Thierry Mugler A*Men Pure Shot, by perfumer Jacques Huclier, is a flanker to 1997′s A*Men, and was supposedly inspired by Oscar Pistorius, who’s the current A*Men model.
Pistorius is the 25-year-old South African 400-metre runner who has been called “the fastest man on no legs.”* Pistorius was born without a fibula in either leg; his lower legs were amputated when he was a baby and he’s been using prostheses since he was 13 months old. Pistorius’ J-shaped carbon-fiber prostheses look “dramatic” and futuristic, and they play a big part in the A*Men advertising campaign (especially the video).
With Pistorius in the forefront of A*Men Pure Shot, I was expecting a sport fragrance, and that’s what I got. Pure Shot includes fragrance notes of mint, juniper, white pepper, sequoia wood and patchouli. Pure Shot opens with strong alcohol-pepper and a slightly sweet “mentholated” accord (if you strain, you can smell something “minty”). Quickly, the “sequoia wood” note appears (smelling like synthetic cedar) and brings with it some necessary “sweat” to this workout perfume. The patchouli and musk notes that finish Pure Shot’s scent progression are wan and tame and smell utilitarian — like fabric softener or dryer sheets. Perhaps the simple “idea” for Pure Shot was a medicinal muscle rub followed by some sweaty exercise followed by a shower and a load of laundry?
Pistorius is the most interesting part of the Pure Shot story; if he qualifies for the London Olympics, he’ll be the first person without biological legs to compete in a running event at the Olympics.* Pure Shot qualifies easily for a spot in the dull/innocuous mainstream sport fragrance category. (Some AXE fragrances smell more interesting than this.)
An aside: I’ve always hated the Mugler men’s plastic-encased perfume bottles (they are clunky and cheap-looking). I’ve been curious about their construction for years, and when I noticed my knife-wielding partner near my bottle of Pure Shot, I could control myself no longer — I had him cut off Pure Shot’s white plastic-vinyl casing (a very difficult task). Underneath the white covering is a nice-looking blue bottle (see image, above right) with an embossed star. Unfortunately, the form-fitting unrecyclable casing renders the glass bottle unrecyclable too.
Thierry Mugler (limited edition) A*Men Pure Shot (100 ml Eau de Toilette, $85) has good lasting power and sillage; beginning this month, it will be a Nordstrom exclusive in the U.S.
* The Fast Life of Oscar Pistorius, by Michael Sokolove, The New York Times, Jan. 18, 2012.
How much of the original A*Men is left in this?
Is it more like a completely different frag?
Pure Shot bares no resemblance to A*Men.
Plat14: completely different.
Interesting experiment with the bottle! What’s underneath does look a lot better. Thanks for the review!
Jill: you’re welcome…the plastic looks worse in person than in photos.
Oh man! I want your friend to do this to my A*Men Pure Malt bottle. I hate the bottle so much. Awkward to hold and spray.
Egabbert: he’d happily comply.
Kevin, what you wrote is absolutely similar to other reviews of Pure Shot I read so far. Just another sporty scent, nothing special actually. It probably won’t arrive in Poland, so I don’t regret on this one. But if it does by any coincidense I’ll smell just just for fun.
Lucasai: who knows where it will end up…maybe closer than you think.
Holding that star makes me giggle a bit. When I heard Pure Shot..oh crap I almost wrote pure something else! I am not that turned off by it! But as I was saying, it sounded like a sport scent.
The “I” button is a little too close to the “O” button. lol
Pistorius is just on plain old cheetah legs, isn’t he? Those things have been around for a good long time…I’m a little surprised to hear he may be the first Olympian on them. Of course, they may have kept the athletes on them in the Para-lympics up to now, now that I think about that a bit more.
You’re probably right. I love hearing the back stories of the athletes — it gets me excited for Olympics to start.
I did some poking around at work and the original Cheetah-leg prototype was mid-to-late eighties, although I don’t think the first well-functioning test models were out before the early 90s. I know when I started working for state farm, we had a prosthetics manufacturer and distributor that our agency covered who had been selling them for around a decade, and that was about 13 years ago now. So these are either something else (as Kevin says,) or they’re maybe a next/advanced-gen model. Dunno.
I do hope he qualifies for the Olympics, though. I’ve long thought that the Para-lympics are an outdated concept and that (much like physically disabled students in the publinc schools,) it’s time that athletes with prosthesis get mainstreamed into the Olympics. Some sports, like the wheelchair sports, may still belong outside of the Olympics, but even there, I wouldn’t say anything hard and fast, rulewise. After all, it’s not like just anyone can pick up a foil and win fencing or a pair of skates and win speed skating, so why not Olympic Wheelchair racing?
Katereed: they LOOK to be cheetah legs…but not sure if they are newly designed or what….the article in the NYT was interesting and had lots more info.
I’ve read they are not the latest greatest model. The committee was thinking they would provide too much advantage but they aren’t really as springy as they look, apparently. If they were, more para-athletes would be blowing by their two-legged bretheren
Oscar Pistorius is a recent discovery for me and I love the “making of” video for the ad campaign. Hawt. Not that excited about the scent but I’ll smell it for fun if I see it when I’m out and about.
Interesting experiment with the bottle…
Tama: at least the experiment was successful…the bottle still sprayed after the “operation.” The person I gave it to was happy for a free fragrance.
I did the same thing with my A*Men and B*Men bottles a couple of months back, and the sprayer actually works BETTER without the rubber casing. The spray comes out much more forcefully and in a finer mist, so it’s easier to apply and “dose” how much Mugler nerve gas you’ll need (read: Not Very Much). I agree that the rubber flask looks cheaper in person than in pics, but the metal version is fabulous.
As for Pure Shot, I thought it sounded lame when first announced, and I’m not surprised to hear it’s a letdown. This sounds like a rush job to cash in on the Olympic hooplah, and “rush job” generally isn’t Mugler’s style. What gives? A*Men’s Taste of Fragrance was a bust too, IMO. I’d honestly like to see the A* series retired for good – meaning, no more additional flankers – and a completely new men’s flagship launched (ala Alien and Womanity after Angel).
Hmmm, yes, how about M*alien 😛
I think M*alien is a brilliant idea! Why didn’t they think of that? Now that would have the potential to be far more interesting than a sport fragrance.
I also like the bottle much better without the plastic casing.
Don’t forget M*anaty! It could even have an brackish dark (sounds better than swamp) water flanker…M*anatee!
Subhuman: GLAD I was not the only slasher. The spray nozzle DOES work better without that soft vinyl covering. Wonder if T Mugler will be an Olympic sponsor….
The review was a lot more fun and interesting than the scent! Interesting to learn about Pistorius, and for some reason, your vandalism of the bottle made me laugh. Thanks, Kevin! 🙂
Rappleyea: ha! You’re welcome…it was a workout to get off that plastic.
Could someone inform me if there´s any resemblance with A*MAN SUNESSENCE? just curious… Haven´t seen Pure Shot here Amsterdam yet. Thanks (-:
Antaeus: not to my nose…but Sunessence was so forgettable I can barely remember it.