Cesar

I have never felt such fascination for any other fragrance as I do for this one! Not even for Fahrenheit, that world-famous polarizing scent that I could rave about for days. The secret probably lies in the confusing combination of attraction and repulsion. I can categorize every fragrance somewhere. By this, I don’t mean the fragrance family or other classifications, but in terms of pure taste. Be it positive, negative, or indifferent, as in boring. However, with this one, it is practically impossible for me. When I spray it on, I often feel uncomfortable because I know its peculiar nature and it overwhelms me. But when I haven’t smelled it for a while and I stroll through the perfume shop, a desire for another test emerges, and not just because of the fantastically designed bottle. Truly indescribable and above all inexplicable. I don’t think I would ever dare to wear it in public, only in familiar circles or in my own home. But even here, not often enough to buy a whole bottle.
With this fragrance, you can’t just spray it on casually. Two discreet spritzes and a room seems to be filled for hours, or so it seems. The projection is phenomenal; I have never experienced anything comparable. The One Million by Paco Rabanne, which I have already commented on and loved, is considered a monster in terms of sillage and longevity, but next to Kouros, it seems almost summery light. The Yves Saint Laurent is clearly a child of the 80s, one of the most colorful representatives of this scent-intensive era in perfume history.

I would love to write a few sentences about the individual notes or the development, but it is one of those fragrances where I find it even harder than usual. Probably even the quintessential non-reducible mix. For me, it starts off indefinably animalistic and piercing, though that’s not necessarily meant negatively. It’s just different from anything else one usually knows. In a way, I even sense the intention to bring freshness into play, but 30 years after the release of Kouros, we have a completely different definition of something in that direction. Later, it becomes slightly softer and warmer, but never loses its animalistic quality. Actually good, because it sets it apart from everything I have ever sniffed in my life. Kouros is truly beyond good and bad.

Regarding the common deterrent cliché: Does it really remind one of train station toilets when it hits the nose? Not at all, if I’m honest. The association probably comes from the strong, citrusy opening, which is also popular in toilet drops, but if you don’t think of such comments from forums, you will never make the connection between the two. As a dating scent, Kouros is definitely unsuitable, because this Eau de Toilette (hard to believe it’s not an EdP) practically screams “argument.” Only a few people will like it upon first sniff. Even though I never thought this possible, I believe it actually requires a process of acclimatization to become friends with it. Something so 'abstract' is hard to enjoy spontaneously, at least for my generation, I would like to assume.

Kouros by Yves Saint Laurent. A giant in the world of perfume. A legend and an underutilized milestone of the art we admire. Perhaps the day will come when I reach the conviction that I am ready to try it and move beyond occasional testing. Because one thing is certain: if you don’t overdo it, meaning you don’t spray more than one spritz, you won’t stand out too negatively. And yet, attention, as well as a very special aura, is practically guaranteed.

It took me a while to discover this scent for myself. When I first tested it last year, I thought that such a perfume could only be worn during the Christmas season, due to the strongly roasted almond-like top note of Dior Homme Intense. That's why I didn't touch it for a while.
When winter came and I wanted to expand my collection a bit, I returned to DHI, but again I was not convinced. I liked the scent, but I doubted whether I could regularly wear such a prominent Eau de Parfum. A component that fragrances at my age must definitely fulfill. So I also reached for a different bottle this time, which turned out to be Nikos' Sculpture Homme.
Now it was March, and I was already looking towards summer, actually wanting to buy a citrus-fresh scent. But when I got to the Dior shelf and tested the positively remembered Dior Homme Sport, the dark bottle caught my eye again, and I couldn't help but give it another chance. And against all initial expectations, when I left the house that day, I came back not with a fresh scent, but with this sugar bomb.

About the scent itself. As already mentioned, Dior Homme Intense starts with a strongly projecting note that strikes me as roasted almonds at the Christmas market. Very delicious, but as a perfume, it is rather an acquired taste. After that, the scent becomes a bit smokier; some say it is leathery (I can only vaguely sense leather with a bit of imagination). An intense vanilla joins in, which remains until the end. Overall, it feels very warm, powdery, and a bit soapy. In any case, it is elegant and perfect for going out, which does not mean that it cannot also be worn on "unspectacular" occasions. One should just be careful with the dosage, as the name addition "Intense" is quite justified.

I can only imagine this scent on minors and gentlemen over 40 in exceptional cases, as it conveys an image that ideally combines youth and elegance. A gentleman's perfume, if you will... but a soft, almost slightly feminine one, not a classic. Yes, as a cuddly scent, it would actually be perfect, but unfortunately, I currently have no one to test that with. So I cannot (yet) assess its suitability in that area. ;)
In any case, I am convinced that I will not regret the final purchase.

The name of my comment has a reason, as the somewhat informed perfume lover can guess. I thought if I am already writing a comment on the most controversial scent of the last few years, I might as well add one about its predecessor in this category, because the success that One Million has had since its release has been surpassed by Le Male for more than 10 years. To this day, the fragrance sells as well as hardly any other in the large perfume stores. In winter 2011, it was my turn, and I bought the extravagant bottle, which I initially did not like at all. But my opinion on that has changed since then. First of all, about the scent itself, one thing can be said even without a trained nose: it is sweet. And damn sweet. If the sweetness of One Million is too intense for you, you will generally hate Le Male. It is not a heavy sweetness, much more a light one. That’s why I assumed that one would be protected from an overdose; after all, it causes headaches if you apply more than 3 sprays around the neck and head area, as the effect of the top note becomes so penetrating. Other people, from whom I would later catch a whiff of the fragrance, taught me the opposite. But that should not be a criticism of the scent, as I really like this note in a reasonable dosage. At first, the scent is very synthetic and metallic to me. Later, I then smell a dominant vanilla that makes the fragrance a bit more conventional, but actually, that’s the wrong term, because this scent is never ordinary. A mix-up with a fragrance that was not created later and intended as a copy or reference is, in my opinion, impossible. This Eau de Toilette has a truly unique smell, which I would describe as a "Love or Hate" scent, just like my beloved Fahrenheit. A neutral stance is hardly possible due to the extravagance and strong projection once you are confronted with Le Male. Now let’s talk about classification. I find it hard to pinpoint a season in which Le Male can be worn particularly well. For winter, it is too fresh, but it still works. For summer, it is too strong, but it can still work with minimal dosage. So, one could choose spring and autumn, but honestly, I find it bearable at any time. As the primary target group, I see those aged 18 to 35. For the age group below, it is usually (I was an exception :D) too extravagant, as many do not engage much with fragrances during this time and tend to stick to common deodorants; for the age group above, it is too playful and youthful. However, it should be said that I live by the principle that one should wear what they like, regardless of age or even social affiliation. I must say I like these fragrances with the Enfant Terrible image, because this reputation often has a reason, namely that it is not an 08/15 scent, but that something special is in the liquid. In any case, they always have a group of admirers and a group of so-called "haters." This can wonderfully polarize and provoke. Not a few attribute the same image to Le Male as to the Paco Rabanne gold bar, and here too, I must say that it is not about the scent, but merely about negative experiences of some people with other wearers. Because when a fragrance is so successful, it is clear that less sympathetic people, a certain clientele with little esteem in the higher society, will choose it as their signature scent. Should one let the scent itself be ruined by that? I don’t think so. For work or a date, Gaultier is not suitable anyway, too strong and extravagant, even if it were not so widespread. This multitude of wearers and these very specific people in particular do not ruin anything for you; it is a scent that you wear only for yourself and perhaps for your partner, provided she has fallen in love with the sailor. To be a classic bro and macho scent, it is far too feminine. A sweetness and a vanilla note of this strength are truly atypical for a men’s perfume, that cannot be denied. This unpopular category of people buys it only because of its current reputation (in their case, but because of the reputation as an ideal woman magnet), I firmly believe. My bottle is unfortunately almost empty now, and since I am already expecting another new addition to my collection soon, I will have to do without this delicious feel-good scent for a while, but sooner or later either it or its younger brother Le Male Terrible will surely find its way back to my shelf.

My first comment after a year on the site is dedicated to the fragrance that was the first to make it into my personal collection: Paco Rabanne's One Million.
In 2010, I was finally tired of only "pampering" my nose with cheap deodorant, but it was still a bit too early for an aftershave, as I knew it from the other male members of my family. However, during a visit to the Duty Free Shop at Frankfurt Airport, I quickly realized that there were not only aftershave versions of men's fragrances available, but also, like for women, in EdT or EdP form. I really wasn't aware of this before; my interest in fragrances was still very new at that time, and I was correspondingly completely inexperienced in the field.
As soon as I was back in Germany after my vacation, I set out to explore the local offerings. For the first time on my own initiative, which is why I wasn't aware of how the saleswomen act when a customer stands aimlessly in front of the seemingly huge shelf. The men's fragrances I was familiar with were older classics: Aramis 900, Dior Fahrenheit, and Paco Rabanne pour Homme (I loved and still love them all). I was quite surprised when the saleswoman asked me if I was looking for something fresh or fruity, as I associated the latter term more with women's fragrances, while I would have described men's ones with the words herbal and woody. But I was open to something new; besides, my deodorants were always quite sweet, so I wasn't particularly surprised when almost every fragrance presented to me had a more or less pronounced sweet note. After testing about 5 unsatisfactory fragrances that seemed very arbitrary to me, the woman grabbed the gold bar, sprayed the contents onto a paper strip, and held it under my nose. It was the first fragrance of the day that truly convinced me, one that I could imagine wearing regularly. There were still 2-3 other strips, of which I can only remember Boss Bottled Night, but none appealed to me as much as One Million, so I decided to buy it.

Now to the part of a comment about a perfume that is still the most difficult for me, the analysis, because I am not the most skilled at identifying individual notes. First of all, I cannot recognize anything bubblegum-like, as I have read from others. The top note is very sweet and heavy, even if you spray just once. The fragrance projects very strongly from the start, which is why One Million cannot be worn daily, as at some point this strong opening, despite the pleasant scent for me, gives me a headache. I cannot identify individual fruits or spices, so I can only say it smells spicy, oriental, and conveys an intense feeling of warmth. One of the reasons why this fragrance is much better suited for the cold season than for summer. Once the top note settles, I perceive only a minimal change, which I cannot describe as an amateur reviewer. Only after one or two hours when I smell my wrist again do I notice that the sweetness is no longer so pronounced, but now a rose note dominates. The longevity is top-notch; if applied in the morning, I can still smell it fairly well in the evening when I bring my wrist to my nose. Moreover, I have received more compliments for this fragrance than for any of my others.

I would also like to mention that I was a bit surprised when I read here that the fragrance is associated with youthful show-offs and wannabe playboys. I never associated such expensive fragrances with these people, but only with deodorants from brands like Axe, Adidas, or Puma. On the other hand, I did not think of fresh and/or synthetically sweet notes, but rather of a gourmand like this one. When I first smelled One Million (having never sniffed it on anyone or even seen the commercial), I thought of an elegant, yet still quite young suit wearer on his way to a date. Never, ever did I think of one of the notorious "playas." I still feel that way today. Later, I only encountered a Justin Bieber 2.0 once, who used this perfume. Generally, I have not come across this fragrance on others very often, only twice on middle-aged men in business attire and in school on a friend, who also does not fit the often-mentioned stereotype in other comments. So now I am left wondering whether I truly perceive and associate things so differently from the norm, or if some people pigeonhole the fragrance based on high sales figures and individual bad experiences, even just from the scent.
As for the bottle, I actually find it very appealing. Sure, it is an eye-catcher and may remind some of the bling-bling from the modern hip-hop scene, but gold appeals to people from all walks of life, from the show-offs to the other extreme, the snobs. No one can deny that. I like it very much; it looks great in my bathroom. By the way, it doesn't look like a plastic toy to me at all.

All in all, even after almost 3 years, I am still a big fan of this unique fragrance, which has surely become so successful and popular not only because of its pretty packaging. The egoist in me would just prefer if this hype would die down a bit in the coming years, because the more frequently a fragrance is sold, the more likely it is that everyone has smelled it on someone else rather than on me, making it only conditionally suitable for going out for me. ;)

I hope my first comment is interesting or even helpful to some and not just a long, useless pile of words. :D