Red for Men (Giorgio Beverly Hills)

By Thomas

All hail the triumphant return of the manly-man scent Red for Men. Well, some of us hail this scent’s return, but…I’m ambivalent. I was told by a source I trust that Red has some 600 notes in the bottle. That’s more than I can comprehend and makes me wonder whether that’s a selling point. I can understand how this scent has fans, and I find it pleasant, but…welllll…sometimes more is just more.

Red opens with lightly-fruity spicy balsamic woods, but…there’s this mixed-paint impressionist thing going on here, probably many more scents than need be, and I have a heck of a time teasing out the individual notes. Not that I like walking around saying “this is wormwood, and that is starfruit” all the time, but still it’s nice to recognize these things (thanx Sarah). I have to make do with “fruity-spicy-woody” - for now. That said, it’s well-balanced and well–behaved.

On to the heart – Juniper joins the balsam, lending a greenish tinge and the slightest bit of sharpness to the proceedings. Still some spices floating around, but they’re not very spicy: more Old Spice than Szcechuan. This is, again, pleasant like a radio announcer’s voice. The upside of this pleasantness is that Red seems incapable of blooming and gassing you out of your car/office/domicile.

At drydown, Red’s notes read like the usual suspects: amber, oakmoss, leather. Again, nothing that will get anyone arrested. Is this a good scent? Well, you won’t get kicked out of any places. Is it well-crafted? Well, sure – maybe even too-well-composed. Is it the sort of scent that makes your mind race and demands that you smell your arm over and over again? Sorry, no.

Year: 1991
Notes: Artemisia, Basil, Bergamot, Caraway, Carnation, Jasmine, Geranium, Juniper Berries, Rose, Thyme, Amber, Leather, Cedar, Oakmoss, Patchouli

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