Ho Hang

Just tried on a very small amount of a vintage miniature that I received of this, and so far I am thoroughly enjoying it. There's a lot going on but also a real smoothness and sense that it is a complete and finished product in its own right, and what has surprised me most is the depth of the fragrance. It has deep pools of ambery musky bass notes that seem to shimmer and swirl around each other. Scent profile wise, this sits very firmly and unsurprisingly in the "classic" camp. Think Guerlain's Mouchoir de Monsieur (or Habit Rouge once the initial airiness has dried down and dissipated), but with more tartness, like Boucheron pour Homme or Roja's Diaghilev in the fartger drydown. Performance wise, I will have to give it more wearings and come back to edit this (if I remember), but it has been pinging off my skin beautifully since I out it on. That said, I've often found that certain types of patchouli and musks have a tendency to do that with my body chemistry in a way they don't for my partner, so that might be a me thing. Overall, I'd say this is a beautiful scent for someone who loves classic fragrances, and to someone who doesn't this will smell extremely dated and old-fashioned to the point of being nose-wrinkling. Personally though, I love it and wish a larger bottle wasn't so damn expensive!

I bought a mini because I like HHC so much and am always after hot weather scents. This is really, really good. Creed-quality, and better if you give points for projection and half-life. I get the labdanum and probably some carnation right away, with a woody undertone. In a half-hour, a really beautiful, airy patchouli shows up and stays. I don't get any of the other notes; there is a gorgeous blend apart from the three "primaries" and I don't have enough discernment to pick them out. Suffice it to say that the effect is light, assured, and excellent. I don't get the projection that most folks seem to, perhaps because I don't have an atomizer. There are two problems here. First, HH is discontinued and very expensive. Second, my wife doesn't like this on me. I do not resort to the "don't like it but respect it" card very often, but in this case there is a niche-quality fragrance that moves me (and which my son says is "respectable" and appropriate for me (and can he use it?))... but Mama says it's not me and gives it two thumbs down. If you are interested in something really, really classy, invest in a mini. I may keep a little bit around just because--HH is all that. Scent: 9/10 Sillage: 5/10 Longevity: 7/10

Before the dramatic shift in fragrances to the opulent and indulgent just five or so years later, Ho Hang is at the zenith of the understated elegance that would characterize scents marketed to the male gender. In fact, early advertising for Ho Hang suggested it was marketed to both men and women, foreshadowing a more strident effort in 1975 by YSL for Eau Libre. Here, however, we find it far more in line with the gentleman's fragrances with a citrus aromatic opening with a vanillic-amber body such as Guerlain Habit Rouge and Equipage Gentleman. The rosewood is more forward here, supported by carnation and geranium, lending its floral, woody, coriander-like sensibility to the core of Ho Hang. It feels refined and tempered, nothing is sharp, nothing is flat, it is a simple, yet beautifully rendered melody. What's most impressive is how this clearly older-version vintage has retained its sparkle, it's "wow and flutter" as it were. No dusty, acrid degradation at all, it's all meringue-smooth. When it dries into its base, the musk is balmy and the amber accord is buttery. It really is quite beautiful.

Nothing to compare with..simply unique. It s a kind of teleportation in the past, when everything was so well done, proffesionally, with attention, hard work, and tallent. And yes, natural ingredients. It s a simphony of smells, complex, I can t detect all the notes listed because the synergy created between them are very tricky and all together copmplete the mistery. I love the carnation (here it smells like in no other scent that contains carnation) and geranium. The rosewood is simply stunning, and labdanum a bit sharp when it comes out but so smooth and manly after a while. Long lasting, distinctive, it will put you totally out from the crowds. A real king, still young and handsome. I must say the honeycomb box - and all the bottles packed like this- are the best. In the red box is the reformulated version, good as well but some notes are substituted with non-natural ones and it is a bit sharp and fresher. The vintage is the real masterpiece so if you can afford, buy a vintage one and you will not regret at all. 10/10

One reason: MASTERPIECE One Gender: MAN (Sorry "gender benders" that disagree there are genders). This is a fragrance for men...period! A scent that REAL women loves on a man! Fresh, classic, woody, spicy and absolutely stunning! It's a legend from the 70's (When men was men, women was women and the center of our universe). Although this juice is still relevant today despite being nearly 50 years old! It might be too "dated" for some. Best occasion for this legend is when you want to enjoy being a man. Come on fellas, we all know there's nothing better in our world than a loving woman to feel our manliness. Yeah I know some people hate when I express some scents having a gender. Well, there's very few scents that express MAN as much as Ho Hang. Down vote away snowflakes! It is what it is. And it's not HO HUM!