FFL

When I strolled through the Douglas Flagship Store in Frankfurt am Main the other day, I finally stopped at the Guerlain exclusive counter. After all, the exclusive Guerlain series, i.e. L'Art et le Matiere (unisex) and Les Parisiens (men) are only available in exclusive boutiques. Well, a visit to Douglas is worthwhile. So I had all 4 current scents of Les Parisiens (Derby, Arsene Lupin Voyou, Chamade Homme and Le Frenchy) sprayed on my skin and compared them. I was surprised that the fragrance I liked best was Yoyou - from my research I already knew that Yoyou is the one that gets off worst at Parfumo.

So first of all a filling should be given and tested again extensively. "A little weak on the chest", "untypical of Guerlain" and "boring" I read here, it should be. Yes, I can confirm that. He's not a particularly noticeable scent. It is neither room-filling nor extreme in any way. It's not gourmand, it's not boozy, it's not classic, which is... just creamy-smooth and spicy and woody. Is that what you need? I was still inconclusive

But he showed his true qualities then, when it really matters... ...in everyday life. Catchword dentist visit. Some people will think: Oh dear, dentist, don't wear perfume! Yes, actually it's true, but real perfume junkies never go out without perfume! ;-)
Even before I got to know Voyou, I put on Ormonde Man, a classic green and tangy men's fragrance that is described here as suitable for everyday use, reserved and suitable for the office. For the dentist, however, it was too much. While I was lying there, under the lamp on the dentist's couch, with doctor and assistant above me, I noticed my own dark green, herbaceous "Whiff". Oh dear, I thought to myself, I hope nobody minds... well, at some point the doctor said "could someone please open the window". Urghs... i'm uncomfortable now. For the next visit to the dentist I'm going to pick the most boring thing I have, I swore to myself.

Then came the Douglas visit and then Voyou. And then the follow-up dentist appointment. No negative lady reactions this time, uh... Doctor Reactions. Test passed. I've worn it more and more since then. Voyou accompanies one quietly and secretly, is thieving, like Arsene Lupin, the master thief. A master of disguise... that is, he likes to hang around under jackets and blankets, and when you take them off, he strikes with a nice breeze. This Whiff is very gentleman-like and even seductive (like the novel's protagonist), slightly sweet thanks to sandalwood, aromatic-resinous thanks to cistus.

Voyou is thus a light-footed ever-goer. A fragrance that no one will find unattractive, but no one will find too attractive. A fragrance for all cases, the Nobrainer to just walk out the door, if you don't want to do without perfume, although you... you don't really need any. Simply the combination of light freshness with subtle spiciness and pleasant woodiness. The initial citrus spice transforms into a resinous spice and never becomes obtrusive or pungent.

Some say the guerlinade is missing. Yes. So when you define guerlinade, you're defining the presence of a vanilla-iris combination. But not if you define it as the perfumer's genius (here: to create a nice perfume that doesn't hurt anyone) and the quality of the raw materials. Thanks Jean-Paul Guerlain.

This title question is heard in our modern times, in which fasting, renunciation and FdH are becoming more and more fashionable. Does it have to be the schnitzel with fries again, or do we turn off to the salad buffet? The new Apple Watch made of stainless steel, or is aluminium enough? Ice cream but please with cream... ...or without? And suddenly I was faced with the question: Ormonde Man with 50% oil concentration, or is 30% enough? But let's start from the beginning.

While browsing through the top 30 men's fragrances in our favorite perfume database, I came across Ormonde Man (perfume). Of course, I ordered a bottling, and while you're at it, I ordered a "normal" eau de parfum (far outside the top 100) as well. If the highly concentrated version is really so much better, I wanted to investigate soberly and empirically.

Even before the samples arrived, I had already informed myself at Ormonde Jayne, London, how the rabbit generally runs. There were 30%, 40% and 50% concentrations, the friendly mail support told me. The first variant in a standard spray bottle, the last two variants either as a filling in the same (unfortunately with "Eau de Parfum" instead of "Parfum") or as a filling in a fancy bottle with a red cord around the bottle neck, then with "Parfum" writing, but unfortunately without the actual perfume name on it - you only have "generic" bottles for the so-called "Made-to-Measure" fragrances ("tailor-made concentration"). Sip.

When I asked the support team why the 30% concentration is called "eau de parfum", even though according to Wikipedia an EdP only has "10-20% aromatic compounds" (phew, my English was just about enough), the only answer was "we understand that this can be confusing". Hihi, well, Ormonde Jayne has his own definition and just hits the 12th. Up to now I always thought that the 42% offered by Profumum Roma is the highest of feelings. Well then, at 50% you can actually speak of "Explosion de Parfum", even above Pure Perfume / Extrait :-)

But now to the fragrances themselves: The perfume is highly praised here, and I can understand the praise very well. The higher concentration makes the fragrance appear more intense. I have the impression that the hemlock has been overdosed here more than the other notes. This seems to appeal to most people here. Personally, I find the other notes that make the scent a bit more edgy and fresh, like vetiver and pepper, a bit under

What I like about EdP is that it's a bit more barbershop-like, not so balsamic, but spicier and a bit soapy. I'd feel more comfortable with it in the office. In the evening I would prefer the perfume, with the woody-green hemlock, which is poisonous, but is said to have a calming effect (well, poison can sedate well *joking*).

Another observation in Drydown (EdP) that I don't want to conceal: Many people say they don't take oud and that's how I felt at first. But in the late drydown, when bergamot and juniper had long ago said goodbye, I suddenly noticed a sweet dusty woodiness. This note seemed familiar to me and then came the inspiration: MFK's Oud. And: Hadn't Ms. Jayne reported in an interview that she "travelled the world and came across Lao oud"? Well, Francis K. also used this (8 years later). Ergo: But a bit of oud in it. With the perfume (50%) on the other hand, I still only noticed hemlock fir.

And the moral of the story: There is no recommendation. Everyone must choose the concentration that suits them. I choose the cheaper one because I like the ticking better. And let's face it: 30% concentration is already more than 95% of the other fragrances on the market. So it may be a little less ;-)

Wow, what other treasures are discovered here. Lanvin for Men is what I would call an insiders' tip. A perfume which has long been forgotten and with which one is unique on the road. But let's start over...

You know the... you rummage through the Parfumo Best List, have already checked off Herod, Aventus and Oud Wood and suddenly you stumble upon a perfume you have never heard of before. That's how I felt with Lanvin for Men. I have to test it, I thought to myself, so let's get down to bacon!

After I finally got my hands on a sample of this long discontinued (is that how you say it?) fragrance, I thought after the first spray: Wow, that's what man smelled like back then. Yes, the scent is really classic and develops a certain soapiness immediately after the citrus opening. A light spiciness accompanies this and green notes join in. All in all, a fresh, clean scent without edges and corners, which smells a bit like barbershop - although more of a chypre and not a fougère -

So why discontinued? Lanvin Paris, incidentally the oldest Parisian fashion label, became famous for women's perfumes like Arpège. When men's fragrances were introduced in the 60s and 70s, they may have been less successful. I suppose the potential clientele associated the brand name with women's perfumes and... and the competition from Chanel and Guerlain was also possibly overpowering

I would recommend LfM to more mature men who have experience with classic fragrances and are not afraid of them. Oh yes, the most common way of delivery was the pouring bottle :-/

Well, at a time when there was no YT, no influencers and no hypes, great perfumes came out. I hope the dear influencers never get their hands on something like that, otherwise there's no more secret tip ;-)

What do you do if you already know the typical oud combos? You try something really exotic... that came to my mind a few weeks ago, sometime in June. As a fan of oud scents, I started looking for oud scents that were suitable for the summer season. What? some people might ask themselves now... this is a contradiction in terms. Well, actually it is. Oud, no matter if it smells like cow dung, has a medicinal touch or is of the sweetish kind, is actually more for the cold season...

But after some searching, I found Aoud Lemon Mint here - and ordered a bottling directly from the perfume I trust. Oud with lemon? Top or flop? Can something like this work?

So I first tested carefully at home in oud quarantine (*laughs*) at a careful 22 degrees inside temperature. Lemon and pepper cover the oud, which is present from the beginning, but remains in the background. Here I first think "experiment succeeded!" So fresh and oudic works. Plus some almond sweetness... wait, too much of everything? Yes and no, the ingredients are finely woven (minimally synthetic, but not disturbing)

The fragrance is interesting for me and has a high recognition value. It is a bit more biting (mint, coriander, jasmine - these are very different scents) than the well-known oud-combos (oud from Mfk, Santal Royale, M7 etc.), but has a harmonious fluffy-creamy effect. Already after 30 minutes I do not perceive any oud anymore. And that is somehow ingenious. As an oud-fan you can enjoy the oud-scent at home for a while, and until you are outside, the oud is gone and the environment is not disturbed ;-)

I soon hear the vanilla-amber base; the flowery, earthy middle section still resonates a little. Leather is a bit there, too, but more of the lighter variety. In the drydown I like the fragrance best. It's warm (amber) and sweet (vanilla) but is fluffy and lightened by minimal remnants of the top notes

After the first test I tried to wear the scent during the day outside, this time at 25 degrees. Then it became borderline - it was still pleasant and I liked to smell on my wrist, but at more than 25 degrees the potpourri of polarizing elements would be too strong (leather and jasmine in the sun!).

You have to like oud, of course, but if you do, then this scent is worth a test in the warm spring (or the current roller coaster summer). Durability and sillage are certainly above average, as you would expect from Mancera.

The year is 2014, and our esteemed master perfumer Roja D. sits in his "Chambre de création créative" - ups, Regiefehler (he is British) - in his "Chamber of creative Creation" and ponders what theme his next fragrance should follow.

"Hmm, I'll start with the classic ingredients, with which I already have a lot of experience. I'll think about that certain something later" - he thought and first threw the basic ingredients of a typical Roja fragrance into the pot: cardamom, vetiver, labdanum, jasmine, bergamot, lavender. "So, first spicy enough, slightly floral and citric, the mixture is also... so it can't be a flop. But what now? Maybe some frankincense and pepper... hmm."

So he pondered and pondered, and while juggling two small ampoules with the fragrances 'incense' and 'pepper' over the pot from one hand to the other with the words "What am I going to take?", his Hubba Bubba chewing gum slipped from his tongue into the middle of the pot! It was his favourite variety "Fancy Fruit" - the well-known pink variety that was very popular in the 90s and literally on everyone's lips. The classic notes of the previous ingredients were immediately joined by the fruitiness of a peach combined with the sweetness of a tonka bean. Wow, that's it! Spicy and fruity - why didn't he think of it? This should be his new perfume.

Of course, he knew he had to somehow recreate the taste of the Hubba-Bubbas with natural ingredients, but that shouldn't be his problem - after all, he had enough employed chemists to handle it. Now only one name was missing for the child...

At first he thought of the name "Scandal" - after all, it's almost scandalous to sell perfume with chewing gum (side) taste... but, shit... he already gave that name to another perfume! How about "risque"? - is after all a risk to publish such a creation... what if people say the Hubba-Bubbas with cola taste were much better? ;-)

Okay, name's cool, he thought. But to make the risk even riskier, I write the name wrong and turn the "risque" into a "risqué" with Accent Aigu. That's it!

Back to 2019, the fragrance is discontinued. There is only one variant left: pour Femme. Maybe because pink chewing gum is more for girls... who knows? What remains (at least in the remainders) is a great fragrance. Spicy-sweet and thanks to citric notes denooch wearable up to +20 degrees. Almost an evergreen. And surely another masterpiece.

P.S.: "risqué" can also mean "risky" (participle perfect), but should this really be meant? I am happy to be informed about the meaning of the name :)