Boy, am I tired.
I have a trip planned for September during which I go hither and thither around Europe. For much of it I will be visiting places related to my mother’s family. Part way through I am staying with friends in Prague and at the end I have a few days in Paris and have plans to see a friend there too (and shop – big smiley face).
The first leg of my journey once on the Continent was meant to be a night train from Paris to Vienna. However, the trains weren’t opening up for booking and when I did some digging I discovered there are no trains on that route in September. So, mad scramble looking around and thankfully I can travel from Brussels. So, my first day looks like this: from home to London (arrive around 10 AM); mad dash from Paddington to St Pancras for Eurostar to Brussels leaving 1 PM and arriving around 4:30; take a deep breath and get Nightjet from Brussels to Vienna (at least the Eurostar and the Nightjet are at same station) – leaving around 7 PM, arriving in Vienna the next morning around 10 AM. I booked a single compartment with a shower – ie, I’m treating this like a night in a hotel – just on wheels and far from luxurious but hopefully reasonably pleasant. Please.
Which leads me to masculines.
I have around five hours in Vienna before the next leg of the journey and beyond cake and hot chocolate (and looking at central Vienna and riding trams) I’m going to the Knize shop to buy myself a bottle of Knize 10 at the source.
You can sort of find the fragrance here but I’m looking forward to attempting to buy it with my rudimentary German.
I’ll take pictures.
So, yes, masculines. I know we don’t give two hoots about what a perfume is labelled but when I surfaced from my mad booking and paying (my bank now knows I’m going to Europe in the autumn) it occurred to me I could spin a post from this.
So, my three fave masculines (today, at this moment).
Well, Knize 10, of course. Leather floral. This is very wearable on me, as opposed to more skanky leathers. It is refined: timeless, cool, great manners: someone who doesn’t have to try. I like it very much on me but have loved it more on male friends. Very come hither. I’ve been hankering after a bottle for a very long time.
My second entry is Tauer Perfumes Lonestar Memories. Birch tar cowboy bit of rough in the prairie. Much heavier and skankier than the Knize. This seems to me when Andy Tauer decided geranium should have higher billing in perfume. While I like this on me it needs to be layered or it’s simply too much. Sticking it over a rose works really well. Again, I’ve smelled this on men friends and it’s like catnip – so so good.
Finally, l’Artisan Parfumeur Mechant Loup, but the much older version, like from a couple of decades ago. The current one is wan in comparison. Sweet rough hazelnut. I once tried to find the person wearing this on a London tube train as whoever it was smelled sooooo good (clearly, I didn’t find them). I own a bottle of this and I wear it every once in a while but as with the Tauer it is better on men than on me – so.much.better.
So, feel like playing? Let us know your three fave masculines – this moment, today, whathaveyou – on you or on others.
Pics: Pexels and wiki
I have a crush on Chanel Egoiste at the moment, my bottle was acquired in a swap. I used to love Chanel Antaeus on the right guy, I would probably like it for myself these days.
Your trip sounds exciting and fun! Looking forward to your posts.
Your Eurotrip sounds marvelous! I absolutely love train travel and I really love traveling by train through France – and hope to do it again someday. Brussels is always my jumping-off point .
I don’t think I have 3 – but I do have one and it’s currently on my dresser: Malle’s Geranium pour Monsieur. I have the shower gel (sooo pretty), the body lotion (ditto) and the perfume (even dittoier). I remember Malle himself wearing it and when it dries down it’s subtly glorious (on a man). Dunno if it’s subtly anything on me, since I soak myself in it.
Ah, yes, trains. Much more interesting — and more pleasant — than planes in my view. I haven’t smelled the Malle since it was released so now I need to again.
Subtlety is overrated.
Anything worth doing is worth doing to excess
Looking around the desk and grab tray for masculine advertised perfume was interesting Cinnamon. Currently Eau des Merveilles Bleue by Hermès, Granville by DIOR and Obsession Man by Calvin Klein (very old bottle).
Portia xx
‘Grab tray’? When you said Obsession for some reason my brain went the Halston bottle, but no.
I’ve got an old drinks tray that holds about 35 of my most reached for. Sits on the drawers within my wardrobe. It gets a refresh every season. Well, almost every season. TBH summer is still in there right now with a couple of ambers.
One vote for L’Instant Pour Homme.
It’s so much fun seeing which perfumes people adore.
I would be thrilled to smell any of these in the wild: Pascal Morabito Or Black, Guerlain Habit Rouge, and Dior Jules
Jules has artemisia in the notes. Now really need to smell it.
I have a sample of HR in extrait – and it’s fabulous!!!
Eau Sauvage, Grey Flannel, Byredo Oud Immortel.
I think we’re developing a theme here, regarding Eau Sauvage.
My two favorite masculines are GB Grey Flannel and Cartier Declaration. I also have 10 unisex scents, and my fav of those would be Chanel Sycomore edt. They’re all either green, grassy, or woodsy. Lots of galbanum and vetiver. Your September trip sounds great!
I find vetiver perplexing. I want to love it but it really doesn’t love me. Is Declaration big carnation?
Declaration has a lot of cardamom. I sniffed it with March in person at an event at the French Embassy where Luca Turin was lecturing once, and she thought it smelled like fresh, clean sweat.
“Fresh, clean sweat”. Ok, sign me up.
Well you two have taken a few of my faves but I’ll add in Caron Yatagan with its spicy, leathery goodness, the oldest version of Canoe by Dana- if Eau Sauvage is a yacht in the south of France then Canoe is a crew scull on the Charles, and Goutal Eau de Monsieur, the citrus/mint/geranium wonder that nor only survived AG dropping the “A” but thrives.
Can’t wait to read what you find on your trip!
I remember the Canoe commercials. Sigh. Never tried that Goutal. On to the list it goes.
Ooooooh, I love the Knize store! And Vienna in general, I had such a great time there with a girlfriend … there are two perfume shops not too far from Knize, Galop and Maison de Parfum, they have websites you can browse and see if anything catches your eye. Masculines: Lonestar Memories, Derby, a zesty barbershop aftershave.
Will take the names of the other shops, though I don’t have a lot of time in the city. A friend has said the architecture is amazing.
Hmmm…. A*Men A Taste of Fragrance. Perfect chilli pepper in coffee. Dior Eau Sauvage & Acqua di Parma Colonia. These latter two smell how perfectly tailored gentlemen with just a hint of grey should smell
Chilli pepper in coffee. Need to try that. Nice descriptive regarding the other two.
David Niven wore the AdP & it’s a perfect fit