Items by StylinLA
I'd seen this scent chatted up in Basenotes by some of the other guys who love the 1980s powerhouse scents. Finally threw in the towel to try this one. It can be had very reasonably online, and it offers a lot of bang for the buck. Probably an underrated scent because to some people, it's going to smell a bit dated.
But what a champ this is.
It's a moss bomb like a lot of those 80s wonders. Be careful with the dose, it starts quiet and gets much louder as it develops.
It's strong...
When I discovered Basenotes, I was reminded often in threads of the trend in the 1980s for male "power" frags. Maculine scents that projected like crazy with heavy duty sillage.
Van Clef and Arpels Pour Homme is one of the Holy Grail scents for lovers of that vein of EdTs.
This juice is similar to Antaeus, but stronger and sweeter in my view.
Opening Notes: basil, bergamot, green notes, juniper berries, marjoram, thyme and lavender.
Middle Notes: Guaiac, patchouli and vetiver...
L'Instant de Guerlain Pour Homme showed up a lot with some high praise from some reviewers I trust.
As a lover of sort of "in your face" scents, I try to branch out every so often and try something more on the refined side. This is certainly in that category. Maybe too refined for my dumb azz.
It opens with some citrus, anise and jasmine up top. It shifts into a very nice sandalwood and patchouli, but I must stress it's very light. There are a ton of heart notes: tea, cocoa, lavender...
One of the Basenotes guys kept raving about this frag as his "secret weapon" so I stopped in to Lucky Scent's Scent Bar to give it a try.
Parfumerie General is small French niche perfumer that doesn't get a lot of notice. Glad I noticed this one.
The name translates as something like "shadow of the beast" and I think that's fitting.
This is a bit of an animal, but a tamed animal. I've had trouble finding a musk scent I liked for going out and this fits the bill for me perfectly...
I'm shocked there's no review of Kouros in here. If they ever create a male frag Hall of Fame, Kouros goes in first round like Ruth and Cobb. Introduced by YSL in 1981, this stuff is still going strong. Think that's cuz it's not a great scent?
This is intense stuff. A legendary scent. It took me a long time to embrace it. Now I love it.
But be clear, it is a very polarizing scent. It's not for the timid. Some people HATE it. HATE is always in all caps with people who don't like it...
Domenico Caraceni is a fine Italian tailoring firm established in 1913. This is their entree into the male fragrance world, and it's a cult hit.
This is elegance in a bottle. You don't need to be wearing a tux, but you'd best be pretty well turned out. This one doesn't go with khakis or jeans imo.
It's often compared to another B&B favorite, C&S No. 88. They are somewhat similar, but for my money, this one is skosh classier, more potent and masculine. As I dove into the world of...
Santos de Cartier was Cartiers first foray into male frags in '81. This review is of the concentree version which came out in 1982. As always, there's a fair amount of debate about which is better. The concentree version seems to get better reviews overall and most think has better longevity.
It doesn't get the attention of Anteus or Van Cleef & Arpels Pour Homme, but it should.
It's a nicely blended, rich smelling woody scent, perfect for a night out. I use it for office wear too, but...
A "power frag" Basenoter suggested this as worth a try. I made a swap with another member for some 1990s vintage Versace L'Homme.
I was stunned by this one.
This was evidently Versace's first foray into fragrance in 1984. While it is still available, there is some discussion that it has been reformulated. I evidently got the old stuff and I haven't compared yet. Some people get very persnickity over these reformulations and I don't know if the new stuff is vastly different or not...
