Fath Pour L'Homme

I had been thinking about purchasing this fragrance for a while, but never did. Beautiful flacon...traditional, chic with a modern edge. The cap (a piece of art in and of itself) smelled wonderful - good things to come, I thought. I applied two full sprays to my inner wrist and one small one to the top of my hand. Wow! LANIER's review - fantastic and wonderful, as always. He captures place, aromas, and ambiance with his articulation and brilliant writing. This is some exquisitely, well-made juice! It is so warm - the amber, wood, ambergris all are seamlessly integrated with a blend of citrus & spices, a dash of lavender, mint, a nice blend of airy florals and a touch of clove (in the heart). I took notes along the way, but found it very interestingly...a scent that is seemingly well-integrated upon application (not to say there isn't development but layers come at you with this fragrance all at once)! I get a lot here - and, also, like some other amber-based oriental wood scents, it doesn't seem to transition much from out of the bottle to the skin, except get warmer and more radiant, light wisps of resin and airy smokiness noticeable as the olibanum comes forward. The wonderful human skin touch of ambergris or ambroxan precisely (the pyramid is incorrect - it is not just musk) is absolutely essential here. It adds the slightly salty, smooth, 'skin-like' feeling that combines brilliantly here with the warm oriental base and one's body chemistry. Along with some nice warm, but clean musk, there is a nice contrast between the resinous amber and the radiant 'non-animalic' musks that breathe throughout the composition. To me, amber is the key difference here, separating Fath Pour L'Homme & a lot of Oriental Woody's - and those that have rich vanilla. Vanilla, as a note (I find), is often rather heavy. It sits on the bottom of the bottle and on one's skin, wafting through the fragrance (separated like a 'heavy puddle' of extract on the bottom), but pronounced throughout a scent. Okay - imagine a bottle of, say, Le Male (I just wore it the other day) - a large puddle of vanilla extract is "plopped-in" and it sits there from the waist down of the upper torso and fills out the hindquarters and bulge in front! You smell it from the start and it gets stronger as all the rest of the composition dries off and melts away until you are left with a rather heavy vanillic accord that is a bit too sweet for some - cloying is often a term used. I happen to really like Le Male and other scents in that vanillic vein when they are done well, but Jacques Fath is in a whole different vein...I am VERY happy with it. The smell is great - really nice, rich, warm but also chic and sophisticated. The spices with the lavender and mint make the heart so rich...along with the nice wood (cedar, sandalwood) and prominent, herbaceous patchouli. Not cloying at all. And, here is the key - I would be very doubtful if any vanilla is in here (although reviewers reference it) at all - however, tonka ...is and the earthy coumarin does shade into a sweeter vanillic tone over time brilliantly. However, one should not think that Tonka Bean equals Vanilla - which is in here and not too pronounced, but well-integrated. Amber, the wonderful ambergris (ambroxan), musk and wood together create a great warm accord that is found in Fath Pour l'Homme, along with the baking spices (my nose says a touch of nutmeg and a whiff of cinnamon - neither too strong). Some noses may confuse this with vanilla when the composition comes together (but this has a pure amber base with earthy tonka bean and the very nice ambergris/ambroxan at the end). But, some get it right - so I am not saying something entirely new. Timing on this is rather funny, because, I have been on a huge amber-binge in the last several months of cold weather for both me and my wife. Some are very unisex - Jacques Fath Pour l'Homme is a very masculine composition. I am impressed as it comes together so very well - overall score, excellent! Really good juice and definitely one I will look forward to wearing...! Highly recommended.

The brisk wind comes up the Avenue Montaigne from the Seine blowing the first falling leaves of autumn past the elegant boutiques of Louis Vuitton, Dior, Bulgari and such houses of style. The dancing leaves unceremoniously slap up against your shins and announce that fall is on the way. The early cold snap sends you of to scuttle into the Plaza Athénée at number 25 on the Avenue. This beautiful hotel has always embraced you with its legendary warmth. The wonderful smells from its many restaurants and the famous courtyard with its signature red geraniums on every windowsill begin the familiar old welcome. There is that one special part of the hotel, your little respite from the glamour and hubbub of Pairs and for that matter the world. The little corner table in La Galerie des Gobelins, that wonderful little gem of a restaurant in the heart of the hotel. Once seated by the Maitre’D you order your favorite afternoon snack, Coeur de saumon fumé d’écosse, pain Poilâne toasté with a bottle of 2006 Margaux Segla. As you wait for the delights to come you are subtly nudged by the most wonderful pipe tobacco, and vanilla interlaced with mint and citrus from the bar. Musky amber invades the blend and meets in a harmonious orgasmic rush with flowers from the courtyard and spices of every imaginable description that waif on the air from the kitchens. All these wonderful aromas are the scent of rich, elegant, aloof yet so accessible Paris. They recall your most romantic nights in the city when you were a little younger and a little more carefree. This then is the impression I get in the experience of wearing the very wonderful and truly unique fragrance that is Jacques Fath Pour L’homme. The first thing that made me sit up and take notice of this perfume that was introduce by the Parisian house of Jacques Fath in 1998 was the classical presentation and elegance of the flacon. It is very reminiscent of the old pharmacy bottle design for Chanel No.5. The small understated label in gold with the coat of arms, topped with a hearty metal cap with the embossed coat of arms. It is all encompassing beautiful, rich and arresting in its simplicity. Then there is the fragrance. A gloriously classical 90’s powerhouse that is only for the most discerning, smart, chic and confident of men, it is not for boys to bathe in before a night out in a sweaty overheated club. No it is for something more refined. It is eternally masculine bold and seductive and not in an obvious you can’t take your eyes off of me I am so hot way. No, this is for grownups whose allure is not cultivated but engrained. A man who’s self-assuredness ignites his natural sexiness. Nothing is more alluring than someone who is unaware of their appeal. Jacques Fath Pour L’homme is a real find. It lasts eight to nine hours on me and elicits complements through out the day. It opens not with a shout but with a song of vanilla, tobacco and lavender, in the heart is an aria of sublime blending of its notes of woods mint and citrus. The dry down is incredibly warm and sensuous with musk and amber dominating and ending the experience. It is sublime. Five platinum stars *****

The opening of this fume is dashing and dizzying as a mix of citrus, greens, and florals all rush to greet you! This sensation settles after a half hour or so before shifting into a dewy floral and rich and woody amber. It feels like a forest garden meeting grand sand dunes - it's impossible in its surreality but I clearly sense it nonetheless. The notes are superbly blended but it lets you sneak enough of a peek here and there to keep you guessing. I'm fairly certain I can pick up a dewy rose and violet (and maybe something that smells like a green, crisp pepper....?) contrasted cleverly with a smoky and peppery cedar and guaiac accord. At the heart of this surreal beauty is a very rich and woody amber - it coats everything in it's resinous sweetness and oozes class and reserve. Somewhere in the heart of the beast lies a smoky incense-tinged ginger and violet - soft, vulnerable, and endearing in its earnestness. As the scent slowly progresses, the wooded amber picks up a noticeable powder note (likely from the tonka beans) which resonates quite well with the dewy florals. This further develops into musky and woody amber that perfect for anyone in the mood for a fuzzy and warm second skin. In the end of this fume's long and dazzling life, a beautiful whisper of a lover's embrace remains - an ambery vanilla lingers to remind you of the time you shared...and you smile in rememberance. Maybe we all be touched by something loving and beautiful - and cherish it forever. Day 48 - How the world moves Listening to: Anathema - The Gathering Of The Clouds/Lightning Song

This is possibly my greatest blind buy on a cheapie. The bottle is nothing fancy but elegant nonetheless. Pretty basic. They've modernized the cap to a gun metal finish with the houses insignia on the top, it looks nice. The juice inside is really the star, so no need for the fancy garnish. This seems like an odd duckling 70s-80s powerhouse that was made in the 90s. Very strange but give it a few wearings and it is pure bliss. They could definitely charge a lot more for this one. It opens with a heavy blast of fruits, notably raspberry and a bouquet of florals, rose leading the charge. The spicier aspects balance out this sweet and floral femininity quite well. It enters unisex territory in the beginning but only briefly. The musk and patchouli enter to reinforce the spices against the feminine notes. The tonka and more woody notes mix with this whole thing going on at the end. It's really sublime and really strong (hence the powerhouse vibe I get from it). Hard to describe is also a proper look at it, there's quite a bit going on here. The longevity and projection, to me, are fantastic. The quality of the fragrance is amazing. I feel like I've cheated someone out of hard earned dollars for what I paid for this one. I think most ages could wear this, an eccentric woman could as well. Definitely winter, maybe fall. I'd go with formal or fancier casual. This isn't one you wear at a kids' birthday party or some such outing. It's fairly serious. All in all, you should check it out at such a price. It's a downright steal.

I think I am ready to start writing reviews on Fragrantica. It only makes sense to begin with the first proper fragrance I bought for myself. At about 3am one night in snowy Boone, NC stoned in my awful dilapidated college home I decided to see if I could find a unique, inexpensive cologne. Not to start a collection, just to have an attractive little accessory follow me throughout the day. That was October 26, 2017. I'm not saying a fragrance is the reason my life has improved so much since October 2017, but this purchase definitely coincided with some of the best things that have ever happened to me. The scent memories tied to Fath Pour L'Homme have cemented it as my all time favorite and most meaningful fragrance. It will be my wedding day fragrance soon. JFPH is sweet, spicy, fruity, woody, floral, handsome and somehow still so very safe. It fits in with other oriental style designers from the 1990s such as YSL's Opium, but nothing smells even remotely like it. The beauty of this one lies in the complex nature of the notes. You don't smell like a mob boss or a frat bro when you wear this, you smell like a man outside of time. It's eclectic and appealing. Amber is the star player here supported chiefly by raspberry, olibanum, and musky floral notes that lend a powdery feel to it all. I own three bottles of this increasingly hard to find gem, yet only wear it for most special occasions anymore. Fath Pour L'Homme is simply one of the best and most interesting scents on earth. 10/10.