allure homme

Allure Homme by Chanel

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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.

Seasonally, I really never have a problem wearing this one. I don’t think I want to wear it on the coldest or hottest days of the year, but outside of that Allure Homme really brings it.
This is the most mature fragrance from the Allure series. Not ‘old-mannish’, but definitely not what you’d associate with much younger guys. Mid-20s and up is probably who is going for this. Stylish, not craving attention.
It can be worn during the day. To the office, semi-formal occasions, formally. It’s attractive enough for dates and nightlife, if you want to be pretty low key.

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.

Allure Homme Sport by Chanel

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Chanel’s men’s lineup of fragrances has a lot of great selections. One of the main titles, other than the popular Bleu line, is Allure. Particularly, the Allure Homme Sport releases. The first of which was released back in 2004.

I grabbed samples of this one last year to give an updated review of how things currently stand with Allure Homme Sport. How does it smell? Does it have good performance? Is it worth a buy?

What does Allure Homme Sport Smell Like?

Notes include: mandarin, musk, tonka bean, cedar, sea notes, aldehydes, vanilla, pepper

Click here to try: Chanel Allure Homme Sport Eau de Toilette Spray for Men, 5 oz

My Full Review

Allure Homme Sport starts off with a very nice and rather unique blend of freshness and sweetness. At one end, you have the citrus of the mandarin orange and infused sea notes. On the other end, is the vanilla and tonka bean providing a sweet creaminess.

The mandarin is really great here. Not super heavy, but it gives you that nice juiciness out of the gate.

All of that is tied together by the inclusion of aldehydes which gives Allure Sport a cold air quality to it. That really helps to give Sport that distinct Chanel style. However, the vanilla and tonka bean will play a larger role later on. At first, it’s more of a supporting role and other notes play their part.

That freshness is enhanced by the cedar and pepper note. The pepper is pretty noticeable early on, but it is probably the first note that fades away in the composition.

As it moves along, the marine notes will recede also. Vanilla, cedar, musk, tonka bean, and some mandarin/neroli will pretty much jockey for control throughout the rest of the way. Musk becomes stronger as the aldehydes weaken.

The floral neroli note will take over for the juicier mandarin citrus aroma, that is found at the top. Allure Homme Sport takes on a creamier/muskier finish towards the end. The vanilla and tonka bean really stand out on my skin.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Sillage wise, it is a pretty light to moderate fragrance throughout the wear. You do get a nice initial ability to project itself fairly far. However, that will change into a more personal scent bubble, and ultimately sitting close to the skin.

Not terrible, but not exactly a powerhouse.

With this batch from 2020, I get about 5-6 hours of wear from Allure Homme Sport. With older bottles, it was probably closer to 7-8, at least for me. Never was one that would be going on and on, but it used to bring more to the table.

Update: Here years later, I’ve tried this one once again, and I’m still getting the same five or six hours of wear. So, it hasn’t completely fallen off of a cliff since 2020.

Seasonally, I’ve worn this one year round without much issue. Though, it’s best in moderate to warmer temperatures. It can come across as a bit too fresh in the depths of winter. But, I like it in autumn and late spring.

A great feature of Allure Homme Sport is just how versatile it really is. It isn’t just a ‘sporty’ cologne. In fact, it might not even conjure up that kind of imagery for people. It can be worn as a daily wear, in semi-formal scenarios, just around town, and even venture into the nightlife if necessary.

Now, I’d probably wear something else as a nighttime cologne, but this one is up for the job.

It can also be worn by men of all ages. It’s well put together, but not stuffy. Dynamic, but not too youthful. Great balance.

Overall Impressions of Allure Homme Sport

Overall, do I like Allure Homme Sport? Yes, I really love the way that this Chanel smells still. The play between the citrus, aldehydes, vanilla, and marine notes is fantastic. It’s a bit simpler than Eau Extreme, but it works and the dry down is awesome.

From a smell and versatility perspective, Allure Sport can have a place in almost any man’s rotation. The problem comes with the merely okay performance nowadays. It isn’t entirely worthless, but Eau Extreme exists, and gives you a bit more power and longevity.

As such, I’d go with that version if I wanted to buy from the Allure line. Update: Coming back to both of them, I did go with Eau Extreme, when I bought a full bottle. I came close to going with Allure Sport, but the performance just doesn’t do it for me. Still a very likeable fragrance with some really great moments.

This is still nice and sometimes I actually prefer the smell to Allure Sport of its flanker.

Allure Homme Sport is a classic. It’s a solid buy, but not a necessary one, when you can get Extreme instead.