Avant Garde

Pépite méconnue à l'époque et pourtant il était exceptionnel, je l'ai découvert par pur hasard en parfumerie vers 2015. Parfum très classe, un peu dans le style gentleman mystérieux. Je pense que ça vient des accords de tabac qui rendait la fragrance très masculine. La lavande apportait ce côté chic et propre. Ce qui démarquait vraiment et donnait un côté unique, cette note de cire d'abeille incroyable. Je ne sais pas comment l'expliquer mais ça donnait une sensation de propreté supplémentaire avec la lavande. Ce combo boisé profond masculin cireux propre était un régal. Je me souviens qu'il avait une projection de dingue l es premières heures. Les années ont passées et j'ai voulu me reprendre un flacon (J'ai gardé en souvenir mon flacon d'époque tellement ce parfum m'a marqué) J'ai été tellement déçu de voir qu'il n'était plus fabriqué depuis pas mal d'années... Je me suis lancé le défi de retrouver un flacon sur le net quitte à mettre le prix (100/150€) J'ai réussi à en trouver un 100ml sous blister d'époque en 2024. À la réception, quel fut ma surprise de voir que le flacon avait fuit depuis plusieurs années au niveau de la base du spray... Une odeur de plastique synthétique émanait de la boîte. Malheureusement la fragrance s'est oxydée et n'a plus du tout l'âme d'époque... Il n'est que l'ombre de lui même avec 0 performance il faut limite coller son nez pour sentir un semblant d'avant garde très synthétique et sans aura... J'ai retenté l'expérience une 2e fois avec un petit format 30ml toujours sous blister et même expérience à l'ouverture.... Le flacon a fuit dans l'emballage et a toujours cette odeur de synthétique... Malheureusement je ne pourrai jamais ressentir cette odeur légendaire qu'aucun autre parfum n'arrive à la cheville. Ce qui est dingue c'est qu'avec tout les parfums qui existent il n'y en a pas un seul qui s'en approche et aucun dupe n'existe à l'heure actuelle. Repose en paix Avant garde de Lanvin et j'espère qu'un jour je vais pouvoir revivre un coup de foudre olfactif digne de ce parfum.

Avant-garde is a beautiful, but subdued, fragrance that really is quite unique. Gentle aromatics and a soft pepper note introduce a velvet beeswax sweetness that creates a resinous, ambery sensation of warmth and depth, enhanced by spices. Avant-garde embraces its wearer in a very pleasant ambery, woodsy tobacco aura. The dry down is sublime. “Gentle” is a good way to describe Avant-garde: the overall impression is one of subdued discretion and understatement. It smells so good it’s almost intoxicating but if only one (or all) of its many facets were more pronounced, and bolder, it would be a real masterpiece Sillage sits close and intimate after the first hour and performance in winter is up to six hours, but others seem able to detect it long after I have ceased to. A polite, inoffensive fragrance - the opposite of “in your face”. Also enigmatic insofar as it smells pleasant, reassuring and somehow familiar - but mysterious and unidentifiable at the same time, if that makes sense. As a fan of fragrant woods and of wood fragrances Avant-garde was a “coup de foudre” and I grabbed a bottle as soon as I tested it. A gentlemanly woodsy fragrance. I have a sentimental attachment to Lanvin - one of the first fragrances I wore as a teen was the old Lanvin Pour Homme in the octagonal (hexagonal?) bottle, and my Mum (who eschewed frivolities like makeup as a “stupidity tax” used to oppress women) used to wear Arpège on special occasions. The obscene prices on eBay are just depressing - the rudimentary economics of supply and demand infuriatingly transform any discontinued fragrance into a rare and precious commodity. Really wish I’d had the foresight to buy at least one spare bottle because I used to like wearing this at work and on days of unstructured leisure. Avant-garde, although avant-garde in many ways, is unique but not quite revolutionary. It’s a shame it’s been discontinued - with just a bit of tweaking and refinement it really could have been a legend.

Wow. I was on the fence for a VERY long time with this one (since Feb 2016), trying to decide whether or not it would be too sweet for me. To give you some reference, on my skin CK One Shock is a big Christmas-y no no, Rochas Man makes me dizzy and Mugler's Pure Tonka is just pure overkill. So when I saw beeswax, amber, benzoin, nutmeg and all those sweet spicy notes, I was a little apprehensive, despite the overwhelmingly positive reviews. According to everything I could find online, I was expecting a subtle, sweet spicy scent REMINISCENT of LNDL, with perhaps a soft vanillic touch - but overall, a modern and attractive composition. So after pulling the trigger on the B-B gun (blind-buy), and wearing this for 3 days, I can tell you that that's a perfectly fair description. Right from the first spray, I was like, "WHOA! La Nuit de L'homme! NICE!" To me, the similarity is ridiculously OBVIOUS. But I'll keep this brief. I won't BS you guys - when Avant Garde settles down, it's basically 50% LNDL, and 50% some weird dense, powdery, sour/sweet concoction that's definitely not beeswax. Like literally, I'm smelling a damn beeswax candle right now as I'm writing this and that's not what's in this fragrance. And whatever it REALLY is, it kindof ruins it for me. Nonetheless, I WILL SAY that the final drydown is a gentle, but well blended vanilla. Nothin' but. So is it subtle, sweet and spicy? Yes. Is it SIMILAR to LNDL? Indeed. More synthetic though. Is it too sweet for me? Not really. Glad about that. Modern? Boy howdy! But definitely not as attractive as I was hoping. Boo hoo. I'll stick with my YSL thank you very much. Longevity is OK; projection is terrible, but at least they got 50% of the scent right. And yeah, CLEARLY not a summer scent IMO. Ages 25+?? Overall - 6.5 / 10 - Still, if you want a cheaper alternative to La Nuit de L'homme, this is the best I've smelled so far. Oh well. I guess you can't win 'em all...

I hopped into my Uber, heading to the Lirr. And the driver asked me what i was wearing. "Um, clothes..." No, what perfume are you wearing? "Oh, Avant Garde" Spell that.."Sure" I'll buy that for myself, are you going to a party? "No, heading to work" It reminds me of A*Men Mugler. "I guess because, maybe because of the Beeswax & Benzoin." "Wait, why did you ask if i was going to a party?" Because you smell nice."Thanks" Co-workers Said they liked the scent as well. And then the custodian ask me the same question as well. I like it thus far.. Caught off guard by the Uber driver. But i might add this in to my weekly rotation of scents. I get the Angel man ref, but this stands out on it's own. This was a instant like, but it's nothing ground breaking. At least to me, someone else might find it earth shattering for all we know. I need to order more travel atomizers. So i can reapply this later on in the day. But other people could still smell it passed the six hour mark and a gust wind hit us. The sweetest of this thing doesn't go away, which i love. Gourmand frags for the win(GF2TW)! I notice there's a reformulation, in a new bottle. Brownish color bottle...Did anyone try it? And if yes...is it better or worst? I used nine sprays...both wrist, behind my ears, back & front of my neck, chest, front and back of my shirt. Will I buy this again?...Yes! SKU Number: 3386460037242 Batch Number: 04B49B265 (Production Date: 2011-09-22) Age: 25+ From: Notino Size: 100 ML Scent: 7/10 (Nice) Value: 7/10 (Cost $25.69) Sillage: 6/10 (Arm's length) Longevity: 6.5/10 (Six hours plus) Creativity: 5/10 (Expect way more) Projection: 6/10 (About an hour & a half) Versatility: 8/10 (Anytime after the sun sets & anywhere you wanna be remembered) Compliments: 7/10 (Nice) And thanks to Joenick68 & Shavenonthedarkside for telling me to buy this frag. I'm very happy with the purchase. Until next time, I'll catch you on the flipside.

Well.............I finally caved. Let the record show that my opinion of this fragrance has OFFICIALLY changed. And here's why: In my review below (Jan 2017), I remarked how I blind bought Avant Garde and was originally disappointed with the scent due to its overbearing sweetness and all-too fleeting resemblance to LNDL. I therefore hastily handed the bottle off to my father, never to hear from it again. Or so I thought... You see, from that moment on, nearly every time I saw my parents, my dad was wearing a "healthy" dose of Avant Garde, and it just smelled fantastic. Creamy tobacco, sweet, powdery vanilla and a touch of deep honey. Over and over it kept taunting me, and I was quickly regretting my impulsive decision to purge my mind of what I considered to be a poor buying decision. But WAS it??? A few days ago, I saw my father again, and sure enough, that sweet aroma met my nose the instant I got within firing range. BAM! No, it wasn't LNDL, but I didn't care. And frankly, I couldn't take it anymore. I knew what I had to do. That evening, I went online and scooped up another bottle before going to bed. Finally. I was able to sleep soundly, dreaming of suits and ties, cool weather, business events and vanilla Rice Krispies. So what's the moral of the story? Whenever you invest in a product, person or idea, learn to set your initial impressions aside - give them a chance to grow on you - or you may just end up regretting it. You know, I thought I had learned this lesson with A*Men, but I guess I was wrong. I sure as hell won't be making THAT mistake again. Scent - 8.5/10 Longevity - 6.5/10 - fixed with a travel spray Projection - 6.5/10 Overall - 7.5/10 - 5 months later...I love it.

I truly have grown to love this fragrance a lot. Many people tent to compare to it to La Nuit De L'Homme Yves Saint Laurent, Armani Eau de Nuit, Spicebomb Viktor & Rolf, Eau des Baux L'Occitane, Armani Code; even visiting other forums like basenotes.com I get people reviewing it with resemblance of Tabacco Vanille Tom Ford, Bvlgari Black, Midnight in Paris Van Cleef & Arpels, Dior Homme, Dolce & Gabbana The One (in drydown) and many many more masterpieces. But here is the deal, all this only leads us to see in our sigh a true under rated classic that we should respect for what it is an unique and gorgeous Oriental woody fragrance with a very gentle conbination of spices and amber+beeswax that makes it feel a little gourmandish but at the same time very masculine because of the tabacco. That yes shares similarities will this other masterpieces mentioned before but this scent is so subtle and unique in form and shape that was become my signature scent, only because it makes me feel relax and secure but also and allure gentleman (I guess you get the point). I get about 7-8 hours of longevity and 5-6 hours of sillage comparing this and the great scent it is to other great ones like The One D&G this one beats them from every point of view, Quality scent, Unbeatable price, Good Longevity, good sillage and not an "In your face" scent. Gotta love Lanvin's Avant Garde. I also have to add up that the sprayer is top quality and the bottle is really nice and sleek. True Winner. Scent: 10/10 Sillage: 8.5/10 Longevity: 8.5/10 Overall: 9/10 Must Buy, even blindly of you like any of the mentioned above. I mean you can easily find this at $22.99 at many sites...

Recently found a 50ml of this for a stupidly low price (compared to Ebay) and this is GORGEOUS. I will say, contrary to popular opinion I am not really getting much similarity to LNDH from this at all. If anything it reminds me more of something like Eav des Bavx but even then it's not 1:1. The opening is this beautiful chord of strong lavender + tobacco + a very noticeable beeswax note. It can be a bit aggressive/medicinal, but I actually enjoy the smell. But where the fragrance shines is the drydown. As many other reviewers have pointed out, the drydown into this rich golden warm creamy elixir which is just lovely. It also gives me a sort of agrestic, slightly soapy, botanical L'Occitane-adjacent "French" vibe before the deep drydown which I'm very much here for. Performance is not nuclear by any means but I find it to project and last fairly well on my skin. At this point I don't really want my scents to be beast mode anyway. Overall it's a beautiful scent and it's a crying shame that Lanvin essentially stopped producing male fragrances. I used to own Arpege Pour Homme, which was lovely, and have tried Oxygene, Eclat d'Arpege, and Lanvin L'Homme and enjoyed them all. Not sure why they axed their entire masculine line but I'd love to see a new male fragrance from Lanvin at some point. EDIT: I'm starting to see the La Nuit comparisons the more I wear this, but I still maintain that it has a different character. Definitely feels more granular in texture, especially in the beginning, and gradually fades to that creamy dreamy lavender forward drydown. Beautiful.

When I first smelled this, I thought of the smell of freshly shampooed casino carpets in vegas. I mean, the smell of the carpets is somehow clean and fresh, and it mixes with the tobacco scent in the air. You know, the highly colored, swirly, busy patterned casino carpets in some high end Vegas casino. I was a bit off put, to be honest. I thought this might be another Versace the Dreamer situation, as when I first began building my collection I blind bought that and thought that it smelled like sweaty balls. I have no idea how I progressed from that to thinking it smells amazing, but here we are. With Avant Garde, however, I immediately got compliments about its heavenly scent from two women who tend to think all colognes "smell like a smoker". It's ironic that the one cologne I think smells actually like a smoker, they like. Scratching my head. Honestly, so happy I purchased this back in the day when it was considered a cheap, niche quality scent that absolutely should be added to your collection - a steal for the money. I have a lot of other tobacco fragrances from cheap to expensive, and nothing smells like this. By the way, the sprayer on this one is poorly made and somehow the little sprayer that goes on the top of the plastic stem came loose. It sprays just fine, but it is barely hanging on to the stem and will come off with the slightest angled push. I was thinking about replacing my bottle because it was a little annoying. When I saw the prices this goes for now I was astonished but get it. It commands those prices because there is no good substitute.

Back in early 2013 when I was starting out in my fragrance journey, I visited a store with my girlfriend to get her a fragrance. As she was shopping around, I stopped by the Lanvin counter and sniffed Avant Garde. It caught me by surprised - superbly beautiful. I looked at the S.A and I told her that I'm getting this.. even if I did paid full retail, it was worth it. It had almost ZERO attention in any of the FB pages back then, only one review on Youtube and a small following on Fragrantica. So what is it like? The top came across very spicy yet earthy due to the nutmeg,cardamom lingering beneath the combination of peppers. The bergamot is almost non-existent but it is there adding a subtle flavoring to the soft aromatic lavender which blended in very well with the spicy earthy top. When it dries down, beeswax and tobacco took the stage, the main characters if I might say, adding some sweetness and a unisex appeal to the rich top notes. Beneath all that, the amber and benzoin lingers and contributed to the smoky resinous accord. I also felt it smelt like a chocolate mint candy during the dry-down and some ladies actually agreed to the comparison. You might expect it to be cloying but it is not, very well blended and highly versatile. You get the right amount of everything in this fragrance. I definitely prefer this over YSL's La Nuit de L'homme and V&R Spicebomb. I am glad that Avant Garde finally received some love from the community. No longer an under the radar scent but still a great gem to come across in stores.

Somehow this eluded me when it was released so I recently blind bought this based on the reviews on fragrantica and I have not been disappointed. So much has been written on composition and notes that I shall limit myself to my own reaction and impressions. I have a thing about woody notes and for the last few days find myself sniffing my wrist for sheer pleasure whenever I wear this. In terms of dollar value it's a no brainer - it's classy, pleasing and elegant. I wouldn't mind having a decent supply if this stuff for the future as its a great, inoffensive and discreet everyday office scent. Definitely pleasing to the noses of others and attracts interest and compliments from men and women. The only other honey frag I recall is the discontinued Nicole Miller (which I adore), another serenely beautiful men's fragrance. i agree with the reviewer who suggested that this would be awesome in EDP concentration - since I mainly wear frags for my own pleasure it often frustrates me when I can no longer smell them - but in my case at least, experience has shown me that just because I cannot smell something doesn't mean that it isn't there. In the past I tended to reapply in this instances, but the noses of others have become my reality check and in this case I I know that longevity is actually better than it may seem to the wearer. Really glad I bought this frag and I would recommend it to all fans of woody scents seeking something a bit different. Perhaps not revolutionary but very pleasing.

I love this stuff! I picked-up a bottle in 2014 as part of my Spring Cheapie Fling and consider it to be one of my best sub-$30 purchases ever. Sadly, Avant Garde has been discontinued and, as much as I love it, I do not feel it is worth the exorbitant prices being demanded by the eBay Fragrance Flunkies. To me, Avante Garde is tonka bean, orange, cedar, lavender and bergamot, with a lightly-sweet tobacco beginning to push forward ten or so minutes after the opening. In some ways it reminds me of Mandarina Duck Pure Black during the opening, and I was surprised to see no orange/tangerine listed in the notes composition and bergamot was rated so low. As this fragrance progresses, the sweet tobacco note pushes forward and becomes sweeter and more prominent+. Although I don't agree, it's at this point where I can understand how some folks make the comparisons to CK One Shock. To me, Avant Garde feels like one-quarter CK One Shock, one-quarter Mandarina Duck and one-half YSL La Nuit. Yes, to me it smells a lot like La Nuit. Okay, do I love this stuff more than La Nuit, CK One Shock or Pure Black? Not necessarily, but it is a terrific morph that has elements of all three. Performance is just okay (about average) in that it will exude a nice personal scent trail for the first hour or two before moving closer to the skin, and it lasts around 6-hours on my skin. Overall, I was expecting this honey-thick scent to perform a bit better on my skin.

CK Shock vs Lanvin Avant Garde I love both and I am running low on both but want to only buy one and save my cashola for an Amouage fragrance - so I did a direct head to head shootout this week. In case anyone is one the fence between these 2 - here are the differences I notice. I wore each at the same time - one on each arm - for 5 days. 2 sprays each per arm. Cold rainy climate so take that into consideration. Longevity = CK Shock (25% longer)* Projection = CK Shock (2 feet more) College Girls = Lanvin Avant Garde (about 27 to 3) Responses from girls were overwhelming in favor of this fragrance. Words like, warm, sexy, spicy smooth, were used by them to describe Avant Garde. CK was the slightly louder fruitier version. No beeswax and less spice. Girls commented that it smelled like a dried red bull energy drink mixed with tabacoo. Both are great fragrances. * tip: I tested both CK shock and Lanvin Avant Garde on a cotton shirt to see what would happen. CK shocks fruitiness didn't stick and it didn't last much longer than skin. But the beeswax in Avant Garde and some of the spice and light tabacoo dry down hung on a long time! On a shirt Lanvin Avant Garde actually outlasted CK shock. If anyone owns Lanvin Avant Garde and wants it to last longer - spray plentiful on the skin and shirt. Sillage is low and the fragrance is cheap so layer it on. Bottom line. Believe the hype. Lanvin Avant Garde is still an amazing fragrance.

Lanvin's Avant Garde is a real gem of a fragrance. I am glad I discovered this when I did because it is a real joy to wear, especially in a colder climate. Avant Garde is a simple fragrance that is rich and pleases anyone who is a fan of tobacco based fragrances. Right out the sprayer Avant Garde stays true to its genre; Oriental woody. The benzoin, beeswax and tobacco play very nicely together.The opening is rich, sweet with just a hint of the spices laden in this composition. The beeswax isn't to be overlooked here, it plays an integral role in reigning in the sweetness of the tobacco. The lavender, cardamom and amber blend in nicely after the opening settles down and the essence of the tobacco continues to project. It is here where that initial sweetness gives way to a dry spiciness. The vetiver and pepper give a little earthiness to this scent to settle it into it's dry down.I get 4 hours from this fragrance and it hugs fairly close to the skin. When to wear Avant Garde? In the fall and winter of course. Spring nights also work well for this fragrance. This can be worn in or out of the office. It is inoffensive and In my opinion a safe solid scent. Give Avant Garde a few sprays when It is mid November and the upcoming holidays and gatherings are on your mind.

Oh Lanvin Avant Garde how you've ducked under my radar all this time. I've been aware of this fragrance for ages now and I've had the opportunity to try it on a couple of occassions and passed it by. At this point I'd just like to add that I'm not sure why I didn't want to try it because I love to shoehorn in the words/phase(?)"Avant Garde" into conversation and the presentation of the product is very good so you'd have thought it would be of interest to me? Anyway... Thought I'd check out the notes on here and when I did, I didn't hold out much hope...beeswax and tobacco...hmmmm? I love tobacco but there's many variables within that accord and I straight just don't like beeswax unless in some very special circumstances. Well... These are very special circumstances indeed! Love this fragrance it's a smooth, dark, resinous masculine juice which combines a very good rich tobacco with the quality of beeswax and the combination is such that I actually like the beeswax! It just works this one, very warming and great for winter. Avante Garde is a stand out juice at a great price can't recommend this stuff highly enough.

first wearing: so yeah this one is kinda, sorta like YSL La Nuit and Burberry London both. It opens with a subdued cardamom warmth and an extra spoon of honey-in-tea like sweetness (that cuts straight to my nostrils) followed by some tobacco & lavender in the mid. The drydown has a wonderful dusty dark chocolate, likely because of the beeswax, but it's an skin-scent by then. I'll need to overspray this one to get some power. In these days of cheap copycats Avant Garde is going to come across as a copycat of La Nuit, but obviously it is not and is designer quality. But unfortunately that copycat tag is not gonna go from this one. Might as well bring Naxos into the discussion then. Sigh. I also wanted to try a frag by Shyamala Maisondieu and this creation is alright I guess. A little different and above-average, but underwhelming in the end. Fragrantica editor and columnist, Miguel Matos, references Zaharoff Singature Tabac so I'm going to have to see where that leads me to. A solid 3.14 / 5. I just wish it remained as strong as the opening act suggested. Oh yeah, the cap is a complete fail!

Lanvin Avant Garde is an absolutely BEAUTIFUL scent, warm and sweet. I am surprised by the reviews of poor longevity, as it projects brilliantly on my skin, two spitzes is enough and you are enveloped in a cloud of solid, pulsating fragrance that is deliciously manly. On clothes, it lasts even longer. imo, this is a moderate to cool climate perfume, it may be a bit overpowering in high heat. I only have a 2ml sample but would gladly put down money for a full bottle. Or Two! Sadly it's been discontinued. You can't find it anywhere! As such, it's such a precious juice - but i can't help it, i've been wearing it almost daily since i received mine and now actively hunting for more samples online. It's actually replaced Aventus as my favourite fragrance. If Lanvin ever brings this back, I'll be lining up to get it. The combination of honeycomb and tobacco is genius and I would be curious to how it would smell with a smokey note mixed in as well. Update: Managed to procure the last remaining 4.5ml miniature from my local perfume shop. I am beyond ecstatic. 9.5/10

Avant Garde by Lanvin is a woody, balsamic, warm and sweet fragrance. Its output is very pleasant, it is sweet but not cloying, very spicy, and a little floral, where lavender is very noticeable, although the most outstanding notes are tobacco, honey and benzoin. This last note along with a woody accord are notable especially in the dry down, where it bears some similarity to Body Kouros. Being a sweet fragrance, its ideal use would be in seasons such as autumn and winter, however I think that it could also be used on cool spring days. The use of spices and woody notes gives it a somewhat sensual appeal, which I have seen is very pleasing to both men and women. Its sillage is low, but it stays on the skin for a long time, in my case it has been more than 12 hours. Another attraction of this fragrance is its price, which is relatively low. I would recommend it to anyone who knows and enjoys fragrances like Body Kouros, Pure Havane or Michael Kors for Men. The only drawback is that it is becoming increasingly difficult to find it.

Blind bought this one. At first I was worried by the "sweet" description. Sweet scents often put me off, as I'm not a fan of the cloying tonka bombs or candied clubbing scents. Luckily Avant Garde gets it right, confidently combining sweetness with maturity. The note breakdown above is on point. It's somewhat powdery, with lots of amber, tobacco, pink pepper, vanilla, and gentle florals and spices behind the honeyed beeswax. The beeswax is natural, mellow, and rich, and it's what gives the juice its unique profile. This definitely could fit comfortably within a "niche" collection. But don't worry, it's nothing too obscure. It's a gentlemanly, warm, calming, mass-appealing fragrance. Great for dates or semi-formal evenings out. Performance is ok, but not outstanding. Definitely could last longer. But for the price this is an absolute bargain. Not as close to La Nuit as some clone hunters may be hoping for, but it's damn good in its own right. A unique and overlooked gem. Highly recommended.

So many comparisons to YSL La Nuit de L'homme and I have to agree whole heartedly with those that say it is not the same or even similar. For me the two are mutually exclusive, standalone scents in their own right and very pleasant, well blended ones at that. AG is definitely a quieter scent but I reckon this is intentional because the strong, sweet Beeswax with the Tobacco and Amber could easily become cloying if the concentration were much higher. AG is more interesting than YSL La Nuit in that the fragrance does go through more developments and nuances. The Tobacco becomes a little more prominent after 1-2 hours and after 3 hours or so I also detect something like fresh mint (I think?). Very nice indeed. I have been wearing this for a few days now and yes bigger projection would be good but you can smell it throughout the day and those around you smell it more than you so the desired effect can be achieved. I really like this and will be keeping a place for it in my list of favourites.

This fragrance definitely has a similar vibe to la nuit with the cardamom opening, but during the drydown this fragrance turns into a very pleasant tobacco beeswax combination. I can definitely smell the lavender and the benzoin gives it a smooth creaminess that could be mistaken for vanilla. I love this one, but performance is not great. Projection is pretty soft and longevity is decent on skin - however, on clothes it will las for days. I sprayed a dress shirt and it still smells quite strongly 5 days later. Definitely a good date fragrance, one for cuddling or simply to smell yourself. It's sweet, but not excessively sweet to the point where it gets cloying. The tobacco adds a masculine touch which makes the scent more appealing and alluring. Overall, a good value for the price of you don't mind reapplying and with the soft projection

Many consider this to be the poor man's La Nuit de Lhomme. At this moment, the start of 2016, Avant Garde is denser than the current reformulation of La Nuit de Lhomme. But comparing it to YSL's past masterpiece is unjust. Avant Garde resembles the cardamon bomb, but introduces an original and interesting note. Namely the note of beeswax is memorable. At first you may think it is a rubber note, but eventually you realize it is the alluring beeswax. The scent is gorgeous, but disappointing is the performance. It is decent, lasting between 4-6 hours. Projection is great for the first 30 min, but beyond 2 hours is analogous to searching for the fountain of youth. If only the performance would be better, this would be my signature. Great scent for the seductive and those looking for a change. Just be prepared to bring travel atomizers.

I read reviews on this stuff a while ago, and was interested to try it. Normally I hate the cheapies that people suggest because they just aren't the same as what people compare them to. So I was at Winners and saw this at the clearance section, so I decided to pick it up just as a what the heck. After spraying this stuff on, it reminds me a lot of Ideal by Guerlain because it has a cherry sweetness to it. After a while, it dries down to lose that cherry/ sharp sweetness, while keeping a nice tobacco scent. Overall, I am very impressed with this stuff for the price, I wouldn't be surprised at all if this was an offering by Serge Lutens, that is how nice this tobacco and beeswax combination is.

I could never care about fragrances like La nuit de l’homme or Nuit d’Issey. They all smell the same to me. However, Avant Garde went unnoticed to me for years until it was on the verge of being discontinued. I tried it and there is something more about it. Probably it’s the beeswax note that makes me like it so much. I get a little bit of tobacco and honey as well. Definitely not a signature fragrance but interesting for the winter. It’s not loud or vulgar. It’s contemporary but not boring. Performance is quite good. Needless to say, I found three 50ml bottles in a department store for a good price and that will be it. Buy it at a reasonable price if you can but not worth huge prices..

Oh boy oh boy is this fragrance gorgeous. To start things off, I initially thought this smelled like La Nuit De Lhomme from Ysl, but, that was the first time I had ever sprayed it. This is probably the best Beeswax fragrance on the market. Has this slight seductive nature to it and last a good time. What I get from this fragrance is a gorgeous beeswax, cardamon, benzoin and tobacco combo. Last 5-6 hours and projects ok for an hour. But, this is a rather small bottle and could be easily brought out on the day for reapplication. I think most people would appreciate this bad boy. Think of this as a more masculine La Nuit De Lhomme with an added sweetened tobacco note. Smell it, my friends.

Avant Garde by lanvin is a masterpiece. For the first time I got sprays on my wrist, Avant Garde surprisingly smells wonderful. It has smells of the sweetness of cream and honey, tobacco note which all make Avant garde unique, warm, charming and obviously masculine. Remember the fact that Avant Garde projects average and stays well 2 hours on the skin, after that it is still there for long. for instance, i got 4 sprays for a night out, my female friends complimented me how nice the frag was. The shirt I was wearing still has a slight smell days after. I am really happy and surprised about it. Avant Garde is highly recommended. Love it so much from Vietnam.

Avant Garde is absolutely beautiful. It is fresh, sexy, a little spicy, and sweet. It is one of the few fragrances I've tried that instantly WOWED me. It is similar in vibe to La Nuit by YSL, but it is definitely a different scent trying to convey a different sensation. And it is sensational. Women will love it, and the performance is pretty good. This is a beautiful fragrance and I am very glad I got it for $60. I would have paid more. The only ones consistently available now are on eBay and they run around $150. Smh. However, this does feel like a $150 scent. It does not feel cheap, at all! I'll be rocking this for as long as I can make 100 ml last.

I wore this on my wedding day and it will always have a soft spot in my heart. This was a steal when it was $30 dollars and even though it doesn't project or last as long as vintage La Nuit, it smells better in my opinion. Honeyed tobacco with cardamom spice. It doesn't go away quickly but maintains a close scent bubble, which it's why it was the perfect date night scent for me when I was dating my now wife. I wear this on our Anniversary, dates, and special occasions. This is her favorite and she always knows what it is and I've worn probably 500+ fragrances around her. This may not get worn much by me, but when it does it's always special!

I am surprised some people reminded with La Nuit de L'homme.I do not feel any similarity IMHO. I feel like a mix between Pure havanne and Valentino Uomo intense. I blind bought it for very low price, and love it a lot. Very masculine bee wax, tobacco and benzoin. More masculine than Pure havanne, which I had a plan to buy. (I have Pure Malt already which I love a little more than Pure havanne). The only negative to my nose is the dry down to bee wax dominant + hint of tobacco. Other notes are hardly notice when dry down. Scent 8/10 Silage 8/10 Projection 8/10 Longevity 8.5/10 Value 9.5/10 Overall score 8.5/10

Truly a beautiful gem. The beeswax and tobacco/benzoin just warmed the spirit and the lavender was almost minty in its shimmery effect with the sillage. It has been a past signature scent for me. I did lose out and not realize it was discontinued. I would have bought a lifetime supply. Now I will disappoint the women in my life and only use it for special evenings and events in cold weather. About 85ml have to last forever. I was very lucky to buy Avant Garde very early in my appreciation of scents. A lost masterpiece at any price. If you find a bottle in the wild at your pricepoint buy it or regret it.

Oh my. What a find! It was love at first whiff. There was no hesitation in getting this beautiful fragrance. It's softness is a welcome change in a world of hard hitting fougeres and aquatics. Yes it's similar to YSL La Nuit, which has a louder opening and receding to a beautiful skin scent. The Avant Garde is unbelievable from start to end. Extremely wearable in all occasions and seasons. I just wish it lasted longer. Just like Armani pour homme, I will look back one day and remember fondly the moment I smelled this. Sadly a very underrated fragrance.

@Llloyd This is not the same as La nuit de l'homme. LNDL is blended into an androgynous, smooth fragrance with a bit of detectable cardamom. Avante garde on the other hand, though it also has a similar smoothness to LNDL, Avante Garde makes use of beeswax and tobacco as the main notes. This makes the scent unique and superior (in my opinion) since there is more facets that you can distinguish in Avante garde. Especially considering the price difference, Avant garde is far superior in every way for me. Hope this helps.

Got myself a 2011 bottle and I've been using it for a couple weeks now. Gave it around 5/6 wearings and I've got to be honest at first sniff it didn't blow me away. So, the day before yesterday i sprayed this on before my prayers and that beeswax note is just stunning. Fast forward to today and I wore that shirt again and I could still pick up faints sweet notes which could possibly be the benzoin and Amber working together. Very well blended scent which is perfect for all weathers! Must try from Shyamala Maisondeau.

Superior to YSL Nuit?........ no imo, just different. But I definitely don't think they smell the same apart from the cardamon. There is no beeswax in the YSL and the tobacco in Avant Garde is very pronounced. Not sure why people think (3 votes as I type this) those 2 smell the same. I have zero friends that think they smell the same and none of their friends think they smell the same either - thats HUNDREDS of people that think they are clearly different. Both great, both different. Cheers.

Is this worth the huge prices on line today? NO! Nothing is, really. But, this is a beautiful dance of tobacco and beeswax that is not unique, but executed to perfection. It is spicy and requires a few extra sprays to give the wearer a nice scent cloud, but the payoff is heavenly. I am so glad I stocked up when I had the chance. This is my cold weather signature scent and I am proud to wear it on any occasion. If you see it on a shelf for a decent price, buy it. You will enjoy it very much.

I finally found 30ml bottle of this beautiful discontinued fragrance. The bottle looks great, but the cap is weak and its falling all the time. Nevertheless, Syamala did a great job and I will use it for special ocassions. I love the combination of beeswax, lavander and creamyness. Longevity and projection are moderate but not every fragrance should be beast. I think if its going to be stronger, with this composition, it will be cloying and headache inducer.

I have had this one in my collection for more than 2 years and I have never appreciated it the way I should have done. This is one of the most pleasant cheapies, sweet gourmand and not synthetic at all. Perfect for the colder weather. I would say I like it more than many of those expansive niche perfumes I have got. It really is that good. Definitely a safe blind-buy. For that price, you can never go wrong. Scent: 9/10 Longevity: 7/10 Projection: 7/10

Definitely a blind buy at the price point. Review does need to be long. Amber, honeycomb, lavender. Those notes contain the tobacco note not to be cloying or a 1 million cologne scent. It does not have "the player" cologne vibe. It is not the strongest, but a few extra sprays takes care of that. A couple sprays on you, and a couple spray on you clothes an hour before leaving out --- 5/6 hours of longevity without offending anyone.

This an amazing fragrance. It doesn't the same as La Nuit Del'homme or Ck Shock.slitely resemblance with La Nuit bat not same. Avant Garde has it's own character beewax doesn't exit in any other mentioned above perfumes and in dry down its completely different . Avant Garde is an fascinating sweet honey tobbaco scent in its own way which no other scent's could achieve. Really a masterpiece in it's own genre.

Amazing scent and bottle design. Definite shades of La Nuit de L’Homme, but it’s own thing. Not as sweet and a little closer to skin scent, but I love it and glad to have found a bottle for a reasonable price. Tobacco and cardamom stand out, but that beeswax is what makes it unique. A great change from all the other tobacco and spice scents, while retaining the scent DNA that makes them attractive. 👍🏼

This fragrance is so special to me because it smells so seductive. Personally, I prefer this fragrance for dates especially on a winter night and when I plan on cuddling with my girl. The beeswax and sweet tobacco is the dominant notes on this scent and adds to a very classy scent. If you are lucky to get your hands on this fragrance, grab it. I will be getting myself a back up bottle

Wonderful fresh spicy fragrance with pepper and bergamot from the get go, but the star of the show is that soft tobacco note. Imagine the tobacco note in Versace The Dreamer (the best bit of an average-good fragrance) but higher quality and more rounded. Is it worth the crazy prices? No. But I found a 30ml at TK Maxx for £16.99 at the end of 2018, so it is out there to be found.

still have 50/100ml from this it smells fantastic , excellent blend of beeswax,cardamom,lavender,tobacco,pepper i have yet to found any substitute to this, the closest i encountered was ysl l'homme but it has poor performance and smells generic compared to avant garde buying only 1 bottle was the biggest mistake i made, bought a 100ml bottle for only 20usd back in the day

Avant Garde - a must have for every gourmand lover Its all blended masterfully.The opening is great. The most prominent note you get from the get go is bees wax.It remains and becomes dominant at drydown.The tobacco note is there - you can feel it,but not ''in your face'' type of a way. Projection-about an arms length for 2-3 hours Longetivity-7 hours+ Scent - 7/10

Bergamot and Honey drizzled over fresh Tobacco and Woods. Neither of my bottles leak @ Mr. Boston. It's crazy that a fragrance like this has so many different perceptions by people on here. This was love at first smell for me. I do wish the longevity was a tad bit better, but I still smell hours into the day, just close to the skin. No complaints otherwise.

I took the plunge with this fragrance after reading generally very positive reviews. I only have one other scent that I would consider sweet, so this is a nice addition and excellent value. I've had it on since it arrived 24 hours ago. Very pleased with this. I don't pick up the tobacco but I do get the honey that so many others mention. Nice bottle too.

Tobacco is my favourite note, and I blind bought this just based on that fact. I’m glad that I did. For the price I love it! The combination of honey and tobacco is brilliant. Add to this lavender, cardamom with an amber base. I love this, I really do. It was hard getting my hands on it though, I’m thinking it might be discontinued? If so a damn shame.

Dark, smooth, sweet, tobacco. Definitely has a similarity to CK Shock. I guess I can understand the comparison to LNDL, because it faintly shares some resemblances. Beautiful tobacco forward fragrance. Like pipe tobacco. If you can find it for a decent price, don't hesitate to pull the trigger. Shame it's been discontinued

Blind buy. Nice. Understated and classy. Reminds me of being in a nice hotel with wood paneling with a sophisticated crowd. Not that I have experience of those things. Though I have been in a hotel. Could wear this any cold day in any environment. Smells like Ahlam Al Arab by Ard Al Zaafaran, but is deeper and smoother.

I bought a 100ml bottle when I learned it was going to be discontinued. But after one year or two my bottle started licking oil from the face where the spray fits in the bottle and put it aside. 4 years later I refund my bottle with almost the whole cardboard box socked on oil. Apparently the licking has stopped.

i know that many people said that avant garde is very similar with YSL la nuit de l'homme, is it true?.. is it that similar? coz, i do own the YSL, and really want to buy this to, as many people said its a good fragrance. but if its so similar to YSL La nuit, then whats the point to buy this, right??