Jil Sander Man

Some time ago I got a 30ml flacon of this and tried maybe it once, liked it (but wasn’t blown away), and promptly forgot about it. Stumbled across it this evening so decided to revisit it. Maybe there are some notes to which I’m anosmic, because at first it seems soft, subdued or somehow muted (when I first tried it I found it hard to detect) nevertheless I like it - it’s a pleasant composition, even though I don't particularly like violet. Thankfully the lavender isn’t too noticeable, as lavender is something I dislike with a passion and associate with disagreeable old ladies. [Lavender is also an incredibly powerful phytoestrogen] In any case, the impression I have is of an elegant smokiness that reminds me of incense and in my mind conjures the sensation of velvet. Longevity isn’t the greatest, maybe four hours on my skin in Winter and after the first half hour it sits fairly close as to be intimate. Soft, warm and a sensory delight. The dry down is sublime.

This is such a overwelaming scent ! Truly a Masterpice. I love Menarados creation,and for me ,she has most unique scents on the market. Truly a hidden GEM ! Dark...sexy...masculine...mysterious. Safe Blind buy . This could be my Signature scent ...easily. Grab it while you stil can ! 12/10

This fragrance is elegant and I agree it is high quality. This is smokey, sweet and a little powdery in the dry down. The lavender and violet is subtle and the russian leather and blue cedar is pure. Very classy fragrance which brings me many compliments when I wear it. 8/10

This was a blind buy and one of my best. I loved it immediately, especially once it had settled. Good longevity and sillage with this fragrance. I can't remember exactly how I came across this fragrance, but I'm very glad I did.

this is perhaps one of the best perfumes i ever smelled. no words to explain its splendour. today i tried it again, but today it seems to me so much like armani code

A high quality fragrance that takes a little time to develop. After 1-2 hrs it ́s really nice. Quite unique smell. I like it alot.

I use this only at special occasions when I want to feel this wonderful smoke and leather.

I just dug this out of my collection after having ignored it for a while, received as a Christmas gift a few years ago, I remember at the time my immediate reaction was that it smelled rather feminine and also mature. I did like it though, as did the people around me at the time. Fast forward three years and sniffing it now I like it a lot more on paper or clothing than on my skin. On my skin I do get a leather vibe, although not a dirty leather, something more restrained and elegant but with a little smokiness (perhaps the vetiver?). On clothing/paper I sense more of the florals, violet and a lovely lavender note which along with the bergamot brings a little freshness to counter the myrrh and cedar base. There is definitely a herbal element to this perfume too, no doubt provided my the sage. All in all this is an interesting and even mysterious perfume, for me it's one of those scents that changes a little depending on when you smell it, with certain notes or combinations only rearing their heads from under a dark cloak now and again. A subtle, understated and classy fragrance, perfect for a date and/or close encounter and also with formal attire. I think this is definitely unisex as it's so elegant and unique smelling. The poor sprayer on my small elegantly dark bottle doesn't do justice to the compelling liquid held within. Scent:8.5 Sillage/projection:6 (low but it suits this juice imo). Longevity:7

I bought it by accident on Ebay, as it had no picture and was described as Jil by Jil Sander eau de toilette. I was excited, because I have the shower gel and the body lotion for women, and thought I finally got my hands on a reasonable bottle of that juice. I made quite a long face when I opened the package (OH NO, it's not the lovely women's frag that I thought I would get.) Nevertheless I gave it a trial spin, and I am pleasantly surprised. I have some women's frags that are way more masculine than this, and I find it quite enticing. Tetrapharmakos is right, it's quite a feminine scent (just not feminine enough), so I will try to layer it with a violet bomb to make it work for me. After a few trials and errors I discovered that it is excellent layered with Heartbeat XOXO. It smoothens the overly syrupy aspect of Heartbeat and tames the masculinity in Jil Sander Man. A win win situation - well, at least for me.

Hard to define.. The first thing that came to my mind was: Pencil eraser. Rubbery? Yes. Smoky? Yes. Unique? absolutely. Great? hard to tell.. Actually I feel nothing when wearing it, but it's worth the buy if you're looking for something different.. or try Encre Noir instead...

Variation of Minotaure, almost a clone, it's just a nuance different. This is a second clone of Minotaure I've found in one week, the other one is Mancera Lemon Line that has great projection and monstruos longevity 8/10

UPDATED: The more times wearing this frag, the more I appreciate it. I can say without question that it is a solid fragrance and the chances of someone else wearing it in your proximity are quite slim. Buy it while you can. Very much like Cacharel NEMO, about the same sillage. Also, there are a few aspects of this fragrance that remind me of Vintage YSL M7. The biggest is the AWESOME powdery drydown, not a talc, but a wonderful leathery powder. It is just awesome! I am reviewing a NOS vintage bottle from the 2007 launch year. A subtle but very nice fragrance. This fragrance transitions through very distinct phases, it is anything but linear. Upon first blast, you really don't identify much, just a sharp opening and an oud / rubbery kind of hit off the bat. Then it goes through the "encre noire" phase, then the leather kicks in with the vetivier still in full gear. Finally after several hours the violet, lavender and myrrh form a wonderfully powdery leathery type of long lasting but close drydown. I wish it were a bit stronger, but that was obviously not the intent of the perfumers or their customer. Would I buy it again, YES. 8.5,10

I'll keep this short to ensure that I only say what I mean. I perceive this as a feminine scent. I could see the right woman wearing this, but I cannot see a man wearing it. I think that if the violet notes were replaced with something else, this could work as a masculine scent, though. Bottom line: not for me. Edit: I've worn this a number of times now, at home, to study it. What I initially perceived as a unpleasant and feminine "powdery" note I now recognize as myrrh- a note that I've come to love. This fragrance still feels "off" for me, somehow. I quite like the lavender, and I suppose the violets help it, but I still consider the violets overwhelmingly feminine, and they remain throughout the life of the fragrance. The vetiver, sweet myrrh and cedar conspire to a lovely masculine combo, though. It's confusing. A bit of a love-hate thing.

For a while I was thinking, a smoother Rochas Man, but without a coffee note (or one that is very mild). However, there is also a "fresh" element ("old school" style, not a bunch of powerful/nasty aroma chemicals). I'd say the sweetness is moderate, and it's not a strong scent overall, perhaps an "office friendly" version of Rochas Man. I'm not getting a smoky quality, as others have, and I certainly wouldn't call it a remarkable scent, though I can understand how some might really enjoy it ("dark," "sexy, or "masculine:" I'd say a "big no" to those descriptions). Don't expect to clearly smell some or even most of the listed notes - this is more of a "classy" designer blend scent. This is not the kind of scent I'd wear often, if ever really, because when I want at least some of those notes I want them to be more obvious or stronger.

This got me totally by surprise and a good one: It opens with an aromatic flowery phase (bergamot, lavender & violet - one of my preferred flowery notes) then switch on a bitter rooty-spicy one (sage & vetiver). In the drydown, when the sweet woody-incensy combo arises (myrrth & cedar) it feels very smooth, elegant and also a bit leathery. There is no wonder that it is a really good scent, considering that Annick Menardo is the author of some favorite surprises of mine: Bvlgari Black, Azzaro Visit & Armani Attitude. I totally subscribe to reviewers 'LuckyStar1', 'Migotka' and 'wakemeupalready'. Sillage and longevity are pretty acceptable (above average). Very good for professional middle age men to make a statement & also appropriate for spring/autumn. My humble rank 8.8/10. ☣☣☣☣

Bought it by accident :) Did not regret even tho I don't wear it that often at all. Quality fragrance nevertheless -powdery and sweet, but not feminine. -friend commented it smells a bit like an old man's scent. Which I kinda agree on -for a 40+ gentleman, dressed formally, classy -imho too smokey to be for young folks, but who knows... -over average performance which is just right. If it was a beast it would potentially be cloying, due it's powdery and sweet nature. -I don't think its compliment getter, nor panty dropper. It is good for work environment - wont offend anybody if applied correctly, smells classy

Citrusy opening with a hint of leather to come. There is nothing remarkable or new in the opening. Opens like most of the 2000s generic fragrances. But hey after an hour or so the story changes. Sweet and a bit on the floral/powdery side (thanks to violet I guess). The drydown is good and surprising. Do not let the opening fool you. This is a fragrance for the confident man. The sillage is shy and the smell is not very strong but it is very masculine. Very nice woody aromatic. Very good choice for office. Scent: 7/10 not great but good Sillage: 5/10 close to skin Longevity: 7/10 good

Sweet and smoky yet discreet and elegant. Not a groundbraking release but surely a remarkable fragrance. I'm not very impressed by the opening that maybe smells a bit generic and way too gentle, but the resinous/vetiver/cedar drydown is really pleasant and somehow unique.A slight vintage vibe throughout adds an extra touch to make of Jil Sander Man an interesting composition that is positively distant form the average quality of todays designers fragrances. Good for everydays wear. Nice bottle. Rating: 7/10

I might not be the most qualified persion to revue fragrances for men. But as someone who inhales them, I must say that this one is excellent. First, I really appreciate the bottle design, simple, but elegant eye catching; and actually it first caught my attention. The fragrance is not outstanding, but as I said elgant, 'professional' might also be a good word to describe it. I loved lavender here, and together with vetiver they make up such a great combination, dominatong above the other notes.

I have had Jil Sander sport and sunman. I loved them a lot. But this one i really dislike. It is too heavy sweet and without interesting individuality. Seems even unisex because of that sugar sweetness. I have no idea why most of userd adore this. So after trying once, the bottle was hidden forever or will be given away. For a moment in compair with this the fragrance like DSQUARED2 wood seems something unique. Even Kennets reaction is great.