When it comes to writing or in my case blogging, I think we all know the "write what you know" rule; but rules are meant to be broken right? Nah, I'm totally a goody two-shoes, but I did make a promise to my brother in my Mother's Day perfumes' post that I would write a Father's Day one too. So here you have it; broaching the subject of male perfumes...do keep in mind that it is by no means my area of expertise and I did go raiding through my brother's perfume collection (yes men can have one too!) for my favourite ones. Purely in the interest of research you understand. So, if you don't like any of these, there is only him to blame (scuttles away innocently...muahaha!).
Armani Privé by Giorgio Armani - Figuier Eden (Eau de Toilette)
One of my brother's favourites from the Les Eaux selection of the Armani Privé Collection (i.e. all composed of Eaux de Toilette). I would describe this as a very fruity and sweet scent with a touch of woodiness to it. It is meant to smell like a Mediterranean garden/pristine nature, olive and fig trees but having never personally sniffed a fig, I couldn't tell you about that last one. Certainly, when it comes to Mediterranean gardens I always think fresh citrus; I mean they can grow full orange and lemon trees in that climate (my Dad is currently attempting to grow one too, but at the moment it's still more of a...bush, yay for Belgium weather!...note the sarcasm). Anyway, there is zero citrusy-ness in this perfume, definitely more on the sweet side that's for sure!
- TOP NOTES: Madarin, bergamot and red pepper
- MIDDLE NOTES: Tea, grass and green fig
- BASE NOTES: Moroccan iris and amber
Armani Privé by Giorgio Armani - Pivoine Suzhou (Eau de Toilette)
This one is quite similar to the one above in that is is very sweet, but it doesn't have the same woodiness that Figuier Eden has, and I would describe it as a tad sharper thanks to the fresh floral peony, the musky base notes however gives it that rich spiciness reserved solely for evening perfumes. Inspired by Asian gardens this time, I know what you're thinking...Japanese cherry blossom? No, this one celebrates one of China's favourite flowers the peony (any Chinese readers are more than welcome to give their input).
According to fragrantica this perfume is for women, but Armani's own website doesn't specify a gender (which at the £110 - £200 a pop, I get why they aren't limiting themselves to just 50% of the population, right?!) so if you have the money and your Dad likes these kinds of scents, then go for it! Personally, I can see this being worn by both genders (why limit yourself?). Yes, it is very sweet and also a bit floral thanks to the peony but layered on top of the typically masculine scented shower gels and aftershaves it provides a nice contrast. In any case; happiness, prosperity and grace, the symbols of the peony, are gender-neutral qualities!
- TOP NOTES: Madarin, pink pepper and raspberry
- MIDDLE NOTES: Peony, rose essence and May rose absolute
- BASE NOTES: Amber, orcanox, musk and patchouli
Armani Privé by Giorgio Armani - Vétivier d'Hiver (Eau de Toilette)
Unlike its namesake, my brother finds this one to be quite a summery scent. Which, with its citrusy top notes I would have to agree with. This perfume, inspired it is said by the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, also has a faint herby pepperiness to it, thanks to the middle notes (similar to the herby-ness of my Blackberry & Bay by Jo Malone perfume), but it remains still just as sweet as the other two from Les Eaux Collection. These perfumes are for sure not a given (for cheaper scents see below) but I wanted to cover all budgets so there you go.
- TOP NOTES: Madarin, lemon and bergamot
- MIDDLE NOTES: Coriander, cardamom and pink pepper
- BASE NOTES: Vetiver and patchouli
Yves Saint Laurent - La Nuit de l'Homme (After Shave Lotion & Eau de Toilette)
If you really wanted to treat your Dad (or overload him with a particular scent...make sure he really likes it first though) then this duo of aftershave lotion (the tall bottle on the left at £45) and eau de toilette (bottle on the right at £50 - £60) is perfect! This is my personal favourite scent from my brother's collection; another sweet one but with a manly undertone that I unfortunately can't quite describe. Exquisite!
- TOP NOTES: Cardamom
- MIDDLE NOTES: Bergamot, lavender and cedar
- BASE NOTES: Vetiver and Cumin
Gucci - Gucci Pour Homme (Eau de Toilette)
This perfume is the one that reminds me the most of my brother. Seeing as it's half empty (or half full depending on your perspective) it's safe to say that it's his favourite (and he has confirmed this suspicion). At £49 - £62 this is a normal price I would expect for a perfume. The fragrance of this one is very similar to the typical Axe shower gel smell or even a shaving foam; definitely one that will have you instantly smelling fresh and clean. A pretty safe bet when it comes to picking out a perfume for Dad if you don't know his particular tastes, sure to be the crowd pleaser this one!
- TOP NOTES: Bergamot, cypress and violet
- MIDDLE NOTES: Leather, sweet tobacco, amber, jasmine and black pepper
- BASE NOTES: Patchouli, cedarwood and amyris
Crabtree & Evelyn - Uncharted (Cologne)
Finally, we've reached the more budget-friendly scents! This is a cologne which on the perfume scale puts it right beneath an eau de toilette. It's what I would call a typical man scent (again not sure how to describe this), quite similar to what I would expect an aftershave to smell like (the bottle is pretty typical of one too), plus we've finally veered away from the sweet. Very woodsy and fresh, this £30 cologne would make an ideal gift, unfortunately I can no longer find it on the Crabtree & Evelyn website, but they have three other scented colognes in this packaging/range and currently at 30% off, I say go go go!
- TOP NOTES: Ozone and citrus
- MIDDLE NOTES: Juniper
- BASE NOTES: Scraped pale woods and moss
Zara - Zara Man Gold (Eau de Toilette)
I remember when my brother bought this one, as I had dragged him to Zara for a "quick look" and he entertained himself by looking at their perfume range. At £5.99 (I kid you not!) this is another lovely manly fragrance with a twist of chocolateness (from the praline note of course...nummy num num) yet not too sweet. Unlike most "cheap" scents it smells rather sophisticated (people would be none the wiser), I shouldn't expect it to last too long at that price, but for an evening event it would be perfect!
- TOP NOTES: Lemon
- MIDDLE NOTES: Cinnamon and praline
- BASE NOTES: Ebony tree and amber
So there you have it, I think we can all draw the same conclusion from this post; big brother likes sweet smelling toilet water...sorry I mean "eau de toilette" (possibly the worst name they could have thought of when thinking of things that smell nice; but everything sounds better in French n'est ce pas - oui oui!).
Hope you all got some ideas on what to get your Dad on his special appreciation day and have a lovely weekend!
xxxemma