A new year, a new Le Male flanker.
For me as a JPG (Bisch) fanboy, that's not bad news, as my fan heart jumps a little higher with joy. I just love JPG, let me be!
Currently, the fragrance is still relatively hard to get, as it is not available through the German JPG website or German online/offline perfumeries. And although I have seen some video and text reviews from mostly English-speaking critics in the meantime, which have all been rather mixed, I thought to myself, "Oh come on, what the heck, I'll just order it quickly from Italy and test it myself."
Said and done, and to give a little preview: I'm glad I did. Because no review has yet captured the scent for me as I perceive the new Le Male Lover. And we will get to that now.
Right when I sprayed it, it shot through my mind: "Huh? You know this scent? I wore it a lot in winter?!" Confused, I tried to connect the smell with a fragrance from my collection. And then it clicked: "Invictus Victory Elixir | Paco Rabanne"! The opening and the middle remind me of a slightly fresher version of Rabanne's Victory Elixir. The same vanilla/coconut note that reminds me of some vanilla-scented candles. For me, it's incredibly great, just a bit fresher than the "original." If you don't know the Rabanne scent:
Cool Water Intense also goes in this direction, but the Rabanne scent is much closer than the Cool Water, as it has more vanilla than coconut.
In the middle to dry down, my nose also picks up a bit of "1 Million Parfum | Paco Rabanne," fruity bubblegum sweetness with a slight peppery freshness that smells minimally minty. Great combo.
Imagine Mentos. A new flavor of Mentos: Vanilla Coconut Mentos. And they consist of 3/6 vanilla-coconut, 2/6 are the old classic fruit Mentos, and 1/6 are the classic mint Mentos. And voila: Le Male Lover Mentos is created.
I like it, because I really enjoy both 1M Parfum and Victory Elixir and consider them the best of their respective (commercially available) lines.
But Rabanne doesn't seem to fare well in general, judging by comments and reviews; I just wonder how the fragrances manage to be so mainstream when no one likes them; but that's another topic. After I had sampled the V Elixir, I immediately had to get a bottle. I find the vanilla note in it very great, and even my wife, who is really the number one critic when it comes to fragrances, approved of the scent because it reminds her of scented massage candles for adult use and thus associates something pleasant with it. What more could a man want :D
But back to Le Male Lover: Actually, this is not surprising at all, because Rabanne and JPG share some of the same perfumers with Raynaud and Bisch. So I simply claim that 1M was created with Le Male as a model, Bisch then refined 1M Elixir into Le Male Elixir, and now finally found "inspirations" in Victory Elixir and mixed it with his 1M Parfum into the new Le Male Lover. Do you believe this story is true? On the other hand, it could also...
While everything from Rabanne comes across as "coarser," the JPG fragrances seem a bit finer and more balanced to me. The only downside is: Rabanne seems to be setting the trend now (or the perfumers are experimenting), and JPG picks up the ideas and refines them. Of course, mass-appeal DNA is its great-grandfather, but: not very innovative.
On the other hand: Le Male Lover replaces two Rabanne perfumes (Victory Elixir and 1M Parfum) for me in one fell swoop. Because honestly, I would prefer to wear Le Male Lover over either of the two, as it simply comes across as more interesting and refined, not so youthful and in-your-face.
I see Le Male Lover in spring/fall and possibly still in winter, rather than in summer. For summer, then only in the evenings/nights, during the day the scent might be too heavy/sweet even though it radiates a bit of tropical vibes. Longevity for me is more than okay with 6+ hours for the price of 85,- (including shipping) for 125ml, and it lasts significantly longer on clothing. In the first hours, it also has good projection (about 2-3 hours). Here, the two Rabannes unfortunately have the edge, but they are also significantly sweeter and less fresh. So it's somewhat understandable.
Did JPG do themselves a favor with the packaging and presentation? Because it rather reminds me of a blue, fresh aquatic; and in my opinion, you get 0.0% of that here, as the scent is vanilla/coconut/fruity sweet and only offers minimal freshness through the mint. I believe a different branding like Le Beau (tropical green) would have suited it better. Although the original Le Male is already green (and Aviator) and would probably have raised false expectations again... And the name itself is somehow... difficult? If someone were to ask me what I'm wearing, I find the answer with that name somehow "unintentionally funny." Especially since "Lover" also suggests that one loves Le Male and it might be a homage/reissue to the OG; which it definitely is not. Le Male Tropical, Le Male Springbreak or something along those lines would have been more sensible names. For marketing, this time it's a flat 6, fail, missing the point.
To sum up: Le Male Lover is for me a great spring/fall scent and is indeed the link between Elixir (winter) and Le Beau Paradise Garden (summer). Not innovative at all, but for me the better version of the two originals from Rabanne. Unfortunately, Le Male Lover has little Le Male DNA (except for minimal peppery mint subtly in the background of the vanilla/coconut/fruity bubblegum sweetness) and rather reminds me of a very good Rabanne scent. If you want Le Male, you will be disappointed; if you want a good, mass-appeal scent: Cheers Le Male Lover.
One thing is as certain for me as Amen in church: I need at least 1-2 bunker bottles of this limited edition. I would be quite sad if it ever runs out and is no longer available, and I haven't said that about InTheNavy, Aviator, and OnBoard. However, Le Male Lover is also not an Eau Fraiche. Those expecting that will also be disappointed. But for anyone wanting a "Best Of" Rabanne for spring/fall from the house of JPG: You are in the right place. Puig won't care anyway, they own both :D And I'm just happy that I like a scent, innovation or not, because as the saying goes: Better well stolen than poorly made yourself.
Top Notes 
Finger lime
White pepper
Heart Notes 
Ambergris
Base Notes 
Vanilla
Woods
HugoMontez
Gr8guyh
Leo66Gao
SavageNDN
Golcher
Leo993
Sirbennyone
Annabraucht
Benjay1991
Slegnev
