Hi there Posse, The Northern Hemisphere is in the thrall of summer. Sweltering days and sweaty nights. Normally we would reach for the cooling draughts of 4711, Malle’s Geranium Pour Monsieur and Jacomo Silences. Excellent refreshers all. Often I have a different way that I beat the heat. Run with it. Wear explosive, heavy and intricate fragrance. Blast the heat away by becoming a tapestry of intricate beauty and weight. Gold Man is a perfect foil. Sounds counter intuitive yeah? Try it, sometimes running to the heart of the firey furnace is the only way.
OK, many of you will not be familiar with Amouage Gold Man. It’s got the word man on it, which could be a problem for some women. It comes all the way from 1983 and is rarely talked about on the scentbloggosphere anymore because what we are primarily chattering about is the next big thing. Lastly, and I think one of the biggest problems is that this heavy handed, opulent oriental seems to be going out of style. Especially when there are perfumistas who remember how this smelled in the early days. Like everything from pre 2000 Amouage Gold Man has changed a bit, regulations and availability of ingredients has made everyone scarper to keep things as similar as possible.
Here’s the thing though. I think Amouage Gold Man is better and much more wearable now. SHHHH! Don’t tell anyone because they might revoke my perfumista card. I’m telling you all on the down low because I want you to search some out and try it.
Gold Man by Amouage 1983
Guy Robert
Parfumo gives these featured accords:
Top: Dog rose, Lily-of-the-valley, Frankincense
Heart: Orris root, Jasmine, Myrrh
Base: Amber, Oakmoss, Musk, Patchouli, Sandalwood, Cedar, Civet
Imagine CHANEL No 5. Yeah? You got that olfactory picture in your head? Now add a bunch of extra resinous stuff and a hit of animalics that gives the fragrance a hearty, lightly body haired, healthy, twenty something muscle mans jock after sport aroma. The roses are woody, the iris earthy and the patchouli gives a depth, base and burnish to the amber. Lasting power is excellent still and you will have a fabulous sillage.
The best way to do this is have a cool bath, dry and moisturise lightly. Turn your phone to silent. Put your damp towel down on the floor, under a fan if you have one. Now spritz heavily. Lie down on the towel and relax for 15-30 minutes. Let your mind blow with the fragrance and breath deeply. I promise you’ll get up refreshed and cooled.
Surrender To Chance has samples
How do you beat the heat?
Portia xx
Portia also writes for Australian Perfume Junkies
I love a heavy hitter in the heat! When I lived in Los Angeles with dry heat especially, I’d often go for a big jasmine like Grandiflora’s Queen of the Night.
I haven’t had the opportunity to check out Gold Man, but I’m absolutely in love with Silver Man. I don’t think I’ve ever smelled anything quite like it, and it’s probably my favorite masculine fragrance (at least in my collection).
I always loved this. It takes me back to Harrods, 1983. Don bought this, the bottle was crystal with an ornate top. I got the woman’s in the crystal teardrop bottle. He eventually moved to the Silver, but I still have 2 teardrop bottles…an heir and a spare.
I beat the heat these days with heavy AC. This is the first time in all my years in LA that I have central AC. I don’t use it much, but when it is really hot it is a godsend..
Scent-wise I agree that sometimes a heavy hitter can be a good thing. Sometimes I will pull out and Uncle Serge that you would think would peel paint in the heat. But they work..
Hey there tom,
AC can be an absolute godsend. We also rarely use ours but when we do the relief is real.
Serge heftier doc really well in the heat. LOVE them.
Portia xx
I have not met an Amouage that I don’t like. My favorite is Fate and Lyric, but Woman’s Gold, Ubar, Dia are faves as well. I’ve never sampled Gold Man and I’m sure I’d love it, especially the vintage.
I wear heavy hitters year round regardless of heat, I just love big perfumes and more my style!
YAY Kathleen,
Another Amouage fan.
Yeah, perfumistas are less climate controlled generally. It feels so subversive to me though.
Portia xx
It’s no secret that Amouage and I don’t like each other. There is simply no chemistry between us. 😉
I still like SMN Caprifoglio for summer. Sometimes it’s honeysuckle, other times it’s more jasmine. When it’s gone I probably will not replace it. I am still looking for a great honeysuckle. Two other summer perfumes for me are CDG Lily (lily-of-the-valley) and Frassai Verano Porteño, citrus and jasmine (Verano Porteño = Buenos Aires Summer – oh ya)
Hey there Maya,
Santa Maria Novella do some wonderful fragrances. Caprifoglio has passed me by though, I’ll look out for it.
Portia xx
I agree that the men’s Gold is better. And I love what you say about leaning into the heat, because sometimes I do that too — possibly the most ill-advised scent I love to revel in when it’s hot and humid is Papillon’s Salome, which is INSANE, but fabulous. Pure sex.
OMG Hczerwiec, Salome in the hot weather must be totally outrageous. Go you.
Portia xx
Love the last bit about how to wear it in the heat. :-). I don’t recall how the men’s smells but the women’s smells like very expensive soap to me. The vintage was so much richer, with actual frankincense in it.
Hey TaraC,
Yeah, the old one was a real animalic resinous monster. I can understand why you loved it but would you reach for it as often as you can the modern?
Portia xx
I do wear the vintage more often, it was not terribly animalic on me and I’m not wild about smelling of soap.
I love wearing heavy hitters in the heat…. something about the heat amps up the sweet and ambers on fragrances like SSS Winter Woods and MFK Absolu Pour Le Soir.
Hi there Brigitte,
Yeah! Absolu Pour Le Soir is a real heat buster, so fabulously feral. YUM!
Portia xx
I find that the men’s version of Gold is much more wearable than the women’s version. They are basically them same but Gold Man is not quite as dense nor as loaded on the animalics. Do I wear the men’s version, not often enough. Too many people that I know say it stinks.
I beat the heat by wearing Kyoto, Zagorsk and no 19 during the day but wear Lyric, Epic or vintage BaV at night.
Hiya Eldarwen22,
VINTAGE BaL in summer! Excellent choice for sultry evenings, so rich, like brocade.
Portia xx