Note Pyramid
212 Men NYC
Fourteen materials sit behind Carolina Herrera 212 Men NYC Parfum Gift Set, which makes this the fullest and darkest reading of the house's men's scent, boxed up as a present.
The box holds the 100ml Eau de Parfum, a 100ml aftershave balm and a 10ml spray. Lavender leads, herbal and cool, with petitgrain beside it adding a bitter twig and leaf sharpness. Grapefruit and bergamot brighten the top from above, the grapefruit with a rind bitterness and the bergamot with a cleaner, rounder citrus. It opens groomed rather than fresh, which is a different proposition from the lighter bottles in the same family.
The heart is unusual for a men's fragrance. Violet is powdery and cool, almost grey, sage brings a dusty herbal bitterness, gardenia adds a creamy white flower that softens everything around it, and ginger supplies a dry, fizzing heat. The four of them pull in different directions and the result is more interesting than comfortable. The base is long. Guaiac wood is smoky and faintly tarry, incense adds a cool, resinous, church like smoke, vetiver is earthy and rooty, labdanum brings a sweet leathery resin, sandalwood smooths the lot with its dry creaminess, and white musk keeps the close clean. At parfum strength this part of the composition is where most of the wear happens.
As a present it is a confident choice rather than a safe one. The person receiving it should like serious fragrance, because this is not a daytime office spray. It belongs to cold weather and to evenings, and it rewards a light hand: at this concentration, two sprays will carry the night. Venezuela gave this house its founder and New York gave it its address. Carolina Herrera showed her opening collection in 1981 and her first perfume appeared in 1988 under a Puig licence. Puig bought the fashion division in 1995, and the 212 family arrived in 1997.
Please note: images are a guide only. Packaging and bottle design may occasionally differ from those shown due to manufacturer updates or promotions.
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