Posted by Angela
on
5 January 2009
This is a review of Parfums MDCI Invasion Barbare. But first, let's talk for a moment about how men — clean, fresh men — smell.
Some men smell vaguely musty. You walk into their houses or sit next to them on the bus and you know what their laundry baskets smell like. (My theory, based on many years of membership at a food co-op, is that many of the musty men are vegans.) Some men smell intensely personal, like you're smelling their raw flesh. Smelling this kind of man makes me uncomfortable. It's too intimate. Other men have a natural tantalizing fragrance that is gently spicy and musky. A whiff of this scent is more intoxicating than a cocktail. To me, Parfums MDCI Invasion Barbare smells like that type of man after he's showered with lavender and bergamot soap.
You might see MDCI and try to translate it from Roman numerals. In fact, it stands for Marchal Design & Créations Indépendantes, after Claude Marchal, Parfums MDCI's founder…
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Posted by Kevin
on
15 August 2007
Rarely do “simple” fragrances (scents with few ingredients or little development) hold my attention or gain my affection. I prefer perfumes that change their expression several times a day — perfumes that make a journey. The uncomplicated scents I do wear tend to be classic compositions made with rich ingredients (woods/resins, spices, incense or leather notes). I own several fragrances whose development is minimal: Christian Lacroix’ Tumulte (pour homme), Maître Parfumeur et Gantier’s Parfum d’Habit and Hermès Bel Ami. These warm scents begin with a glint, a spark, and settle almost immediately into a long-lasting glow — Narciso Rodriguez’ For Him is such a scent.
For Him is fashion designer Narciso Rodriguez’ debut men’s fragrance. “This fragrance is the first extension of my men’s wear collection,” Rodriguez told Women’s Wear Daily (May 18, 2007). “It is an important component of the total image, an expression of the man. For Him enhances the existing foundation of my vision for men’s wear and is the first of many categories to come.” For Him was created by perfumer Francis Kurkdjian and is composed of violet leaf, patchouli, amber and musk. According to Parfums Narciso Rodriguez Vice President, Nathalie Helloin-Kamel (also quoted in WWD), For Him’s inspiration came from an earlier era of men’s perfumery: “The benchmark was the great fougères of the Eighties.”
The fougère (fern) category of men’s fragrances is large…
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