Famous perfumes that will suit both women and men
Text: Moore Soboleva, chief editor of the blog Fierce & Cute
Gender division of flavors into "male" and "female" - the invention of marketers of the XX century. We have already discussed how it happened, why "a rose has no sex," and freshness and sweetness suit everyone. Now we move from theory to practice and rethink five well-known "female" and five "male" fragrances that look great on anyone.
Dior homme colologne
The Dior brand loves to confuse its customers, endlessly renaming flavors (for example, Miss Dior Chérie, which has become Miss Dior, and Miss Dior has become Miss Dior Original, and so on). Under the name of Dior Homme Cologne, two flavors came out; speech about that, which came out in 2013 in a white bottle. This icy citrus lemonade is one of the most universal "colonies", harmonious in its simplicity and even remotely devoid of a hint of gender. Perfect summer smell: no excessive sharpness, continuous holiday bliss and vigor of the morning, the main task during which is to drink strong coffee and not get burnt in the sun.
Chanel N ° 5
Coco Chanel called the most famous fragrance in the world "the smell of women and for women", but between 1921, when Chanel N ° 5 went on sale, and our 2016 had several gender revolutions. Today, the white-flowered aldehyde classics are advertised by Brad Pitt (“the most famous and sexiest man in the world,” according to Chanel creative director Karl Lagerfeld), and men wear the greatest fragrance on themselves - although less often than women, but with no less pleasure. It seems, Mademoiselle, live it to the present time, it should have liked.
Kenzo Pour Homme
The spicy woody Kenzo Pour Homme has been my favorite masculine scent since the last millennium. I don’t like to let personal sentimentality into texts written not for the blog, but I won’t hold back: my first boy, the sad curly brunette, used this scent. He was always dressed in black and perfumed by Kenzo Pour Homme, and my knees were tantamount to his knees from his and his smell. With the boy, we broke up dramatically, and with Kenzo Pour Homme we still love each other: I have already exhausted several bottles and planted many loved ones on him. The fragrance's formula was changed after the IFRA banned the use of natural oak moss, but the heart and character of Kenzo Pour Homme remained the same.
Byredo blanche
Huge tattooed Swede Ben Gorham, the creator of Byredo, does not seem inclined to sentimentality, and Blanche is probably the most gentle and quiet fragrance. He is dedicated to the girlfriend of Gorham Natasha and, as Ben himself says, is based on his perception of white and classic beauty. It contains flowers and aldehydes, but it smells like Blanche, as it should be in accordance with the name, purity and beauty - freshly washed clothes, human skin after a shower and a warm sleepy morning. On a man, this delicate smell does not lose a single drop of its purity and transparency - as if the person did not perfume, but in itself is so perfect.
Sisley eau d'ikar
The French brand Sisley specializes in expensive and natural skin care - they have a little perfume, but it is all very worthy and interesting. Eau d'Ikar, called to retell the myth of Icarus through perfume, is the only Sisley fragrance, declared as masculine, but it suits women no less. The brand describes the scent as the smell of a dream about flying, and perfume critics add that Eau d'Ikar shows the way of this dream - from great design to disappointing fall into dust. The fragrance starts with citrus notes, continues with flowers and is finally powdered, and the main ingredient - the mastic tree - is revealed in different ways at all stages.
Thierry Mugler Angel
The great Thierry Mugler Angel is often considered "just" a sweet scent, but it is much more complicated than it might seem. Unusual bitter notes add Angel ambiguity, despite the fact that his audience are considered luxurious blondes, led by Naomi Watts. And yes, indeed, the main gourmet flavor of modernity, a legend that has entered the history of perfumery, in case of an overdose, threatens to envelop you in Starbucks fragrances. Men also do not interfere with caution, although to a lesser extent - amber and patchouli in combination with the classic male image make the scent even deeper and more interesting than when the "Angel girl" wears it.
Terre d'hermès
Terre d'Hermès, dedicated to the diversity of nature, "the fragrance of harmony of earth, water and air", was made by the perennial perfumer of the house of Hermès Jean-Claude Ellen, one of the main "noses" of modernity. The flavors of Ellen are often called airy, watercolor, and the delicate complex Terre d'Hermès is one of his most famous works. The inspirer for Terre d'Hermès Ellen considers the French writer Jean Gionot ("He is a man who loves all the richness of nature"). The original grapefruit freshness of aroma is replaced by earthy patchoulias and bitterness - the owner of Terre d'Hermès descends from the sky to the ground. Perfect unisex for those who are just starting to discover niche scents.
Cacharel Anaïs Anaїs
Soft and languid Anaïs Anaїs was released in 1978 and, on a never-confirmed version, was dedicated to the writer Anais Nin, who became famous for her semi-pornographic diary. The fragrance came out with the slogan "Let the world wash away with tenderness", included dozens of floral notes and became the main smell of schoolgirls, because it was intended for a young audience - in contrast with most of the fragrances of that time, "adult" and sexual. It is interesting that now, against the background of a billion fruit water, Anaїs Anaїs with its warm musky-leather base is perceived as languid, almost provocative and, of course, out-of-gender.
YSL M7
M7 aroma came out in 2002, when the creative director of YSL was Tom Ford, a lover of shocking and muscular naked bodies. NSFW-advertising flavor, invented personally by Ford, was banned in some countries, but a more eloquent image for hypersexual woody M7 is not found: beats, musk and amber in combination give some kind of awesome pheromone effect. A few years later, the M7 was removed from production, but in 2011 it re-released its slightly reworked version as part of the YSl La Collection - it includes eight important, but discontinued brand fragrances, four men's and four women's, which form couples. By the way, Nu is considered to be paired with M7 - the smell is almost the same animal sexuality and power, but slightly softer and smoother.
Tom Ford Black Orchid
A lover of outrageous and underlined sexuality, Tom Ford made his most famous fragrance for women, but very soon men began to look for him on "their" shelves in cosmetic stores - the "Black Orchid" turned out to be so universal. As usual with Ford, the fragrance turned out to be dodgy, loud and erotic - users of Fragrantica write about the "physiological sexual sensations" of the fragrance. Oriental, sweet and lingering, completely shameless smell - and why should we be ashamed, on the other hand?
Photo: Iledebeaute, PerfumesAmerica, AromaModa, Ozon, Decantshop, Perfume for me, Shopluxo, RIV GOSH, John Lewis, Chanel