The Blond and I dropped by Barneys yesterday, hoping to get a first sniff of the new Frederic Malle, Géranium Pour Monsieur (a Dominique Ropion creation). The perfume hasn't launched yet and will not be available until the second week of June, but the SA (you'll need to go downstairs to the Beauty floor. It's not at the Men's department yet) had a tester in the back room.
She has warned us that Géranium Pour Monsieur needs time to develop, because the story here is the drydown. She was right. The opening is uncomfortably minty. More chewing gum than what you'd expect from a fine fragrance. For a few dreadful moments I thought it was going to be like the stomach-turning Cartier Roadster, especially on the husband's skin. I generally don't like mint in perfume and this was no exception, though it's not really bad, just too fresh for my taste. It's cool and airy, but thankfully not aquatic or ozonic, and the mint morphs into other herbal notes within 10-15 minutes.
The geranium note was more abstract than anticipated. I thought it would be similar to Miller Harris Geranium Bourbon, which is sunny and rosy. But Géranium Pour Monsieur stays cool and somewhat aloof. It gives the impression of a pale mint-colored space, if that makes any sense. This is the most masculine part of the scent, with a clean, slightly spicy (clove? it's a bit medicinal and continues the dental hygiene theme from the opening) herbal cleanliness. I was nearly ready to write it off when it made a turn for the better, on my skin more than on the Blond's.
The drydown was very pleasant. A musky, clean skin scent (that's what I wanted from Dans tes Bras) mixed with a note that made me think of a white-washed wood. It was a bit like smelling Bois d'Orage/French Lover from afar. It got better and better with time, and lasted for hours on my skin, but faded relatively quickly on my husband. I think the base of Géranium Pour Monsieur is quite unisex, in a clean, friendly way. It feels like an ideal summer scent, and while at first I didn't think it's all that great and definitely not a must-have, it has grown on me the longer it stayed on, and one day later I find myself still thinking of it.
Image: Mint Spring I by Elena Filatov from allposterscom
She has warned us that Géranium Pour Monsieur needs time to develop, because the story here is the drydown. She was right. The opening is uncomfortably minty. More chewing gum than what you'd expect from a fine fragrance. For a few dreadful moments I thought it was going to be like the stomach-turning Cartier Roadster, especially on the husband's skin. I generally don't like mint in perfume and this was no exception, though it's not really bad, just too fresh for my taste. It's cool and airy, but thankfully not aquatic or ozonic, and the mint morphs into other herbal notes within 10-15 minutes.
The geranium note was more abstract than anticipated. I thought it would be similar to Miller Harris Geranium Bourbon, which is sunny and rosy. But Géranium Pour Monsieur stays cool and somewhat aloof. It gives the impression of a pale mint-colored space, if that makes any sense. This is the most masculine part of the scent, with a clean, slightly spicy (clove? it's a bit medicinal and continues the dental hygiene theme from the opening) herbal cleanliness. I was nearly ready to write it off when it made a turn for the better, on my skin more than on the Blond's.
The drydown was very pleasant. A musky, clean skin scent (that's what I wanted from Dans tes Bras) mixed with a note that made me think of a white-washed wood. It was a bit like smelling Bois d'Orage/French Lover from afar. It got better and better with time, and lasted for hours on my skin, but faded relatively quickly on my husband. I think the base of Géranium Pour Monsieur is quite unisex, in a clean, friendly way. It feels like an ideal summer scent, and while at first I didn't think it's all that great and definitely not a must-have, it has grown on me the longer it stayed on, and one day later I find myself still thinking of it.
Image: Mint Spring I by Elena Filatov from allposterscom
Gorgeous review! Having experienced it through your tale, I don't have to try for myself. My curiosity is completely satisfied. xo
ReplyDeleteI found myself a little disappointed by Malle. I road-tested Don tes Bras which i found oppressively rose-scented and very grandmotherly at first sniff. Perhaps my nose just isn't refined enough, but for those high prices, i'll stick to what i like right off the bat!
ReplyDeleteLovely review (and pic) though!