Polo Modern Reserve by Ralph Lauren: fragrance review & comparison

~by guest writer Mike Perez

Wood. Pine. Evergreen. The Christmas season 2008 has arrived (is it just me, or is the entire fall/winter season just a blur!?) and the green/wood smell of a fresh Christmas tree is one of my favorite smells. In Miami, I can’t walk into a snow covered forest and smell the trees – so the smell of a tree or wreath filling my home is as close as I can get to the real thing.
I’ve looked diligently, for fragrances that smell like this: Fou d’Absinthe by L’Artisan Parfumeur recreates it nicely, alongside a generous helping of boozy absinthe; Aqua Allegoria Winter Delice by Guerlain smells just like a stiff / dried-out Christmas wreath (pine cones, twigs, dried holly berries) folded into a gingerbread cake accord with a resinous incense base.
I asked someone on Basenotes for a recommendation, and they mentioned Polo by Ralph Lauren.
Polo and I never really got along. Maybe because it was so easy to hate. Back in the 80’s I smelled this scent on just about every single male, in my junior high school locker room. Its irreverent wood/pine accord is unmistakably strong and diffuses in the air quickly…I always felt that it’s a ‘male’ Poison.
Now older, I realize how many colognoisseurs respect and admire Polo as a classic men’s masculine. I softened to the idea of owning it and even tracked some vintage (aerosol EdT) bottles of it on Ebay once – but I never bought a bottle.

Now Ralph Lauren has released Polo Modern Reserve, their 30th Anniversary Edition, created by the very same perfumer responsible for original Polo, Carlos Benaim. The original Polo has NOT been discontinued – rather they both are available.
It’s confusing, since both share the same bottle color, shape, cap, gold lettering and logo – the only difference is the new scent says ‘Modern Reserve’ on the front of the bottle.
When I sampled it I noticed a much more spicy (almost soapy) top note that isn’t harsh at all. Less resinous. But not ‘typical’ or ‘fresh’ (thank goodness). The scent evolves quickly through a few stages and one could easily miss them if you’re not paying attention: soapy basil; spice; a hint of leather and/or birch tar; the tiniest bit of smoky resin (myrrh?); and then: the vintage smell of Polo. The sharpness and piercing effect of the notes has been softened (the tobacco is gone). I, personally, prefer this change. The original always smelled less like something in nature (animal, plant) and more like a manufactured ‘smell’ of green foliage, woods and the outdoors. It suffered for this: It was lumped into the bargain fragrance category (along with other outstanding masculines like Paco Rabanne Pour Homme, Aramis and the discontinued [prior to reformulation/ vintage] Brut). When so many other products (hand soap, dishwashing liquid, carpet cleaner) are scented like this too, it’s no surprise many have a knee-jerk aversion to it. Maybe this is why Ralph Lauren decided to re-brand, re-bottle and reformulate it?
Me, I’m impressed: This new edition impresses me without cheapening the quality of the original scent. It highlights all of the lovely facets while it simultaneously plays down those less-than-friendly parts with a more balanced vetiver/leather base. It also, just like the original, lasts hours and hours! Which, I’ve come to learn, is what many men look for in their fragrances. {Stay tuned for a post on longevity, here on Perfume Shrine, soon}.

Does it smell like a Christmas tree? No. But, then again, it doesn’t smell like a polo field either. However a bottle, along with a copy of the scratch-and-sniff book ‘The Smell of Christmas’, underneath my Christmas tree might be just do the trick! :)

Notes for Polo Modern Reserve:
Top: Cardamom C02*, Fresh-cut Basil, Pimento Berry.
Heart: Vetyver-leather, liquid Jasmine, precious Myrrh Incense.
Bottom: Humidor Wood, Patchouli, Sueded Leather.

Prices: $62.50 / 120 ml bottle or $200 for 240 ml (limited edition, only 3,500 gold lettering bottles produced, in a numbered wooden box). Available at major department stores and http://www.ralphlauren.com/



*CO2 extraction or supercritical carbon dioxide is an increasingly popular solvent for extracting volatile oils and fragrance compounds from various raw materials used in perfumery, due to the relatively low critical temperature and reactivity of CO2 which diminishes damage or denaturing (otherwise the materials' odour would be altered).



Clip originally uploaded by Modetopiamodel on Youtube. Pics of bottle and polo player Nacho Figueras provided by MikePerez.

Quelle Difference by Guerlain

Do note the name of the parfumerie counter...And in case you were wondering, no, the perfume is completely fictional of course.

Clip brought to my attention by PrettyL/mua

Guerlain Parure: fragrance review and history

"She had no gowns, no jewels, nothing. She only loved that, she felt made for that. She had such a desire to please, to be envied, to be seductive and sophisticated..."
~Guy de Maupassant La Parure

Much like Madame Loisel, the wife of a civil servant in Guy de Maupassant's novelette, who wants to live the good life, Parure by Guerlain (1975) stands as a precious commodity to be cherished; an ornament that lifts its wearer beyond the mundane and "l'air pauvre au millieu de femmes riches" (looking poor among rich women).
Parure radiates an outgoing feeling of luxury and refinement. One doesn't wear Parure to communicate their feelings, as they would with Chant d'Arômes or Vol de Nuit; or to entangle someone in a seductive web in the manner of Shalimar; but instead one wears Parure to show one's self and to be adored for everything she represents. It's therefore not an accident that it is the signature scent of Kim Catrall, the glamazonian and sexually uninhibited Samantha in Sex & the City, who upon hearing news of its discontinuation declared she has bought "every available bottle on earth" (clearly not, but it shows how loyal a following Parure produces).
In the tale by Maupassant, Madame Loisel borrows the coveted parure jewels from her rich acquaintance Madame Forestier to wear at a grand ball in which she has a truly memorable time but loses the necklace in the process. Ashamed to admit the truth to her friend, she is forced to buy a replacement and thus enter in heavy debt that will entail years of sacrifice and toil. Years later, as the two women meet on the street by chance, the moment of truth comes as Madame Loisel finally admits the circumstances, yet she hears crestfallen that the necklace was made of paste and not diamonds and therefore all her sacrifices to get herself out of the colossal debt had been unnecessary... Contrary to the above story, Parure glistens with the real shine of precious essences and imaginative artistry.

Parure etymologically comes from the Old French, meaning adornment, from the verb parer: to adorn, to prepare. According to Encyclopedia Britannica, parure thus denotes "a matched set of jewelry consisting of such pieces as earrings, bracelet, brooch, necklace, and ring". In fact the complicated suite might include such diverse items such as a necklace, a comb, a tiara, a diadem, a bandeau, a pair of bracelets, pins, rings, drop earrings or cluster-stud earrings, a brooch and even a belt clasp to be worn over an evening gown. Parures rose in popularity from the 17th century onwards in Europe and were mainly reserved for royalty and the really rich, denoting status, strength and the political power of its wearers. Napoléon loved lavishing these gem suites on Joséphine, for her to wear at state functions, while he gave similar sets to his second wife, Marie-Louise, later on. Court members and the higher social ranks vied for the best jewelers with orders for them to create elaborate and original suites that had the clever and intricate characteristic of modularity so that they could be remade into more fashionable, au courant jewels. Therefore necklaces could be worn intact or disassembled into bracelets, pendants, hair ornaments or brooches by incorporating smart interchangeable components and locking systems.

Ever since Guerlain had created the ultimate fruity chypre in the guise of the mysterious Mitsouko in 1919, they sought to create another memorable chypre for their customers. Jean Paul Guerlain, heartned by the success of Chant d'Arômes (1962) and Chamade (1969), tried to accomplish just that in 1975 with Parure. Although Guerlain themselves classify the scent under "floral chypre", Parure is a porthole into fruity chypres with a polished woodfloor background that according to Luca Turin evoke an oriental mood more than anything.

Guerlain's Parure opens on an effusive and noble interlay of bright and dark elements of golden bergamot and sharp greens that soon cede to the spicy notes in its heart that recall the cinnamon touch (due to styrax) that appears in Mitsouko as well. The ripeness of plummy goodness almost as if steeped in rum (comparable to the damascones in Lutens' Bois et Fruits or Feminité du Bois by Shiseido) evokes spring gatherings in stately houses: The floors polished to a shiny, waxy sheen, the curtains of damask draw;, vases full of narcotic lilacs; bright lights illuminating French windows that give way to a majestic view of the woods across the green lawn. Balsamic notes finish off the dinner as if a baba au rhum laced with delicate vanilla pods extract is being savoured while the gentlemen of the company are smoking cigars in the antecedent chamber.
Although Parure is a very radiant, self-confident composition that is not difficult to wear due to its smooth and lush generosity of nature, I find myself drawn more to the mysterious contemplation and sadness of Mitsouko. Those who find the latter hard to tame, full of sharp impediments however, might have better luck with the former. The eau de toilette of Parure is exceptionally lasting as well, especially in the vintage formula.

Notes for Guerlain Parure
Top: bergamot, clary sage, galbanum
Middle: plum, lilac, rose, jasmine
Base: oakmoss, earthy forest notes, spices, vetiver, styrax, Peru balsam, wood

The original Parure extrait de parfum flacon, made by sculptor Robert Granai, took pride of place among the most luxurious of the Guerlain presentations: A round bottle topped by a 'slightly outrageous stopper' (per Jean Paul Guerlain), a delicate dentelle of crystal the inspiration behind which was a glowing sea-view sunset. The Eau de Cologne concentration circulated in the classic "disk" bottles with the pyramidal stopper. Later on, the Eau de Toilette concentration was bottled in simpler architectural flacons with horizontal ribbing, a classical boule diaphanous stopper and a round red and orange label with the name Parure on the body, encased in a box with geometric designs in matching colours. A reformulation that skewed the scent was implemented when the scent was rebottled in the classic "bee" flacons some years ago, but in comparison to the older eau de toilette it is of inferior quality.
In the end Parure was discontinued by Guerlain altogether some years ago due to low demand and is sometimes found online in auctions or at shops with old stock. Instead Guerlain decided to re-use the glorious, copyrighted name for a range of their makeup items. Let's hope that as long as the keep property of that name, there is some chance that the fragrance might be resurrected.

A sample of vintage Parure will be given to a lucky reader to experience this discontinued fragrance! State your interest.

Ad pic through parfum de pub. Bottle pics through Fragrantica and Ebay. Angelina Jolie photo from the Oliver Stone film Alexander.

Frequent Questions: How to Choose Fragrance for a Gift

With the holidays looming up, choosing gifts for those loved ones and friends can be a really difficult task. And so often the thoughts of those of us enamored with fragrances turns to this thorny path: "How should I choose a fragrance gift for my loved ones so that it suits them and they're pleased with it?" Let's see in this little shopping guide how we can make this a little easier and practical.

Fist of all, I have to observe that fragrance gifting seems to be a procedure that is more or less loaded depending on culture and upbringing: Certain cultures apply highly individualistic attributes and sexualised messages to perfumes in general (designating perfume as an intimate gift or one which is an innuendo to more personal associations). To them, sometimes fragrance gifting from outside the tightest circle of family and/or lovers is suggestive in a manner too close for comfort. Others ~notably Southern Mediterranean people~, inspired by the wide use of Eaux de Cologne as a refreshing pick-me up with no attraction connotations whatsoever, indulge in fragrance gifting with less self-consiousness and it is indeed among the very traditional gestures, even among business associates! Additionally, highly urbanised terrains and younger ages allow for a bottle of fragrance to be seen more like a fashion accesory than a luxury "treasure" to be savoured on special occassions. Therefore, bear those factors in mind when considering to whom you're offering a gift of perfume or how you feel about this yourself (although I am assuming if you have made it here and thus far, you're not antithetical to the idea of presenting someone with a festively wrapped bottle of perfume!)

The first rule of successful fragrance gifting should be that you choose something that is according to the recipient's tastes and needs. Similar to how you wouldn't gift a socialite with a pair of galoches (where would she wear them to?), you don't want to overwhelm a young neophyte with something terribly complicated and meaningful that would feel out of place, yet without resorting to something that is a condescending cliché either. Going through very broad generalisations, it seems that younger women are rather averse to perfumey, face-powdery or floral fragrances as a rule (with the exception of tropical tiare and gardenia fragrances, it seems), prefering more culinary notes of vanilla, almond, tea and the like, or more abstract compositions that smell "out of the shower"/"clean" (those are usually combinations of various musks with synthetic florals or aldehydes). Younger men seem to be wanting to "blend in" (standing out takes either consious effort or the maturing of age), so a quick look through Sephora's best-seller list might provide some pointers to the general direction if not specific scents ~because you wouldn't want to buy what everyone else is buying! Never mind that several fragrances smell so similar to each other anyway.

So how do you go about it? A little investigation into what the recipient is actually enjoying right now is highly recommended. This can come through casual chit-chat (and if you paid attention all along in the past you should be able to at least pinpoint some favorite smells which might serve as a little steering help), through direct asking of what they're currently wearing or through observation of what they do have in their homes on the dresser or the bathroom shelf. If the latter is more silently conductive, pay attention that some bottles might have pride of place simply due to their decorative value, their prestige or simply because they were gifts by beloved people, yet they remain mostly unused (you don't want to repeat that mistake, do you?). Try to determine which of those fragrances get some actual use. If you can, do a comparative test with testers at the store, so you can pinpoint if you have actually smelled them wearing them. Who knows, you might find some little gems for yourself too, in the process!

If your direct question provides a direct answer à la "I am wearing Chanel No.5", there is the pressing tempetation to capitulate and buy just that. Try to resist acting upon it in the literal sense of buying another bottle of that fragrance. Replenishing a diminished stash might devalue the fragrance experience somewhat by unconsiously comparing it to refilling the fridge with milk. It doesn't make for the mingle of joyful surprise and guaranteed satisfaction that a successful gift entails. One lovely idea of bypassing this obstacle might be to buy some of the ancillary products in the same line of the fragrance: Often women -and men- are reluctant to buy those themselves, as they see them as an indulgence that is harder to justify, especially in times of financial recession (those body lotions, fragrant shower gels and shaving foams are more expensive than the more generic products for the same use). This solves two problems: it makes for a gift that can't go wrong smell-wise and it offers a little element of surprise combined!

Another idea, a little more elaborate but not too difficult, might be to search for something along the same lines as the scent of established "like": Belonging to the same olfactory family, encompassing similar "notes", or generally being a comparable style. To get help in this more sophisticated task, you can get help at the counter, but perhaps more effectively you can research a bit yourself online. Fragrantica and Osmoz are databases which describe the olfactory families (citrus, floral, oriental, woody, aldehydic, chypre, fougère) and classify many popular fragrances in them, so you have a little steering help. If, in the meantime, you're unsure what those chypres or aldehydes you're stumbling upon are and how they smell our articles on Perfume Shrine might be of help. (just click on the links and scroll!)
Michael Edwards of the Fragrance Foundation comes to the rescure too. His incredible database Fragrances of the World for feminine and masculine fragrances respectively, allows you to search for the fragrance you want to compare by its initial (how much simpler can you get!) and then shows you similar fragrances to it. It contains mainstream brands, classic fragrances, niche perfumes, as well as drugstore ones and discontinued scents which might have been otherwise obscure to decode. Very handy! Basenotes is another huge database of fragrances which lists fragrance "notes": you can search the desired fragrance of choice and compare and contrast notes of others; or better yet run them through their system by typing the ones you're interested in, in the appropriate box, separated by a comma (say: tobacco, hay, leather) ~five seconds later they will present you with several choices to choose from, masculine or feminine, whatever you prefer. For instance, these are the choices I got by randomly typing orange blossom, rose, tuberose, amber: A Demi-mot by Galimard, Trussardi Action Donna, Darling II by Fabergé, Magical Romance by Anna Sui, New York Nights by Girard, Razala by Ayala Moriel and Spellbound by Estée Lauder. You can do the same thing on the Fragrantica site as well.

Sometimes, among perfume afficionados, there is the seemingly practical advice of buying a sampler pack from Sephora to let the recipient of your gift choose what they like themselves, accompanied by a gift certificate to go on and buy that fragrance later on. Although this seems like a wonderful solution to the above dilemmas on shopping for fragrance for someone else, the recipient unless a hardcore perfumista/perfumisto is left with no goody bag to unwrap. A disappointing feeling, despite your better intentions... To avoid that, yet guarantee a successful purchase, you can buy whatever you have narrowed it down to and then ask the sales associate at the shop to include a sample vial of said fragrance inside the gift packaging, so that the giftee can sample the fragrance at the leisure of their home without ruining the packaging (this is especially important for the European market that does not accept returns of opened products, unless clearly defective). If you can, include a couple of samples of fragrances available in the same store, so that if the first is not as successful, maybe it will give them ideas and the return will be easy and enjoyable. It's generally a good idea to ask if returns are acceptable anyway and the specific terms of those returns -a simple return receipt, the time-frame in which it can be done etc.- and let the recipient know about them (they wouldn't ask you themselves out of politeness). This is especially important for men who often feel intimidated in department stores and boutiques and would rather let that pretty flacon gather dust than venture into that sea of unknown. If you suspect this is the case and it's someone close, offer to do it for them or accompany them and do some sniffing together. This is also a lovely bonding experience for couples (and eye-opening too, I might add).

Whatever you do remember another rule of thumb: Most people have not even heard of niche brands and no matter how much you want to introduce them to the delectable joys of Serge Lutens, Frédéric Malle or the newest wonder of Comme des Garcons for H&M, their products might smell weird to them and the brand recognisability will be nil (I realize that if you're reading Perfume Shrine you're probably beyond that, wearing what you like and perhaps even embracing the lure of the "being in the know" factor, but the average person is still swayed by what they perceive as "prestige" ~brands such as Chanel, Lancôme, Hermès, Guerlain, Christian Dior, Bulgari, Givenchy, Yves Saint Laurent et al have still a lot of covetability cachet in them).

Last but not least, some of the most popular and generally well-liked fragrances across the boards you're less likely to get wrong with (but there's no 100% guarantee!) include the following:
For women: Chanel Coco Mademoiselle, Prada Infusion d'Iris, Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue, Stella McCartney Stella, Burberry Brit, Christian Dior Hypnotic Poison, Philosophy Amazing Grace.
For men: Guerlain Vetiver, Gendarme by Gendarme, Armani Mania for men, Thierry Mugler Cologne, Gucci pour Homme, Gucci Envy pour homme, Prada Infusion d'Homme, Rochas Man, Paco Rabanne XS, Dior Eau Sauvage, Cerruti 1881, Terre d'Hermès.

Good luck shopping and remember, it's the thought that counts!

Related reading on Perfume Shrine: Christmas 08 Gift Ideas part 1

Pics from top via Flickr by 99elledge, DonnaGreyson and *an_drea.

Basenotes Fragrance Awards

Basenotes, a huge online fragrance community, have announced the opening of their annual consumer-led awards. The Annual Basenotes Fragrance Awards offer the site's 300,000 monthly visitors a chance to vote for a range of products across twelve categories including both feminine and masculine fragrances. The Annual Basenotes Fragrance Awards traditionally offers a prize to a randomly selected voter and this year that prize is a $250 gift certificate to spend on a selection of the thousands of products available at FragranceNet.com's online store. Voting for the awards is open now until 21st January 2009. Votes should be registered at Basenotes. This year the categories include a new best home fragrance, while you can vote for only the ones you want:

Best new fragrance (Masculine and Feminine)
Best overall fragrance (Masculine and Feminine)
Best fragrance for day (Masculine and Feminine)
Best fragrance for evening (Masculine and Feminine)
Best fragrance packaging (Masculine and Feminine)
Best designer, mainstream or fine fragrance (Masculine and Feminine)
Best niche, independent, artisan or boutique fragrance (Masculine and Feminine)
Best mass-market, drugstore, budget or direct-sell fragrance (Masculine and Feminine)
Best celebrity fragrance (Masculine and Feminine)
Best fragrance house
Best home fragrance
Best fragrance blog

(via Basenotes press release).

You can vote for Perfume Shrine, if you wish, by registering on Basenotes (it's free!)