Boucheron Pour Homme

Boucheron pour Homme Eau de Parfum Batch 06J14J044, 13 February 2018 production Citruses are among the most volatile, and therefore quickly-evaporating notes. While most citrus-centered fragrances are, by nature, very fleeting, Boucheron pour Homme is not. I began a quest for a citrus fragrance that lasts, one without the need to respray throughout the day. Through sampling and trial-and-error blind-buying, I have found my Holy Grail of citrus fragrances, Boucheron pour Homme, in the eau de parfum concentration. Instead of defending it from other commenters’ erroneous subjugation of this fragrance to a certain era or age group, I’ll extol its numerous facets and values. First, about that longevity. This is a fragrance that, for me, lasts from 12 to 16 hours from application to its final curtain call, depending on weather. This lasts on clothes eternally, often after a wash, so I prefer to apply carefully directly to skin, allowing this beauty to dry down naturally. Projection is moderate compared with any fragrance, which equates to excellent with a citrusy scent. I get about six feet for the first hour, three feet for the next two hours, but then it fades gradually without dropping off abruptly. Masterfully blended, this opens with one of the most uplifting bouquets of citrus notes, bright and refreshing. Right away, however, one becomes aware of the complexity of this fragrance, with lavender and florals supporting the citrus, in a classy, creamy, masculine (albeit non-uber) way. Boucheron pour Homme EdP evolves beautifully as it dries down. Although it is listed as a base note, incense opens up early in the midpoint of the fragrance, giving an air of sophistication. What is so remarkable about BpH is that citruses, while more prominent and complex in the opening, remain throughout the entire drydown of the fragrance, which speaks highly of the blending mastery of the perfumers. To be sure, by the time it reaches the very end of its life, it is just detectable as a light but present citrus note, but it remains there nonetheless. One might say that by the drydown, the fragrance becomes a bit powdery; what I believe the “powderiness” to be is the interaction between the florals. Again, this is juxtaposed with the incense along with sandalwood and vetiver, and the vetiver here is of the classiest, most approachable kind. What is mind-boggling about this masterpiece is its sheer value. I obtained this 100ml EdP in full presentation for less than $35 USD from an online fragrance discounter in the US. The full retail is, at the time of this review, $98 USD according to Boucheron’s website. I would have no qualms whatsoever paying full price for this fragrance, without question. It is that good. The frosted and clear bottle is perfect for this kind of juice. The cap is on the cheapish side, but it still looks the part, and I’m glad Boucheron puts its money into maintaining the integrity of the blend and its ingredients rather than packaging and marketing. I wear fragrance as a means of expression, not to “pull compliments” or to fulfill any other social function. That said, I have received several compliments while wearing Boucheron pour Homme, and all were from younger individuals. Perhaps the sheer class and masterfully composed sillage of this wonderful fragrance caught them off-guard. I can’t tell someone else when, where, or how to wear a particular fragrance; that is completely a matter of personal taste, and to each his/her own. That being said, I personally would wear this in any setting in any weather. It works wonders in warm weather, and it stands up superbly to colder weather, I think thanks to the incense and complexity of the fragrance. If I had known about this fragrance when I got married, I would most certainly have worn this. This is hands down one of the best blind buys I have ever made, and I will be buying backup bottles. Boucheron pour Home Eau de Parfum is a stunningly masterful fragrance that can be obtained for a stunningly low price. Superb!

My Story My story goes back to a time roughly a decade after this gem was released—back in the 2000s, a transitional era bridging the boom of the 80s and mid-90s and the current age, which is teeming with YouTube vultures and second-rate "influencers." I had a girlfriend who was absolutely obsessed with perfumes—especially Chanel’s *Chance* and the DKNY line (the "little apple" bottles), which were all the rage back then. Whenever we went to El Corte Inglés (Spain’s most upscale department store) and walked through the fragrance section, Boucheron held a place of honor right between Christian Dior and Chanel; it stood there like the Mayan idol Indiana Jones discovered in *Raiders of the Lost Ark*... It was a fragrance that evoked an aura of sophistication, elegance, and "old money" style—the kind worn by a 40-year-old man heading to a casino in Monaco. It didn't need flashy TV or print ads; its quality spoke for itself, and word-of-mouth cemented its reputation as a truly exquisite luxury product. It carried a high price tag—on par with Dior or Chanel—and appealed to a specific clientele, standing a cut above the era's heavy hitters like *Fahrenheit* or *Allure*. It was a masterpiece of refinement. I never bought it, nor was I interested in it at the time; my tastes lay elsewhere. I leaned more toward *Cool Water*, *Eternity*, or the aforementioned *Fahrenheit*. Of course, we can't forget that from the mid-90s onwards, unisex scents like *One*, *Paco*, and *Tommy* were dominating the market, while sweet fragrances were starting to gain traction—think Paco Rabanne’s *Black*, Carolina Herrera’s *212 Sexy*, or the iconic *Le Male* by Jean Paul Gaultier. Now, almost two decades later, I stumbled upon this gem in the recommendations on Amazon Japan—where I currently live—and saw it at a price that made my head spin: under 30 euros at the exchange rate. I simply bought it, and the moment I smelled it, it brought back that majestic quality I remembered and reminded me just how admirable this perfume is. It is literally a gem for summer—superior to Acqua di Gio; it is more imposing, more vigorous, and above all, has an "old-school" style that will surprise you. My thoughts Boucheron EDT is synonymous with the classic "old money" aesthetic of the 80s and 90s—full of strength, projection, personality, and elegance. It is a spring/summer fragrance featuring a Mediterranean note that is very hard to find in French perfumes. It reminds me a great deal of Armani Pour Homme, with that prominent citrus note; in fact, its "offspring"—Dolce & Gabbana Pour Homme (1994)—was born from this kind of blend. For the new generation Do you have classic taste? Do you like dressing elegantly in summer—linen clothes, espadrilles? Do you like fragrances with a strong presence? Buy it. It’s available at an affordable price, and you’ll hold a gem in your hands—one that, despite reformulations, hasn't lost its projection. Buy it and thank me later! Verdict Longevity: 9 Projection: 9 Sillage: 8 Blind buy: NO Worth Value: 8 8.5

(Review of the EdT bottled c. 1994) A lot was going on in the world of perfumery on or about 1991. A huge shift was beginning as synthetics really started taking off and firms wanted to see their bottom lines shift as well, and men’s scents began going down the “freshie” and “aquatic” genres - chypres and fougeres were given the equivalent reaction of today’s “ok, boomer”. So, what did Boucheron do? They released a grand, statement making, old school (for that time even), citrus and floral chypre. You have to laugh. Whether being behind the times is due to cluelessness or principled obstinance, or anything in between, you have to chuckle when a firm clearly and willfully goes against the grain. Thankfully for us, Boucheron did. In Boucheron Pour Homme you have one of the best lemon openings of any masculine perfume, period. The reason why it is so good is because it’s... well... not just lemon. Front and center of your nose is a big, ripe, juicy lemon but staged slightly behind it is a sliced open mandarin orange and a bergamot. Sprinkled over the top are freshly picked herbal and floral lavender, and a slightly anisic and sweet basil. It smells divine, like an incredibly high-end lemonade. The fruits and herbs are given a huge dusting of powdery aldehydes. The aldehydes are big, round, feather textured and bold, and remind me a lot of the aldehydes in some early Amouage perfumes. Boucheron PH is not going to be a wallflower; it is confident and it wants to make sure you and it get noticed. The transition to the heart is seamless and near perfect. I could very nearly feel the perfume “sliding”, the transitions happening slowly, gently, a well choreographed metamorphosis before my very nose, as the hesperidics and herbs evolve into a gorgeous carnation, rose, and orris heart. The juicy sourness of the opening strings its way into the heart for a remarkably long time before ceding to the florals entirely for a classic soapy, clean, musky, and gently peppery white floral presentation. Then yet again, another slow slide transition to a floral chypre base where the rose becomes the prominent floral nestled in a bed of damp, woody oakmoss, animalic musks, and a creamy peppery sandalwood. There will of course be those who smell this and think of their dad or their grandfather. Ick. Why do I want to smell so old. Yes, it is quite retro - even for 1991 - but you wear this today for one or both of the following two reasons: firstly, because you like old school citrus floral chypres that make you smell very refined and classy, or secondly, because you understand that it’s genius stuff. The materials and the blending poured into it by Raymond Chaillan are barely short of precise artisan perfection. Every moment with Boucheron Pour Homme is a joy.

TL;DR: a fizzy, dry citrus (primarily), which is not like 'traditional' citruses for men, like Eau Sauvage or Chanel pour Monsieur. It lasts well, and brings in moss, masculine florals, and a powdery/soapiness over time. Very elegant. ===================== I got a vintage bottle of the EDT cheap on ebay, in its original box. Normally I think that people who bang on about vintage on here are a royal pain in the a&^%, so feel free to judge me harshly. But in this case, I bought it because it was cheaper than new, and had a much prettier bottle than the new. I've never smelled the current version - mine could be worse! It's lovely - a dynamic perfume, that keeps a lot of plates spinning on top of a lot of poles. Obviously, we need to 'deal with' the citrus. It's there but it doesn't lead the scent through the dry down in the way that Eau Sauvage or YSL Pour Homme do/did. It's there as a 'thread'. But although strong, it doesn't dominate - we don't have here a straightforward citrus scent. Lots of people have commented on this having a 'fizzy lemon sherbert candy' dimension, and they're right. This airy, sparkly citrus is always there, but it's a team player. If you know the lemon in Versace l'Homme, it's like that but more 'human' because there's none of the animalic, pissy dimension of that scent. As it dries down, several aspects become more prominent, holding the citrus absolutely in check. There's an oak-mossy strand, holding it all together and pulling the next element into the masculine zone. That next element is something floral. People detect 'rose' and 'jasmine' and 'ylang-ylang' but you can't (I can't) smell them individually. Together, they make a lovely masculine floral. Finally, there's a soapy, creamy, powdery quality. _Edit: in the deep dry down - ie couple of hrs - the rose comes forward ... stunning_ It's not 'like' most of the scents in the 'reminds me of...' section; it's just that some of them have lemon in common. All four of these elements (citrus, oakmoss, floral, soapy/powdery) sit side by side, playing nicely like four middle-class kids in the park, allowing mum (or dad, in this case) to relax, sit back, feel the sun on my face, and scroll 'Angry People in Local Newspapers' photos.

I just received this one. the EDT version. I believe EDT's are fresher and more nuanced than EDP's so I got that one. First sniff? a wonderful fragrance! this scent is nice. Right off it's a very green fresh scent. Verbena I believe it is. Quickly it transitions into a beautiful soft lightly powdery pink rose or floral like my pink rose scented dove bar of soap in the bathroom. There is a light touch of soapiness in the scent too in a similar way. a softly spicy woodyness is in the base underneath which must be the sandalwood. I don;t particularly get a lot of lemon or citrus in this, but there is some of it. As I have been wearing it more though, I do notice the yellow citrus in this scent. It's right there, upfront, but it's done right (not too much, suttle, just enough), blending along with the green verbena, I do also detect a sweetness which I think is bergamot, somewhat citrusy in there mixing in with the florals. Not sure yet how this will blossom in hot summer weather, or how the base notes would shine in the frigid winter seasons. A very nice scent which upon my first couple wearings today rates in the top echelons of my other favorite fragrances, which are Azzaro pour homme, Paco Rabanne pour homme, Vetiver Guerlain, Kouros, Pour un Homme de Caron, and others. Boucheron pour Homme is different that all those, those being mostly lavender fougeres, musk and vetiver, and lavender vanilla. Boucheron has a green-ness with verbena, some light lemon or citrus, but not too much, some touches of powderyness, some nice floral aspect, and a nice sandalwoody base. This fragrance is done with finesse. A very nice scent for a good price.