Allure Homme by Chanel

Allure Homme is the original from the series, released back in 1999. I’ve already reviewed the flankers to this, on the site, and have put of writing this for months. Mainly, I wanted to experience it without comparing it entirely to what followed (even though I do), but really appreciate this Chanel fragrance on its own. What does it smell like? When should it be worn? Does it perform well?

What does Allure Homme Smell Like?

Notes include: mandarin, coriander, cistus, cedar, tonka bean, black pepper, peach, rosewood, and more

Click here to try: Chanel Allure Homme Eau De Toilette Spray 150ml / 5 Oz

My Full Review

Let’s see how Chanel describes it: Difficult to define, impossible to resist. Crisp and clean, warm and sexy, ALLURE HOMME is the expression of a man’s charisma and inner strength. A fresh, spicy and woody composition that reveals the presence of the man who wears it.

The opening of Allure Homme is a bright clean citrus affair, led by the mandarin orange. That note is flanked by peach and some lemon. If you’re familiar with Edition Blanche, you can definitely pick up the DNA with the lemon note.

The fruit notes are joined at the top with some light and fresh spices. Mainly, coriander. Along with some black pepper and a touch of ginger, I think. With some added lavender…which is very light on me.

Allure does a fantastic job at being warm, while not being heavy, and retaining quite a fresh profile overall. There’s even a bit of coconut, that adds to the complexity, if you can catch it. Sometimes, I pick it up well, others not so much.

Well, as it dries down, some of the spices fade. The fruity notes become almost just the orange and lemon, by themselves. In the place of the declining notes, you will get wood, vanilla, amber and some aromatic floral notes.

The citrus is going to be the star, but this one does become drier as it moves forward. The sandalwood and rosewood are pretty prominent on my skin. Along with, the vanilla note. This stage really gives me the Edition Blanche vibes, but with more complexity.

The final dry down gives me citrus, sandalwood, and cistus. Benzoin, also appears to be in the mix. That cistus (amber) aroma is very reminiscent of the one in Bleu de Chanel EDP. The remaining notes the mix like vanilla can give this a creamy finish. Towards the tail end, it can often come across as somewhat powdery to me.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Sillage wise, this is pretty moderate. With a decent amount of sprays, you’ll project in that 4-6 foot range, for part of the wear. The rest of it? A few feet from the skin. Not exactly a powerhouse, but this Chanel can provide a nice intimate experience.

The longevity usually hits the 6-7 hour range on my skin. Again, not something to write home about, but its fairly serviceable. Maybe the original batches went for longer, but with this latest crop, that’s what I got out of them.

Overall Impressions of Allure Homme

Overall, do I like Allure Homme? Yes, I do. I think that it’s still full bottle worthy, even if I want better performance. This and Allure Sport Eau Extreme, still give you enough to justify a full purchase.

This scent is very versatile, mature without being stuffy, attractive, and one that I don’t have too many complaints about. Maybe, I’d like an EDP version in lieu of the EDT. I do enjoy the lightness of Allure Homme versus the thicker Eau Extreme. It’s a nice change of pace.

The citrus here is great. Along with the light spicy beginning and fantastic woody/vanilla/amber dry down, this is an easy one to wear.

As a whole, this was a fantastic release from Chanel and one well worth checking out. It’s laid back, but well put together, and still smells great after all these years.

Best Men's Colognes

Best Men’s Colognes started back in 2013, as a way to share my learning experiences with different fragrances, as I dove head first into the hobby. Since then, I have written hundreds of reviews and other pages about perfumes and colognes.