Lilac Vegetal

THE VEG. The Veg is sacredly profane. If the VEG does choose you, it is in command; it WEARS YOU and OWNS you. The Veg may have a tender side, but it is a TOTAL TOP. The Veg will occasionally smell of watersports under lilac bushes, but it will still compel you and entrance you with its masculine wiles. The Veg is all love/hate in one wearing but keeps you coming back for more...and more. Lilac Vegetal was first introduced in 1880. This is nine years before Jicky and two years before Fougere Royale. It is antiquated and also singular. I could swear that Pinaud has preserved its formula for as long as it possibly could, because this is not of today or of yesterday, its of another epoch. The lilac is a minimal accord mostly driven by alpha terpineol (which forms the core of lilac in fragrance) and there is an old-world fustiness only rivaled by Penhaligon's Hammam Bouquet, eight years its senior. It will raise most eyebrows in the 21st century, because after the lilac and general floral baroque flair of its opening subsides, this is a wild skank. I would venture to guess Synarome's notorious Muscarome J5 base is now used for Lilac Vegetal, as Muscarome is the most animalic, urinous, dirty base, intended to closely match classic tonkin musk bases of the past. The contrast of lilac and slightly wilted "spring mix" greens with this euphorically foul base makes this such a forbidden treat for me. I dared to wear it in public on this warm May day and the self-consciousness had me blushing. But the VEG chose me, as it were, and I clearly was ready, willing, and able.

Epic Journey Into the Bottled Yonder, 070 ------------------------------------------------------- Purchased January 2019 THE VEG... AHH HOW STRANGE AND MYSTERIOUS YOU ARE... Anyway. *clears throat* Let's discuss "The Veg". This old bastard can be worn heavy, and you WILL smell obnoxious! If anybody around you is familiar with the urinal soap cakes then that is exactly what you will smell like, to them only.. But there's a catch to The Veg. Just take a drop on each part of your face and dab it on. This must be done after shaving. Do not rub it over. Dab at least a couple times and you'll have enough where the lilac jumps out and is quite a crowd stopper. You may not get "compliments" as much as questions born out of old-fashioned curiosity. I think compliments are bloody lame. Go watch "Youtube" and you'll see exactly what I'm talking about... This and Virgin Island Bay Rum are the metaphorical "beast mode" aftershaves. They are the strongest of all, bar none. Fragrances should never be worn for compliments because once upon a time they were not made for compliments. They were made for the scent lover. Try expressing yourself once in a while. Be obnoxious, loud, thump your damn chest, never shave it, and also learn to be discreet. The Veg can do both. That's why it's currently loved and hated at the same time. You'll never hear of one "liking" it. This strange bastard of a scent does not work that way, no sir and ma'am. THE VEG... AHH YOU BEAUTY OF A BEAST...!

After being such a fan of Pinaud "Clubman" I started researching the company. I came across what seems one of thee most controversial fragrances "lilac vegital. I read the reviews, many talked about some stagnant piss note within the formula. So after months of wondering i bought a bottle for nothing more than at least ive tried it. Honestly. First impression wow i loved it. Genuinly. To me it reminds me of wet christmas trees.. wrights hand soap... and penhaligons hammam boquet all combined. Im glad i purchased it. My wife is not a fan of it but im an avid wet shaver and vintage aftershave splash nut ball. Im 31 so to younguns im old and to the old im young. But. I have a strong love for old fragrances and to think of lilac veg i think of how perfume history has evolved i mean kouros has hints of this in it. It is wet stanky and very very old yet enjoyable to wear. I was expecting worse and lucky me i enjoy it. Will buy a big back up bottle and cherish it. Dont be afraid of the reviews it cost me £12 for 177ml so its not worth moaning about. People say its hard to wear yet i can and do alas i find oud impossible to wear myself but others can and do and should:) Its fragrance history bottled up. Purchase it try it love it wear it hate it stick it on a shelf and it will look cool and unuique on display:)

You're either Chosen by The Veg or you're not. I'm among the Chosen, and I absolutely adore Lilac Vegetal. First whiff upon application smells like peepee on a tile floor. Not directly like peepee, but like cheap industrial lilac air fresheners commonly used to mask peepee. I can see how this would be enough to turn most people away instantly. On my skin the peepee note goes away very quickly and gives way to very unusual bright yet powdery florals that seemingly should not work on a man but somehow do. Grandma's purse and that powder puff she kept on her dresser and never used. Very shortly after the vegetal notes kick in. Then it smells like Glade sprayed over a pot of rotting spinach. Yet somehow it still manages to smell great to my nose. Then the florals fade and the rotting spinach turns into the smell of Play-Doh. At that point I can't stop huffing myself. What should be a disgusting foul mess of a stench just... works. Do not ask me how but it does. I still can't make sense of it. But I love this stuff. My wife merely likes it, but thankfully doesn't hate it. I'd probably wear it anyway. MUST be decanted into glass. The cheap funky plastic note is horrifyingly bad, but it disappears once decanted.

As can be seen from the other reviews, Lilac Vegetal is an all or nothing fragrance, eliciting either love and appreciation or retched revulsion. My suspicion is that the scent reacts very differently with different body chemistry and/or is perceived quite differently by different people. Also, the "in the bottle" scent and initial opening on the skin is quite bizarre and somewhat reminiscent of fermentation or a (dirty) litter box. No one should draw conclusions about the potential for this scent until at least 30 min after application. For me at least, the ultimate reward of the fresh, authentic lilac/powder dry down is worth the wait. This scent to me is both classic in recalling barber shops of old, but also not dated or out of character with more modern tastes and expectations.

Oh, I haven't thought of this in years! And I still have a tiny bit left shoved way back in the Narnia corners of the closet. This is such a strange smell, like lilac and cat piss, and I mean that in the nicest way. After you've smelled it once I dare you not to want to smell it again. The alcohol always seems to cut through the floral miasma at the oddest moments, which keeps good old Vegetal smelling like something you might encounter if you sat in on an autopsy. I love Lilac Vegetal; it smells terrific on my skin. It is emphatically not for everyone, but it's so cheap that if you love perfume you should at least give it a sniff sometime-it won't break the bank, and it will expand your mind.

I'm in the "chosen" camp when it comes to the Veg. I love wearing it on the weekends in the spring/summer with some Eau de Quinine in my hair when I'm just piddling around the house or garage. I really like the "when old school wants to go old school" vibe it gives me. I would suggest that it be transferred into glass and put it away for a couple of months in a dark corner to get the funky smell from the plastic out. The difference after is like night and day and it really transforms into a wonderful fragrance. Also I would keep the plastic bottle for comparison.

I'm so happy the House of Clubman has finally been included! Lilac Vegetal is definitely a strange one - its weird animalic topnotes are NOT for newbies or the faint of heart. It's sort of the old-fashioned version of Secretions Magnefique - so bad you have to love it. True "jolie-laide"(Beautiful and ugly)scent. I was at Merz Apothecary in Chicago and the saleslady and I were both completely astounded by this bizarre concoction and both bought a bottle. For the price you can wear it and tell people it's the newest "thing" from the hippest niche house.

I didn't know this was considered a "difficult" fragrance, because my father used it as aftershave when I was a child, many, MANY years ago. I just thought he smelled good. He was sort of a healthy uncomplicated guy and I just thought this was an uncomplicated but pleasant scent! The men in the family wore scent more than the women. Dad and this aftershave and my grandfather used 4711. The women wore lovely perfume, but only on special occasions. Too bad! Anyway, this is on my nostalgia list.

THE VEG. Possibly the most polarizing scent in masculine perfumery. I'm happily one of The Chosen that enjoy its scent. Admittedly, the initial splash can be off-putting, with its "industrial cleaner" opening. However, push through that, and you're left with a powdery floral. Clean, simple, and elegant; this is quite possibly my favorite aftershave, as well as scents in general

finally a different and not cloying aftershave. yes, it may look like death and decay but soooo diluted. women will like it. it's not old school for men with chest hair but I like it because it's different. piss? noooo. But where? 9/10

I'm a fantasy geek, Lord of the Rings and all that. I'm sure most of you are not, because, well, that's how it goes. Anyway, my first thought about Lilac Vegetal was that it was a very "Elven" scent. When I smelled it, I could imagine a very pretty-faced man with a slightly foppish sense of humor, but one that might put a knife to your throat if you got on his bad side. Reviews tend to put ideas in your head where you might not have had them yourself. The whole "urine" thing might not have occurred to me. Maybe my body chemistry is just awesome and it doesn't happen on my skin. Nor would the "play-doh" or "old lady" or whatever noise people have to say about a scent that doesn't compute. I much prefer my image of Lilac Vegetal to theirs, and yet, theirs sort of got into my head (as critical and judgemental ideas will). I don't wear it as much as I should. But I do really like it. I have mentioned in previous reviews that these very old scents have become provocative and daring just by virtue of them being so old. Where once they were mainstream, now they are on the fringe. In a sense, they make niche fragrances a bit silly because they were here first. Plus, they're a hell of a lot cheaper. Lilac Vegetal is a vision of masculinity that we have forgotten. But that doesn't make it any less valid. The world we are trying to build is one that tolerates gender in all its various forms, not just the one that our movies and advertising have tried to sell to us. I think that makes Lilac Vegetal all the more relavant because it shows us a different side of what a man can smell like. The Veg doesn't have to be elderly or effeminate just because people who wear Sauvage say it is.

THE VEG............. It either chooses you or it don't. This was the very first after shave created from the legendary Pinaud line. This was even said to be the chosen fragrance by Napoleon himself. This aftershave has survived generations after generations. Some say THE VEG has a mind of it's own. Some say it smells like cat piss mixed with play dough. Others say it smells like a perfect spring day with lilac. The Gents Review: I wore this aftershave for two weeks before writing a review. For the first week I thought that THE VEG smelled exactly like cat piss with lilac BUT THIS DID NOT STOP ME! After the second week I actually started to enjoy it more and more. I was a late bloomer THE VEG works its magic in mysterious ways. After the second week I no longer thought that it smelled like cat piss/lilac but that it smelled very pleasant. Value: I bought a 6 oz bottle of this from Amazon for $9.00 which is a good price. Longevity: This will last between 5-6 hours. The Gents Final Verdict: THIS IS NOT TO BE WORN BY BEGINNERS. For someone who appreciates historic fragrances this is for you. Would I buy again? Probably not but I am glad that I tried it. *My wife hated it* Just remember THE VEG does what it wants and chooses who it wants. The Gents Score 7.5/10 (A Gentlemen's classic) The Gents Aftershave Rankings: 1: Original Clubman 2: Bay Rum 3. Ogallala Bay Rum 4: Special Reserve 5: Vanilla 6: Musk 7: Lilac Vegetal 8: Lime Sec

Lilac Vegetal has me a little confused. I smell mostly lilacs, which in their natural state (as with many flowers) have a sort of heady, almost grotesque intoxicating quality that is reminiscent of rot or of urine. The opening of this seems to combine nothing but that rottenness with a sort of cheap, cleaner-like sweetness (I don't get urinal cake, but I do get over concentrated fabuloso mop water). It feels very plasticky, although I'm not sure how much of that is a result of my brain trying to make a connection to the pleasantly cheap plastic bottle its housed within. After the first few odd moments it settles into a dandy little soft powdery floral. Hardly anything truly scary if you can get past the bizarre brisk opening, in fact I find it more associative of a soft-lit, steamy bubble bath in some kind of dated grandma bathroom. Almost creepily babydoll-like, for some reason. Above all else, this is an interesting artifact. It's hard to imagine this being a popular men's fragrance, nevertheless a barbershop scent which I contemporarily associate as being profoundly masculine in nature. Additionally it's complete nose-bomb overdose in the beginning serves to illustrate what "crisp" "bracing" "fresh"-ness meant before the era of modern men's black-ice/steel/deodorant/chemical/air freshener aromachemicals. The answer, it seems, is rotten flowers.

I got this the other day, I love the scent of lilacs since it is so fresh florally and springtime. I decided to smell it for the first time on the walk home, walking outside to have a nice initial impression. I splashed it out, trying to splash just a little, but be warned, this splashes out a lot for some reason, so be carefull if you just want a little. After all though it does say body splash too, but I got it for an aftershave/splash tonic. Anyways, I splashed it on, and what hit me was a really nice scent of - lilacs! yes that's right, hard to believe? smells really good I think and exactly like lilacs with it's unique scent of floral, woodyness, crisp springtime outdoorsy lilac scent. I mean, it is not the best lilac, you can smell some sugar and syrup in it with the smell, so it doesn't have the lightness of true lilacs, but it does smell like them, and for $6 or $12 it's not bad to splash on now and then. Mixed in at times, and more so later on a sweetish powder is there smelling like the scent in the Pinaud's Talc powder which I have. Anyways, this stuff can be pretty strong for a while and lasts quite a few hours, and for the lilac scent it's pretty nice.

What karlovonamesti said was so spot on for me. There are times for the Veg, though. It is best for what it is. Life can be hard at times and frankly, we can all take ourselves too seriously. There are moments when the right thing to do is to see friends, go out and wear a fragrance you like because you want to convey your cool, refined, intelligent side. The Veg is part of my wardrobe and shelves because sometimes what I want is to remind myself to be humourous, take a step back and embrace the irony of things. To laugh at myself. Go with the mix. The Veg. There is Marmite. There is Vegemite. There are no bad paths. Just paths. Sometimes the path least travelled.. :) I have been known to wear way too much of this stuff on purpose! There will be times when you want people to keep their distance! Sometimes this stuff works for that! Caution - it does not always work for that. Double caution - when 'that girl' walks into the room and you think "Oh...@%$&, I'm wearing my Lilac Vegetal!!!" The last bit has actually happened to me :)

This is a very "old fashioned" men's fragrance, straight out of the old-school barbershops, and hence is an acquired taste for today's men. The lilac notes are indeed quite sweet in a way that is different from, say, Joop. There is a feel of Evening in Paris which is not what one would expect in a man's frag. However, I think Lilac Vegetal is an excellent daytime fragrance for a daring fellow (you certainly won't smell like all the other guys!), and is also good for women looking for something a little different. There is a leafy note that the previous reviewer called "spinach" but that I sensed as herbal/sharp. Normally I am not bonkers about "green" scents, but mixed with the lilac and a slight muskiness, it works. The sillage and longevity are surprisingly strong for an aftershave. I had a bottle of this years ago and am thinking about getting another one. Update: Another phrase I would use to describe it is "unique charm".

This fragrance simultaneously exalts and debases itself. It contains multitudes and it contradicts itself. While it's still wet I am not crazy about it, the initial dry-down can be a bit pissy, but I give this about half an hour and it's decidedly lilac, I can see where others smell urinal cakes but this is not overwhelming for me. This really smells like a metaphysical shop to me, there is something incense-y that just cannot be overlooked here but surprisingly I see no one else mentioning this. A friend who also has this agrees. It's like being able to wear the smell of incense, enchanted oils, and parchment/fresh printed cards in there somewhere too. The lilac is not lost in this picture but it is far from the only thing capturing your attention. This is a comforting scent in many ways because of this. alphairone below said it best: The Veg is sacredly profane.

It really does smell like urine. And I wish that was enough for me to say I hate it and write it off completely, but it's not. It's a beautiful, fresh lilac bush... that got peed on. It's a glimpse into fragrance history - brave Hungarian cavalrymen wearing wool uniforms, shaving with straight razors, writing letters to their ladies from canvas tents... that got peed on. Just because you can't smell it doesn't mean other people won't... But as they walk past you, they'll look back, bewildered. "Does that clean-shaven man smell like urine? And why is that not a bad thing?" I give this classic aftershave a 3/10... and also a 7/10. 🤔

Pinaud Clubman Lilac Vegetal... ...oh what have I laughed at some of the reviews about "the Veg". No rotten flower vase water, no stale cabbage, no cat urine in my nose. Just a plastic doll with a lilac reef on it's head having a leak on a urinal cake. And i can smell a horse. What does that now mean? Has the Veg chosen me? It is definitely not for the person who thinks Eau Sauvage and Bleu de Chanel are true masterpieces. It is for the person who can appreciate the odd ones not for the masses.