Jaïpur Homme
Eau de Toilette, Boucheron (1998)

If you use a tiny amount it can leave a pleasant trail behind you after a few hours. However, it’s just too over-the-top for everyday use and would probably annoy a lot of people. At first it smelled like a perfume my grandmother would wear, but in small amounts after drying it settles down to a slightly mysterious scent.

Jaïpur Homme Eau de Toilette (1998) was released a year after the original Jaïpur Homme Eau de Parfum (1997) and doesn't change up much about the formula of its older, richer sibling, other than to dial back that richness in favor of more woods and powder. If you've worn Jaïpur Homme before in EdP form, this is all you really need to know, and this EdT will read as a little drier and fresher. Those not familiar with the Jaïpur Homme experience and looking for where to start might as well read my review on the EdP first before coming back to read this one, then picking their poison accordingly based on which one sounds best. Prices on either iteration aren't high enough to make it worth too much trouble either way. Jaïpur Homme in any form seeks to marry the spices of Jaïpur city in India with the classic European "oriental" sensiblities of early 20th century French perfume, but in a format suitable for conventional male tastes, making it a candidate for a men's take on Guerlain Shalimar (1925). In the late 80's through the 90's, interest in hybridizing these oriental tones with classic barbershop fougère tropes also made way for exercises like Jaïpur Homme.

Annick Menardo also perfumed this version and does subtle revisions to her work in the preceeding eau de parfum by bumping up the lime and adding a dry cardamom alongside more bergamot to give a bigger spicy pop in the beginning. Jaïpur Homme Eau de Toilette also does a little more with dry florals in the heart, merging rose and carnation, the latter which serves the same purpose as the clove in the EdP as they are both effectively represented by eugenol anyway. This EdT also features nutmeg but not nearly as much, and introduces a bit of orris powder that arguably brings it closer to something like Shalimar than its older brother. This powdery floral spicy envelope then nestles on a woody base that is dusted with tonka and oakmoss for that fougère feel, and given a more subtle vanilla dose than the EdP. Benzoin, cedar, and a bit of patchouli finish things off. Overall, I find this eau de toilette more relaxing and easier to wear, and can even get away with it on summer nights whereas the eau de parfum stays in the cabinet until at least mid-October for my climate. Wear time is 8 hours and projection is louder than the EdP at first, then more subtle. Best use for me is formal or cozy at home wear.

People who find Jaïpur Homme Eau de Parfum too suffocating with its heavy nutmeg and vanilla but otherwise appreciative of the smell may enjoy this eau de toilette more. If you absolutely hated the dusty spicy old-school feel of the original Jaïpur Homme Eau de Parfum, this lighter and drier take won't convince you. Guys who want to wear Shalimar but are afraid of being called out for wearing women's perfume can also give this a swing, as it rides close to the eau de cologne of that. Lastly, if you're a fan of things like Lalique pour Homme (1997) in either of its concentrations, or latter scents like Dior Homme (2005), Jaïpur Homme Eau de Toilette may also be a nice adjacent fragrance to add. In conclusion, Jaïpur Homme Eau de Toilette is a lighter, more dynamic, and easier-to-wear oriental fougère that keeps the France-meets-India themes but sacrifices some of the opulence and luxury of the eau de parfum in the exchange. For those of you who read this "luxury" as "heavy" (as I sometimes do), you can either pick this one up over the EdP or have both. Thumbs up.

Jaïpur Homme EDT blends the European gentleman's floral masculine with a heavy dose of exoticism, and, commendably, this Annick Menardo creation does not feel like a caricature, but more subtly and seamlessly blends French and Indian influences.

Jaïpur Homme feels altogether sophisticated, but not stodgy or rigid. It has a relaxed air that makes this more appropriate for everyday wear than the "powdered wig" aesthetics of the prior Boucheron pour Homme.

It opens with citrus (and if you get it in the first few seconds, it's so sharp as to feel almost antiseptic), but it quickly takes a backseat a the spice-and-floral blend takes center stage. Vanilla and tonka (more tonka than vanilla, to my nose) helps anchor the spices and florals here, but in the EDT it's neither heavy nor intensely sweet, more of a blending agent than an actual force.

Among affordable gentleman's scents with a "barbershop vanilla" backbone, Jaïpur Homme EDT is not quite Guerlain-grade in complexity and artistry, but it's also more wearable, I think, than any of the Guerlains to which it might reasonably be compared, and the immaculately blended spices give it a unique appeal.

Elegant and dated

Cinammon spiced baby powder.

Spicy. Cinammon, cardamom, and carnation. Has quite the gentlemanly vibe. Oriental. Fantastic blend, nothing harsh. Ingredient used well.

The cinammon up top reminds me of a kinder smoothed out Paul Sebastion. This isn't a million miles away from that, but you can tell that it is better blended, better ingredients, the whole lot. It is noticably powdery, in a good way. It has that type of amber from Obsession for men, but without the balsamic. Take obsession, remove balsam, add a bit more cinnamon up top, and finish with more powder.

This will feel dated to those who are not fragrance community members. Feels older than 1998.

Thumbs up pretty hard, its really a well done fragrance. Cheap, at like $30.