Great Fragrances For Men 

Great Fragrances For Men

When I’m blogging, I often ask my boyfriends advice on things; not the tech-y things like coding or internet security, instead it’s generally his views on beauty products! What he thinks of the new moisturiser / eye cream / candle / shower gel. He’s surprisingly knowledgeable about beauty products and his comments are often very insightful and make their way onto my blog. When it comes to fragrance, he has impeccable taste, which is why I couldn’t resist joining forces with him to collate some of his favourite fragrances, both classic and new. Enjoy!

The Merchant of Venice ‘Liberty’

Let’s kick things off with a new fragrance, The Merchant of Venice Liberty, it contains notes of saffron, thyme, white lily, cedarwood, white suede accord, patchouli and crystal amber. The dominant notes are of sharp smoky oud, warm intoxicating amber and almost a burnt sugary notes. The other accords remind me of a heady mix of florals, spices and woods that you might find on a hot day at a market or a souk. It’s got a unisex feel to it and it really packs a punch.  We are both big fans of this one!

Attaquer le Soleil ‘Marquis de Sade Etat Libre d`Orange’

Born to defy social norms and challenge conformity, this fragrance is inspired by a head-turning, attention seeking, hedonistic rebel.  Filled with notes of labdanum, nutmeg, saffron and black pepper, this is a fairly new discovery for my man, but he is loving it. Attaquer le Soleil fragrances have a very modern and fresh feel to them, whilst still feeling rich with heritage. If you are looking or a lesser known fragrance which is animalistic, strong and exciting, this is one to look out for!

Acqua di Parma ‘Colonia Club’

Acqua di Parma are known for their understated luxury fragrances, my boyfriend has been a big fan of their fragrances for a long time now. The latest fragrance, Colonia Club is one of his favourites yet from the brand, it’s filled with bergamot, lemon, petit grain, mandarin, mint, neroli, geranium, lavender, vetiver, ambergris and musk. It’s the perfect balance between being classic and contemporary. It’s inspired by a gentlemans sports club; Smoky fires, woods, leathers and days spent sailing, traveling and debating. Wonderfully fresh and crisp at the top of the fragrance ( I love the hint of mint), but it also has a rich, woody and leathery base which lingers well into the night.

Penhaligon’s ‘Sartorial’

My boyfriend first started wearing Penhaligon’s Sartorial about 4 years ago when I popped in-store to buy a new bottle of Cornubia. If I remember rightly, he got chatting to a consultant about his favourite fragrances and next thing I knew, he was spritzing away. Sartorial is inspired by the tailors of Saville Row, a beautiful blend of wood, leathers, fine fabrics and wools. Imagine fine cloth craftsmanship and traditional barbers expertly combined into a fragrance. It contains notes of oakmoss, leather, woods, tonka bean, lavender, honey and spices and it’s one of his all time favourites, in fact, he even has the accompanying beard oil.

Annick Goutal ‘Ambre Sauvage’

Another long time favourite of my boyfriends’ and one of the few I sneakily wear when he’s not looking! Annick Goutal Ambre Sauvage is part of the ‘Les Absolus Collection’ and it is a homage to the amber accord. It does contain other notes, but the dominant note is of Amber (resins) and the other notes (patchouli, vanilla, pink pepper, lavender, iris) are there to help emphasise it’s natural beauty. It’s wonderfully rich, deep and sensual, it’s got a real power to it and the scent lingers well into the night. Worth every penny, it’s absolutely divine!

Molton Brown ‘Mesmerising Oudh Accord & Gold’

If you are looking to spend a little less, perhaps under £50, then we would point you in the direction of Molton Brown! As I’m sure you all know, Molton Brown are famous for their luxurious Bath & Body products, which are always beautifully scented with essential oils of woods, florals and citrus fruits. Their fragrance collection is just as lovely, it’s fairly small and not yet that well known, but it’s a good! For me, I love Rosa Absolute but for the men, we would have to recommend Mesmerising Oudh Accord & Gold which is filled with notes of cinnamon leaf, nutmeg, myrrh, oudh, vetiver, honey and tobacco and smells rich, fresh and smoky. He’s a huge fan of their shower gels and this is a really nice fragrance, he says it’s a good one for suitcases and overnight bags.

Dunhill ‘Icon’

I have lost count of the number of times we have recommended Dunhill Icon, but if you have not tried it yet, then it is about time you do! Dunhill have launched three versions of icon now (Icon, Icon Absolute and Icon Elite) they are all great, but we still think the classic Icon is the best. It is fresh and zesty, but also dirty and sexy, with notes of bergamot,  neroli, black pepper, lavender, Oud, Vetiver, Oak moss and Leather. This is the fragrance he is most often asked about, he has even had strangers asking him what he’s wearing. There’s something about Dunhill Icon which hits the spot!

Shay & Blue ‘Blacks Club Leather’

If you love rich, leathery scents, then Shay & Blue Blacks Club Leather is a real winner. It’s inspired by Blacks of Soho, which is a London private member’s club. It’s in the middle of London, but once you step inside, it’s as if the hustle and bustle of modern London is far away and instead a romantic vision of London comes in to play; Whiskey cocktails, worn leather seats, aged oak bars, old books, beeswax, firewood and aged cognac barrels. He likes this one because it has a very gentlemanly, dapper feel to it, he also loved the accompanying candle.

Initio ‘Side Effect’

Initio Side Effect was released last year alongside it’s female counterpart, High Frequency. It is heavily scented with notes of tobacco, vanilla, rum and cinnamon; Sweet, warm and Oriental. It manages to be perfectly masculine, yet animalistic and gourmand, which also appeals to women. It lasts all day and it’s quite frankly rather delicious! One of the newest fragrances to be added to his collection and already he’s smitten with the dry smoky sweetness!

Diptyque ’34’

One of my personal all-time favourite fragrances. Diptyque 34 is a unisex fragrance inspired by the scent of the 34 Boulevard Saint Germain store, all the fine fragrances mingling together to form a new and complex scent, this edition of 34 has a greener tone to it than the classic, as it reflects the change of weather and the ripening of the fruits and foliage. Again, it’s one we both wear, but he tends to wear it more often and he adores it. Oh and this is a brilliant one if you are looking to buy a gift for a man, it’s both a beautiful fragrance and it will give you serious cool-points!

Roja Parfums ‘H’

My boyfriend and I are obsessed with Roja D0ve’s fragrances and we both agree, that ‘H’ might be our very favourite. It’s technically for men, but I have been known to wear it once in a while and it’s actually fairly unisex, well, it would be if he didn’t hide it from me! Roja Parfums ‘H’ contains notes of bergamot, grapefruit,  lemons and plum with a deep, rich base of Pepper, Patchouli, Wood Notes, Vetiver, Cedarwood, Sandalwood, Aoud and Ambergris. It’s also exclusive to Harrods as well as sold as part of the Exclusives collection at the Roja Burlington Arcade Store.

Dries Van Noten par Frederic Malle

We first discovered this fragrance in Seattle a few years ago. We were exploring the Frederic Malle collection in Barney’s and my boyfriend fell in love with this one. I think the exchange rate was poor at the time (when isn’t it?!) and my boyfriend decided he didn’t need any more fragrances. He returned home with a heavy heart filled with regret over not buying it and a few weeks later he did a little secret research and discovered that it was available exclusively in Liberty. The next thing I knew, he was treating himself to a bottle of Dries Van Noten par Frederic Malle. It contains notes of Sandalwood, Santal Mysore, Jasmine, Musk, Saffron, Patchouli, Lemon and Bergamot. So good, it’s worth travelling half way across the world for, although you don’t have to because it’s sold at Liberty!

♥

So there we have it, my mens fragrance edit, I hope you enjoyed it! Feel free to comment below if you have any questions and if you have any favourites, do let me know!