Vermeil Pour Homme

Amazing. They don't make 'em like this anymore. Not entirely sure I like it but it’s so rare to find a beast mode powerhouse performer in this price range that smells like a high quality “natural” composition. Feels somehow familiar but I can't place it. Strange ... I've seen that face before At first I thought the name was some kind of play on words because, as well as being a proper noun, "vermeil" is an adjective that means “gilded” or gold-plated - Le Must de Cartier is well-known for its vermeil watches for example - but a "carte vermeil" is a discount card for senior citizens as well as a slang/comedic expression for old people. Many people dislike the presentation but I love it - the flacon is unique and well-made: looks exactly like an upmarket cigarette lighter. Form meets function . I have a 1950s Ronson table lighter that looks very similar. Definitely not cheap or tatty either - the flacon must have been comparatively expensive to manufacture, probably more than the content - the upper "gold" part is all metal except for the button. The mechanics are simple but effective (and possibly excessive) as the spray is somewhere between a pump and a hose. Plus it comes in a rigid plastic coffin case with a clear plastic window. Remarkable fragrance - potent but luxurious with allusions to tradition. Bit of an anachronism. Elegant in a classic style: oakmossy, floral, with a backbone of botanical musk, vetiver and patchouli. Similar in style to Davidoff by Davidoff. Vermeil smells expensive. High quality. It feels like the kind of thing a gentleman who’d carry an expensive lighter might wear - in the 1970s or 1980s. The impression I get is botanical and natural - not noticeably artificial. Had this on my hit list for ages, especially since so many people mentioned tobacco, specifically pipe tobacco, so when I found Vermeil Homme at an excellent price I took a leap of faith onto blind-buy-land and fortunately came up smelling fabulous. Well ... interesting, anyway. Unfortunately there’s nothing resembling pipe tobacco in mine, but I have a vague half-memory that there were two versions of this, which (if true) would imply I have the newer. Vermeil smells expensive, luxurious and very "natural" - the opening is aromatic citrus, enhanced by what is apparently a subtle berry note, and what I thought was a hint of civet, but in hindsight I'm not certain. Maybe it's an olfactory illusion, an accord, or just my imagination. In any case, I still wear Portos by Balenciaga and would have no problem wearing this. In micro-application. Fairly oakmoss-intensive with a very sexy muskiness that lingers through the woody dry down, which is dominated by patchouli, with vetiver on backing vocals. Compared to the sugar-plum-saccharine-ambroxan-and-gamma-isomer-cocktails of today's blockbusters, Vermeil Homme feels unabashedly old school, yet not exactly old-fashioned. A power fragrance with confidence, class and style that could as easily be worn by a CEO as a mafia Don. Vermeil Homme is a curious - but classy - throwback with beast mode projection and epic longevity. This is not a quiet inoffensive crowd pleaser for shy retiring wallflowers, but with micro-application it can be quite magnificent. It’s an olfactory spotlight made to be noticed. The expensive lighter suggests luxury of the kind one might associate with a gentleman’s club: Cigars and cognac quaffed by suited sophisticates, Chesterfields in wood panelled salons. Although discontinued, Vermeil Homme seems to be widely available at remarkably low prices yet given its unique and polarising DNA this might not become a retrospective classic, but definitely a legend in its own right. Not exactly a safe blind buy unless you’re into musky fragrances with a 1980s vibe and LOTS of oakmoss and patchouli plus nuclear performance. Best applied with a light touch. Sure is interesting though and if you are into this kind of thing the bang-for-your-buck ratio is off the charts.

I've worn this fragrance a half-dozen times since purchasing it back in March when I was madly buying vintage, little known, and Middle-Eastern oakmoss fragrances in the form of chypres and fougeres. To me, Jean Louis Vermeil Pour Homme is an elegant "Gentlemen's Club" fragrance to be enjoyed while wearing a blazer, sipping bourbon or scotch, and puffing on a stogie...which is probably why I haven't worn it much in public. As much as I love and appreciate this scent, it's not very versatile and it has that old-school charm that not everyone will appreciate. I'm still on the learning curve with chypre and fougere fragrances but, to give others an idea of how it smells, I can say that it's in the same family (e.g., a 2nd cousin) to Davidoff Pour Homme and Aramis Devin. Certainly not a clone, but you get the jist of what this fragrance is all about. Performance is good to above average and, overall, I found this to be a very nice fragrance...and it was certainly bargain priced. The bottle is pretty cool, but I'm on the fence on the cheap plastic coffret. The sideways sprayer shocked the hell out of me sine I've never seen one before. And I almost sprayed myself in the face which would have been far from decent, I must say! Okay, I envision this fragrance being the perfect scent for Ricardo Mantalban and Hervé Villechaize while waiting for guests to arrive on Fantasy Island. You whipper snappers probably have no clue who I'am talking about. If so, you may not be seasoned enough to appreciate this fragrance.

As the the reviewer below me said this is similar to One Man Show Gold. That is true. However, it's not as musky as OMSG, is much smoother, and has a freshness to it that OMSG lacks. Vermeil PH is like layering OMSG with Lapidus Pour Homme and with a little Kouros to give it some clean freshness rather than all out dirty like LPH. Although tobacco is not in the notes it smells like it does have tobacco with some wood and a touch of floral and powder done in a very masculine way. It does not have the staying power of OMSG and LPH, but it's not bad as I usually get 6 to 8 hours. I suggest a spray to the shirt because it increases the longevity significantly on clothes, particularly cotton, from my experience. Vermeil PH is as masculine as it gets and the value is hard to beat... I paid $15.99 for 3.4oz. The presentation is very classy and manly with its light brown cannister and shiny gold color top. It seems to be getting harder to find so I suggest you pick up a bottle if you are a serious collector or just looking for a masculine cologne to put in your rotation. Especially if you enjoy OMSG, LPH, Korous and other balls to the wall uber-masculine fragrances mentioned in my review. If you don't like fragrances with the composition of those... then you should avoid Vermeil Pour Homme. Lastly, Vermeill PH is more for mature gentlemen 30+. But I could see younger gents pulling this off with a gentlemen-like, mature, confident attitude. 9/10 easily.

A refined perfume, just bought a brand new bottle, did spray 3 times and this is a Powerhouse. It starts with a fresh sharp citrus (lemon) like the 80s powerhouses, than goes to a great fresh tobacco leaf with some sweet like honey or old cognac, a perfect well blended fragrance. This is the fragrance every man should try at least one time, not for young people lets say after 30 years old. A fantastic juice that remember us the great 80 ́s fragrances with quality and no IFRA restrictions. ASAP will try to buy more bottles because this fragrance is great, dress well in a suit for man that knows what he wants and with the confidence to live like a real man. It is a fragrance under radar and if you look well you can find them cheap. Rate: Smell: 9.5 powerhouse from 80's high quality and balanced Performance: in all aspects Beast Mode, longevity on fabric for days, in skin my top is 14hours but going strong... and after shower still persists... A masterpiece with its own personality, nothing like the new era of perfumary where it is hard to find something really special that delivers good smell and performance.

'VERMEIL' was a surprise....a blind buy based on the notes pyramid and Fragrantica reviewers. It's not going to appeal to everyone and it's certainly no Baccarat Rouge 540, Layton or Naxos. Strangely enough, speaking of Xerjoff, there's something about 'VERMEIL' that made me think about Xerjoff's Casamorati 1888 'REGIO' when I applied it (VERMEIL) for the first time. It's an EDT, and 'REGIO' a Xerjoff sillage/longevity EDP beast, but to me, they both share an elegance and sophistication that might not be understood... unless you're a person with a comprehension and appreciation of fragrance history. AND NOW FOR THE VERY GOOD PART- I found my 'VERMEIL' (made in France) for what might be the cheapest price in the lower US. It's exactly the same packaging and 3.4oz bottle that Fragrantica shows at the top of this page. It was from : fragrancebaba.com ...a company in NJ. Their total price was $14.99 - 5% = $14.25...free shipping, and I paid no tax because I live in NY. Shipping was fast, but might delayed now by yesterday's snowstorm.