Reviews by Jean Patou Fan

While I think that Prive is a lovely fragrance, it is possibly a little sweet and fruity for a fragrance intended for men. I have tried it several times, and am convinced it is Ma Liberte, in a different bottle.Sweet, with fruity and subtle vanilla notes, Prive is very different to the original versian of Patou pour Homme.

On me Liu is identical to No5. There's not a lot else I can say, other than I like it!

I used to like the Parfum version of Teatro Alla Scala: on me it was exactly like Opium, though a little less sweet. Such a pity it's been discontinued.

THE classic fougere men's fragrance. Paco Rabanne pour Homme has a mixture of green, fougere and subtle spice notes; it also has a note that reminds me of the smell of Christmas trees. Herbal, slightly bitter and astringent. Similar, though richer than Quorum.I have recently come back to this fragrance; at one time I thought it was quite boring, as it was similar to a lot of men's fragrances in the 80s.Nostalgic, elegant and a nice change from the sweeter men's fragrances that are so common at the moment.

I love Chanel Pour Monsieur (I still think of it as "Gentleman's Chanel", as it was advertised during the 70s and 80s). It is a lovely mixture of aldehydic notes, lemon, chypre and subtle spice. The sweet lemon notes are more noticable when my husband wears it, but on my skin it is not dissimilar to No5. I'm not nearly as fond of the newer concentrated version, which I think is a different fragrance altogether, rather than a different strength. (Chanel seem to be in the habit of doing this: the newer Eau de Parfums of No5, No19 and Cristalle are all quite different from the original EDT/Parfum).My favourite men's fragrance, along with the sadly discontinued Monsieur Worth. I really don't think the formula changed when it became "Pour Monsieur" in the UK - it smells the same as it always did. A classic, and fare more elegant than the newer Chanel men's fragrances. Perfect

I like Cialenga for the summer: it is a light, slightly slightly green and woody floral, which reminds me very slightly of Hermes' Amazone though it is much "cooler"; I have not smelled anything that is quite the same. It is lighter and not as rich as the other Balenciaga frangrances, and possibly not as elegant, but a lovely perfume for hot weather.

I love the orignal EDT version of Cristalle, and usually wear it during the summer. It is a bright, sparkling and light; on me lemon, hyacinth and jasmine are most prominent. When I initially put it on, I get a very similar note to No19, but this fades within seconds, and the lemon develops. The jasmine and hyacinth develop within 10 minutes. I think Diorella is probably the nearest fragrance; Boots The Chemist used to make a perfume called Aquiana, which I remember as being very similar too.As with all the Chanels, apart from No5, the bath and body products have been drastically reduced: in the UK the range was almost as comprehensive as No5, but now is reduced to just Body Lotion. There used to soap, shower gel, talc, body cream, spray deoderant to name a few, as well as a lovely product called Refreshing Body Gel, which I used to love on hot summer days.There used to be a 15ml refillable EDT handbag spray, which looked very similar to the No5 and No19 parfum sprays, which you could refill from the larger bottles, which I used to carry in my bag - such a pity that's been discontinued.All the EDT bottles appear to discontinued in the UK (leaving just sprays). The bottles had a very elegant square screw cap, instead of the round one on the other Chanel frgrances.The newer EDP is sweeter and more floral than the EDT, and has a honeysuckle note, which is not evident in the EDT. I much prefer the EDT; I'd have liked Cristalle in the EDP had been a stronger version of the EDT, but it's definitely a different fragrance. I've always wondered what a parfum of Cristalle would be like!

I loved Dior Dior! After not having seen it on sale for several years, I contacted the Dior boutique in Paris a few years ago, and they told me it was no longer available.Dior Dior was a beautiful smoky floral; difficult to describe, though I can remember exactly what it was like. I think the nearest fragrance around now is Caron's Infini.

I only smelled Lily once when it was first released in the 90s. I can't say much other than I could see no difference between it and Diorissimo. A lovely perfume, but no different from the one that has been around for decades.

Several years ago I bought a bottle of Aramis 900 for my husband, after smelling some on a paper strip at my local department store, when it had smelled woody and slightly herbal. When my husband wore it for the first time, I really couldn't believe how much it smelled like the parfum version of Jean Patou's "1000", which I wear regularly.I still think Aramis 900 smells similar to"1000", though it is definitely more woody, with a greener background. I think it's very elegant, and far more distinctive than many contempoary men's scents, and a change from the fougere fragrances of the same era. Women could easily wear it too; on me it becomes soft, sweet and slightly powdery.

Monsieur Worth really was a wonderful fragrance! Fairly light and elegant, with subtle green, citrus and spice notes; it also had an unusual note, which I have rarely smelled (it's there in drastically smaller quantities in Chanel Pour Monsieur and Worth Pour Homme). It's very difficult to describe this note, but it was slightly sweet, and reminded me of the smell in an old fashioned tobacconist.Monsieur Worth was available in various sizes of EDT and Aftershave, as well as some lovely bath products, including soap and talc. If I remember rightly the EDT was sold in 56ml and 112ml bottles. The packaging was very elegant, with a blue-green design; I could never work out the design, but I think it was possibly coloured rocks or crystals.Along with Chanel Pour Monsieur, Monsieur Worth was my all time favourite mens fragrance. Very elegant, and far more distinctive than contempoary scents. Such a pity it was discontinued, especially when the pleasant, but rather boring Worth Pour Homme is still being made.

I didn't expect to like Ivoire when I first saw it in adverts and reviews; however it has become one of my all time favourites.Ivoire is a perfect blend of green and slightly sweet floral notes, against a subtle spice background. Subtle, understated and a classic.Sadly the Parfum (which was my favouite) and the bath products have been discontinued.

I am not going to list the ingredients and individual notes of Balmain De Balmain, as this has been done by several reviewers here. This fragrance has fruity, floral, chypre and musky notes against a subtle spice background. It smells familiar, reminding me slightly of Y and Armani. Though I like the fragrance very much (particularly in the Parfum version), I do not think it is individual or distinctive enough to be a classic like Jolie Madame.Definitely suitable for men to wear, particularly the EDT version, in which the chypre is more evident than in the Parfum, and has less ephasis on the floral notes.

Miss Dior is a beautiful, classic fragrance, particularly in the Parfum version. The EDT is lighter and not as rich; the Esprit De Parfum was nearly as rich as the Parfum, but it appears to have been discontinued.Miss Dior has an accord of chypre, rose buds, jasmine, frankincense, and spicy notes; there might be some leather in there too (more evident in the Parfum), but it is muted, and not in any way a main note, as in Diorling. It is soft and warm, and suitable to wear all year round.A very elegant and beautiful fragrance.

Diorissimo is a beautiful and classic floral fragrance, based on Lily Of The Valley. Added to the Lily are green, animalic and very subtle spicy notes.My friend wears Diorissimo and standing next to her is like being in the middle of a huge and beautiful bunch of flowers. Unfortunately on me Diorissimo changes and soapy notes appear, which taint the perfume, making it smell like gone-off Lily Of The Valley. Strangely, I can wear Caron's Muguet De Bonheur (which I think is very similar to Diorissimo) without this happening. My friend, who buys Diorissimo regularly, tells me that the Parfum (her favourite) is still available, as is the EDT. Apparently the original Esprit De Parfum (which she always wore during the summer) has recently been discontined and replaced by a version called Eau De Parfum. She doesn't like this at all, and says that it smells cheap and nasty in comparison to the existing Parfum and EDT (and nothing like the discontinued Esprit De Parfum).I really have to give Diorissimo a thumbs up, as it is a beautiful fragrance; not one I can wear, but one I love on other people.

I used to like Climat; though I haven't smelled it for a number of years, I can remember exactly what the Parfum version smelled like; therfore my review is for the vintage version: a clean aldehydic white floral, which I tended to wear for work during the warmer months.I wouldn't have said Climat was the most disctinctive of fragrances, but it formal and elegant (easily the most elegant Lancome fragrance). I think the Parfum has been discontinued, which is a pity.