Showing posts with label popular masculine fragrances colognes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label popular masculine fragrances colognes. Show all posts

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Men's Fragrances to Capture (This) Woman's Heart

Evaluating a masculine fragrance is always harder than evaluating a fragrance that is divested of its loaded semiotics of gender, or which appeals to my own femininity heads on. At least I can asses femininity first hand and dismiss the hyperbolic claims of modern advertising with a wave of a well-manicured hand. But what happens when the claims to "assured masculinity" (surely that has a genetic component, so it's not much of a choice most of the time) and "assertive fragility" (or any such oxymoron) are brandished in advertorials? Do they make sense, do they reflect themselves into the scents in question, do they influence my own response on them? The fact is that masculine fragrances, especially in the designer segmentation, are getting sweeter and sweeter by the minute, no doubt following modern ladies' launches which have familiarized modern women with an excessive amount of sugar. 
This, in and of itself, clashes violently with the butch, macho images that sometimes accompany these fragrant launches and confuse me. Other times they're tongue in cheek, and when sprinkled with a good dosage of spices, I get intrigued and in rapt attention despite the sweetness. They're literally tens of fragrances aimed at the more assertive (so the stereotype goes...) sex which I love and would jump the bones of...from Santos de Cartier Cartier (vintage), L'Instant de Guerlain pour Homme Guerlain, Habit Rouge Eau de Toilette Guerlain, and the classic freshness of Vetiver Guerlain, to the subtlety and finesse of Eau de Monsieur Annick Goutal, Equipage Geranium Hermès, all the way to Encre Noire Lalique and the powdery orientalist of Noir eau de parfum (for men) by Tom Ford.
But in general I find myself revering to more retro fragrances when opting to embrace a masculine side. Oddly enough, these are also the ones which make me want to wear them on myself too, with few exceptions. 

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Givenchy Gentleman (1974) by Givenchy 
One of the best examples of this is the vintage edition of  Gentleman (1974) Givenchy, a fragrance so seismically changed in the reformulation of the new edition, that it is an entirely different fragrance bearing the same name., i.e. Gentleman (2017) Givenchy. The former is patchouli heaven for those who appreciate that hippie note in their scented grooming, but it is the coalescence with the Cuir de Russie leathery, tarry aspects (bitter facets with sharp citric nuances, and a smattering of earthy civet) and with trickled honey that makes it truly irresistible. Gentleman by Givenchy blooms and blooms on my own skin, and it's even more ravishing and irresistible, if you can believe it, on masculine skin thanks to its generally higher surface temperature. It's one of those retro fragrances that makes me wonder "What were they thinking?" when the news of the change reached me. If you have a bottle of this vintage in your arsenal, consider yourselves lucky indeed. Just don't over-spray, it's a man of few words. 

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Antaeus by Chanel 
Everyone mentions Egoiste Chanel when women and masculine fragrances are uttered in the same breath, but I find that the under-rated Antaeus Chanel is the better example. Thankfully Antaeus is among the releases in current production, and although it's a bit thinned out compared with its glorious past, it's still very good, tremendously sexy, and assertively powerful. Its trail of animalic warmth, thanks to a generous helping of castoreum with a subtle vanillic undercurrent, which matches exceptionally well with the labdanum resin, almost makes it moan with pleasure. In fact in blind tests when fragrance consulting with women it never fails to raise that "oh my" reaction with the ladies fanning themselves...
There is an important component of aromatics in the mid-section which temper the animalic oomph and make it escape the modern hysteria for bodily odors. It might be this which makes me comfortable in wearing it myself, to high compliments, I might add. This 1981 creation by Jacques Polge is among the very best in the Chanel portfolio and that's saying something. 

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Dior Homme for men by Christian Dior
Never mind that Dior Homme is everywhere, that it is one of the most interesting masculine releases of the last decade, and its flanker fragrances are also excellent, because the formula brings a most unusual iris root note, halfway between face powder or retro lipstick and dusty dried flowers, into an otherwise masculine formula. It doesn't surprise me that many women love it and love wearing it themselves; it's the most approachable from the lot. The iris in Dior Homme alternatively takes on facets of soft skin powder, like the one used in hipster barbershops, of powdered cocoa, and of ambery starch. It's a soft, soft, sooooft fragrance but it retains a hint of freshness, which I consider a very enticing and key component in fragrance in general. You don't want to be totally smothered into a cotton cocoon, after all, when in a social rendez-vous, you want to be able to breathe and appreciate the (hopefully handsome) view. 

Tuesday, November 7, 2017

Best-selling Fragrances for Men: Russia 2011

The point of exploring which fragrances sell best is not only to understand trends, but to predict which fragrance references will be used to gauge the next fragrances to be made. Focus groups work in that way inside the fragrance industry, when developing fragrances, as we have analysed on the Perfume Shrine before, so it pays to pay attention, literally.
The Russian market is a major force to contend with lately, although it has to do more with niche and luxury brands aimed at the affluent (which is its own bag of bones to contend with yet again), however the mainstream sector is not without its own merit. We explored the taste of women with the best-selling perfumes in Russia for 2011 in our previous Perfume Shrine post. Now is the time for men.

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Here are the top selling fragrances for Russian men for 2011 according to the Euromonitor.

1. Chanel Allure Homme
2. Baldessarini Baldessarini Ambre
3. Gucci Gucci Guilty
4. Dior Dior Homme
5. Givenchy Givenchy pour Homme
6. Giorgio Armani Acqua di Gio pour homme
7. Dior Fahrenheit
8. Chanel Egoiste Platinum
9. Clinique Happy for Men
10. Paco Rabanne XS
11. Hugo Boss Boss in Motion
12. Hugo Boss Boss Pure
13. Paco Rabanne Black XS
14. Paco Rabanne 1 Million
15. Carolina Herrera 212 Sexy Man
16. Dior Higher
17. Gucci Gucci pour Homme
18. DKNY Be Delicious Men
19. Giorgio Armani Armani Code
20. Hugo Boss Boss Selection
21. Versace Verscace Man Eau Fraiche
22. Shiseido Zen for Men
23. Lacoste Lacoste Essential
24. Lacoste Cool Play
25. Giorgio Armani Armani Mania
26. Burberry Burberry For Men
27. Estee Lauder Pleasures for Men
28. Davidoff Champion
29. Carolina Herrera 212 for Man

Friday, June 16, 2017

Paco Rabanne One Million: fragrance review

It's hard to fault a fragrance for being popular. After all millions of people buying it can't all be wrong, right? Mostly right.

Paco Rabanne hit the proverbial jackpot with their aptly named 1 Million for Men, a woody spicy scent that combines cinnamon and leathery amber notes in such a ratio as to come across as at once becoming and engulfing. Indeed step into any bar or club or even use the underground and you're certain to come across unmistakably wearing it and making their presence very well known indeed.

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The projection (sillage in French, pronounced see-YAJ) of the sweetish, cozy fragrance is quite formidable, as you catch whiffs of it as said guy takes off their jacket or brushes a stray curl off their forehead across the table. You probably need to test the lasting power by the traces left on your sheets the next day and -boy, I can tell you- it lasts!! Oh how it lasts. You will never be able to wash it off completely; that's bittersweet in itself, isn't it?

Therefore if your bet is on sureness rather than individualism look no further than 1 Million. It's a million times trustworthy for tenacity and catching feminine attention.

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