For Him

For Him Musc Collection

Narciso Rodriguez 2009 Eau de Parfum

I'm not sure why violets aren't listed in the note pyramid, because to me this is an extremely smooth and simple fragrance that showcases a grayish floral violet note blended and backed by a powerful white musk. The iris note is also very white, airy, and floral. It serves to accent the perimeter of this EDP and extend its radiance outward, lending the impression of clouds at some far away distance in the sky. I honestly don't pick up on much pink pepper here--if I look closely at the heart of the fragrance I can smell a touch of a sweet spiciness, but it's very subtle and not what immediately jumps out. This fragrance is more bitter than sweet, in my opinion, and more "perfumey" than earthy. By "perfumey" I mean that the white musk, and violet-iris tandem dominate on a level that is more in tune with flower petals and the airy space around them than anything coming from the roots or soil below. Furthermore, a bit of a synthetic nature is lent by the white musk, though that's not to say it's unpleasant or harsh. Overall a very clean, somewhat formal fragrance that seems almost flawless in its construction. The notes pair so well together and appear to execute exactly what they set out to do. I think this fragrance is unisex. Men obviously like it, and there's something in here that reminds me of the classic Rive Gauche, on a drier, airier level, but I wouldn't think twice if I smelled this on a woman either. The floral aspect and gender-neutral white musk are reminiscent of common components in many women's perfumes. In fact, on average, I think guys might shy away from this one due to these aspects, and understandably so.

To summarize, I think this is a very good Eau de Parfum by Narciso Rodriguez. It's brighter, cleaner, smoother, and more upbeat than the EDT (which isn't a knock against the EDT), and could work wonders on the right man wearing a white button up shirt and sports coat. Its performance is excellent. At the same time, you may find this too formal, too suave, or simply not like the very distinct combination of white musk, violets, and iris. As for me, I'm going to hang on to it for a while and see if I can make it work. While it's not my typical style of fragrance, it seems too good to give up on yet, and somewhere down the road, it just might stick.

Thumbs up and I recommend sampling this to see if it works for you.