Wednesday, October 30, 2013

The 10 Best men's fragrances


For the new season, don’t just change what clothes you wear – opt for a hardier fragrance as the weather begins to chill

1. Yohji Homme
If your sartorial tastes are a tad  avant-garde, then look for a scent that reflects this. Yohji Yamamoto’s signature fragrance is a mixture of rum, cardamom and coffee, offering up a spicy and sophisticated concoction.
£35 for 50ml, Yohji Yamamoto,  selfridges.com
This fragrance has a real air of exclusivity about it. It takes as its inspiration the bespoke tailoring service that the label also offers. With a top note of lavender and a base of patchouli, at its heart is balancing nutmeg which adds texture.
£49 for 50ml, Gucci, houseoffraser.co.uk
Comme des Garçons’ fragrance packs a punch to the nose with a base note of gunpowder and vetiver mixed with, as the name suggests, lots of green: green tea, green pepper, jungle and palm leaves.
£45.60 for 50ml, Comme des Garcons,escentual.com
Czech & Speake is world renowned and Vetiver Vert is one of its best. That vetiver is a ubiquitous ingredient of many male fragrances is common knowledge; but here it is lifted by top notes of bergamot and mandarin.
£85 for 100ml, Czech & Speake,czechandspeake.com
You wouldn’t normally associate rose oil with a male scent but it’s become increasing popular over the past few years – something to do with how the rose reacts with male skin makes it smell less feminine. Here, Taif rose is the base note that is balanced by fragrant cedar wood.
£145 for 50ml, Thameen, selfridges.com
This luxurious fragrance has been specially created to celebrate the opening of the first Tom Ford store in London. It’s a mixture of exclusive oud oil and musk, creating a scent that plays with the senses.
£140 for 50ml, Tom Ford, tomford.com
This is the latest fragrance from the Prada stable. The heart of the scent is amber mixed with hot black pepper and zesty bergamot. Thrown into the mix are vanilla, juniper and labdanum. It’s a veritable melting pot of flavours which, surprisingly, work well together.
£45 for 100ml, Prada,  fragranceexpert.com
If you could bottle the essence of fashion it might very well smell like this – a collaboration between the famous fragrance company Byredo and the equally famous fashion photographers Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin. It takes as its inspiration one of the duo’s photographs taken in 1996 combining juniper, black amber, leather and patchouli.
£88 for 50ml, Byredo, liberty.co.uk
Oud oil is probably one of the most valued in the perfume world –not for nothing is it also known as “liquid gold”. Thankfully, a little of this stuff goes a long way, here providing the base note for the new Dolce & Gabbana fragrance. Heady incense also has its part to play.
£170 for 50ml, Dolce & Gabbana,  harrods.com
Vetiver is a very familiar ingredient of men’s fragrances due to the way it retains its aroma over long periods of time. When used as a base, it anchors the mid and top notes. Here, though, the scent has been flooded with vetiver, making it refreshing and crisp.
£110 for 50ml  Frederic Malle, liberty.co.uk




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