Carven Pour Homme

While out shopping and doing the lunch thing with a gal pal over the weekend, we ducked into a Saks and did a little sniffing. It just so happens that my gal pal ran into a old friend who was a vendor representation for the organization that owns and/or distributes Hanae Mori, Carven and a few other lines of fragrances. Needless to say, we were give a buttload of a samples, creams and gels so I've been able to sample Carven Pour Homme several times this past week. Surprisingly, I purchased my first Carven fragrances just recently; ordered two bottles of Carven Homme since they are discontinued and being sold dirt-cheap on Amazon. It didn't rise to the level of a Boucheron Jaipur Homme, but I found it to be a very nice cinnamon fragrance. But I digress... Upon the first spray I said aloud, "I've smelled something similar to this one before." My first thought was a combination of Hanae Mori Him (makes sense with the parent company owns both Carven and HM) blended with Bvlgari Man in Black. However, it was a chaotic mall scene and we had dinner and a show to catch so I put it out-of-my-thoughts. Further testing I get a very nice woody-spicy Hanae Mori HiM/Bvlgari Man in Black opening, followed a short while later (minutes) by prominent notes of violet leaf, sandalwood and ambergris with perhaps just a whisper of a suede from the heart through the drydown. Okay, you guessed it...I sense a strong Green Irish Tween familiarity--minus lemon verbena--during two-thirds of the life of this fragrance. By no means am I saying this fragrance is a clone of GIT or any of the aforementioned scents since it is also unique with its own set of characteristics and nuances. However, many of you will get that "This smells like..." or "I've smelled this before..." moment regardless of how brief or how fleeting. Carven Pour Homme is a Spring/Fall scent that is perfect for the office or while dressed semi-formal to formal. Moreover, it lasts 7-8 hours on my skin and projects slightly above average. It's quite nice and I would have purchase a bottle if I didn't already have the previously mentioned fragrances thereby making it somewhat redundant in my fragrance closet.

Such a beautiful fragrance and becoming a favorite of mine !!! This opens up with a very green,crisp,slightly herbal and sweet soapy smell that stays pretty linear but once this dries down it loses some of that sweetness and it becomes more soapy and fresh. Once this dries down it honestly smells like a beautiful mix of Dove (white bar) and Irish Spring if they were a more refined smell. This smell is very easy going,relaxing while also very professional !! (Perfect for work) Performance-this lasts 8-12 hours but after the first hour it has low projection again making this nice for work ! It does leave a nice scent trail and you will get nice whiffs throughout the day but it’s not a monster projector by any means ! Overall rating -8.5 out of 10 !! Beautiful smell with decent performance,good price and it does get some comparisons to GIT but I honestly think this smells like a WAY more refined and better blended Tres Nuit by Armagh

Carven knows what a man should smell like; elegant, masculine and seductive. Out of all the 'Pour Homme'-s out there, this one is my ultimate choice. Carven likes to keep its ingredients simple, but high quality; typically French. Francis Kurkdjian is very meticulous with his ingredients and I'm a big fan of his creations. He's the nose behind all my cherished Jean Paul Gaultier fragrances and also for Carven. 'Carven Pour Homme' opens with a mixture of citrus and spice, it projects very heavy and lasts quite a while before settling into a darker, woodier middle. Sage, violet and cedar are the dominant notes while nutmeg perfectly touches the edges. All that is left after the day's end is a smoky vetiver drydown. It has some similarity to Hugo Boss Bottled Night, but it has a more luxurious and spicier taste. It will always be in my top 5 and will be my pick whenever I'm not sure what to wear.

I remember the L'Eau Intense edition of this fragrance getting all the hype a few years ago while this one was largely ignored. I prefer this. Violet leaf and woody/aromatic notes combine for a great daily wear kind of scent that is fresh while retaining some depth and complexity. I suppose it has a "green" scent profile, but there is enough warmth and spiciness underneath to make it much more nuanced than that. That being said, it comes across as somewhat simple and straightforward, which makes it easy to wear and completely non-offensive. The sillage/projection is perfect work/office fragrance. Carven Homme is in the same utility category for me as Z Zegna, Issey Sport, Lanvin Homme, Ferragamo Acqua Essenziale Colonia, etc: masculine, fresh, semi-sporty, trending toward "generic" all-rounder but having enough personality to satisfy.

This fragrance would be the equivalent of the French word "soigne." Well-mannered, and dressed elegantly. Suave in an affable and nonchalant way. True that this is a more genteel version of Grey Flannel, but I do like it. This also reminds me of Green Irish Tweed from Creed, although I think that one has more Calone and oceanic notes. Opens with the freshness of grapefruit and the minty tinge of violet leaf balanced by some spiciness from nutmeg and sage. Cedar anchors it in a base of sandalwood and the earthiness of vetiver. The violet leaf accord is dominant. You smell it from the start and does not really disappear. Ideal for men that can carry off a dapper or refined look. Very Continental. I cannot really see how someone brusque can pull this off. Smells wonderful! Recommended!