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Fragrance Reviews

Houbigant Fougere Royal Fragrance Review

houbigant-fougere-royale
* The bottle looks all elegant and refined, but on first spray, it’s an intense bang of lavender and bergamot. 

* It starts off smelling like a regular men’s cologne, nothing special, but just wait because it gets better or worse depending on your mood.

* On good days, I get a spicy floral mix which dries down to an earthy amber.

* On bad days, it’s an evil caustic vetiver that borders on chemical waste.  It then fades into a dirty, musky patchouli with a bit of skunk (in a  bad way).

Summary:  So, I’ve worn this nearly 20 times while testing it in the hope of trying to discern what triggers the different scent journeys.  I simply can’t predict which way it will go when I wear it.  When it’s good, it’s really amazing.  When it’s bad, it puts me in such a bad mood that I feel like torturing unicorns.  This is an update of a classic fougere that pretty much defined the category.  I’ve never smelled the original, so I can’t compare.  All I know is that you should test this several times before you consider buying it. Longevity is good at more than 10 hours either way it goes (either a blessing or a curse). Although a little strong at first, it is office-friendly.

Other opinions:

Now Smell This
The Non-Blonde
That Smell
Persolaise
What Men Should Smell Like

Houbigant fragrances are available through Lucky Scent and Neiman Marcus.

Disclaimer: Bottle given to me as a gift from a friend – no disclaimer needed. Image courtesy of Lucky Scent.

Categories
Grooming News

Elements Showcase Wrapup (August 2012 Edition) – with a touch of NYIGF

Coming from the EDM (Electronic Dance Music) world, one thing I’ve realized is the importance of networking. Attending my first Elements Showcase in January was my introduction to the fragrance industry, and the exposure to so many new fragrance lines and great contacts made my August return a certainty. This time, instead of just writing about what I smelled, I am going to focus on trends/highlights.