Tag Archives: Rogue

Shoulder Pad Scent (Perfume Thoughts: Bon Monsieur, Rogue)

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It’s Memorial Day weekend and I am in Las Vegas visiting family. It’s hot in here right now, like triple digit hot, and usually I would just do regular colognes, but I figured I would wear something that is a little bit of a coolant, so I brought with me my sample of Bon Monsieur, by Rogue Perfumery.

It’s a blast of cold air on repeat, with its lavender and mint notes. There are some florals here too – ylang ylang and carnation – but the star here is the lavender note. It’s not your usual watered down lavender. This one is raw and rooty and it feels different somehow.

A lot of writeups about Rogue mention how its nose, Manuel Cross, does fragrance that are reminiscent of vintage ones. This one has big shoulder pads in them – it’s very 80s powerhouse mens scent, but there’s something about this that also feels modern and not too synthetic-smelling.

I like this a lot. I don ‘t know if it is something I would buy, but I can enjoy it while I am wearing it now.

The Old Man (Perfume Thoughts: Tabac Vert, Rogue Perfumery)

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In women’s perfume, there is such a notion that something smells old-lady-ish. This is most probably because of aldehydes – a note usually associated with more vintage women’s perfumes. I wonder if there is a similar note for men’s fragrances. I think of that because today I am wearing Rogue Perfumery’s ‘Tabac Vert,’ and saw a comment about it wherein someone said this would be difficult to wear for someone under the age of forty. and I ask…why not?

Tabac Vert is a tobacco perfume. But it is unlike some of the modern takes of tobacco, most notably the popular Tobacco Vanille by Tom Ford. Tabac Vert is dry, and mossy – there’s that oakmoss again that Manuel Cross uses for his creations – it’s unmistakable, and it is so revolutionary.

I love the dryness of the tobacco here. While I do like Tobacco Vanille, which reminds me of tobacco-pipe scented rooms, this one feels more old world. The clove and carnation round it out just fine, and what we get is that mossy green chypre. It smells…worldly, like someone who knows his way around the world, who has traveled the world, and is confident with himself. So maybe this scent could be associated with an old man, and I guess that’s just fine.

Just Jasmine (Perfume Thoughts: Jasmine Antique, Rogue)

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On one of my last visits to Luckyscent before the pandemic, I got a sample of Rogue’s ‘Jasmin Antique’ and at that time this scent had not been released yet. The raves for this jasmine perfume from the people there were staggering, with someone even saying that this is the best jasmine scent in the whole store. I tried it on and was obviously impressed. But I obviously did not want to write something that is not in the market yet. (It was eventually released around April.

If you love jasmine, this will be a godsend to you. This is a big, heady, indolic cluster of jasmine, and it is huge. This is not a shy flower, it makes her presence known and wearing it makes a statement (your statement is that you like jasmine) the clove-like indolic note sits just to let the flower bloom, and this scent will envelope you in just the right way.

There is nothing else to say but Manuel Cross has created a jasmine masterpiece. You will either love this or hate it. 

And on the 53rd (Scent Thoughts: Fougére L’aube, Rogue)

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Every year for my birthday, I try to wear a special scent to celebrate. This has been a weird year, and I did not really celebrate that much. Just before everything went down this year, I got Fougére L’aube by Rogue. This is a new American house, created by Manuel Cross and I am very impressed. Most of what I have smelled from him have brought me back to the perfumes of yesterday. He said he grew up with classic perfumes and wanted to recreate them, with modern flourishes.

Fougere L’aube is a fougere, for sure – it is green and rich, and very fern-y. It is a trip to a wild forest, with lavender flowers and moss (since this is an American brand, oakmoss is actually used) It feels decadent, yet accessible. It skews masculine on paper, but it is truly not. I am enamoured by it and couldn’t think of any other new scent that made me happy this year, and is most fitting as I turned 53.