Masculine ou Féminine
9 years ago by
I’ve never been ultra femme when it comes to perfumes.
In fact, I generally wear a cologne. It all started when I was in Paris some 4 years ago, I stayed with some family friends and spotted a beautiful bottle which I thought was women’s perfume, it smelled so elegant and strong. Turns out, when I went to go purchase it for myself, there was no Christian Dior Eau de Cologne — I was in the wrong department. The gentleman at the men’s counter was equally as confused when I said it was for myself, and then I gave him a whiff of my wrist and he said something like “Oh it’s so nice on a woman, who knew!”
My other favorite scent is Musk from Kiehl’s, super traditional and maybe a tad sweet. I like to wear the roll on version, but recently discovered the spray which gives a slightly different effect on the body (especially delicious for the winter months). I have to admit that even the third scent in my cabinet is a unisex one by Assembly New York, a gift from someone who knew my love of not wanting to smell like a citrus fruit. And I know you might be thinking, if you wear a men’s cologne, won’t you smell like a dude? But the truth is, we have such different pheromones that every part of a perfume or cologne or oil reacts differently.
So what do you think, will you dare to cross into the men’s section?
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As a migraineur who tends to avoid fruity or floral scents like the plague I only wear men´s perfumes. Prada’s Infusion d’Homme is my latest passion.
ma mère mettait toujours Eau Sauvage sur ses poignets :)
http://www.therocamadour.fr
i wear egoiste platinum by chanel (men’s) and concentre d’orange verte by hermes (unisex). i don’t do feminine scents, they’re too sweet…
http://littleaesthete.com
Got to try it!!! Sisley’s Eau d’ Ikar is very nice on women, too!!! And, in addition, the one and only Etro – Messe de Minuit, which is more of a unisex scent anyway!! a rather masculine fragrance can be exciting. Bisoux, Anne!
Absolutely love Viktor & Rolf’s Spicebomb – perfect for Autumn/ Winter months.
I adore the Acqua di Parma colognes which are sort of gender-neutral I guess. It’s important to me that a perfume have natural ingredients so it doesn’t stay too strong all day, after a few hours it ought to fade a little or it drives me crazy.
I always prefer men fragrances to women´s, which I find so overpowering at times…
Serge Lutens’ Ambre Sultan is THE BEST on wear-all-your-cashmere, deep-winter days!
Neutral perfumes are always good, for both men and women :)
http://theburberryponcho.blogspot.com.es/
As someone who hates florals, I have long learned to turn to men’s perfume! Recent favourites are Valentino’s Uomo (the video with Louis Garrel is gorgeous) and Lolita Lempicka for men.
I must have some terrible skin chemistry, all Chanel perfumes smell like sea salt on me. The only feminine perfume that I find acceptable is Hermès’ “L’Ambre des Merveilles”…
guerlain men perfumes. the best.
I adore Tobacco Toscano from Santa Maria Novella (one of their unisex scents).. I splash it on but it never seems overpowering. The soaps are also wonderful and make great gifts.
See our new line of accessories coming soon:
http://www.officinadelpoggio.com
I’ve been wearing the same perfume since I was 14 years old (Samsara by Guerlain). PS: They make the best candles too, but I only ever find them in Paris :(
http://www.trovea.com
I love a more masculine smell when it comes to perfumes. Mac had an amazing unisex scent and they discontinued it! so bummed. My boyfriend doesn’t like perfume on me so I never wear any
giveaway on my blog!
http://hashtagliz.com
Ahah! Je mets du déodorant pour homme. Je ne sais pas si je vais m’aventurer pour le parfum pour homme. J’ai un nouveau parfum à ma collection: Flowerbomb de Viktor & Rolf. Je l’aime tellement, il fait plus femme mais il est léger à la fois, c’est comme ça que je le décrirais. J’utilisais l’Impératrice de D&G mais je l’adore tout autant. J’ai quand même donné une pause.
Tom Ford and Comme des Garcons create gorgeous fragrances to be shared with a lover, and the smell on your own skin and clothes is always different to the way it smells on him.
Why not? if it works with your own scent and skin, I can imagine it to bevery seductive. And a lot of men perfume these days are very sweet. I would prefer them to be more masculine for them, so maybe they are just right for us. Love Kiehls musk.
Simona
Lake&Moon
Absolutely! Korres has two great Eau de Toilette which are supposed to be for men – plus, they are more natural than what you usually get: Vetiver/Green Tea/Cedarwood and Saffron/Amber/Cardamom. In fact, I just ordered two bottles – one as a Christmas gift for a male friend, and one for me!
Well…I ‘ve been into the cologne thing myself for years…SOOOO glad to see that I am not the only one!!
Here’s my favourite…http://www.yohannasof.blogspot.gr/2014/03/clarins.html#more
Kisses
y
Original Musk from Kiehl’s is part of my daily mix! ;-)
My only venture into men’s perfumes was Carolina Herrera 212 which was too strong for me! But given my onssession this season with all things borrowed from the boys, I might cheat on my beloved Gypsy Water…
Ana
http://www.champagnegirlsabouttown.co.uk
Perfect timing with this post! I’m looking for a more masculine perfume but not necessarily from the men’s dept. I use Miss Dior Cherie Eau Fraiche , which is a little bit more masculine than feminine. I love it but it was limited edition so no chance to buy it again! The problem with men’s perfume they’re very often too spicy/sweet. Anyone can recommend a fresh, more citrus and woodsy scent?
My boyfriend and I are always interchanging our fragrances. I love to layer mine: starting with an oud oil behind my neck, something leathery/masculine like Chanel Sycomore topped with a spicy floral like L’ombre dans L’eau on my decollete then a dot of Carnal Flower by Frederic Malle under my ‘eve’s apple and on my wrists. The layering options change but its always an oil, something dark and masculine then a deep floral. Masculine scents on a woman I find so alluring and mysterious but only in winter. In the summer time, au naturel = so sexy.
How nice to read this post! I always wear men fragances… I find them better that women scents. I love Siete by Loewe, or Dior Homme Cologne. The classic Le Male by Gaultier is also a must in my fragance wardrobe. These men scents are lighter, fresher and more vibrant than most women fragances, which I usually find too sweet or too powerful.
xx,
E.
http://www.theslowpace.com
Brie essayez l’eau de cologne pour homme de Thierry Mugler, je la porte depuis trois ans je l’adore !
Entièrement d’accord ! Ce parfum s’adapte totalement à la peau des femmes, il est frais et tellement agréable en été …
Certains parfums de femme ont tendance à “prendre le nez”, on ne sent plus que ça. Les parfums d’hommes sont plus subtils, on les sent biensûr, mais avec, on peut aussi sentir l’odeur de notre lessive sur nos vêtements, l’odeur de notre shampoing sur nos cheveux … Toutes ces odeurs qui font notre identité quoi :)
Depuis des années je porte du parfum pour hommes.
Je n’ai jamais aime les fragrances féminines sur moi. Il y avait un truc qui collait pas. Ça ne me correspondait pas.
J’ai commencé a l’adolescence a porter le parfum de mon amoureux et depuis je me suis vite approprier ces odeurs “masculines ”
Maintenant c’est devenu un signe de reconnaissance, une espèce de signature.
Mon parfum préféré ? Le mâle de Gaultier depuis des années et oui ;)))
Des bisous depuis Bruxelles.
M, you can try my favorite, Dior Homme Cologne. This is citrus, light and very pleasant (don’t quite understand why it’s a men perfume, it doesn’t actually smells masculine to me).
Rox
Oh yeah, I wear both men’s & women’s, although I love a citrus scent. I like Guerlain eau de cologne Imperiale for summer. Creed makes wonderful men’s fragrances like Tabac or Silver Mountain Water – fabulous on a woman. We don’t all want to smell like sickly sweet flowers! Blech! My favorite women’s scent is Hermes Un Jardin en Mediterranee.
Oops! The Creed name should be Tabarome Millisime :)
Yes! I like some men’s fragrances even more than most of the women’s (to complex and heavy).But I don’t wear them. My trick is to give my favorite scent as a present to my husband. So I can always get a sniff of. Happily he has similiar taste – fresh and little spicy like Creed ‘Erolfa ‘ and ‘Silver Mountain Water’ or (more affordable) ‘Kiton Men’. Personally I wear airy scents like Annik Goutal ‘Eau d’Hadrien’ or Serge Lutens ‘L’eau’.
Oh oui je suis allée fouiner du côté des hommes et me suis délectée un temps avec Déclaration homme de Cartier. Il est puissant, animal mais son odeur m’a fait chavirer du coup je l’ai porté en me disant : “qu’il m’aille ou pas je suis folle de cette odeur et c’est moi qui la sentirai le plus de toute façon”. J’ai eu droit à de nombreuses réactions le concernant il ne laisse pas indifférent, hommes ou femmes on ne m’a jamais autant questionné sur mon parfum. J’ai été idiote j’ai dit à mes copines son nom et plusieurs l’ont acheté, du coup après l’avoir senti sur des amis qui me disent “Oh je suis désolée c’est ton parfum mais bon il me fait trop d’effet blabla” je l’ai laissé tomber… Mais j’en ai trouvé un autre, masculin aussi et là cross my heart c’est motus & bouche cousue :) (chez Byredo)
Well even though I love perfumes and really can find something special about the super feminine ones, I tend to stick with those that I can’t get enough in long term using and surprisingly most of them are unisex scents. Hermes Eau de Gentiane blanche, Kiehl’s Original Musk, Chanel Sycomore and my favourite one: Narciso Rodriguez for Her EDT – this one is more feminine than the others but it’s really worth trying, just like the Bruno Acampora Musk – so musky and so sexy!
You should try Le Labo’s Santal 33 and Vetiver 46, I always get compliments when I wear them (especially the Santal)!
I wear Cannabis Rose and/or Cannabis Sanchal by Fresh. The Rose is very ‘Rose” but mixed with the men’s Sanchal, it is divine. Or I wear each separately. The Sanchal is my husbands, but he likes the way it smells on me.
I wear Viktor and Rolf’s Spicebomb. Women’s scents are usually too floral for me.
yes! i almost exclusively wear masculine scents. musk is a favorite as is jo malone’s amber & lavender, which she originally developed for her husband.
I love men’s fragrances. My signature scent is Jo Malone’s Amber and Lavender, which they’re now calling unisex. I also wear the Kiehl’s Musk.
A more important question: Would you wear the same perfume as your boy ? Will he find it appealing ?
I don’t know if it’s available in the US, but Korres is a beautiful Greek brand, they were doing natural and organic way before it became popular. Their unisex fragrances are subtle, sophisticated, understated- the kind of scent where you could just be a person who smells naturally beautiful. I’m also not a fan of smelling like a kid’s sweet shop, so i stock up on this at duty free (and the lotion….and everything else) and everyone ALWAYS asks about it!
Kiehl’s musk ispira my winter fragrance. Love it so much, perfect for my skin.
I always tend to head to the mens section! I love something fresh with a bit of interesting twist without being too sandalwood… if you get what I mean… :)
you can compare Eau Sauvage and the “Eau Dynamisante” from Clarins, it’s bearly the same fragance !
Dear Garance,
You must try Tabacco Toscano from La Galleria SantaMaria Novella…!!!!!
Me too hate smelling fruity or flowery…
BTW as a Spanish femme of a certain age I’m very proud of your collaboration with Zara!!!!
Chèr Garance…j´ai porte Philosykos de Diptyque (tu dois l´essayer), L´eau D´hiver et Angeliques sous la pluie de Frederic Malle (des parfums pour sentir moi même et le gens qui sont plus proches de moi… non pour déranger les autres)…ils rencontent des histoires…aussi la mienne…
Ups! desolé…Brie pas Garance
I love this…and have been waiting to try Chanel’s Bleu for men…maybe now I will.
Just stumbled into a Zadie&Voltaire for Men. It is very masculine, straightforward but you can’t really tell what it is. I tried it for my husband but end up using it myself. Just love it!