Basenotes indicates that C&S Rose, Dark Rose, and Mimosa are women's fragrances, and the rest are unisex. Does that sound right to you guys? I ordered a sample pack and want to share some of it with my wife.
Thanks.
Thanks.
C&S question
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I absolutely think that C&S Rose, Dark Rose, and Mimosa work as women's fragrances. The first and last of these to me work better as women's scents, probably, to the extent Mimosa works at all. Both are rather light and floral. The Rose a very pure light rose. I like my masculine rose scents to tend toward that otto/Bulgariam rose side. Not this light English rose or whatever they call it. Very much like the Pen's Elisabethian rose.
To me Dark Rose is equisitely a unisex scent. Great on a woman--although arguably a little "Goth." Arguably a little daring on a man, but not very daring--and certainly not that daring given 88--but a very nice, dark scent, that I would not say is very feminine in the traditional sense.
Questions as to Basenotes listings for C&S scents as unisex or feminine has come up previously. Anytime C&S materials say that a scent is enjoyed by men and women or something to that effect, Basenotes seems to list the scent as unisex, and where C&S does not say that, C&S lists the scent as unisex, with one exception. C&S does not seem to refer to Frankincense & Myrrh are being enjoyed by both sexes, yet Basenotes lists it as unisex, which I would say it the correct listing.
To me the unisex C&S scents lean toward the masculine, although I like scent on a woman that has some umph. Are there really women that wear Cuba or even 88? If so good for them! To me the Neroli has a very barbershop quality with a strong ashtray element that says it is a traditionally masculine frag, although without that kind of history I do not know that that frag would be inherently masculine. I really, really like Citrus Paradisi on me, but I guess I can see it working on a woman, too. Big ashtray component to it. O&C is lavender and peppermint, so unisex, why not?
To me Dark Rose is equisitely a unisex scent. Great on a woman--although arguably a little "Goth." Arguably a little daring on a man, but not very daring--and certainly not that daring given 88--but a very nice, dark scent, that I would not say is very feminine in the traditional sense.
Questions as to Basenotes listings for C&S scents as unisex or feminine has come up previously. Anytime C&S materials say that a scent is enjoyed by men and women or something to that effect, Basenotes seems to list the scent as unisex, and where C&S does not say that, C&S lists the scent as unisex, with one exception. C&S does not seem to refer to Frankincense & Myrrh are being enjoyed by both sexes, yet Basenotes lists it as unisex, which I would say it the correct listing.
To me the unisex C&S scents lean toward the masculine, although I like scent on a woman that has some umph. Are there really women that wear Cuba or even 88? If so good for them! To me the Neroli has a very barbershop quality with a strong ashtray element that says it is a traditionally masculine frag, although without that kind of history I do not know that that frag would be inherently masculine. I really, really like Citrus Paradisi on me, but I guess I can see it working on a woman, too. Big ashtray component to it. O&C is lavender and peppermint, so unisex, why not?
I ordered the sample pack too, and my wife immediately nabbed the Rose and Dark Rose. She liked them a lot--the Dark Rose is on her wish list.
What's with all the roses? Has that bottle of Hammam awakened some terrible desire?
What's with all the roses? Has that bottle of Hammam awakened some terrible desire?
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- #4
Um, I'd really rather not talk about that in a public forum . . .
I'll be watching the papers.
I am at home now with these brand new C&S samples on theri little card in front of me.
I was wrong about the F&M and Basenotes is consistent. While the scent description on-line at C&S says nothing about men and women, the card the sample is on has the C&S unisex language "Enjoyed by both men and women."
Also, I thought I did not like the Mimosa at all, but when I last smelled it, I must have been thinking about it solely in terms of a masculine. I simply cannot imagine this on a guy. But right now it seems a killer feminine scent. Seems very honeysuckle, which brings up all sorts of good connotations to me, but it also has some complex elements. I will be curious as to what you and your wife think.
Also, i would say that the Rose is a bit more complex that I had remembered. Not quite as pure and light as the Pen's E Rose, but in the same neighborhood and I would say genre. Englilsh/bourbon rose was the name I was looking for below, as contrasted with Bulgarian rose. Definitely some geranium in there. I have some Cyril Salter Wild Rose shaving cream that I adore that is very close to this, so I guess I would be exaggerating if I said I could not see this as a masculine scent at all.
Maybe it is just me, but I can so see wearing this one myself but also really, really liking it on a woman, Goth or not. Not very many scents I can say this about. Elixir comes to mind as one possibility!
I was wrong about the F&M and Basenotes is consistent. While the scent description on-line at C&S says nothing about men and women, the card the sample is on has the C&S unisex language "Enjoyed by both men and women."
Also, I thought I did not like the Mimosa at all, but when I last smelled it, I must have been thinking about it solely in terms of a masculine. I simply cannot imagine this on a guy. But right now it seems a killer feminine scent. Seems very honeysuckle, which brings up all sorts of good connotations to me, but it also has some complex elements. I will be curious as to what you and your wife think.
Also, i would say that the Rose is a bit more complex that I had remembered. Not quite as pure and light as the Pen's E Rose, but in the same neighborhood and I would say genre. Englilsh/bourbon rose was the name I was looking for below, as contrasted with Bulgarian rose. Definitely some geranium in there. I have some Cyril Salter Wild Rose shaving cream that I adore that is very close to this, so I guess I would be exaggerating if I said I could not see this as a masculine scent at all.
Maybe it is just me, but I can so see wearing this one myself but also really, really liking it on a woman, Goth or not. Not very many scents I can say this about. Elixir comes to mind as one possibility!
Cstrother has provided some great, comprehensive comments. I would just add that, to me, the Dark Rose might be an alternative for someone (man or woman) who wants the dark rose scent without the animalic note that is in the #88.
To me, some scents are obviously masculine or feminine, but there are many that seem in-between. I also saw the feminine characterization of Dark Rose, but I don't see it that way at all.
Do you see it as especially suitable for unisex as I do, or do you go beyond me and see it as more a masculine? Just curious.
jakespoppy: <I would just add that, to me, the Dark Rose might be an alternative for someone (man or woman) who wants the dark rose scent without the animalic note that is in the #88.>
Excellent point and so well said. I generally do not have any problem wiht animalic notes myself, but as I have said many times I admire 88 for what it is, which may be something of a masterpiece. But I have mixed feeliings about actually wearing 88, because of some of exactly what jakepoppy is referring to. That is why I think I really like SCS' Rosa Damascena better than 88--because some of those elements are more muted and the dark rose more in the foreground. C&S Dark Rose has the elements I really like in 88 even more upfront, not that DR is completely uncomplicated.
I would think that most folks that like 88 would like DR, too, and am always surprised that 88 gets so much attention, and DR so little. I think much of it is C&S's own marketing.
C&S ought to pay me. I really come across as a C&S fan boy! Not sure I like that.
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- #10
I know some guys were having a problem with delivery of their sample packs from C&S, so I wanted to mention that they seem to have solved the problem. I ordered mine on Jan. 10 and just got it today.
I ordered mine about 1 week ago and received mine today as well.
Quite the sea change in service! I wonder if this means they are going to raise their prices!
Let's get busy with those rose samples--with any luck, you can have that jug of Hammam up on the BST by the weekend and head on down to Cambridge Chemists!
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- #14
What are you talking about? Hammam Bouquet is what real men are wearing:
[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_aIW33xGqs[/YOUTUBE]
Hah! Bunny Wigglesworth should be the official mascot for Hammam Bouquet!
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- #16
I think the rose notes in the No. 88 and the Dark Rose are much purer and more pronounced than in the Hammam. Do you guys agree?
1750's versus 1980's. Yeah, they are different roses.
My strong suspicision is that 88 in particular, but probably also Dark Rose, is as much about geranium as it about true rose! Also HB is probably English or tea rose rather than the 88/Dark Rose Bulgarian/Damascus rose. English rose is just not going to be as forceful.
But I agree in that to me HB is not really a rose frag. I would say that DR and 88 both are. 88 has lots of other stuff going on, but I do not know how one would classify it except as basically a rose frag. Of course, I am not fully sure how to classify HB--oriental, perhaps, but with a lot of floral and powder to it?
