While it might not be to everyone’s tastes, I adore the melange of spices, the greenness of the cardamom and vetiver, the grapefruit blast which adds some freshness despite the heavy profile, and the rich, creamy depth of the sandalwood, patchouli, and labdanum in the base. Dominique Ropion has crafted one of the best fragrances in the entire Costume National fragrance line and it is also one of the best he has done, too. Free d’Homme EDP: a metropolitan and nonconformist scent, thanks to a mix of citrus notes, Cypriol, Saffron and Incense! At the same time, a light citric, discreetly herbaceous nuance is perceived, which ensures that the top note does not drift into the dull, but rather receives a certain "aromatic freshness" and comes from the bergamot.

Soon, a massive wave of red-hot cinnamon rolls in, accompanied by a brace of earthy vetiver and patchouli. As the fragrance dries down, a distinct note of creamy sandalwood begins to emerge, adding a lush, smooth texture to the fragrance and rounding out the harsh edges. There’s also an irissy tone almost reminiscent of the drydown of Dior Homme Parfum, though it’s faint, only serving to give the fragrance a lustrous lacquer. Homme’s spice notes never fade away but as the fragrance dries down, the scents of patchouli, cedar/sandalwood and leather-lite become apparent. The extreme dry-down of Homme smells of soft, plush, and lightly spiced amber. Secret Woods EDP: "I prefer to wear it in the evening, for special occasions: it has an undeniable charm that has never failed to impress me!" - HumbertThat means this one here is an absolute bomb. DISCRETION IS ADVISED. I would recommend no more than three sprays for this fragrance, and that only if you’re going to be outdoors. For normal use, I limit myself to two sprays, and if I wear this to work, a single spray. It’s that strong. J EDP: a tribute to Japanese tradition with a modern twist. The fragrance combines fine ingredients with typical Japanese delicacy, creating an ethereal and luminous fragrance. These two notes are surrounded by a beautiful light balsamic note reminiscent of blossom honey, which gives the base flattering attributes and allows the fragrance to fade away wonderfully. This perfume may not be a real crowdpleaser, but I think a lot of people would like this particular fragrance. Then again, taste will always be personal. It most certainly got my attention and I will definitely try this again, maybe even buy a small bottle for winter.

I have a tester bottle of Costume National Homme Parfum, and so my bottle came in a simple, white, unlabeled box. Conclusion: Unfortunately my collection had to leave this fragrance again, it was too intrusive and unround for me. If you are looking for a potent autumn/winter scent that reminds you of a Christmas cake with lots of cinnamon, you will certainly find it here. For those who like it a bit finer/softer/cuddlier in autumn and winter, I recommend other "sweets", such as the Immergeher "Noir Extreme - Tom Ford". This is going to appeal to only a certain subset of people. I don’t mean that it’s an unattractive fragrance, because it’s not in the least. However, it is definitely very far away from your Dior Sauvage or Bleu de Chanel types which dominate the men’s perfume scene today.The fragrance opens up with a blast of grapefruit and the distinctive, licoricey twang of green cardamom pods. While I’m not a big fan of cardamom in food other than as an accent note (it always makes my tongue dry out), I absolutely love the smell of cardamom. This has one of the most realistic and zingy cardamom notes I’ve encountered so far, and so I was in love from first spray. Ropion was Laurent Bruyere's most frequent co-creator, working together with him on eight different fragrances. The most well known of these is Thierry Mugler Alien. In many ways Homme is a classic bit of Ropion construction and there are some elements from two of my favorite overlooked fragrances by M. Ropion; the Kenzo pair of Jungle L'Elephant and Jungle Le Tigre.

In a few words, Costume National Homme Parfum is: rich, smooth, spicy, creamy, woody, dark green, exotic, and festive. I have nevertheless read all of the comments on this fragrance from the Lead Speakers with pleasure and am looking forward to a discussion below the comment :) It's longevity is amazing, I applied it to my wrist at around 6 PM, even washed my hands a few times with water, but when I took a shower this morning at around 11:30 AM, I could still smell it on my wrist. Usually my skin tends to eat fragrances a little bit, but I was really impressed.Some of Ropion's popular creations include Givenchy Ysatis, Givenchy Amarige, Kenzo Jungle Elephant, Calvin Klein Euphoria, Thierry Mugler Alien, Viktor & Rolf Flowerbomb, and Lancôme La Vie Est Belle. However, his most famous creation is arguably Portrait of a Lady for Frédéric Malle, which he developed with his friend and collaborator, Frédéric Malle. This fragrance is considered a masterpiece in the fragrance industry and has received critical acclaim. Costume National has been one of the more successful clothing designers who have made the foray into fragrance. Laurent Bruyere created the first four fragrances for Costume National. Scent was followed in close succession by Scent Intense, Scent Gloss and Scent Sheer. These fragrances were all inspired by the tropical flower hibiscus and he used it in interesting combinations. One is that this is a very high quality, high performance, designer fragrance with a niche character. The bottle is vaguely rectangular, widening out more at the base. It’s also kind of indented (I don’t know if that’s the technical term for it), sloping in and down. All of the Costume National bottles are like this; I’ll attach some photos so you get an idea of what I mean. The bottle feels very nice in the hand and is obviously high quality. Costume National Homme Parfum alongside other Costume National bottles. When I wear this fragrance, I envision a well-groomed man in his late 20s or early 30s, perhaps wearing a dark olive green suit. He is well traveled, worldly, and balanced, completely in his element. I think that it would be the perfect fragrance for a poet, philosopher, writer, scholar, or artsy types.

That is way more than enough for me. This is one of the few fragrances I have that I can still smell on my skin the next day when I wake up. It often survives two showers. On fabric, this can easily last for weeks or months. That is a sign that this is a quality piece of work. Costume National is a niche perfumerybrand founded in 2001by Ennio Capasa, combining Japanese minimalismwith the Italian sartorial approach to create wonderful and original artistic perfumes.Costume National fragrances have an innovative soul, a modern identity, and a strong connection with Italy and the artistic traditionof high perfumery. These unique scents are created following a contemporaryand essentialstyle, which is reflected in the high qualityand purity of the raw materials used.It’s a very pleasant fragrance, but the spices might not be to everyone’s taste, so spray with caution. Value For Money I think that it could be unisex, but it errs much more on the masculine side of the spectrum if you ask me. Still, ladies, by all means, take this one out for a spin and see if it works for you. When To Wear It I vastly prefer this over the original eau de parfum, which I tried a number of times but never could convince myself to enjoy. While I’m not a big fan of cardamom in food other than as an accent note (it always makes my tongue dry out), I absolutely love the smell of cardamom. This has one of the most realistic and zingy cardamom notes I’ve encountered so far, and so I was in love from first spray. Dominique Ropion is a French master perfumer, born in Paris in 1955. He attended the Roure Bertrand Dupont perfumery school in Grasse to pursue his passion for perfumery. After completing his education, he started his career at the legendary Roure Bertrand laboratories, where he met his friend and collaborator, Frédéric Malle.