Geranium Pour Monsieur by Dominique Ropion for Frederic Malle

[mheusler]

I fell in love this guy, I'm sure most of you remember the thread that I started on the Frederic Malle Store. Here are my thoughts on the scent that I picked up and the brand in general.

Maximilian

 

[Schad]

Really enjoyed the video Max. I like that it's a normal guy talking about fragrances. Not using flowery poetic language but talking like a regular guy.

I like GPM. Don't love it, but like it more now that I did when I first got it. I know it's blasphemy for the niche fans, but I actually prefer Cartier Roadster as my favorite minty scent. Roadster is a bit menthol/medicinal and darker wood than GPM.

Roadster > GPM > Selection Verte. The Heeley Fraiche was good (only sampled it briefly at Barneys) too but all reviews say it is short longevity so I'm not paying $180 for something that doesn't last.

On the Malle front, I did blind buy Portrait of a Lady just now. I like Malle's option of getting the 3 x 10 ml travel sprays. I prefer these because I can take a little vial to work and put in my work bag. Also I'm paying a less amount of $ and I don't care if the size/cost ratio leans unfavorable, because I rarely finish a bottle now that I have so many bottles + decants + samples around.

 

[mheusler]

Thanks, I like Roadster too. I bought a mini bottle of it from Neiman Marcus Off The Rack and always keep it in my bag, for the rare day that I forget to spray cologne before for work. Never smelled Heeley Fraiche. I'm with you on the travel sprays, those are a fantastic and, useful option for those that prefer travel sprays or those who don't want to splurge on the big bottles. I prefer variety. I'd rather have a bunch of different options than a huge bottle of one thing that I love. I would venture a guess that most people on this board, think the same.

Max

 

[LeGaulois]

I like this perfume, but when I put Geranium in summer, all flying insects swoop down on me.

 

[mheusler]

I like this perfume, but when I put Geranium in summer, all flying insects swoop down on me.

Lol, that's definitely a problem.

 

[The Chandos]

I like this perfume, but when I put Geranium in summer, all flying insects swoop down on me.

By "flying insects" you're not talking about "women," are you?

I love Geranium pour Monsieur and it was my first introduction to Malle. It really caught me off guard because at the time Acqua di Gio was probably the "norm" to me. I bought a decant but never wore it. It's probably because shortly after I picked up a bottle of Vetiver Extraordinaire - I don't know. But for years, I still never wore it, choosing instead other perfumes. But I still appreciate Gpm for it is and still swoon under it's influence. Great stuff and a real gentleman's fragrance, especially in the summer.

 

[GarrettReid]

Max here is starting to cost me a lot of money. At first, for me it was just Creed. Then Max comes along and introduces me to By Kilian, Amouage, and now Frederic Malle.

 

[mheusler]

Lol, I have gotten that criticism from plenty of people in my time. Just be thankful that you don't shop for clothes with me, eat out with me, and that you didn't drink with me when I was in my Barolo, Amarone and vintage Reisling phase.

Max

 

[GarrettReid]

I'm looking for something like Aventus. I love the strong fruitiness to it, but a masculine fruitiness. Geranium Pour Monsieur is defiantly on my next sample batch. But what else? Nothing from By Kilian blew me away. Interlude Man and Jubilation from Amouage are the front runners from my last batch.

 

[mheusler]

I'm looking for something like Aventus. I love the strong fruitiness to it, but a masculine fruitiness. Geranium Pour Monsieur is defiantly on my next sample batch. But what else? Nothing from By Kilian blew me away. Interlude Man and Jubilation from Amouage are the front runners from my last batch.

I'll give you some roads to travel down, and let me know down the line if you indeed stop off at a suggestion. My next fragrance review is going to be of a Serge Lutens fragrance that I picked up this weekend at Aedes De Venustas. It's a very strong, high quality line of very different, approachable scents, so I would check those out. On the designer side, I'm really digging Spicebomb by Viktor and Rolf, and the Bodyshop's White Musk for men, per Katie Puckrick's review. And then on the shaving shop side, I think my next purchase is going to be Czech and Speake's Oxford and Cambridge. So stay tuned for a review of that. Another couple of niche brands that you might want to check out, that I think are doing amazing things are Escentric Molecules, and Histoires de Parfums. I actually don't really love Amouage mainly for the reason that I've seen a lot of clowns in NYC currently wearing it and I feel like it's sort of becoming the high end Ed Hardy around my parts, just my take though. Wear what you like and like what you wear is my best piece of advice.

Max

 

[Obsessed]

I actually don't really love Amouage mainly for the reason that I've seen a lot of clowns in NYC currently wearing it and I feel like it's sort of becoming the high end Ed Hardy around my parts, just my take though.

 

[The Nid Hog]

I actually don't really love Amouage mainly for the reason that I've seen a lot of clowns in NYC currently wearing it and I feel like it's sort of becoming the high end Ed Hardy around my parts, just my take though.

Amouage? Ed Hardy? For clowns? That surprises me. I think that a well-heeled Pierrot would be right at home in a nice HdP. Like Music Hall!

 

[mheusler]

Amouage? Ed Hardy? For clowns? That surprises me. I think that a well-heeled Pierrot would be right at home in a nice HdP. Like Music Hall!

Lol, I could see that.

 

[GarrettReid]

I picked up a 100 ml Neroli Portofino today and love it. It matches AoS Ocean Kelp perfectly. Talked with a nice Bond No. 9 rep today also and she is sending out a few samples of some bond scents I wanted to try. Noir Epices and Geranium are also on the way.

I need to stay away from department stores.

 

[mheusler]

I picked up a 100 ml Neroli Portofino today and love it. It matches AoS Ocean Kelp perfectly. Talked with a nice Bond No. 9 rep today also and she is sending out a few samples of some bond scents I wanted to try. Noir Epices and Geranium are also on the way.

I need to stay away from department stores.

Yes, and no. I personally think it's best to experience drug store, department store and niche fragrances. I talk about it in my New Haarlem video. I love Tabac, I love Fahrenheit and I also love those really obscure Niche scents that you need to do some work to pick up (literally, cause most ain't cheap lol). I'm going to be mixing department store and drug store fragrances in to the reviews because not everyone can afford the niche ones, and very often, you'll find better ones in a department or drug store than you will at MiN or Aedes.

Also, I think that to really round yourself out, you need to experience everything (when I say you, I mean everyone, not just you Garrett lol), it can be hard to enjoy Waygu beef if you've never had steak um's. Also a lot of niche designers start of working for the big houses, so in a way you're enjoying their genius at a discount. I was blown away by something I smelled at Sephora yesterday (it's right across the street from my office, so I always stroll in to get a feel of what's available).

Finally, as an FYI, I'm so excited for my next fragrance review, a week from Sunday. I really like what I got from Aedes. At first I was just sort of ho hum on it, but boy has it really earned my respect.

Max.

 

[GarrettReid]

In my comment I meant I need to stay away from all cologne purchases lol. I've been buying department fragrances for years now. However I am still new to niche fragrances, so that novelty factor has not worn off yet. Even with my venture into niche fragrances I haven't found anything I really like for nightfall in the niche category (Interlude and Jubilation are getting close though) and YSL L'Homme, YSL L'Homme La Nuit, and Spicebomb reign supreme in that category, for now.

 

[mheusler]

Lol my mistake. Yeah, I find Spicebomb to be pretty special myself. At night, in the niche section, try out Commes Des Garçons 2, Malle's Musc Ravageur, Bond's Wall Street. C&S's 88 and Nassomatto's China White. I find those to all be good, niche, night time fragrances.

 

[The Knize]

Good "notes"/fragrance analysis and advice in this thread by Max, and everyone else, and I like the passion. Not that I like every scent discussed!

FM Vet sure is a treasure worthy of hoarding. Glad to see C&S getting some love, even the often completely overlooked C&S Neroli I noticed a reference to in a different thread. I admit I have not tried the Tom Ford Neroli.

And a bottle of any of these is likely to go further than a bottle of Trockenbeerenauslese, much Amarone!

Still trying to figure out who and what is getting dissed and how exactly in the Amouage/Ed Hardy analogy, but given that level of difficulty how mean can it be! <g>

Anyway, good stuff! Thanks.

 

[mheusler]

Good "notes"/fragrance analysis and advice in this thread by Max, and everyone else, and I like the passion. Not that I like every scent discussed!

FM Vet sure is a treasure worthy of hoarding. Glad to see C&S getting some love, even the often completely overlooked C&S Neroli I noticed a reference to in a different thread. I admit I have not tried the Tom Ford Neroli.

And a bottle of any of these is likely to go further than a bottle of Trockenbeerenauslese, much Amarone!

Still trying to figure out who and what is getting dissed and how exactly in the Amouage/Ed Hardy analogy, but given that level of difficulty how mean can it be! <g>

Anyway, good stuff! Thanks.

Did I mention that my two favorite wines on this forum, somwhere??? Lol, I guess that I must have, but yes they are really nice Rieslings with the petrol notes and really raisin like Amarone's. Loved my Barolo too.

As far as the fragrances go, I'm going to try to do a review every week (or at lease alternate a shaving product and fragrance every other week) for as long as my wallet can take the beating. I already have 30 or 40 fragrances on ice, including stuff by Penhaligon's, C&S, Creed, Nassomatto, SMN etc.......So I should be good for awhile.

Thanks for the nice words. I hope throwing a link to Badger and Blade at the end of my video's isn't a problem. I do it because I learn/ed so much here, and want others who are interested to jump in the way that I have.

Max

 

[The Knize]

Did I mention that my two favorite wines on this forum, somwhere??? Lol, I guess that I must have, but yes they are really nice Rieslings with the petrol notes and really raisin like Amarone's. Loved my Barolo too.

As far as the fragrances go, I'm going to try to do a review every week (or at lease alternate a shaving product and fragrance every other week) for as long as my wallet can take the beating. I already have 30 or 40 fragrances on ice, including stuff by Penhaligon's, C&S, Creed, Nassomatto, SMN etc.......So I should be good for awhile.

Thanks for the nice words. I hope throwing a link to Badger and Blade at the end of my video's isn't a problem. I do it because I learn/ed so much here, and want others who are interested to jump in the way that I have.

Max

You mentioned "[your] Barolo, Amarone and vintage Reisling phase." I took a guess at Trockenbeerenauslese. I figured vintage Reisling in the company of Barolo and Amaraone had to be German. I suppose Beerenauslese would have worked, too. Maybe Eiswein, but probably not. Those are fantastic wines, for sure.

Good stuff!