Oscar for Men

I bought this a while back and waited for warmer weather to wear it as I had a bottle back when it was released (sometime in the early 2000's) and adored it! There are two fragrances Oscar de la Renta has made for men, this and Pour Lui. This sat on my shelf in cellophane from a few months ago when I made purchase of 4 or 5 fragrances from a great seller I know - all of which I wore since at least once. Why did I wait? Well, my memory of this fragrance (about a decade ago) was of late Spring and Summer - warm weather, sunshine and great lifted notes that radiate. The sun came out yesterday after days of rain. Today, it started cloudy and I was considering my SOTD - then the sun peaked through and I looked up...blue skies ahead! It hit 72 degrees fahrenheit yesterday - today, a touch cooler is predicted. But, this will be perfect. I applied a nice full application about 10 minutes ago and have been smelling myself while typing...and thinking back. What a gorgeous, original scent. Nothing has ever smelled like it over the years - this is, in a word, stunning. Oscar for Men starts with a bright and beautiful peppery-citrus infused opening. Imagine slicing bergamot, lemons and oranges and grinding fresh pepper over the top of the fruit and then allow the smell to waft up to your nose. On the tray, this array of peppered citrus sits are branches of fresh-cut pine...those notes come in at about 10-15 minutes. This is what I remember - no other scent I have smelled in all my years touches on this blend so gorgeously! You have to smell this opening - it is worth the price of the bottle...but, it only gets better. That note in the composition is elemi, a wonderful aromatic resin from a tree native to the Philippines. Ironically, the country it comes from has the word "pine" in it and elemi is described as "a fragrant resin with a sharp pine and lemon-like scent". It has also been used in other fragrances that I love and have this special note. Gorgeous and rare. Then, some fresh-grated nutmeg is sprinkled into the composition (not too much for me at all - I agree with knightz, excellent review!), as I find it blends perfectly with the distinct clove note. If you have ever smelled fresh, whole cloves, then you will know what this note is. The cloves, however, along with the fir transcend seemlessly into a nice light bouquet of florals (no single flower is too dominant here - again kudos to knightz), but the violet leaf is a great addition to the florals...in essence, the "fragrant" greenery added to a nice spring bouquet. Beautiful, but not too pronounced - it is seamless. The fir note and pepper at the top with the clove and nutmeg in the heart all lead to the base that will win virtually anyone over who has an affinity for incense in their fragrance. This is a light incense - not heavy or burning. Very natural...not headshop or heavy. A lifted note that is one I adore. It is like smelling a blend of incense cones that is flavored with florals, pine (again, from the elemi), vanilla & sandalwood. I have a large collection of incense and burn it regularly...sometimes to match notes in the composition of my fragrance. Sounds strange, but to smell an accord diluted in alcohol on your skin now in plumes of smoke in the air - you have both liquid and fragrant, ethereal, airy aromas combining - very aromatic and excellent for meditation or just serenity and pure olfactory enjoyment. I found the key is to burn the incense in a room (or two away). You don't get the smokiness, but you get the smell more naturally. It is spiritual and very natural. I don't get any leather here - until the very end, and it is more of a soft suede...almost more of a "feel" that you get from the fragrance rather than a note. Hard to describe, but once you wear it - you may understand my perspective. Never heavy - that is why I see this as warm weather and that is when I initially wore it. My wife (as this is a surprise for her) will remember this on me...it was special. And while the longevity is not that long on my skin, it's because I love the richness of the top and middle so much - I find myself re-applying sooner than maybe one should. It does last, however, much longer and develops differently on fabric. I recommend applying to both skin and your shirt in a full-wearing. This never gets cloying. It truly is fantastic and invigorating. There is so much happening in this bottle! A final nod to Knightz - "Graceful. Refined. Elegant." I will add that I absolutely love this fragrance - not just like. MisterCrazyLegs...I agree with you, Oscar de la Renta for Men is a true "treasure" and something very special. It is an incredibly well-made, chic and sophisticated scent that only someone who is confident can wear. I was confident when I first wore it (and it made me feel incredible) - and I feel even better today, because I understand the scent even more over the years. I will wear this year-round, but it will definitely be in my regular rotation this Spring and Summer (especially summer evenings) - both casual and formal! A wonderful, well-composed unique fragrance that seems to showcase different notes each wearing...but always fantastic. No score as I cannot attribute a fractional value to the pure pleasure of this fragrance...Oscar de la Renta is uncompromising in his taste of creating timeless fragrance, so I will not compromise and give a mathematical equation to judge it. Salud!

This is one of those feel good fragrances. It reminds me of the early 2000's which was prior to social media, divided politics, pandemics, and today's turmoil in general. It was actually possible to buy a home back then and live the American dream 😂 Back to the scent, it's a spicy orange juice fragrance on my skin with the perfect amount of lavender, violet, resin, musk and wood. This would be great for most occasions except cold and formal. Not exactly modern, but that's why it's charming. Scent 7.5/10 Performance TBD

Bought it at Ross for $20. This is nice. Pepper and Citrus mostly. Refreshing and Clean. I mostly agree with all the previous reviews. However, I get absolutely no projection, even with 7-8 sprays. Longevity is below average too. Longevity is good on clothes. Nice smell but no performance...at least on my skin, which is balanced..not dry or oily. Your mileage may vary, but I am surprised at the good to great longevity/projection some seem to be getting. I am taking this one back.

In a scenario similar to No.5 I can see how Oscar when asked to choose one from the lot of tests would go for this one and it's very charming indeed. I agree that this scent is complex but in this case it doesn't make it interesting or beautiful, it's bridging the gap between barber shop classics and modern masculine fragrances that in late 90's were still not ready for a comeback of gender fluidity in perfumes. From a perspective of connoisseur this one is A MUST HAVE but if you are simply looking for a new favourite try it first as it's not going to be a crowd pleaser. 6/10

I found this at Ross for $19.99. For retail, I thought it was an excellent deal. I can't see wearing it frequently but it's so unique I will keep it and wear it from time to time. This is a powerful scent my friends and not for everybody. I get pine resin and pepper, a very strong fresh ground pepper. Imagine working up a sweat slicing lemons in the sun and then grinding pepper on these lemons when all of sudden someone comes up an slaps you in the nose with a wet, sappy pine bough. Something like that. Very masculine, can't imagine a woman wearing this. I like it, bucks the modern trend of sweet, syrupy, aquatic, or bland. It is a bully!