Lists are dangerous. No, seriously, they're really dangerous. A list robbed and murdered my uncle once. Beware of lists.
But I can't help myself. It's the holiday season, the weather is colder now, and I'm swapping out my light-and-fresh summer colognes for the heavier, spicier, darker colognes. And as I dust off and become reacquainted with these old friends, I can't help but get extra excited over a select few of them. My favorites. The ones I love to wear the most.
You already hate my list. I know that, and I accept that. But these are my top five, so here we go, in no particular order of importance.
Calvin Klein: Obsession (1986)
This was one of the first scents I was obsessed with (pun intended). It may have come out in the mid-80's, but it was still all the rage when I was a teenager in the early 90's, and I will always have nostalgic feelings for this fragrance. Obsession is definitely a cold-weather scent, though, so I save it until November through February, and especially during the stretch from Thanksgiving to Christmas.
This is a holiday scent, no question about it. With myrrh, clove, and nutmeg resting on a spiced-up base of amber, musk, and patchouli, there's no denying it: you'll smell like Christmas cookies.
Burberry: London (2006)
Many reviewers have called this the quintessential holiday fragrance. With notes of cinnamon, sweet tobacco, wine, lavender and mimosa flowers, and leather, I'd say I have to agree.
After reading that list of notes, I was expecting something richer and spicier, but this is definitely more on the sweet end of the spectrum. It smells like a holiday fruit pie to me, but a pie sitting in a room where someone is smoking cherry vanilla pipe tobacco.
Thierry Mugler: A*Men / Angel Men (1996)
Dark and sweet, like rich hot cocoa in the winter. This fragrance is a double-barrel blast of coffee and chocolate, but with hints of vanilla, musk, caramel, and patchouli to smooth it out.
Definitely a winter and holiday favorite.
Viktor & Rolf: Spicebomb (2012)
When I think of how Christmas and Thanksgiving smell, I think in terms of spices: cloves stuck in oranges, mulled wine, pumpkin pie with nutmeg and allspice, eggnog with cinnamon and clove.
And if you want spices, then you want Spicebomb. It's a blast of cinnamon, pink pepper, tobacco, and leather (to name just a few notes) and it smells fantastic. The longevity is quite nice, too.
Bvlgari: Man in Black (2014)
As I was just saying, the holiday season is all about spices, and Man in Black (not to be confused with Bvlgari Man, or Bvlgari Man Black) is absolutely dripping with rum, cinnamon, leather, amber, vanilla, and other lovely things.
It projects very well, it's a dark kind of sweet, and it lasts for hours. It's rum and cola in a fragrance! Happy Holidays!
Honorable Mention: Ralph Lauren Polo (1978)
This is it, guys, the granddaddy of winter scents. The original that spawned a thousand flankers. When this fragrance came out, Grease and Superman were the big movies, the Bee Gees had a huge hit with "Stayin' Alive," and Jimmy Carter was the president.
I don't care, it's a classic, and I love it. Some people don't, because this is a very, very strong scent that is overloaded with more than 20 notes, with pine and cedar dominating the pack. There's some Frankincense, lavender, musk, and patchouli to sweeten things up a bit, but this is definitely a green forest scent.
But that's Christmas, right? Pine trees and Frankincense? Just go easy with the application, and you'll get plenty of compliments.
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