We have another Monday Mail request. Chris wants our help deciding on his first "serious" fragrance purchase — he's willing to invest some money and time to find the right scent — and he'd like to explore more niche lines. He's looking for a day-wear signature scent, something that makes him feel good. While it doesn't necessarily have to be entirely office-safe, it should be something that isn't offensive to others. Chris lives near a big city so has good access to stores, and he can spend up to $300. Here is what we know about Chris:
Chris is in his early 30s and lives in the US.
In his free time, he likes hiking, swimming, standup comedy, technology and golf.
His perfect fragrance would be uplifting, masculine, and would stand out to some degree. He'd also like something with decent longevity.
Chris thinks he likes green notes, vetiver, woods, citrus, tea, and pepper notes. He also likes dry and bitter fragrances, and earthy notes.
Chris doesn't like sweet fragrances, and he's not a big fan of incense or oud notes.
Here are some of the fragrances Chris has sampled or owned:
Frédéric Malle Bois D'Orage (French Lover): Very close to what he's looking for. He likes its dry, woody nature, and the vetiver. He doesn't always like the cumin-type aspect.
Frédéric Malle Vétiver Extraordinaire: he liked it but preferred the Bois d'Orage.
Atelier Colognes Cedrat Enivrant: It's also in the running, but it doesn't have much longevity and he's not sure it would work well in colder weather.
Atelier Cologne Vetiver Fatal: He wouldn't buy it due to the incense/oud notes. He finds that the oud overpowers the other notes.
Chanel Allure Homme Edition Blanche: He owned it in the past but doesn't like it as much now, maybe he doesn't want that much lemon/vanilla/leather?
Tom Ford Grey Vetiver and Terre de Hermes: He likes both of them, prefers the Tom Ford, but a lot of people wear it and he'd like something more niche. He also thinks he'd get bored of the Tom Ford.
Bulgari Pour Homme: He owns it and likes it, and will still wear it when he wants to be "covert", but would like something more forward / less transparent.
Creed Original Vetiver: He likes it, but he likes the opening (green notes) more than the ending (soapy).
Creed Green Irish Tweed: This one is also in the running. It seems more universally appealing and classic than the Bois d'Orage, but he's more drawn to the Bois d'Orage.
Gucci Pour Hommme II: He likes it, but it has poor longevity.
What say you?
Note: top image is Bologna - no bill posting [cropped] by on1stsite. at flickr; some rights reserved.
Jo Malone Mandarin, Lime and Basil. You can easily get a sample living in a large city and it is pleasant and innocuous while also being different.
And Dame Perfumery’s Citrus Man, Leather Man or Herb Man.
+1 for Herb Man. I haven’t tried the others but I’m sure they’re great.
Great, a brand new line to try. Thanks!
I will try it, the notes sound great!
Has he tried YSL L’Homme and Prada Amber Pour Homme? Not niche, I guess and maybe too common(?), but I really love both of those. Classy AND yummy.
I have tried L’Homme and agree that it’s classy and yummy, but still need to try Amber.
Try some perfumed soap to get an idea what you like before plunging in the deep end. Amber is always good. Also I smelled a Tom Ford sandalwood on a man and I wanted to follow him for awhile the spillage was so nice. Or buy one somewhere that offers lots of samples and try those before opening the fragrance. That way if you find one you like better the store should let you exchange an unopened bottle in a reasonable time.
Couple of my suggestions:
Prada Infusion de Vetiver,
Carner Barcelona Rima XI,
Liquides Imaginaires Succus,
Hermes Terre d’Hermes,
Dior Granville.
My suggestions:
Miller Harris Fleur de Sel
Lalique Encre Noir (just get a bottle of this it is almost free)
ELDO Tom of Finland and Fat Electrician
happy hunting
One more for idea: LesNez Let Me Play the Lion
Fat electrician…❤️
Maybe you should visit Le Labo, they have some scents that are not overly sweet and stand out (unless you live in NYC then you will blend in if you wear Santal 33
Eau De Hadrien by AG could be a nice one for the summer, Sables from this line as well.
The regular Egoiste by Chanel.
Sisley Champagne
I will second the AG and also add Eau de Sud by the same house.
I agree and would add AG Vetiver. It’s one of the best and has a touch of bitterness that makes it special.
Amen corner to these suggestions.
ALSO: Don’t feel that you need to always look in the men’s section- it’s fragrance, after all, which has no gender.
Agreed..I think la fille de berlin would smell so good on a man
Thank you all! I look forward to sniffing them. If I recall, there are Le Labo and AG counters here but I have yet to try their scents.
Looks like Chris has already tried a couple from this house, but if he’s interested in giving it another go, I’d say try Bois Blonds by Atelier Cologne. It’s got some of that dry, bitterness that he’s looking for and it’s got the green, woody, citrus notes (without soapiness) that he likes. He might not be a fan of the incense base, but I don’t find the incense to be that dominant, so maybe it would be okay?
And speaking of that, he might also like Parfumerie Generale Bois Blond ( different notes, similar name, awesome fragrance).
Thanks, I think I smelled it but was already enamored with the Cedrat, will sniff it again!
How about Chanel Sycomore? Worth getting hold of the discontinued EDT formula if you can – it’s a beautiful smoky woody vetiver, earthy but also polished – but also worth trying the new EDP to see if you like it.
Thanks, and I will look into how to try both versions.
When I started reading Chris’s likes, my first thought was Bois D’Orage (which I love), and I was interested to see that it was “very close” to what he was looking for. Malle’s Angelique Sous La Pluie is similar to Bois d’Orage, but lighter, and might be something to try out.
Still with Malle, but emphasizing the citrus angle, Chris might like to try Cologne Bigarade and Bigarade Concentree (although he might not like the cumin in these two).
Others that I think are worth a sniff:
Caron’s Yatagan
Pascal Morobito’s Or Black
Guerlain’s Vetiver
Guerlain’s Derby
Eau d’Italie’s Bois D’Umbrie
Roja Dove’s Vetiver pour Homme and (why not?) Enigma pour Homme
de Nicolai’s New York
Ormonde Man
and, if he likes rose at all, as a real wildcard, the current version of Lancome’s Magie Noire
Seconding Fat Electrician, suggested above by heleneviolette
Waving my church fan and amening over this list as well.
I think Magie Noire might be a perfect fit!
Thanks for the recommendations!
Have you tried Timbuktu from L’Artisan Parfumeur?
Not to my recollection.
Check out the Byredo offerings. I’ve always gotten great longevity from Super Cedar and Mister Marvelous. I like Mohave Ghost but not sure that would fall in the parameters here v
I will check these out, thank for the suggestion.
Amouage Bracken Man
Good choice!
Thanks, I haven’t tried this line and didn’t know where to start with it.
I would recommend trying Parfums de Marly line: in my opinion, they make interesting masculine perfumes (unfortunately, I can’t say that about their feminine line-up). My favorite is Darley.
Awesome, another all new line for me!
I’d second Amouage Bracken Man and also recommend Profumum Antico Caruso and two from Santa Eulalia, Marinis and Jesper. Jesper has some myrrh but it’s a green scent.
I appreciate the recommendations!
Maybe Histoires de Parfums 1828 (Jules Vernes)? From Fragrantica: “Top notes are grapefruit, citruses, eucalyptus and tangerine; middle notes are pepper and nutmeg; base notes are cedar, vetiver, pine tree and incense.”
I tried it a long time ago and remember it as a quality fougere/citrus/woody fragrance. Incense is listed, but I don’t think it’s noticeable.
Jules Verne is the correct spelling, of course.
Thank you, sounds like it will be up my alley.
Fou d’Absinthe, by L’Artisan Parfumeur, green and woody
De Bachmachov, by The Different Company, fresh greens
Sel de Vetiver, by The Different Company, fresh and salty vetiver
Hinoki, by Comme des Garçons, aromatic woods
Thanks!
If you like Grey Vetiver, wear Grey Vetiver. I doubt you will ever find yourself in a room crowded with Grey Vetiver scented gentlemen, and if you do, it will smell delightful.
Mono Di Orio also has a fine vetiver, with a ginger top note.
I also love Dove’s Grey Vetiver, but it would stretch your budget. (Bergdorf Goodman, which sells it,has occasional coupon sales where you get a discount per amount of regular priced items purchased.)
Le Lubin also has a vetiver
Beyond vetivers, I would recommend you at least give a sniff to Geranium Pour Monsieur (Geraniums plus mint) and IO Caprio (Tea).
I would also check out the range of sandalwood scents.
Thanks for the recommendations! I won’t write off Grey Vetiver.
BeauFort London “Fathom V”;
Maria Candida Gentile “Barry Lyndon”;
Chanel “Bel Respiro”.
Thanks!
Guerlain is the gold standard Vetiver, yet few men seem to know about it. Annick Goutal is my personal favorite, not as good as it use to be, but worth trying and has a touch of bitterness.
Also, since you appreciate that touch of bitterness, I would recommend some of the drier leathers like Heeley Cuir Pleine Fleur, Parfumerie General Cuir Venenum, and why not L’Artisan Parfumeur Dzing. If you can find Heeley, it’s also worth trying Sel Marin and Verveine d’Eugene.
For something really unusual and interesting, Bruno Fazzolari Lampblack combines vetiver with nagarmotha (cypriol), grapefruit, and other dry notes.
There are some other dry vetivers that would be worth trying: Oliver Durbano Black Tourmaline and Hermes Bel Ami Vetiver. Dior, Carven, and Givenchy all offer vetivers now and have their fans.
Happy hunting!
Cuir Pleine Fleur!
I love Cuir Pleine Fleur (great suggestion, great longevity and presence, and pleasing without being average), but I actually jumped on to strongly second Lampblack, because I think it’s a perfect fit. It’s an amazing fragrance, with great personality, but not so weird people will wrinkle their noses.
Thanks so much for the recommendations, I am learning a lot here!
I find these three interesting:
-L’Eau Trois by Diptyque (Woody & Spicy), notes are rosemary, myrtle, myrrh, caraway, olibanum, pine tree and myrrh.
-Azuree by Estee Lauder: basil, jasmine, citrus, vetiver, rose, patchouli, moss and amber.
-Bandit by Robert Piguet with civet, galbanum, leather, carnation, patchouli.
-Magie Noire, by Lancome with Bulgarian rose, galbanum, blackcurrant, jasmine, ylang-ylang, vetiver, oakmoss, cedar, patchouli, civet and myrrh.
Yes yes yes! I was thinking of both Bandit and Azuree. Bandit is the driest, bitterest, greenest thing I own, and I adore it. Azuree feels like it’s richer cousin to me. I also want to smell these more in public, so I feel the need to urge people to buy them.
(Aside: and now I absolutely have to try Magie Noire…you’ve created a lemming)
Bandit is great on a man. Well, on this man anyway. ;^)
Thanks so much!
Chanel Cristalle? On my skin, the EDP is mostly green in the beginning and vetiver+not-too-sweet-peach in the drydown. I don’t get much jasmine and I think it could work nicely on a man.
Haven’t spent much time with it, but my note for Mona di Orio Bohea Boheme says “musty, earthy tea”. Might be a bit sweet in the drydown with the beeswax and vanilla though.
Might want to scrap the Bohea Boheme suggestion. I put a little on a tissue and waited a few hours. The drydown is indeed a little sweet.
I’d like to add AG Mandragore Pourpre and Hermes Voyage EDT. With Chris’s budget he could probably get both if he liked them!
To the sound of what you like I have similar taste in men’s fragrance and would recommend
Hermes Bel Ami Vetiver
its irresistable!
Also try Le Labo Vetiver 46 and Sycomore.
Thanks! That is a couple of recommendations for Sycomore.
I’ve never smelled oud in Vetiver Fatal…I would recommend you Creed Royal oud (I don’t smell any oud and I find it in the same league as Bois D’Orage) and Tom Ford Oud Wood (again no oud for me).
If the first two scare you, I also suggest Heeley Vetiver Veritas, Zegna Indonesian Vetiver, Chanel Sycomore, Hermes Bel Ami Vetiver, Lubin Vetiver Itasca, MPG Route de Vetiver.
The niche fragrance I purhased was … drumroll … Nuit de Bakelite by Isabelle Doyen, from the Naomi Goodsir line. I love it! I am still sniffing through all your suggestions, thank you all.