Azzaro pour Homme

IL CAPOREGIME DELLA FAMIGLIA PROFUMI AZZARO Vincent "Vinny" Azaro, born in 1935 to Sicilian parents, is a New York City mobster and recognized captain in the Bonanno crime family. Since the late 1970s, following the murder of Bonanno boss Carmine Galante, Azaro became the caporegime in the Queens faction of the Bonanno family. During the 1990s, Azaro allegedly operated a multi-million-dollar stolen car ring and oversaw the hijacking of cargo at John F. Kennedy International Airport. "Azzaro pour Homme", released in 1978, is a well-known Parisian fragrance and recognized mobster in the Loris Azzaro perfumes family. Azzaro pour Homme has been the major capo regime in the Parfums Azzaro family since the late 1970s. He already destroyed many women's hearts. Loris Azzaro's couture collections were characterized by extreme seductiveness, which would go on to inspire his first men's fragrance. The alleged inventor of ultra-feminine fashion creations aimed at creating a weapon of seduction. That's how and why this iconic seductive men's fragrance came to life in 1978. This fragrance is maybe the first objectively alluring perfume made exclusively for men. Loris Azzaro, born in February of 1933 to Sicilian parents, died in November 2003 in Paris and is recognized as a great couturier and Franco-Italian perfumer. After the original EDT, the Azzaro pour Homme family of fragrances started growing with "Azzaro pour Homme Intense" in 1992, "Azzaro pour Homme Silver Black / Azzaro pour Homme Onyx" in 2005, "Azzaro pour Homme Elixir" in 2009, "Azzaro pour Homme L'Eau" in 2011, "Azzaro pour Homme Night Time" in 2012, "Azzaro pour Homme Summer 2013", "Azzaro pour Homme Summer 2014", "Azzaro pour Homme Summer 2015", "Azzaro pour Homme Intense" in 2015, "Azzaro pour Homme Freelight Edition" in 2016, the fantastic "Azzaro pour Homme Edition Noire" in 2017, and finally "Azzaro pour Homme Hot Pepper", "Azzaro pour Homme Naughty Leather" and the also fantastic "Azzaro pour Homme Amber Fever" in 2018. In the past couple of years, this designer family has shown its versatility, quality and market acceptance, and it all began in 1987. Lucky me... I have or had all the flankers released till 2017, and can't wait to get my hands on the three 2018 perfumes (actually I already purchased Naughty Leather and the amazing Amber Fever). About what you get inside the flask... At first glance, Azzaro Pour Homme's octagonal glass bottle and amber colour assert its masculinity all the way. This Eau de Toilette is a fantastic spicy-woody fougère fragrance, very old school and quite a demonstration of the masculine gender it addresses with every one of its one hundred millilitres. The "Azzaro scent" is unique and no one confounds it with any other perfume scent. Its olfactory footprint is mainly defined by three ingredients (notes) that mark the essence territory and boundaries. They are the key factors of its uniqueness. 1 - Anise - This ingredient creates a blunt warm-cold contrast in addition to texture, depth and solarity. It originated in the dried fruit of the badian plant, which is harvested in the Far East (China, Vietnam, Japan and the Philippines). At least twenty-five kilos of dried star anise are required to produce one kilo of essential oil through distillation. It is a precious extract with very sweet, refreshing and spicy liquorice notes. It resembles anise but is more pungent. 2 - Lavender - This invigorating flower - small violet flowers - radiates a highly seductive, very clean and quite manly aroma. In Provence, around a hundred producers harvest lavender. They then dry it and extract its essence through rapid distillation: 200 kilos of flowers are required to produce one kilo of essential oil. Soft, floral and slightly fruity, lavender has a rounded aroma of amber with a hint of coumarin. 3 - Vetiver - At once dry and moist, fresh and warm, woody and intense, this root exudes a unique sensuality with its bitter chocolate and smoky facets scent. It is grown in Java, Madagascar and Brazil (among others), yet Haiti's production is preferred by perfumers for its fragrant quality. One kilo of essential oil requires 200 kilos of uprooted, dried and cleaned raw material. The results: An extract with characteristic dry woody notes with earthy, smoky and nutty tones. What you will not forget... After an "Azzaro pour Homme experience" you will remember how aromatic the fragrance is, with both fresh and soft spices blended with woody, floral and earthy accords. You will enjoy it for more than eight or nine hours and people within four or five feet will notice you for sure. As with everything concerning our terrestrial life, let's try to measure Azzaro pour Homme: ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ - Opening: 9.5 (really pleasant unique fougére opening) - DryDown: 8.5 (very good- mossy, leathery and sweet) - Longevity: 9.0 (up to 9 hours on my skin, with 3 sprays) - Sillage: 7.5 (sillage peaks up to 5 feet; It projects heavily almost for 2.0 hours) - Versatility: 8.0 (quite versatile, expressing itself better in Spring and Fall, at ease on Winter days and Summer nights) - Usability: .8.5 (it's a "use it almost anywhere" fragrance, but avoid gym, seaside or any kind of sweating activities) - Compliments: 8.5 (This scent competes with other compliment magnets. You will smell elegant, clean, fresh, sexy and even cute; but... yes... It has been around for some time and its DNA is easily recognisable) - Uniqueness: 9.5 (It has got a unique DNA that you will not mistake with other perfumes; You may consider just its flankers as similar scents, and just maybe some vibes shared with the also magnific Aramis Tuscany) - Quality: 9.0 (High-quality ingredients; gorgeous heavy glass bottle; great spray) - Presentation: 8.5 (beautiful, sober, masculine flask with visible good taste details; questionable cap) - Price: 9.0 (€ 20.0 for a 100 ml tester flask, € 25.00 for a non-tester flask) ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ - Average: 8.69/10.00 between 7 and 8 => above average; between 8 and 9 => recommended; equal or bigger than 9 => don't miss it; My opinion on "Azzaro pour Homme": Take my advice and lose yourself in a haze of this crisp and complex men’s fragrance. This intoxicating Eau de Toilette has a wide assortment of refreshing notes that combine into one luxurious, robust manly scent that appeals to anyone near you. Recommended? Yes! Is blind buy worthy? No! ... as I have written, this scent is... intoxicating. Try it first! And, if you do buy it, do remember that you receive a piece of French perfumery history besides the fragrance itself. I just love this scent! Music: Charles Aznavour - "La Bohème"

Current formulation, straight out of the box: ApH is very solid, and represents its wearer well. For most, no one around will recognize what you’re wearing, and therefore will make no flash judgment about it, or make comparisons that try to date it or in any way categorize it. This goes for many so-called “vintage” or “old” fragrances- they’re only old if you recognize it as such. What’s cool about today’s landscape of pop culture: younger generations are infatuated with bygone trends in fashion, music, movies, and even literature. What’s even cooler: these younger generations do not remember these because they never experienced them before. Therefore, there's no baggage associated with once-ubiquitous yet now-obscure (at least to non-fragheads) icons like Azzaro, and its brethren such as Paco Rabanne pour Homme, Bogart signature, etc. I happened upon ApH while searching for late 70s fragrances that still sold well today, and thus seemed still relevant and accessible. As I myself am a vintage 1978, I started there, and purchased a decant of Polo (green); I loved it, but my wife did not. So, I looked at other fragrances of that particular year, and Azzaro was the next natural step, in my mind. I first locally acquired a 50ml current formulation bottle and took it on a snow skiing trip with the family. Ah! Azzaro was a hit with my wife (and kids!), and had a calm, yet bracing aura about it that worked for me, both out on the slopes and back at the lodge. No comments about smelling “dated” or “old” whatsoever. When the holidays came around, Azzaro felt like it was the perfect choice, contributing to the good memories being made. ApH is a winter winner. When Spring came around, I continued to evaluate; by this time, I added the 100ml bottle. I have the rare opportunity of working around dozens of adults and hundreds of children on a rotating basis, none of whom hold back in providing opinions about what they smell. In all my time wearing ApH, I’ve never encountered a negative reaction or comment; only warmer hugs, and stronger handshakes. ApH works wonders in the Spring. Summer - ah, how did ApH perform during the Summer? Well dear reader, I brought it with me on a 10-day vacation to Moab, Utah, USA, where I wore it mountain biking, ziplining, rappelling, dirtbike riding, hiking on challenging, technical trails with no shade in 100F+ heat, as well as in social settings when all the adventuring was done for the evening, sharing a meal, a drink, and a hot tub. ApH was never cloying, “too much” or any of these phrases often associated with fragrances of the era when worn in hot weather. The heat actually brought out facets of ApH that shine when hot: the vetiver was more forward, as well as the cedar, lemon, and dry aspects of the lavender. ApH sings in the Summer! I upgraded to the 200ml bottle, and continued evaluation into the Fall/Autumn. The evolving, nonlinear transition from opening, through mids, into base drydown matches the qualities of Azzzaro perfectly, as an analogy of the seasonal cycle itself (at least in the northern hemisphere): fresh brightness from summery lemon easing into woodsy elements of sandalwood and juniper berry, combined with herbs hearken to transitional months, evolving finally into the grounded warmth of tonka, musk, and a touch of leather, perfectly complimenting the transition from warmer times to cooler times. Thus, Azzaro pour Homme is truly a year-round, four-season scent, as if designed by its distinguished perfumers to be a signature scent, to be worn with confidence, always. No one will call you out for anything but positive vibes. Having three different bottle sizes gives me a bottle to leave at home, with smaller sizes for travel and versatility. They also offer a pocket-sized 30ml bottle- handy! This is the most thoroughly I have ever tested a fragrance for review, and I wholeheartedly recommend it- if you’re longing for nostalgia, you will probably be the only one that picks up on it, for your own associations; meanwhile, everyone else around you will think you just smell amazing. Period! P.S.- The sillage and longevity of Azzaro pour Homme are far better than what ApH costs at discounters, and far better than some current designers that make a loud, linear statement that falls flat on its face within 3 hours. As far as longevity, ApH continues to evolve, on me, for about 5-6 hours depending on environment, and by the time it dries down to its base notes, it still lasts, recognizable still as ApH, until you shower before bed. Regarding sillage, ApH is versatile, with three sprays offering a respectable ambiance, with a larger bubble with each additional spray. YMMV depending on chemistry/environment/condition of the juice/etc., but this is the performance I have consistently experienced during my 1yr+ evaluation.

Azzaro Pour Homme EDT from 1978 might just as well be one of the best fougères ever made, and it's definitely up there among maybe my top three favorite fougères alongside, say, Paco Rabanne Pour Homme EDT from 1973 and Penhaligon's Sartorial. To me, there is nothing "crude" or "raw" about Azzaro Pour Homme EDT, despite that many people assign these adjectives to it. Just like many people view Givenchy Gentleman from 1974 as "macho," "raw," or "rough around the edges," I view Givenchy as an elegant and refined gentlemanly fragrance, smooth as butter, just like Azzaro from 1978. Azzaro Pour Homme EDT smells like a smooth and well-blended herbal lavender fragrance with an oakmossy, leathery, woodsy, and semi-sweet backbone. Very deep, very complex, very rich, very versatile, and very satisfying. I'd describe Azzaro as a "dark" or "semi-dark" fragrance. The fragrance is well-blended to perfection, smooth, refined, elegant, luxurious, gentlemanly, and maybe even slightly aristocratic and upscale in nature. I admit, though, that it's just my subjective opinion, of course, but I do get an "aristocratic" vibe out of Azzaro. Azzaro Pour Homme EDT could easily be worn for your everyday routines, but it could also be worn at the office. It could easily be worn by a CEO, a millionaire, and even British royalty. It does have this versatile, uplifting, and luxurious feel to it, but it also provides an aura of authority and self-assurance to the wearer of the fragrance. It's comfortable and cozy to wear, yet its clean and fresh aspects give me the sensation of being freshly cut at the barber and receiving some form of cologne or fragrance as part of the hair grooming ritual. It's a fougère after all. But Azzaro's elegant and refined nature makes me feel like a wealthy man wearing a tailored suit from the finest tailors in England, and that is truly the cherry on the cake. To my sense of smell, Azzaro Pour Homme EDT doesn't smell outdated in the slightest. In my opinion, it's timeless and always relevant, and this could explain its impressively long presence on the commercial fragrance market since its first release in 1978. Azzaro is versatile and can be worn day and night, ranging from ordinary casual wear to very formal events, including black-tie events, primarily for spring, fall, and winter. You could possibly wear Azzaro Pour Homme EDT in summertime as well, provided you don't overspray. As far as performance is concerned, Azzaro easily projects and fills up an entire room. Longevity is probably in the 7-12 hour range. You probably would need to have an appreciation for old-school fragrances to truly enjoy Azzaro Pour Homme EDT. If you're aged 30 or above, you could probably wear Azzaro, but if you're an "old soul," you could easily wear this fragrance in your twenties as well. I truly believe that if an expensive niche house released this fragrance in an expensive-looking niche perfume bottle and gave it a "fancy" or "regal" name, people would be ready to pay hundreds of dollars for it, and the reason, I think, so many people disregard Azzaro Pour Homme EDT from 1978 is precisely because it is an affordable and cheaply priced designer fragrance in a fairly simple and standardized bottle. Despite being a modestly priced and affordable designer fragrance, Azzaro Pour Homme EDT is, to my sense of smell, an expensive-smelling, luxurious, quality, and niche fragrance through and through, and it's easily in my top 10 favorite fragrance list so far. Azzaro Pour Homme EDT from 1978 can easily compete with and even exceed the very best that Creed, Floris, Guerlain, Penhaligon's, Amouage, and Acqua di Parma have to offer in terms of quality, craftsmanship, complexity, and depth. The only Penhaligon's that might play in Azzaro's league is most likely Penhaligon's Sartorial. It's truly a masterpiece of a fragrance, and I'm happy to have it in my collection. Final score: 10/10!

A blind buy that I originally disliked, which turned into my signature scent that I wear almost daily. Lets start by saying, I'm not an old man. At 26, I would say I'm probably on the younger side when it comes to using this particular fragrance. I have read quite a lot of comments like "This smells like old man", "This is way outdated", "This is only for older and very masculine men". I really don't agree with those statements. I live in a place where fragrances like this have definitely never been popular. Not now, and not decades ago either. When I first smelled this, this was a completely new scent profile, and I couldn't really remember smelling any fragrance even close to this. On that first impression though, my opinion of the scent wasn't so positive. I really found the anis note in the opening quite unpleasant. I don't really know why I felt that way now. I now actually find even the opening anis quite pleasant, but still the initial opening is my least favourite part of this scent. The anis quickly fades away, and gives space for soapy, clean freshness with just a right amount of sweet honey, without making it too sweet. The further drydown to me, is most easily described as clean and soapy, a bit mossy. Masculine and professional, but not dominant or crude by any means. All in all, I like the opening, I absolutely love the drydown. As I said, during the last few months, on most days I have been using this as my daily scent. It suits all occasions, all conditions very well in my opinion. Smells great on skin and just as good on clothes. I personally spray two sprays on my neck, and two sprays on my shirt. If there is one downside I can say about APH, it's the performance. It isn't bad by any means, but not very good either. I'd say I get around six hours with this until it's pretty much vanished. Projection also is quite low, but to me that is a good thing, so I don't need to worry about annoying any scent sensitive people around. My 50ml is soon going to run out, and I'm definitely needing another bottle. Will probably get a big 200ml one next. I don't see myself getting bored with this in a long while. I'm also really interested to try flankers this has, but unfortunately they seem to be hard to get or overly expensive where I live. I'm glad this OG APH is very affordable though. Wouldn't want to live without it.

I've got a big splash bottle of the good 'ol stuff from pre-1990. Whenever I get asked for a recommendation of a classic men's scent to chase after in vintage form this is usually one of the first to pop into my mind. Be warned though that an EdT of that age must have been kept in pristine conditions for those archetypal top and heart notes to have any durable voices left in them; even in my excellent condition splash they have muted a noticeable amount over 30 or so years. But, the character is still there. A tonic of bitter and sour bergamot, green aromatic herbs, and the stars which every... single... reviewer... has spent hours with a thesaurus to find new superlatives for: anise and lavender. Sigh. Yes, everyone, the notes are lovely. The anise is sweet, elastic liquoricey, aromatic and woody, and the lavender oily herbal and floral. However, I find the dry down more compelling. Most of the top notes depart quite quickly, except for the anise that strings down into a very spice-laden heart, notably of caraway and cardamom, but it's the oakmoss that swells like a massive cloud rolling in from the horizon. The spices beautifully meld with the damp woodiness of the oakmoss in such a singular manner you almost wonder if you're smelling a type of moss that it is new to us all - hidden away in the depths of nature only recently discovered. The final dry down is a sublime and gentle coalescing of sandalwood, cedar, and a quiet musky leather. In addition to the superb dry down, it's the vocal timbre of APH that I find nearly as attractive. In one sense it has the rough and rudimentary qualities of a fougere (simple materials without much dimension), but also uncharacteristic for the genre it shows restraint and a flexible confidence with how it presents its accords. Like the voice of an old bluesman, rough and seen its fair share of harsh times, he can keep the volume low and the vocal line simple, and yet still sing with enough soul to ring in your ears and your mind for a lifetime. APH is a classic among classics.