Comme des Garçons 2 Man
Comme des Garçons (2004)

Comme des Garcons 2 Man is an ambience seldom captured in perfume. Opening damp and cool, it dries down dry and waxy, flourishes of peppery woods, with Iso E Super used effectively by Mark Buxton to exalt the elements. It feels like an outdoor to indoor transition, and when we come in from the external landscape into the internal hearth, it gets warmer, and aldehydes settle ever more waxy, with that snuffed out candle sensation seizing the heart.

The nutmeg accord interacting with vetiver further fleshes out the woodiness here, making CDG 2 Man feel so textured to the nose, rendered powdery by ionones and irones further into the development, a touch of blue to contrast with the mahogany hue. It simmers down to a still incense until it slowly fades from the skin. Perhaps more nuanced than certain noses desire, CDG 2 Man requires perhaps more patient noses who aren't so concerned about what comes next, how noticeable it will be, and how long it will last. Just let it do its work, and enjoy it, moment by moment.

Resinous woods, laced with spice and a touch of earthiness. Incense dances throughout, bringing a layer of smoky sweetness to the composition. Very nice for the cooler months.

Initially, I was turned off by the dry, bitter woody smell in the opening, and gave it a rating of 2/5 in my first year of getting into fragrances. However, after returning to it five years later, I found that I loved the dry woody incense note, which I think might be the "white smoke" accord. While it's a fairly linear scent, it's still nice, and the absence of sweetness makes it intriguing. The dryness of the incense is unique, and the wood note is smooth and nicely blended. It's difficult to fully explain the scent, so I recommend trying a sample to fully understand it.

Initially, I thought it was full bottle-worthy and was waiting to purchase it, but after further testing, I found the performance to be unsatisfactory. It disappears from the skin after only 2-3 hours, and while it stays on clothing for around 7 hours, it doesn't project. As an alternative, I've decided to purchase Arborist by Jorum Studio.

Opens as a soapy vetiver incense mahogany. The incense reads to me as what i identify as the used and abused woody ac norlimbanol. When i applied quite a lot on my hand there was something just hinting as pissy or animalic, but that faded out of being able to identify it before i could really get a take or any real recognition for identification. Strangely dark and fizzy in the heart, a bit smoky from i have no idea what. Pleasant and sofisticated. Im going thumbs up here. It doesnt feel earth shattering, but i like it. It wears nice, good performance in a mannerly way.

All I get from this is a lot of Iso E Super. Becomes a skin scent within an hour. If you wear this with a starched shirt, the starch will out-project and out-sillage it.

An ethereal, synthetic, powdery-woody sweet thing based on sugared almonds and incense.
Now that the see-through novelty of this sort of thing has worn off a bit, it feels kinda ho hum.