L'Homme

I was very, very curious to discover this fragrance, and I immediately added it to the watch list when it appeared among the novelties a long time ago. I know the Emanuel Ungaro brand well and am fond of the old compositions. In the 90s, I was lucky enough to use Ungaro pour L'Homme II EAU DE TOILETTE, which is unfortunately discontinued today. A very unconventional perfume, opulent, rich, with glorious notes of carnation and civet that in modern perfumery are now extinct or are hardly used anymore. Besides this jewel, I still own Ungaro pour L'Homme III Parfum Aromatique, Ungaro pour L'Homme III EAU DE TOILETTE, the magnificent Ungaro pour L'Homme III Oud, and some U-shaped bottles like Man, Blue Ice, and Silver. And just today, I was lucky enough to find this perfume at a ridiculous price for the 100ml format, just €20. The test on the paper strip convinced me on the fly, nothing disruptive or innovative; Dior Homme and Valentino Uomo have explored this stage long before, a reinterpretation of a classic olfactory style in a modern way, but the test on the skin has engraved so much on the purchase, very pleasant, comfortable, and intriguing. Just to anticipate my impressions, the essence is based on the triplet composed of black pepper-iris-tonka, although the latter is not mentioned in the olfactory pyramid. And I would like to mention the bottle, a sandblasted blue denim glass with a matt finish. To the touch, it is as if it were made from porous stones. So, what does this perfume tell us? The first nuances are rich in spice. Black pepper is the master of the opening; it expands and occupies all the air that surrounds me, deep, penetrating. Without falling into vulgarity, I dare say that this peppery explosion is similar to an orgasm, intense but fleeting, ephemeral. On my skin, and most likely on my nose, the powdery aspects of the iris emerge prematurely, while the fruity notes of the velvety peach together with the citrus ones of the bergamot are shy, almost imperceptible, perhaps obscured by the spices and rhizomes. I don't get any syrupy or pulpy peach. I don't feel like defining the beginning as a fruity or citric accord, but definitely spicy and powdery. In no uncertain terms, the presence of the Florentine iris announces the heart's entrance. Now the powdery and powdery aspects of the rhizome dominate the scene without that nuance reminiscent of the carrot. Supporting this noble flower are the silvery leaves of sage intertwined with violet-lavender flowers. The whole look fougére. If the opening turns out to be fleeting, the central part remains stable for a few hours before heading toward the final act. I realize that L'Homme has reached its finale when a strange sweetness takes possession of the scene. Nothing to do with exotic vanilla but something toasty similar to Tonka. The sweetness is proportionate, not from annoying sensations, and is balanced by a pinch of patchouli that dirties the dry-down just enough, together with a woody nuance provided by cedar wood, whose dry and resinous sawdust nuances are unmistakable. Now I feel the leathery accord, very smooth like the one generated by birch bark, not at all animal or rough. In all phases, L'Homme gives me pleasurable, pleasant and relaxing sensations. Never too pushy, pushy, or arrogant. If I had to sum up L'Homme with a few adjectives, it would be earthy, woody, powdery, spicy and slightly leathery, with a fougére tendency. Miserably underrated, a little gem I find ideal for mid-seasons, it can work well on summer evenings outdoors, while it is a bit weak to face the cold winter months. Preferable during the day and discreet for the office, its performance is below average, with moderate projection but great longevity, although I think it is sufficient to cover almost a whole day. If you like the leathery and powdery genre of Valentino Uomo Intense and Dior Homme Original (2011) EAU DE TOILETTE, you should consider this cheap, high-quality alternative without synthetic splinters. It's so inexpensive and not on anyone's radar. I'm formulating my impressions on a bottle I've owned since June 2023 (BC 2227901).

Opening 7/10: interesting The bergamot hits aided by the pepper but they quickly fade leaving the scene for a non-makeupy iris. The peach comes in last giving this perfume an unique touch. I was really surprised by the peach note. I expected it to be either "Garnier baby shampoo" or overwhelmingly gourmandy, but instead it ends up being sweet yet with a fresh quality (maybe this is caused by the note mixing with bergamot) After 30 min - Middle 7/10: Iris takes the spotlight. Pepper reappears in the background only to take the peach by hand so as to tame its sweetness (somebody rightly said it becomes boozy), until the fruit fades making room for lavender and a shy sage. After 2 hours - Dry down: 8.5/10: woody and virile. The now fading iris melts with patchouli in a dark chocolatey mix that tones down the overrall sweetness of the fragrance, making space for a clean lavender, while cedar rises to give it a cool woody helping hand. Slight leather undertone in the background. The citrus might disappear early on skin but I detect it subtly lingering on clothes even during the drydown. It is my first dabble with an iris-centric fragrance, an experiment if you will, and for the price I paid I consider myself fully satisfied (you can find it between 15 and 25 euros). I was afraid it would be too sweet for my taste but it ended up being just right. This has the potential for working in romantic situations, being not too loud it could also work in the office. Edit: After using it a while I came to love this, as it has changed a bit and it's not super sweet anymore. On some days I got amazing performance out of this, one day I sprayed at 7 am and when I came home at 7 pm I could still catch it clearly in the air and I do max 3 sprays. Projects decently. As somebody said, from the late mid until the drydown it gets a tiny bit fougere-like thanks to the lavender-sage combo. TL,DR Lots of iris, a pinch of pepper, interesting peach bergamot mix, surprising cedar-lavender drydown. Recommended as a cheap introduction to iris. Scent: 7.5 Performance: 8.5 Price/Value: 10 Overall: 8.6/10

What a great find this fragrance is. It opens with a blast of non-lipsticky iris and fragrant peach, together with a background of lavender and sage. This forms a very good mix, and gives the iris a clean, fresh facet which is missing from Dior homme Intense. In the dry down the pepper adds a welcome gentle spice and the peach gains a boozy accord. The iris blends with the lavender and sage; The feeling is clean, warm and stylish. The leather and cedar never overpower the fragrance, instead adding a soft strength which creates balance. An amazing fragrance for the price, and a must have for any iris enthusiast.

I got a bottle week ago, not bad, generic powdery cologne, good for cold weather. Edit: I really start to love this cologne, it really smell's good, the iris and peach are dominating in it. The problem is on my skin i don't get a super projection and longivity, i only get a moderate projection and longivity but i get more longivity when i spray it on my clothes. At last, it's a good designer cologne, cheap price tag not expensive, and the bottle looking good even i don't know what they made it of ? it don't look like glass.

Wow. Stellar. "You immediately love the sweet smell of Velvet Peach mixed with zesty Bergamot honed with a hint of Black Pepper, for an exotic dream. In its heart, the velvety Iris leaves the refreshing Clary Sage. The essence of Lavender will lead you to the sure path of timeless elegance." Drydown is gorgeous. Negative comments on this one would be to protect the overhyped more expensive perfumes I'm sure. The only bad thing here is the spray function.