Dune pour Homme
Christian Dior (1997)

I feel so nostalgic for the 90s when wearing Dune Pour Homme. Not Chumbawumba or Fastball nostalgic, more Ocean Blue and The Sundays nostalgic. Maybe a little Mazzy Star. I am surprised some fragheads feel its tepid and a bit generic, I really get quite the contrary vibe. It's wonderfully dry, clean, ozonic, and sunny. This is when fig and fig leafs had become all the rage, hot on the heels of L'Artisan Premier Figuier and Philosykos. Here, the aromatics and greens are dialed up, and there is a somewhat metallic rose in its heart.

Also, this features the curious note of mignonette, also known as reseda. The flowers of this ambrosial fragrance that has facets of violet, raspberry, sweet pea, honey, and green, "stemmy" undertones. They are a true delight for the nose and I have this IFF Reseda Body base that really captures the scent to great effect. Here, paired with the fig and fig leaf, the heart of the fragrance really makes Dune Pour Homme a standout. This is all underpinned by tonka, vanilla, and woods that makes it surprisingly modern for a 25-year-old release. Granted, I have an older formulation bottle here ("Christian Dior" printed on the bottle rather than "Dior"), so I can't speak for how it may have changed.

Here's where the story ends..

I might be anosmic to something here, because this was very light on me. Fig and maybe fig leaf or something of that nature. Herbal and dry. Kind of a cool bottle, and the atomizer was pretty nice. The thin cap reminded me of some of the Guerlain Bee bottle caps. Underwhelming. Neutral.

An initial overwhelming blast of green notes quickly matures in to an amazing light, fresh and faintly floral aura - it's definitely not overpowering and outside of summer it's barely noticeable. Great to have found something so fresh but without the citrus everyone else is wearing. It's in a similar ballpark to Sel Marin but cleaner without the seaweed notes and more floral. Maybe it's not that ‘interesting' but sometimes (in summer when it's hot) you don't want too much depth and development, just something fresh, simple and (relatively) unique. Amazing that this fragrance is middle-aged now! It definitely stands the test of time and in no way smells dated - quite the opposite.

I want to like this because I have acquired a nice-looking bottle of it, and I tend to like Dior fragrances, but Dune Pour Homme has just been ok, and cloying at times, especially early on. I don't quite like it. But I find it interesting, and I plan to keep it in deep storage for a few years to try it again later.

I get a vague association with / similar synthetic vibe from Rive Gauche Pour Homme.

I find Dune Pour Homme nicer after an hour of development, but the opening has been ruining the fun.

This one is difficult to describe-- I do like it, but it gets lost with all the other frags that I love more.
This gets high marks for smelling natural and not "cheap" like most other aquatics. I actually get a lot of hay in this one, even though not listed. It's a very good beach scent, and I think it deserves more attention.

A very bitter opening that goes woody, musky and spicy. It's not bad, but nothing special.