Do you love the demurely cloying smell of iris? If you don’t, then you will half-justifiably find Dior Homme unbearably sweet and perhaps overtly feminine, which to me is usually a sigh the individual lacks self-confidence and poise. Touted by Dior as a “masculine iris, a skin fragrance with an addictive grace,” Dior Home was the 4th fragrance to be launched by Dior’s new artistic director for men’s fragrances, Hedi Slimane. Created by Olivier Polge, who’s work I love, and has notes of sage, bergamot, lavender, Italian iris concrete, cocoa, amber, vetiver, patchouli, and possibly leather and cardamom, Dior Homme is an embodiment of the sleek and sophisticated style unanimous with the Christian Dior house.. The bottle, see main pic, has a unique design, with a steel column housing the usual plastic spray tube, and beautifully crafted strong corners. The fragrance begins with a sweet blast of iris, cocoa and amber, perfectly blended and just the right strength, but then begins to fade into a slightly powdery amber accord with a mere hint of patchouli and lavender, the after effect leaves an off-white suede & a slightly smoky scent, with the amber and lavender reminiscent of Jean Paul Gaultier’s Le Male. Dior Homme is a men’s gourmand fragrance so it comes off as a bit feminine, and doesn’t apologise for it, but then again this is Dior, much like Prada, Dior does not shy away from folding floral notes into their arrangement and embellishing them with sweet accents, and lets face it almost all gourmand fragrances smell a tiny bit feminine to evoke the comforting, warm, and addictive components we all love in gourmand fragrances. Because of its modest sillage this fragrance would most likely not go with a t-shirt and jeans or noisy, crowded clubs, instead better suited for more intimate, slightly chilly, "sweater" nights out on the town, or to a dinner. On the first whiff I was mostly taken by the coolness of the iris shimmering under the transparent top accord that is sweetly herbaceous and crisp that hastily unfolds fully with its metallic violets and cold roots tonality overtaking the composition like an opalescent mist. The dissonance between the chilly orris and the ambered leathery base is at first disconcerting, especially since the arrangement moves rapidly from the hazy coldness into the powdery sweetness accented by cocoa. Nevertheless, the supple leather underpinning the base of the composition provides an elegant backdrop against which the woody chilliness of iris is extended by the crisp earthiness of vetiver *sigh*. Barring the fact that Dior Homme doesn’t last very long on the skin, to me, this is a masterpiece.
Showing posts with label Prada Amber pour Homme. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Prada Amber pour Homme. Show all posts
Monday, July 6, 2009
Scent Of The Moment: Dior Homme by Dior
Do you love the demurely cloying smell of iris? If you don’t, then you will half-justifiably find Dior Homme unbearably sweet and perhaps overtly feminine, which to me is usually a sigh the individual lacks self-confidence and poise. Touted by Dior as a “masculine iris, a skin fragrance with an addictive grace,” Dior Home was the 4th fragrance to be launched by Dior’s new artistic director for men’s fragrances, Hedi Slimane. Created by Olivier Polge, who’s work I love, and has notes of sage, bergamot, lavender, Italian iris concrete, cocoa, amber, vetiver, patchouli, and possibly leather and cardamom, Dior Homme is an embodiment of the sleek and sophisticated style unanimous with the Christian Dior house.. The bottle, see main pic, has a unique design, with a steel column housing the usual plastic spray tube, and beautifully crafted strong corners. The fragrance begins with a sweet blast of iris, cocoa and amber, perfectly blended and just the right strength, but then begins to fade into a slightly powdery amber accord with a mere hint of patchouli and lavender, the after effect leaves an off-white suede & a slightly smoky scent, with the amber and lavender reminiscent of Jean Paul Gaultier’s Le Male. Dior Homme is a men’s gourmand fragrance so it comes off as a bit feminine, and doesn’t apologise for it, but then again this is Dior, much like Prada, Dior does not shy away from folding floral notes into their arrangement and embellishing them with sweet accents, and lets face it almost all gourmand fragrances smell a tiny bit feminine to evoke the comforting, warm, and addictive components we all love in gourmand fragrances. Because of its modest sillage this fragrance would most likely not go with a t-shirt and jeans or noisy, crowded clubs, instead better suited for more intimate, slightly chilly, "sweater" nights out on the town, or to a dinner. On the first whiff I was mostly taken by the coolness of the iris shimmering under the transparent top accord that is sweetly herbaceous and crisp that hastily unfolds fully with its metallic violets and cold roots tonality overtaking the composition like an opalescent mist. The dissonance between the chilly orris and the ambered leathery base is at first disconcerting, especially since the arrangement moves rapidly from the hazy coldness into the powdery sweetness accented by cocoa. Nevertheless, the supple leather underpinning the base of the composition provides an elegant backdrop against which the woody chilliness of iris is extended by the crisp earthiness of vetiver *sigh*. Barring the fact that Dior Homme doesn’t last very long on the skin, to me, this is a masterpiece. 
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Scent of The Moment: Prada Amber pour Homme
I love fragrances - i adore smell in general and most people around me know that i often have half a dozen fragrances at all times so i can treat my olfactory cells to contrasting scent-sational thrills every now and then. So now my latest addition is the amazing Prada Amber pour Homme. I first purchase this fragrance back in 2007, on my first trip to Paris with a close friend, we both fell in love with the fragrance we ended up both buying the same fragrance - which i had never done before. Now i have a new bottle ah joie...Prada Amber Pour Homme released in 2006 was the first men fragrance from the house of Prada. It was developed by perfumer Daniela Andrier. The notes include bergamot, mandarin, neroli, cardamom, geranium, vetiver, orange blossom, myrrh, nirvanolide musk, labdanum, sandalwood, tonka bean, vanilla, saffron, patchouli and leather. This scent is most certainly not as amber-y as the name would have you believe, if at all, but it is a very well-blended and mixed - does not transform all that much, smells expensive and unique. It's very hard to identify the individual notes in this fragrance, and yes it does have a synthetic feel if overapplied, and yes it definately smells like soap, but the kind of soap an average person (e.g. me) wouldnt be able to afford or even know where to buy it. Another big plus with Amber is that it will not change with your skin chemistry. It is soapy, and very thick, like a blanket of some sort with great longevity, but you are not going to get the 'on my skin it smells like turpentine and lilies' type of thing. It is authentic yet a bit synthetic, chic yet a bit loud, rich yet a bit cloying, masculine yet a bit unusual. It is minimalist, on point and direct - will most likely not be a crowd-pleaser, but this is just like Prada's male clothing, or their whole masculine philosophy: Exclusive and slightly elusive with their image as what a Prada man should be. And this scent captures that. Also makes for an excellent scent for the workplace. It stays close to the skin and is warm, and "clean". It is unique and classy with an amazing sillage without being too loud, the opening to drydown is tightly knit, and you never get the feeling that you smell like the other three guys in the elevator...
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