Lapidus Pour Homme

A SCENT FOR TOUGH OLDER BOYS "Lapidus" can be derived from the Latin adjective "Lepidus", which means "pleasant", but that can be used as "charming" as well. Ted Lapidus as a stylist was known for trying to democratize fashion and bring haute couture to the common man. This goal has certainly been extended to his perfume brand, as these are of above-average quality and are generally regarded as excellent examples of "good value for the money". Two of Lapidus' male perfumes have always impressed me a lot. They are 'Pour Homme' and 'Altamir', and completely illustrate Ted Lapidus' attitude towards fashion. I resisted for a long time the temptation to try "Lapidus pour Homme", perhaps uninterested in its presentation, which I always considered coarse and unpleasant. That flask full of geometric grooves and a greyish-brown colour never appealed to me. I fully acknowledge my mistake and the truth of the saying "he who sees faces does not see hearts". Upon initial spray, this masculine Chypre comes on quite bold and classy. The notes are citrusy and fruity in the opening. Half a minute later you receive an avalanche of notes including sweet honey, amber and incense, and other well-composed notes that really lead you to love this fragrance. You feel like you are in the presence of an old massive train that is just throwing tons of lovable different notes that blend together in a mastered symphony. You get a very lovable dry down with a strong sweet tobacco note backed up by the inevitable woods, amber and patchouli. In terms of longevity, it's a beast and in my skin, it easily surpasses 14 hours with 3 sprays. Don't overspray or it may become intrusive to the people around you due to its heavy sillage and projection. If you over-spray (meaning more than 3 sprays) you will kill all the natural life around you and will end up still sniffing this masterpiece 24 hours and two showers later. Lapidus pour Homme in numbers: ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ - Opening: 9.0 (admirable; citrus, lavender and piney juniper notes remind me of Cartier Santos) - Drydown: 9.0 (just great; a bit like kouros, but without civets) - Longevity: 9.5 (a powerhouse with a life expectancy of 14 hours and 3 sprays) - Sillage: 9.0 (it almost fills a room with strong projection for more than 3 hours almost) - Exclusivity: 8.5 (you get some vibes from other old-school fragrances like Boss Number 1, Givenchy Gentleman, Cartier Santos or YSL Kouros but aren't similar to any of them) - Ease of use: 7.5 (If you use it in summer you will be considered an alien. Use it in cold or mild to cold weather, either day or night) - Versatility: 8.5 (If you're comfortable with an oriental-tangy, woody powerhouse-old-school scent (like I do), you can use it almost anywhere, provided you don't over-spray. Where you shouldn't use it? - on the beach, during Training, and while visiting a Dog Pound. You will mislead the unfortunate dogs that will bark for hours when you approach them and wear more than 3 sprays of this perfume. - Praise: 8.5 (a lot more than expected for the price it costs) - Quality: 7.5 (good, but I realize it's a bit synthetic which justifies its tremendous performance) - Presentation: 6.0 (a lot of people like it, but I don't; in my opinion, the bottle is sticky and even worse than the "Black Extreme" and "Gold" editions; I am currently rating a "six" because a lot of people seem to love it) - Price: 10.0 (13 euros plus shipping in Notino; it deserves 11.0) ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ Overall rating: 8.46 / 10.0 - between 7 and 8 = above average; - between 8 and 9 = recommended; - greater than 9 = don't miss it; My opinion: This EDT smells expensive and is in line with what you would expect from a Lapidus/Bogart beasty fragrance. Great to use during the night time and preferably with cold weather. Both my wife and I love it so I don't need to use it just on my own. For me, it's an example of a distinguished powerful scent for a confident adult man. It is indeed a very nice juice and one of a kind. It does not pretend to clone anything and I like it that way with its proper individuality. I do recommend this fragrance even as a blind buy if you don't mind about the ugly flask. Music: Billy Ocean - "When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Gets Going"

A perfect convergence of two legendary — almost mythical — figures. A French couturier who dressed The Beatles, Alain Delon, Brigitte Bardot, and Frank Sinatra. He introduced elements of military uniforms into haute couture, popularized the safari style and naval blazers, helped establish jeans as a global fashion staple, and stood at the origins of unisex fashion. Of course, for his own fragrance line — and especially for its flagship, the Pour Homme — a perfumer of equal influence and mystique was required: Martin Gras. By that time, he had already created Blue Marine for Pierre Cardin, and later he would go on to compose Cerruti 1881 Pour Homme for Nino Cerruti, effectively defining an entire wave of barbershop and fougère fragrances of that decade — all, in my opinion, highly significant works. And yet, this fragrance is not about barbershop or fougères. In fact, I find it difficult to assign it to any specific category. Due to its complexity and multidimensional nature, it contains passages that echo multiple fragrance families. Still, I will try to describe it. To do so, I’ll compare it to a fragrance that, in my opinion, is closest in spirit — not in terms of notes, but in concept and core. That fragrance is Yves Saint Laurent Kouros — loved passionately and hated just as intensely, sometimes by the very same people. And for those who consider Kouros the pinnacle of brutality, animality, and directness — this fragrance will shock you. If Kouros is Ancient Greece at the height of its glory — up to the 5th century BC: the flourishing of the polis, democracy, theatre, science, the Olympic Games — and figures like Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle — yet also its flaws, internal tensions, decadence, and eventual decline through wars such as the Peloponnesian War, the weakening of Athens and Sparta, and ultimately conquest by Macedon and later Rome — then this fragrance captures that entire arc perfectly. But Lapidus is about something else. Lapidus is about the “barbarians” — as the Greeks dismissively called them, often considering them degenerated Greeks. In reality, they represent the vast diversity of cultures that developed along entirely different paths. The East — seemingly wild at first glance, yet in truth home to powerful civilizations acknowledged even by the Greeks themselves. From the great Persian Empire, stretching from Egypt to India, with its advanced science and art, to Ancient Egypt with its deeply complex religion, architecture, and medicine — all interconnected. It is no coincidence that this fragrance is officially classified as oriental: spices form its backbone — sandalwood, tonka bean, and incense. The North and the Stepp's — nomads and warriors. The Scythians, whose presence I strongly sense in the honeyed spices and overripe fruits of the composition. Master horsemen and archers of the Black Sea region, leaving behind a lost ancient culture and magnificent burial mounds filled with breathtaking gold artifacts — like the golden pectoral, which feels like the very heart of this fragrance. Here, you find lavender, lily of the valley, and juniper. And of course, the tribal societies of Europe: the Celts — masters of metallurgy and weaponry from France to the Danube, warriors and druids who terrified their enemies with the sound of the carnyx — deep, otherworldly, almost supernatural tones emerging from impenetrable mists of musk, cedar, and oakmoss. Alongside them, the Germanic tribal world — warrior ethos and folklore — expressed through pine, artemisia, and oily tobacco. All of this is presented on a foundation of richly natural-smelling citrus notes, which bind this immense diversity into a single whole. This fragrance is an era — both literally and metaphorically. Even without experiencing the vintage version, one can fall in love forever with the modern formulation — there is nothing quite like it today. The longevity is insane. This is not a fragrance for everyone. But if you are curious, if you are willing to dive deep — this is a masterpiece beyond price.

I feel like top notes are of classic man cologne ,fougere style - the opening has some toothpaste freshness or soap like accords lingering around. But when smelled directly it's tons of sweet honey, some pine needles and incense + tobacco. I don't recognize any pineapple there. More of a classic clean a bit soapy man cologne in the top notes (like 15% of composition) and (85% of composition) a bit funky, smokey honey especially when smelled directly. This honey gives it a little oldschool vibe which isn't bad, as whole composition is done great. Fresh top note accords become insignificant rather quick (in less than 1 hour) and most of the scent remains the honey and incense part. I prefer to wear just one spray of Lapidus on dark winter clothing. Juice looks thick, green and sticky so i wouldn't want to risk spraying it on any light colored clothing. New batch still projects strong enough to give beast mode just from one spray. Atomizer releases generous spurt of juice and 1 spray of Lapidus fills the room like 5+ sprays of most new school colognes. Yet it can't keep up with this monster projection for more than 1.5-2 hours but overall longevity are around respectable 9-10 hour mark, after that it becomes close-to-skin scent. On my skin it also projected too much of incense notes over the honeyed part - and gave me too much of ashtray-like scent at some point. Nevertheless, it's a beautiful masculine fragrance and different from new school ones - for it's price it's a very good blind buy and seems that i like it more with each use. Soon i am also getting Kouros so i will try to update this review and describe if the scents are similar and on what parts. Update: no, Lapidus doesn't smell like Kouros they are two different smelling fragrances and only very distant relatives. There are a couple of shared notes in both but that's it. They both share honey and incense accords that are much more distinct in Lapidus. Lapidus smells also more green and balsamic. For a moment, Kouros briefly projected soapy accord like the one in top notes of Lapidus but Kouros is a fragrance-chameleon projects a lot of stuff. Lapidus is more smooth and linear fragrance. Kouros is more dynamic, more hectic. Lapidus can also smell a bit hectic but it acts more predictable on skin. In comparassion Kouros can smell like one thing for some 20 minutes and then for no reason suddenly decide to release contrasting spurt of dirty civet or fresh florals in the air that dissapears as quickly as it appeared. At least, if you like Lapidus Pour Homme there is a chance you will also like Kouros or at least won't dislike it as they both are strong 'powerhouse' type of fragrances and in the same 'ballpark' only different players. Update #2: Seems that this beast acts completely different in warm conditions on warm skin. It not gloomy winter outside anymore and my perception completely changed about several fragrances I got introduced to in winter including this one. Longevity is cut severally. I applied 1 spray on chest and 2 sprays on wrist pulse points right after gym and warm shower. It seems that on warm skin Lapidus Pour Homme evaporates quicker and reach drydown a lot faster, in like 2-3hours. Drydown also smells completely different. In winter all i got was strong honey and ashtray scent, now it's much more mellow and wearable. I can finally smell pineapple accord there and now close to skin it smells like pineapple and herbacious soap. I can definitelly smell artemisia, tobacco (and still some honey) in this warm weather-warm skin drydown stage. Almost like soapy Kouros drydown but with darker sweeter vibe.

I might have a sample from the vintage formula, but I'm not fully sure. It's a vial inside the original packaging without an atomizer. After having tried Jaques Furyo and almost dying, I was curious about Lapidus as well. (I liked Furyo, but it's not wearable.) This is way smoother, more interesting, and quite wearable. The initial opening was sweet and juicy. Really nice opening, actually. It sold me right away. Classic masculine lavender punch with lots of bitter/spicy aromatics and green fresh undertones. The pineapple doesn't have the acidity; it's more like pineapple water spritz over a lavender that slowly dissipates. After that calmed down a bit, I got basil and lemon zest. Wormwood mixed with moderately strong juniper. Lovely! Very slowly, an obvious dark honey comes up. There is a soapy pine tree; that soapiness gets muted a bit later, giving way for a masculine "woody dirty rose" accord. Very indolic jasmine mixed with slightly earthy, greenery. I don't get a single hint of standout orris root honestly. Probably just a background note for structure. Interpreted as earthy, but not orris-like at all. But yeah, all that is being carried by a distinctive incense stick with hints of caraway-level type of sweetness. None of it feels overbearing. It's so balanced and thoughtful, telling a coherent story. Somehow, I didn't think of this as a fougère when I saw the bottle, but it really is. The tobacco is to me like a Maduro cigar wrap. Dark and sweet, silky. It rides slowly towards the incense and honey. Once it dries further, it stays there with musky patchouli and oakmoss. I am 100% certain that the amber here is benzoin. There's an obvious balsamic warmth with a resinous vanilla facet. I usually can't tell generic ambers apart, but the balsamic vanilla in the dry down is making it way more obvious. The base is supported with nutty tonka bean and textures of sandalwood and cedars. Lasts long and projects good, but not outlandish, and has a nice scent bubble that's ever so slightly soapy. Really masculine and well put together. This deserves more recognition again. Don't get me wrong; it might still be challenging for a lot of people. Compared with a sample of Kouros, I get absolutely ZERO similarity at all. That is a completely different genre. Way stronger with animalic sweat musks combined with lots of soil-like accords and strong carnation. I think people's noses are giving them olfactory hallucinations. This is a warm incensed honey fougère with lots of composed earthy sweet/spicy notes. Slightly soapy with a patchouli like musk. That's what stands out the most. Kouros' dry down got that lively animalic civet/rough raw leather. The honey in Kouros wasn't there to add sweetness. Honey can be used to give animalic naunces. I don't get that much with lapidus, I notice it more as a raw dark honey. Just because something has the same note doesn't mean it will function the same. 25 euros isn't just a steal; it's a robbery. I will 100% get a bottle, and I hope it was the modern formulation I smelled, because I don't want to track down a vintage. Also, the packaging is so 80s! And it has the exact color of a PlayStation 1 LOL! EDIT: So it turns out I had a slightly older formulation. I bought a full bottle and it's the same for the most part but but the tabacco is less and more piney soap. Still good. On side note, the plastic covering and the button of the sprayer for some reason are not glued in place?? Still a cool bottle tho

Batch 15L14, December 2015 (bought off the shelf from a CVS drug store mid-2022!) Yes it's from the 80s, and my interest is mostly centered around fragrances from the 70s/80s/90s, but let me convince you why Ted Lapidus pour Homme is very relevant today. I live in Southern California, and I am an avid snow skier. Today, I find myself at a packed ski resort with long lift lines and crowds everywhere, and this particular resort is popular with the young adult crowd: they're here more for the scene than for the sport, and there's a much higher concentration of perfumed individuals than you'd find in another public setting. I thought about my fragrance choice for the trip, and Ted Lapidus came to mind with its cold-cutting sweetness and a vintage-style swagger I thought it had. Fast forward several hours and ski runs later, I'm in line at a ski run with a bunch of guys drenched in One Million, Invictus, and other modern sweets and their flankers, and they and their girlfriends are peppering me with compliments and asking what the hell I'm wearing. When I told them Ted Lapidus, they looked at me like I was describing some unknown medical condition. They were unaware of the designer or the fragrance. Or the era from which it derives. Turns out Ted Lapidus pour Homme has SWAGGER, without needlessly labeling it vintage-style. Without unnecessarily revealing any background information, I merely told them where they could purchase it, and that it was affordable. They all thanked me, complimented me again, and we all took our turns getting on the lift. My takeaway was this: they were bored with the only played-out fragrances with which they were familiar, and they smelled something powerfully interesting, and understood its allure without being influenced by knowing when the fragrance was released or any background whatsoever. I purposefully refrained from giving them the history and notes that I normally do when engaged in a fragrance conversation, in order to pass the baton of this great fragrance on to a new wave of fans. Also, when I first picked up this gorgeous scent (in its ridiculously awesome bottle), my wife told me that whatever I was wearing was a keeper (and she is VERY picky). I didn't reveal any background info to her either, so she didn't associate it with any of my other vintage or vintage-style fragrances. That's how current Ted Lapidus pour Homme is, its enveloping sweetness and sexiness are enjoyable regardless of age or era: this is the very definition of timeless, the very opposite of "dated". May I pass the baton to you, and may you pass it again, along your journey.