Le Male Terrible

Le Male was released in 1995 and has quickly become adored throughout the world. I confess that I have a great affection and admiration for its fragrance. Since its launch, the house of Jean Paul Gaultier has already brought to the market almost 40 variations, including limited and collectors editions. However, some say it was reformulated in 2010 and, later, in 2012 in order to meet the requirements of the governing agencies regarding the compositions of certain perfumes and the ingredients used in them. Because of this, immediately after the first batches reach stores around the world, thousands of loyal users criticized the loss of potency and durability of its fragrance. Coincidence or not, in the same year of 2010, Le Male Terrible, created by Aurelien Guichard, who has worked on creations for Azzaro, Davidoff, Nina Ricci, etc. arrived in the market. Until then, the favorite perfumer to give life to flankers was Francis Kurkdjian. Le Male Terrible was a limited edition, which brought notes of grapefruit and pink pepper, on top; Lavender and vetiver, in the body; Amber and vanilla, in the base. While the DNA of the line was established, basically, on the notes of lavender, mint and vanilla and although the ginger note also appears in many of the flankers, this time the fragrance brought the vetiver, which few people extol, but it makes a big difference in the final result. Le Male Terrible touches the skin a bit more bitter, but with the same construction of the original version. Before, the artemisia and the bergamot gave that bitter nuance. Now, the grapefruit does that job. The pink pepper is not spicy either, as many people think. People love to say that the perfume became "spicy" because of this ingredient, but its nuances are much more floral than spicy. So, it is wise to pay attention to how this note develops, making room for the lavender, which is wonderful in this scent. But the vetiver, in my opinion, is the great star of the evolution, with its smoky and slightly chocolate-flavored nuances, without much woody content. To finish, the notes of amber and vanilla can replace, with praise, the base of the original version, which contained more ingredients, such as tonka bean, cedar, etc. Le Male Terrible was, in my opinion, an attempt to offer the public, again, the original fragrance with a different composition but with excellent projection and durability. No wonder it was marketed as Eau de Toilette Extreme.

Every now and then, clumsy giant creatures invade your peaceful little world....out of them pours various noises much alike creatures having a fit or the bowing of great trees. It's quite annoying. The latest couple lasted a few minutes before lifting their portable cloud to let you breathe again....you stretch deeply as the sun trickles over your extremities. You can see the rays dancing in their pinks and golds, greens and reds, and blues and yellows across your crisp green flesh. The sun tastes like the warmest pepper and juiciest grapefruit - its essence tingles slightly. Your body dances instinctually, reaching toward the nourishing essence. You pause in your moment of glory - there is a dense fog rolling ominously toward you. You close your bud in preparation for the chill lurking toward you. It hits in a wave of thick vanilla and sharp lavender with a crisp root note...a dandy fog. As it washes over, you begin to feel warm in the rolling blanket and drink it in, cautiously. You are suspended in the mist...the white and grey releases all the savagery of a life of struggle. Light peeks through once again and you are made whole - you blossom once again. Day 90 - Momentary Listening to: Muse - Sunburn Notes: Of all of the JPG Flanders that are similar to the original (Fleur du Male is my favorite but is quite different from the original), Terrible is undoubtedly my go to! For those who claim this is a "more masculine" rendition of the original (and its million flankers), I have to agree but only slightly. Upon spraying, I am met with an energizing combination of grapefruit, mint, and pink pepper - this is where it strays most from the original as the pink pepper lends a touch of masculine charm. However, even the opening is cloaked in the frothy deliciousness that is the JPG vanilla. Every sniff will yield a mix of pepper and vanilla...and it is delicious! Terrible holds above the skin like a beautiful cloud of nondescript, slightly sharp lavender and citric woods (it could be vetiver or Iso E Super) with that beautiful amber and vanilla. Almost every note is present from the beginning and the fume slowly sweetens over time (the pepper only makes it a pinch more "manly") and can easily be enjoyed by anyone. The fume is also surprisingly durable as I get a good 8 to 10 hours without fail. If you don't own a JPG Male fume, get this as it is a more interesting version that the original and its army of flankers!

I love the Le Male DNA and have started to develop a bit of a Le Male collection, so when I saw this come up for a reasonable price I had to pull the trigger. Oh man....what this could have been. I can't lie, I'm a little bit disappointed with this one. Don't get me wrong, I really enjoy Terrible. I really like the slight twist of swapping out the mint and cardamom for grapefruit and pink pepper - I dare say I prefer it to the original opening - it adds a slightly fresher facet to a predominantly oriental fragrance. It's a cool contrast. But the disappointment for me is that they didn't take it further. I wish they had really leant more into the pepper and the citrusy sharpness, but instead there's just a very faint note of grapefruit and a mere hint of pepperiness on top of the classic Le Male DNA. It's unmistakably Le Male. Not that it's a problem, because I love Le Male....but there's just not enough of a departure from the original. It's so similar that anyone who already recognises Le Male will recognise Terrible as the original. Terrible does dial down the vanilla by the tiniest amount so it's not quite as thick and powdery as the original, which does allow the grapefruit more room to breathe. I do think this version is slightly more wearable and versatile as a result. It almost makes me think that this was a lab sample from when they created the original Le Male, but they instead opted to go for a more striking minty powdery combo in the opening for the OG. It's so similar that I couldn't really recommend anyone go and seek Terrible out especially if you own the original. This is a good fragrance, but I'm not sure it should ever really have been released.

In French "Terrible" can mean "terrific" as much as "terrible" in context. Sort of like saying something is "bad" can be a compliment. As an example, the French Navy has had at least one ship named "Terrible" for much of its time (Destroyer, Submarine, etc.).... I saw a bottle of this at Ross for $11 and couldn't resist trying it out. I like the original Le Male, but it is such a vanilla bomb beast that I only wear it on rare occasion. Certainly never to work in the office. I was thrilled to find that Terrible, ironically, seemed a lot more wearable to me. To me the pepper brings a quality to it that makes it a lot more mature. Yet, someone mature who still has a sense of humor and a streak of rebellion. Actually, with the vanilla tempered, I get all the notes in a nice balance: pepper, lemon, lavender, vanilla, vetiver, all come through over the amber base. Obviously, I find this a worthy and useful flanker. It does lose some of the projection, longevity, and sillage that the original LM is famous for, but it is still well above average and the tempering makes it more versatile for me. Not nearly as popular either, so you have a better chance of wearing something no one else around is wearing. This is one of my best blind buys: score. Funny story: It was late afternoon so I pulled out the Terrible for a touch-up. I put a spray on each arm and right afterwards a co-worker walked into my office. I thought, "oh no, bad timing! Someone walks in right after I spray Le Male, I'm going to smell way too strong here. Couldn't she have walked in 20 minutes later?" Instead she smiled and said, "it smells yummy in here!"

This iteration of Le Male is called "Terrible", because, after the initial burst of grapefruit and pink pepper, it smells that way ...intentionally! It reeks like an abomination but that's all part of its game. The reason I love this fragrance so much is because after about 30 minutes or so, a complete metamorphosis, much in line with that of "The Dreamer", by Versace, occurs. This is we're the sheer brilliance of this fragrance lies. Before long, the filthy, dirty, loud, obnoxious, bombastic, and nose-prickling, 1980's powerhouse opening dries down into the most beautiful, masculine, sensual, natural, dry-yet-sweet, woody, spicy, and delicious vanilla skin-scent (with hints of Le Male if breathed upon directly, as is bound to happen when you wear this!) leaving your epidermis awash in irresistible delight and fragrant magic for the next 12 hours or so. From caterpillar to butterfly, from ugly duckling to swan, from frog to prince, "Terrible" truly IS terrible, make no mistake about it. There's a razor blade slung around this bad-boy's neck for a reason. He's the macho, masculine stereotype who has no qualms about putting on a misogynistic show in public, but behind closed doors, he's the quiet, introspective genius, treating women with the utmost kindness and respect which they deserve; a man who, like myself, truly doesn't give a fuck about what the world thinks about him. He knows exactly who he is, and so does everyone he selects to get to know him. So dynamic, and so representative of myself: I ADORE this juice... if only after about an thirty minutes. ;-) OVERALL: 9/10