A*Men by Mugler

Absolute icon and king of gourmands. Polarizing and ahead of its time. It has a reasonable resemblance to its sister Angel, but with a dark, earthy patchouli—not for everyone. The sillage is heavy and the longevity is eternal, even on clothes and after a shower. Imagine an old library with a cup of coffee with milk and a chocolate-honey bun, with a hint of jasmine drifting in through the window. It combines the sweet with the bitter of patchouli and a floral note. A jewel of the 90s. In stores it sells for 90€/100ml, online it hovers around 60€.

I first encountered this perfume years ago with samples that didn’t impress me at first, since I prefer leathers or incenses. I kept them in a drawer until, by mistake, I took them on a trip. With no other options, I sprayed it, and curiously, a few hours later, it started reciting poetry on my skin. It wasn’t a one-day thing; over the following days, I kept wearing it and fell in love. It’s mentholated, sweet, with a marked patchouli that transports you to another era. Nostalgic, vintage, addictive, and enveloping. The lesson: don’t judge a book by its cover. Today I have the full size, and every time I wear it, someone compliments me. It’s the father of male gourmands, but a woman can wear it without issues. Top quality, lasts about 10 hours, and projects more than 5 feet. On clothes, it lasts days. Try it on skin, take a walk, and let it speak.

I love this perfume. It makes me feel unique, and I understand why it was so popular. It has a special, irreverent aesthetic; it’s not friendly, it has “something more.” It gives off a very “cyborg” vibe, futuristic despite being vintage. At first, it smells like formaldehyde, dark disinfectant, and plastic; I imagined the Purple Knight from Saint Seiya, gloomy and penetrating. Over time, it evolves from mint to dulce de leche, coffee, ash, and dries down to a vanilla three-milk cake with honey and a dirty mossy base. I love it. Ideal for designer clothes, irreverent, and unconventional. Scent: 8.1, Projection: 7.8, Longevity: 7.2. Final rating: 7/10.

It’s very rich, but it has the same DNA as the original Focco from Yanbal in the yellow bottle. Most people don’t like it because it’s very sweet, gourmand, and strong. I understand this one is very strong and won’t suit everyone. Although it feels almost identical to Nivea Men Black Carbon Darkwood deodorant, this one has a touch of activated charcoal and woody notes.

I couldn’t handle it; the perfume won me over 😔. I have to admit, when I bought it, I let the salesperson’s recommendation sway me, and on the test strip, it smelled pretty good. At the time, I wanted something different, potent, and unique—something no one else smelled like. I was getting tired of citrus scents because they were causing me olfactory fatigue. The first time I wore it was to a party, and a friend told me my perfume was strong, but didn’t say if it smelled good or not. Later, I wore it to an office dinner, and a friend mentioned the aroma was giving her a headache. Honestly, I only sprayed it five times, and I ended up getting annoyed by it myself. But the more I wore it, the more I felt a headache coming on, which is when I decided this wasn’t for me. I decided to gift it to my brother; to be honest, I only wore it a couple of times myself, and I’m sure he didn’t like it either, so he just put it away. The fragrance is quite striking; I was drawn to it because of that coffee note, plus all the other notes that make it so unique. A few months ago, I bought a citrus perfume and was given those cardboard decants you get at perfumeries, so I asked for A Man. I applied it to my hand, and definitely, I can’t handle it. Even though I like that spicy-sweet, gourmand vibe, I wouldn’t even want to wear it for five hours 😭

There are certainly controversial perfumes, and this one generates divided opinions: it’s hard for anyone to be indifferent to this fragrance; some love it, others hate it, simple as that. I bought it blind: I have to admit it has a good side and a bad side. The good side is its longevity and projection; with just a few sprays, you make an impression wherever you go, without needing to reapply, and it lasts for several hours (about 7 or 8 on average). The bad side is that—in my opinion—it feels like a +35 scent: it has quite mixed notes, like coffee, honey, caramel, and a bit of alcohol. Occasion for use: for cold climates, I see it better for an elegant night out. Again, I don’t recommend buying it blind; make sure to test it first to see if it’s to your liking. Final note: a 7.

A man’s scent with a lot of personality, like shouting, ‘HERE I AM AND I DON’T GIVE A SHIT IF IT OVERWHELMS YOU WITH THIS SMELL OF BURNING LOGS’ a spectacular aroma!! I repeat, you have to wear it with a lot of personality, or the perfume will wear you. Ideal for winter nights for going out to clubs, parties, and with friends, you’ll get noticed.

The most expensive and exclusive one from Wavi, they’re the only ones who have it. Every time I smell it, it transports me back to him.

There’s no denying it’s an interesting perfume, but another thing is whether it’s pleasant to smell on a person. I recommend not buying it blind because it might not be to your taste. It’s a perfume that goes through different aromatic states, so don’t let the initial scent fool you; you need to wait a bit to appreciate its final aroma, which, for me, is smoky woods: palo santo, mahogany, and other woods, with a slight touch of toffee. In other words, for me, the smoky wood scent, like incense or burnt, is predominant, so everyone must evaluate if they want to smell like that and in what situation. The toffee sweetness is there, but very subtle.

Maradona used this. Almost everything is said: it’s a fragrance hard to love, but those who do, they love it madly. On my skin it lasts about 7 hours, projecting for two. I don’t recommend it; there’s nothing written about taste except for ice cream.

If it didn’t exist, we’d have to invent it. That was the first thing I thought after testing it on paper and skin. The opening leaves you stunned; you don’t expect it. It’s something between mentholated and gourmand (it reminded me of Joop Homme), followed by a sharp ‘coffee shot’. Coffee is the protagonist. As it dries, the coffee stands out even more, escorted by an ambroxan base, very sweet, with vanilla, tonka bean, and benzoin. It has tremendous personality. At times it seems like an aroma for a classic black-and-white movie man, and instantly you think of a 21st-century man who enters and exits the metaverse, dominates the laws of physics, and has the world at his feet. I don’t see it for daily use unless you have an excessive personality or are an actor who can carry the note constantly (it’s rumored to be Maradona’s signature, which fits). More for night than day, made to conquer emotionally. Don’t wear it if you’re a total jerk, because you’ll generate ambivalence and in the end, they’ll hate the perfume and you.

It evokes the scent of Santería and witches’ cauldrons with their magic brews, like Nganga. It also smells like Aztec pozole, the kind they added chocolate and spices to cover the smell of burnt meat. I acknowledge that angels are also fallen; Angel is Lucifer, symbolized in the five-pointed star. There’s only bourbon vanilla, Arabica coffee, and patchouli, but masterfully assembled they seem like caramel, milk, and lavender.

After years with its overwhelming and beastly vintage formula, and a long time without using it, I inevitably fell back into its claws. It passed through Clarins and Oreal losing intensity and identity, but now I’m convinced they restored its power. It’s back to being my great love, though I don’t hate it as much anymore; it sits between the vintage and the soft Oreal formula.

It’s curious: I hate sweet scents but my husband loves them. I think his pH is perfect to enjoy gourmand notes without nausea or headaches. I recommend it to men who don’t like fruity perfumes or shaving foam. What I notice most is chocolate and a little leather.

Banch Code from checkfresh.com: Batch ABY92E5, date 2024-09, made one month and 24 days ago. It arrived yesterday after the diluted reformulation and its discontinuation. I didn’t think I’d have it back, but after years where the reduced version was nothing and the vintage too overwhelming, I needed this time to adapt. I got hooked again, far from memories of what was missing or too much. UPDATE: after almost a month, I notice they retouched it; they put back that burnt rubber sensation that was lost in the reduced version. They took advantage of the withdrawal to relaunch it more updated.