Mon Cuir Ramon Monegal for women and men

Leather leather leather- through and through. No suede, horse saddle or S&M gear are to be found here. Instead this to me smells exactly of luxury handbags or rarefied driving gloves- and little else. Such a true to life scent in this case frankly strikes me as odd, why would I want to smell like a human handbag? But I've never really been able to get into the leather genre so this comes as no surprise. I prefer my leather notes tucked into a larger overall picture, as an accent to other overtures. But, if you are a leather "soliflore" fan I would definitely check this one out, it may be just the thing. Projection was average and longevity quite good.

At first sniff this is very reminiscent of Knize Ten with a huge blast of rubbery, tarry leather, but within a few minutes it eases off somewhat. Rickyrebarco states in her review that it smells as if the handsome polo player has "stepped in a little something" on his way to pick up the winning cup - I agree - there is definitely an animalic note in the base of this. To my nose any florals and spices are completely overwhelmed by the leather/tar/rubber, making it quite linear, and it does not seem to change in the drydown. The longevity and sillage are reasonable. If you haven't quite got the courage to wear Knize Ten this is a perfectly acceptable substitute.

Thanks to Rosecat for the sample.

I find i prefer Monegals leather creations over his florals. Very warm, the notes that stand out apart from the leather & orange blossom are something like benzoin, even though its not listed above. its powdery sweet in the drydown and here i pick up the nutmeg & orange blossom notes strongly. Its quite beautifully blended. A rather nice Leather perfume, unisex yes, the white floral notes work well.

I had earlier reviewed this scent and said I didn't like it even though I thought it was really well done. After trying it on my skin a few more times I can say that yes, it is a brilliantly done leather and the drydown is soft and beautiful. There is still, however, those first few moments when you know the handsome polo player just got off his horse in his expensive boots and he may have stepped in a little something on his way to get the cup for the winning team. But leather and horses and everything about horses go together so it's all good. I'm liking this now. I don't think I would ever wear it- I wear Monegal's brilliant Cuirelle, a floral with leather, but I do now appreciate the artistry of Mon Cuir.

Mon Cuir is a fine fragrance, well done and not too far off the beaten track. It is a neighbor to such perfumes as Jaïpur Homme, Jicky or Givenchy Pi. The leathery, or better: birch tar appeal is only for refinement.
The florals are a borderline case. They are not just orange blossom - and definitely not natural orange blossom oil. They have too much longevity to be natural. Besides the orange blossom, there is also a twist towards tuberose and gardenia, and it is slightly candy-like. At least, this note prevents Mon Cuir from being a bore. Although there is only a small amount of florals, this specific accord is distinct enough to be well discernible, and the way that it shows up makes Mon Cuir an altogether problematic fragrance.
The floral note is much more present in the sillage of Mon Cuir than directly on skin – and it does have sillage! But directly on skin, everything is dominated by tonka and the supposed benzoin. This makes it really difficult to evaluate the fragrance, and I very much doubt that the majority of customers will be aware of that behavior when testing it at a shop. It makes me grin: some male customers may consider themselves quite macho wearing Mon Cuir while they send out ladylike wafts to their environment!
Mon Cuir is great for women who like that tonka and benzoin style, but as a gent’s fragrance, you should use it with consideration. Try to be aware of the flowers, and keep in mind – they are pretty much synthetic, so they will not wither! After two hours, the whole fragrance breaks down into a powdery muskiness, but the flowery sillage will still be there. I think, Mon Cuir might appeal to fans of Prada’s Amber pour Homme – the strength of Mon Cuir’s florals does not quite reach that of Prada’s violets.
For a test of Mon Cuir I should give the advice to withstand the lure of sniffing directly at the skin area where it was applied to. Be patient and wait until a natural draft gives Mon Cuir back to you the way everybody else around you will get it. Or maybe put a paper strip of it somewhere and come back later – the secret will become clear.