Catalyst for Men

I waited forever to buy this reformulation and finally bought it yesterday for $8.96 for 30ml. It has been 23 years since I bought it for the first time while traveling across the US from coast to coast. It had a special place in my heart, but my olfactory had zero recall. The opening was slightly familiar but not exact. Soon after there was a harshness which surely did not exist before? Then there was the dry down which was again harsh. Then all of a sudden the whole thing came into focus. Very close to what I had hoped for. I must say, they synthesized the heck out of this, but they got it! Sure there are some faulty moments along the way, but the end-result is a really nice reformulation of an old friend. Better than most. Perhaps I forgot the opening was harsh, because I sure am over it now and found myself wanting to re-apply a few times. Not that I need to because it is strong enough and performs decently. For less than 10 bucks, this beats the pants off of what I expected and is easily as good as many of the duds I have come across over the years. Good stuff! Really good stuff indeed. Happy Happy!

Let me be honest with you Mr.Alchemist - I do not care for your vinegary opening. Sorry, I just don't. You are too obvious,to forceful, not to mention, but I'll mention it anyway, that your initial odor clashes unpleasently with your yummy orange complexion. Your verve in introducing yourself to the world through vinegary note is so pronounced, that one would be justified to expect to see green pickles floting around inside your triangularly shaped belly. Sorry... But how gracious of you not to persist with your misleading preamble, soon after which you open your secret compartments of your truly enchanted heart of a master alchemist. You are so charismatic, so orientally aromatic and oppulent, that you must be wafting your presence here from the Tales of 1001 Nights... All your clove I love, and musks, nutmegs and sandalwoods, all of which are still tip-toeing on my forearm after seven hours past our memorably wet morning encounter. Oriental mystery... Mr.Alchemist, here comes the confession - You are my all time favorite! You were the catylyst behind this love song. So long.

Four years after Halston's passing, his namesake brand lived on and produced mid-market releases in the 90s, like Catalyst and the offspring of that master-brand, Catalyst for Men. It's a jolly, warm spiced orange with a thick, spicy heart, showcasing cinnamon, nutmeg and clove. It is the caraway, however, that stands out the most for me: sharp, sweet, and aromatic, always adhering to my skin in the most delightful manner. While it opens with fervent fanfare, its dry down is a velvety amber and mild-mannered musk. I still recall seeing the ads for it in the 90s with the catchphrase "boys like to experiment" and my even adolescent self couldn't help but to think it was some sort of coding. Catalyst won't necessarily leave sophisticated noses feeling astonished, but to me it is such a likeable and cozy wear for autumn. I am happy to own a test tube atomizer bottle and a wee little Erlenmeyer flask mini. Catalyst is just fun.

So complex as to be almost totally uncategorisable upon first whiff; the Tower of Babel of 90's fragrances. Just look at the notes listed. It's more a scent skyscraper than a scent pyramid! I wont even try to acertain all of them, just give you the ones i pick up: Orange,caraway, some kind of pepper(not black), sandalwood ,vodka,lavender,carnation,benzoin resin, the slightest bit of cinnamon. What i dont pick up is the bay leaf and i wanted to mention that as it rates highly here. It would be a mistake for someone to seek this out thinking they were going to get a citrus-bay based frag. It's definitely more for someone who's not uncomfortable with a fragrance that might confound them at first.

I got this for my Middle School graduation and it was the 3 test tube set. I don't remember what each test tube was but 1 of them had a mix of yellow on top and green underneath (or vice versa). And it all came in a little stand for each of them. Visually SOOO cool for a teenage boy. And it smelled WAY better than the Brut33 and Polo that I already had. Lots of spice and I didn't appreciate how amazing it was. Between this and the DKNY Men I got a bit later, I had some really cool fragrances for a skinny, teenage boy.