Jaipur Homme

(Comparison of Jaipur EdT (referred to as “Femme” below), Jaipur Homme EdT, and Jaipur Homme EdP, all pre-2000s.) This probably seems quite silly to you. Why would I compare a 90s women’s perfume and two different concentrations of the men’s version? Isn’t that like comparing an apple to an orange? Yes it is, and I think Sophia Grojsman would appreciate the simile. Annick Menardo might not, but no matter. Grojsman, who signed Jaipur (pour Femme), has always had a talent for putting colors in her perfumes. You smell a Grojsman composition and you see the spectrum(s) of the full rainbow she’s wanting you to see. Yellows, purples, and blues open the perfume in the form of pineapple, plums, watery blueberries, and peaches. It’s quite a sweet opening, but not cloying, and it falls away quickly to a classic Grojsman floral amalgam at the heart. This section of Jaipur always struck me as very similar to Grojsman’s Paris for YSL. Both perfumes are quite heavy on muguet, rose, and jasmine evocations. The most obvious difference is that Jaipur has a fruitier lean to it compared to Paris’ slightly greener and powdery leaning - otherwise they smell very close, which is to say very beautiful. But then, the fruit notes eventually and slowly depart to leave a powderiness that puts me even more in mind of YSL Paris. It’s a swirl of whites, reds, yellows, greens, and every other color imaginable, like vibrant saris swirling about you in a Holi dance. Meanwhile, on the men’s side of the dance street, the Homme EdP opens with luminous woody spices. Thanks to the bright nuttiness of heliotrope, the cinnamon and nutmeg have a vibrancy and spacious breadth that is fairly uncommon for them since they usually opt for dim lighting and concentrated depth. The amber character of Homme is immediately apparent, as opposed to Femme’s fruity floral. The depth and shadows slowly appear in the form of a very aromatic clove note building underneath. The Homme EdT interestingly works in reverse to the EdP, presenting the clove first with a touch of lime-y bergamot that is absolutely tantalizing and mouthwatering. The cinnamon and nutmeg heart of the EdT is virtually the same as the EdP but made airier and a touch more bitter-powdery vanillic thanks to the latter note rapidly peaking up from the base. The EdT is noticeably greener and perhaps a touch woodier in the heart thanks to violet leaf, making the spices smell as if they are a bit young. The EdP already felt light and energetic, but the EdT goes fully animated and dynamic. Going back to Femme as it arrives at the base, we have a beautiful musk and sandalwood combination that is very gently animalic and gray musky like an old fashioned soap, cooly and sweetly creamy, and lightly woody. There’s now a restraint to the colorful energy that came before; it’s still excitable, but it’s keeping-a-lid-on-it out of decorum. The base of Homme EdP is a coumarin laden swirl of cloves, tonka, and dried herbs that is as airy and vibrant as the perfume was when it started. It’s a gorgeous dry down, the lights dimming without the perfume being allowed to collapse into tired lumpiness, but it is quite heavy; similarly the EdT descends rapidly to a drier, lighter weight, spicy amber full of clove, nutmeg, cardamom, and earthy bitter tonka. In all three of these forms Jaipur is a fantastic perfume. It makes me yearn for the days when perfumes sharing the same name could smell different and yet be completely recognizably related, as opposed to just mildly altered or made heavier with greater concentration. It’s not surprising that Boucheron did this though; they have always had an old-school sensibility to their compositions - never rushing to release them, and making sure they were completely intact and coherent from beginning to end. It took three years for Homme EdT to be released after Femme, and then the Homme EdP wouldn’t come for another year after the EdT. This is unheard of these days, but it shows in that these compositions were well cared for, well thought out with attention to detail being paid. Now, for a reason I’m comparing the three that must come with an admission of sin and sacrilege: in my experience, the best way to wear Jaipur is layered. If you haven’t experienced this yet, do so (even if you never admit it) and find a pinnacle unisex scent. Femme plus Homme EdP is an absolutely stunningly stately and elegant affair, the effortless, large, rich yet airy spices of Homme EdP adding a whole new dimension of regality and class to Grojsman’s colorful fruity floral. And when you don’t want so much luxury (or oppressiveness in heat and humidity), and want to opt for even more energy and levity, Femme plus Homme EdT will work wonders - the Holi dance of Jaipur made ethereal. To look back, yet again to the “good ol days”, the femme and homme compositions of perfumes used to be made to compliment each other. By the time Jaipur Femme and Homme were released this creative direction was largely out of fashion, but Boucheron was quite stubborn in those early years and refused to give up some of the older ways - and that was lucky for us. Look to the original Boucheron and Boucheron Pour Homme releases for yet more examples of appreciable stubbornness. If you were to smell a person couple, one wearing femme and another wearing homme, it was supposed to be a unique and cohesive olfactory experience of exceptional breadth and depth - a true yin and yang, a north magnet and a south magnet seamlessly locking together. These early Boucheron releases from that first decade are masterpieces for good reason, and this Jaipur trio is no exception.

The Hawa Mahal Heart In A Bottle Situated at Badi Choupad, Pink City of Jaipur, Hawa Mahal is also known as "Palace of Breeze" and was built in 1799 by Maharaja Sawai Pratap Singh, the grandson of Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh, who was the founder of Jaipur. It has 953 windows on the outside walls and is made with the red and pink sandstone. The honeycomb-shaped and beautifully carved windows allow the zephyr to blow through the palace and make it a perfect summer palace. Can you fancy a gentle breeze smelling like Jaïpur Homme that caresses you like a lullaby? Yeah, I guess I can. I was lucky enough to find both Jaïpur Homme and Boucheron pour Homme on an online site at a ridiculous price. I had been keeping an eye on them for some time, but I always wavered having never had the opportunity to try them. Years ago I thought it smelled very oldfashioned and I didn't care for them. But in the end, I took them blindly. To begin with, Jaïpur Homme is a spicy oriental cologne that exists in both EDT and EDP concentrations, and today I'm going to review the EDT one. It is a precious little gem, the cap represents a famous Boucheron ring named Boucheron Paris Jaipur Lapis Lazuli Cabachon 18k Gold Ring. It smells dusty, powdery, sweetish spicy, woody, and resinous, though there is no one dominant spice you get but a beautiful mix of them all. The scent is perfect, especially for those who like colognes that are rich in spices. A hidden gem indeed. Not many people know about this masterpiece. The opening is hot and sweet, but not cloying in any means, aspect, or style, with an exciting addition for the leading note cinnamon, you can smell cinnamon powder in this one, which completely spices this jewel fantasy. It greats you with a royal cardamon, plenty of heliotropes, light citrus that last as a blink of an eye, the overall accord is somehow reminiscent of Givenchy PI, neither a clone nor a rip-off, merely sharing the same vibe and opening. Hence, a costly citrus-bergamot opening with cinnamon, nutmeg, and heliotrope playing a remarkable role. The woody accord is gorgeous, regal in every aspect of the word. After the start, the fragrance is a benzoin-centric strong poison, it grows on your skin and gets better and better hour after hour. The dustiness and powderiness are nostalgic of mama's Felce Azzurra talcum powder, for those who were habitual to. One will also find carnation, I believe that in this fragrance is what gives it it's superior qualities. Moist, innocent and sweet, the rose makes up for many other notes rudeness without turning this scent into an opulent Emirate rosy perfume. It goes down to the skin scent territory in about three hours, ain't vanilla cake, yet a vanilla powder maybe thanks to benzoin pairing. The dry-down is warm, sensual and somewhat bitter. It turns to be delightfully powdery and woody with a consistent dose of vanilla, or tonka according to the roaster, that's perfectly balanced and orchestrated to never become overwhelming or even dominant. Very rich, tremendously long-lasting and even a bit loud but masterfully executed. Reminiscent of Ghivency PI, subtle powdery and soft vanilla, Jaïpur Homme brought to my nose that familiar nice powdery, smooth, and the sweet vanilla note of PI, but the similarities ended there. The sophisticated and elegant structure, rich spices with comforting sweet notes and bold projection make Jaïpur Homme perhaps one of the best examples of the male Orientals. But the similarities do not end here, cause Jaïpur Homme has that barbershop fill akin to Brut by Fabergé. Under some aspects, you might be reminded of Habit Rouge and Shalimar by Guerlain, and even Lolita Lempicka Au Masculin. Jaïpur Homme is sharing more than one similarity with the latter. Still, while the first turns to a dominant vanilla dry-down and the second surely exceeds in the gourmand aspect, it is perfectly balanced by the clever use of heliotrope. It has a little of each but is not equal to anyone. Jaïpur Homme is a Fall for the EDT, but I feel that early Spring is also an option, whereas Winter is for the EDP since it is more luxurious and slightly spicer. I wouldn't wear it in the heat since I tent to choose sweet fragrances this time of year (e.g. it's middle Winter now in Italy) and fresh ones in the warmer days. This fragrance can be worn day or evening, and I think it is more suitable for casual wear. This scent is relaxing and suits weekend downtime. Overall, I think if you are someone who considers themselves a nobleman, and you appreciate well-made perfumery and fragrances for men, you should check Jaïpur Homme out. An excellent oriental composition in almost every sense of the word, it's woody without being vexatious, and spicy without muting the other notes. Annick Menardo mastered it, smooth as silk, not regal enough to be a dress-up only fragrance, and too well made to be a strictly casual creation.

Well, instead of an usual review... I had to share stg with you all, cause this is one perfume perception that I appreciate, and it came from Mr Frankiechocolate1 from USA, he revewed Jaïpur Homme LIKE A BOSS, as follows: "Years ago iI walked into Macy's (then Marshall Fields) and gathered my courage to stand in line and ask this extraordinarily exotic Czech women working behind the perfume to help me find a father's day present for myself. She had smooth skin, wore oversized clunky bangles, a form fitting black top and a wide flowing black tulip skirt. Her hair was brilliant white cut short and moussed in little peaks the way a young boy might. Her age was impossible to guess, older than thirty younger than fifty. Who cared? She was sensual beyond belief and for a few moments I got to talk to her. "Please show me something you like," I asked trying to curry favor with the goddess. She paused, pursed her perfectly formed lips and put a finger to them in thought. She went off and came back with something I’d never seen before. That was easy since I know so little about cologne. She came out from behind the counter and drew close enough to violate my personal space. I never complained. Inches from my ear she growled in a low voice with a heavy Czech accent, "Tisss is a maaaaannn's cologne. It is earthy, sensual, exotic." I was made of stone. She sprayed some on her porcelain wrist and caressed the air under my schnoz. My knees grew weak. My eyes crossed, the blood roared in my ears. She moved even closer, Her warm breath enveloped me. Her tongue just millimeters from my wicked hopeful ear which of it’s own volition arched even closer to her parted lips. She took my hand and turned it exposing my wrist. Now unless a Chicago skunk gets the drop on me I never let anyone spray me with anything. She sprayed my wrist and brought it up to my nose with her long slender fingers. Breath tiss she commanded. Do you want it? More than air. More than life I croaked. My English is not so good. I am Czech. She said looking demurely down at her ballerina black slippers. Your accent is devastating I replied. She sold me the gift set with cologne, lotion and maybe something else. She gave me what I’d like to think was a special smile then turned back to the long line of men waiting for her to give them the “Czech Treatment.” I floated off. Each time I spray on Jaipur I think of my first encounter with this amazing cologne, Libby the Perfume girl and smile for the memory. It smells great and will make you feel like a million bucks. You’ll feel like a maaaaaaannnnn. 10/10" Ps. Now don't get me wrong, or do that, anyway for me this recalls... the prince from Walt Disney's Cinderella... song: "A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes" kind of vibe. This is the approach to a perfume, it should be just beautiful and this one is. ...So I give him/it: 10/10 :-)

I'm going to provide a lot of detail here for those looking to find a very early bottle. I'm still using the metal-clad, 3.4oz, EDP, new Tester bottle I purchased around 2003 in a mall with currently about 60% of the juice remaining. I just purchased a tester bottle on Ebay that looks identical, except it has the NY address on the sticker on the bottom of the bottle instead of Paris. They both state all of the fragrance notes in French first, then English on their backs below "TESTER". The glass is frosted all around the edges which is covered up when the metal case is on. Sadly the tester I purchased on Ebay has no metal case as mine has seen previous years of ignorant negligence on my bathroom sink, where I thought all fragrances belonged. It's a bit corroded. Batch code; 3C02 Address on bottom label is "Boucheron Parfums 75002 Paris" not the NY address I see on all others so far. Mine must have been made in 2002, but I can't find any Jaipur batch codes I enter on CheckFresh.com or CheckCosmetic.net. I even emailed Boucheron and they are the first company to refuse to help me identify my batch code in any way. 48 hours, 2 hot showers and 4 fragrances (Royall Muske, Encre Noir Sport, Robert Graham Valour, Penhaligon's Elixir) later, I can still detect Jaipur as the faintest of skin scents now that all else has faded. I can only speak about the performance of the bottle I currently have and sometimes even 2 sprays, close up are too much. It's the most powerful, soft, powdery, spicy oriental I've smelled. I smelled it in someones car in 2003 and became so obsessed that I had to buy it so I could smell it any time I wanted. If you like Givenchy Pi and powerful orientals, I think you will love this.

Romantic Raja (Annick Menardo, 1998) Scentrack; Suzanne Vega - Caramel Did Jaipur, the magnificent Indian Pink City get equally magnificent perfume version? YES... Jaipur Homme is a beautiful hidden, and perfectly cut perfume diamond made by Annick Menardo. Annick Menardo is one of my favorite perfumers. Her every perfume tells a story, and Jaipur is a fairy tale. Almost too good to be true. Jaipur opens up with soft Indian citrus fruits and then cardamom. The sunny Oriental refreshment is soon followed by cinnamon storm with benzoin lightnings. Carnation in the middle gives some serious old school vibe, while rose and jasmine a fragile romantic heart. Tonka and vanilla are both responsible for the almost gourmand sweetness, but never becoming a true gourmand. I also feel the heliotrope which always livens up vanilla heavyweight perfumes. Behind this benzoin wall I sense some apricot and tobacco Southern sweetness. Jaipur shares some similarities with Givenchy Pi, but while Pi is a good scent Jaipur is a great perfume. Additionally, I sense the same benzoin theme shared with Menardo's Body Kouros. At the beginning Jaipur does possess some good old school qualities, associated with wealth and power. Oriental, but very clean (Nivea cream accord!!). Soon, it becomes more personal, gentle and balmy. Beautifully structured from top to base. Like it was covered with virtual star dust. Great idea materialized in Oriental golden drops. Often we look for something great on far more expensive places. No need, while Jaipur is here. In the example of Jaipur, useless is a classic designer / niche dichotomy. The scent created for winter leisure and relaxation. Made for dreamers. Rating: 10/10