Costume National Homme Parfum

Big, big love Costume National Homme Parfum is a spice bomb of epic proportions. I will caution you: if you don’t like spicy fragrances, STAY AWAY. However, if you are a lover of spices like myself, Costume National Homme Parfum might just be heaven for you. The fragrance opens up with a blast of grapefruit and the distinctive, licoricey twang of green cardamom pods. While I’m not a big fan of cardamom in food other than as an accent note (it always makes my tongue dry out), I absolutely love the smell of cardamom. This has one of the most realistic and zingy cardamom notes I’ve encountered so far, and so I was in love from first spray. Soon, a massive wave of red-hot cinnamon rolls in, accompanied by a brace of earthy vetiver and patchouli. As the fragrance dries down, a distinct note of creamy sandalwood begins to emerge, adding a lush, smooth texture to the fragrance and rounding out the harsh edges. There’s also an irissy tone almost reminiscent of the drydown of Dior Homme Parfum, though it’s faint, only serving to give the fragrance a lustrous lacquer. Finally, after hours and hours of wear, you’re left with a combination of buttery sandalwood, patchouli, musk, and labdanum flecked with spices. The scent profile of this fragrance is absolutely wonderful. At once it reminds me of Christmas potpourri, ambery fragrances from the 70s, and the souks of Morocco, but smoothed over, modernized, and tastefully packaged. I vastly prefer this over the original eau de parfum, which I tried a number of times but never could convince myself to enjoy. The eau de parfum and Costume National Homme Parfum are quite similar in terms of scent, but the differences all come down to the levels of certain ingredients. The original was similarly spicy, but absolutely dominated by cloves. Cloves and I have a difficult relationship; I do enjoy some fragrances with cloves in them, such as Portrait of a Lady and Musc Ravageur, both by Frederic Malle, but on the whole I really don’t particularly enjoy cloves, either in fragrance or in food. The original also had a funky, herbal thyme note which clashed with the other notes in an unappealing manner, in my opinion. The parfum significantly tones down on the cloves. While cloves are still present in the mix, they are no longer the star of the show. Cardamom and cinnamon fill in for them instead. Additionally, the thyme note has been entirely removed, the greenness it brought having been replaced with vetiver and the anisic bite of the cardamom. These changes, in my view, dramatically improve upon the original fragrance. The materials here also seem much higher quality, particularly the sandalwood, giving the parfum a roundness, smoothness, and balance which I did not find in the original. When I wear this fragrance, I envision a well-groomed man in his late 20s or early 30s, perhaps wearing a dark olive green suit. He is well traveled, worldly, and balanced, completely in his element. I think that it would be the perfect fragrance for a poet, philosopher, writer, scholar, or artsy types. In a few words, Costume National Homme Parfum is: rich, smooth, spicy, creamy, woody, dark green, exotic, and festive. Performance is absolute beastly. 2-3 sprays max. 1 if you're wearing it to the office. Longevity is 12-14 hours for me and usually lasts through two showers. If you didn't like the original but like the idea of the original, give this a try. You just might fall in love. 9.5/10

Want to know how much I absolutely love this scent? I keep it in my work suitcase just so I can use it or in case I don't have anything else I want to wear that day. It is a workday ritual to use this perfume and when I feel like giving myself a little something fun to look forward to, I put off wearing it until Friday. Just something to add some simple fun to the week. This beautiful, smooth creature has become my wingman, my wild card, a utility belt in tough situations. I have found myself, explored my identity, with Costume National Homme EDP and now I have matured with Costume National Homme Parfum. It is no doubt a modern masterpiece. Parfum smells incredibly smooth and rich unexplainably dynamic but simultaneously linear, operating within a narrow and low frequency of a profile. It is bass-y, but also ethereal if that makes sense. In this way Parfum has successfully evoked the Japanese Minimalism theme that Costume national prides itself on trying to display. Sharp edges, density, metallic-ness, sourness, spiciness, sweetness, dry-downs, be damned Costume National Parfum is a sophisticated, calming, properly-postured perfume that somehow doesn't enter the pretentious space of only being a formal wear - that is why to me it is the perfect signature. The notes you see are completely amiss of what you will smell... You will most certainly get an iris feeling texture, which isn't listed, but lo-and-behold that is the moldy, dark green, earthiness of natural sandalwood that is the contributor of the iris-like waxiness. It is milky, fatty, creamy, beefy becoming earthy with a touch of petrichor-like, soily patchouli, and upon this a low and sophisticated buzz of cinnamon and cardamom that brings an alluring and airy richness without at all being scratchy or dry. How in the world were they able to create such a hyper-focused scent profile such as this you may ask? Costume National the company has teamed with a Laboratory in Grasse, LMR, known to distill high quality naturals. Much like the enterprise responsible for the incomparable Les Indèmodables, Costume National is pushing the boundaries of the art of Perfumery and its ever-changing parameters dictated by IFRA. It is trying to manifest fragrances that are still unique under these restrictions and do not settle for mediocre or inspired. Which is possibly why this flanker took so long in the oven. Many naturals in "extrait" concentration live inside the new Parfum version of Costume National Homme indicative of why the glass of the bottle is tinted to prevent high amounts of light damage to your natural perfume. It lasts literally days on clothing and a day on skin. For those that have it cherish your bottle. The proper successor of Costume National Homme EDP. A masterpiece. 🥛🌿🔉 10/10

It opens with the sudden burst of citrus which quickly takes the backstage, revealing the elaichi and spices. The citrus blends through the rest of the ingredients, making you feel its prescence but never fighting the other ingredients. On skin the dry down is closely reminiscent of masala chai to me (a bit like the black chai note of Gris Charnel extrait which also has a cardamom note) with a sprinkle of spices from the kitchen cabinet. The above description may give the impression of a gourmand or a foody Amouage creation, but- no. This is sophisticated, easy going and balanced. I only sprayed twice behind my neck two hours ago and am still getting wafts of sweet, fruity, spicy, mellow goodness which- again! Is not too sweet but right there in the middle. This isn't a rigid, masculine fragrance, it's warm, delicate, encompassing, the low-key guy in the hoodie going to the grocery store, the one with the brown coat in the library classics section? The man wearing sophisticated clothes on the bench surrounded by autumn leaves in the park? Infact I'd say a serious woman can also pull this off because of its unisexual characteristics (If a guy can wear Portrait Of A Lady with confidence, why can't a woman wear this?) I can also get some feel of Chopard Oud Malaki as i've smelled it before but on the shirt, not skin. It's not about being a beast but being felt, making others get a sense of your personality and mood. It's a sentimental smell that goes well with a cardigan. Mature. Tamed. Autumn and early spring. When weather is coming to terms with itself, its acknowleding change and becoming mature. The rising and dying winter. The cool winds of spring before the erruption of summer. Its perfumes like these that make you realize perfumes have seasons too. I recommend it to those who like spicy, woody, fruity, mature fragrances. And despite there being no set rules for when to wear perfumes, it's our associations with flavors and weather that make us feel so. All of the above is also ofcourse, a subjective piece. I'll end this in Theirry Wasser's words, who puts it this way: "They want rules and there are none. People are afraid to show emotion and afraid to let go. That's why they want rules. They ask me, "How should I wear a fragrance? Is it for the night? Is it for the day? For winter?" Who cares? Just wear it and be happy. And even if you don't like it, don't wear it." https://www.lofficielsingapore.com/beauty/master-perfumer-thierry-wasser-guerlain-lart-la-matiere-collection

With so many houses releasing Parfum editions that have either little to do with the original at one extreme or with difference hardly discernible at the other, CN Homme Parfum is a great example of HOW to do a flanker. If you know the original CN Homme, owning this would not be redundant but it is not irrelevant to the original either. Replacing the heavy clove note with cardamom is a big improvement for my tastes. Though I don't mind clove at all, it is an aggressive note when featured and can be polarizing. Parfum is much smoother with cardamom but definitely comes across as spice-laden. It retains the original DNA of cinnamon, patchouli, sandalwood and labdanum, giving it a traditionally masculine sensibility with warmth and depth. I detect a resin-like accord the duration as well, though none are listed, but it will give those who are curious a better sense of what is going on here Performance for me is long lasting but not strong projecting. It seems like its going to be a beast right out of the sprayer, but doesn't go that way. It stays pretty close to the skin, though I can smell it all day long. There is nothing cloying, aggressive, or intrusive about this. I find it an ideal work scent for those reasons. High quality, high class. This is a beautifully crafted masculine scent. Parfum is related to the original but has enough variation to make it a welcome addition. More than welcome-it is a fantastic fragrance!!

#16MFJ Costume National Homme Parfum – The Scent of a Stranger in the Shadows You notice it before you notice him. A flicker of danger. A quiet dare. Black pepper cracks like a match in the dark, cardamom curls around it, warm and smoky. Then leather — not shiny showroom leather, but a worn jacket steeped in midnight jazz and bad decisions. Tobacco exhales like the moment before a first kiss. Hours later, patchouli and amber settle in like rain on hot pavement, with vanilla’s warmth clinging to skin long after the lights go out. This isn’t polite or clean. It’s not even trying to be. Why does it pull me in? ⦁ It’s unapologetic. It’s not clean, it’s not friendly—it’s... magnetic ⦁ Feels like you’ve stepped into a black-and-white film and everyone’s speaking in secrets. ⦁ Every note has something to hide. The catch? ⦁ Definitely not beginner-friendly. This is a Marlboro Red, not a Light. ⦁ Too much in heat—you’ll choke the room. Save it for cold nights and colder moods. ⦁ It’s pricey. But you’re not just buying perfume—you’re buying a role. It’s the scent of someone you shouldn’t follow... but you already are.