"King Solomon" by Kings & QueensKing Solomon is an aromatic woody fragrance. With a certain sweetish appeal, it fits into the scheme of strong and nose-catching cheap gents' colognes as preferred by teenage boys. The special thing about it is the very attractive aromatic note in it. In the pyramids, this note is usually described as cedarwood and vetiver but I think it is not really that. It is something one has to smell at least once but then it is so characteristic that it is easy to discover when being used in a perfume.
There are not many perfumes where this note can be found, and they are all more expensive:
"Le Vetiver – Itasca" by Lubin, Jasper Conran's "Mister" and to some extent maybe "Jewel for Him" by Micallef. The price for Jasper Conran's version of this theme (less sweet) has dropped, presumably due to discontinuation. I find cheap offers of Mister, but only on UK sites.
King Solomon is still listed on the brand's site, but it is hard to find. The aromatic main note is simply gorgeous. For the price of 10 to 20 €, I recommend a blind buy.
"J'S Exté Man"This one was available two years ago for small money at Douglas. It is a classic woody-oriental with a dry, powdery character, some tonka and vanilla and a somewhat experimental use of kitchen herbs in the top. It is still available on the net. Maybe not quite a cheapie but it may fit in if you consider buying the smallest size of 25 ml for about 15 €.
What makes this fragrance worth mentioning here is that it comes quite close to some of the best and more acknowledged vanilla and tonka orientals. I would not say that I'd throw away Guerlain's Arsène Lupin Voyou or Cologne du 68 or Jicky for it, but the distance between those and J'S Exte Man is less than the price tags may indicate.
"Fougère", "Russisch Juchten" and "Sandelholz" by Harry LehmannHarry Lehmann is a phenomenon in today's perfume market. Located in a small shop in Berlin, this brand is maybe the only German perfume manufacturer from the 1920's still using the formulas of that time. Their Fougère is a classic one. I don't think it contains much more than lavender, moss and cumarin and with its somewhat acrid smell it is a good reference or to find out how fougères used to smell in that days. A bit difficult to wear but certainly worth putting a small bottle onto the shelf next to your "Fougère Royale", "Sartorial" or
"MPH".
The same applies to their Russisch Juchten - just the old well-known Russian leather accord without any specific twist that might reflect a perfumer's artistic approach. It is good to have it so you can see the differences to the newer and more modern versions of this theme.
"Sandelholz" is just sandalwood: woody, powdery and a bit on the rosy side. I found it very uplifting.
Prices for Harry Lehmann perfumes are 5,50 € per 10 ml plus a few Euro for the bottle. (If you buy at the shop in Berlin, you can bring your own flacon.)