The Sex Factor in Men's Fragrances: 11 Best & Hottest Men's Colognes - Part 2 {The Fragrance List}
Life is paradoxical. After coming up with my list of sexiest men's fragrances in 10 minutes or so, it took me several days to be able to focus again on publishing it. Meanwhile, I wrote about
I toyed with the idea of adding a couple of perfumes but decided to stick to the original list after re-smelling Jules by Dior, a once-very-sexy scent for me that seems to have lost that character. And If I did not think about it immediately, I suppose it means that it did not leave such a mark on my psyche.
So, here is my list composed on an instinctual level. If I happen on other particularly sexy scents for men, I will make sure to add a part 3, part 4 etc....
Different Kinds of Sexy:
• Plain Sexy: Kenzo Jungle pour Homme. I don't know exactly how it manages to do that and I don't really want to know, but it's a scent that readily plants a masculine atmosphere of woods and a sensual aura of virility. Not all woods are very masculine, you realize, some just smell like the timber with which lumberjacks are associated. With Kenzo Jungle pour Homme, there is like a masculine holographic presence materializing at your side, the palpable ghost of a man. It smells like the effect of "a boyfriend's tee-shirt."
• Sexy-Sweaty (Sexy-Hot): Eau d'Hermès. The scent of a lupanar sold by a very chic house so it's okay and your good taste and good morality won't be questioned. I still can't believe my nose that such an indecent perfume is available on the market and not even safely tucked away in a niche perfumery brand. As soon as you wear it, you will feel as if all your clothes had fallen at your feet and you are tripping on rumpled bedsheets. The key note of cumin gives it a very frank sweaty and naughty vibe...
Sexy-Elegant: Le 3ème Homme by Caron. Suave, smooth, worldly, polished, with a hint of the floralcy from Fleurs de Rocaille. A sensual barbershop scent. An elegant, subtle balance between social polish and intimacy that seems to hold many promises of a happy, harmonious life.
Sexy-Cool: Terre d'Hermès. Elegant, collected, a bit primitive (a mineral flint note), sensual. This man is wearing a sleek suit and is urbane, yet "skin" is his middle name.
Sexy-Macho: Rocabar by Hermès. Inspired by a vision of a Russian forest it conveys well that allusion to a tough, earthy brand of masculinity. Not a metrosexual scent.
Sexy-Foody: Déclaration by Cartier. Convivial, exotic, gourmet and creamy. For the man who wants to seduce a woman who thinks food and travelling are sexy. Originally inspired by the idea of a Russian tea, it really smells more to my nose of an Indian chai, maybe drank while gazing at a line of Russian silvery poplars on the horizon, standing in Kashmir.
Sexy-Fresh: M7 Fresh by YSL. You just want a man to smell of these balanced qualities.
Sexy-Fresh, 2: Kenzo pour un Homme Fresh: fresh, yummy, and just all-around appealing.
Sexy-Citrus: Chanel Allure Sport: it just smells great. To seduce women who like just-showered men.
Sexy-Gentlemanly-Clubby: Jardin Clos by Diptyque: the faint scent of cigarette on a woolen coat after a visit to the gentleman's club thanks to the smoky side of hyacinths. Intriguing, rare, different, subdued. A subtle forerunner to Jasmin et Cigarette. Bound to impress a more intellectual type of woman.
Sexy-Warm: Ambre Sultan by Serge Lutens: Brut de Fabergé transferred, metaphorically, to the world of ambers and niche perfumery: a great "brut" amber for men that smells even more "troublant" on a men's skin than on a woman's. The composition becomes simpler and drier.
Photo credit: myplaidpants
Previous Posts in Perfume Lists:
The Sex Factor in Men's Fragrances: The 11 Hottest & Best Men's Colognes - Part 1
Perfumes To Wear on Election Day 2008 in the Long, Long Lines
| Permalink
Digg This
Stumble
Facebook
Del.icio.us
Comments
really enjoy reading this and totally agree on the 3 hermes, i own all of them
;-)
gangel
Posted by: gangel | March 3, 2009
Thanks!
I see that you are a connoisseur ;-)
Posted by: Marie-Helene Wagner | March 3, 2009
You are a connoisseur, absolument!
so I am surprised to see no Guerlain or Bond No. 9 (my newest love).
There is nothing in fragrance like Bond's New Haarlem...
and I got to smell their newest, Brooklyn, over the weekend, and it is perfection. Really complex - a contender for Fresh-Sexy, for sure...!
Posted by: Andrea | March 3, 2009
Thank you for your trust :)
Well, this list is sincere and as I said I didn't want to have to think too hard about it as I wanted it to be the reptilian brain's answer. So it is partly a social game, don't forget! I did ask myself if there weren't any Guerlain I should include in there. I think that L'Instant pour Homme is a great men's fragrance that left me with a warm souvenir of it, but I couldn't remember if I found it sexy, so I left it aside. L'Instant pour Femme I definitely think has that core inner simplicity and is sexy-soft-and-feminine. But curiously, although Guerlain has remarkable fragrances, I don't know if I think first and foremost about them as being "sexy". Perhaps I should devote a separate article to defining "Sexy" at Guerlain through the ages! Obviously our conceptions about what sexy means has been shaped in part by the history of fragrances and in part by other societal influences. It would be necessary, for example, for me to distinguish the perfumes that were inspired by personal experiences as a triggering point versus the ones that attempted to capture the Zeitgeist.
Regarding Bond No. 9, I did not experience that sexy vibe, in the past at least, with New Haarlem. I am personally partial to Ava Luxe Café Noir which I find very satisfying and very true a coffee fragrance, and I would even say that it is atmospheric and perhaps even sexy in fact (need to revisit). Actually, you are giving me another idea: I should ask perfumers what they think their sexiest fragrance is! And Brooklyn I have had for a while to sample but I haven't sat down yet to test it properly, but I will and can offer a review. I could then explain better to you why it falls in or out of the sexy category for me!
Posted by: Marie-Helene Wagner | March 4, 2009
Quick question about Kenzo Jungle... I tested it in a duty free store a few weeks ago and loved the scent. I went home and looked online to purchase it. I got a bottle that is new and in the box, BUT it the older box, and I believe a different scent. Is it possible that they altered the scent but kept the same name, or am I just going crazy? Thanks.
Posted by: john | July 10, 2009
Yes, absolutely, it is possible. Fragrances are reviewed every few years to adapt to legislation on raw ingredients. Of course, perfumers try to keep formulations as stable as possible, but sometimes it cannot be done. The result can be perplexing or angering to old users :)
It would be good to have an indication that there was a change but it is not accepted practice in the world of perfumes where there is a tendency to think of fragrance as an object of eternal beauty :)
Posted by: Marie-Helene Wagner | July 10, 2009
This is definitely an impressive compilation.
Constantly in contact with many people, of both sexes, working in the sales and marketing world, wearing fragrances that suit the event and participants at hand to help draw them in (or refrain from pushing them away) has led me to try very many scents over the years. Of those that have served me well, gotten repeated compliments from colleagues and client of the opposite sex and had women "just stopping by my office for a breath of fresh air" I feel that (while I may be dating myself) the following deserve honorable mention too:
1- Drakkar Noir by Guy Laroche
2- Tuscany by Aramis (if only Tuscany Forte was still available...)
3- Cool Water by Davidoff
4- Trusardi by Trusardi
5- Obsession by Calvin Klein
6- Tsar by Van Cleef & Arpels
7- Presence by Mont Blanc
8- Azzaro by Azzaro
9- Eryo by Yves Rocher
10- Euphoria by Calvin Klein
Posted by: Doron | October 29, 2009
Thanks for your suggestions, I love lists!
Posted by: Marie-Helene Wagner | October 29, 2009