MisterShaver

As always, the omens for the fragrance are right for me. I did not know him, here he is not highly rated, and I bought him before I could read here.
But gemach, the back story is worth telling in the sense of, here the circle closes.
In the summer of 2010, I was in Merano and discovered an old shop in the arcade with a wooden counter and shaving items. I was looking for a shaving soap. Inside the shop, an elderly gentleman stood behind the counter and answered my question about the soap with a smile and a confession of selling only one kind. He disappeared into the basement, returning with a bar wrapped in paper. An indescribable almond scent filled the room. I bought 200 g and enjoyed the shaving experience at home. At loose intervals I always looked for the shop when I was in Merano, but never found it. Except for this year. There it was before my eyes as if it had never been gone. I went in immediately because the soap had been used up for a long time. And I didn't know what it was called. Of course, I ordered all kinds of Italian almond soaps, never had a match. Anyway, the man was still standing behind the counter. Like he never left and most importantly...he looked like he did 11 years ago. And of course, I bought the soap again. I didn't ask what it was called because I think it was kind of providential and I want to preserve that. But I also asked for scented water. And that's when he came around the corner with this exact scent from Rancé. A beautiful flaćon, I still thought. I was captivated by the scent as soon as I sprayed it on. The salesman immediately smiled with his eyes. After all, the FFP2 mask covered the mouth. He said no one didn't like the scent here. And I must say, it is impressive. It's not as citrusy as a Colonia by Acqua di Parma. No no, more like subliminally citrusy. In a certain sense, I find it mild, elegant, with many nuances running off and above all simply delicious! I guess it stays close to the body on one hand, but it already releases scent trails into the environment. Because as I was standing in the garden, our neighbor Iris asks over the fence what that wonderful floral, light lavender scent with underlying woods is. She thought it was one of the bushes or flowers in our garden. I myself looked around searchingly at first to see what she could possibly mean. My wife then remarked that it was the rancé. Really impressive. Since then, my neighbor is always in the garden when I go out ...
So, I like it very much and again a very random process, as this fragrance came to me

There he is again, Mr. Water. He also did the L'Homme Ideal. That already caused mixed feelings here. I liked it. The fragrance... Well, and as so often, what I like here in Parfumo is usually a little further down the scale. But in the meantime I realize, that's exactly how it is good. Whenever it is evaluated here rather differentiated, when the negative writers particularly cleverly derive the failure of the fragrance, just then I like it all the better. The nice thing is, I buy first, and then I read here. My tactic is still, heart and belly decide on the fragrance. Then comes reading about it here. I don't now indulge in elaborate descriptions of scent pyramids, derivations of what the name of the scent carries in comparison to its actual smell. It is so exhaustively irrelevant what a fragrance is called, because the name cannot contribute to the content. The name is marketing by a strategist. The contents of the bottle are the real deal. And so it is here. At the store I trust (I recommend reading my history with Iris here), this bottle was on the shelf. I was inspired to point to it. Not the name or the manufacturer, more the visual impression. It was joined by a couple of siblings in the bottle series. Including one that contained oud. And now I can shed some light on one of the statements that also appeared here that Musk Noble contains Oud. So, the Guerlain that has oud in the name has that. But Musc Noble, to me, does not have it. No matter how negatively the nostrils of some here supposedly reacted to oud. But what I do perceive here, besides the rose, is the scent of iris. It is often included in fragrances, but it is reluctantly mentioned. It is associated with something that the marketing strategist does not like. But what was it about this fragrance that convinced me? Convince is almost too technical. It happened when I sprayed it on. There was such a jolt in me, a comforting creeping up of the rose and in my opinion a hint of iris. I'm still wondering how some people find that the rose is synthetic. Was someone there during the mixing? Never mind ...
And then comes this assertiveness. The fragrance is hardly out of the bottle, he already unleashes a magic that puts him fully in the center. First of all, you can not let the sprayed place always to the nose to lead. The scent spreads. But not like an all overrunning horde of wild guys, rather so .... simple, as if it had to be exactly like that. And nothing imposes itself, the scent places itself naturally in my world. As it goes on, it all blends into my environment. No one turns up their nose, I feel happy and secure with the scent. I'm sure it's too superficial for many people here. I write only of impressions, could also describe a few images that open up in me. But I leave that now. Only that it is so, that is enough for me. And only that counts for me with a fragrance. If he can do something like that, then even the name has nothing to do with the content

.... . . .for me and my nose. If I go on holiday to Switzerland - to the beautiful Appenzell - I discover a perfumery which is extremely well sorted with some niche fragrances, find a tasting corner with exactly this fragrance (La Favorite) in front of the door and buy it. It was already clear to me then, I hadn't looked in the perfume shop to find out what the community thinks about it. And again I reach for the comments to be read here. I already had them several times. And what do I read there? The oud, oh the evil, the stinging oud, that's one of those things, well, who likes it. Just let them do it to themselves. That's how it comes across to me

And again I ask myself the question, do I like it now out of defiance?

Rewind briefly. No, it can't be. The decision for the scent was made after roaming around the store for a while. There were expensive lines from Penhaligon, Widian (hah, I love his stuff by now), Acca Kappa shaving products in the finest form, Acqua di Parma, yes, just good and not mainstream. And of course I sprayed the fragrance on (right arm) and the Penhaligon Lothair on the left arm and walked around the village at a good 30 degrees Celsius. Sniffed on the left, sniffed on the right ... hm, both good. And yes, the oud developed, and as written in the one commentary, it immediately withdrew into the spice of the fragrant bed. And what was there ... that convinced me. A warm, flattering scent that was indeed capable of withstanding heat. Not a freshness that one would possibly want to get from a cologne in a citric direction when it is hot. No, somehow so different, so mature against the cliché that you would expect with the scent orientation in heat. And so clearly grown-up that it wants to say, "Yes, I can do something in the heat. But if you go out tonight, I'm also a fine, reserved and at the same time striking companion.".

Back to the shop, the saleswoman lets me give her my arm, rolls her eyes with pleasure, consults the boss briefly and both join my sense of smell. I don't know the Swiss in such an extremely emotional way. There then already:
"S iss scho a leckres Düftli on him, odder?"
That's all you can do with the Swiss. Especially now in Corona times with mouthguards. I was quite reassured then. And now I have the scent
And the oud doesn't bother me at all. Whenever the oud becomes perceptible for a short time it is the signal, the fine part is coming soon. And that is why this oud fits in so well. Like a short effort to climb the summit and then to look over a beautiful landscape and feel safe and comfortable. Hurray for the oud, which I don't like in the overloaded form either. But here it was needed as the perfect partner in the fragrance sequence, or even abused? Who knows this except the inventor of the fragrance. Even the Swiss woman knew this: "The oud is here only to feed the actual fragrance. "We just measure it," she said


Now I'm going to apologize right now to my trusted perfume dealer. I didn't have him here waiting for me to come back, I didn't want that. Why hasn't he given me the stuff yet? Although he doesn't carry all brands. I'll ask him.

Widian Fragrances... it took me a while to get into that. For one thing, it was a form of respect. If a fragrance needs over 200 € to change hands, then I think about it again. In the meantime, I had been fed with Widian's scents from time to time by the perfume dealer I trusted (for insiders, the keyword "Iris" from Houbigant), who had already been mentioned elsewhere. But the above mentioned respect, and the feeling, "what could the fragrance do so much better?", held me back
But now it happened that at the end of last year, after I got to know the Widian London while trying it out, I got a complete sample box of the Black Collection as a present. So I had the time to get to grips with it. For me, a time in which my head undertook many fragrance journeys. Here I realize that my perfume dealer is a persistent and enterprising guy. Hm ...
Since I like leather, I thought London was a great place. But I didn't buy it, I just got to know it. That's why I don't write anything about it. But, one thing was clear to me about the London, and after enjoying the sample box. Where the difference to many of my previous fragrances lay. The Widian Scent World is a huge cinema. And I knew it had at least some merit in offering such a fragrance at this price. And recently, New York came to me after the liva was very close to losing the scent selection. And just the way I chose the scent, questioning it again and again, what would be the better scent for me ... it was never the question what I generally like better. At most, it was the question of what it was that was bringing me to this or that Widian at the moment. I could have made friends with all Widian fragrances, it was all close together, and yet so diverse. Being constantly torn back and forth. But on this day, it was New York. A fragrance that went through with a creaminess Right from the start. To the end I can't say, because I'm still reeling in the fragrance and it's not over yet. Anyway, this creaminess is sometimes flanked by a fruitiness, but that goes away again and there's a fresh floral note, then tobacco and again and again the vanilla touch. What is different now than with other fragrances? That's how I feel: it flows! No fragrance puzzle piece is switched off by another. It flows into each other, it's a kind of passing the baton and the predecessor runs along a little bit until it's released quite inconspicuously. And that is for me the great cinema. A film where the plot is intertwined. Until the credits roll, it's all a seemingly random, but surely well thought-out script. And it is a film that also brings images. Near New York, I'm standing in a loft, on a double-digit floor of course, looking across the night sky at the lights of the city. Out of the boxes, jazz (Patricia Barber, or Melody Gardot) bubbles out at the end of the day. White shirt, collar open by now, tie hanging over the back of the chair, bussines trousers still on and of course fine leather shoes (ah, leather, I think of London). A cool breeze comes in through the opened glass door to the balcony. Dimmed light in the apartment, a nice evening drink in the glass. Then the night breeze takes in the rest of the scent of New York sprayed in the morning ... ...and you can still "feel" it. An absolute inner peace spreads out and the hectic rush, as it is the case in a city like New York, simply stays outside.
Wonderful!
I also know pictures of other fragrances. This may be due to the way I treat fragrances, how I move into them when I buy them. And in this respect the Widian fragrances are unique. And that's what finally won me over in New York. I'm sure there are compilations like this, maybe not a twin, but the division Only, as naturally as New York presents these virtues, I have never experienced it so well before. And even if New York is not a seasonal fragrance, on and with me it is "my" fragrance. And yes, it is summer. But New York doesn't care about that right now. It's summer, and right now it's Widian-New York summer. Paßt.
Did I mention that my perfume dealer seemed as happy as I was when it came to buying? Now he has carefully advertised for me for a good 2 years, and in the end I decided to leave him money that found a new home with him, while he left me the New York. So we both had joy... although he still has a lot of Widian scents and can feast on them. It's to his advantage, although I don't begrudge it to him. He treats me, too

Yesterday I was at the perfume shop of my confidence and was also welcomed and served by the seller I preferred, in this case the owner. We always have very stimulating conversations during the shopping project. This is very knowledge-enhancing and sometimes resembles the fireside chats in a club when we drift into world affairs. But that's just by the way.
I arrived with the wish of a summery fragrance. Not too loud, not too citric (then the Acqua Di Parma Colonia would have become my choice).
Soon there was a lively round dance of clear, clean, exotic summer scents in front of me. All very good, that makes the choice difficult. Now he arrived with a nice bottle and the words, "I almost don't dare to put this one here...". I didn't ask, I got it on the test strip. I got a glow on my face. He accompanied it with the words that this fragrance was very beautiful, but also extraordinary.
What did I see? First of all, a very subliminal, flowery freshness. It reminded me of clean laundry. Not that room-filling "freshly washed" feeling. It was different, it was like, like a bedroom equipped with soft and mainly white laundry. Evening light through the window, blackbird chirps outside in the tree and I stand there and the gentle, very subtle laundry scent runs through my nose. A slight sweetness, aha, the rose, interferes. The idea of lying here in bed, wrapped in this wonderful scent and gliding comfortably into a restful night's sleep was almost tangible. Not that it had a soporific effect, it was just the desire to experience it.
Okay, first impression. Now the salesman and I have chatted a little further. But again and again the scent drew my attention to itself. He smiled knowingly. In the meantime, the woods came through. But also very subliminal. It felt like a consistent transfer from the beginning of the fragrance. Not a surprise, but unique and unthinkable. Furthermore, the pleasant feeling of security, freshness and balance of the participants remain components. I couldn't get away from it. And now a soothing vanilla note. The kind of vanilla I've always loved. All other scents lined up on the table and sprayed on fade next to it. And that, although Iris doesn't put on much weight at all, comes along rather gently.

How could he? The guy puts a pure women's fragrance on my table without batting an eyelid and that, since he knows that I've gone up to unisex maximum so far. Do I have to check with him?

No, I don't have to. The man knows his scents in the shop and he knows my scents that I have bought from him so far. He knew about the appearance of Iris, and what this scent on the skin can also do to a man .... Oh, my God, why do you have that clamp in your head? In times of gender/she/es discussions this should not be a reason. Once more I raise my arm and lead it to my nose. I can't believe it. Shoot it through my head. So good ....
Be strong calls the guy in me! Put it away, wash your arm, you wimp...

Too late ... i surrender, I glide into this scent, I fall into the uncovered bed ... the blackbird in front of the window releases triumphant sounds, the soft cushion caresses me, a figure, I think she said her name was Iris Houbigant, in a fragrant nightgown comes through the door and lies very close to me that I feel the skin through the fabric ....

Meeeemme the guy in me complains as he is pushed down in a big washing trough full of fragrant laundry by Iris.

And then: Film tear!

Iris is now in my closet. With the nice packaging that opens when you lift the lid. It then reveals a kind of floral wallpaper inside the box. I think it was also in the bedroom on the wall where I met Iris in your nightgown. Of course Iris stands between my box of the men's watch and the badger hair shaving brush. So that there can be no doubt what kind of a person I am! Maybe I don't want my wife to know what I bought. A woman's scent. She'll take him away from me later. But a life without Iris, that wouldn't be so nice anymore. This anticipation after the shower and the wet shave at the moment when I open the cupboard door, then lift the lid of the box, the flap opens and there it stands: Iris. And then our intimate contact when I let her get very close to me while spraying on. This scent ...

Iris, how could he do this to me?