Halston Man (2009)
by Halston

I do not see Halston Man as having much to do with the wonderful Z-14. What I do get, however, is a strong link to Ralph Lauren's Safari for Men. There is a harsh masculinity about Halston Man that has an almost metallic note to it but thanks to the passionfruit note, is sweeter than Safari. The dry herbal notes of eucalyptus and cinnamon create the perfect foil for the fruity note. I do not pick up any floral notes other than a bit of geranium--it totally lacks the surprise addition of gardenia that Z-14 had. Well blended, good performance, manly smelling and only a little bit retro, Halston Man is a very pleasant workhorse of a scent. Reimagining the iconic bottle in silver, a la Jeff Koons, is a brilliant move, but again, it links it back to Z-14, to which I see little connection.

The_Cologneist provides a good review, so I will only add that the mint reminds me of Lush Dirty, though I like Halston Man a lot more. Perhaps a bit too much spice (cinnamon?) out the gate for my taste, but it soon settles into an immensely wearable fragrance. Great for office wear. Sort of a Z-14 for Millenials.

Apparently difficult to find (I got mine, along with Halston Amber, at TJ Maxx for a respectable $13 each), but the price to value ratio makes it worth a blind buy if you find it.

9/10

A surprisingly nice fruity/cinnamon/incense fragrance, that just didn't get any publicity. Where Halston Man has gone is a mystery, and if it will ever come back remains to be seen.

I got a miniature of this with my Amber Man gift set, and I gotta say, as much as I love Amber Man, this little devil was getting more wear than Amber was, once I got it. I instantly fell in love. The combination of cinnamon, and passionfruit is astonishing, fantastic, niche quality all the way. There's a heavy dose of mint, but it remains behind the cinnamon/spice notes. As it dries, there's a strong eucalyptus like aroma, which I assume is the artemisia I am smelling. The more I wear it, the more it reminds me of the super cheap Everlast for men, only this one is done much better. Not sure what the other reviewers are thinking, but this stuff is outstanding. Give it a full wearing.

Conclusion. A full bodies very masculine fragrance that isn't afraid to take risks, the added passionfruit note, the use of mint, and other citrus notes in the background, make this one stand out from the rest.. as I said very niche like.

Starts out kind of spicey an peppery. Reminds me of a fragrance someone with a wide collard shirt with a bunch of gold chains would wear. Retro type scent. Use this sparingly because it can get cloying. 5/10

Reductio

If Halston Z-14 was Little Richard: crude, brash and original, then Man is Pat Boone.

Pros: Nice bottle.
Cons: Weak, pale shadow of Z-14