Light Blue Pour Homme

EDT · 2007

The masculine counterpart to 2001's Light Blue borrows that fragrance's architecture — citrus on top, wood underneath — without reusing its formula. The opening sets a so-called "frozen" grapefruit peel against bergamot, Sicilian mandarin and juniper, whose resinous bitterness pulls the freshness toward dryness rather than sweetness. Rosemary and Sichuan pepper tighten the heart, with rosewood rounding off the herbal edge without erasing it. The base leads with musk and wood, leaving incense and oakmoss to act as buttressing, so the composition stays taut instead of warming up as it settles. Worth knowing: the fragrance now sold under this name has been reformulated, the house's current copy describing a Sicilian lemon, rosemary and patchouli accord instead.