New fragrances are released each day…and I’ll never be able to keep up with the perfumed deluge. I have an uncomplicated method of deciding what I’ll review: I review fragrances I love; I review fragrances I despise (these scents are much more fun to write about than “average” and “ho-hum” scents); I review “hot” fragrances that are expected to attract lots of attention and sell well; and finally, I sometimes review what Robin here at Now Smell This tells me to review — “sometimes” because Robin is in no way, shape or form a Simon(e) Legree-type person! The fragrances I’m reviewing today merge in the Robin-“hot” nexus. I’m not going to torture myself (and use three weeks of my NST space) to review these scents separately; today, and in the future, I’ll kill three birds with one stone in a “trio” review.
Gucci by Gucci Pour Homme
Gucci by Gucci Pour Homme is described by Gucci as “a modern chypre” and it contains bergamot, cypress, violet, tobacco, jasmine, patchouli, amber and elemi. Gucci by Gucci Pour Homme starts with that tired-and-true combo of bergamot and cypress, then there’s a sharp shot of violet (leaf?) and some resinous-citrus-y elemi. Gucci by Gucci Pour Homme ends with crystalline musk and amber and if you strain your nostrils you’ll detect some tobacco. This “modern” chypre is pretty dull to my nose — let’s call it a neutered chypre. Gucci by Gucci Pour Homme is sweet, well-blended, and “nice” but the fragrance is just as gray as the bottle, the ad campaign and the Gucci by Gucci Pour Homme model’s attitude (who has hypnotized James Franco?…look at his dead eyes in the ads). Buy Gucci by Gucci Pour Homme if you love it, hate real chypres, don’t know or care what a ‘chypre’ is, or if saying you have on the “latest fragrance from Gucci” rocks your boat.
Hilfiger by Tommy Hilfiger
I’m SO tired of marketing copy like: “This new signature scent reflects (Hilfiger’s) Classic, American Cool attitude…It was made for the man who knows what he wants and knows how to get it. He has an inner strength that comes from knowing exactly who he is and what he wants out of life.” The man who knows what he wants and knows how to get it can be a sculptor, a stay-at-home dad, a chef, an astronaut, an organic farmer, a fisherman, a natural perfumer, a llama breeder. Do all those men want to wear Hilfiger? I doubt it. Trudi Loren, VP of Corporate Fragrance Development Worldwide, Aramis and Designer Fragrances, makes a startling claim (startling to those of us who have smelled Hilfiger): “While everything about (Hilfiger) is clean, invigorating and masculine, there is an element of surprise that gives it a clear distinction.” I was not surprised by Hilfiger, but I’ve smelled more perfumes that your average male department store customer.
Hilfiger supposedly contains bergamot, mandarin, pink grapefruit, juniper, rosemary, papaya, curcuma (turmeric), mahogany, white tea rose, warm skin accord, suede, sandalwood, cistus, tonka, and cashmere wood. Bergamot, juniper and rosemary are apparent upon application but the other ingredients are blended in such a way or are in such miniscule amounts that I can’t detect them. To be honest, Hilfiger is not a “type” of fragrance that appeals to me; it has a Sports Fragrance vibe, and I’m not a fan of harsh citrus/“bracing” colognes. I refer to such scents as “mouthwash” perfumes: they smell slightly antiseptic and anti-bacterial. As Hilfiger wears down, it turns a bit powdery and there are moments when I can smell the papaya note (it improves the overall “tone” of the scent for me). I wonder if this perfume was subjected to focus group after focus group and led by those “folks” down the path to banality? Certainly there are promising notes in Hilfiger: tea rose, pink grapefruit, turmeric and papaya, but they are not allowed to stand out. The Hilfiger company wants the new Hilfiger fragrance to become a “classic”; perhaps it could have been if someone, somewhere had the cojones to go beyond mainstream patterns and formulas.
Emporio Armani Diamonds for Men
Emporio Armani Diamonds for Men (see image at top) was created for a young consumer, one who apparently imagines himself — watch the Diamonds for Men video clips — as rich and famous and who admires or has a crush on Diamonds for Men model Josh Hartnett. (actors almost always make dull/ridiculous models…hasn’t anyone noticed?)
Diamonds for Men (described by Emporio Armani as a woody-gourmand fragrance) was created by perfumer Jacques Cavallier and includes gaïac, bergamot, cedar wood, vetiver, Szechuan pepper, cocoa and ambroxan. When I wear Diamonds for Men I smell light cocoa, sweet vanilla, generic “wood” and musk and there’s not much development to speak of — Diamonds for Men’s drydown smells almost identical to its opening. There isn’t one molecule of originality in this too-sweet, fuzzy scent. Why does Armani reserve all its creativity for the Privé collection and keep churning out icky, cheap-smelling fragrances like Diamonds for Men for their less expensive lines? Diamonds for Men has average lasting power and sillage (thank goodness!)
All three fragrances are available in Eau de Toilette: Hilfiger: 100 ml, $59; Gucci, $55-$70; and Emporio Armani Diamonds for Men, $37.50-$62.50.
I was finding so odd that NST and the other sites didn't review Gucci By Gucci pour Homme. But i think they simply didn't care about it, hum? Well, I though Guccy By Gucci was really well done, better than a lot of average fragrances that were launched this year. It's better on hot days, when you can fell it more strong and it's when you detect better the sweet and light incensy elemi, blended with the green aspect of the violet and with the citrusy and a little bit peppery opening. It's not my best fragrance, but I think is great on that very hot days when it's so so hot that your perfect fragrance can ruin your day and make you sick.
Thanks for the three-fer Kevin. The only one of these I have smelled is the Gucci- and I thought it was pleasant/ minimalist- nothing I needed- and I never would have imagined it was supposed to be a chypre!
HB: Yep, this one doesn't do a thing for me, but it's light enough for a warm day, I'll give you that! HA! K
HV: indeed, the term “chypre” is being misused!
I don't get any chypre out of the Gucci, but I get the tobacco. I like it, but prefer the Gucci II.
The Diamonds is a joke… I'm not refusing to sell it, but I don't show it and when someone asks, I say it's synthetic and show them something else.
Didn't care for the Diamonds,haven't sniffed the Hilfiger or Gucci. I was curious about the Gucci. Neutered Chypre? Now I HAVE to smell that one!*!*!*! LOL.
bartamy: I still prefer Gucci pour Homme myself…(and Diamonds was well hidden at my Nordstrom too!)
C: you'll sniff it and YAWN.
*Ouch* at these reviews! Hehe. Thanks though!
I wish I could smell the Gucci one, but there's still no sign of it over here yet (Ireland).
Bartamy, have you find a connect between Gucci II and Gucci By Gucci PH? I've bought a shower gel of Gucci II, and there's something on it's smell that makes me think about gucci by gucci.
Riverwide: You're welcome! and … strange, I would have thought you'd have Gucci by Gucci before the U.S.
Yeah, it's very odd. I've known about it for longer than any of the other “big” releases this autumn, yet they've all come out and this is still nowhere to be found!
I've tried all three. I liked Diamonds on first sniff just because it immediately reminded me of Cartier's Declaration but with fruit added. Hilfiger and GbGpH were really depressing. Still have the samples.
Oh, what a slap in the face for the mainstreamers! Applause on this review! It reminds never to sell my blogger-soul for content (take gifts and then write nice reviews although it is c***p) beacuse then you will never ever have the possibility to write such things and to be honest!
Thank you so much, kevin, great, and sorry for you that you had to sniff that. There will be better times:-)
Ha! Mouthwash perfumes! That puts it more succinctly than I ever could and pretty much sums up my distaste for sports colognes.
The “man who knows what he wants” marketing bullshit is so tiring. It makes me flee to despair.com just to rid my brain of such corporate-speak cliches.
The Gucci one at least sounds vaguely promising. I might have to check it out.
SirSlarty: hey, if you like Declaration, try the new Yuzu Fou from Parfum d'Empire!
mybeautyblog: you're welcome…and I survived the sniffage!
chardondelait: of the three, Gucci is the best….
Just as I expected: another boring crop for us men. Boo.
Thanks for the reviews, Kevin.
K: Love your idea of killing three “birds” (in this case, maybe the perfume equivalents of city pigeons?) with one stone.
I am so uninterested in men's department store fragrances nowadays (oh, the snobbery!). The only one of these I had actually been curious about was Hilfiger. I thought I had read somewhere that it was aiming for a 1980s fougère style that would appeal to the “older” man (I now more than qualify, even if their idea of “older” is barely 29). When I tried it in Macy's about a month ago I was still shocked at how boring it was. I may sniff the other two out of curiosity someday, but I'm in no hurry.
As far as actors making ridiculous fragrance models: I haven't minded Ewan MacGregor's & Clive Owen's recent forays into that role, but otherwise, I'd agree.
So Yuzu Fou is a winner for you, Kevin? Robin mentioned it was horrible on her when she reviewed Aziyade yesterday, but I'm still curious about it since I love yuzu & grapefruit scents.
Joe: NO! Yuzu Fou is bad on me: it turns from “wet” sweat to “dried” sweat…with a very nice burst of pulp and peel in between those dirty parts. I can't wear it. But for lovers of Declaration…? It might work. Robin said it was a combo of Pamplelune and Declaration Extreme.
eminere: at least we got Infusion d'Homme, right?
Joe: I'm smelling just as many boring niche fragrances as mainstream scents these days…most get the “so WHAT!?” response from me after wearing them. I'm saving lots of money and buying CLOTHES for a change…HA!
LOL! For some reason I thought you liked Declaration! Maybe I'm thinking of Roadster? or something? (I'm seeing a very nice Cartier bottle in my mind's eye… maybe only the bottle was nice?) Ah well, two thumbs down for Yuzu Fou is enough for me unless I'm ordering samples and end up adding it. I get the same “cat pee” from Pamplelune that you two get, so I think any comparison to that nixes it for me.
Kevin: Oy! If I invested the amount of money I've spend on perfume in the last two years into my wardrobe instead…. oh, how dashing I might be.
Why, oh why can't Gucci reissue it's original Gucci Pour Homme?
IMO that rocked the socks off of me….that, and Derby (reissued by Guerlain) but this boy ain't paying $230 at Bergdorf's or hopping a plane to Paris anytime soon. One can wish….
Now I had a little riddle to solve since I just couldn't believe that you might be talking about my beloved Gucci in such a way, and was sort of fearing that they might have tinkered with it or decide to discontinue. Just realised that “Gucci Pour Homme” and “Gucci by Gucci Pour Homme” is not the same thing… thank God! since Gucci Pour Homme is such a deliciously dark incense. Love it, and jsut wonder right now why it is that I haven't bought myself a bottle yet?
I was referring to the original Gucci Pour Homme which came in a brown box….it's been discontinued for a while, but sometimes (if you're lucky) you can find it on EBay. I also like the newer version you mention. I layer it with Dewberry oil from the Body Shoppe…the fruity/incense mix works surprisingly well, as mentioned earlier in a previous post. Good luck finding the original though! still the best for me.
Gary: it's a good thing Paris is so far away! Otherwise: bankruptcy for sure.
Jawhara: sorry to give you a start!
Oh Infusion d'Homme is an absolute YES.
IDH by prada is certainly on heavy rotation…although diamonds got a couple of airplay…i enjoy testing my fragdrobe during my dj shows…nice to find a frag that matches the flow of the music and ultimately the crowd's attitude…peace.
Finally got to smell the new Gucci. It's hugely disappointing. So incredibly bland and forgettable. I rushed out to buy the original Gucci one as a result. It's so striking. The opposite to this new one. 🙁
Finally got to try this today. I was also hugely disappointed. A feeble lemony opening giving way to… nothing.
This should have been called Generic by Gucci…
I HATE the lack of creativity with these names. Gucci by gucci pour homme, Gucci Pour Homme, Gucci Pour Homme II! Pisses me off! I LOOOOOVE gucci By Gucci pour homme though! James Franco is usually hott. I dunno what’s up with those ads
yes Gucci by Gucci men is really boring.
but the new launch Gucci by Gucci homme sport is fantastic and unique. and long lasting for an eau de toilette. my new favourite mens fragrance, aside Givenchy irresistible fresh attitude.
@Anonymous from “Brazil”
is it REALLY necessary to post around 100 comments on nearly EVERY REVIEW, it’s so annoying. there is seriously no need to post that many comments. its ridiculous.
plus, where do you find the TIME to wright the sheer mass them all?
just give a little say on the perfume and leave it at that. NO NEED for over 100 comments of gabble.