The Candy Perfume Boy’s Movember Barbershop Quartet

Loving the Stripes... — The Candy Perfume Boy’s Movember Barbershop Quartet

Movember Madness has struck me this month and as well as attempting to cultivate a handsome portion of facial hair upon my top lip things have been a bit more man-focused on The Candy Perfume Boy. Sometimes one must remember that it’s important not to forget the boys and this month I am honouring my fellow Mobros in true Candy Perfume Boy style.

Those of you who read The Candy Perfume Boy regularly will know that I wear a mixture of feminine and masculine scents, with the ratio skewed much more to the former rather than the latter. That’s not to say I don’t like masculine fragrances at all, quite the opposite in fact, it just so happens that my favourite style of fragrances (earth shattering florals) tend to lurk on the feminine side of the perfume shelves.

When I wear a masculine fragrance I tend to go for something classic with a modern twist. I often find myself drawn to the floral-sweet yet dandified style of fragrances that can be classified as barbershop. For me there’s just something attractive about smelling well-groomed and well-oiled.

In this post I would like to showcase my top four barbershop scents, presented in the form of my Movember Barbershop Quartet. So without further adieu I present you The Lead, The Tenor, The Bass and The Baritone.

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Change is Inevitable – Dolce & Gabbana Pour Femme 2012 Perfume Review

In life there are only two things that are certain; death and change. Both of these certainties are also rife within the perfume industry, with ever-tightening restrictions on ingredients and brand cost-cutting leading either to the demise or the change of some of the world’s most beloved perfumes.

Most of the time perfume reformulations are cloak and dagger affairs, with brands swearing that “absolutely nothing has happened to your beloved Mitsouko, so please stop with your questions, or else…” But this isn’t the case with the new Dolce & Gabbana Pour Femme, which the brand are fully admitting has been subjected to some “fine tuning”. Well, one can’t help but admire their honesty!

“Warm and voluptuous and a touch of creamy sweetness, this fragrance is for a woman who is compelling and sensual. It is made up of contrasts, an exuberance of sinuous details that strike the balance between strength and gentleness. Dolce & Gabbana Pour Femme for women is not afraid to face any challenge, and does so with a strong sense of self and a fierce determination.”

The re-orchestrated Dolce & Gabbana Pour Femme is described as having an “innately soft yet seductive character” and I would say that it definitely leans more to the soft side of things rather than the seductive. This may lead to some disappointment for long-term lovers of the original, which I’m led to believe was a bit of a floral-bomb. My advice? Stock up while you can…

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Moustache Monday: Week 3

It is day 19 and week three of the month of Movember and Mo growing is Mo-st definitely in full swing. I am constantly surprised by how surprisingly decent it looks. I expected it to look entirely laughable but I am getting lots of comments from people who know me that think that it looks suits me and that, here’s the kicker, I should think about keeping it. Now that is something I am not sure about….

Although the Mo is looking good I must admit that it is getting to the point where it is starting to feel weird. I guess I just cannot get used to having some growth on my top lip! The good news is that I will be paying a visit to the Official Movember Barbershop on Thursday to have a bit of a Mo trim and tidy-up. Here’s hoping that the professionals will be able to style it up a bit.

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And the Winner of The Candy Perfume Boy & Persolaise Twitter Giveaway Is…

Persolaise and The Candy Perfume Boy’s Juniper Sling Twitter Competition

A massive thank you to all who entered the Candy Perfume Boy/Persolaise Twitter giveaway. We received a high number of entries for the rather wonderful prize of a bottle of Penhaligon’s rather spiffy gin inspired Juniper Sling.

Well, the entries have been gathered together and the winner has been selected entirely at random using random.org. I can now reveal that the very lucky winner of the much coveted prize is…..

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The Magnetism of Skin – Jean Paul Gaultier GAULTIER² Perfume Review

When I think of Jean Paul Gaultier I think of effeminate, yet muscly sailors, cone-bras, corsets and spanking. His fashions, fragrances and even he himself embodies all that is naughty about the french. There is a reason why he has been dubbed the ‘L’Enfant Terrible’ of Parisian fashion

What I don’t imagine when I think of Jean Paul Gaultier is softness, subtlety and warmth, but that’s exactly what I find in GAULTIER². Each of JPG’s fragrances are so bold and popular that it’s a hard job to escape them out there in the real world, but not GAULTIER² – the stealth Gaultier and black sheep of the family. Classique and Le Mâle may get all the attention, but GAULTIER² is the quietly clever one, severely underrated yes, even misunderstood, but it cannot be denied that it is a stroke of genius.

“Him and Her. Her and Him. Mixing the genres is Jean Paul Gaultier’s favourite game. With GAULTIER², he breaks through traditional fragrance barriers with his unisex fragrance. A true olfactory statement.” [1]

GAULTIER² was created by Francis Kurkdjian (we’re all in agreement that the man’s a genius, right?) in 2005 and is a scent for both the boys and the girls. It is described as “the essence of two skins in love. A warm, sensual fragrance that blends the masculine and feminine in a trio of musk, amber and vanilla” [2] and is housed in a bottle of two halves, one for him and one for her, held together by a magnetic force.

I find it interesting that JPG, the king of excess, would go for three simple notes in this fragrance and I’m sure that if we were to look at the formula we would discover that there are more ingredients, but I can’t help be attracted to the idea of three aromas blended together to find the perfect equilibrium. There’s something really quite romantic about that simplicity and the harmony it brings.

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A Handsome Man – Tom Ford Noir Perfume Review

Traipse through your local department store and you will find a barren landscape virtually void of decent masculine fragrances. Alright I’m being dramatic, of course there are a few noteworthy ones (mainly older releases), but on the whole the majority; your Calvins, Hugos and your Pacos, are definitely essays in quantity over quality. A good masculine is hard to find, it’s true, but it’s not entirely impossible.

Tom Ford is a man that cares about quality. His fragrance line, especially his signature collection, is a cut above most designer offerings (and is priced accordingly) and he has most definitely crafted out his own style, that off opulent, classy and smart fragrances with a tiny touch of the shock factor for which he is infamous.

Noir (pronounced “Noo-ahr” if you are Tom Ford) is the latest masculine addition to Tom Ford’s signature stable and it is in good company, joining such esteemed fragrances as Tom Ford for Men, Tom Ford Extreme and Grey Vetiver. But where the other TF masculines are elegant examples of citrus, woods and/or vetiver, Noir is a essay on resins and powders that, dare I say it, almost feels like a masculine rendition of the Oriental Queen that is Guerlain’s Shalimar.

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Moustache Monday: Week 2

So it’s day 11 of Movember and Week 2 of Moustache Mondays which means it is time for my weekly Mo update! That’s right, you may be sick to the back teeth of me banging on about Movember, but as promised I am here to keep you up to date with all that relates to my facial hair, and it seems that we’ve had quite a bit of progress since week 1….

As you can see by the picture above, which was taken yesterday on day 10, the Mo is in full fuzz mode. I have to admit that it really doesn’t look as bad as I thought it would, although since having my hair did I do look a tad Hitler-esque without my glasses on, but on the whole I am growing rather attached to it.

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From The Candy Perfume Boy Archives: The Scent of The Modern Gent – Penhaligon’s Sartorial Perfume Review

Gentleman — A Scent for The Modern Gent (Mo Not Included)

“Sartorial – sar-tor-ial adj. [attrib] of or relating to tailoring, clothes, or style of dress: sartorial elegance”

[Seeing as I’ve gone a bit mad for Movember I thought I would share a review of one of my favourite modern masculines from The Candy Perfume Boy Archives. Sartorial is a scent that not only evokes the smell of a tailor’s workroom, but also conjures up the image of a well groomed, modern gent with an incredibly stylish mo. Enjoy.]

I chose not to write a post on my fragrant new years resolutions simply because I have only made three. They are; to keep producing interesting and informative content for The Candy Perfume Boy, to review more fragrances from as many brands as possible and finally, to review more masculine fragrances.

Those who read this blog on a regular basis will know that I wear a lot of feminine fragrances and my reviews reflect this. I don’t have anything against masculines at all, they just tend not to be within my bracket of taste, whereas as feminine and niche ‘unisex’ (or sexless) fragrances tend to be right up my street. So, in the interest of balance I will ensure that I review more masculine fragrances and I will start with one of my recent favourites.

Sartorial (2010) is the latest masculine release from the über-British perfume house Penhaligon’s and is inspired by the workroom of a Saville Row Tailor. Created by perfumer Bertrand Duchaufour (who is also responsible for other Penhaligon’s fragrances such as Amaranthine and their Anthology Series) Sartorial is described as “a contemporary interpretation of a classic Fougère” [1]

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Pieces of Us – Maison Francis Kurkdjian APOM Pour Femme & Pour Homme Perfume Reviews

As we go through life we share pieces of ourselves with those around us, building relationships and leaving impressions on those we encounter. Our smells and the fragrances we wear, just like our actions, act as time capsules that tie people’s memories to us like silver threads. It is this idea that inspired Francis Kurkdjian to create APOM Pour Femme and Pour Homme.

“APOM (A Part of Me), a bit of oneself that one leaves on others. A relationship inspired from the beauty of the Orient: movement of people, flavors, colours, and scents rediscovered from Lebanon. A combination of softness and strength.”

Both masculine and feminine APOMs centre around orange blossom, a flower that evokes sensuality and closeness, and cedar wood, a material that speaks of arid landscapes. In typical Kurkdjian style both fragrances are exceptional examples of their style and the duo itself offers a stark contrast of both softness (Femme) and strength (Homme).

Having spent a good deal of time with most of the Maison Francis Kurkdjian line I feel as if I am well-versed enough to be able to pick favourites. I think OUD, Aqua Universalis and Absolue Pour le Soir (review coming soon) are standouts, perhaps because they are so bold and unique, but it is in the subtlety of APOM Pour Femme and Pour Homme that I have found real enjoyment.

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The Candy Perfume Boy & Persolaise’s Twitter Competition

Those of you with good memories will remember that a while back both Persolaise and I announced that we would hold a competition for a 50ml bottle of Juniper Sling, generously donated by Penhaligon’s, as soon as we both hit 1,000 Twitter followers. The good news is that we have both hit the marvellous 1K mark and that means we are now able to hold the draw!

How to enter…

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