I hope we have reached the point in time in North America when a woman wearing a men’s fragrance does not merit lengthy discussion. About a third of my collection is intended for men and many of the notes I often enjoy are associated primarily with masculine or unisex perfumery: lavender, bergamot, lime, cedar, ginger and shrubby notes like lentisc. I find I choose my masculine favorites on days when I want to leave my olfactory “signature”, when wearing a brisk cologne or some deep, musky woods is a way of asserting my individuality. Below are the five I have painfully selected as my recommendations for women — boy, this was hard!
And, in the spirit of the Prix Eau Faux, I have attempted to do a little mimicry of my own. I have written each of my reviews today as if I were a different member of the perfume blogging community. Having quickly discovered that this was very difficult, I beg your indulgence — and the forgiveness of reviewers I have lovingly imitated. With one prolific exception, I believe I have managed to pen reviews of scents that the blogger him or herself has not covered. Please comment with your guesses as to which descriptions “belong” to which bloggers.
Caron Le 3ème Homme de Caron / Third Man: Were it a pricey niche offering, Third Man has the sort of note list that would have my pants pockets vibrating (ahem) as the walleted credit card inside trembled with fear. Luckily, this complex fougère is available online for prices that tragically misrepresent the scent’s perfection. There’s a classic cologne feel to the opening, fresh and aromatic, which cedes to a lovely floral heart and base, dark and tinged with smoky, spiced yumminess. But the scene-stealer here is the lavender, sauntering its way through the scent like Welles in the eponymous film, everything cocked at an angle, smirking with insidious charm.
Paloma Picasso Minotaure: Released in 1992, Minotaure is a genial blend of cedar and vanilla, accented with a dollop of sunny citrus. (Other notes include aldehydes, lavender, geranium, jasmine, sandalwood, tonka bean, musk and patchouli.) An essentially linear fragrance, it is sweet but not candied, simple without being boring. Late in the proceedings there is a whisper of powder and that’s pretty much the whole story. Minotaure is comforting and charming, and if I can’t help feeling I would perhaps prefer it were darker and less sweet, well, then I won’t deny that it is exactly perfect for what it is.
Frederic Malle Bigarade Concentrée: It would not be misleading to suggest that Bigarade Concentrée is one of the most seamless examples of Jean-Claude Ellena’s vision. Radiant, weightless and yet possessing a striking sensuality, the composition radiates the warm golden light one notices in Spanish Baroque paintings. Once the transparent verdancy of the opening fades, a soft rose and dry accord of hay and cedar weave their way through the astringency of the central bitter orange, lending the refreshing note a rounded quality, like an iced oolong tea.
Chanel Egoïste: Hey, have you smelled this? If you’ve been put off by its “fresh” and smarmy successor, Egoïste Platinum, then you need to direct your attention to the main-stage show. You can thank me later. The original starts off with a tickle of pepper and a juicy pastel mandarin, and then a pretty, potpourri-ish rose kicks in. Now, rose and I don’t always play nice, but there is a saving bit of aloofness there, maybe from an infusion of carnation, and then the scent settles into rich sandalwood-and-plum goodness. It’s the sort of thing a serious, sapient young girl of fourteen could wear. Hommes, make of that what you will.
Christian Dior Eau Noire: Eau Noire is a discombobulating fragrance, one that weirds me out in the best possible way. With the lavender, clary sage and cedar, I feel I ought to be out striding along, getting the kind of vigorous exercise that requires a loyal hound, smoky tweeds and a striding stick. But here is the immortelle and vanilla and suddenly I am hauling a gooey sundae around the heath with me. The thing I so love about this Frances Kurkdjian creation is that it makes me wonder why I never thought to do such a thing before.
Note: image via Images de Parfums.
Hey, I'm too busy trying to work out who the writers are to take in the content. I've got two I think. You have to tell…
And now to reread for the main purpose of the article…
I will tell when (or if!) someone guesses correctly. Aren't they awful? It was a lot harder then I thought it would be….
What a neat idea! Unfortunately, I am really obtuse with this sort of thing, so I can only get the obvious one, Paloma Picasso as Robin. As far as women wearing men's scents? I once spent an afternoon sniffing with the *worst* SA ever, and every time I didn't care for a scent, the SA would screech “That's because it's FOR A MAN!!!!!!”
Lol, this is fun Erin although I am completely out of focus now with the scents themselves.
The Minotaure one is so Robin! And I think the Bigarade is Victoria from Bois de Jasmin. That's all I'll venture to guess. Thanks for the article, I think I've only tried one of these (Eau Noire) and look forward to the others.
Hahaha poor Keeter..
Christian Dior Eau Noire, that must be Kevin.
Hi Erin,
I have Chanel Egoiste. I found a deodorant that was almost dry among my dad's things, but no EDT. I guess he finished it and never got replaced. Curious, I don't remember how it smelled on my dad, although I remember how Allure and Pasha Menthe suited him very well. I loved the smell of the deodorant, so I bought my own bottle on-line (I could not find it in department stores). I wore it all thought the Holidays and received a lot of compliments!! My dad also had several other ETDs, but the only one I took home with me was the Cartier Declaration Essence, mmmhhh, I love it.
My husband was amused when I went to Nordstrom last Sunday looking for the Givenchy Vetyver. Since I could not find it I tried Dior Homme, Hermes Terre, Roccabar, and YSL Homme. I liked the Terre very much.
Heh, heh. The Paloma Picasso is definitely Robin. The Bigarade is Victoria of Bois de Jasmine, possibly? The Chanel has to be Patty. Is the Dior Eau Noire March? The Caron – Marlon?
Caron Third Man must be Bois de Jasmin, Victoria?
Frederic Malle Bigarade Concentree must be Marina/Columbina
Paloma Picasso Minotaure reminds of Robin, yes sure thing
Excellent choices, Erin, and a really fun way to present them. I stumbled onto (into?) this blog whilst hunting for the ever-elusive Nina Ricci 'Bigarade' of my misspent youth…and I was stunned to find that the Malle Bigarade (the cologne very closely resembles it! Heaven! I haven't yet smelled the concentree – it's on my list for my next Spritza.
Robin, if you're listening: I'm going to be Very Brave and try a layer of Eau de M and Bigarade. Let's hope my head doesn't explode!LOL!
so here are my choices:
Third Man: Kevin S or Lee from Posse – it actually feels a bit closer to Kevin and his bff Diego:-)
Minotaur: Robin
Bigarade C: Victoria from BdJ
Egoiste: that sassy March
Eau Noire: Patty
Can't wait to see how we all fare with this – it's fascinating to see everybody's impressions!
Here are some mens frags that I like but I am so open to every suggestion..: Hermes Terre d'Hermes, Hermes Concentre d'Orange Verte, Bogart One Man Show, J.P.Gaulthier Le Male, Etienne Aigner Silver, Trussardi Men, Old Spice
And not to forget: The Legendary Harley Davidson Cologne!!
I agree that I paid so much attention to style that I lost the content. I'm thinking Chanel Egoiste is March (the rose reference gave it away.) The FM is possibly Columbina, Paloma P. is definitely Robin, and could the Christian Dior be Lee? I think the Caron *writer* is Kevin, but then again I could be wrong all the way through. A fun excercise, though.
Thanks, I'm so glad you're enjoying it. I wanted it to be fun and I sure hope I haven't offended anyone. These are all bloggers who have given me so much pleasure myself (although of course, there are others whose writing I really enjoy as well – I just ran out of room!)
Glad to know I wasn't totally off-base with the fact that SAs can sometimes be stubborn about cross-gender shopping. Funny to see that everyone thinks Robin is the obvious one – I guess she's the blogger I've been reading the longest.
Sonar, you should keep guessing, you're good at it! And you've tried a great one, I love Eau Noire.
Oooo, M, good guess, but no. I think Eau Noire is going to be the hardest one to figure out – I had a lot of trouble with it – so you're brave to try it!
Arwen, I'll have to check out Pasha Menthe, don't recognize that one – but obviously your dad has great taste. Looks like you inherited the taste, too! Terre is great, my fave mainstream release since JCE took over (oh wait, I like Kelly Caleche, too) and I love Declaration Essence. The latter has got that warm immortelle note, like Dior Eau Noire.
Actually, good try, but there are a few posters who have correctly guessed which one is Victoria. I thought she would be easy…
Here's a hint with the Third Man: on the TV show Sesame Street, there used to be a segment called “One of these things is not like the other” and that “is” the Third Man blogger. The Caron reviewer is different from all the others in some way.
Okay, I think … Lee, Robin, Victoria, me, and … Lee? So maybe the first one is Tom? And if it isn't V, it's Marina (although I don't think she uses “one”). Hmmm. Hey
now I have to actually read the reviews for content.
PS ADORE Eau Noire. And Egoiste and I do get along nicely!
VG, I thought looking over them afterwards that either of the last two could be Patty. They aren't supposed to be, though.
You're right with the first two and you're getting warm with the others…
Glad you thought so! (Correctly!)
Oh darn, M, you're so close. Only one of the ones in list format is wrong (that darn Eau Noire one.) And you're definitely on the right track with the Third Man guess, but this blogger hasn't been guessed at all yet.
Oh honey, I hope you aren't offended. With love, dear! I know you have already reviewed Egoiste, so I think you are my exception noted above.
And you're the closest guesser yet. I knew the Eau Noire blogger was going to be the toughest to get right. (But, idiot that I am, I thought Third Man was going to be easy – I thought there was a dead giveaway in there!) Lee isn't in the list actually. I tried to “do” him (heh) but found it very tough. And then reading my last review, I thought I might possibly have done him by accident. But its supposed to be a blogger nobody's guessed yet.
Christian Dior Eau Noire, it's not a blogger but this still must be Chandler Burr…!!
Glad you enjoyed my silly experiment. Egoiste is indeed March – I thought the rose bit might tip people off. The 'clues' I thought I had planted included the nice inclusive question to start, the use of sapient (learned vocabulary), the (hopefully) humorous tone -which Mamabear accurately calls “sassy” – as well as the use of a noun with “-ish” on the end, etc. etc.
Bogart One Man Show! Never heard of it. Must seek it out, I love the name.
Well, I wish I could successfully carry off Mr. Burr, but I'm afraid it's not him. You're correct about it not being somebody who writes for NST, though.
M, no, though I think Marina likes Bigarade Concentree.
Won't forget it!
Brilliant writing, Erin!! I'm too shy/ignorant to guess beyond Robin's and Kevin's; I recognize a couple of the other's styles but am too new and naive to put the names to the descriptions.
Men's scents I wear and love: Hypnose Homme, Prada Homme, Gucci pour Homme, Bigarde Concentree, D Squared Wood, Ormonde Jayne Man. . .
Oh, thank you. And what a great list you made. It doesn't seem “new and naive” at all, it seems like the list of a seasoned veteran.
I've never tried Hypnose Homme, since I was kind of traumatized by the female version, which I disliked. Love that front man, though. Clive Owen, yum! 
I love Prada homme and Gucci PH (what a contrasting pair there.) I actually wonder if Gucci PH works on men, because it seems so comically virile. It seems like the sort of scent only women could wear without seeming faintly ridiculous. (Men, please come tell me I'm wrong!)
Marcello S. from Scented Pages. Ch.D.Eau Noir.
Don't know if you had a chance to read my comment above, but the Eau Noire “reviewer” doesn't write for NST. Marcello posts great book reviews here – if anyone hasn't checked them out yet, I highly, highly recommend them. They're often posted on weekends.
Not offended at all! Although I think you could have made me sound slightly more insane — where are the CAPITALS? Or you could use the word “just” or “actually” three or six times.
So: Kevin, Robin, V, Me … is it someone I read? (Yeah, consult your crystal ball, babe!)
I bet you had fun writing those – they were certainly fun to read. I don't get out much, so I'll leave the guessing to others. I have a sample of the original Egoist, and agree with you completely about it, and that E. Platinum is quite a disappointment which I would not foist on anyone. I have been on a men's fragrance kick for a while now. My current favorite is Domenico Caraceni, which I learned about from Colombina's blog.
So ridiculous you have to put up with that kind of indignity when you are trying to spend money. I had the good fortune to grow up in the 70's, when androgyny was cool, and boy, do I miss those days.
I decided not to read the other comments first so my guesses wouldn't be baised, forgive me if it's a total repetion of the ones above. Such a fun post!
1) Caron – March of PP
2) Paloma P – Robin of NST
3) Malle – Bois de Jasmin
4) Chanel – Patty of PP
5) Dior – Lee of PP
Well, Erin, all I know, I've learned from you guys!!!
True about Clive. The yum factor. Woo. I know that's why I spritzed it at the Lancome counter: just to gaze at the larger-than-life poster of Him for an extra few seconds.
Doh! Can't believe I got Egoiste wrong, I get it now after reading the comments.
Ch.D. Eau Noir, my last guess is Patty, Perfume Posse.
LOL at the “don't get out much”. They were fun (but hard!) and thank you. You know, some perfume fans like the E. Platinum. While not as original as Egoiste, it does smell expensive and classy, and if you were going to go for something smoky that still had a freshness about it, you could do worse. Just don't anyone foist it on me, I guess.
I don't remember the Domenico Caraceni – have to head on over to PST and check it out, thanks.
Actually, it's Tom first. I must be a complete dummy, I thought it was obvious with the innuendo and the bracketed “ahem” (which Tom does quite a bit), the film reference, the “yumminess”, the way the cheapness is conveyed. Obviously I must channel Kevin because he seems to be the most popular guess. From NST, only Robin is included, although I would have loved to take a stab at Angela or Kevin. Yeah, you read this person, I'm pretty sure.
Very funny article Erin! Minotaure and Egoiste are excellent choices for women. One scent that impress me how it smells good and diferent on a woman skin is Azarro pour homme. It turns out to a delicate flowery with proeminent woods. I had a female friend that used it, and it smelled amazing on her.
Just re-read that and must clarify – the way the cheapness of THE SCENT is conveyed. Not that my writing conveyed Tom was cheap! (I wouldn't know! And I'd pay a lot! Seems like a great, great dude…)
My recommendations for women (based on the scents that my sister borrow from my wardrobe):
Diesel ++ – very milky with some light woods. great for summer and spring days and a huge deal, since you can find it very cheap on ebay.
Diesel Fuel Him – if you like lavender and licorice, this is perfect, especially for the girl's who like sweet fragrances that aren't so sweet.
Lolita Lempicka Au Masculin – a perfect woody gourmand
Bvlgari Blv pour homme – very similar to blv femme. If you like ginger, this is perfect, especialy for hot days.
Bvlgari Pour Homme – very unissex; a clean woody musky fragrance.
Versace Man – a killer one. Perfect to go out. Very elegant with a sexy peppery open.
Dior Homme Cologne – a variation of the original that fits perfectly any time and almost any weather.
Blue Sugar – if you like burnt sugar scents with tone of woods and patchouly, this is very recommended.
Rochas Lui – a very vintage vanilla scent that on a women skin stays very feminine.
…but I googled that answer…:-) have absolutely no idea.
Is The Third Man Luca Turin?
I *thought* it was Tom! I must have misunderstood your answer to someone else up there, I thought you were confirming it was Kevin. “Ahem” seemed very Tom to me.
But Kevin can be really funny, I remember howling at his Old Spice post.
Hmmmm…. it's not Marina or Ina, I don't think. Katie (Scentzilla?)
Oh man, E, I wish that were true. Thanks! I love Luca's reviews. (Luca doesn't seem to adore me, though. Three times he's responded to a comment of mine and each time he's seemed annoyed!
The Third Man is Tom, as March guessed.
DING DING DING DING DING DING!!!
**Ladies and Gentleman, we have a winner!**
Really laughing at that “Woo.” Right on…
Hey, I love it that you kept guessing! And it does sound like Patty to me now (the “weirds me out” part) or perhaps Lee. I read both of them every day and maybe (hopefullly) their style has rubbed off.
Erin, I just got on to Bois de Jasmin to read some concentrated Victoria (all part of the steep learning curve I'm on), and you really GOT her!!!! Incredible. (How DO you do it??) Bravo.
Yes, well, I think these things do go through phases. Of course, there are plenty of people who think adrogyny is cool now, but I wish I had been around for the seventies: that decacde seems like it was much cooler than it's often given credit for. Unfortunately, when those years ended, I was two and insisting on wearing skirts all the time (although in classic “me” fashion, I sat with my knees spread wide, climbed trees, etc. Not very lady-like, then or now.)
Absolutely no need to feel dumb, I think you had good guesses. That last one is sounding more and more like Lee to me, even though it wasn't supposed to be him. I thought I was being really obvious with the first four, but reading them through I can see how it's very hard to guess.
Hey, glad to see someone who likes Minotaure. Doesn't sell too well anymore, I hear. Strange. It's a wonderful scent. And Azzaro is a classic. Another great one in that classically masculine fashion is Lapidus Pour Homme.
I don't think I've noticed the cologne version of Dior Homme. I shall have to go seek that one out!
I must try the Christian Dior Eau Noir. Hard to find though…
Thank you about the taste comment. Yes, I always thought that my dad had great taste.
It was a lot of fun going to South Coast Plaza into the Chanel boutique and try scents.
Not even my girlfriends do that for me!!
Bigarade is Victoria! I miss her reviews.
Minotaure is Robin.
Egoiste… one of the Posse ladies.
3eme Homme is Tom.
Eau Noire, Eau Noire, Eau Noire… Katie from Scentzilla? I miss her, too. This review reminds me of the way she reviewed Cumming and similar scents.
I`ll admit that sometimes I don`t read The Posse closely enough…
But I got Katie right! Yay!
Victoria and Robin were obvious.
As for Tom, I was sure it was a man, Tom.. or Lee…so I guessed.
Brilliant work, Erin!
Oh man, too bad you were a little later than March, that's some really great guessing. Thank you! I feel that I short-changed Katie – I love her reviews, too, but I found her writing rhythms very hard to imitate. I guess I thought reviewing in the first person and trying my best to be funny would work out.
If you like Essence, I think you'll like Eau Noire. (And of course you will – you've got good taste.:) It *is* hard to find – they try to keep it exclusive, I think – but dern it, it should be everywhere!
I'm jealous about your dad. My father is great, my best bud, and he wears the fragrance I purchased for him recently with pleasure, but he *hates* shopping.
I recently got a sample of Minotaure for my boyfriend, but I'm going to dig it out and try it on me instead! I used to wear Armani Him in middle school and thought I was weird for liking “men's” scents on me. It's great to know I was just way ahead of my time!
I wore Yardley's Lavender when I was really young, but I mostly wore rather girlie scents in high school (though I do remember owning Fahrenheit.) I wish I had had the confidence to wear something like Armani Him as a teenager. And yes, try that Minotaure!
this was wonderful! I had to read it several times–first for the voice, then for the review. That must have been extraordinarily hard–congratulations for tackling such a fun and brave projects. Now go have someone else start your car tomorrow!
–Q
(Ahem) I have no idea what you mean!
(tee-hee)
Oh Tom, you're such a good sport, thank heavens for you. I re-read through a lot of your reviews before I tried my hand at this, and I really enjoyed myself. Have no idea what you actually think of Third Man, of course (scent or film)…
I wish someone would *get my car out of the driveway* for me. Seriously, with all the snow we've gotten here, I've been doing a lot of scraping, salting and pushing this winter. But thanks for your sweet comment, I appreciate it.
And you are too modest, m'dear!
actually I like both. I might have to steal that last sentence at some point.. “everything cocked at an angle, smirking with insidious charm.”
Darn, I'm brilliant!
I agree!
You know what they say – imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.
This was such fun, E, I loved both of your cross-gender scents posts! So sorry I'm late for the guessing game although daft me still isn't sure about the Eau Noire authorship, is it Katie Sc.?
Funny how much alike we are — was thinking myself that it would be a great idea to do a post on the different writing styles of perfume bloggers, but now I see you've done a far better job of it than I ever could! Wonderful! (bows to Erin)
May I put in a plug for Héritage? Actually, I feel most men's Guerlains are easily wearable by women. I'd also love to smell M7 on a woman — that vetiver/oudh must be delish. Too bad we live so far apart, LOL!
Loved all of your picks, btw, especially the 3rd Man
My parents used to say that to me when my younger brother copied me and I would think: “Go flatter someone else!”
But I see the wisdom of that saying now…
Dusan, I have not had a lot of spare time since our family started getting ready to move, and so I haven't been able to let you know that I really enjoy your writing on The Scented Salamander. You are too modest, as I'm sure you would have done a tremendous job of trying on the styles of other bloggers – sorry to have “stolen” your idea!
Yes, it was Katie (Scentzilla) – hard to tell, right? See, you coulda kicked my butt!
And of course, you may plug Héritage. I love and wear Habit Rouge and Vetiver, too, of course. The female Guerlains are ripe for cross-gender swapping, as well. Tried Guerlain Cedrat today – man, how did I miss that one? Awesome!! Definitely a summer purchase. I wear M7 most often in summer, weirdly enough, it really blooms in the heat.
I'm not great at describing perfume yet, and I'm also not familiar with common notes in men's scents, but the Minotaure is agreeing with me. It's settled into a nice spicy mix. I really don't feel like it's overly masculine. I'll wear it out sometime and see what the reactions are. =)
OH, CEDAR! I get it now. I had to reread the description above. Silly, untrained nose.
Being a newbie I'm not in tune with the reviewers tones , so I can't play the game
The 70's were my decade though, and everyone smelled like incense. I can't smell sandalwood, patchouli, etc, without thinking of the smell of pot-.not me though. ;} But I still climb trees! (not in a dress).
I love to wear D+G Light Blue for men. It is not as heavy or limey as most of my experience with most unisex scents.
What do you pros think? Anymore out there that might not smell like my most recent try: Lust by Gendarme, oh Gag, yuck..too strong. Listed as unisex but smells too strong for the Marlboro man. Anyone wanna buy it cheap? ;o)
Sorry, relative newbie so don't recognise the writing style. I'm more concerned by the inclusion of Egoiste and the description of Platinum as smarmy.
Platinum is the best of Egoiste, everything the original should have been first time around and by far the better of the two.
Egoiste is the overweight paunchy, cellulite-pock marked and in need of a lifestyle make over version. The original Egoiste can clear a room. Platinum attracts compliments in the same way the original version attracts sniggers about how much its stomach is exploding over its waistband.
Egoiste Platinum for me please…
Modest, moi? You are too kind
Thank you for the nice words about my work on TSS but the truth is I've long stopped writing for the blog and can only take credit for three reviews. If I ever decide to start my own blog, though, it'll be not least thanks to your reassurance
I too love M7 best in summer.
Oh, and I'm curious about that Cedrat now… what's it like, if you can spare a moment?
Well… while I was quite amused by your funny descriptions and your complete lack of apology (have you seen Robin's recent column on apologising for taste?), I must respectfully disagree.
The original Egoiste is one of the few fragrances I have ever received compliments on. As I mentioned to a commenter above, I think the Platinum version smells expensive and classy, but is much more conventional than the original and therefore seems a little boring and tired to me. (And, I believe, to March of Perfume Posse, who I was trying to imitate in that review, as well as to others here.) But different strokes for different folks….
It's like a glass of homemade lemonade. Exactly. That's it, end of story. Simple, but unbelievably refreshing and just right! I need a bottle.
Simple and homemade lemonade-like sounds just right, thanks! This goes on my to-try list along with the new Jardin and Ginger Tea Time
Please don't ever be offended by my use of language, I love words as much as I love fragrances, as well as a photographer I have been a writer for many years.
The wonderful thing about fragrances is that not only do we all enjoy fragrances differently, but all fragrances smell different on each of us.
So may it be with Egoiste.
I am glad you have received compliments about it. It obviously compliments your skin chemsitry. On me it smells like badly distilled petrol desperately in need of a car crash to ignite in.
Other than that, vive la difference! I look forward to conversing with you on other frags Erin
God bless x
Oh, not offended at all. After all, I “started it” (as March
with the use of “smarmy”. I don't think I know what badly distilled petrol smells like – but the description made me laugh! Certainly, most of us here are familiar with the fragrance that smells like heaven on a friend, and a compost heap on yourself. It sounds like you are a person who truly appreciates all his senses. I always admire photographers, as I don't have a very visual “brain” i.e. poor visual memory, imagination, etc.
My propositions:
JIL SANDER MAN (the new release! 2 dark blue cubes on top of each other)
Imagine Prada doing a linear comfort scent. Raf Simon, JS's head designer who likes wearing CdG himself, pointed out that most men's fragrances are too fresh for his taste. This is definitely NOT fresh. It's a powdery-woody, yummy bitter-sweet scent, with just a little bergamot in the opening. The rest is linear, a similar structure like Fleur du Male, but while FdM is really a summery, happy scent, this is quite elegant and almost meditative. It's radiates well, Clary Sage & Myrrh give it character and there is an addictive, slightly foody sparkle to it. Imagine a high quality anthracite merino jumper — nothing overly luxurious, but with a silken shine if you look closer. Something that makes you feel yourself and look dressed appropriately for any occasion. To me it's more masculine than feminine, but who cares. The first girl passing my way after putting this on told me how gorgeous I smelled. I think any woman liking cedar, inscense and Prada Man/Infusion d'Iris will like this.
HABIT ROUGE Eau de Toilette Légère
This is a light summer version of a classic Guerlain men's fragrance from the 60s, and I think it's here to stay. I was a bit irritated and had my doubts when I heard G. are doing a light version of a classical hesperidic oriental fragrance. How can that be interpreted in a “light” way? Guerlain hesperides are always just so wonderfully sparkling. Here, the sharp citrus opening is still very fresh but soften down considerably with a lot of orange blossom — the main reason for me absolutely loving this scent. It stays on quite a while before the resinous, oriental base starts to shine. I smell also a leather note, but much more controlled than in the original HR. If you know Brit for Men, the base accord is very similar. I think this would be very nice on a woman.
Sorry Erin, I read the “twin article” to this first and thought people are making their own suggestions. I didn't read the comments before posting this… After doing that my waffleing feels somehow out of place.
Spontaneously I can't guess who you are mimicking. Still, it made me laugh how the different characters emerged when I read your reviews!
Hey LL, glad for your suggestions! Not out of place at all. I really enjoyed your description of both scents. I wear Habit Rouge (the original) myself, but do find it a bit smothering on the wrong day, so I've always been intererested in Light version, although I've never seen it around here. Glad to hear that it's likely to be a permanent addition to the collection, since I'm more likely to run into it at some point.
Just a note. I went over to dinner to a female friend of mine's place the other night. I just happened to have my bottle of Terre D'Hermes with me.
She's Italian and an appreciator of great scents. Well, Terre on her skin was absolutely heavenly, it smelled nothing like it smells on my skin, but turned into this wonderful shimmering mystical fragrance.
She'll be buying a bottle this week…
O.K., I'm glad… Thanks! I want to smell the Eau de Parfum version but they only have it in their Paris “head quarters” I was told. Can't wait for my next trip there…