A repeat of a poll we did back in 2009. Name any or all of the following:
1. A man's fragrance that can easily be borrowed by women.
2. A woman's fragrance that can easily be borrowed by men.
3. Layering combinations you use to tilt a fragrance's "gender" in the opposite direction.
Or, just tell us anything you want about gender and fragrance.
Good afternoon fragrance community!
1. Women can easily borrow Prada Amber Pour Homme.
2. Men can easily borrow Hermes Hiris (I suppose, can’t they?)
I failed at one of my exams and I’ll be re-taking it in two weeks. It made me sad since I’ve heard the news the day after my birthday. I’m feeling better now and I’ll do my best at re-take.
Yesterday I bought my birthday perfume which, at the same time is my first purchase in 2013.
SotD is Atelier Cologne Sous le Toit de Paris.
Ack, sorry about the exam and best of luck with the re-take. You can do it!
I was really sad when I found out the result. Will need to work harder and let’s hope I’ll make it!
Lucas, the course I think of most often from graduate school is a math course in which I flunked the mid-term, then redoubled my efforts and aced the final. That taught me more than anything else!
Me too! I have very fond memories of spending endless hours at the math’s department library, eating there, drinking loads of coffee until they closed, doing all the exercises from all the books… (Actually I got hooked, I’m still sort of doing that.)
I had a math course during my 1st year at university. It was really tough and I had to re-take one semester then. I remember some things well until now.
So sorry about your exam results, I know how discouraging that can be. You can do it, though. Sending positive thoughts your way!
Thank you! I’ll study my hardest to perform the best I can at the re-take.
Sorry about the exam – but I’m glad you get to retake it – so good luck! Which perfume did you buy for your birthday?
I used the occasion of free shipping all over the world and bought a bottle of Carner Barcelona D600.
Yes, I remember that that was what you were planning on!
Just make sure you take a short walk every day, Lucas, it’s good for your back. And wearing a long lasting perfume that keeps you good company is very important, but you now that. I wore Magie Noire in those days. The good ole days, when Lancome would sell stuff like that. In the future, when all perfume smell of bacon, you willl have fond memories of Prada and Rose anonyme!
Thank you Solance for your caring thoughts. Of course I remember about going out for a walk (usually with my old doggie) and breathe some fresh air. My Prada scents and Rose Anonyme are my usual choices for studying and taking exams so yes, I’ll have some good memories.
1. I don’t know how easy it is but I have been craving and wearing Le Troisiemme Homme lately. I recently discovered that Montale Boise Vanille gives a similar effect (lots of lavender) but is easier to wear.
2. Anything! I love when men wear feminines, florals and sweet perfumes. It’s more surprising and disarming. I also love when men wear pastels.
3. Nothing comes to mind but my instinct says to make anything more feminine, add rose, and to make it more masculine, add patchouli.
Agree w/ #2!
Isn’t rose considered a masculine scent in the middle-East?
I wish it were here!
Here in Saudi Arabia, rose combined with oudh is a staple among masculine fragrances. But rose as a soliflore, I do not think so..
Yes, men in all female fragrances! – so divine and not at all effeminate (not that that’s a negative, anyway). It’s surprising more men don’t do it. Poor guys who are condemned to a lifetime of sporty-spicy-sexy-musky – they all smell the same!
2. Men can easily wear Chanel Cuir de Russie, at least in the Les Exclusives EdT version. I have not smelled the extrait, which I understand is wonderful. I think that a lot of classic feminines tend to smell unisex these days because of the super sweet, fruity, girly trend in modern mainstream feminines.
I agree that many classic feminines smell unisex but I’d go further and say it’s because the super sweet, fruity, girly trend is also present in modern masculines. People don’t seem to even realise how candified many modern mainstream frags aimed at younger men are. It’s something I’ve been noticing a lot in the recent years.
Extrait is less aldehydic, much more of a velvety soft leather – really spectacular. Different enough in feel to warrant both formulations.
Yes, and Bois des Iles extrait too I think. I still haven’t tried the Bois des Iles EdT.
1. A man’s fragrance that can easily be borrowed by women.
Eau Sauvage, Habit Rouge, Terre d’Hermes, Pour Monsieur, Dior Homme.
2. A woman’s fragrance that can easily be borrowed by men
Diorella! More blokes should wear Diorella. No, more people should wear Diorella. Ditto Bandit.
Does anyone remember which perfumer supposedly quipped “put Pour Homme on the label” when asked how to make a masculine version of a popular feminine fragrance?
Ha, no, but love the story.
Hahaha–funny ‘cuz it’s true.
So true: the world would be a better place with more Diorella! We had a warm-up this week and I spritzed on Diorella for the first time in a couple of months. It was a GOOD day!
Pierre Bourdon, IIRC. I love that quote.
1. Gucci Pour Homme! Best incense eva’!
2. I’ve heard some mention Eau Suave as a possibility … I’d love to smell this on a guy!
Oh, I like to wear Eau Suave 🙂
1) Rochas Man, 1 Million, Clinique Happy, Prada Amber…
2) Obsession, Must de Cartier Parfum.
3) None, but that’s an excellent idea! Thanks! 🙂
I would love to smell Obsession for women on a man. The man’s version is a bit too much like shaving cream for my taste.
If it weren’t the strong civet I would buy it for sure! It’s much more manly than the Obsession Men in my opinion. 🙂
I’m a man and I wore the women’s Obsession for about a year and a half. I found it entirely unisex. (Got several compliments on it, too, from both genders.) I think the latest version is a(nother) reformulation, though; I find it less dark and resinous than the version I wore, and without that bitter-green kick in the opening.
It’s gorgeous, except for the civet that’s too much on the version I know.
I bought a bottle of Yatagan right before Xmas and I have been wearing the absolute heck out of it. Mind you, I don’t get the naughty bots, just the most deliciously realistic dry, slightly sweet pine needles and something warm. I assume the warm is the beaver butt, and I hope that it’s a matter of my skin absorbing the skank and not that I am anosmic to it and unsuspectingly projecting huge amounts of pissiness all around me! No one has complained and my mama would be the first to let me know, so I assume my skin is eating it.
I also wear Declaration a lot, and was surprised to find it was a men’s scent, mainly because the bottle strikes me as femme.
I think many men could get away with the big scents I prefer; Jub 25, Party in Manhattan, Poivre.. and even some of the dryer ones Like Y.
I was watching a rerun of 3rd rock from the sun, where Harry is in a dept store shaking a massive factice of Y. These days it would have been something like Juicy Couture!
That sounds worth watching just for the scene. Which ep?
Don’t remember the name, it was mid season 1 – Harry gets a job as a perfume sprayer for Orca mens cosmetics. Phil Hartmann was in it.
Lucky you to be able to wear Declaration! On paper, it should be perfect for me but it just didn’t work; I got a note kind of like Ajax cleanser. I wish I knew what causes that smell because I get it in several otherwise gorgeous perfumes.
Some woods go all Ajax-y on me. And it varies, because cedar is a big offender and yet the cedar in Declarations doesn’t do that. Cedar can also get pissy on me. Not sure why Declarations works so well for me, but I’m glad it does,
Have you tried Yatagan?
Funny; I adore Declaration but every once in a while I get a bit of a dryer-sheet vibe from the drydown. (Which, after all the talk of Declaration’s dirty sweaty stankiness, makes me wonder if my nose is broken or everyone else’s.)
JF, I read an interview with the amazing Iris Apfel who said that she always used to wear Mitsouko, but Guerlain no longer makes it like they used to. She switched to her husband’s Yatagan, instead!
Oooooh, I am in excellent company, then! 🙂
Well, now you’ve intrigued me! I am going to have to try Yatagan next time I go perfume shopping. (That may not be for awhile, as I just did purchases that mean I have to confess big time to Donatella!)
1. Boucheron Jaipur pour homme
2. I wish more men would wear Mitsouko, Cuir de Russie and Bois des Iles
3. I personally think most stuff is interchangeable, but I wear a dab of Bottega Veneta (bought the refill bottle just so I could dab and not spray) over Iris Poudre butter for a deeper aspect. Since BV is soft suede, it works well with the soft iris.
I need to try that combo!
1. A few of my favorite masculines to wear are Tom Ford Noir, Marc Jacobs Bang and the sadly discontinued Christian LaCroix Tumulte Pour Homme. Oh, and Caron Pour Homme. Lots of masculines are easy to transition imo but I prefer the wood/leather blends rather than the citrus or shaving cream kind.
2. My husband loves Shalimar on me and tried the cologne on himself. It smells wonderful on him and I had to get him his own bottle.
3. I think Coty Wild Woods is supposed to be a masculine but I use it as an all purpose woodifier whenever I think a fragrance needs a little “grounding”. One of my favorite combinations is Karl Lagerfeld Kapsule Oriental with Wild Woods, mainly because the Kapsules were designed to be layered with each other and I couldn’t locate a bottle of the wood based one.
Thanks for the poll! I always pick up new ideas from everyone 🙂
Funny, I can’t stand Shalimar in any concentration BUT cologne! Cologne avoids the too sharp bergamot top and has much more smoky tonka.
The cologne can be sprayed with abandon, too. It’s one of my favorite bedtime scents.
I’m to receive a sample of this classic from a generous true friend. Can’t wait to smell it!
Wow, you can wear TF Noir?
Yes I love it, but I’m a post menopausal cranky old broad. Sweet florals wither at the sight of me. 🙂
Ha, ha – I need to try Noir!
LOL! Still, I thought the Noir was the one TF masculine that couldn’t lean femme. That’s pretty cool if you can coax it that way.
That’s funny about your husband with Shalimar. I read that Habit Rouge was originally created for men who wanted to wear Shalimar but didn’t want to wear a “women’s fragrance”. I’m not sure where I read it, maybe Luca Turin wrote it. Anyway, I can’t wear Shalimar unless it’s truly vintage and that’s too much of a hassle. I wear Habit Rouge edp and I adore it!
2. A woman’s fragrance that can easily be borrowed by men.
I think TM Black Orchid can be worn by a man. At least, I can imagine myself wering during winter time, with a good suite.
I think you need the right attitude, I was almost about to buy, but I have so many “winter/heavy” fragrances, and have to save for summer ones (which I found har to find).
Read somewhere an interview with Eddie Redmayne where he says this is what he wears!
Good catch!
I ‘ve just found it on the Telegraph
http://fashion.telegraph.co.uk/news-features/TMG9134815/Eddie-Redmayne-on-fashion-freckles-and-his-modelling-sideline.html#
The favorite masculines in my collection are Derby and A*Men Pure Havane. I may wear L’Ame d’Un Heros today.
If you are a man please wear Violet Blonde. If you think about it, it doesn’t say that the blonde in question is female.
Lys, I agree 100% with your TF Violet Blonde comment!
Me too! Violet Blonde on a man would be very sexy.
Oh, I am going to have to contemplate this idea. I would have said (hm totally contrary to what I just posted below) that a lot of what I like about Violet Blonde is very specific to how it plays on women–I really love that it’s kind of an edged-up cosmetic powder scent, this very feminine thing turned around and played not as soft or tender but as a power scent. I find that reversal super sexy, but it’s less obvious to me whether it would have the same pleasing surprise on a dude… but now I’m super curious! I need some test subjects for these ideas 🙂
Not to be toooo much of a wet blanket, but “blonde” is female, and “blond” is male.
Absolutely. It’s like a more luxe, velvety Grey Flannel.
SOTD = SSS To Dream
1. Men’s fragrance easily worn by women – Amouage Jubilation XXV, L’Occitane Eau des Baux. Also, due to lack of space, my Nordstrom displays Voyage d”Hermes Parfum in the men’s section; for me, it does smell more masculine but I think it can be worn by women and smell feminine
2. Women’s fragrance easily worn by men – FM Carnal Flower
3. Layering – hmmm, rose to make more feminine (perhaps The Body Shop Moroccan Rose or Crabtree & Evelyn Rosewater) or vanilla to make more unisex (The Body Shop Vanilla!)
You smell dreamy today 🙂
I always thought Voyage and Voyage Parfum are unisex scents. They smell like they’re unisex.
Agree on Voyage being entirely unisex. I tried the parfum edition in Amsterdam last week – more spices but a lot less sprightliness imho.
Actually I find both editions of Voyage quite fleeting. They don’t last longer than 3-4 hours on my skin while other didn’t complain about longevity.
The original edition is really more of a cologne. It’s the only fragrance I spritz à la Kevin ;).
I actually had an FB of the original Voyage in its really unique bottle and I used it quite a bit before I sold it — I don’t even recall what replaced it from a heavy rotation standpoint (maybe Kelly Caleche). In any case, I found that to be the more feminine side of unisex while the heavier Parfum more masculine. I have a sample somewhere of the parfum…perhaps I will use my own suggestion to feminize it 🙂
Who cares about perfume genders these days. Just suit yourself, right?
I’ve got samples of both Hermes Voyage versions. When it becomes warmer I may do a comparison review.
Some stores make some crazy stuff. I already saw female perfumes on male sections… Voyage D’Hermès is unisex and imo it’s really very neutral on genders.
I think stores are missing the opportunity to cross-sell when the women’s and men’s fragrance sections are not adjacent or grouped together by house. Really, to echo what Lucas said above, “Who cares about perfume gender these days?”
I agree completely to you, but I do remember Lucas caring about genders. lol.
Totally agree on Eau de Baux – it is lovely and I have thought about buying it several times. Wish I could get my man to wear scent as I would make him wear this one!
I wear Le Troisieme Homme, Derby, Habit Rouge, Eau Sauvage, and Guerlain Vetiver, among others…the monsieur wears TF Violet Blonde, hooray for me!
1. As a rule I prefer unisex perfumes and have few ostentatiously feminine fragrances. I own and wear Chanel Egoiste, Guerlain Vetiver, Guerlain Homme, Dior Homme, Thierry Mugler Cologne, Burberry Brit for Men, Humiecke & Graef Askew, John Varvatos Artisan, and Rochas Man. I usually say you can’t make me wear vanilla unless it’s in a man’s fragrance ;).
2. Although the DH and I share a few fragrances I have not managed to tease him into trying any bottles labeled “for women”. So no recommendations yet (must work harder on using trickery :)).
I had a female teacher who wears Dior Homme. It fits her skin better than mine.
Today I am trying the DH’s newest purchase, Terre d’Hérmés, which he bought on Schiphol last week. It’s fabulous on him, reminding me of Kourus but more sophisticated and wellbehaved (in a good way). He wore Kouros back in the 80’s when we met but can’t wear it anymore, he’s more sensitive to scents nowadays.
Anyway. I do love TdH on me as well :). So adding that one to my crossover list :).
My sister loves Egoiste and Habit Rouge and my mother used to drench herself in Fahrenheit in the late eighties. My husband dislikes a lot of male perfumes but he enjoys my scented shower gels and uses them when I get tired of them (Eternity, Trésor, No.19, For Her by Narciso Rodriguez….). The only real female scent he ever used in eau de toilette-concentration was Eau des Merveilles by Hermes. In my opinion EdM has no female characteristics – it is unisex.
And what about me? It seems that I am the only member of the family who does not participate in “cross-scenting”. But this is because I love flowers and I don’t get enough of them in the male fragrances.
I find Egoiste a little bit animalic on my skin. I don’t know how it develops in her. May be great. Many male perfumes develop so good on female skins! A*Men is gorgeous in my sister!
We sometimes refer to Egoiste as smelling of applecake and do not notice the “beast”. And what concerns my sister’s skin chemistry her skin differs a lot from mine. It is so dry and fair – you would not believe that we are sisters. But there is another point : My sister’s bottle is a few years old, at least 5 or 6 years or even older. And Chanel does a lot of reformulating especially in the base notes because of the EU restrictions. So her Egoiste might be totally different from the stuff they sell these days.
Interesting. Mine and my sister’s are somehow similar, but some fragrances develop diferently.
I also used to drench myself in Fahrenheit in the late eighties!
It was gorgeous to catch a wave of Fahrenheit in those days! I tried it again a few years ago but the magic was gone. I even hated the drydown which lasted for hours… Sometimes I would like to find out if it is the reformulation or my own perception which has changed my tastes! Or perhaps my taste has changed my perception? But in any case they are reformulating the expensive juices every now and then!
I agree with basically everyone above who’s said… all of them? On the one hand, SO many gender designations seem completely arbitrary to start with. But even the fragrances that do seem to fit into whatever passing trends count as gender categories right now (as Abyss points out, it’s hard to keep track!)–transgression is pretty sexy, so by all means! Wear something contrasting!
That said, I think it is extra-crazy that Spicebomb is being marketed as the “men’s” V&R. I bet it would sell at least as well in the women’s department. (I mean, I am sure it smells great on men too, just that there’s nothing about it that strikes me as distinctively or exclusively male.)
As for the other direction, I’m still looking for a dude to wear some OJ Sampaquita. (Volunteers?!)
Me!!!!!!!!
Awesome–international NST meet-up! 🙂
Yeah! You are free to rock me a sample dear! 😀
For a long time, my local Nordstrom had Spicebomb in the women’s AND men’s fragrance sections. Not sure if they were trying to sell it to women, or get women to buy it for men.
Smart call either way, by Nordstrom! And smarter than Viktor & Rolf, whose packaging choices do not do a lot to facilitate crossover sales…
well, it is all mainly a matter of marketing and dosage I guess…but I love my vetivers, and I can imagine quite a few (ambery) florals on men… maybe not the more in-your-face-sweet-fruity-floral stuff (which is not my cup of tea anyway)
I do like ambery florals! Yum!
Off-topic but want to hear people’s experience with the following:
Sorting some samples and, surprise, my Barney’s decant spray vials (glass, abt 3 ml) were pretty much all of a sudden evaporated. I have a few StC decants in 2 and 3 ml spray vials. Is this the norm – the seal reliably being bad or the plastic lid facilitating evaporation on these type of vials? Do I need to transfer everything into scientific-type screw-top vials sans sprayers if I want to keep them past 1 year?
Also, how about my 5ml decant with the lovely purple tape StC helpfully bound the cap with. Does this taped-up set-up allow the contents to stay put?
All my self-decanted vials with screw lids have not a lick of evaporation. My samples are stored at room temp, central air. Advice?
I am also interested to hear thoughts on this! Mine are all sealed in tiny plastic ziplock baggies (of the variety Sephora gives out), and so far so good, just one sample evaporated so far (of 80 or so?) But I don’t have any long-term data, as I only started collecting them six months ago, so I’d love to hear advice on what further precautions might be necessary!
Sorry to hear it happened.
I had Attrape Coeur and Vetiver Pour Elle in 5ml spray bottles from TPC which evaporated when still at least half full 🙁 It’s yet to happen to any dabbing vials or official spray samples so I assumed that self-decanted spray bottles are likely the problem. That’s one of the reasons that I don’t do decants.
Attrape Coeur and VpE? Observing a moment of silence.
Not evaporation, but I got a bunch of samples from FIF- you know how thy tape them? Well one cap wasn’t snapped on properly so when I tore the tape off, my vial of Erolfa spilled all over my wood kitchen counter. The good news is Erolfa smells awesome soaked in wood!
When I first started exploring scent, I was really drawn towards the masculines. I found the women’s section of the department store too girly and weak. (I guess I still feel that way, but now I realize that it was a weakness of department store frags, not an opposition to feminine scents!)
Of my early explorations, I still wear Egoiste regularly. And there are lines like Serges Lutens and Tauer that I find especially non-gender-specific. Something about their complexity and spiciness.
Agree with your comment about Tauer! I’d think any of the ones I’ve tried could be unisex (even Lonestar Memories, of which I’m especially fond).
I had a (female) friend in college who loved Egoiste. I remember her saying that it was the only perfume she ever liked.
Same here. And even w/ some niche brands, prefer the masculines because they don’t tend to be as sweet.
FYI, there is an interesting piece this weekend on The Splendid Table (a public radio broadcast and website – no affiliation) entitled “Follow your nose: Discovering a city’s smellscape.” It’s an interview with Victoria Henshaw, a research associate at the University of Manchester in architecture and urbanism who has examined the role of smell in urban design. She leads smell tours of cities and tells about using the sense of smell to discover new places.
interesting… gonna check it out, thank’s!
Thanks, that sounds really interesting!
Interesting — she sounds like a Sissel Tolaas type.
1. Amouage Dia Man – I love it on myself, and after the (delicious) initial blast of vetiver is gone, it feels really feminine (in a black Armani kind of way) and polished on my skin.
I love Armani anything Pour Homme. I really like Prada the blue juice in the standard glass. Side rectangle it is with the sprayer on one side. I like to mix my Prada frags with the mans version. Especially Amber, Milano, and l’Eau Ambree.
I also think a lot of the Tauer and Costume National Scents are gender neutral. As well, I think Timbuktu and Dzonka by my beloved L’Artisan are gender equal. But I love wearing them. Another surprise is Gucci Sport. Love that and the Amouage men’s fragrance/s.
Habanita smells soooo sexy on men!
Also Portrait of a Lady!
I’m surprised no-one has mentioned Le Labo’s Rose 31. It is marketed towards men but lots of women wear it (me too). Also – Patchouli 24. Bulgari Black I bought for myself but ultimately gave to my teenage son, who smells divine in it.
I love wearing Black, and receive lots of compliments when doing so!
In my Sephora, the Black is on the men’s side. I think that one they have a hard time figuring where to put it!
Bulgari Black was one of my first down the rabbit hole frags! But, I much preferred it on my b.f. and so gave it to him. He has no interest in scent whatsoever, but sometimes wears it for me:)
Ha you know honestly I love Rose 31 and Bvlgari Black enough that I kinda forget they are “borrowed”.
Rochas Man could be great on a woman. I love Bulgari Aqua (and many others with the word “aqua” in their title) and Ocean Wet Wood. Chamade Pour Homme has a feminine enough top note. Vol de Nuit is a good unisex fragrance.
I long for the day when the perfume dept. will not be segregated. It would be much easier for SA’s to sell if each company’s displays were both men’s and women’s, rather than housed in areas far, far apart.
I encourage everyone to try everything, regardless of gender or label! There’s only one way to find out what works for you, and that’s to wear it.
Personally, I love vetivers, which are often marketed as masculine, and a lot of the other masculines mentioned above, such as Egoïste. There are some harsh masculines with strong lavender, citrus or chemical notes that smell too masculine for me, but these are often scents that I don’t like on men either. Frankly I find the density of many of the FMs a bit masculine. There must be some very sweet or fluffy floral scents that are too feminine for men, though I wouldn’t care to place any bets.
I’ve noticed that most of my favorite perfumes are totally unisex (like the Turtle Vetiver series or scents like Timbuktu). Probably, freeing the perfumer from gender strictures and stereotypes supports creativity. Also, complex, high quality scents like Vol de Nuit are really unisex – the art transcends artificial boundaries.
I’m too passive a consumer for the most part to try to “tip” a fragrance – I wear it or I don’t, with the exception of a few experiments in layering.
But I’m finding that on the far side of the ambers I’ve been wearing are leathers, and those I feel do tiptoe towards the overtly masculine. So I’d say add leather to make it masculine?
And I agree with those above who’ve said men can wear anything – I’ve smelled all kinds of glorious flowers on glorious men. I do think, though, that gourmands lean way feminine – no one should really smell like Pink Sugar, but I think a man wearing Pink Sugar might reasonably be perceived to be pushing gender lines. I don’t actually smell a lot of vanillas on men.
I think jasmines (especially drier ones like Le Labo’s) smell fantastic on men;
I think vetivers with floral backgrounds (like Fleurs de Sel or Vetiver Pour Elle) are gorgeous on women and kind of groundbreaking.
Which leads me to a question: I’m helping a younger friend pick out some new things to sniff, and she normally loves incense and patchouli, but loves lavender in the household. Any incensey lavenders out there (for men or women) for her to try? Or non-gourmandy lavenders (I don’t think she’d like Pour Un Homme, for instance.)
While I haven’t tried it, Serge Lutens Encens et Lavande sounds like just what she needs!
BK A Taste of Heaven is great, and it’s usually easy to find the individual travel refill vials on ebay, for an affordable option.
I *can’t* wear it but Lutens’ Gris Clair specifically is a smoky lavender. Reminds me of candle smoke. It is seriously one of the best perfumes I’ve ever smelled. Also, it’s a “regular” (non-exclusive) Lutens.
My skin-type amps the amber into “rancid fat” territory. So try before you buy, but on most people it should be fine.
I love and wear Penhaligons Lavandula, a musky lavender – I know it gets no love from LT but I happen to adore it.
Great suggestions, these! I’d never tried those Serges so would never would have thought of them – going to get some samples straightaway. And the Taste of Heaven is readily at hand – also will try the musky lavender, that sounds good for *me*! Thanks!
The man (Alex?) who runs Jacqueline Perfume in San Francisco’s Union Square has a men’s area and a women’s area. However, he said that when he was a boy in France, pre-WW II, his family just kept a bottle of scent on a shelf above the sink. Everyone used it, every day — none of this men’s or women’s nonsense! Now, people want to be told which is which, he said.
What sort of scents were they, I wonder, i.e., colognes, for example?
1. PdN’s Patchouli Intense originally started as a male fragrance, and I had it on heavy rotation this winter.
2.I don’t have as much personal experience with this one, but I definitely agree that Violet Blonde would work easily for men. I also find some spritzes missing from many of my Atelier Cologne’s, but I think the bulk of those are intended to be unisex.
3. I have two combos I like to play with in the summer: Gray Flannel with Fragonard’s Eau Fantasque (my husband hates Eau Fantaasque but really likes the combo, oddly enough) and Penhaligon’s Blenheim Bouquet with Hiris.
Those are intriguing combos, Squirrely!
Grey Flannel would work well with many florals IMO. I would like to try it with an oriental floral.
1.I own bottles of Terre d’Hermes, Guerlain Vetivier and Fleur de Male wich I think work very well as feminines. Ormonde Man is another good one.
I’m another fan of vetiver in a fragrance, and in fact wore Fleurs de Sel one day last week. (Just thought of this when reading through a post above that mentions this one!) After a few hours, the floral notes become a little more pronounced on me.
1. Before we were married, my husband and I were traveling in Paris and wandered into Maitre Parfumeur et Gantier… that was about 17 years ago. He purchased ‘Racine” a gorgeous vetiver, and I have borrowed it many times over the years (not the same bottle…). I love it. It smells of vetiver gardens, gardening, water, sun…the best, and my husband of course!
2. Many of them! From Arpege to Zen.
3. It is not a gender thing, but if I need to tone down sweet florals (either I have put too much of something on, or too much of too many things on, or I just plain am tired of some vague floral-ness emanating from my wrists–I sprits on a litte Dune. For the opposite problem–too earthy spicy for my mood, I sprits on a little Bulgari pour Femme.
I can see how Bulgari Pour Femme would work well for that purpose!
1- Maybe body shop kistena?
2- definitely J Lo still, that one was so classy elegant & just amazingly unisex
I agree about Kistna being relatively unisex.
There is a man in Illinois that could only be made better with a little
La Fille de Berlin.
I am not a rose lover, but this one is beautiful.
Now, to just try and wrestle him to the ground for application.
Hmm… I wonder who that could be, hmm…
1.) I’ve been wearing Bvlgari Black all day! I also love SL Muscs Koublai Khan and my most recent purchase is L’Artisan Parfumeur Al Oudh. I have a bottle of Aramis because I just love it, but it is so “masculine” I feel a little guilty wearing it and am careful to apply so sparingly that it is my little secret. ha ha
2.) Lancôme Magie Noir would be nice on a man.
3.) I think Etat Libre d’Orange Rien is brilliant, but a little scary, so I balance it out a smidge by spraying over it with something amber-y (either Shalimar or Parfums Corania Ambre). Then I love it doubly so! Plus, the pungence of the civet cuts the sweetness of my amber-y perfumes.
Rien is terrific but quite overwhelming, especially for the first hour and also first thing in the morning, so sometime I add a spritz of Demeter Gingerale to soften the first blast, until I am ready to be an Executive Lady (or imitation thereof).
I tested victoria’s secret bombshell last night & was it very masculin? and I’m not exaggerating or anything like that even my mother noticed along with a male saler assistant.
Scent of the day is Cartier Declaration EDT. It is possible that I wear more masculine fragrances than feminine. Masculines are bracing in the morning when I need to wake up. I wear Yatagan, Encre Noire, Zino, Spicebomb, Dior Homme, Vintage Le Male, Habit Rouge. My Husband likes Chanel #5 and layers it with a little Tabac to butch it up!
I have used up two bottles of my husband’s Givenchy Pi and now have my own bottle that he occasionally borrows. I wear it alone but mostly with another vanilla/musk heavy scent. It works very well with KL’s Sun Moon Stars and BBW’s Warm Vanilla Sugar (from a couple of years back.) I also use it on my bed linens and in my jeans drawer.
1. I wear Bulgari Black, which is on the men’s side at Sephora. I like Musc Ravageur and Eau Sauvage too. I also think women could wear Givenchy Pi and men’s Obsession. I also like L’Occitane’s Eau des Baux. It smells like a slightly lighter concentration of TF Tobacco Vanille. I’m not sure if Musc Tonkin is supposed to be a masculine or feminine but I think it can go both ways.
2. Kevin did an article some time back about wearing Mitsouko as a man, so there you go. I think a man could pull off Jubilation 25, Shalimar, Omnia, and some jasmines. Feminine leather fragrances, like Cuir Fetiche, Cuir Venenum, Bottega Veneta or Boxeuses could be pretty great on a guy too.
3. I don’t think of it so much as a gender thing, but if I have a floral that I think needs a base under it, I’ll layer it with Knize Ten or Tauer Pentachord Verdant (PV makes a good combo with Diptyque Do Son). L’Air du Desert Marocain would probably be good for layering with florals too. I haven’t tried the latter yet.. it just occurred to me. It would probably be pretty great layered with rose. Incense Rose Intense, maybe?
So I had a particularly fragrant day today. I racked up a couple of sins to confess to Donatella at the end of the quarter..heh. I decided a bottle of Bottega Veneta needed to come home with me. And I went to Lush and got some Grass shower gel and a 9ml of The Smell of Freedom (and the SA threw in a sample of Flying Fox shower gel too). I’m a happy smelly camper.
I’ve layered Mugler cologne w/ Le Male and it worked really well 4 me. I got a nice powdery sent of the vanilla in Le male w/the citrus in Mugler Cologne. ..
1) Versace Dreamer and Mugler’s cologne, Fleur du Male
2) Cinnabar and Aliage I think smell more masculine then things that are marketed to men nowadays, also Clarins Eau Dynamisante is a gentle chypre that works well on everyone
3) Not sure, I don’t mix perfumes
I’ve always loved Thierry Mugler Cologne. Glad you mentioned it.
Yes, it’s the simplicity that wins me over every time.
Oh more to the second point – I love Safari by Ralph Lauren, I think it will work well on any man as well
My first fragrance purchase this year has been Gaultier 2! Like others I was planning on using rather than buying this year, but there was a sale at a discount pharmacy and…
The concept behind Gaultier2 was not so much to be unisex as to be sexy for both genders and thus perfect for sharing. I can’t really imagine it on a man, but so far every fragrance I have really liked – I have liked on a man as well.
I think a more telling question than 1 or 2 would actually be what scents are too feminine for a man to wear and which are too masculine for a woman. The reason is that I think they are, for the most part, so interchangeable.
Like other women I love Eau de Beaux. I also like to wear M7 (second formulation – one that came before Oud absolue) I think Le Male with its powerful vanilla is good for women (though it does have an old barber shop feel). In my collection is also Encre Noir and Pure Havane.
Other male frags I would wear include Fareheit, in particular the absolute and also Prada’s Amber pour homme intense.
I would like to huff ANY of the scents I enjoy off my guy!
For tipping frag one way or another i read somewhere that Ellena suggested layering M7 with Kenzo’s Flower. Personally, I like adding some Tea Rose to ambers when I want them a little more femme and, I sometimes use Apivita’s Woods under delicate florals when I want a bit more heft.
Happy weekend all! What a great discussion! I tend to gravitate toward’s men’s or unisex. Today I was thinking Wow it’s already March!! There are a couple of hundred year old river turtles in our area that I imagine will start waking up from winter and digging out of the riverbank mud soon. In honor of them, I put a few squirts of Aftelier Ancient resins on my hair and followed with a spritz of Guerlain Vetiver. It’s all rooty and resiny, like a crusty old turtle waking up from winter.
Great idea!
Perhaps you should have got hold of one of those Turtle Vetiver Front or Turtle Vetiver Back fragrances….I guess a return from hibernation would have warranted the Vetiver Back:)
Thanks for telling us about the centenarian turtles, Sajini, and the wonderful layering combination. I’ve love Vetiver and have been meaning to get Ancient Resins for ages. I also have Turtle Vetiver Front and Back, and really love them. Worth trying if you have a chance. Here’s to waking up from winter!
Hear, hear!
Lately I fell in love with Cartier Declaration EDT, and I was also tempted by the single spritz of Eau Sauvage I tried while in the airport a few months ago. The experience has made me interested in trying more “masculine” scents!
Rats, now “Dude Looks Like a Lady” is running through my head, and I blame this topic!
I think everyone should try Knize Ten — probably my favorite borrowing from the guys, though I also wear a lot of Bulgari Black (not sure that was actually meant to be a masculine, though, Sephora notwithstanding).
In general, leathers seem like they could work on anyone. Other people have mentioned Bandit and Cuir de Russie, and I also think Cuir de Lancome would be fabulous on a guy. Or vintage Cabochard.
1. I wear a lot of men’s scents. Fahrenheit and Fahrenheit 32, Egoiste, Eau Sauvage, CdG 2 Man and even Old Spice have been in my collection for a while, and Spicebomb is very near the top of my “to-buy” list. An ex-boyfriend of mine refused to even believe that Fahrenheit & 32 were for men, but he liked them on me. I wear a lot of unisex stuff too; Bulgari Black, Dzing!, CdG Avignon, Ouarzazate and Carnation.
2. I’d love to smell Bottega Veneta on a guy, and Cuir de Lancôme. Oh, and Cuir de Russie! A male friend of mine wears Clarins Eau Dynamisante and Chanel No19, and they’re great on him. In that vein, I think O de Lancôme would also be great on men.
Really though, like most perfumistas, I think we should all just disregard the marketing and wear what we like.
In a comment higher up I wondered what scent would be ‘too masculine’ for a woman and which would be too femme for a man. In terms of too femme the only one I can think of is CdG Daphne. Actually it may be nice on a man, but for some reason I always think of it as the most voluptuous womanly scent in my collection.
Does anyone have opinions on which are too masculine/too feminine for sharing?
I own a little bottle of the Geoffrey Beene classic, Grey Flannel. I hardly ever wear it and have nearly given it a away a few times, as it seems very masculine to me. But something makes me keep hold of it. In the winter there is some note in there that warms up a little, just a little, and which I suspect makes GF really very sexy, especially on a woman. It’s a very stern fragrance, but the bit I love is when that sternness finally relaxes.
Also, I love the bottle.
Adding: what could be fun with a fragrance like Grey Flannel would be to doll it up by wearing pinks or yellows etc. I’m not one for print dresses (or any sort of dresses) but I have a linen shirt in canary yellow that could be pretty wild with Grey Flannel! Maybe tomorrow ….
Perhaps you could soften it by adding something strong on vanilla, or else some rose? On the other hand, that could destroy it too!
I love contrasts so I love the idea of wearing it with a dress that is frilly and/or floral! Then again, though I seem to love buying dresses – the frequency with which I wear them is somewhat negligible…
Or, you could really mix things up by wearing the canary yellow linen shirt with a thin black tie! Not that I own any ties….
Me neither, but contrast is the thing, as you say. I will probably wear the shirt with pants in a subdued colour (I have a wardrobe full of them!). Not sure about accessories yet … 🙂
In the early frisky days of my relationship, he wore Grey Flannel and I wore JPG Classique… and one morning as I rushed out the door to work I was wearing the same clothes from the night before because I forgot my overnight bag and under the citcumstances I did not have time for a shower. When I got to the office the stereo-typical gay office manager leaned in and took a long sniff and smiled and said “hmmmm, Beene and Gaultier have a little AM romp?” so needless to say that particular combination brings a blush to my cheeks and pleasant memories.
How great is that Kenzo ad? I’ve never seen it before.
I watched a gardening program last night in which Monty Don did a tour of southern Italian gardens. The last and most beautiful garden he went to was the Ninfa garden; the inspiration for Goutal’s Ninfeo Mio. I love Ninfeo Mio but that garden was something else. That alone would be worth a visit to Italy!