Throw out the gender stereotypes. Never mind the bottle designs or marketing strategies. Men’s fragrances can be worn by women and vice versa. We’d all be missing out on many great fragrances if we didn’t think outside the square and try something different. Below, in no particular order are 10 men’s fragrance recommendations for women and 10 women’s fragrance recommendations for men.
Women’s for Men
Hermes: Twilly d’Hermes – I love ginger in fragrances. It provides an uplifting fizz. Twilly contains ginger in abundance. It’s the dominant note on my skin. The ginger remains strong throughout with only hints of floral tuberose. It dries down to a masculine base of sandalwood and vanilla.
Mugler: Angel Muse – The A*Men line is sweet. Angel Muse is also sweet but no sweeter to my nose than the A*Men line. Angel Muse has the Mugler patchouli base with vetiver and a hazelnut Nutella chocolate mid-section. It reminds me a little of Givenchy Very Irresistible for Men.
Bottega Veneta: Bottega Veneta Eau de Velours – Plum, leather and rose, a scent very much befitting of the colour of the bottle. The leather is prominent though. A great scent for a man for the colder months.
Chloe: Nomade EDP – One of the best fragrance releases of 2018. Nomade EDP goes on fruity with plum, but the woody earthy dry down of oakmoss and patchouli takes it into masculine territory. An excellent choice for men.
Dolce and Gabanna: Light Blue for Women – An oldie but a goodie. Light Blue for Women is a far superior fragrance to the male counterpart. A clean and fresh apple, lemon soda like refresher for the summer.
Hermes: Eau des Merveilles Bleue – Hermes again, they really make some fantastic gender-neutral scents. Eau des Merveilles Bleue is an aquatic sea breeze scent with a woody backbone. Laundry clean dry down.
Chanel: Chance Eau Fraiche – Lemon and cedar dominate, with some mild floral notes. Shower fresh, Chanel quality. This could easily be Chanel Allure Homme Edition Blanche with a little added sweetness and floral notes of hyacinth and jasmine.
Frederic Malle – Portrait of a Lady – Stepping into a little more expensive territory now with Portrait of a Lady. Rose and patchouli combine in this very long-lasting fragrance from Frederic Malle. Clean powdery dry down, makes it an easy unisex choice.
Guerlain: Jicky – Hard to go past a classic like Jicky. A citrus opening, soon progressing to the dominant lavender mid, with the classic Guerlain vanilla close. A must try.
Chanel: Cristalle EDT – Uplifting lemon opening with classy oakmoss dry down, with a floral touch of hyacinth. Crisp, clean and oh so Chanel. A summertime stunner.
Men’s for Women
Dior: Dior Homme – Some refer to this as a women’s cosmetic bag in a bottle. The smell of lipstick. The reality is, it’s a great unisex iris, cacao fragrance with a gorgeous powdery fresh dry down. Try and track down a 2005 bottle. They do go for a pretty penny online though.
Givenchy: Gentleman EDP – Iris again, but this time paired with vanilla. A classy, elegant powdery floral. Ignore the name, Gentleman EDP is completely unisex and was one of the best releases of 2018.
Jean Paul Gaultier: Fleur Du Male – Neroli, chamomile, and though it’s not mentioned in the note breakdown I detect vanilla in Fleur Du Male. A white floral masterpiece from Francis Kurkdjian to be shared by all.
Versace: Man Eau Fraiche – The male equivalent of Light Blue for Women. Clean, citrus, lemon. Spray liberally.
Mugler: A*Men – The reality is any of the A*Men series could have made the list, but I went with the 1996 original. This is a beastly gourmand of Chocolate, coffee, caramel and patchouli that lasts days on skin. One for the sweet tooth.
Prada: Luna Rossa Black – Coumarin, angelica and amber make for an alluring combination in Prada Luna Rossa Black. Soft and mature, if you didn’t like the burnt rubber note in Bvlgari Black you might like this, as it’s a fresher version of that fragrance.
Frederic Malle: Geranium Pour Monsieur – Minty fresh geranium, very natural smelling then the clove and musk kick in. A simple, no brainer choice for summer heat.
Tom Ford: Noir Extreme – Noir Extreme is another gourmand delicacy. Specifically, the Indian desert Kulfi, which is an ice cream made from Himalayan snow and pistachio. Vanilla adds backbone and cardamom adds spice. Bon Appetit.
Cartier: L’Envol Eau de Parfum – A resinous honey from Cartier. A sweet fragrance suited to a mature man or woman.
Chanel: Egoiste – This Chanel classic smells good on everybody. Egoiste is an intoxicating combination of rose, cinnamon, sandalwood and vanilla. I can’t vouch for recent reformulations, but the vintage is heavenly.
