Aramis JHL for men - Opinios Reviews

Aramis JHL is one of the wealthiest classic fragrances I've ever had.. and from one of my favorite fragrance houses. Some of the best aromas i have are from this brand.. and this is one of my favorite classic timeless and really masculine, the orange cinnamon is simply excellent. I wear it in the colder/night time seasons.

I bought it when it was launched because it smelt almost the same as my Grandfather's signature scent, Carnaval de Venecia, a local high-end cologne for men that was a succes back in the 1930's - 1950's. At that time I was completely unaware that JHL's dry-down notes were very similar to that of Opium's (1997) and Youth Dew's (1953). Later, reading reviews on the net, I came to know that Cinnabar (1978) falls in the same league.

These comments might convey several ideas, the first one is that JHL lacks originality, and to an extent, this is so: it does resemple the three fragrances previously mentioned. As a matter of fact, I had the chance of being complimented on my wearing JHL with the remark that "I didn't know Opium pour femme smelt so good on men" (true, if we are referring to the vitage formulation, not today's mess thanks to L'Oreal's failed sense of innovation).

The second one is that JHL does not smell masculine for those looking for the usual masculine blend composed of aromatics, spices and some masculine florals (ie, lavander). The aldehydes are prominent, as well as the florals and the spices, markedly cinnamon. So aldehydes and florals are the ones responsible for is femenity, and the spices the reason why its drydown makes sense to its claim - well, akin to Opium pour femme, a perfume that in this sense can be easily worn by men.

Now, what about Youth Dew and Cinnabar? Let's take the years they were launched: Youth Dew in 1953. In 1977 YSL launched Opium. As mentioned in many blogs and reviews, Lauder's owner thought herself being robbed and decided to launch Cinnabar (1978), but it did not catch up to Opium's succes. Common sense dictates that there could be an oportunity if the company relaunched it as a masculine, and here one might hypothetizise why JHL was launched in 1982.

As per the rest of the history, it is said that Chanel's Coco, launched in 1984, was blended by Olivieir Polge with all these blends in mind.

Adding all up, perfume formulas are non-registrable, so the only option in order to protect a company's product is through branding. Any question as to why we are flooded by mediocre blends being aggresivley marketed through adverts in which famous celebs abound? Thanks God for independent perfume companies.

BTW, I like them all and would wear any of them, nuisances aside. After all, I could be as well wearing Carnaval de Venecia from a bottle dating from the 1940's.

There's nothing like eating a big bowl of spicy chili and wearing JHL to clear out your sinuses. Wow, this is STRONG. And what's with the "old lady" jokes about JHL? If you don't like it, fine. No big deal. I can't help it if you smell like an old lady when you wear this.

JHL is unlike most 80s powerhouse fragrances because it's not fueled by big leather and moss notes. JHL is all about harsh, dry spices, which flatten any sweet base notes that might qualify this as an oriental. This is from the Youth Dew and Cinnabar school of power scents, propelled by tear-inducing cinnamon, clove, carnation and patchouli notes. JHL never really evolves, but rather calms down after several hours, though not by much.

Oh, by the way, JHL smells great. I love it for its potency, its spiciness, and the fact that it's unlike any other fragrance in my wardrobe. It's unique even among the crowded field of 1980s power scents. It's definitely not for everyone.

And potent it is. JHL is a real show stopper. It's loud and has booming sillage, so apply this with a great deal of caution. If you like strong fragrances, then JHL should be on your must-try list.

Vintage JHL opens with a whiff of aldehydes (nothing overpowering, I assure you) before quickly transitioning to a beautiful mildly cinnamon and all-spice laced carnation and rose combo, with maybe just a hint of bergamot thrown in for good measure. The spiced floral accord remains through the heart notes, now joined by jasmine support that sweetens the accord, but never "too sweet." The spiced carnation and rose finally recede as the primary base notes of sandalwood and patchouli emerge to sweeten the scent just a tad further as they take the fore, while the spiced floral tandem hangs around well in the background, at this point just barely detectable but crucial to the scent's success even in the base. Projection and longevity are both superb.

Vintage JHL is a truly outstanding scent in every way. The cinnamon spiced carnation and rose combo is absolutely captivating, and speaks of extreme class and sophistication. I view this as a perfect scent for dressing up in a fine suit and tie. The scent is sweet, but unlike so many others that go too far and become cloying; JHL goes right to the limit, but masterfully never crosses that line and remains very wearable and easily accepted. The projection and longevity here also need to be emphasized as this is a true powerhouse of a scent... As an aside, when I first put vintage JHL on, I thought it reminded me a bit like my beloved vintage Floris No. 89, and there are definitely some similarities between the two masculine floral scents to my nose, at least. That said, upon closer inspection, vintage JHL is smoother, more refined and sweeter than vintage No. 89 (No. 89 relies on rough dry vetiver support, while JHL turns to a smooth sweeter sandalwood and patchouli... and of course there is the carnation). I never thought I would say this as vintage No. 89 is very dear to me and is an absolute all-time favorite of mine, but I prefer vintage JHL to it by a small margin. In short, vintage JHL is one of the best scents I have sniffed to date and easily deserves its classic status. I'll give this outstanding "Top 10" caliber juice a well-deserved 4.5+ out of 5 rating.

6/25/12 Edit: I have now bought a re-release bottle of JHL to compare against my vintage juice... I find the re-release a very competent one, but there are some differences. The vintage juice is smoother, richer and rose is much more prominent. The re-release definitely tilts much heavier to the carnation, it is also more powdery (although not overwhelmingly so, never fear). Longevity and potency are still just as superb as with the vintage juice. I prefer the vintage juice of the two and can't go back having experienced it first, but those starting afresh with JHL with the re-release are not giving up much, and you save a ton of cash. I give the re-release a still very strong 4 to 4.5 stars out of 5. Bravo Aramis for bringing this one back, and in such great shape!