CLIVE CHRISTIAN
Anniversary Collection – 20 Iconic Masculine
2019
Pink Pepper
Petitgrain
Mandarin
Yuzu
Rosemary
Vetiver
CedarWOOD
Iconic Feminine and Iconic Masculine are a duo of releases for Clive Christian’s 20th anniversary. Both of them seem to have been ill-received by most reviewers, so I was wondering what is going on (as I like most Clive Christian releases).
And I do enjoy both of these, but I can see where the criticism arises. Both the feminine and masculine counterparts are rather simple and mass appealing. Perhaps not what one expects for this price point and for a ‘iconic’ anniversary launch. However, I do find them to be quite nice myself.
Iconic Masculine is a very traditional scent, that I would say is mostly vetiver. It’s soapy, green with some citrus notes and aromatics.
I actually really enjoyed wearing this, but it lacks creativity. I find this very similar to a myriad of vetiver scents ranging from Tom Ford Grey Vetiver, Guerlain Vetiver, Roja Parfums Vetiver, Amouroud Lunar Vetiver.
What sets Iconic Masculine apart most from those is the sweetness. I find a pretty nice sweeter citrus facet here. Grapefruit, orange-esque with a honeyed glow (perhaps from frankincense).
Most of the wear is a big vetiver scent however. It’s really well done, but it will not surprise you in any way. Great to wear, but if I’d blind bought this upon release, I would not be overly excited.