JHL Aramis for men

Cinnabar for Men. End of story here. It's really the same template, similar sillage and longevity, almost identical booziness about it.

All of that said, this is still very much a classic scent, though the audience has just grown beyond the sheer heaviness of the scent. Don't expect me to decry the depth factor in this, but this isn't something that I'd expect someone under say 40 to fully appreciate.

Bottom-line for me: It's not something I would own, but it's otherwise a very classic fragrance that continues to be relevant in the same way Guerlain's Shalimar continues to be timeless. Someone new will discover this and simply say "wow".

New version

Soapy, spicy, 80's gent. Not bad, but not striking.

I don’t have a lot to add to what others have said about JHL, and certainly nothing particularly clever, but I would like to add my applause. What a great fragrance for men, and thank you, Aramis for re-releasing it. I would love to smell this on a young person who might discover complexity, plush and density from this fragrance from another era and sensibility. I don’t mean to be cynical about the state of most men’s designer fragrances these past few years, but JHL stands resolutely apart from them. It’s funny, actually. My real complaint about most men’s designer scents is that there are so many, and they vary from each other in such small ways that they smell the same even to people who are looking for distinctions. And yet look at JHL. It’s Cinnabar and Youth Dew with some carnation! Given this slapdash approach but brilliant result, I suppose I can hardly level the ‘sameness’ complaint against current men’s designer scents.

JHL is a beautiful example of Estée Lauder’s transplantation of French sensibility to American perfumery. It’s a rich combination of many ingredients (hesperides, culinary spices, balsams, florals, amber), beautiful evolution over time, and coherence from start to finish. JHL is a tribute from Lauder to classical perfumery, but the way she overlaps genres (spicy, amber, floral) gives us something that likely would not have come from France. Kudos for not sparing the voluptuousness in a men’s scent! We like a little lavishness too!

It smells like a alcohol drink nothing special in it

Reviewing the latest re-edition (2010):

Take Cinnabar, sake, shake shake, had a few drops of Youth Dew, shake again... and what you get is this fragrance - marketed for men. I'd like to meet a guy who can pull this one off... - personally, I wouldn't mind owning a bottle of this myself, because it is a bit spicier and darker than Cinnabar...- very attractive and cheaper than the female scent.
8 out 10 points on my personal scale

An "old school" oriental. Unlike many "men's" fragrances of this type, there is no noticeable lavender. However, there is a dry, "soapy" quality, apparently mostly due to the spices and florals. The notes are "legible" yet contribute to a nice blend that possesses reasonable dynamism. It also smells reasonably natural, with a nice sandalwood note. Overall, there is nothing negative one can say about this fragrance, assuming you understand and enjoy the genre. Longevity and projection/"sillage" are at least very good. Presumably, this is best for romantic occasions, bur not for the youngsters. Ispahan by Yves Rocher is similar, but without the strong woody quality of JHL.

Just as Aramis 900 is an EDT of Aromatics Elixir and Devin of Alliage, so is JHL of Cinnabar. I think it's wonderful that Estee Lauder always released nearly identical male correlates of each of their women's perfumes, since men SHOULD smell more like this. I'm thrilled to see it back in production, though I wonder: why didn't JHL wearers just get the cheaper, stronger, and better Cinnabar instead?

One of my first fine colognes. Very heavy at first but settles down nicely.

Perfectly fine on a female, too!

I totally agree with Castor; it's a male version of "Opium" by YSL - the way it should have been!

I know, because I've been obsessed with Opium since it's release in 1977.

Very retro masculine fragrance and worth owning for serious collectors.

BEST WHEN WORN LATE FALL/AUTUMN AND WINTER.I SWEAR THIS JUICE LASTS 36 HOURS ON ME.BELIEVE ME WINTER? HERE IN PUERTO RICO'S MOUNTAINS CAN DIP TO 46F. BUENAS NOCHES/GOODNIGHT.

Take the original Opium by YSL (the one launched in the 1970's, targetted to women), take off the flowery top notes, leave the aldehydes and the allspice in the topnotes as well as the cinnamon-based base notes: that is how JHL is like. This includes other properties, like a strong sillage and longevity.

Reviewers mention that Lauder's Cinnabar is the women's version of JHL.