Top Notes
Basil
Bergamot
Lavender
Lemon
Heart Notes
Carnation
Geranium
Spices
Iris
Jasmine
Patchouli
Pepper
Sandalwood
Base Notes
Amber
Oakmoss
Labdanum
Leather
Musk
Tonka bean
Vanilla
Rate
Collection
Classify
Notes11/17/2014
Drseid
818 Reviews
Drseid
The Attack Of The Composition Killer Anise...
Gucci pour Homme (original formula) goes on with a short lived blast of natural lemon with powerful oakmoss from the base immediately detectable underneath coupling with aromatic lavender and carnation. As the composition moves to its early heart the lemon vacates as the oakmoss gains strength, now joining a potent anise and musk-laced leathery labdanum with the carnation remaining in support. During the late dry-down the anise driven development abruptly transitions to powdery vanilla and amber over slightly sweet sandalwood as traces of the supporting musk remain through the finish. Projection is average to slightly above average and longevity very good at 10-12 hours on skin.
This composition is a real puzzler. When one reads the amazing list of notes it is hard not to sniff Gucci pour Homme without a positive disposition to love it; after all, the composition has a lot to recommend it... The natural lemon at the open is amazing though all too brief (most likely made even more brief and minimized by the age of the vintage bottle I acquired). The co-starring green oakmoss and leathery labdanum (rock rose) smell great together, leading to a quite remarkable abrupt transition to the powdery vanilla and sandalwood driven late dry-down. That said, while I do *like* the composition the love has surprisingly eluded me. I suspect the culprit that is holding me back from completely embracing it is what can best be described as a musky anise heart accord that just overpowers everything in its path at times and feels a hair out of place in this chypre. I would almost expect this kind of accord in a classic fougere, truth be told. So while the composition smells impressive on the whole, the anise plays spoiler, relegating it to "good" but not "great" status... The bottom line is the $100 per 30 ml bottle on the aftermarket discontinued original Gucci pour Homme smells very nice on the whole and features some high quality materials but the musky anise heart accord holds the composition back from its full potential, reducing it to a "good" to "very good" 3 to 3.5 stars out of 5 and a recommendation with minor reservation.
This composition is a real puzzler. When one reads the amazing list of notes it is hard not to sniff Gucci pour Homme without a positive disposition to love it; after all, the composition has a lot to recommend it... The natural lemon at the open is amazing though all too brief (most likely made even more brief and minimized by the age of the vintage bottle I acquired). The co-starring green oakmoss and leathery labdanum (rock rose) smell great together, leading to a quite remarkable abrupt transition to the powdery vanilla and sandalwood driven late dry-down. That said, while I do *like* the composition the love has surprisingly eluded me. I suspect the culprit that is holding me back from completely embracing it is what can best be described as a musky anise heart accord that just overpowers everything in its path at times and feels a hair out of place in this chypre. I would almost expect this kind of accord in a classic fougere, truth be told. So while the composition smells impressive on the whole, the anise plays spoiler, relegating it to "good" but not "great" status... The bottom line is the $100 per 30 ml bottle on the aftermarket discontinued original Gucci pour Homme smells very nice on the whole and features some high quality materials but the musky anise heart accord holds the composition back from its full potential, reducing it to a "good" to "very good" 3 to 3.5 stars out of 5 and a recommendation with minor reservation.
