So this is a new feature on SCforM that i’ve been toying with for a while. These will be sporadic posts about my favourite fragrances of the moment, reviews and recommendations.

Now, a word of warning, I might know a fair bit about grooming but I have literally no idea what i’m talking about when it comes to fragrances beyond ‘I like it’ and ‘I don’t like it’. If you’re looking for more in-depth reviews of men’s fragrance (base notes, top notes, dry downs and all of that) I direct you budding aficionados to the Basenotes blog which is a fantastic resource for fragrance news and reviews.

So on to the opinions of an ignorant consumer!

Generally speaking, I prefer clean, crisp scents to wear on a day-to-day basis. Since I work and study with a lot of people, a misstep in choosing a fragrance could offend quite a lot of noses. I try to keep it interesting yet still safe.

During the winter I break out slightly more spicy, woody, heavier scents – just for a little variety. In addition to that, your fragrance of choice needs to be heavy enough to penetrate all the extra layers of clothing you wear in colder climes as well as strong enough to make a difference despite you having very little skin exposed.

SO, bearing that in mind, here’s what I have in rotation this winter!

L’Eau Bleue d’Issey Pour Homme

I have never smelt anything quite like this fragrance from Issey Miyake. It’s bold, disctinctive, spicy and woody – apparently this one is an acquired taste so do smell before buying but I’ve received many compliments on it. Comparisons usually range from woody to spicy to rich to ‘smells like christmas’. I’ve also read some people calling this medicinal, I don’t smell that so i’ll leave the decision to you. This is by far my favourite winter scent and I implore you to try this one out!

Armani Attitude

This is another spicy/woody fragrance and I think I can smell a tiny bit of coffee in there too. It’s a very warm, ‘creamy’ scent. There’s also a bit of patchouli in there which never fails to remind me of incense. This is a great smelling winter fragrance but there’s nothing particularly special/noticeable about it, a good staple to have I think. And yes, the bottle – which looks like a vintage cigarette lighter – totally sold me on it.

Chanel Allure Homme Edition Blanche

This is a fantastic ‘hybrid’ fragrance from Chanel that I find myself reaching for quite often. The overarching smell is that of citrus, it’s very fresh and thankfully nothing like the bathroom-cleaner lemon some fragrances seem to favour. However along with the citrus there’s the tiniest bit of spice thrown in that adds some interest to the scent, I have no idea what it is but google tells me that it’s likely to be the ginger, pepper and bergamot i’m smelling. The combination of a clean citrus scent with a tiny hint of spice makes this fragrance a perfect no-brainer for the winter. It’s clean, unoffensive yet interesting.

And that just about wraps up my favourite fragrances this winter, so what are yours?

Disclaimer: I was sent the Chanel fragrance by a PR company, the others were bought by yours truly. I’m not paid a single penny for my opinions, any review on SCforM is 100% honest and uninfluenced.