Je Suis un Homme
Etat Libre d'Orange (2006)

Your average Wild Man of Rock might go for this spicy and boozy-aromatic woody leather - which is subtle as a flying mallet ... but me - I'll pass.

Good citrus opening albeit quite breif, leads to a mid with spicy overtones. this is where the fragrance shines for me. it does the spice extremely well. Im not a big fan of spice based fragrances, but this one has a nice balance with the leather and bergemot.
The only thing that didnt come together for me was the patchouli drydown.

This is Tabac de nuit without the Tabac and slightly sweeter. It is therefore inferior to TDN just as TDN is inferior to Jovoy Les Jeux sont faits which is inferior to Amouage Journey Man. However this is speaking from a masculine perspective. This would make quite a nice spicy yet strong female fragrance but use sparingly otherwise you'll repel all suitors.

Fragrance: 6.5/10
Projection: 7/10
Longevity: 7/10

This reminds me of original version Bel Ami, in a good way, and I love Bel Ami.

I have a crush on this. I'm surprised I haven't heard more about it, and almost half the reviews are neutral - a good one for "most underrated" threads.

This and original Bel Ami have an oily, warm, leather smell, plus citrus. This smells delicious, flawless, interesting, great for the office, great for a date; great for wearing daily.

Montmartre Study: Studio by Paul Signac - 1883

This is a terrific "classic" aromatic woody thing with the nicest bergamot opening outside of Guerlain's offerings. That being said, for $20 you can get a jug of Z14. Still excellent and worth a try.

Interesting fragrance that has taken several sample wearings to catch on with me. The feature theme is a soft citrus-leather shaped by a less prominent, yet equally persistent clove and cinnamon. In the opening it's a citrus-leather, cinnamon and clove, which turns into a ginger-leather, cinnamon and clove, and then ends with a patchouli-leather, cinnamon and clove. Each of the combination accords are nice in their own right, and I would have been content had Jes Suis Un Homme been designed as a strictly linear fragrance in any of the aforementioned accords. However the development of the supporting note combinations make this one an absolute winner for me. Highly masculine without being punchy, but you have to like clove, cinnamon and leather, as they each own a major part of this fragrance. High quality with an excellent 8 hours longevity and a soft lingering skin scent of leather and spice that carries through to the next day. Adding this to my wish list as a future purchase. Thumbs Up

Je Suis un Homme is a bigarade type cologne with lots of clove on opening. I know very little about classic men's perfumes and can't comment on what it resembles. However, the clove makes the first stage more interesting and deeper than a simple citrus burst.

After a few minutes it's nice and spicy but still cooling - it doesn't go cloying like some of the more fougère types.

Later, it gets a bit spicier with some cinnamon or ginger added to the clove, and a bit of the fougère woodiness that can sometimes go headachey on me but ok so far.

Being number 10 in a series of 16 reviews on critically acclaimed and noteworthy scents.

An instant favourite. Reminds me of Bottega Veneta Pour Homme - certainly the patchouli and leather drydown. If anything, though, my sample provides an even better result than BV, which can edge towards the slightly sour. Je Suis Un Homme adds the simultaneous dryness and sweetness of a traditional cologne accord, and this never fully leaves the party. What can I say - the whole ensemble just works.

I get superb longevity and, unusually for me, considerable sillage. A definite masculine in my view. I love the subversive name - "I am a man" - I don't know how this sounds in French (better, I imagine, as things generally do in French), but as far as I'm concerned, this is not something you would ever say in English outside a Western without the threat of laughter, and the French title masks that just a little. It evokes the image of a masculine chap who has enough of a sense of self-deprecating humour to know how ridiculous he will sound in thus presenting his credentials.

I note the resemblance to Derby as suggested in these reviews. I've never smelt Derby, but that's also compared to Or Black, which is in turn compared also to other leather fougeres, Rive Gauche and so on. This is very comfortable ground for me, and if it sounds like it will be for you too, then you should certainly try Je Suis Un Homme.

Owner's update, late October 2017: Having bought a 100ml bottle for a good deal, I can confirm that JSUH remains one of the most consistently wearable niche masculines that I know of. Not too assertive for work purposes; light applications highlight the spice and leather. A truly excellent olfactory companion.

I advise you to read the reveiw on this page by Primavera 1000. I too was surprised to find divergent impressions among the reviews here, as if the USA samples were different from the European. I believe this is the case.

My sample came directly from Etat Libre in Paris. The amusing card that accompanied this stated Imperial Testosterone as its by-title. It is the only one of the five Etats I have sampled thus far that I have really liked and would wear. Its closeness to Guerlain's classic Derby has been stated in other reviews here and I would agree.

The spicy clove and cinammon take over after the citrus opening (bergamot, lemon and orange) fade. The woods (I detect cedar) blend beautifully with the patchouli, which make up the dry down after the spices fade. It is very masculine, sexy and sophisticated. A surprise from this eclectic house with its weird compositions and outrageous names. More shock value than quality.

So far the only Etat I would recommend wholeheartedly. Turin gave it four stars and named it a "woody citrus."

Third man by Caron mixed with bug repellent. In fact this is similar to Bowling Green by Grey Flannel.

Just like LT says, distant relative to Derby but with more citrus up top. Excellent alternative but of course not a substitute for King Derby. Potent opening, nice leathery-clove and cinnamon combo on the dry down. Rough and rugged for a manly man or a butch pretty boy. 4.5 out of 5 stars.