Escada Magnetism for Men

Escada’s Magnetism for men really is a masterpiece of marketing and design. To name a fragrance “Magnetism for Men” is to make a bold claim, a promise of social success to which we all secretly aspire, a promise that we too can emulate that inexorable force of nature where some objects become irresistible to others. “Magnetism for Men” could be the title of a self-help book, and implies that this fragrance will imbue its wearer with the glamour and appeal of a movie star, as if it were a magic spell, potion or talisman. The name suggests “charisma in a bottle” - à la Dale Carnegie it will help us to win friends and influence people , and might even encourage the objects of our desire to suddenly find us irresistibly attractive. Then there’s the bottle, sleek and elegant, reminiscent of Art Deco, dark purple glass like a polished, faceted amethyst. It is purple but not just any purple. It’s neither lilac, nor violet nor lavender, all of which are a bit girly and feminine. No wussy flowers here, thank you very much This is πορφύρα (“porphura”) the colour whose use was regulated by law in Ancient Greece and Rome, Imperial Purple, the colour of power and luxury - that’s the purple of Magnetism. If we could smell colours, Imperial Purple would smell like Magnetism for Men. Prince would have loved it. The amethyst coloured bottle contributes to our impression of how it smells. MfM smells purple . For me it’s not a “cola” or a “grape” note - MfM is not that explicit - this is a Michel Almairac creation after all - it’s a combination of very subtle hints and suggestions that can be confusing because the impression created is somehow familiar but hard to identify, leading the wearer to draw their own conclusion. It’s not easy to effectively translate a sensory experience into words and MfM is a real challenge for me because I lack the right ones. Magnetism for Men opens with a subtle hint of spice (or, rather, saffron), then becomes sweet, woody with hints of fruit, resins and the suggestion of a vaguely boozy note that has a gourmand thing happening, almost like a smell you can taste or a taste you can smell. It suggests, it does not scream. When I was a kid I adored Asterix - the Romans in Asterix were always drinking purple coloured wine. Magnetism for Men reminds me of how my younger self imagined wine would taste. What I’m trying to say is there's a dreamy suggestion, a gourmand note evocative of an idealised concept of purple cartoon wine, as imagined by a child reading Asterix. This purple elixir - the bottle is purple and its content is (lightly) tinted to match - really is like a magic potion, so unusual and so tantalising that it fascinates. Been trying to work out what MfM reminds me of ... curiously enough it reminds me of the original Shiseido version of «Fémininité du Bois» in style - especially the woods and the dry down. If only MfM had the same performance and longevity as FdB it would be glorious. Escada really should re-launch Magnetism for Men. Considering its cult status a new version would take the world by storm. I also have Escada pour Homme and aside from being discontinued and having a cult following the only thing both of these Escada men’s fragrances have in common is less-than-ideal performance. Magnetism has surprised me in the past however as I can often detect it the morning after a sleep. In any case this is a fascinating fragrance that I adore, but would only recommend a blind buy if you have obscene amounts of disposable income. The outrageous bronze-balled hubris of calling a fragrance “Magnetism for Men” is truly impressive - practically inviting a blitzkrieg of punitive thunderbolts from Zeus - but what could so easily have been a cringeworthy punch line or a forgettable non-entity was instead saved from oblivion by creativity ( Merci infiniment Mr Almairac ) and by something very close to high camp fabulousness in its presentation (the box is almost as cool as the bottle) - the end result is a case study in brilliant design and marketing. Love it. I consider myself lucky to have had Magnetism for Men come into my life. I love wearing it and just wish it weren’t so hard to get or so obscenely expensive so I could wear it as often as I’d like.

Vanilla Coke. Mmm, I do love it. And I do love this opening, which is quite reminiscent of it. Quickly though it changes and there is this beautiful pink pepper note (the schinus [pink pepper = schinus molle] note listed). It tickles the nose the way sniffing a carbonated beverage might but it adds depth alongside the bite, and makes the opening more captivating than if they'd simply gone for a more straightforward effervescence. The pink pepper is joined by an aroma that is something like grape. I think it might be some kind of jasmine isolate combined with a rather pronounced note of tolu balsam (I'm proud of myself, I picked up that note clearly before even checking the pyramid ). Tolu balsam smells almost like a mix of caramel and vanilla. The grape note itself is thin but sits on this luscious tolu heart, with the pink pepper slowly fading to a whisper and then disappearing. The opening and the heart are very sexy without being ostentatious like A*Men or Le Male. Further into the base and what do I smell but.. a hint of Minotaure? Can this be? A quick foray over to fragrantica shows that Michel Almairac was the nose behind both scents. The base of Magnetism is quite like the middle and later stage of Minotaure.. the stage in Minotaure once the leather has kicked in. There is that same fatty texture (almost like an aldehyde but it's too late in the development for that.. perhaps a lily of the valley note?) and the combination of notes present calls to mind lavender, too. Does anyone else detect the link between Minotaure and Magnetism? To my nose their bases share a lot in common, although Minotaure has a more citrus presence and Magnetism that slightly grapey odor (which fades more and more with time). If you are a fan of Minotaure's latter stages and are looking for something more playful and sexy, definitely give Magnetism a sniff! For those unfamiliar with Minotaure I'd say the basenotes in Magnetism are warm and inviting - a hint of sweet lavender (well, it smells like lavender absolute, at least - this is far sweeter than normal jasmine without any of the herbal bite), caramel, some non-indolic jasmine, all presented with the 'fatty texture' of many florals and aldehydes (I hope you know what I mean, I don't know how else to explain it). There is a hint of something like tobacco present, too. Just a hint. The basenotes are more masculine than feminine. I actually don't find the top notes so feminine, either - the most feminine stage is an hour or two in the heart when the the pink pepper has faded and the tolu/grape/jasmine combo are dominant, before the woods/tobacco/leather of the base make their presence known. If you really like the topnotes of this scent, check out (yes, I"m plugging it again, but it's the only scent with somewhat similar topnotes that I've smelled) MPG's Bois de Turquie. That's kind of a cola/cream soda like opening - without the grapey notes and with bay laurel acting as the spice note instead of pink pepper. The heart and basenotes are quite different than Magnetism but the overall feel and progression is somewhat similar. If you like the latter heart notes and base notes of Magnetism and think they'd be good with a citrus/coriander/geranium/lavender heart, check out Minotaure. Longevity and sillage are both above-average to excellent.

After falling madly in love with Casual Friday, (of which I discovered a bargain source in the remaindered stock of an out-of-business perfume store) I was keen to explore the other - sadly discontinued - Escada masculine offerings, due to their almost legendary status among certain fumeheads I respect, and recently acquired a 100ml tester of Magnetism for men. I certainly wasn't disappointed with Magnetism for Men. The opening is rich, hypnotically beautiful and quite unlike any other fragrance I have ever savoured. To me, it is sublimely beautiful, and so perfectly blended that I have a great deal of trouble discerning individual components - it evokes the bouquet of a fine red wine, with subtle hints of woods, a mild aromatic sweetness and a complexity and depth that, true to its appellation, is extremely captivating and alluring. Magnetism is certainly a very apt name. However it seems that I become somewhat anosmic to the fragrance as it develops (which also happens with the original Rocabar by Hermes), since after about half an hour I find that it fades to the point where I can no longer detect it except as a (beautiful) skin scent, although the sublime beauty of this masterpiece remains evident to others, and elicits both curiosity and compliments from people around me. I was wearing it last night actually, and on waking this morning, after eight hours sleep, I was delighted to be greeted by the magical fragrance which I could once again smell. So inspite of the fact that it had been almost undetectable to me the evening before, it's presence returned to my senses after a period of sleep. Thus, the longevity seems to be far greater than I initially thought. I find that I lack the lexicon or vocabulary to translate my response to this amazing fragrance into words, and I agree wholeheartedly with other reviewers who use the term "sexy" to describe it. To put it simply, Magnetism is just a very, very, sexy fragrance. Edit: the above was written in 2015. Over the last five years my love for this unique fragrance has intensified and Magnetism is always considered when it comes to extra-special occasions. It is a sensual, seductive and sophisticated elixir and I have never encountered anything that comes close. It is like a very fine wine - in more ways than one (even the dry-down recalls the bouquet of a vintage Bordeaux). I only wish I had a barrel of Magnetism as I would absolutely love to be able to wear it more often. It really is almost like a magic potion insofar as it delights and intoxicates the senses of the wearer as well as those around him (or her), eliciting curiosity, compliments and questions. Intoxicating is a good word for it. This is a truly special fragrance that smells like the essence of luxury and Dionysian hedonism. It is in a class of its own and ought to be re-launched. So beautifully eclectic and exotic it’s a timeless classic.

Followed my girl to a little home grown tienda that deals mainly in jewelry, along with some fragrance. I’ve been there before, but been generally bored with their offerings as it’s mostly a regurgitation of any YouTuber’s Top 10, along with the main line frags for men and women from the “big” designer houses. Much to my surprise, I saw a lonely bottle of this sitting on the bottom shelf. Not looking to excited, I gave them a “how much are you wanting for that one?”....they kinda shrugged, and said “$70, ordered for someone else a long time ago and they never picked it up.” Ok...$70 will do - especially from a shop that’s changing $100+ for Dylan Blue, Versace Pour Homme, etc. I held in my excitement until we got outside and then showed my girl what they’re going for on eBay...she started to suggest I do the same; but...”my precious” *pets box Scheemgally* Just to show the goldmine I stumbled into, they also have a brand new 100ml of the OG Versace Man, which I will be getting after Christmas. I had a sample of this a while ago and loved it. Just not $300 love. For $70 I would never hesitate in this one. Not too sweet, not too spicy, not too powdery - everything, every facet just melds together right on this one. For some reason I get a bit of an Iris feel in it, which I know isn’t listed but I like it. I like the opening, but this one has a dry-down like no other fragrance I own, and that’s so rare anymore. Truly sad this isn’t in production anymore, I’ll have to be sparing with my sprays.

I am inclined to agree with the vast majority of users on this site, this really is a beautiful, sexy fragrance and is without shadow of a doubt my personal favourite. I am yet to find anything that resembles it in the slightest and would be happy for someone to enlighten me if there is a doppleganger out there somewhere. Over the years I have owned around ten bottles of this stuff. Yes it does have the whole "cola vibe" going on with it and the "martini alcoholic" opening but it does settle in the dry down and becomes quite rich and thick. Some may say this is synthetic smelling but personally I don't really care because the stuff just smells so good. I have personally found that the newer version made by procter & gamble in the UK is less powdery than the original Scannon, French produced perfume. All in all though a highly original, seductive scent that I have to use sparingly as it is no longer easy to find. Despite this being my favourite fragrance ever my negative critique on this fragrance is its poor sillage. It just doesn't hang around long enough. A little bit like the beautiful woman that sways past you on a warm summers night on the terrace. She has come and gone all too fast - but she was beautiful in that fleeting moment. If Escada had someone thinking out there in the brains trust they would start producing this stuff again and make a hell of a lot more money out of me and a lot of other loyalists I dare say! Bring back the Magnetism!