Not My Taste

In today’s blog post, I’ll take you through a few popular fragrances that I struggle with despite repeated wearings. A little bit of light-hearted fun, no harm intended.

Tauer Perfumes – 02 L’Air du Desert Marocain – For many Andy Tauer’s 2005 fragrance that takes us on a trek through the Sahara is the pinnacle of perfumery, and indeed a critic’s darling. I struggle to wear it, as the sweet, dry, spicy combination of amber, coriander, and cumin is somewhat cloying. I love many others from Tauer, including the leather dominant Lonestar Memories and the smoky Incense Rose, but LDDM is one expedition I didn’t enjoy taking.

Maison Martin Margiela – By the Fireplace – This MMM is intended to mimic burning wood and roasting chestnuts by the fireplace. Containing notes of chestnut, vanilla, red berries, Balsam of Peru, and woods, By the Fireplace should be something I enjoy, but all I get is charred woods and campfire smoke. I don’t get any sweetness, unfortunately. The iris-dominant fragrance released alongside By the Fireplace, Lipstick On, was a much stronger release. 

Mugler – A*Men – I love pretty much all the flankers, but can’t get past the tar note in the original. Overly sweet, to the point of cloying and pretty much unwearable. I stick with the Kryptomint flanker in the summer and Pure Malt in the colder months.

Issey Miyake – L’Eau d’Issey Pour Homme – The weird, bitter yuzu note combined with the other citruses and florals evokes household cleaning products, not fine fragrance. Piercing and sharp, I prefer many of the darker flankers of recent years. Noir Argent is well worth checking out.

Creed – Himalaya – Synthetic, metallic citruses over Creed’s ambergris base, with crass woods in the mid. Stay well away. Nauseatingly long-lasting.

Paco Rabanne – Invictus – Truth be told, I’m not the target demographic for this overly sweet, bubble-gum disaster of a scent, but teenage boys can do better. Le Male Essence from Jean Paul Gaultier or even the brand’s very own, 1 Million are superior.

Chanel – Allure Homme Sport – One of the few Chanel fragrances I’ve struggled to embrace. I think it’s the tonka that makes it too sweet at times for me. A strange metallic mix that I don’t find particularly sporty. I much prefer the Cologne version. This one isn’t as bad as the others on this list.

Bond no. 9 – New Haarlem – I prefer to eat pancakes with maple syrup than smell like them. New Haarlem is just way too sweet for my taste. Give me the Brand’s I Love NY for All over this any day of the week.

Mancera – Cedrat Boise – Like most Mancera releases, Cedrat Boise disappointed me. I don’t get the similarities to Aventus discussed in other reviews. I do get a synthetic, cheap smelling, muddled mix of fruit salad notes that I had to wash off immediately.

Parfums de Marly – Herod – I could list quite a few Parfums de Marly scents except for Byerley, which I like. Herod, though is a Tobacco Vanille wannabe that never really rises to any great heights. Back to Black from Kilian, Naxos from Xerjoff and Tobacco Vanille from Tom Ford are all better options for mine.

Of course, taste is subjective, and you may love these scents. Are there any popular scents that you don’t like?

Note: Bottle images courtesy of Fragrantica