Wednesday, May 10, 2006

RANT: And the award goes to...

A few of my fellow fragrance bloggers have decided that today we'll all try to review our top 5 Genius scents (groundbreaking scents that we love); and top 5 Evil genius scents (groundbreaking scents that we can't stand). So, without further ado...



5 Genius fragrances
(in random order)
  1. Calvin Klein Eternity - CK Eternity for Men changed the way we look at men's fragrances, introducing light, fresh marine notes into a market that had been saturated with orientals and spicier wood/leather compositions.
  2. Helmut Lang Cologne - a brilliant composition focusing on musk and floral aromas that took some time to get used to, but has completely won me over...Sadly, not a noteworthy success commercially, but definitely a success creatively.
  3. Comptoir Sud Pacifique Motu - perhaps better than any other scent at creating the aura of summer - fresh cut grass, ocean waves, warm sands.
  4. Calvin Klein Obsession - started the men's amber-oriental craze. There have been many imitators and few true competitors.
  5. Geir by Geir Ness - a true stand alone creation, nothing compares to Geir's crisp green aroma resting on Alpine woods and herbs. See my review by clicking HERE.
  • Runners-up: L'Eau d'Issey pour Homme, Kenzo pour Homme, Knize Ten
5 Evil Genius Fragrances (in random order)
  1. Escada Casual Friday - though definitely not my favorite fragrance in the world, Casual Friday was one of the first mass-market attempts at a men's scent with coffee beans in the basenotes. Now it seems we can't get enough coffee. I wonder if Starbucks had anything to do with this.
  2. Cool Water - following in the footsteps of its predecessor, Eternity, this one just couldn't hold a candle to many of those scents it inspired. Partly responsible for a good decade of completely uninteresting and derivative marine scents. Now we have about 6 variations to choose from that all smell pretty much the same.
  3. Fahrenheit - I loved it 15 years ago, but who knew it was gonna stick around this long, and so successfully? Now, it's just the smell of too many memories.
  4. Kenzo Air - amazing that a fragrance that smells like nothing could be so popular. I still don't know what it smells like.
  5. CK One - could anything have been less interesting and yet more successful? See my review with Robin of NowSmellThis by clicking HERE.
  • Runners-up: Gaultier Le Male; Cacharel pour Homme; Aramis
Ok - your turn!

1 comment:

marlen said...

I agree about Kouros...very hard for me to find good points there...