17
Very helpful Review
Spicy Memory Coffee for Party Time
I exchanged A*Men here at the souk mainly for nostalgic reasons. Because at the end of the 1990s, my then-girlfriend gifted me this fragrance. I was already a bit of a perfume junkie back then, but I put on a "good face to a bad game" here! ;-) I wasn't familiar with sweet, bold gourmand scents. I would even say that they were rather rare at that time. And so A*Men kind of overwhelmed me. I only wore it occasionally in the evenings when going out together, but even after just 2-3 sprays, I felt olfactorily "overdressed." Back then, I instinctively associated it more with the Cologne gay scene. Well...
Now I wanted to see how I would react to A*Men nearly 25 years later. Because by now, I can appreciate sweet scents as long as they don't come off as too one-dimensional. The time back then didn't have anything in the style of 1 Million or Baccarat Rouge (which I don't particularly like). A*Men was certainly ahead of its time and is often compared to Kilian's Intoxicated, which is almost four times more expensive and boasts a proud 8.2/10 rating here with nearly the same number of reviews. Here, the difference between the sometimes ridiculously overrated niche fragrances and the designers that are often considered inferior is becoming more noticeable (as is happening more often). But that's another topic that, to be honest, is increasingly getting on my nerves. Be that as it may: If someone learned something from this, it was Kilian from Mugler.
Now finally to the scent: The top note of A*Men still strikes me as almost shocking today, but it actually dissipates after just a few seconds. Immediately, the coffee comes into play like a heavily sweetened mocha. There is something quite seductive about that. A spicy, even slightly fresh overlay joins in, which makes the fragrance as a whole genuinely interesting. Lavender and mint in coffee? "Yuck," most would probably say, but we don't want to drink something delicious, we want to smell good! ;-) And surprisingly, I truly do. A*Men reveals itself to be a strikingly loud pleasure that I didn't appreciate back then. It certainly needs the late evening hours or the colder season to not come off as out of place, but then it shows a strong going-out quality. If you think away the gourmand notes, A*Men reminds me a bit of Ultraviolet by Rabanne, which is also in my collection and comes from the same era. And as clear as the gourmand notes are, they don't immediately make me think of something to eat or drink (and that's the positive aspect).
In short: A*Men is a successful and strong fragrance for carousel rides or pop concerts, for smoky bars (which don't really exist anymore), the throbbing dance floor, or the exuberant wedding celebration.
Now I wanted to see how I would react to A*Men nearly 25 years later. Because by now, I can appreciate sweet scents as long as they don't come off as too one-dimensional. The time back then didn't have anything in the style of 1 Million or Baccarat Rouge (which I don't particularly like). A*Men was certainly ahead of its time and is often compared to Kilian's Intoxicated, which is almost four times more expensive and boasts a proud 8.2/10 rating here with nearly the same number of reviews. Here, the difference between the sometimes ridiculously overrated niche fragrances and the designers that are often considered inferior is becoming more noticeable (as is happening more often). But that's another topic that, to be honest, is increasingly getting on my nerves. Be that as it may: If someone learned something from this, it was Kilian from Mugler.
Now finally to the scent: The top note of A*Men still strikes me as almost shocking today, but it actually dissipates after just a few seconds. Immediately, the coffee comes into play like a heavily sweetened mocha. There is something quite seductive about that. A spicy, even slightly fresh overlay joins in, which makes the fragrance as a whole genuinely interesting. Lavender and mint in coffee? "Yuck," most would probably say, but we don't want to drink something delicious, we want to smell good! ;-) And surprisingly, I truly do. A*Men reveals itself to be a strikingly loud pleasure that I didn't appreciate back then. It certainly needs the late evening hours or the colder season to not come off as out of place, but then it shows a strong going-out quality. If you think away the gourmand notes, A*Men reminds me a bit of Ultraviolet by Rabanne, which is also in my collection and comes from the same era. And as clear as the gourmand notes are, they don't immediately make me think of something to eat or drink (and that's the positive aspect).
In short: A*Men is a successful and strong fragrance for carousel rides or pop concerts, for smoky bars (which don't really exist anymore), the throbbing dance floor, or the exuberant wedding celebration.
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4 Comments
I like the little jab at the -oh so great- niche ;)