Reply
Reply
post #24 of 25
2/20/13 at 5:18am
Quote:
Originally Posted by voidvader View Post

The reformulation you mean is the one in a cube glass bottle or already the cylindrical bottle?

The very recent cube is supposedly just a rebottling rather than a reformulation. The cylinder was the reformulation.
Reply
Reply
post #25 of 25
2/20/13 at 4:45pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Marais View Post

The very recent cube is supposedly just a rebottling rather than a reformulation. The cylinder was the reformulation.

Alright, thank you very much for your help! I found it for a inexpensive price and i will probably be ordering one soon. Later i come with more news!
Reply
Reply
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home
  Back to Forum: Male Fragrance Discussion

Features on Basenotes

Basenotes Reader Awards 2013 - Finalists Announced.
Greatest Hits: Annick Menardo
Petals Falling From The Sky - A Report From The Cote d'Azur's Bataille De Fleurs
Basenotes › Basenotes Forums › Fragrance Discussion › Male Fragrance Discussion › Help: Is Monsieur Balmain sharp as YSL pour Homme?