Fragrances for Men That Work for Women

The more that women’s fragrances begin to smell alike in one pink synthetic blur, the more I find myself considering the men’s fragrance section.  The overly sharp woody or harsh herbal notes that traditionally signify a “male” scent aren’t my cup of tea, but there are plenty of men’s fragrances that make for an interesting and distinctive feminine perfume.

Marlene-Dietrich

A combination of desperation and curiosity led me to the men’s counter at Nordstrom, where I was promptly shied away from Kiehl’s Musk by a female salesclerk.  “That’s for men,” she said, about the slightly animalic musk scent that has been called a mall cognate to Serge Lutens’s hot and sweaty Muscs Koublaï Khan.  So what if someone raises an eyebrow about a cross-gender spray-and-play?  The men’s section contains novelty and surprise, two qualities that have been lacking in recent women’s issues.  There are gems at the men’s counter that are sure to intrigue if not outright delight.  Here are some that I wear myself and buy for men, straight from the mall:

My favorite men’s scent to wear is Annick Goutal Sables.  This molten-amber brew is rich with herbal immortelle that smells seductively maple-like. Sables is an intense experience revolving completely around immortelle (helichrysum), a scent responsible for the Corsican “l’odeur de maquis.”  It is found in women’s scents like Balmain Ambre Gris, Rosine Une Rose Au Bord de la Mer, and L de Lolita Lempicka.

I’ve loved Terre d’Hermès since it debuted in 2006.  Terre d’Hermès is a woody citrus scent with a peppery kick and a distinctive mineral (stone) quality that reminds me of water rushing over rocks at my favorite waterfall.  The finish is cedar, a note I always appreciate no matter the gender assignment.  One of the reasons I went shopping in the men’s section in the first place was to get more of it.

Also from Hermès is the collection “Les Colognes Hermès,” which are sophisticated updates of the traditional eau de cologne. Eau d’Orange Verte, Eau de Pamplemousse RoseEau de Gentiane Blanche, Eau de Narcisse Bleu, and Eau de Mandarine Ambrée make up the collection.  The first three were my introduction to wearing men’s scents and I love them all equally.

Maître Parfumeur et Gantier contributes two men’s scents to my collection:  Ambre Précieux and Santal Noble.  The first is an amber-patchouli mix that has crept over into women’s perfumery in recent years (Tann Rokka Aki, for one) and the second features dry and malty sandalwood with no floral nuance.

I’ve recently been wearing Idole de Lubin a lot. Although I first found it too masculine, several years later I find it perfect with its sheering out of a voluptuous rum note.  I’d call it a sweet woods scent, but that’s a bit of a misnomer since it implies a puffy gourmand quality that simply isn’t there. Instead, smoked ebony, palm, and leather cut through the sugarcane and keep it lean.

Although I’m not a huge fan of vanilla fragrances, I find Givenchy Pi to be a gold-standard vanilla that I once described as being vanilla wrapped in gold foil.  I meant that Pi has a metallic finish that glows like a sunset on a skyscraper; it’s not at all candy-like. When I reach for vanilla, more often than not I reach for Pi.  (Bonus: I also use Pi to scent my car!)

Caron Pour Un Homme is long established as a men’s scent that women also wear.  Here’s lavender made plush and comfortable with vanilla; it’s the opposite of the sharp herbal fragrance type that many women abhor on themselves.  The vanilla is dry and sweet and, once again, isn’t gourmand.  This is a quiet scent that’s perfect for relaxing.

Rounding things out is Dior Eau Sauvage, which is well known to women who wear men’s fragrances. Recent regulations have forced changes on the original formula that have it straying away from the earthiness of its mossy finish.  Still, it is an incredibly elegant citrus/aromatic composition with a clean finish (much lighter in nature than the original).

Extra: Victoria’s Running with the Boys : Adventures at the Fragrance Counter.

Do you wear men’s fragrances? Which men’s fragrances do you think work well for women?

Next: Suzanna will explore what perfumes for women can be great for men.

Image: Marlene Dietrich, via wiki-images.

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164 Comments

  • erry: I bought Chanel Egoiste for my husband but the sandalwood note tempted me to try it. When I finally did, I love how it smell on me.

    I also tried Amouage Lyric for Men which I think is very nice. I would buy it if it’s not that expensive.

    I wouldn’t mind wearing guerlain vetiver and parfums de rosine rose d’homme although they’re supposed to be for men. May 21, 2013 at 7:49am Reply

    • Robert: Concur. Egoiste is nicer on women. May 21, 2013 at 8:05am Reply

    • solanace: I love rose d’homme! May 21, 2013 at 8:08am Reply

    • Elisa: I love Egoiste and I’m wearing Rose d’Homme today!

      Also in my rotation: Spicebomb and Midnight in Paris. May 21, 2013 at 11:35am Reply

      • Suzanna: I went to try Spicebomb and was told, “This is for MEN!” I said that was just fine by me, and the SA sniffed dismissively at me. I must be an ignoramus. May 21, 2013 at 8:07pm Reply

    • Suzanna: The original Egoiste appealed to many women, as I recall.

      The other three you mention are fantastic for women who are tired of being beaten down by marketers who believe that woods and herbs are for men and flowers and vanilla for women. May 21, 2013 at 5:41pm Reply

    • Shelley: Hi everyone, one of the men’s fragrances, that I enjoy wearing is Monsieur Balmain. It is a wonderful citrus fragrance, that seems to really last. I am curious to sample Tom Ford’s Noir. Hopefully, I will get to try it soon. May 21, 2013 at 7:44pm Reply

      • Suzanna: I’m curious about the Tom Ford myself!

        Thanks for adding that Balmain. I was not aware of it. May 21, 2013 at 8:11pm Reply

      • Pat Borow a.k.a.Olfacta: I wear Mounsieur Balmain all the time in summer. In fact I just emptied a bottle of it — it’s a favorite go-to for the gym.

        Also wear Guerlain Vetiver a lot when it’s warm and Rosine’s Rose d’Homme when it’s cool. May 25, 2013 at 9:04am Reply

  • machula: I do wear men’s perfumes and I thoroughly enjoy it. I love Idole’s Lubin – spicy rum yum 😉
    and I, too, enjoy Givenchy’s Pi (bought for my brother but he wrinkled his nose at this one, so I kept it), Bulgari’s Blu Notte, YSL Jazz. I’ve recently discovered another pretty men’s fragrance – Cartier’s Declaration d’un Soir, a sample was given to me by a friend, with her thinking it’s a women’s scent (she’s very conservative this way) and being too heavy for her. It’s a fresh spicy rose with balmy undertones, very pretty. May 21, 2013 at 7:51am Reply

    • Suzanna: That Cartier does sound nice and I will seek it out in my travels.

      Lubin Idole I cannot see as strictly a men’s scent and wish it hadn’t been marketed that way. I’ve tried the others from Lubin that are likewise directed to men and they are also wearable by women. May 21, 2013 at 5:42pm Reply

      • Lydia: I liked the rum scent of Lubin, too. I don’t think I fully grasped that it was meant only for men, although I probably should have, given the look of the bottle.

        I’m all for wearing whatever works on your skin! May 24, 2013 at 9:35pm Reply

  • Connie: I wear my Mom’s vintage Eau Sauvage sometimes, but on the whole I’m not a big fan of men’s scents.
    While mainstream female perfumes are a big pink synthetic blur, masculines seem to me to be a big blue synthetic blur, very often. May 21, 2013 at 7:51am Reply

    • Suzanna: I’d agree with that, which is why my list is tightly edited. I dislike the fake “male” note present in nearly everything commercially made, and it took me years to discover men’s scents that I feel are more unisex and which lack that preconceived genetic fragrance coding. May 21, 2013 at 5:43pm Reply

  • Robert: My octogenarian mother has a thing for my Floris Elite aftershave (for lack of EdT, not some glandular issue) – a woodsie, floral conservative. My shaving cabinet has perfums La Femme and Chanel #9, no stones are cast. May 21, 2013 at 8:03am Reply

    • Suzanna: My fave Floris, Limes, is also aimed at men. Love that your mother like that Elite aftershave. More power to her! May 21, 2013 at 5:44pm Reply

  • The Blue Squid: Fascinating read!  I too, enjoy Idole.  So dry, spicy, light-wearing and lovely.  I bought a bottle in the middle of Winter last year, and managed to rip through about 90% of it in about two or three months.  It just seemed to go well at work, and out and about as well, hence the enthusiastic usage level.

    Some other masculine fragrances I have enjoyed recently are  Etat Libre d’Orange Je Suis un Homme, Eloge du Traitre  and Tom of Finland.  I think these all smell terrific and would most likely go great on women who enjoy perfume with that man-edge.  May 21, 2013 at 8:04am Reply

    • Irene: And Fat Electrician! I love its Vetiver/Vanilla combination on me! May 21, 2013 at 8:12am Reply

      • The Blue Squid: Ooh! I’ll have to try that one again! May 21, 2013 at 8:15am Reply

    • rosarita: Antiheroes is nice too, lavender that doesn’t have that typical men’s cologne smell. May 21, 2013 at 9:17am Reply

    • Suzanna: Thanks for adding to the list with these great suggestions.

      I’ve used my Idole enthusiastically as well, as a summer woods scent. It is just enough on these horridly sticky days. May 21, 2013 at 5:45pm Reply

  • patuxxa: I’m with you 110% as several of those are my favorites as well: I love MKK and Sables, and confess to gifting Terre d’Hermés and Eau Sauvage to my beloved stepdad with the secret goal of stealing a few spritzes now and then!

    Another men’s scent I simply adore is Hermès Bel Ami. I just have no words for how much I love it. May 21, 2013 at 8:09am Reply

    • Suzanna: Another great one to add to the list. Interesting how Hermes does such wonderfully unisex scents. I find all of the Jardin series to be without gender Even Jour d’Hermes has a sharpness and earthy background that might play on a man. May 21, 2013 at 5:46pm Reply

  • Robert: I used to suffer gender incursions on my Grey Flannel territory when it was new, and was considered quite feminine. May 21, 2013 at 8:15am Reply

    • Sarah: Grey Flannel! Yummy! I tried it on the other day and it was delicious. Very nearly bought it to add depth to some of my female perfumes. May 21, 2013 at 4:21pm Reply

      • Robert: It might be an idea to look for vintage juice, as it too has not escaped re-jigging. May 21, 2013 at 7:58pm Reply

        • Suzanna: Needs a primer, a guide, so people know what to look for! May 21, 2013 at 8:12pm Reply

        • Sarah: I know what you mean about the rejig but I thought it was still pretty good. May 22, 2013 at 6:10am Reply

    • Suzanna: Right, I remember that, and I recall women talking about wearing it. One of the great “masculines” of that era, not equaled IMO. May 21, 2013 at 5:47pm Reply

  • solanace: I love wearing Amouage Dia Man, it makes me feel real elegant. I also occasionally borrow Terre from the husband, I think it’s a great scent for work – in a powersuit kind of way. As for Rose d’Homme, as much as I like it, my 3 y old boy wanted a perfume for himself, and he got my sample of rose d’homme, which I of course apply very sparingly. It smells so good on his head! May 21, 2013 at 8:15am Reply

    • Suzanna: Ha! What a great image. I see you are rearing a champion perfume-lover there.

      Have not gotten too far into Amouage, but will add your Dia Man to the list to try. May 21, 2013 at 5:47pm Reply

  • Irene: I´m also one of those who enjoy a lot wearing scents marketed for men…Somehow I feel more comfortable with herbs and woods than with flowers and fruits. And for summer, I find it easier to find long lasting refreshing perfums for men than for women. I recently bought L’artisan Men Coffret with the 15ml bottles of Timbuktu, Mechant Loup and Fou d’absinthe, and I love the three of them. For winter, I absolutely love the immortelle/leather of Histoires de Parfum 1740 (Marquis de Sade). I had never heard of Sables before, but it sounds completely like something I must try!! May 21, 2013 at 8:23am Reply

    • Austenfan: If you love 1740, chances are that you will like Sables as well. I own and love both. They share a certain feel, quite apart from the immortelle which is more prominent in Sables. May 21, 2013 at 8:57am Reply

    • Suzanna: I’d forgotten about Mechant Loup–and the others you mention as well. They don’t seem masculine to me but unisex, but, yes, what great suggestions! The opening of Mechant Loup is very seductive.

      Have not tried much of anything from Histoires, except the tuberoses, which I did not like! May 21, 2013 at 5:49pm Reply

      • Austenfan: The Tuberoses are, I think, not the best that HdP has to offer. I think their 1740 is the best of the lot. I also really like 1725 (Casanova), Ambre 114 and Noir Patchouli. May 22, 2013 at 7:39am Reply

  • Bhama: I recently got Dior homme for my husband which I love to wear myself. Now I want to try the intense version. I love that the iris in it makes it more wearable for us girls. May 21, 2013 at 8:38am Reply

    • Suzanna: That’s one of the few irises I can wear. I can’t do cosmetic iris, so the Dior men’s version is much easier for me to wear, and I think smells better on me than any women’s iris. May 21, 2013 at 5:50pm Reply

  • Isabelle: As of last week (well, I am a newbie), I wear Habit Rouge (edt) and enjoy it tremendously. Somehow on me it’s a lot more wearable than Shalimar. I also fell for Eau de Narcisse Bleu after reading Victoria’s review a few days ago. So thank you for the review !
    As I love woods and dislike fruity perfumes, I’m often tempted to cross over. The first time I sampled on the men’s side at my local Sephora I had a comment or two, but by now the saleclerks are used to me. Just saturday one was commenting on the awaited arrival of Tom Ford Jasmin Rouge, saying it was perfectly unisex but would be placed on the womens’ side because of the red packaging, whereas another one had a blue packaging and would go on the men’s side. It was really liberating to hear ! May 21, 2013 at 8:46am Reply

    • Suzanna: That’s very interesting and I will keep it in mind when those frags arrive at my local counter. May 21, 2013 at 5:50pm Reply

  • Annikky: Great subject again, Suzanna! And fitting, as I am wearing Dior Homme today. Other masculines I love and wear are Egoiste, Eau Sauvage, Fahrenheit, Ormonde Jayne Man. One of my absolute favourites right now, Arquiste Boutonniere, is supposedly also meant for men.

    In addition to that, I need a decant of M7 and I plan to get one of Hermes colognes for summer – haven’t been able to decide yet which one. The masculine Amouages I have tried are good, but I will get the sample set before even considering a FB.

    I recently learned that several L’Artisan scents I like (including the three mentioned by Irene) are considered masculines – it never occurs to me to think about perfumes like that unless they shout it from the rooftops (write it on the bottle, I mean).

    With my new-found love of lavender, I definitely need to try that Caron and Idole sounds very promising as well. May 21, 2013 at 9:06am Reply

    • Austenfan: Do try the Caron, I still think it is the best lavender out there and cheap at that. May 21, 2013 at 9:14am Reply

      • rosarita: Yes, it’s excellent. The lavender blends so well with vanilla. May 21, 2013 at 9:19am Reply

    • Suzanna: As I said above, I too never saw those L’Artisans as “for men.”

      I think you would like Idole. You might like all of the men’s Lubin scents, if you can manage to try them. They are quite unusual.

      Caron is one you must try. It is surprisingly soft for a male scent. The fougere quality is very much downplayed. May 21, 2013 at 5:52pm Reply

      • Martyn: You’ve inspired me to try the Caron. I love lavender, I have it outside my back door with the mint, and I have bunches of dried lavender in amongst my off-season shirts to keep them fresh while they’re in store. And I love vanilla too – though I’d draw the line at a vanilla pod in my handkerchiefs! So I sent off for a sample today – can’t wait to try it.

        Luca Turin rates Pour un Homme too, giving it five stars.

        Incidentally, someone has mentioned Ormonde Jayne’s Ormonde Man in this thread. Have I told you I was given a travel pack of this what I think of as a very feminine fragrance, and after a shaky start it has really grown on me? May 22, 2013 at 3:50pm Reply

  • maja: Habit Rouge, of course, and Egoist which I find similar to Bois des Iles. I sometimes enjoy soft violets in Eau de Cartier but it’s being sold as unisex.. I have to get myself,pardon, my husband a bottle of Guerlain Vetiver 😉 May 21, 2013 at 9:11am Reply

    • maja: Ps. When I bought Hermes Eau d’orange vert I had no idea it was a masculine scent. I still wear it regularly while my husband considers it too harsh and would never wear it. May 21, 2013 at 9:18am Reply

      • Suzanna: Really? I don’t find it harsh at all. In fact, it is softer than my Monegal Entre Naranjos and other bitter-orange compositions.

        I get many compliments on bigarades. May 21, 2013 at 5:56pm Reply

    • Geneviève: I love wearing Habit Rouge too! It’s so suave! May 21, 2013 at 12:59pm Reply

    • Suzanna: There’s quite a contingent of women wearing that Vetiver–in point of fact I prefer the Malle or the MPG, but vetiver-loving women will likely adore that Guerlain.

      Eau de Cartier is a terrific suggestion. May 21, 2013 at 5:55pm Reply

  • Austenfan: It’s wonderful to see so many of my favourites mentioned. The whole gender divide in fragrances often strikes me as rather odd. A friend of mine was even shocked to find out that the Eau Sauvage that she had sniffed and quite enjoyed was originally marketed to men. As soon as she had found out about that she didn’t seem to like it as much.
    There are loads of other masculine scents that I love and wear a lot. Most of the Goutal’s men’s scents strike me as unisex really. Parfums de Nicolaï has some wonderful men’s scents.
    And in the mainstream Dior Homme is so easy to wear as is Chanel Pour Monsieur. May 21, 2013 at 9:12am Reply

    • Annikky: I find the gender thing silly, too, but I have never been a fan of rigid gender roles in anything. On me, the marketing divide actually seems to have the opposite effect – the fact that a scent is meant for men, automatically increases my excitement. Which is probably not a very mature attitude either, but there is a certain added layer of meaning when borrowing a fragrance from a boyfriend or spritzing away at the men’s counter. May 21, 2013 at 9:59am Reply

      • Austenfan: I can fully understand that bit, just as if you are doing something slightly illegal.
        I don’t believe in all this gender rubbish. It’s just another tool to make money.
        I mean I bloke in a certain skirt is cool in Scotland, and probably ridiculed elsewhere. People are so much more than their gender. May 21, 2013 at 3:38pm Reply

    • Suzanna: Agree with all of this. Goutal is def. a unisex line, and PdN also has some lovely masculines. May 21, 2013 at 6:13pm Reply

    • Lydia: I really agree! If I found a masculine fragrance that worked on me, I’d get a kick out of seeing that big, manly bottle on my perfume dresser and spritzing myself with it. I’m all for unisex fragrances. May 24, 2013 at 9:44pm Reply

  • Sam: I am going through a serious masculine phase right now. I think leathery masculines are more readily available on the high street than female leathers. I often steal my husband’s Fahrenheit! May 21, 2013 at 9:14am Reply

    • Suzanna: Fahrenheit (and before this, Halston Z-14) is another that women started “dating” when it first came out.

      I agree with you that leather scents are more available for men on the high street. May 21, 2013 at 6:14pm Reply

  • rosarita: Gender stopped being an issue long ago; to be honest, lots of beloved scents have been mentioned here and I didn’t know they were supposed to be masculine – Kiehl’s Musk really surprised me. Parfum d’Nicolai New York, Tom Ford edt & Noir, Rose d’Homme, the sadly discontinued Christian LaCroix Tumulte Pour Homme are some perfumes marketed to men that are big favorites of mine. Lubin Idole has been on my must try list for years; it’s now been moved to #1! May 21, 2013 at 9:30am Reply

    • Suzanna: I forgot about Tumulte pour Homme–the last I saw it was at Marshalls, maybe eight years ago, for fifteen dollars. But what a great scent for women! May 21, 2013 at 6:14pm Reply

  • Cybele: I used to wear Vetiver Guerlain a lot in the summer. I also enjoy Egoiste, Timbuktu, and Yatagan. May 21, 2013 at 9:32am Reply

    • Suzanna: These are certainly standard-bearers! All well worth seeking out. May 21, 2013 at 6:15pm Reply

  • Cornelia Blimber: In my opinion the distinction between masculine and feminine in perfumery is artificial. I wear many ”male” scents, most of them are mentioned already (of coarse Pour un Homme, also Yatagan, Dior Homme, Grey Flannel, Egoiste).
    Favorites are Racine MPG and Héritage guerlain, and Derby if it were not so expensive.
    Absolutely indispensable: Colonia Intensa Acqua di Parma.
    And Fahrenheit 32 when it snows. May 21, 2013 at 9:45am Reply

    • Suzanna: Thanks for making your great suggestions! There’s quite a nice list being compiled on this subject. May 21, 2013 at 6:16pm Reply

    • Candace: I broke the budget about 8 years ago buying a beautiful bottle of Derby. It was money well spent! “One of the ten best masculines of all time,” perfume reviewer Luca Turin says today, “the only case of a Guerlain masterpiece gone unnoticed.” But also SO wonderful on a woman! November 6, 2016 at 11:23am Reply

  • Keith: As a guy, I always like finding something marketed towards women that works for me, as I feel that it opens up even more opportunities for self-expression through scent – not to mention that some gender assignments of products by Madison Avenue is more about hedging bets for return on investment than anything else.

    (As an aside, I can’t tell you how many compliments I’ve gotten when I wear Cacharel’s LouLou out at night…and that’s one stonkingly feminine-aimed oriental.)

    In the same way that I tend to use the original Lolita Lempicka as a clubbing scent, as its freshness cuts through everything else with determination and cheerfulness, I always think that Lolita Lempicka Au Masculin would smell amazing on a woman, with it’s ethereal violet aura, especially a woman who eschews the more “candyfloss” aspects of the original – it’s light and delicate and dreamy.

    I would also echo the suggestion of Dior Homme, as there’s something quite assertively ladylike in the lipstick-y top notes – and the drydown is a delicious unisex treat for anyone. May 21, 2013 at 9:46am Reply

    • Annikky: With one sentence, you have convinced me to try Lolita Lempicka Au Masculin. May 21, 2013 at 10:05am Reply

    • stina: OK, you’ve pushed me over the edge to try Lolita Lempicka Au Masculin as well. 🙂

      I like the herbal-licorice notes in the original LL, but overall it’s too sweet and pretty for my tastes. Sounds like the au Masculin might be just the right take for me. (off to the sample factory…) May 21, 2013 at 12:47pm Reply

      • Keith: The good news is that the herbal-licorice notes are all there! 🙂

        If you do fall in love with it, I will warn everyone – the bottle is kinda corny. It’s like a glitzy, plasticky stump of wood. LOL May 21, 2013 at 1:10pm Reply

        • Snowyowl: I love LL au masculin, I feel really sexy when I wear it (tree stump and all!) May 21, 2013 at 1:52pm Reply

    • Suzanna: LouLou has that wonderfully decadent tobacco/ashtray note that is perfect for clubbing.

      Dior Homme, and the Dior colognes, have all been favorites of mine. May 21, 2013 at 6:18pm Reply

    • Lydia: “I can’t tell you how many compliments I’ve gotten when I wear Cacharel’s LouLou out at night…and that’s one stonkingly feminine-aimed oriental.”

      LOL It really is. I’d love to smell that one on a guy. May 24, 2013 at 9:47pm Reply

  • Anne Sheffield: I love habit rouge by guerlain! And I love Jo Malone amber and lavender . Xxxx May 21, 2013 at 9:53am Reply

    • Suzanna: I need to try that Jo Malone–those are both notes that I love.

      It’s nice that Habit Rouge is so widely available. May 21, 2013 at 6:19pm Reply

  • Lucas: I’ve read, heard and experienced in my own life that Prada Amber Pour Homme can be often worn by women, and when they do so – they do it really gracefully! May 21, 2013 at 10:01am Reply

    • Suzanna: How marvelous! A must-try! I find nearly all ambers to be unisex. May 21, 2013 at 6:19pm Reply

  • Marsha Smith: I love to wear the original Old Spice cologne! I also love sandalwood and lavender, so I have Creed Royal Scottish Lavender and Jicky. Believe it or not, The Art of Shaving has a very nice sandalwood cologne. May 21, 2013 at 10:10am Reply

    • Suzanna: I’ve heard that about Art of Shaving and then forgot about it when I saw an AoS store the other day. Back I go! May 21, 2013 at 6:20pm Reply

  • Savita: I lately started wearing my husband’s Mugler A*Men perfume. He thought it was abit sweet for him and found that it smelt better on me. I tend to spray it from afar too so it feels a bit softer. May 21, 2013 at 10:12am Reply

    • Suzanna: Thanks for adding that more modern scent to the list. It’s a great one! May 21, 2013 at 6:20pm Reply

  • Roberta: I though I didn’t like to wear men’s perfume that much, but after reading your article I remembered I wear quite a few actually. My favorites are Terre D’Hermes, Egoiste, and Jubilation XXV (which is probably the one I wear the most). I also love MKK and I had no idea it was marketedffor men. May 21, 2013 at 10:46am Reply

    • Suzanna: I don’t think MKK was necessarily marketed for men; it and Bois Sepia just seem more masculine than the rest. May 21, 2013 at 6:21pm Reply

  • Lia: I would buy and wear anything that I like. I pretty much don’t care about the labels unisex, for men , women or whatever. I own & wear several male perfumes like JPG Kokorico, Van Cleef Arpels Midnight in Paris, Paul Smith Story, John Varvatos Artisan Black & Nikos Sculpture Homme. I also adore Chanel Allure for men, Egoiste & Old Spice. May 21, 2013 at 10:47am Reply

    • Suzanna: Wow, that’s great list! Haven’t tried most of them and now will. May 21, 2013 at 6:22pm Reply

  • Bela: In the past I have worn Antaeus, Aqua di Selva, Eau Sauvage and New West (I would have worn Safari and KL too). I was younger then and they all suited me very well – I used to get lots of compliments. These days I don’t think they would suit me at all. And my tastes have changed (although I still think they’re all great scents). I am currently wearing La fille de Berlin – so rosy and warm and comforting. I think it would smell wonderful on a man (in tiny doses).

    Two of my French female friends have worn Guerlain Vétiver all their lives. They don’t know each other and are very different people, but it suits them both and they’ve never found any reason to wear anything else. Whenever I smell it I think of them. May 21, 2013 at 11:12am Reply

    • Suzanna: I suppose all of our tastes change over time. I cannot tolerate too much vanilla or anything sweet.

      Fille de Berlin would be fantastic on a man, worn in shadowy urban recesses and as you say in small amounts. May 21, 2013 at 6:23pm Reply

  • bohobabe: Ooooh! I love this topic! I have always felt very alone in a world where most women gravitate towards floral notes (especially those big, white ones!) I love woody, herbal, smokey scents and I’m exploring vetivers now. I’m very new and haven’t tried Guerlain Vetiver but dying too! I just can’t find it here! Oh and I love ELdO Eloge du Traitre just like Blue Squid. It’s nice to know I have friends… 🙂 May 21, 2013 at 11:45am Reply

    • Suzanna: We’ve got a great discussion going on here! And you have many friends here. May 21, 2013 at 6:24pm Reply

  • george: I think that in general when a scent is classed as ‘masculine’, this usually means there is an absence of prominent feminine notes, and therefore a lot of ‘masculine’ fragrances are actually unisex. The guerlain (and other’s) cologne variants, all Ellena’s range, and a lot of fougere’s and aromatic fougere’s are good to try. Any classic chypre straddles pretty much any gender divide; and I also think the classic Menardo scents also were created in a way that they are beyond being characterised as masculine or feminine. However- if I was a woman- I think I would be extending my hand as far as possible in to what is classed as a masculine, and trying the most woody scents around- without floral embellishments- just to see what I could get away with………… May 21, 2013 at 11:48am Reply

    • Suzanna: That’s about what I do–for the most part I am tired of women’s scents and have been wearing those that are woodsier, spicier, and more leathery than a traditional feminine scent would be. May 21, 2013 at 6:30pm Reply

  • lari: I wore Eau Savage for quite awhile years ago. I recently ordered samples for myself and trying to find something special for my 20 something son from Sonoma Scent Studio. Many are very woody but lovely and most cross the gender issue…stuff I liked for myself- Jour Ensoilelle, Forest Walk and Champagne de Bois- I sent off to him too (no reply as of yet)…want to check into Winter Woods and a few others.
    I am always impressed if not wearing most of Hermes work, male or female. I must try Terre.
    I also remember when I was a teen, a male cousin who was visiting from France in the front seat of our family car wearing Givenchy Gentlemen. I couldn’t get enought of the scent and was climbing over the front seat to get a better whiff. LOL. Nice olfactory memory. May 21, 2013 at 11:51am Reply

    • Suzanna: LOL! Great memory and thanks for sharing!

      Forest Walk is great for both men and women; I am wearing it now and finding spicy green background that is sure to appeal to women. May 21, 2013 at 6:36pm Reply

  • nikki: we have good taste, Suzanna! yes, eau sauvage, antaeus by chanel, caron’s pour un homme, vetyver by guerlain, habit rouge also by guerlain are scents I love and wear. May 21, 2013 at 11:52am Reply

    • Suzanna: Great! Thanks for stopping by and sharing! May 21, 2013 at 6:36pm Reply

  • Katy: Scent has no gender lines. I’ve always loved the vintage mens frag “Timberline” from Dana. I haven’t followed it through the years to see if it had been reformulated, but in the 1970s it was fantastic. May 21, 2013 at 11:56am Reply

    • Suzanna: I am now curious about Timberline and want to try it. May 21, 2013 at 6:37pm Reply

  • zuzanna: Life Essence Fendi
    Insense Givenchy May 21, 2013 at 12:04pm Reply

    • Suzanna: Have not tried the Fendi! I wonder what is it like. May 21, 2013 at 6:42pm Reply

      • zuzanna: It’s a chypre, light, citrusy and woody, complicated and airy. Elegant and aloof, acrid and sweet in the same time.
        Notes: grapefruit, yuzu, pepper, cardamon, nutmeg, musk, cedarwood, sandalwood. Perfect for a chilly day on the seaside (Baltic Sea, hehe.) Discontinuede, helas. May 22, 2013 at 5:43am Reply

  • Kris: My husband has a bottle of pre-re formulation Dolce & Gabbana Pour Hommes that I sneak sprays from. So gorgeous! I also love to wear Midnight in Paris and I really want to try Pi and Egoiste. May 21, 2013 at 12:07pm Reply

    • Suzanna: You should absolutely try Pi and Egoiste–ASAP! May 21, 2013 at 6:43pm Reply

  • Annette Reynolds: I’ve worn TRICORN by Caswell-Massey for over 30 years. It was a beautiful, clean, sandalwood scent for men that had great tenacity and a beautiful sillage. I say “was” because I’ve just discovered that it’s been discontinued. To say I’m heartbroken wouldn’t even begin to cover it.
    I also love many of the Eaux de Colognes that are supposed to be for men. May 21, 2013 at 12:11pm Reply

    • Suzanna: How annoying. There were others from them as well, and Crabtree, that were wonderful. May 21, 2013 at 6:43pm Reply

  • Ilia: I like Knize Ten (it says “gentleman’s water” on the label!) and Caron’s Troisieme Homme. There are others as well, like Nicolai’s New York or Hermes Eau d’Orange Verte which may be considered masculine, but I prefer to thin of them as unisex. It’s getting harder and harder to tell which perfumes are “for men” if they don’t say “Homme” in the name, so I’m surprised that the sales assistant was so bold to assert the masculinity of Kiehl’s Musk. It is neutral at best! What about CK One? Is that one for men too? May 21, 2013 at 12:39pm Reply

    • Suzanna: Nordstrom definitely feels that Kiehl’s Musk is pour les hommes. It still sits on the men’s counter. May 21, 2013 at 7:05pm Reply

  • stina: Individual skin chemistry also plays a role; sometimes my skin amplifies sweet notes in a perfume and sometimes it just vanishes them and leaves the sharp/woody notes. That tends to blur M/F fragrance distinctions right there.

    Egoiste is probably my all-time favorite because all the different notes in it blend perfectly on my skin; it’s rich and complex and gorgeous (not at all identifiable as either “masculine” or “feminine”).

    I tried Idole recently for the first time and I think that one’s headed for the FB list as well.

    And I just got a bottle of CdG Kyoto; I used up my sample vial trying to decide if it was too “masculine” on me, but the gorgeous drydown (and great tenacity) were too much to resist. I figured that if it smells beautiful on me, M or F doesn’t matter.

    OTOH, when I tried Cool Water my skin amplified all the sharp woody notes so much that I was walking around in a cloud labeled “Men’s Aftershave” in giant neon letters. Definitely a no-go.

    And Kenzo Ca Sent Beau turns into pre-reformulation Old Spice on me! My grandfather used to wear the original Old Spice all the time but I haven’t smelled it for years; it was so evocative of him that I can’t wear it myself (if that makes any sense).

    So for me it comes back to sample, sample, sample and decide for myself. May 21, 2013 at 12:39pm Reply

    • Suzanna: You make a great point about individual skin chemistry. That aftershave note is a dealbreaker for me, too.

      Sampling is a must–and a fun exercise! May 21, 2013 at 7:06pm Reply

  • Geneviève: Sometimes, I do wear men fragrances too ! I wear Aqua Di Gio by Giorgio Armani and Déclaration d’un soir, by Cartier.
    I don’t understand why some fragrances are suppose to be wear only by a gender. To me, if it’s smell good and I like it, I’ll wear it! May 21, 2013 at 12:46pm Reply

    • Suzanna: That’s the way to do it! And it broadens one’s horizons by a lot, to not go in for the dictates. May 21, 2013 at 7:07pm Reply

      • Geneviève: That’s so true Suzanna! May 21, 2013 at 10:44pm Reply

  • Nadja: I don’t think perfumes should have a gender! But I much prefer masculine and unisex scents as I’m not very fond of light scents or floral and fruit notes… I usually find masculine scents to be darker and more intriguing. One mainstream masculine scent that I really enjoy is Dior Homme Intense. May 21, 2013 at 2:09pm Reply

    • Suzanna: Dior Homme is a great starting point for any investigation of men’s scents. Will have to try the Intense version. May 21, 2013 at 7:08pm Reply

  • Stephanie: How about Ralph Lauren’s Double Black? It masculine yet has a sweetness to it that works beautifully with a woman’s body chemistry. May 21, 2013 at 2:13pm Reply

    • Suzanna: Do not know this one! Sounds fantastic! May 21, 2013 at 7:08pm Reply

  • Domestic Goblin: Sartorial by Penhaligon’s and Bvlgari Black by Bvlgari! 🙂 May 21, 2013 at 2:17pm Reply

    • Suzanna: Do not know that Penhaligon, but Bulgari Black is a rubbery, tarry winner. May 21, 2013 at 7:09pm Reply

  • Merlin: For the most part, if I like a scent, then I want to smell it often which means I like to wear it. That being said i do find Wazambe distinctly masculine. I can’t say why it feels that way to me and I do know many women like to wear it.

    Most of my collection is probably unisex and I have several ‘male’ frags: Halston Z-14, M7, and Eau des Baux are all favourites and Pure Havane and Encre Noire get some wear too.

    At the moment I am considering Fougere Bengale…I find it to have a refreshing clarity and also to be very evocative. I have not smelled Sables so I’m not able to compare. May 21, 2013 at 2:27pm Reply

    • Suzanna: I keep meaning to order a sample of Wazamba and it will be on my next order list!

      Fougere Bengale is another great one. May 21, 2013 at 7:10pm Reply

  • minette: you bet i wear men’s fragrances. if it smells good to me, and on me, i wear it. why should we be stopped by the marketing machine?

    here are some of the “men’s” scents i wear:

    ysl m7
    ysl kouros
    chanel egoiste
    chanel pour monsieur
    le troisieme homme de caron
    caron pour un homme
    eau d’hermes
    equipage
    bel ami
    creed bois du portugal
    acier aluminum
    dior eau sauvage
    eau de cartier (unisex, probs)
    goutal ambre fetiche
    guerlain habit rouge
    derby
    zino davidoff
    grey flannel
    cdg man

    there may be more, but those are what come to mind. i also wear a lot of the heavier scents in lutens, like mkk and ambre sultan and miel de bois.

    i love spice and woods but not so much the standard man’s cologne mix of citrus and musk – the stuff that smells just like laundry detergent and dryer sheets. in fact, the only citrusy one i really dig is the eau sauvage, because it’s dirty underneath.

    cheers! May 21, 2013 at 2:55pm Reply

    • Annikky: This is what I call a nice list. May 21, 2013 at 3:04pm Reply

      • minette: annikky, thanks! i do like my perfume, no matter the gender-marketing! May 21, 2013 at 7:16pm Reply

    • Suzanna: I see you are a great lover of this topic and I am thrilled to have your list. One day we must add everything mentioned here and have a wonderful resource for the future. May 21, 2013 at 7:11pm Reply

    • Robert: Maybe vintage Monsieur Rochas could be of interest, I find it’s got a similar dirty quality to the original Eau Sauvage. May 21, 2013 at 9:42pm Reply

      • Suzanna: Thanks for that rec, Robert! May 21, 2013 at 11:12pm Reply

      • minette: robert, thanks, that sounds like something i’d really like! am a huge fan of vintage rochas scents.

        your suggestion reminded me that i also have gres homme, which reminds me delightfully of vintage cabochard. anyone missing the kick of old cabochard might enjoy this one. May 22, 2013 at 2:55pm Reply

        • Robert: Errata corrige: Make that Rochas Moustache! Don’t be dissuaded by the name, however. Thanks for the tip, I’ve only got the Cabochard Grès in vintage EdT, and it’s a little too subtle in that form. May 25, 2013 at 5:20am Reply

    • Lydia: Creed Bois du Portugal and Acier Aluminum are wonderful!
      I never thought of them as specifically masculine, although I guess the Creed men’s scent bottles do look a bit different. May 24, 2013 at 9:53pm Reply

  • Gina: I recently bought two bottles of A*Men, because they were on clearance for $10.00 each. I thought I’d try it out on my bf, doubting he would like it, but he did. Furthermore, it seems a much more agreeable version of Angel to me. It’s big, but it just doesn’t beat you up the way Angel does. May 21, 2013 at 3:05pm Reply

    • Suzanna: That was a great sale! Glad you love this fragrance and I think you described it nicely. May 21, 2013 at 7:11pm Reply

  • Snowyowl: Thanks for a great subject matter! I have taken down notes of many that I will now try, realizing that this is such a natural fit for me as a nature-oriented woman always attracted to ‘darker’ yet subtle woodsy scents.

    I’m a Guerlain girl, so in honor of this post today, I put on Heritage and am sniffing my wrists as I write! I have “L’Instant de Guerlain ‘pour homme’ and Vetiver deodorant that I keep at work, both are great and I will get the bottles eventually as well. I’m really inspired to try so many excellent suggestions, some I wouldn’t have thought of, so thanks! May 21, 2013 at 3:57pm Reply

    • Suzanna: I’m sure many women might want to get that Vetiver deodorant. I know I do! May 21, 2013 at 7:12pm Reply

      • Lydia: That would make a fun follow-up post: favorite male deodorants for women, and vise versa. May 24, 2013 at 9:55pm Reply

  • Sarah: I tried quite a new men’s fragrance the other day called Rokka by Antonia’s Flowers. It’s lovely, quite earthy and musky – I can’t describe it properly – Victoria needs to analyse it! It’s almost Grey Flannel territory. May 21, 2013 at 4:26pm Reply

    • Suzanna: That sounds really good, and from a small line that hardly ever gets mentioned! May 21, 2013 at 7:12pm Reply

  • ojaddicte: Funnily enough, I’m wearing Dior Homme today. Other “male” scents I regularly wear are Bulgari Black, VC&A Midnight in Paris, Ormonde Jayne Man, and Eau Sauvage. May 21, 2013 at 6:12pm Reply

    • Suzanna: We all seem to cycle around certain key men’s scents like Eau Sauvage, making it another great starting point. May 21, 2013 at 7:13pm Reply

  • Jennifer: I wear a few scents that are considered masculine. I like Timbuktu and Bulgari Black. I love Idole and didn’t even know it was considered masculine until I read it somewhere. Same for Kiehl’s Musk. I really like L’Occitane L’Eau des Baux as well. It smells to me like a slightly lighter version of Tom Ford’s Tobacco Vanille.

    I also have a vintage mini of Eau Sauvage that I found in an antique shop. No idea how old it is exactly. I have a harder time feeling comfortable in fougere-type scents but I like spicy/woody/musky ones. May 21, 2013 at 6:21pm Reply

    • Suzanna: Fougere is tough on me, too, except with Lutens, where it works brilliantly! May 21, 2013 at 7:13pm Reply

  • noele: I completely agree, there’s nothing like a well-dressed, well-groomed man smelling faintly of white florals to get under your skin. I love that combination of floral lightness and masculinity. Fortunately, my guy wears Diptyque Do Son/Ofresia of his own accord.

    I recently purchased something called Sergio Soldano by Sergio Soldano (EDT) which is quite male but evocative of some 80s Italian seaside resort dream. I’m also a fan of CDG Artek, Byredo Mr Marvelous (in trace amounts), Etat Libre Roissy de Palma, Etat Libre Vierges, CDG Tar. May 21, 2013 at 7:13pm Reply

    • Suzanna: Never tried most of these, and I’d prob. flee from Tar, but you certainly have added some exciting new ‘fumes to this list! May 21, 2013 at 7:14pm Reply

  • Rose D: My affair with “masculine” scents began when I was given a Dior Homme sample with the purchase of a lipstick. It was love at first sight and I immediately got online and ordered a big bottle (which I still own and wear).

    Afterwards, when I discovered the Ormonde Jayne line I was curious to try Ormonde Woman, thanks to all the wonderful reviews I had read online. It is a great perfume that I actually like; but something did not feel quite right and it stopped me from spending 80 pounds on a bottle. Later, when I received an Ormonde Man sample, everything fell into place from the first spritz. Now, I own the travel sprays and bath oil.

    Another favourite that deserves a big bottle (but is still in line until savings say otherwise) is Chanel Egoiste Platinum. It is perfect for those days when my skin chemistry does not cooperate and turns Coco Medemoiselle into something overtly sweet. May 21, 2013 at 10:43pm Reply

    • Suzanna: All wonderful choices. I must try Ormonde Man. I have been a huge fan of Woman, esp. the parfum, but I imagine something wonderful lurks in the men’s version. May 21, 2013 at 11:11pm Reply

  • Gina: Thank you, Suzanna, for a great piece and all your thoughtful replies. May 22, 2013 at 12:17am Reply

    • Suzanna: I’m glad you enjoyed it, Gina. May 22, 2013 at 7:17am Reply

  • annemariec: Golly – what a topic. You are being kept busy Suzanna!

    While I agree in principle that scent should have no gender, in practice I find that if I wear a very masculine scent – even one I really like – it often feels wrong, as if I have borrowed my husband’s/father’s/brother’s/son’s perfume and it is not really mine. My perception of scent must have become very gendered without my realising it. I wore Grey Flannel today in honour of this post but although I enjoyed it, I still spent the day wishing I had worn 24 Faubourg!

    That said, I do enjoy some unisex scents: Le Labo’s Rose 31 and Patchouli 24, Hermes Un Jardin sur le Nil. I have a decant of Declaration (the original) which I am saving for warmer weather. And I wore Eau Sauvage a lot years ago. May 22, 2013 at 4:09am Reply

    • Suzanna: Le Labo does strike me as a place to mine unisex scents, even though I do not have any. Your mention of Rose 31 makes me also think that Neela Vermeire Mohur could be worn by a man. May 22, 2013 at 7:19am Reply

  • Figuier: Great topic! Like Annemariec I tend to enjoy scents marketed as ‘unisex’ (Hermes colognes & jardins, Sycomore), but many fougeres and scents with a ‘sport’ or barbershop vibe make me feel like I’m cross-dressing. Still, I love Eau Sauvage, Caron Pour Homme, Dior Homme in small doses. Kokorico is fantastic too, but I don’t quite have the …guts… to pull off that wonderful male-sweat note!

    Florals on men though are a brilliant idea; I’d love to smell Rose Oud or Tubereuse Criminelle on a guy. May 22, 2013 at 5:20am Reply

    • Suzanna: I think that menthol note in Tubereuse Criminelle is easily something that could appeal to, and smell good on, a man.

      Have not tried Kokorico, and one day will!

      Interesting how many of us agree about the difficulty of fougeres. May 22, 2013 at 7:21am Reply

  • Dubaiscents: Love the post! It so annoys me when I go into a store like Sephora and get asked, are you looking for something for a man or woman? I wish I had a great come back besides, “something for me”.

    As for masculines I wear, quite a few of the Amouages I prefer the men’s version: Interlude, Jubilation XXV and Beloved. I kind of wish Amouage would get away from the man/woman pairings except then I worry that they wouldn’t put out as many new scents!

    I also enjoy Idole de Lubin as you mentioned. Yohji Homme is another really unique one that I think is great and I am not against wearing B*Men, Spicebomb or Grey Flannel.

    A good thing about having quite a few masculines in my collection is that I have many choices when I need to make up a small gift for a male friend! May 22, 2013 at 8:27am Reply

  • Andrea: I just realized Immortelle smells kind of like Fenugreek. Sweaty fresh and very manly! May 22, 2013 at 9:11am Reply

  • Emma M: Guerlain Vetiver is one of my longtime summer staples and I also admire Habit Rouge, Eau Sauvage and Terre d’Hermes.

    I also like the Crabtree & Evelyn Sandalwood, which is marketed as a masculine fragrance – I adore sandalwood and have been curious to try Egoiste for a while now but have never come across a tester to sniff. Can anyone describe how it compares to Bois des Iles? May 22, 2013 at 5:01pm Reply

    • Victoria: Emma, Egoiste is warmer, sweet, heavy on cooked plums and vanilla notes than Bois des Iles. Bois des Iles is drier and spicier in comparison. It’s fun to compare them, since they do have some overlaps (mostly in the dark, rich woody drydown). I can’t recommend Egoiste highly enough. My husband wears it, but I steal it from his bottle time to time. May 24, 2013 at 6:24am Reply

  • Tim: She’s a warm and sensouos girl with a gentle smile and she likes it quiet. She’ s deep and pure, tall and brunette, has a good sense of humor and wears Ray Ban glasses and boots. She likes men’s joks, Marx and Baudelaire. I love her soul with Calabrian origins. Oh, what a good girl. Lalla. – I thought for nights which perfumes I should give to her. Then I chose Apres l’Ondee for some kind of romantic contrast, and Amouage Epic Man for Adventure. Never really knew, which perfume she had or liked. Finally she really loves BOTH 🙂 Yippieh. And she went to surprise me – like many times before: one day she gave me her old bottle of Kenzo Jungle. Now this is years ago – and all is at its very best 🙂 May 22, 2013 at 6:02pm Reply

  • Tanya: I just tried L’Eau de Chloe and believe that one will work. Also I’m thinking SJP Covet (which I’m starting to love naturally since it’s discontinued!) and perhaps Shalimar vintage cologne?! May 23, 2013 at 12:46pm Reply

    • Tanya: Oops! I think I did that backwards!!!

      Okay, it’s discontinued but I believe Chanel Egoist would work for women. May 24, 2013 at 3:00pm Reply

  • Nemo: I think the first “masculine” perfume I fell in love with was Cartier Declaration. It just smelled so fresh and unabashedly spicy in a wonderfully crisp and not at all sweet way! It isn’t pretty, but there are certainly days when I would rather smell interesting and GOOD than pretty 🙂 May 23, 2013 at 10:51pm Reply

  • Ninamar: This is the list of perfumes I steal to my husband regularely (depending on the season, but always making him complaining intensely…): Citron Poivré (Jardin Retrouvé), Virgin Island Water (Creed), Piper Nigrum (L. Villoresi), Palisander (Comme des Garçons), Shams (Memo), Amir (L. Tonatto), Sombre Negra (Yosh), Idole (Lubin), Black Aoud (Montale), Cozumel (Laboratorio Olfattivo). At university, I often used Pour un Homme de Caron and Givenchy Pi, with great success at exams! All lady students shoud try! May 24, 2013 at 9:59am Reply

    • Robert: Long-suffering, but evidently of good taste, your husband. May 24, 2013 at 9:06pm Reply

  • Lydia: This is such a timely post for me, since I’ve been experimenting this week with some old samples of men’s scents from the discontinued Crown line.

    I started with Crown Spiced Limes, supposedly a favorite of T.E. Lawrence (I love an evocative historic perfume association). It was nice, but so aggressively masculine that I couldn’t see myself wearing it more than once.

    Crown Sandringham also started off heavily aromatic spicy masculine (so much so that I actually got some weird looks from people who got close enough to smell it), but it dried down to a rich, herbal, powdery scent. It smelled like I was wearing a boyfriend’s jacket. Very comforting.

    Crown Imperial was the most unisex so far – sweet floral combined with what I’m starting to think of as the Crown masculine spice base.

    I’d adore any of these Crown fragrances on a guy – I so much prefer these sort of traditional spicy masculine scents to the coldly synthetic fragrances I always smell on American men here. But they’re too heavy for me – if these scents were embodied, they’d be big-boned, tall and tweed-clad.

    I had the same issue when I was trying out the Comme des Garcons scents – they all belonged to a spicy-wood-incense perfume type I love, but a lot of them would be slightly better on masculine skin. Something about the strength of the spices just called out for a faint note of male sweat.

    I’m very interested in trying Caron Pour Un Homme – Suzanna’s description sounds really promising. I’ve also longed to try Caron’s Le Troisieme Homme ever since reading the Turin/Sanchez perfume guide description “once in a great while comes a disastrously beautiful boy who turns every head in the street…” (it sounds like the fragrance for Tadzio from Death in Venice). May 24, 2013 at 9:29pm Reply

    • Martyn: Lydia wrote: “I’m very interested in trying Caron Pour Un Homme – Suzanna’s description sounds really promising.”

      My sample of this arrived yesterday. I’m impressed! It is beautiful – soft, not at all pushy, but at the same time there’s something beneath or behind both the lavender and the vanilla that keeps on saying hello. Fougère maybe? Do try it, Lydia. May 25, 2013 at 5:11am Reply

      • Lydia: Thanks, that does sound nice. I’ve been wanting to visit the Caron boutique in NY for a while now, so this is another good reason to. May 25, 2013 at 11:35am Reply

  • abby: I second spicebomb and bvlgari black. My first love is Chanel’s Allure pour homme. May 27, 2013 at 12:04pm Reply

  • Daisy: I have to say that a very high percentage of the fragrances I wear are categorized as “men’s fragrances”: Antaeus, Egoïste, Bulgari Black, Acqua di Parma, Kiehl’s Original Musk, Fahrenheit, Eau Sauvage, Spicebomb . . . the list is long!

    It’s not like I don’t like feminine perfumes (i like everything), but sometimes when I am in Sephora, I just find that the more interesting ones are in the men’s section. Also, the chances of hitting a sugary, fruity, patchouli-bomb are significantly less on that side 🙂 May 27, 2013 at 11:39pm Reply

  • Puwen: Looking forward to the ‘perfumes for women can be great for men’ essay. May 29, 2013 at 10:29am Reply

  • Jill: The first time I smelled kiehl’s Musk was on a coworker who could have been a descendant of Marilyn Monroe! It was her signature scent. Because of her I associate it as a very sensual female fragrance.I had no idea it was a unisex fragrance until I went to purchase my own bottle. I also enjoy Givenchy Pi, a candy type vanilla. One of my favorite fragrances, Calvin Klein Obsession, is often said to be a very masculine scent. Yet it reminds me of my very southern-minded mother. Whether it is confidence or chemistry that draws one to a scent that is opposed ones gender, I say where what makes you feel like you, and leave everyone else guessing! June 7, 2013 at 12:41am Reply

  • Annamaria: The two fragrances for men that I wear regularly are Calvin Klein Crave and Paco Rabanne Black XS For Men. I’ll happily wear anything that appeals to me. Crave makes a great crisp scent for work, and I just find Black XS delicious! June 10, 2013 at 3:11am Reply

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