Perfume Review: Gucci Pour Homme

"The woman, inhaling the perfumes employed by the man, becomes intoxicated; and the use of scents has often proved a strong help to man, and assisted him in getting possession of a woman." The Perfumed Garden, Sheikh Nefzaoui. If Gucci Pour Homme came to life, he would have been someone I'd fall head over heels for, because, let's see...of course, he would be tall, dark and gorgeous...I might not like him right from the start, in fact I might hate him first, the arrogant son of a gun...and the relationship wouldn't be easy at all, as he would be intense, moody and the "my way or no way" kind of guy... but hey, there is nothing like a little bit of hate to prevent passion from settling into the too-comfortable ever-after. Having said that, although I imagine that Gucci Pour Homme Personified would have been irresistibly attractive but difficult, someone I'd want to hate but wouldn't be able not to love...my relationship with the perfume is nothing but uncomplicated love. And although I imagine it coming to life as a man and although it smells Fantastic on a male, Gucci Pour Homme is a scent I enjoy wearing and would recommend to any woman who loves her fragrances dark, intense and smoky. It starts with an accord that is lighter in feel that the rest of the fragrance, but already fairly dark: a sweetly-piquant mix of spices, with the tingly deliciousness of ginger being especially apparent to my nose. The light is being continuously dimmed...the orris, which keeps the potentially sharp angles of this spicy-incensey composition soft, is a twilight note, compelling, elusive and full of whispered promises..the amber note is darker still, a rich note with an earthy, leathery undertone that is tres sexy...and when the heavy curtain of incense, the star note in the blend, falls, it cuts off the light completely, and nowhere would I'd rather be than in this beautiful darkness. I adore the incense in Gucci Pour Homme. The usually ascetic note is made sensual here by orris and amber, and the hints of sweet spice, which linger long into the drydown, add a vaguely gourmand undertone to the perfume...I can think of very few masculine scents that are this alluring (and, paradoxically, given the unquestionable, darkly-seductive masculinity, this wearable for a woman). Gucci Pour Homme is available at Sephora, $65.00 for 3.4oz. Coming next week: review of Chanel Beige. (To those who have been wondering, the image is by the bad boy of photography, Terry Richardson, from Vogue Nippon, the editorial entitled The Life Style of the Rich and Famous. The models are Julia Stegner and Evandro Soldai.)