Joined
·
27,866 Posts
There are men who like wearing fine scent, others don't. And the reasons for one are as good as those for the other. Certainly, a man needs only to be clean to be well groomed. But scent is something I've enjoyed for over 60 years and is as much a part of my personal presentation as the jacket, shoes or tie I chose.
Some men have been taught that any fine scent is offensive. Others that if the scent is detectable, it's too strong. That's unfortunate. However the basis for this may be that some scents often are offensive, and that if a wearer has elected to bathe in one, it will be overpowering. It's interesting that many, if not most, of the best scents often aren't as strong as the cheaper ones. And without delving into the various reasons for this, I find this characteristic useful, as I require any scent I wear to be worn discretely.
There are many good ways in which to choose which of our fine scents we wish to wear. I've found that different scents lend themselves better to some seasons than others. Consequently, I tend to rotate my scents by season.
Long ago I bypassed the heavily advertised scents, usually associated with international designer brands, and often advertised by depicting Vikings or Greek gods. Instead I find I typically prefer lesser known fine scents which are made by firms which mostly stick to the business of making scent.
While fine scent is an international business with the same perfumers (Noses) often designing scents for various brands, scent houses tend to have some unifying characteristics, and the nationality with which that brand is associated tends to have some similarities. You might call them types, or flavors. The three with which I'm most familiar are English, Italian and French, all with significant scent brands. They all have virtues, but long experimentation has taught me that I most often prefer the French variety of scents.
In this thread I am going to discuss some fine scents which compose my winter scent wardrobe. Characteristically, I will start with a scent which is likely to be the most challenging scent I describe, simply because it's currently the scent about which I'm most passionate.
This is Annick Goutal's Encens Flamboyant. - This scent was first offered in 2007 and was composed by perfumers Camille Goutal and Isabelle Doyen. Fine scents are often compared to musical compositions with top, middle and base scent notes as the scent evolves during wear.
Encens Flamboyant roughly translates to flaming incense. It's intended to echo frankincense and fine fir resins added to a smoldering fire. And it does! The main notes I, and many others detect are smoke and pine. The smoke hits first and can be a bit harsh, perhaps almost medicinal until it quiets down when the smell of pine begins to become more prominent. As I said, it's challenging, but for me it becomes both warm, yet somewhat mysterious as the notes play hide and seek with each other. And despite this description, this is really a subtle scent which stays close to the skin despite being EDP strength. Those used to the strong, sweet scents which are more typical of drug/department store scents that hit you over the head shouldn't waste their time with it. But those who like incense and pine, and apply this scent sparingly and dispersed, may find themselves enwrapped in a subtle winter mystery.
![1577983977657.png]()
Some men have been taught that any fine scent is offensive. Others that if the scent is detectable, it's too strong. That's unfortunate. However the basis for this may be that some scents often are offensive, and that if a wearer has elected to bathe in one, it will be overpowering. It's interesting that many, if not most, of the best scents often aren't as strong as the cheaper ones. And without delving into the various reasons for this, I find this characteristic useful, as I require any scent I wear to be worn discretely.
There are many good ways in which to choose which of our fine scents we wish to wear. I've found that different scents lend themselves better to some seasons than others. Consequently, I tend to rotate my scents by season.
Long ago I bypassed the heavily advertised scents, usually associated with international designer brands, and often advertised by depicting Vikings or Greek gods. Instead I find I typically prefer lesser known fine scents which are made by firms which mostly stick to the business of making scent.
While fine scent is an international business with the same perfumers (Noses) often designing scents for various brands, scent houses tend to have some unifying characteristics, and the nationality with which that brand is associated tends to have some similarities. You might call them types, or flavors. The three with which I'm most familiar are English, Italian and French, all with significant scent brands. They all have virtues, but long experimentation has taught me that I most often prefer the French variety of scents.
In this thread I am going to discuss some fine scents which compose my winter scent wardrobe. Characteristically, I will start with a scent which is likely to be the most challenging scent I describe, simply because it's currently the scent about which I'm most passionate.
This is Annick Goutal's Encens Flamboyant. - This scent was first offered in 2007 and was composed by perfumers Camille Goutal and Isabelle Doyen. Fine scents are often compared to musical compositions with top, middle and base scent notes as the scent evolves during wear.
Encens Flamboyant roughly translates to flaming incense. It's intended to echo frankincense and fine fir resins added to a smoldering fire. And it does! The main notes I, and many others detect are smoke and pine. The smoke hits first and can be a bit harsh, perhaps almost medicinal until it quiets down when the smell of pine begins to become more prominent. As I said, it's challenging, but for me it becomes both warm, yet somewhat mysterious as the notes play hide and seek with each other. And despite this description, this is really a subtle scent which stays close to the skin despite being EDP strength. Those used to the strong, sweet scents which are more typical of drug/department store scents that hit you over the head shouldn't waste their time with it. But those who like incense and pine, and apply this scent sparingly and dispersed, may find themselves enwrapped in a subtle winter mystery.
