The place of my travels today was Cambridge, a beautiful university town in East Anglia and home to many fond memories for me. As I was readying myself to leave (hip flask – check, fountain pen – check, book for the train – check) I pondered which scent to wear. Never an easy task, but today was an exceptional poser – I needed something formal (but not too formal), youthful (but not too youthful) and something that would go down nicely with the older generation (but not appear too old itself). Step forward Chanel Allure Homme Sport Eau Extreme.
Launched in 2012 and a follow on from the successful Allure Homme Sport, it has top notes of mint, mandarian and cypress (ranked in that order by prominence). Initially quite refreshing, it quickly mellows to reveal a heart of not too spicy black pepper and sage which lasts quite well. However, it is the last phase in which I think it finds true greatness, where white musk and tonka bean conjugate to create an base of gourmand edibility. Throughout all this, you never totally lose the mint you first encountered as a top note, but it’s very much in the background, brooding, as it were. Happily enough, Allure Homme Sport Eau Extreme EDT also lasts – it clung to me for a good eight hours, which included getting stuck behind two smokers at a rather obstinate set of traffic lights.
The only thing about this fragrance I don’t like is the name – one word in the name, to be precise. Sport. What is it doing there? There is nothing especially sporty about it, at least not that I can detect. I usually equate sport scents as being rather generic, bland and not especially memorable but neither of those adjectives apply here.
But apart from its moniker, there is nothing else to dislike. It's an incredibly reliable scent and one that will be coming with me on many more journeys!
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