FRAGRANCE | Beyond the juvenile bottle, Toy Boy EDP by Moschino is a grown-up man's rose

halfwhiteboy - Moschino Toy Boy EDP 01

Some guys may probably be put off by how the bottle of Moschino Toy Boy looks. Maybe it's too kitschy, immature, or not "manly" enough. I'm not bothered the slightest, though, and having the original Moschino Toy—the one with the literal teddy bear presentation—Toy Boy appears tame by comparison. Both are cute, though, and I'm all for cute. 

The opening is fresh, camphorous, and spicy. It's a little sharp, a little sweet, and with a hint of citrus punctuating the scent. The combination feels like an antidote to the summer heat, perfect for the tropics where I live. Underneath the spritely intro is a burgeoning rose, which takes its time before going on full bloom. It's not a heavy kind of rose, carrying some semblance to Maison Francis Kurkdjian's L'Homme À la Rose, especially since it also has a similar—but not necessarily the same—spicy-sharp brightness. On second thought, the comparison should be in reverse since L'Homme À la Rose arrived much later than this Moschino release. 

halfwhiteboy - Moschino Toy Boy EDP 02

Just the same, the likeness ends there, as Toy Boy's rose is decidedly more prominent. The rose is the star here and there's no attempt at all to hide it to make it more palatable to mainstream men's tastes. Even as it eventually softens together with the sharpness, it stays through till the end. The scent lasts for several hours and projects moderately for the most part.

It may not be that complex and with little to offer in terms of development, but Moschino Toy Boy is actually quite good, more so since it doesn't cost much. It's a rose frag that's characteristically masculine, courtesy of the spiciness and a mildly earthy undercurrent. Although the rose takes a bit away from the scent's freshie qualities, it remains very apt for warm weather. It won't feel out of place on colder days either. While it strikes me mostly as a daytime scent, I don't see any reason why it can't be worn at night. All said, it's well worth trying. 

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