A*Men Pure Leather Pure Cuir

A*Men Pure Leather, also known as Pure Cuir, is one of the boldest creations in Thierry Mugler's A*Men line. Launched as part of the special Les Parfums de Cuir collection, celebrating the brand's 20th anniversary, this flanker celebrates the legacy of artistic and artisanal perfumery with a unique proposal: the original formulas were literally macerated in natural leather, resulting in fragrances with deeply animalic and textured nuances. Olfactory Impressions The opening already gives away the proposal: a dense, opulent, almost wild leather, which immediately embraces the nose with a touch of mint and lavender – traces of the original A*Men – but quickly swallowed up by a rustic, dense and "dry" facet that recalls a leather craftsman's workshop. The patchouli appears less sweet and more earthy, giving structure to the body of the fragrance. In the heart, elements such as caramel, honey and milk try to soften the impact, but far from making it "gourmand" like the other flankers – here, they add creamy depth and a light touch of resinous sweetness, without taking away the protagonism of the leather. The base is even richer: dark coffee, discreet vanilla, tonka bean and amber blend in a persistent and striking trail. The leather remains present until the end, but gains warmth with the woods and musk. Performance Lasting: Excellent – 10+ hours with ease on the skin. Projection: Intense in the first 2 hours, then becomes more intimate, but noticeable. Sillage: High – leaves an imposing trail, especially in cold weather. Occasions Pure Leather is not a casual or versatile fragrance. This is a work designed for lovers of conceptual perfumery, ideal for cold nights, intimate events or occasions when you want to make a statement with something artistic, distinctive and provocative. Avoid using it indoors or at formal meetings, as it can be invasive. Final Verdict Although I love the A*Men line, I consider Pure Leather to be one of the most challenging to please. Its dense, animalistic and full-bodied construction requires a skin that can interact well with resinous and rawhide accords. It is not a fragrance made to win easy compliments – it is for those who enjoy the darker, almost primal side of perfumery. For this reason, it is a collector's piece, worth exploring for those who enjoy unique sensory experiences. If you are looking for comfort and sweetness, this may not be the way to go. But if you are looking for boldness, texture and authenticity, you will find a handmade masterpiece here. Final score: 8.9/10 (Bonus points for originality and execution, but it loses out on versatility and universal appeal).

Right! I gave my sample a few days wearing to see where I stand with this flanker. I have many opinions about it; if you are looking to buy it, hopefully something here may click and sway your decision. Firstly: This is the CLOSEST flanker to the original A*Men for sure, but this is not to say that PL and A*Men are the same, there are differences, which, to me were significant. Secondly: The leather note is not the leather you get from sniffing the inside of your wallet or belt or expensive leather manbag. This leather, as another reviewer put it, is like tarry black suede, like a really overworked leather, kinda raw/animalic and naughty. To me, this note stuck all the way from the beginning to the end. To me, it was CRAP!! Thirdly: For some reason, this had a really harsh, tarry, incensy opening, which almost made me think of hating the original A*Men, but luckily, I sprayed A*Men on the other arm and I soon made myself relax. I got this harshness, Im guessing from the tar note and the leather note in combination with the patchouli. This stuck all the way into the dry down, getting lighter as it went (but the notes themselves stayed). This was CRAP! Fourth: All of the above equated to a smell that resembled A*Men but with this not so nice/sweaty (kinda fake) leathery note that stuck all the way into the dry down, giving it a really crappy dirty incensy vibe which to me was very off-putting. This to me really made me dislike this flanker. Fifth: Good points was its longevity, it was almost up there with A*Men, I got 12 hours on my skin. Projection was more on the average side, having a >3 foot bubble in the initial 3 hour mark and then really calming down to within a ft to a ft and a half, and in the last 3-4 hours, it was a skin scent. Overall, I sniffed this fragrance without any expectation, and from the word go, I knew this was not a winner in my eyes. I have two samples, one of which I have finished now, Ill give it another wearing in the winter, but for now, I will not buy a full bottle, even if it is only £40, it is definitely not to my preference. My final recommendation is that you try it out, my taste will not be the same as yours so you may love this, just like a lot of people do, but for sure, sample before investing in a full bottle, I did, and I am sooo glad!

This is not for the faint of heart - it might very well be the most radical fragrance on the market. You might think this is similar to A*men, but Pure Leather is loads more funky. It is really out there. I will admit that when I first sniffed this one I was repulsed. I actually muttered something like, "are you serious?" under my breath... but it kept pulling me back. I can see the notes listed above - but I don't really get those... even the leather note here-- I wouldn't exactly describe as leather... it is really rich, really complex -- the most dynamic of all Thierry Mugler fragrances I know. I get a lot of scents from this that are not listed in the notes; after the initial shock - there's a wave of patchouli, a big wave -- this lasts throughout - To me Pure Leather also smells like cinnamon, caramel apple, pepper, ginger and something carnal, feral -- I think it is a sexy smell -- animal and sexual - not for the Faint of Heart. gets a little too sweet for me as it levels off- I could see myself getting addicted to that cracked opening though. Problem is: I don't really think I can wear this one - I can't think of a situation for this fragrance... definitely not a work scent... not a wedding or party scent... my wife things it's disgusting... so not exactly a date scent -- really, if not for that fact that my wife thinks it is nauseating, I could see this being a bedtime/sex scent... guess this one will have to be a home alone scent after all.

This is the real perfume... Having collected Arabian perfumes for almost a decade I am really familiar with this scents off the Arabian Gulf. I used to burn Arabian incense quite a lot when I had it at hand and I used to perfume my clothes with the smoke which lasted some hours. But this perfume is that exact scent that you get from the Arabian incense. It actually has the smokiness and the sweetness that is expect that when burning incense. Like a sugary musky ambery vibe that is very pleasant to the senses. So what do I get out of this scent? I get all the caramel and the sugary notes and I get the coffee and the patchouly and of course the rawhide leather and of course some smokiness to it as well. I really like what I'm getting out of this fragrance. I also get the honey the mints the vanilla The Tonka beans and funnily enough the milk. I haven't tried any of the other fragrances of this line except pure malt which I don't think resembles this one very much. I have let others smelled this perfume and they are immediately sold to the intriguing and lustrous scent. I must say that I am really enjoying this one and I am sad that this and limited edition. I tried this as a 10 mL decant and that I bought from another fragrance collector. The longevity is very good actually far better than most other fragrances and the sillage really is enormous. Overall rating 8/10 UPDATE 25/02/2015 Bought the real bottle

Edit: Wore this over the holidays, and am getting compliments from family and friends across the board. This smells nothing like A*Men to me. I mean that in a good way. Pronounced top tar note maybe is the only reason others make the comparison in my mind. The tar note is so strong that it reminds me of rubber, which is the biggest complaint others have against this fragrance. I personally think the tar note is fine once it dries down after 15-30 minutes. All I get is a leathery "refined glove" scent mixed with the tar top. The leather note could be better, as it is a little synthetic. Similar dry down to angel men, in that it leads to a sugary gourmandish base a little bit. I am not sure if it is caramel or just sugar, but it is something sweet in the background. There is still leather throughout the fragrance, though it is more toned down after 30 minutes. I like it. I am complimented most by it over Pure Havane and Pure Malt, which I did not see coming. The fragrance is really dark though. Do not wear more than 2 sprays. Sillage: 9/10 Projection: 8/10 Versatility: 8/10 Scent: 10/10 Compliments: 9/10 Bang for Buck: 10/10 (got it for 38 dollars) Overall: 9/10 I personally recommend you try it on your skin first. Apparently this fragrance can rear its ugly head depending on skin chemistry according to other reviewers. A highly recommended "try" from me, though this works well with my skin.