Lauder for Men

Anise, Juniper Berry, Galbanum, Green Notes

Carnation, Jasmin, Lily of the Valley, Rose

Amber, Cedar, Moss, Musk, Patchouli, Sandalwood and Vanilla.

Here is a much maligned fougiental from Lauder that was released in 1985. People either thoroughly enjoy and respect this creation or they hate it. Lauder for Men is a bold, green fragrance that is a little outside the box of the conventional fougere. It polarizes due to its edginess.

Personally, I think the fragrance is masterfully done. The opening of anise, juniper and galbanum is startling and is quickly roughed up a bit by a dose of carnation. The "green" in Lauder for Men is at once brazen and yet soft at the same time. I assume this is achieved from the interaction of muguet and vanilla with the green accord. It tones it down a notch and smooths out a few wrinkles. It almost seems like these notes shouldn't go together, but they find a way here.

After 10 minutes, the carnation is in the pocket and settled down nicely. The floral heart is a blended array, polite in volume and tuned for augmentation. The carnation is still evident above the rest on my skin and the result is an extremely unique conglomeration of notes.

As the base accord finally comes to fruition, the sillage has been tempered to a polite radius. Lauder for Men roars out of the bottle, but within 15 minutes is a gentleman. People in your personal space will detect fragrance, but it's not the room clearer it alluded to be in the beginning.

Lauder incrementally gets woody, a bit mossy and brushed over with a soft vanilla. There's hints of resin that come and go in the drydown and the fragrance never loses its green theme.

 Not everyone can wear this successfully, but to me ( and on me ), Lauder is a winner. Big thumbs up from Aromi for this forgotten gem.