Mister Marvelous
Byredo (2011)

I got this as a free sample from an ebay seller-- thank god I didn't pay one red cent for this garbage. The single most foul, bug spray chemical scent I have ever encountered. Lasts forever, even after washing with soap and water, and later using a different frag to try and cover it up. This one frag has prevented me from even trying a different Byredo scent, as if they could produce this trash, how could anything else even be good.

Byredo Mister Marvelous (2011) should be named "Mister Mediocre" because there isn't anything here worth paying more than $20 for, let alone $200+, and the style this carries is little above a classic eau de cologne. High-end takes on the neroli-focused timeless eau are nothing new, but in most instances something is added to justify the price, be it strength or redolence; Byredo conjures up a cross between something like 4711 Echt Kölnisch Wasser (1792) and Yarley's English Lavender/Original English Lavender (1873) with Mister Marvelous, and it just doesn't cut it. Whoever Mister Marvelous was, he truly had simple tastes and would probably recommend just using these eaux instead of wearing the Byredo. I get all of these are meant to evoke memories through scent, but the memory of the bloke who inspired Mister Marvelous is one better left to fade from the mind, or left to be recreated by someone like Jean-Claude Ellena, who is truly a master of this style.

Sharp bergamot and neroli open Mister Marvelous, as to be expected with something in this vein. Some green galbanum and sweet mandarin sneak in, acting like a dancing couple tapping over the bright top notes, to the tune of a spiky medicinal lavender and sage similar in tone to the Yardley's. The scent pretty much falls apart after this, with a cedar/bamboo accord held up with Iso E Super and ambrox providing the skin retention, coming on harsh and dry. The sillage is very cologne-like although longevity is a tad better at eau de parfum concentration. Despite the name, this swings very unisex, very casual, but also very boring. The person enjoying Mister Marvelous would do well to slide on over to Penhaligon's classic lines, as they do this sort of thing much better. Mister Marvelous feels like a spring and summer deal to me, and it doesn't have enough presence for anything other personal enjoyment, being one of the weakest Byredo scents I have tested. Your mileage may vary.

I'll admit neroli and lavender are not often combined with galbanum nor have the level of note separation that is present in Mister Marvelous, so there is a tiny percentage of people infatuated with these notes out there who may go gaga for Mister Marvelous if they can get past the base, but layering 4711 and Yardley's will get you to the same plateau for much cheaper and without the crappy synthetic wood overload that eventually suffocates those glorious apothecary-style notes. Once you briefly move past what Mister Marvelous does oh so well, you're left spending the rest of your time with a dry down really worth keeping around, and considering Byredo wants so much for what is essentially a mix of 19th century cologne styles on a bed of designer doldrums, you start to see how marvelously misguided this is as a fragrance. I don't hate it, but there are much better, more natural, and cheaper classic citrus freshies than this in the world. Neutral.

The fresh and green combination of mandarin leaf and the neroli determines the character of the opening phase; it is not a super-bright freshness but a bit more restrained.

The heart notes are a nice and darkish lavender, which lingers well into the base. The latter has more to offer though; a woodsy impression that in the later stages develops a good cedar characteristic, combined with an ambery aroma that has whiffs of dried honey infused at times, and has whiffs of an balsamic undertone towards the end.

I get moderate sillage, good projection and five hours of longevity on my skin.

An agreeable scent for spring evenings, who's main drawback is a limited performance that is not justified by the quality of the ingredients. Nonetheless, it is not an unoriginal creation and warrants some credit, but probably not a positive score, although it comes close. 2.75/5.

In trying the EDC version of Mister Marvelous, I was expecting roughly a performance bar set by the EDC of Gypsy Water, and MM turned out to be the same---a fresh, fleeting fragrance that leaves a lot to be desired in the area of performance while simultaneously suggesting that the EDP version could be promising.

MM is a citrus, green, slightly floral mix that doesn't lean especially masculine despite seemingly being characterized that way. Main notes include mandarin (not the fruit but the leaf, hence the greenness I get out of it), neroli, lavender (again, GREEN lavender, though I'm unfamiliar with its distinction from most lavender), and cedar.

It's a nice scent, for sure, and one I'd like to see a more robust version of, so I'll have to try the EDP.


7 out of 10

Mister Marvelous is hungover and just dropped an effervescent tab of Alka-Seltzer. Dad? I'd scrub it but luckily it only lasts for minutes.

Woody/citric with a touch of balsamsImmediately with Mister Marvelous i detect on my skin the citric cedarwood really intense (sour), woody (perfumed about sandalwood, bamboo and cedarwood), juicy (orange and mandarine) and almost fizzy (or better, properly fizzy like a more sparkling kind of Eau de Cartier). This initial orangy temperament in its run (you can predict soon to become less citric and more balmy) reminds me a sort of Buxton Black Angel (citric and later balmy) without this marked cedary woodiness or a sort of more orangy (but less green/aromatic) Buxton Wood &Absinth. The juicy woody tartness lasts for a while with its fizzy and sparkling orangy (mandarine more than orange) vibe. In the course of the development the floral note from the neroli flower starts to unfold its more delicate effect and reduces the fizziness. I don't detect the listed green notes at all but just cedarwood, citrus and balsams in the body of this citric chypre finally soothed by an amber/vanilla/musk intervention a la Ferrari Red ( which is finally woody and smooth but in a less intense/citric/cedary and more balmy way). In this phase the woodiness emerges with more clearance while some balminess (even anyway slightly dusty/aromatic) starts to express its soothing effect straight from the amber/vanilla combo. The floral vibe keeps on to be starring for long over a woody but smooth orangy bed. I feel this aroma too much common nowadays with all those really woody (and often finally balmy) new citric/aromatic generations. In the average and yes, similar to Armani Pour Homme in a more woody/citric and less spicy/mossy/green way. Poor longevity on my skin.Pros: Sparkling for a while in a citric wayCons: Common and with a faint lasting power"