Clive Christian C for Men

I don’t want to like a Clive Christian fragrance. I don’t want to like any fragrance that costs more that six months of cable. I’ve actually tried to avoid smelling some of the other ones that cost a month’s rent or so since I was afraid they’d be all that and I’d just be staring at it every time I walk into Saks or Neimans and think, well maybe I should..

Clive Christian C for Men is nearly all that, but not quite. It’s undeniably a luxury fragrance, dense and almost chewy in richness. The saleslady at Neiman Marcus came over with scent strips, saying not to spray it on skin first, since if I loved or hated it I’d be living with it for the rest of the day. One tiny spritz is room-filling, two might be room clearing. It calms down a little after the first big leather/smoke/saffron opening to let some of the iris, amber and oudh, but it’s never a shy or retiring scent. My one spritz lasted well into the next day even with hand washing and only time will tell if my green polo shirt will ever smell of anything else ever again. No bad thing that..

My issue with Clive Christian C for Men is that I can think of so many different scents that do this spicy leather tobacco thing such as Knize Ten or Annick Goutal Duel that I either have or have access to for far less cash. I will admit that C is, once again, a fragrance that pretty much says “LUXURY” in all caps. It’s also a fragrance that if I was given I’d happily wear. But it’s simply not something I’d buy for myself.

Clive Christian C for Men is $375 for 50ML at Saks, Nordstrom and Neiman Marcus, where I tested.

Knize Ten is $70 for the same size at Luckyscent.  Duel is $115 for 100 ML Just sayin’