Cristobal pour Homme

Edit: updated this review July 1, 2021 Decided to wear Cristobal today - just for me, to cheer myself up. Forgot how much I adore this wondrous elixir! At first glance you can tell this is a class act - the bottle is a work of art, aesthetically beautiful and cleverly designed: smooth and glossy on the front, matt and semi-opaque on the back with two diagonal indentations at a 45 degree angle from bottom left to upper right, shaped to perfectly and comfortably fit the human hand; the T shaped cap surmounted with the double B monogram is a very pale gold on the upper part (to match the golden colour of the juice), the lower part is silver, textured to create the illusion of being bound in silver bullion cord. (the effect is so realistic I found myself trying to loosen and “unwind” the silver cord - which is of course impossible as it’s not actually a cord) Cristobal opens with an intoxicating salvo of aromatics and resin accompanied by a subdued citrus-like note which I assume is Bergamot. The overture heralds a complex, multifaceted symphony of woods, amber, resin, and a very luxurious leather note, supported by florals, tobacco, and a curiously mesmerising nutty gourmand effect which might be the coffee and vanilla. The dry down is warm and woody and lasts for ages. Cristobal really is a powerhouse, a very potent elixir, in every regard, so less is more. Fortunately the spray nozzle (or whatever it’s called) is very responsive and efficient - gentle pressure permits a light application. Every fragrance should come with a spray pump nozzle thing like this. By the gods this smells so good. I absolutely adore woodsy scents and this is very woody - in a hypnotically wonderful way. A beautiful blend that smells amazing, warm, and natural - unlike so many others, Cristobal smells organically pure and natural, creating an impression of superlative quality, class and sophistication. The leather note is amazing and really evokes luxury, like the interior of an Aston Martin, the woody note evokes the wood panelling of its dashboard. One of my secret pleasures is wearing Cristobal just for me. Every time I wear it, I find myself sniffing my wrist to savour the embrace of its sophisticated luxury. Cristobal really is quite unlike anything on the market now. It really is an exquisitely beautiful, intoxicating blend, a rich mosaic of woody, leathery, ambery sophistication redolent of luxury. When I first encountered Cristobal I didn’t like it, but in retrospect I didn’t really give it a chance. It was only when a friend wore it, and it was such a perfect olfactory accessory, that enhanced their natural grace, charm and sophistication so effectively that I fell madly in love and decided to get hold of some of that voodoo for myself. Some years back I was lucky enough to find two bottles at a very reasonable price and am so glad I did. Cristobal is a classy, sophisticated, confident, well-travelled gentleman of the world.

Gerard Anthony and Balenciaga have put together, in my opinion, another absolutely incredible bottle of fragrance! In a word, exquisite. First off, I really like the flacon - sophisticated and classy, but modern. The juice itself, inside, is what its all about - this is very rich, but lifted and delightful. This is a true Oriental Woody of terrific quality - I don't get any synthetic notes here, none at all. Balenciaga is top-notch house and there are no corners cut here. The quality of the ingredients is outstanding! I love the top notes of spice & herbs - artemisia, coriander, white pepper (clean, but a nice earthy kick) along with a dash of nutmeg that helps transition the top into the wonderful tea note here. I get a bit of herbal mint tea mixed with a light Earl Grey (which is black tea infused with bergamot). Very nice - but warming up the entire time with a nice light coffee bean note late in the heart (for transition) towards the amber, benzoin and vanilla in the base along with some very nice, soft & elegant sandalwood and fresh, golden tobacco leaves (lifted note here, nothing like a rolled cigar or heavy). The oriental flavors blend nicely with the wood but never get overly sweet or cloying at all. Harmony. Balance. Beauty. This is exquisite! What I find here is absolute, pure refinement and a masculine fragrance of wonderful depth & beauty. The key elements that make Cristobal Pour Homme so excellent are the wonderful fresh and clean, lifted notes throughout the entire scent (all the way to the pinch of tobacco leaves in the drydown) that keeps this from being another overly-sweet, sugary, heavy and cloying vanilla scent. It is one of the most gorgeous and well-integrated Orientals that utilize vanilla as a balancing basenote - to me, it is vanilla-tinged and not vanilla-centric. Benzoin resin is actually the key base component with amber, so it breathes on your skin and is less heavy. I find a totally natural quality to the benzoin note in this - not synthetic at all...which some orientals can turn towards due to their lack of quality in ingredients. That is why I love it so much! Excellent work by a true artist and master perfumier in Gerard Anthony. To achieve this fragrance took balance, great understanding of how to lift the olfactory senses from the top through the middle and base while allowing the vanilla and amber to add their true "flavor" and warmth - genius. Salud! Final score - 9.5/10. Captivating and revelatory. Near perfection!

“If bullfighting is death in the afternoon....she is death in the evening.” So said a character in “Blood and Sand” of Rita Hayworth as he observed her as she sat in the arena of Madrid devouring Tyrone Power with a look. So the same could be said too of Cristobal by Balenciaga. To me it speaks of Spain, of the dry heat of the Andalusia summer, of flamenco, and tapas. It whispers Hemmingway in my ear as Ava Gardner dances barefoot in a gypsy camp. It is as powerful as Goya’s Naked Maja and as beautiful as Penélope Cruz. It is the sensuous majesty of a matador filtered though the eye of a great design house. It is incredible and it is rare. And it is no coincidence that Cristobal speaks through the filter of a Spain seen in the movies. In the 50’s Balenciaga was the design choice of so many elegant stars of Hollywood. Cristobal is a cinematically grand and sweeping masterpiece that looks back to the glamour of the first meeting of Hollywood and post war Europe. So many masculine perfumes open with sharp violent notes; you will not find that here. The brilliant artemisia carries the white pepper, coriander, lavender and bergamot as they float onto the skin like a fine silk scarf falling in slow motion. It spreads on the skin as easy as caviar on warm toast. It is an amazing opening. As the heart notes come up Orientals come into play with a rich creamy coffee and tea blend that carry in their notes the pure beauty of the romance of patchouli, and sandalwood with a dusting of earthy geranium. This goes on and on and in a very warm and masculine self assured charm as the tobacco and vanilla come into play. Now you are in deep within the true magic of this fragrance. Coffee and vanilla with tobacco and the warmth of the amber and smoky incense of benzoin, this dry down is masterful and majestic. This fragrance is for grown men, not for party boys or fly by the seat of the pants on what is hot at the moment gents. You had better know what you are doing, where you are going and what you want when you put this on. People will take notice. It really projects well and lasts a good eight to ten hours on my skin. It is not a power bomb but rather a persuader, seductive, alluring and always mysterious. Brilliant designed bottle also is a plus. Cristobal by Balenciaga simply stole my heart from the moment it touched my skin. TEN PLATINUM AND DIAMOND STARS **********

A classic (and out of production) one, but it does not smell dated or old at all. Morover, it's extremely classy and you can feel the very high quality to it. Top quality. Lots of charisma and character. Very manly and very elegant (but a different elegance than regular people are used to). It's a weird blend though, hard to define and/or classify. Something in between fresh and warm. It's like (a mix all-together of) floral / citrusy / spicy / oriental / resinous woody / ambery / vanilla / hints of balsamic aromatic tobacco... The result is amazing and DIFFERENT. So CLASSY and UNIQUE. I wear this when I really want to smell different. It speaks of Spain, yes, not the Atlantic and colder one though, no, but rather the Mediterranean one... I'd say it's a "modern classic", like watching a Picasso or Miró painting (rather than a Velázquez). They were painted decades ago but they still look modern and offer that absolute, distinctive and unmistakeable quality, class and uniqueness to their owners. But it could also perfectly represents that delicate beauty and timeless elegance from Sorolla's paintings of those classy and well dressed women from the "Belle Epoque" walking across the seashore whilst feeling that unique Mediterranean breeze on their faces, those refreshing seawater splashes on their naked feet and that cozy warm Sun on their perfumed skins on a typical Summer day... It evoques the atmosphere in an old antique & curiosity shop full of different things and essences but well matching at its best: aromatic plants, lemon & citrics, exotic woods, resins, amber, incense, spices, vanilla, tobacco... Smooth power, refinement and rarety all together. UNIQUE! Like Balenciaga himself was and his style. Very good performance on my skin (but nothing offensive or harsh) and grabs attention. Highly recommended, although it's discontinued and if you really want it, you have to pay almost a "fortune" to get it through Internet. What a pity!

Balenciaga released some awesome men's fragrances (eg. Balenciaga pour Homme, Ho Hang Club): stylish, luxurious and of superlative quality that seem to adapt themselves to each wearer so much that the same fragrance can smell surprisingly different on different people. Smell is a potent memory trigger - and for me, Cristobal is a sensory delight. A ray of sunshine in these dark days, that brings a moment of indulgence, joy and luxury into an otherwise bleak reality. A dry, rich, complex, resinous, amber-y blend that really is intoxicating and seductive - that elicits both intense pleasure and moments of recognition as it evolves. To my mind Cristobal evokes classical masculinity (in the same way as Bel Ami by Hermès), creating an aura around the wearer that radiates classy elegance and luxury. The dryness of the composition is tempered somewhat by the vanilla, yet Cristobal concoctions. is the polar opposite of today's sweet, syrupy concoctions. To some extent our response to any fragrance is crafted by our own experience and tempered by our memories and associations, and for me, Cristobal is happiness. Wish I had the words to effectively describe how this fragrance makes me feel. So intoxicating that I savour the aroma as I inhale for the sheer delight of doing so.