Monsieur Carven

I would put this in the same league as Chanel Pour Monsieur, and Estee Lauder For Men. Very approachable, as the civet is not too strong and the patchouli rather soft. A whiff from the bottle smells light and delicious. Once applied, the aroma is good at hiding what is a complex formulation, as it takes time for notes to change prominence on your skin. The initial spray starts out a bit floral, but that gradually backs off into the dry down and allows the fragrance to become a little more masculine. In any case, I'd say this really could be worn by women as well. On my skin, the longevity is a little lacking. This seems to be one of those fragrances where you need to layer it in order to get a good lasting effect. But I'd say it's worth it if you can get a bottle while staying under the going prices for Chanel Pour Monsieur Concentree (ounce for ounce). Unfortunately, this has been rather hard to do. The major drawback to Monsieur Carven is the availability. For the most part, this fragrance has been overpriced on "that auction site" mainly due to scarcity of auctions and one must balance out price/value. IMHO, a mere 2oz bottle is not worth $175 (one seller persistently seems to think so, and has had their auction going for many months with no buys). Around the time of authoring this, a recent seller has in stock a fairly large number of bottles (more than 10 available) and after a few slow sales they decided to run some open auctions (as opposed to BIN with offer). I got one for a very decent price. But to be very matter of fact, if an equivalent sized bottle of Chanel Pour Monsieur Concentree is priced less than a bottle of this, I'd take it instead of the Carven. But that's me... each person will have their own particular preference. At least the good thing is that 5ml mini bottles appear fairly often and so you can get yourself some to try out before going on the hunt for a 2oz or larger bottle. That's what I did. Fragrance: 9.0/10; Value: 7/10

Pure masterpiece. It's autumn and the laziness of winter in a bottle. A bubble of cocooning. Nothing offensive or dark, it evokes a walk on dead leaves in autumn. Every note is very soft, a whispering carnation, the cinnamon and sandalwood are there to add some warmth and the civet lights it with a very, very little animal notes in head and medium notes. The basenotes are rounder with the coconut and vanilla ( you don't smell them obviously, but you know they are there with the feeling you get at the end , after several hours) It lasts for ages on wool. Such a pity, it's not any more available.

Wonderful cologne for gentlemen, full strength old-fashioned goodness. But the prices for vintage bottles - sheesh! If one is lucky, one stumbles upon a bottle being sold by someone who doesn't know better, or doesn't care. Alphairone sums it all up very well, just below. Alas my thrift shop $2 bottle has just a couple more wears left in it. 🥺

I had it for many years. What a wonderful scent, purely magic. It had a strong personality, you could identify it immediately, a signature. It's really a pity that Carven suppressed it. Some things shouldn't disappear.

Simply put,"MASTERPIECE" nothing at all smells quite like it,worth every penny.Most people I came across NEVER heard of this MAGNIFICENT SCENT,you'll DEFINETLY stand out in a GREAT way...

Another discontinued gem from the past! Why Carven discontinued their flagship? Monsieur Carven should be again on the shelves❤️ One of my all time favorite gentlemanly cologne❤️

Absolutely stunning. AMAZING, sweet, but never cloying. Floral, masculine, impresive quality. It's a splash bottle I have. 9.5/10.

Just got it and I loved it immediately...exactly what I imagined it would be.

I ordered a sample of this fragrance because it's vintage and I was curious on how it smelled. I was quite surprised that this sample wasn't discolored from age(like more yellow) and especially that it didn't smell rancid or more sour in the opening when I first applied it on my skin. Normally, I would think the older vintage fragrances get yellow or discolored with age and get a rancid or sour odor in the first minute or so when applied to skin, after not only the box has been opened but also due to exposure to higher heat and light. This fragrance is strong when first applied. It has a hairspray-ish, & women's perm. smell which goes away after the 1st minute in the dry down.It does get less strong and is slightly sweet, a little spicy but also elegant and classy. There's some components to this fragrance that sort of remind me of "Bene" The end "e" has an accent over it. "Bene" was common in the 70's and 80's in dime stores. Unfortunately or not, they don't sell it anymore. I don't think this fragrance is for me, but I think it would be for other people.? I think this is one vintage fragrance they should bring back. If you decide to buy it, be prepared to pay a premium price for it, because it's rare, vintage and discontinued. If anyone is wondering about where to buy samples of this, the decantshop sells decants of this as well as other newer and vintage perfumes.

I won a bid on this bottle on ebay. I couldnt wait for it to arrive. When it did and i tried it first, i was blown away..it is a very nice, well made, stable fragrance. Very masculine and you wont smell anything like it around...it will stand out in the crowd. I will cherish this bottle been that its so hard to come by these days.

Autumn leaves must fall, and soon enough, cooler temperatures set in, flowers fade, and sweaters warm us from the chill. I already feel it in the air, and it is that mix of festive and melancholy that makes me love this time of year. I reach for fragrances new and old that reflect this feel, and this rare gem is no exception. I was quite fortunate to find my splash bottle of Monsieur Carven for 50 US including shipping, which was a blessing, as this one is tough to find. I do not take for granted that I have this understated treasure. No, I do not encourage anyone to spend 300 dollars on any bottle of this (or anything else for that matter), but do yourself a favor and patiently wait for opportunities to come where you don't need to damage your credit and take out a second mortgage. Rely on Ebay saved searches, and one day, you may be as fortunate. Be that as it may, I think about the FOMO that I create, or any other fraghead does on Instagram or Youtube, especially for rare and discontinued fragrances, and I want to meditate on that for a while highlighting the experience of fragrance more so than its acquisition and resulting dopamine rewards. Raymond Chaillan, known for classics from Ho Hang up to Boucheron Pour Homme, composed Monsieur Carven at a time where men's fragrances were following the lead of women's, introducing green chypres with spicy, resinous counterpoints. Here, the interplay between the elements yields one of its most striking and balanced examples, yet it's not one for the loud and proud, Monsieur hums and cocoons, and that's what makes it special among its brethren. A jasmine heart and its underlying civet exalting all other performers in its theater is heartachingly beautiful to me. An autumnal cinnamon mingling with sandalwood makes me shiver and smile. The spices and resins that support it all are even reminiscent of Opium (for which Chaillan also had a hand). Do you need this in life? No. We could also stand to share samples and make that decision before we go "full bottle", let's move toward that. However, it must be said that Monsieur Carven is beautiful and worth a tribute.

I find this masterpiece of my collection (a bottle splash 240 ml) in my town! (for a very reasonable price with discount because the price was en french francs not in euro). A great surprise because I decided to go to this shop to buy Vetiver Carven! And, finally I find two wonderful perfumes, Vetiver (not reformulated) and Monsieur. Monsieur is excellent and is an olfactive shock: pure scent and quality!

This is amazing, worth to try, the real vintage gem, unisex IMO. Approachable and unusual. Better than any hyped niche nowadays.

Is there anywhere where I can buy this perfume besides e-bay?