Galahad

So far I have been a great admirer of the fragrances from the hand of Master Kurkdjian. Starting with his first big litter - Le Male - up to my first attempts with his fragrances marketed under his own label. For the first time I was really negatively surprised when I managed to get hold of an almost full bottle of "Fleur du Male" (see commentary) a good year ago. This rarity had to leave me after four weeks again, I could not bear the smell at all.
Now I wanted to test the range of MFK fragrances further, since APOM was very enthusiastic in spring and summer (see commentary). Like sunshine with honey to spray on. So I bought the Fragrance-Wardrobe for Him collection, which offers 8 of the fragrances from the house in 11ml sample bottles each. I will probably write a commentary on each of the fragrances. Since I was most anxious about the horrors, I'll start with it.
Since I am still looking for a signature scent, I came across Masculin Pluriel while browsing. I enjoy lavender very much as an ingredient in my shower gels and jellys from L'Occitane and Lush, it has a calming and at the same time noble effect.
In Kurkdjian's realization as a fragrance, the essence of the beautifully blooming perennial plant cannot inspire me. Instead of, as the indicated notes, the bottle and the colour of the fragrance suggest, a noble little water, a rather trivial shower gel fragrance hits me in the nose. Neither complex, nor particularly male, nor at the other level of the perfumer. The vetiver gives the fragrance something sharp, shaving water-like, so that it remains cutting for me and doesn't really look round and harmonious later on. Leather notes make the overall appearance darker than expected, making it somewhat more masculine.
However, the name does not really reveal itself, because the maximum of masculinity was not filled into a bottle here. More like a mixture of shower gel and aftershave. For me neither as everyday nor work scent wearable. As signature scent to mainstream. There are a lot of newcomers of this kind at the moment, so there are no points for innovation. I would even prefer Sauvage, which I would not buy either. If you're looking for something woody-fresh that can be worn at any time, go to Yves de Sistelles Writer ;-) For less than 20€ this fragrance can offer more masculinity with a simultaneous feel-good factor.
Masculin Pluriel finally had to leave the sample rack after two tests...

Let's see what the other 7 MFKs are capable of ...

Equus pour Homme was a blind purchase for me, the filler, so to speak, to save shipping costs. Like almost all Lalique fragrances, it is very inexpensive to find online, but in many perfumeries Lalique is not even on the shelves.
Due to the very good rating of 8.5 at the moment, I was as tense as a flash bow at the first - and that's anticipated, last test.
For the coming autumn I was looking for some woody and spicy scents, here Equus should fit well into the scheme, I thought at least.
I liked the ingredients of the fragrance very much on paper, so what should go wrong with a price of mid 20€. The juniper berry, which is repeatedly praised in some reviews, is often used in my kitchen as well as in the digestif afterwards. I particularly appreciate the tart touch of the fruit in distilled form as a main botanical in gin. In Lalique implementation I can unfortunately not even guess it, in my opinion he lacks the bitterness of the berry completely. Overall, the fragrance is very sweet. More of a liquorice shredder :-) For a spicy Holdzuft the horses go through me here too fast with a very sweet benzoe-resin note.
Also the fragrance changes very little in the course of wearing, it remains flat, one-dimensional and therefore somewhat disappointing, I had hoped for a more differentiated course. Since Kenzo "Power" at the latest, I have come to appreciate flowery notes very much, here they blend into a sweet woody scent, strongly overlaid by nutmeg. Nutmeg, which I also like to use for cooking, gives this scent something dusty and old-fashioned, similar to Kenzo "Jungle" pour Homme it covers the whole fragrance pyramid. However, the warmer and less fresh players are not able to integrate the nutmeg.

Unfortunately Lalique therefore remains for me an uninteresting scent, which is also quite weak on the chest. Worn on the skin was after 4 hours absolute break from broadcasting. Within the first hour I could still perceive the scent, afterwards only very closely.

Of all Lalique-fragrances tested so far only Encre-Noir could convince with quality (yes, I could wear this polarized one only rarely, but it is well composed and has power). With all other fragrances I was always a little surprised about the good rating in this forum, because they were not comprehensible for me. This is not a reproach to all the Lalique-fans out there, I like to be taught better :-) #challengegeaccepted

Only the flacon can make something, except the plastic lid, which doesn't fit the aesthetic relief of the horse's head.
It was a short intermezzo between me and Equus, I will not ride the horse to death, but transfer him to a nine stable. The butcher was too sorry about the ferry for me. All that remains after our only ride together is a touch of insignificance ..

After some occupation with fragrances one inevitably meets the product range of the French luxury article manufacturer Lalique, specialized in jewellery, glass, all kinds of nippes and also perfumes. Despite the profession for the artistic processing of glass, none of the Lalique flacons has really convinced me optically so far. Equus Homme seemed to me to be the most aesthetic, but the cap is unfortunately the cheapest plastic. In the Hommage à l'Homme Voyageur described here, too, the bottle looks beautiful from a distance, but is then rather cheaply processed at close range. There other chains can offer a nicer cover. Although this is only a secondary category for the rating of fragrances, it should illustrate my rating for the flacon.
The fragrance itself definitely starts unusually from the first moment - never fresh, never really flattering. Described quite subjectively, it seems to me to be musty and musty and sweet. The real freshness of bergamot oil paired with patchouli and vetiver are the primary perceptible notes of this fragrance and in the present concentration and mating they result in an unsightly mix.
Vanilla and amber can only be guessed from the background, they draw the heart note into a dull, indefinable sweetness. I find it particularly difficult to perceive individual notes separately in this fragrance. Papyrus grass, an Egyptian reed, at the same time basis for the antique paper substitute of the same name, I cannot assign. I know it only in dried form - then, like paper, almost odourless.
All in all no Laliqueduft could convince me so far really, neither the smell, nor the performance (here except the Encre Noir). This one, however, together with the big brother Hommage à l'Homme the least. Both not so pleasing at all - extraordinary in any case, but not in a positive sense. Also from outsiders I have actually experienced criticism of my smell here, so that he had to leave my shelf again after three attempts to wear it.
I wouldn't recommend blind buying. Although the pricing policy for Lalique fragrances in online trading is very fair, I was always disappointed with the quality. What a pity, I would have preferred to write an homage instead of Blamage à Lalique.

Narcisos "For Him" from the Musk-Edition was a blind buy for me, who added a musk fragrance to my collection. For years - and long before the discovery of perfume - my only fragrance was "White Musk" from Body Shop. The clean, feel-good aura that the musk weaves around its wearer has made me a faithful wearer of this simple but well-composed fragrance. When I went deeper into the matter of fragrances, "White Musk" wandered all the way back into my fragrance shelf, it was too flat for me now, too little complex in its course and most of all I was disturbed by the volatility of this fragrance. More body spray than eau de toilette, the durability of my former signature scent seemed ridiculous to me in the meantime. If I had to personify "White Musk", he would be a white dressed beauty, without corners and edges. A rather fleeting acquaintance, for a longer intensive acquaintance he is simply too little down-to-earth.
As the collection continued to grow and fresh, sweet, oriental and spicy fragrances were added, the purple bottle remained in the back corner of the display case. Only from time to time after a shower was he allowed to unfold his feel-good aura for the duration of 20 minutes. One evening, when the fragrance had disappeared all too quickly, I set out to look for a musk fragrance that proved to be more persistent.
I quickly ended up with Narciso Rodriguez, whose unmistakable handwriting shows that the men's and women's fragrance collections use musk as the basic substance. So far I had only been able to try the "For Him Bleu Noir" edition and some of the women's fragrances, I had probably overlooked the "For Him Musk Collection" so far. The forum here didn't reflect too many and also rather split opinions yet.
After I discovered Francis Kurkdjian as the perfumer behind the fragrance, my interest was fully aroused. Unlike his early creations (Le Male), he often uses only a few, but very exquisite flavours in his own brand's fragrances. True to the motto "less is more", in my opinion absolute masterpieces are created in this way. The reduced number of ingredients does not result in less complex fragrances, but rather in a particularly harmonious development of the fragrance process - from spraying on and initial contact with the top note throughout the entire drydown. Kurkdjian knows like no other how to hide the alcoholic basis of every perfume.

In the case of "For Him" the first contact with my blind buy was frightening. While I had only been used to a sparkling clean, warm-sweet musk note so far, the new bottle confronted me with an impetuous, stirring and at first truly irritating fragrance experience. I lacked the words to even describe what I had just smelt. I read the three ingredients again: Musk, red berries, iris. Iris I had learned to love in all variations with Dior Homme at the latest. Until today I can't even guess the iris in "For Him".
Musk, originally a sexual attractant of the musk animal, which is now exclusively synthesized, exudes an either sweet or animal note. And that is exactly what distinguishes "For Him" - it makes the man an animal, so to speak. The fragrance starts already in the top note with a fragrance nuance that I had never smelled before and that irritated and deterred me massively during the first times. I wanted to set the scent in the souk as a bad buy, so the fascination of this masterpiece opened up for me.
"For Him" gives its wearer a scenttaura that makes him a beast. He awakens the animal in the man - not in an obscene, barbaric or even coarse way, but in a noble way. "For Him" smells like Kurkdjian usual very high-quality, has a reasonable shelf life of six to eight hours, in the first two also with acceptable Sillage.
The title already expresses the warning that comes from my first impressions. I would always try this fragrance several times in advance, because I can imagine that it hits many people in the head. The animal note, which can hardly be described with scents and yet seems so inconceivably attractive to me, could also cause repulsion. I would most likely compare "For Him" with the smell when you come from sport satisfied and sweaty without the lactic acid bacteria doing their thankless job. In addition, there are overripe red forest berries, which give the fragrance a dark, warm depth and make it sensual. They also take the sweat note (not meant to be negative) of the sharpness, round it off and turn the wearer into a tameable beast.
If I were to personify "For Him Musk", I would see a muscular, bison-headed Minotaur in front of me, who is preparing to perform courtship display in a clearing in the woods. A being as crazy, fascinating and at the same time mystical as Krukdjian's composition.
This fragrance is still both a fascination and a mystery for me. The difficulty of putting the fragrance into words is made clear by the long prologue. My final conclusion is: absolutely test - frighten violently - be enchanted. If after ten attempts the spark has not ignited - hands off.
Let him wake the "cattle" in you! Become a beast!

Versace Eros draws on ancient Greek mythology for both the name and the brand logo.
The god Eros, whose Greek word is still very present in the German language, stands for sensuality, attraction and accordingly for desire and longing, which we generally perceive as desire and longing, even perceive in the highest form as love. In his depictions, Eros and his Roman counterpart Amor wear arrows and bows, mostly with which he explores his love-crazed victims. In lesser known representations, a whip or net is added to the god of love as attributes to help in the hunt for lovers. In any case, Eros fulfils a function: to awaken desire in people, which ultimately culminates in an amorous bond.
This would also describe the intention of naming the fragrance of the same name. Where other fragrances are secretive and reserved, shyly flattered with charm or complexity, or just gentle attention, Eros surrounds its wearer with an aura that craves attention. It's literally impossible to ignore the scent. For me, the biggest powerhouse in Puncto Sillage I've ever tested. The mint paired with the sweetness of vanilla and tonka are, in my opinion, the outstanding scents of this perfume, which pours for hours like little love arrows from the skin onto the environment. The course remains relatively linear, the freshness of the fragrance, which is only superficial at the beginning, becomes warmer and sweeter. In my opinion, complexity, natural-looking fragrances and a fragrance that is suitable for everyday use are a bad thing here. Wearable to events and summer dates outdoors in a deliberately chosen outfit in casual-chique (polo shirt = minimum)

I deliberately chose "love arrows" because the fragrances are actually perceived as very pleasant by the ladies and this fragrance definitely puts its wearer in the spotlight. Staying unobtrusive is hardly possible with more than 2 spray shots of Eros. I strongly warn against overdose. Even so, I can only tolerate the perfume myself during outdoor activities at low dosages, otherwise I find it too intrusive, too brash and exhausting for the wearer.

Let us come to the second mythological testimonial of the Versace brand, the Medusan head, which represents the brand internationally. Eros embodies as a fragrance, ebeson like the fashionable creations Donnatella Versaces, the mythological meaning of the Gorgone "Medusa" par excellence. The original beauty of the Medusa, which after an unfortunate liaison with the god Poseidon mutated to a horrifying exterior, symbolizes the Janus-faced figure of this scented water.

As a fragrance, Eros behaves very similarly because, like the medusa embossing on the bottle, it polarises between repulsion and attraction. Depending on the mood, he polarizes with me, too, and so I very rarely open Pandora's box to stay with the mythological theme. Because as with Pandora's casket the wearer will not get rid of the spirits of this scent so quickly ...