Cacharel pour L'Homme

Unique... Nutmeg, Fresh Flowers & Citrus! Well, what a journey! Cacharel pour Homme is certainly a unique one! I don't think I have ever smelled something like it before, whether designer or niche. It is a composition based around Nutmeg and Citrus. When I tried it for the first time I thought it smelled "weird" and too unusual for me. Like an old anitque bookshop or a car repair garage. It had a smell of old rusty metal and dust. But I talked to a few people who love it and wore it, and I started to appreciate it more. Basically, this is a unique, refined, very elegant scent. But you need to appreciate it. It strikes me as very refined, like a "gentleman's" smell. I mean old fashioned gentleman with nice clothes and hat and stick. Like Sherlock Holmes. Actually it also reminds me of the smell of clothes a little. Like when you are in the back of a vintage clothes shop and you can smell all the material, like the wool and fabric. Gentlemen's winter coats and ladies fur coats. But, I tested it again with an open mind, and I started to appreciate it more. The combination is mainly between nutmeg and bergamot. The rest of the notes play a part to support these two main ones. So for me all the herbs like lavender and sage etc come together to help the bergamot, along with vetiver and musk, carnation, lilly-of-the-valley, ylang-ylang & sandalwood etc all supporting the nutmeg. It's actually quite a complex scent! and yes, I've grown to like it more and more! Another reason why I think this is nice, is because it doesn't smell like the other typical 1980's style perfumes (I mean loud or strong)! It is light enough to not offend anyone, and I think it has a unique sweet smell that comes through in the dry down. I know women who wear it and I think it's because it has a floral quality which shows especially in the dry down. So in conclusion, I think people should check this one out, because I can't think of another fragrance with a prominent nutmeg note (could be niche)? and also because it doesn't smell like it was made from that era. It's light and sweet and floral enough to be worn by anyone, regardless of sex. A very pleasant smell and it doesn't smell like anything out there in my experience. Very pleasant and nice. In the drydown it even smells like warm skin, it's really nice like that. Could be a warm, seductive smell if worn in the right occasion. Alluring. It's also quite inexpensive, and although I am not a huge fan of the bottle, it looks pretty unique too. So if you like nutmeg and fresh flowers... check this out!

My skin, no matter how moisturised, tends to eat fragrances. Strange, then, that this one which hasn't got a reputation for longevity lasts a very long time on me. Something about it clearly suits me. I've been wearing it a lot in the week that I've so far owned it. I'm just starting out on my fragrance hobby and therefore aren't as articulate as some in describing what I get from this. However, smell is subjective and I can't make you perceive scents the way I do. To me this is very calming and comforting. Not in the sleepy way that something like Al Haramain's Night Dreams is but because of the fresh warmth coming from it which I take to be the nutmeg. The crisp and light woodiness gives it masculinity. It reminds me of the woodwork room from when I was at school. Dry shavings with just a little plastic and sweet PVC wood glue. There's a pleasant sweetness which reminds me of natural honey and not the thick caramel I get from fragrances such as Raghba or even the bubblegum/candyfloss sugary sweetness in Eros. I detect a soapiness too so all in all this Cacharel gives me the feeling that I've just alighted from a hot and invigorating shower using unscented natural soap. A feeling of light crisp cleanliness which perks me up but paradoxically gives me a feeling of warm comfort at the same time. It's linear on me.It strikes me as being mature and wholesome (or rather grown up) without being staid or dull but I think it would also work on a young man in a formal setting.Very pleasant and inobtrusive while still having enough projection to remain noticeable to others closely nearby for the eight or so hours it works on me. I rate it very highly and for a 49 year old man like myself I think it's suitable in any situation. A real gem.

Cacharel Pour Homme seems to be one of the more misunderstood of male-marketed 80s fragrances. The understated masculine elegance is a stark contrast to the muscled powerhouses fueling the market at the time of its release. No leather, no civet, only mildly musky, Pour L'Homme sought to perpetuate the heritage of the well-groomed and well-heeled man. Gerard Goupy, known for his contributions with Lancome (Balafre, Climat, Magie Noire) exhibited his artful restraint here, choosing to accentuate an aura through aromatics, most notably nutmeg. It is this nutmeg, warm, dry and woody, that ties the elements together. The bright bergamot settles into supporting florals, discreetly, including a sheer, yet ripe ylang ylang and a dianthus-pink carnation accord. An aura, not a cloud, a mood that isn't necessarily an attitude. Not that I would ever scoff at clouds and attitudes; they have their place and I love to indulge in them. Pour L'Homme is perfect for spring, a midway between frost and humidity—breezy and tactile, yet its transparency doesn't stifle. Its creamy, floral, woody dry down would appeal to those who favor compositions from Jean Claude Ellena, particularly in his Hermessence series. I must point out the comparison between both the 90s and more recent formulations I have: the former is a bit more full-bodied, while the latter is more nutmeg-forward and subdued, but still lovely. I must also point out that I love the way the nutmeg merges into the vetiver far into the dry down. I am endlessly thrilled with how various notes and accords interact with each other, the eclipses, the transitions. It's so stimulating to the nose to tune into the development of fragrance and note how the scent molecules behave over time.

Not every person can say that he/she loves Cacharel pour Homme for over 18 years like I do. Thats a proper devotion and my love doesn't fade even slightly. So I deserve to write a big-ish review for that reason) New version is weaker and far too many citruses, you just have to wait for that magnetic fir with nutmeg and sophisticated, flowery, sagy heart to arrive through synthetic citrus-mist. It fades away during five minutes, thank goodness. And you are in heaven. Yes, I would buy new version as well, as at least its very recognisable, unlike many other reformulated beyond themselves gems. Oh well, I ve got a vintage bottle anyway! Or better say - bottles, as I just buy one after one 7.5 ml vintage minis in order maybe..to stop the clocks? To be back in that sunny fall day again, when I am, being a first year student with two pigtails, came to the shop to buy a fragrance for our professor(a present from whole group) but ended up spending my few months pocket money on bottle of this beauty. I couldn't let it go... And 18 years later guys from Uni can email me, asking "So whats again the name of that fragrance you were wearing back then?.. It was so great!" I also met many women(as myself) and men, who couldn't explain their eternal fidelity towards Cacharel pour Homme, what captured us all in this never-ending romance, probably its like one of those people, who's charm has no borders and bottom line, no matter how many years you know him, there is always something new and intriguing yet so familiar and reasurring. Its kind of Habit Rouge in its chic - murky and dusty, but ambery instead of vanilla, classy and yet so easy to wear. I better stop here, coz I can go on forever. Try it, people.

Relatively 'under-the-radar' until now, this is a scent that I've seen on the shelves of local chemists that I ignored far too long. Its simplistic looks and packaging have been crying out "come and take a sniff", but alas it was only in 2017 that I discovered this hidden gem. This could easily be the find of the year for me! Cacharel Pour Homme really is THE fragrance for winter. Who would have known the humble nutmeg could be the centre point of a fragrance? I am reminded of chef Rick Stein's comment that nutmeg is "the scent of Byzantium" - it definitely comes off as noble and ever so classy. Citrus, flowers and spice is what it’s been described as. Often this description is enough to put me off even trying a scent, but with Cacharel, the nutmeg comes across as smooth yet spicy, strong and long-lasting yet never overpowering or cloying. Totally refined and good enough to wear dressed up or dressed down, you will have people wondering “what IS that smell? I know it somewhere”. Without a hint of sugar, syrup or honey, this is a bone-dry scent along the lines of Malle's French Lover / Bois d'Orage. In fact, it’s good enough to make you wonder why niche scents exists. Cacharel Pour Homme dates back to 1981 – an important year to me – and this is the quality of scents made back then. I’ve worn it as a scent on its own or as a base for layering with other contrasting scents. Strong and long lasting, classy and quite unique, I wouldn't be seen dead without this in my fragrance wardrobe. Easily a 5/5 for me.