Safari for Men 
Ralph Lauren (1992)

Safari for men is my 2nd ranked fragrance overall in my wardrobe. It's an incredible creation based around Sandalwood as the central note. The perfumer, Annie Buzantian, created a timeless masterpiece here. The fragrance can be worn year-round in any weather and seems perfectly made to be a masculine signature daily fragrance fitting a 30-something year old, strong, old-fashioned family man who is a father and a provider.

Although Ralph Lauren promoted this fragrance as a "scent of adventure" and trying to capture an African Safari motif.....and it does that, but I can't shake that when I smell this, it's how I would have wanted to smell in my 30's and 40's everyday.

The scent surrounds a beautiful soapy Sandalwood basenote with leather and a slightly medicinal Eucalyptus. There are very lightly applied supporting notes of Lavender, Vetiver, Oakmoss and Patchouli within that give the fragrance a masculine, mature mood and shape.

The original vintage bath products (bath soap and shaving soap, even the deodorant stick) are now discontinued and only found in scarce quatities on ebay. These soaps have a much more rugged and masculine tone on them that isn't even found in the vintage fragrance and I've found these bath soaps layer on top of the Safari fragrance in a spectacular way. The soaps have heavily amped up leather, patchouli and vetiver notes that after a full bath really sets the fragrance experience apart.

I highly recommend that if you are a Safari lover that you take the time to browse ebay, find the bath soap (for men, don't accidentally buy the women's Safari) and possibly the shaving soap too (the shaving soap and deodorant stick are very expensive and very rare). The experience you get from taking a bath with the bath soap and the fragrance together is a treat. The scent really reinforces how I feel on days where I am more in my masculine frame. It's hard to explain but I highly recommend hunting down the bath soap. You won't regret it.

While the vintage 1990's Cosmair fragrance is superior, I think some vintage fans exaggerate the quality difference. My 2016 modern vintage smells really good and is 98% close to the vintage. Enough where I can barely say it's worth the premium of the vintage 90's bottle. For real fans of this fragrance you should get the vintage for special wearings only.

Safari is, in my opinion, the greatest designer fragrance ever made for men and one of the best fragrances in any genre ever. I could wear this as a signature scent for the rest of my life if given an option for only one fragrance.

I wouldn't really recommend this for a young man in his early 20's unless he's already very rugged and mature in nature.

Giving this 5 out of 5 stars is pointless. This is one of the fragrances by which you judge other fragrances for wearability, artistry and broad general masculine nature. This fragrance would be fitting for men of all time periods and cultures. For me the scent carries the sense and strength, calm and stability. The best traits in men.

"Cream is the word, is the word that you heard.
It's got groove, it's got meaning.
Cream is the time, is the place, is the motion.
Cream is the way we are feeling."

On first spray I immediately get a lovely concoction of creamy spice, creamy lavender, and creamy sandalwood. Then oakmoss and very smooth leather reveal themselves slowly. I consider it a creamier version of YSL Jazz, which preceded it by 4 years. As creamy an affair as this is, it never verges on unisex like, say, YSL La Nuit de L'Homme does. Safari leans more towards gentlemanly, rather than manly. It could easily be used as an office scent, but it can also be rocked on more formal occasions.

The current formulation of Safari lasts 3 hours tops on my skin, while this Cosmair era bottle easily lasts twice as long - still not the beast mode that vintage snobs will tell you about, but it'll do just fine.

Masculinity Level: Faceman from A-Team always retaining a certain level of elegance, no matter the situation.

Here’s another early 90s classic that is ripe for rediscovery. I have a vintage Cosmair bottle so I apologize in advance if a current formulation falls short of expectations, but this is another delectable marriage between the bold and the sweet.

We have spicy creaminess with a foundation of leather and oakmoss. The supporting roles of lavender and sandalwood lend a gentlemanly sophistication and makes Safari seem ‘sartorial,’ if that makes any sense. It’s as if I should be wearing a crisp white shirt and a sport jacket and have an afternoon walk on a brisk autumnal afternoon. Which is exactly what I was planning on doing at this moment...but I’ve chosen sweatpants. Go figure. Toodle-loo!

Roger Moore character in James Bond. Vintage Safari is what a true gentleman smells like. Incredibly elegant and classy everything is gentle, nothing screaming. It is very similar Tsar but smoother and less soapy than it. For gentlemen that like a assertive, fresh sophisticated adult male scent that can be worn anywhere and anytime since it's very attractive to the nose. Women in their 40's and older will find this sexy and compliment from left to right. Very aromatic, chic, masculine, classy, charismatic, earthy and versatile.

It opens on a lemony-tarry green note with loads of lavender to go. Initially a little tart and pungent, just for a minute maybe. Then it immediately starts to get smooth and dry, as you get whiffs of the coriander and carnation. The dry down is beautiful as all the previous notes linger on mixed with patchouli, leather and moss, giving it that classic masculine core. Sandalwood lends it soft, exotic touch throughout and ties everything together magically. In fact it's slightly sharp right at the beginning, but just for a couple of minutes, and then it immediately softens diwn to reveal rich oakmoss and vibrant sandalwood with a touch of leather. It from 15 years ago, not the current formulation. sillage is pleasant and longevity is good on my skin.

The opening is quite unique, with the bold simplicity of the eucalyptus mixed with bergamot, resulting in an unexpected blend, with cedar leaf and cinnamon in the early drydown completing what is a rather unique opening.

Later on the herbal and the flotal notes assemble, with basil and thyme rendering a traditional herb garden, and the geranium with a lovely lavender supplying a floral backbone. The latter florals grow in prominence, whilst the lavender adopts a discreet powderiness over time, which assumes the classic soapy characteristics of a barbershop scent. A bit later on again on a very nice oak moss develops, which is balanced beautifully; it is combined with a smooth patchouli and a leathery and slightly green vetiver. A restrained sandalwood lingers in the background for a while.

I get moderate sillage, very good projection, and an excellent eleven hours in my skin.

The unique opening is gorgeous and composed beautifully of its good-quality ingredients. The heart-note are convincing too, with just the base a but less vivid at times. A gorgeous classic. 4/5