Monday, January 30, 2006

REVIEW: Jil Sander Sun for Men

Notes: Calone, Bergamot, Rosemary, Cardamom, Musk, Nutmeg, Plumeria, Cedarwood, Amber.

Pros: Sweet and aromatic, yet with a warm musky drydown. Easy to wear and good for any season. Interesting plumeria floral note brightens the composition while the amber accentuates the musk in the base. Strangely enough reminds me of Mugler's Alien.

Cons: Not terribly original, giving an "I've smelled this before" impression. Would have liked something a little closer to the original women's Sun. Moreover, I would have named this "Autumn" as it conjures images of crisp October days rather than a day at the beach.

Bottleworthy: Definitely, especially as a gift for someone you love and whom you'd love to smell good.

Where can I buy it? 75ml edt spray $29.95 at Parfum1.com

The Bottom Line: I like this scent. It reminds me of a number of other scents (specifically Diesel Green for Men) but somehow I keep coming back to this. While I wouldn't reach for it in the summer (the nutmeg and amber make it a bit too sweet for humidity in my opinion), I find it great for cooler weather . At the low, low discount price, it's worth adding to the collection and I'd definitely recommend this to my female friends. Not the most groundbreaking scent, but a pleasure to wear with great longevity and sillage.

Rating (out of 10): 7.5

I think the name SUN is a major misnomer. Any other scents that you think are majorly mis-marketed?

6 comments:

katiedid said...

Liz Claiborne's Vivid is a misnomer, because it is anything but.

Anonymous said...

212 Men, which smells exactly like mowing the lawn. Of all the area codes in the United States of Anerica, which one do you think is least likely to lilt with the earthy aroma of fresh cut grass?

marlen said...

Katie - LC scents are usually a no-no for me...

marlen said...

Joel - no kidding, and how about some of the Bond scents?

Dusan said...

Hi Marlen!
You're doing great job with the blog, congratulations! The scented memories section is a wonderful idea as fragrances do evoke strong feelings for me.
Sun men is indeed a very enjoyable fragrance to wear, agreeing that it is much more pleasant in the automn or spring. I believe the generous use of fresh hedione is what seems to justify its sunny denomination, though I must admit the drydown hardly ever works for me on a hot, summer afternoon. Don't see the resemblance to Alien (which I LOVED from sniff 1), but the warm, floral base notes of SUN remind me terribly of Hypnotic Poison. Now I know that, yourself being a huge fan of HP, you'll probably think me blasphemous ;-) but the two IMO share that beautiful, sexy floral warmth, albeit HP's sambac jasmine, spiked with cumin, is more expansive than SUN's frangipani note, and the cozy warmth of HP is that of vanilla, unlike the amber-dominated SUN. Now I wonder whether I would ever have grown to like SUN hadn't I been in love with HP in the first place. Hmm.
Regards, Dusan

marlen said...

Dusan - Thanks for your excellent comments! It's the amber-floral sweetness of sun that reminds me of Alien, though Alien has a fresh green tinge to it and Sun has that nutmeggy edge. Thanks for reading and posting!