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![Pollita]()
Pollita
Top Review
27
Affordable alternative to Kurkdjian's classic
If, like me, you were young and went out a lot in the late nineties and early two-thousands, you couldn't avoid Le Male. Fresh on the market at the time, the fragrance, like Classique before it, immediately became a classic and was therefore popular with young and old alike. In those days, the fragrance was not yet preceded by its boorish reputation. As I reported in a blog article a few years ago, friends of mine and family members, both male and female, wore it, as it was clearly unisex due to its sweetness and therefore appealed to all genders.
My husband was not yet familiar with Kurkdjian's classic, but as he had already been won over by another fragrance from the British label Milton-Lloyd, Victor No. 9, he wanted to try other fragrances from the house. My partner really appreciates the combination of high quality and low price, and as he had really liked Gaultier II, I recommended Bondage Hommes, the fragrance inspired by Le Male.
Just like the British interpretation of Aventus, this is also really good for the little money it costs! To my nose, there is hardly any difference to the JPG model, even though the fragrance pyramid mentions fewer notes than the House of Gaultier. The lavender is there immediately, the mint, the sweetness of vanilla, amber and tonka bean appear after a short time and if I didn't know better, I could swear that this fragrance is LeMale by JPG. As with the original, the sillage is quite strong for the first 1-2 hours. After that, the bondage recedes somewhat, but is still perceptible at a good arm's length and leaves behind a fine, sweet-spicy fragrance aura.
The bottle is not exactly a piece of jewelry. However, I have photographed this one and the Aventus-inspired Victor and admit that they don't look too bad in photos, the Milton-Lloyds. My husband doesn't mind the deodorant sprayer either. He's happy with the cheaper alternatives, which I assume no real connoisseur would be able to distinguish from the original fragrances after a certain amount of time on the skin.
I can only recommend Le Male fans to pick this up if they are looking for an inexpensive fragrance for every day and are prepared to make small compromises with the bottle. The fragrance is and remains beautiful to me. My impression has not changed over the years.
Top Notes 
Mint
Cardamom
Vermouth
Heart Notes 
Lavender
Tonka bean
Cedar
Base Notes 
Vanilla
Musk
Sandalwood
Bigsly
