Men’s cologne sometimes suffers the same fate that men’s fashion did for many years: less options. The typical manly man scent of deep musk, sandalwood, and that deeply entrenching and sort of noxious pull of club wear perfumes dominates much of the market.
Which is why we at Beauty News NYC like to promote Indie brands, who veer off the commonly walked paths and provide something missing from glamorous pristine shelves.
18.21 Man Made’s new fragrance Absolute Mahogany does the deed on giving men an offering that is simple, intriguing, and can be matched with both casual and evening situations. The Indie fragrance brand is already known for its refined scents so it should be no surprise that Absolute Mahogany just blows the floor away with other colognes in terms of deliciousness, finesse and approachability.
Absolutely Mahogany is a part of their Spirits Collection and combines citrus and herby scents to create your new go to fragrance.
The fragrance and its matching Old Fashioned lip balm are Vintage, Prohibition-Era inspired manifestations echoing the warm citrusy notes of a classic cocktail.
While the lip balm is much more robust in its Old Fashioned ways, so much that if you sniff it you’ll be reminded of nights where you may have had one too many, the fragrance goes more of a delicate route.
The balm, which I tried as well, did have a gloriously soft texture with it’s blend of beeswax, cocoa butter, and coconut oil. It reminded me of high quality goat’s milk or shea butter based blends.
Absolute Mahogany – Fragrance Notes
Absolute Mahogany combines notes of Italian mandarin and bergamot for those warming spiced citrus notes. It also contains cardamom and cinnamon for spiced notes and the beautiful night blooming jasmine for a seductive floral addition. Of course, this is still a woody scent with notes of dark Virginia Cedar, Mahogany woods, cassia bark and of course tonka bean, creamy Tahitian vanilla bean and amber for a warm approachable, delicious and creamy touch.
Tonka Bean has been one of my favorite additions to masculine scents and is one I gravitate towards in candle scents as well. While I’m not a fan of most amber-ish compilations, I found the recipe for this fragrance wonderfully combined.
Absolute Mahogany Personal Trail
As a huge fan of masculine scents, I would actually go the route of saying this is also a perfect unisex fragrance. But in the range of your typical cologne offerings, what this does for a man’s entourage is amazing. I found the scent to be very citrusy and bright. The warmth of the vanilla also came through. However, right when you think a scent like this would become too sweet, the Jasmine and woody scents come through to round out the scent splendidly.
Upon my trial I noticed that it blended very well into my skin, with the citrus notes out-lasting the other scents. Overall, it was strongest for around 4 hours, and it was so wonderful to breathe in every time.
Absolute Mahogany is made in small batches, staying true to its dedicated indie spirit. It has a blend of 20% oil and 80% alcohol with no water mixed in.
This fragrance remains one of the most wearable and deeply enjoyable pieces I have tried this year. Any one wearing it would display a sense of refinement, class and likely have a lot of admirers ( just saying it smells that good :) ).
This scent is truly a sophisticated, wonderful fragrance to own. The scent remains bright and combines woody, floral and warming notes in such a pleasant well-rounded way. Absolute Mahogany makes an excellent gift as well, as its well rounded and approachable scent can match any situation, become daily wear, and work with any personality.
Get one for yourself or as a gift at 1821 Man Made’s Official Website.
