Loewe Pour Homme

"Loewe? Who are they?" I responded, when another member, I talk with often on the phone, asked me if I had ever tried them. "You'll see", they said (and I swear I could actually hear a subtle smug smile). Well, see and sniff I have. God, what a beautiful creation that I would have never experienced otherwise, had it not been for Fragrantican kindness... *Thank you John, yet again!* Loewe pour homme, when it hit my arm, smelled sour and kinda weird (aldehydes?); but as they, almost immediately, subsided an absolutely gorgeous green aroma wafted all around me. Citruses, sweet and sunny, and warm green basil became something superb and elegant. Sheer green muguet and soft lavender added floralcy, but it stayed green and bright. I detect something dry and peppery, no doubt the geraniums, as it continues to dry. Not too citric, nor herbally/flowery, LPH has an amzing aroma: natural, manly and quite invigorating. A drydown of clean incensy sandalwood with dry vetiver and heavenly oakmoss finish this as something just as green as it was, only a lot more down to earth and seriously sexy without any animalic feeling. I do not see why the "notes" are listed as linear; it definitely had some development on me. Perhaps a superhero would wear this. More than Batman, I see Green Arrow or maybe even Professor Xavier (mentor of the X-Men) sporting this. Clean, yet earthy with a hint of class and sharp wit about it, Loewe PH is not all that complex; but it is powerful and amazingly (and meanly) green... Sillage: great Longevity: very good Overall: 4.25/5 I had heard a few things about this House but had NO idea, they were this wonderful. Aromatic and fougere this deserves the classification it has received. To be completely honest, when I saw the release date (1974) I expected something somewhat stuffy, loud and "barber shop" smelling. Perish that thought! If I smelled like this after coming out of a Barber Shop, I would have to let my favorite stylist go...and get in line for a shave and a haircut! The more I sniff vintages and then go to the Fragrance Counters, the more I really wish I had been born maybe twenty years earlier, as so many of these gems are discontinued and expensive and hard-to-find! I noticed in the demographics, of the "votes" above, that no one (male or female) under 25 voted on this, at all. You should give it a try, Boys...you don't know what you are missing!

Revieweing the 90's formulation, never tried the current one: Starts with a very sharp, astringent and not that realistic lemon note, very similar to original Armani PH (which don't like at all), with an ever-present mossy background. After that come the aromatic herbs, giving the so mentioned mediterranean feel. What impressed me the most is the from the middle phase and on (actual drydown); vetiver is clearly present but also some sweetness provided by I'd guess tonka beans, and other woody notes (not sure if sandal or guaiac maybe?). This aspect really reminded me of YSL Rive Gauche... I'll go as far as saying the last one is a Loewe PH rendition with star anise replacing the lemon note (and some complexity added too). In all, a very pleasant and surprising discover, much more up-to-date than the release date would suggest, surely a timeless classic worth in any collection. 8,5/10 --------------------------------------------------------- Repasando la formulación de los años 90, nunca probé la actual: Comienza con una nota de limón muy afilada, astringente y no tan realista, muy similar a la del Armani PH original (que no es de mi agrado en absoluto), con un fondo de musgo siempre presente. Después de eso vienen las hierbas aromáticas, dando la sensación mediterránea tan mencionada. Donde más me impresionó fue en la fase media en adelante (secado); el vetiver está claramente presente, pero también algo de dulzura proporcionada por lo que imagino como haba tonka y otras notas de madera (no estoy seguro si sándalo o guayacán tal vez?). Este aspecto realmente me recordó al YSL Rive Gauche ... Voy a ir tan lejos como decir que este último es una versión del Loewe PH con anís estrellado reemplazando la nota de limón (y algo de complejidad agregada también). En general, un descubrimiento muy agradable y sorprendente, mucho más actual de lo que la fecha de lanzamiento sugeriría, sin duda un clásico atemporal que vale la pena en cualquier colección. 8,5 / 10

Loewe(LO-WAY-VAY) pour Homme is a traditional masculine fougere. It opens with a blend of lemon and tangerine with a healthy dose of freshly ground spice (smells like anise to me). The citruses blend into floral notes of red geranium and lily of the valley backed with a healthy dose of oakmoss. Lavender is present yet mellow. It smells like a high quality shaving cream with hints of tangerine citrus. The citrus lends a small dose of sweetness but never anything overpowering or feminine. The combination of citrus, spices, and floral freshness is invigorating. All in all, Loewe pour Homme is fresh, elegant, and incredibly smooth. If I had to compare this to a fragrance I've worn in the past, I'd say it's close to Azzaro pour Homme but manages to smell more masculine with dark spices. My only gripe is being an eau de toilette concentration, the longevity isn't the greatest. Does it smell dated? No. Loewe pour Homme still manages to be contemporary and unique despite being 52 years old. This would make a fantastic signature scent. I may be in the minority but I absolutely love the presentation and bottle design that Loewe uses. Smells exactly like the bottle looks. Slightly orange, slightly earthy, clean and sharp. Sadly looks like this has been discontinued because it is no longer available on Loewe's website. Love it. 10/10. Perfect daily driver fragrance if you're a man looking for something that is well executed and smells fantastic. I want to gatekeep this one.

The notes voted here are (this time) spot-on. Opens with a strong old school lemon. Shortly after it will be getting the support of the basil, giving some green aspect and florals. Then, everybody leaves the stage to let it for a bitter moss and a stunning nutty vetiver duo, rounded by a subtle hint of vanilla (more guess than really noticeable). I first tried it when preparing a lemon tiramisu, thus, standing in between fresh lemon zests and lemon juice, I could easily confirm that the sharp lemon note here is not true to the real deal, but remains nonetheless pleasant. It's during its development that Loewe Pour Homme takes off and blooms with an heavenly evolution. Not really similar, but this one vaguely reminded me of Monsieur by Lancetti. Like for the Lancetti's, performance is disappointing, but a bit of overspraying will get you a moderate projection for a couple of hours, and a longevity of 5-6 hours. (without doing so, it's a skin scent after 5min, and will not last more than 2 hours). Because of that, a bottle will probably not last long, and I thus would suggest not to spend big bucks on that one. Still, I recommend it because it is well blended, even if far from unique, and I feel that the $40 I've spent on a 150ml/5oz bottle is just a fair deal. Still, a small love for me. Best worn during Spring days, 30+

#685 in my "Tour de Fragrance" Got this as a sample sprayette. This is one of those EDTs where I really wish they'd do an EDP version. You can certainly tell this scent was introduced in 1974. It's an old-school suit-and-tie fragrance. We got some great fragrances back in the '60s and '70s that have stood the test of time, some that I still own. Dior Eau Sauvage, Aramis, Grey Flannel, Polo, Paco Rabanne Pour Homme, Chanel No. 19, Givenchy Gentleman, all legendary. Very masculine chypre-fougeres, very green, very classic office wear for the Mad Men. Everything works here, and for an EDT it performs better than most. It is very similar in many ways to Jacque Bogart's very underappreciated EDTs "Bogart", "Bogart Pour Homme" and "Bogart One Man Show" (check the notes for yourself), any of which you can own for less than $19. I recommend them all, especially "Bogart" which adds some smoke and leather to this mix of notes. And if you like this, you will adore Dior Eau Savage EDT and Parfums. This is a scent worth owning to my nose primarily because the combination of lemon and tangerine notes is less screechy in the opening than the bergamot used in most scents in this class. And in this vanillic fragrance era, this sort of very green-mossy scent will stand out and get noticed. I'm in for a bottle.