work – Notable Scents

* Noir Marine goes on with a brisk spicy peppermint that will wake you up with its strong projection.

* Phaedon is a new line of fragrances by Pierre Guillaume. This was kept secret at first in attempt to keep the focus on the fragrances rather than the names involved.

* The peppermint stays present and is sweetened up with a really nice tobacco note. The tobacco is not overwhelming or ‘old man’ish – its present and acts as a nice sweet transition.

* I do not like aquatic (water/ocean) fragrances, so when my friend recommended that I try Noir Marine, I laughed. Throughout the life of the scent, I don’t get any aquatic notes at all… maybe that’s why it’s so dark (or noir)?

* After a few hours, the pepper winds down and the tobacco transitions into really warming and nice resins that last a long time.

Summary: I was introduced to Pierre Guillaume’s Parfum line when I was in Paris last year and absolutely love Aomassia, Bois de Copaiba, and Un Crime Exotique. Noir Marine fits into that line quite well. The longevity is absolutely wonderful, with the sweet resinous base lasting more than 12 hours on my skin. If you apply this an hour before work, this could be an office-friendly scent. Otherwise, it makes for a great after-work pick-me-up that will last until the next day.

Phaedon fragrances are available from LuckyScent and The Perfume Shoppe.

* The first shot is a burst of cold with juniper berry, pepper, and citrus. It’s a bit strong and bracing, with strong projection for the first 30 minutes.

* South African sprint runner Oscar Pistorius is the face of the fragrance. Known as “the fastest man on no legs,” he is a double amputee who runs with artificial limbs. I wonder if the inspiration was to be a sports fragrance with a unique twist.

* A fresh mint joins in with the pepper – I guess that would be called peppermint <grin>.

* Pure Shot bares little resemblance to A*Men, with none of the coffee, chocolate, caramel or musk that the original is named for.

* After about 2 hours, it calms down to a nice woody patchouli that lasts for a good 6 hours.

Summary: Pure Shot came as a total surprise for me. When I reach for an A*Men or and A*men flanker, I am expecting deep intense juices that projects. Pure Shot could easily be described as the A*Men sports fragrance as it is refreshing, light, and heats up well with physical activity. I would compare it to Serge Lutens L’eau, a clean laundry fragrance in a line of heavy oriental scents. Pure Shot seems like it was made for guys who don’t wear A*men or don’t like heavy scents. With that said, I do like it and it would work as a great summer scent.

A*Men Pure Shot is available exclusively at Nordstrom and the Thierry Mugler website.