Jaipur Homme Eau de Parfum

(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.

* Really interesting hybrid take on an aromatic fougere * Acqua di Gio, Obsession and Paco Rabanne Pour Homme having a baby together * Great mix of citrus, cinnamon, spice, herbal, woody, vanilla and powder aromas with a slight touch of sweetness and a soapy drydown * Very unique scent * Strong performer * Classy, elegant and masculine * Versatile; good for all formal occasions, festive occasions and the workplace * Good for older users * Great change of pace for aromatic fougere lovers * Great price * Beautiful bottle * Not unisex * Not good for younger users who prefer modern sweet and fresh DNA * As with Boucheron Pour Homme, the lemon and wood combination may come off as Lemon Pledge wood cleaner to some noses * Presentation is a bit outdated Boucheron Jaipur is an amazing find, though it will likely have a limited audience in the current market. As with Boucheron Pour Homme which I also own and have reviewed for the site, it's a really intriguing update on the classic aromatic fougere DNA. Whereas Boucheron blended citrus and woody fragrance DNA with the aromatic fougere DNA, with Jaipur they blend in the citrus and wood and then add in strong gourmand spice DNA, most notably a sweet cinnamon note that will immediately remind you of Calvin Klein's Obsession. This a great blend of citrus, cinnamon, spice, herbal, woody and powder aromas. There's a slight touch of sweetness to the blend and a pleasant soapy drydown. This is quite unique and a strong performer. It's very classy and elegant. It's also very masculine and is probably not good for women despite using some notes that would normally work for them (citrus, vanilla, cinnamon). This is mostly due to the woody and aromatic fougere elements present ie. the herbal notes. I also wouldn't advise younger users who prefer the modern sweet and fresh fragrance DNA found in the likes of Invictus and 1 Million to use this. This is much more suited to older users and is very versatile to use. This is great for older users, especially ones who already enjoy aromatic fougeres. Like Boucheron Pour Homme, it's a great change of pace for fougere users and it's a genuinely tough call as to which of the two is better. Boucheron is fresher and Jaipur is more sophisticated. Note, though, that for some users both can come off smelling like lemon Pledge wood furniture cleaner. It goes for a great price and the bottle is beautiful if a little outdated. Recommended.

Jaipur Homme Eau De Parfum...One word: AWESOME! This is a 10/10 fragrance. A Masterpiece! The value, the quality, the price...EVERYTHING! I simply Love It! This is a very unisex fragrance and it lasts a pretty decent amount. If you want to smell Classy...look no further. When I wear this fragrance, I often think of my Dad. I remember as a kid, he always smelled fresh and gave off a vibe of being smart, classy, and grounded - like he had all the answers - that's what this fragrance says to me. (RIP Dad, I know you would have loved this fragrance) I wear this to work, to the gym or just on the weekends when I want to be in a great mood. In fact, in the evening after my bedtime routine (shower etc), I spray this on before I lay down to read - I want to go to bed smelling great. While I am reading, I find myself constantly smelling my arm. When I turn off the light, I turn to my side and I put my hand near my nose so I can fall asleep smelling it. It's that great! What do I like about it? It's clean, fresh, barbershop-esque, and my favorite part: Powdery. It's because of this fragrance that I realized how much I like Powdery fragrances. It's definitely not a powder bomb, its subtle and very nice. Give it a shot OR don't, because I am going to run out soon and I am going to buy a couple more bottles (more for me). But in all seriousness, if you are feeling down and want feel better or want to start off your day right or go to bed feeling relaxed and comfortable...spray on Jaipur...It will be exactly what you need any time on any day! It's that Awesome!

Lovely. Does a great job of taking a few (not too many) Eastern notes and turning them into a fragrance that to many Western noses (mine included) will seem both exotic and cosy. Owing mostly to the cinnamon (which to me seems to be very much of the sweet mid-orange-brown Chinese cassia quill variety), vanilla and nutmeg, it makes me think of little egg custard tarts and other such treats. That's not to say that it is exactly gourmandish or makes the wearer smell like a custard tart, a Danish pastry or a lemon meringue pie--this is a very well-balanced fragrance, with something of an underlying shaving foam vibe, among many other things--but to my nose the fragrance is pretty delectable; it's reasonable to hope that's how it comes across to others. I think I get a very slight banana-like aroma that I'm becoming accustomed to smelling in fragrances that have exotic woody touches, but even if I do, it fits (who doesn't like banoffee pie?) and I like it. Performance is fine, and not shouty. Note for fellow Brits aged about 47+ as I write this: remember Tiswas? The Phantom Flan Flinger? This is what he'd wear if he auditioned to play James Bond.

Updated review, when this came in the mail, the smell did amaze me but I couldn't shake off this dandy baby wet wipes smell this fragrance was giving me at first, though that association quickly went away after just a few days. This is a beautiful blend, fresh, soapy, citrusy, floral and barbershop-y at first but then it starts to warm the skin and it transitions smoothly into this warm cinnamon, vanilla type of smell with an almost creamy floral backbone. I've never smelled anything like this and for this price point I didn't expect it to have multiple layers, phases, how you will. This does lean more mature but luckily it fits me, besides that I don't think this is particularly an old man's scent. I was UNLUCKY batch-wise however, 2024 batch, performance is STILL SOLID, don't get me wrong, it's just that I could've gotten an older batch with even better performance with just a little more luck but oh well... Overall, a successful risky blind buy and an amazing addon to my collection of smelly juices, 8.5/10