The Buzz 
The Scented Salamander Blog A Culture & Beauty Blog: from Olfaction to Imagination in Perfumes, Movies, Beauty Products, Food, Literature, & Fashion, Mostly. "Perfumes' & movies' common point: you smell and watch them better in the dark" Latest Fragrance Reviews Dior Escale à Parati Prada Infusion d'Iris EDP Absolue Ferragamo Signorina Thierry Mugler Miroir des Majestés Jo Malone Plum Blossom Madonna Truth or Dare Roberto Cavalli Eau de Parfum
Carolina Herrera 212 Sexy 8 Best Perfumes to Herald Spring Stella McCartney L.I.L.Y. Guerlain Parfum Initial L'Eau: Going Back to the Purer Language of Perfumery Guerlain Parfum Initial L'Eau: Un Langage Plus Pur pour la Parfumerie Fragrance Essays Perfumes & Candies are Kissing Cousins: Anis de Flavigny & Guerlain Anisia Bella Jicky, The Ultimate Aphrodisiac for Both Sexes? Jicky, L'aphrodisiaque ultime pour les deux sexes? Best Rose Fragrances for Valentine's Day: The 2012 Edition How I Think about Perfume when I Review Them: a Practical-Theoretical Outlook on the Perfume Shopping Culture Bint el Sudan, The Other, African Chanel No.5 - Interview with Nick Evans of IFF Smelling Tommy Girl Now: When the 1990s Smell Like The 1940s White Accords in Perfumery: So Long The 70s Liberace Wore Perfume, So What? Homosexuality as Given Away by an Indiscreet Fragrance Trail in the 50s
Reviews of New Perfumes Diptyque Eau Rose Isabel Derroisné Eclat Eternel Sisley Eau d'Ikar Mary Greenwell Plum Parfum d'Empire Azemour Les Orangers L'Artisan Parfumeur Batucada Les Parfums de Rosine Glam Rose Clinique Aromatics Elixir Perfumer's Reserve Prada No.11 Cuir Styrax 6 New Celebrity Fragrances to Try Out this Fall The Body Shop White Musk Libertine Cartier L'Heure Convoitée (English Version) Cartier L'Heure Convoitée (French Version) Karl Lagerfeld Karleidoscope Maître Parfumeur et Gantier Cuir Fétiche Estée Lauder Wood Mystique Thierry Mugler Angel with Bitter Cocoa Powder Diane Von Furstenberg Diane Bottega Veneta EDP From the Archives Bath & Body Works Warm Vanilla Sugar: An Euro-American Curio Reviews of Past Fragrance Launches First Impressions on the Thierry Mugler Coffret Based on the Novel by Süskind.
|
A 1984 ad, "Paco Rabanne pour Homme -- it is up to you to make it unforgettable" Paco Rabanne pour Homme by Paco Rabanne is a distinctive masculine fragrance in a world where men's colognes are more often than not accused of feeling as dull as dishwater as if their sole raison d'être was to attempt to mirror the ideals of the conservative man's dress code. Like a tie that ought to blend in seamlessly with a grey suit rather than become a clashing focal point of social attention and judgment, the average mainstream cologne is business-like and strives to self-efface professionally. Some men will protest and exhibit an accepted sign of eccentricity such as, say, the polka dotted bow-tie or the cartoon-covered tie - riskier this one - but the gesture rarely extends to their equivalents in perfumes. Fortunately, Paco Rabanne pour Homme sends a subtler message than the desperate reaches for color that men in grey or black sometimes dare experiment. It offers more depth, character, and presence than your average non-intrusive cologne, without imposing too much on the senses. In other words, it is distinctive, but not showy or angling for flamboyance. In 1975 its particular charm did not pass unnoticed and it managed to win two FIFI awards for "Most Exciting Men's Fragrance" and for "Most Appealing Men's Fragrance Package", this one designed by Pierre Dinand ..... A 1973 advert "After Calandre the perfume of the era, Paco Rabanne launches its men's line"
Continue reading "Paco Rabanne pour Homme by Paco Rabanne (1973) {Perfume Short (Review)} {Men's Cologne}" »
Givenchy recently launched a new collection of fragrances called Les Parfums Mythiques (Mythical Fragrances), which includes a library of ten perfumes that were recalled from the prestigious past of the house. They are for the men's fragrances, Vetyver (the first Givenchy masculine scent), Monsieur de Givenchy, Xeryus, Insensé; women's scents are: L'Interdit, Le De, Givenchy III, Eau de Givenchy, Extravagance d'Amarige, and Organza Indécence. Certain perfumes had become true rarities. Vetyver is one of them; it comes enshrouded with the aura of legend as one of the best vetiver fragrances ever made.
Continue reading "Vetyver by Givenchy: Les Parfums Mythiques (2007) {Perfume Short (Review)} {New Perfume} {Men's Cologne}" »
 Knize Ten by Knize (pronounced "Kniesche") comes preceded by an aura of legend within certain circles as being one of the best leather colognes in the world, whose reputation has endured to this day and very rightly so. In some ways, it is the leather equivalent of Borsari Violetta Di Parma where violet perfumes are concerned both being confidentially, yet deeply appreciated by connoisseurs. Even more so than that, it is judged by some as simply one of the very best men's perfumes; it was in fact voted best masculine fragrance by The Best of The Best in 1989 and in 1999 it was listed (somewhere) amongst the 100 best fragrances to date. Knize Ten has enough character, complexity, yet also relaxed and comforting feel about it to become a signature perfume. That one fragrance that could not but be Knize Ten if you had to choose just one "eau de toilette" to bring with you to a desert island as writer Hans Habe once wrote, because then what would have mattered would not have been to love a beautiful woman but to strengthen one's spirit.......
 Adolf Loos in the Knize store in Paris in 1927
Continue reading "The Knize Ten or 10 by Knize (1924) {Perfume Review & Musings Part I} {Men's Cologne} {Fragrances of Paris}" »
Saks Fifth Avenue For Him by Bond No.9 (black bottle) is the masculine counterpart to Saks Fifth Avenue For Her. This new cologne takes the route of an elegant neo-classical men’s fragrance evoking the polished woods and muffled atmosphere of a club frequented by men in crisp business suits. The scent smells typically masculine, with a fresh and spicy woody fougere signature and with some discreet up-to-date facets....... Harvard Club of New York City
Continue reading "Saks Fifth Avenue For Him by Bond No.9 {Perfume Short (Review)} {New Fragrance/Advance Review} {Men's Cologne}" »
Fil de Soie (Silk Thread) is one of three fragrances in the collection by L’Atelier Bohême, a small independent French perfume house located in Vernon, not far from Giverny and Versailles, known for being a subject of many Monet paintings. Crystelle Darchicourt is the nose behind the creations as well as the owner of the brand. Despite its delicate name, Fil de Soie resolutely claims to be a masculine fragrance evoking “…the spirit of a silken scarf and a stroll in the forest…” Like L’Atelier Bohême’s other creations, it is on the unusual side and does not lend itself very readily to immediate deciphering. The perfumes in fact seem to be blended to preserve a sense of quiet unassuming mystery. If in the end one can find some connections to other scents, one also has to acknowledge that the word “idiosyncratic” seems appropriate to describe them.....
Continue reading "Fil de Soie by L'Atelier Bohême {Perfume Short (Review)} {Men's Cologne}" »
Nearly 20 years after the introduction of the now classic Fahrenheit, in 1988, and several summer limited editions later, Dior has struck again, coming up once more with an unconventional men’s perfume playing with gender boundaries through the uninhibited showcasing of a central floral bouquet enhanced by salicylates, which are used to create a blooming effect. This time, like for Jean-Paul Gaultier Fleur du Mâle in 2007, it is based on orange blossom. Both the Fahrenheit and Mâle series skillfully display crossover qualities that make them easy to adopt by women......
Photo of iris glass flowers at the Harvard Museum of Natural History by cf071
Continue reading "Fahrenheit 32 by Dior {Perfume Review & Musings} {Men's Cologne}" »
Hypnôse Homme is the latest release by Lancôme meant to be, in advertising terms essentially, the masculine flanker to Hypnôse Femme. British actor Clive Owen is the face for the fragrance bringing his well-cultivated rugged good looks to the representation of classic masculinity that the perfume stands for. His hand over the flacon, mimicking that of the feminine model for Hypnôse Femme (Daria Werbowy), seems more docile and sedate than one would wish for and dampens a bit, in my view, the sought-after image of a magnetic virile man. That is that it seems to me that the brand-recognition marketing effort comes in the way of the unadulterated perception of a man that "...embodies a certain hypnotic charm. With a flick of a smile and lift of a brow, he hints at mysteries." The perfume was created by nose Maurice Roucel of Symrise who said of Hypnôse Homme that "it's both modern and quite classic," adding "The idea was to have something flesh [sic], something watery on top and fiery in the dry-down,". An English touch in homage to Clive Owen is conveyed by a lavender note. But Owen himself confessed "...that the formula for Hypnose Homme was already in place when he arrived on the project." The personality of the scent is both conservative and sensual. There is nothing outwardly very original here, but a true sensual presence and an appreciation of rich sophisticated materials......
Continue reading "Hypnôse Homme by Lancôme: Fronted by Clive Owen {Perfume Review & Musings} {New Perfume} {Men's Cologne}" »
The latest release by Gucci is a masculine perfume called Gucci Pour Homme II. It was created by the Proctor & Gamble team and Mane. It includes fresh and silvan top notes of bergamot and violet leaves. The heart unfolds on a spicy accord of pimento, black tea, and cinnamon. The base deepens with notes of olive wood, tobacco leaves, musks, and myrrh. The perfume is a follow-up to Gucci Pour Homme. It is reminiscent of the incensey notes of the first one only en passant while taking on a very different persona. Markus Strobel, general manager of prestige products and fine fragrances for P & G said "the formula is aimed at hitting "the sweet spot" between providing a "fresh, easy to wear' ambience, "a masculine sensuality" and a "distinct, memorable" sensation." He also added "I think we've never spent as much time on a male fragrance as we did on this one, and it really is amazing,". It took Gucci two years to design the fragrance and the result is indeed remarkable.....
Continue reading "Gucci Pour Homme II by Gucci {Perfume Review & Musings} {New Perfume} {Men's Cologne}" »
Floral fragrances for men still constitute a minority group in modern Western smell culture, notwithstanding the creations of memorable perfumes such as Caron Pour Un Homme (lavender), Dior Eau Sauvage (jasmine/hedione), Dior Fahrenheit (violet), and more recently, Dior Homme (iris). Having survived from the 19th century, we can also still find perfumes like Penhaligon Hammam Bouquet (1872) and Guerlain Jicky (1889) which have marked floral characters. Jicky was originally meant to be a unisex fragrance but was adopted by men first.....
Continue reading "Fleur du Mâle by Jean-Paul Gaultier {Perfume Review & Musings} {New Perfume} {Men's Cologne}" »
 Intimately Beckham for Him was created in 2006 as part of a duo of fragrances, together with Intimately Beckham for Her. The idea was to capitalize on the celebrity of the couple composed of David and Victoria Beckham.The ad campaign wanted to lead the consummer into believing that he or she would be voyeuristically stealing a moment of intimacy in the life of the famous couple. The ad photo was supposed to be particularly sexy; instead everyone ended up discussing the size-enhancement or lack thereof of Posh Spice's derrière. Ah, the irony of fate.....
Continue reading "Intimately Beckham for Him by Beckham {Perfume Review & Musings} {Celebrity Perfume} (Men's Cologne}" »
  Blood and Sand in Nîmes by loran_denim
Vierges et Toreros (Virgins and Toreros) is one of the two new perfumes launched by the niche perfume house Etat Libre d'Orange, established 2006, whose collection now comprises 13 scents. The fragrance was created by Antoine Lie and Antoine Maisondieu and contains notes of bergamot, pepper, cardamom, nutmeg, tuberose, ylang, leather, animalic base, costus, patchouli, and vetiver.....
Continue reading "Vierges & Toreros by Etat Libre D'Orange {Perfume Review & Musings} {Men's Cologne of the Week}" »
Rocabar by Hermès was launched in 1998. It was the house's fifth's men's cologne after Eau D'Hermès (1951), Equipage (1970), Eau d'Orange Verte (1979), and Bel-Ami (1986). It had a limited distribution in the US. The perfume was created by nose Gilles Romey who is also the composer for Eau de Rochas pour Homme, Jil Sander Jil, Hermès 24, Faubourg Eau Délicate, Serge Lutens Rose de Nuit. Rocabar is inspired, like many of their other products, by an equine theme in keeping with Hermès' roots as a saddlery when it was first established in 1837. In this case the perfume's name has an interesting popular etymology directly derived from the history of the house. "Rocabar" today designates their famous safron, indigo, and red horse blanket. According to WWD, "Jean-Louis Dumas Hermes, chairman, reported that the name came about when British saddle makers visiting Hermes in the 1930s called the combed-wool blanket a "rug a barres" (striped rug). Over time, the name evolved into "Rocabar.".....
Continue reading "Rocabar by Hermès {Perfume Review & Musings} {Men's Cologne of the Week}" »
Sweet'n'Sour Arpège pour Homme by Lanvin - A Review by Dusan Z
December 30, 2006. 17:51 Glancing nervously at my watch and realizing with horror how late I am, I start cursing myself for always doing things at the eleventh hour. The stride quickens into a run and with the last breath in the chilly December evening I make my way through crowds of rushed people to the doors of the department store. 17:54 “I am sorry, we are closing”, the security guard informs me. “But I have to go in, and the perfume store is still open, look!” Again he apologizes but will not yield. “But it isn’t six yet. For God’s sake, man, let me buy a New Year present for my girlfriend’, I lie shamelessly, ‘it won’t be a minute’. Rolling his eyes, he mutters a curse or two, but opens the door. Victory! I dart into the perfume store and make a beeline for the preciousss. Within minutes I am paying for my New Year gift to me, while the pissed SAs are looking daggers at me. “Yeah, whatever”, I look back, mentally sticking out my tongue and blowing the loudest, New Year raspberry at them. Just for a split second though I wonder if I really should be institutionalized, but the cold wind swiftly dispels this foolish idea. Having spritzed myself with the Preciousss in a dark corner of the street, I give a blissful sigh and step into the frenzied throng, toweringover each and every head on my way home.....
Continue reading "Arpège pour Homme by Lanvin - A Review by Dusan Z {Perfume Review & Musings} {Men's Cologne}" »
 Sécrétions Magnifiques (Magnificent Secretions) seems to have the words "Hazardous Biological Material" written all over it. It tends to provoke a gag reflex in you if you smell it from too up close. My first impression of it was, I must say, like receiving an olfactory punch in the stomach. Each subsequent inhalation I would take would be followed by an exclamation and deep exhalation to recover from the experience. The perfume is repulsive - especially in the first stages - but interesting also because it is a perfume that obviously goes against the grain of perfumery and society conventions and for that reason alone should be experienced. It makes two important statements: 1) that no notes are taboo 2) that a perfume does not necessarily have to be nice and smell good, be a "sent-bon" (a smell-good) as the French say in a bit of a familiar or even derogatory manner regarding fragrances that lack any artistic ambition, soul, or complexity....
Continue reading "Sécrétions Magnifiques by Etat Libre d'Orange {Perfume Review & Musings} {Men's Cologne of the Week}" »
 The agarwood in M7 is pervasive, dark and swirling with complexities. It has rich sweet resinous and slightly fruity overtones with a good dose of raspberry and lighter nuances of burnt caramel and honey. It is a perfume that starts off warm and thick like the unfurling texture of dark molasses or better still it is thick like a heavy hanging wall tapestry from the middle-ages evoking men's quest for hotness and fire in the midst of winter.....
Continue reading "M7 by Yves Saint Laurent {Perfume Review & Musings} {Men's Cologne of the Week}" »
|
All original content and translations herein copyright © 2006. All rights reserved; reproduction requires the author’s prior written consent. You are however welcome to provide a link back to the posts on this site as long as you explicitly mention their authorship, recognize the original source of the information you give, and acknowledge the site of origin.
Powered by Movable Type 4.32-en
|
Digg This
Stumble
Facebook
Del.icio.us
