halfwhiteboy

A coffee lover like me ought to have coffee-centric frags in my arsenal, right? Surprisingly, however, I don't have a lot, so I probably need to expand. Yes, I've long been eyeing  Kerosene Follow , as well as its recent follow-up Followed  (that's a lot of follows there) but I thought I'd look first into what I might have. Well, for starters, I do have the discontinued A*Men Pure Coffee by Thierry Mugler .

This must have been with me for some four years already, box totally unopened until now. Apparently, A*men Pure Tonka by Mugler has become highly sought after among fragheads, not just because it's been discontinued but because it's a really good fragrance. Although I don't know if this was also later released with only Mugler instead of Thierry Mugler on the box but mine has the latter embossed on the shiny black carton. Again, the latter is more desirable for fragrance aficionados because it's indicative of older batches.

A few months ago I copped a bottle of Mugler 's limited edition A*men Ultra Zest . Without doubt, the ultra bright orange bottle is an eye-catcher, maybe even an eyesore for some. But for me it promises bright things ahead with lots of oranges, a curious proposition as to how it would fit in A*men 's rather heavy, tonka-patchouli-coffee signature.

Last year I managed to score a tester bottle of Thierry Mugler's Ice*Men , which I believe is already discontinued. A flanker of the house's popular A*Men line, this one is a little different, however, judging by the bottle design. It eschews the characteristic rubber casing and moves the trademark star to the side, deviating even further from the bas-relief aesthetic of A*Men by going for a depressed carving instead. And I like it. It looks like the bottle is broken or has a chip on the side, which I think it's cool. Ice*Men stays true to its name with its icy opening, with a dry patchouli coming through almost immediately. It's fresh with a little spicy sharpness. The freshness isn't coming from mint, however, which clearly differentiates itself from A*men Kryptomint . It's not citrusy fresh either but more like a refreshing alcoholic drink. There's also hardly any sweetness here, if at all. Unlike Kryptomint, it doesn't carry A*Men's delicio...

I got Mugler's A*Men Pure Havane a while back but the box remained unopened for so long. I like tobacco-themed fragrances, so getting this was no surprise; that I've never worn it is. Anyway, I finally did.

From the name alone, and further emphasized by its striking, mint green bottle and packaging, A*Men Kryptomint EDT by Mugler promises a cooling sensation centered on mint. And indeed upon first spray, it delivers an instant blast of freshness. It's a great feeling and it's such a mood-lifter.

Having been around for more than 20 years will definitely net you your own share of fans and haters. But what better way to be introduced to the house of Thierry Mugler than with its flagship men's fragrance A*Men .