Fragrance: Clinique – Happy for Men & Chemistry

I’ve always thought of Clinique as being something of a strange one when it comes to beauty brands – whilst others doll up their staff in chic clothing and the like, Clinique staff are somewhat sternly dressed in lab coats and give off the impression of finding themself in the wrong place at the wrong time. Yet their fragrances I’m quite partial to.

Clinique Happy for Men is a light EDT with generic citrus top notes (lime and some kind of mandarin orange I would guess, not much lemon) that dries down to a somewhat floral heart. The mid range has definitely some rose and jasmine but also feels a little “leafy”. The base notes are cypress and sandalwood and there is really no ambiguity about either of them. It’s a fairly straightforward scent that I like (but don’t wear all the time) that has served me well over the last few months.

However, it is perhaps one of the most popular fragrances I’ve known with members of the opposite gender, henceforth known as lovelies women. I can’t remember a perfume that has made the women around me comment so much as this. I don’t know if Clinique have dropped in a few pheromones but I am consistently complimented whilst wearing it. Perhaps this is why it is called “Happy”. All in all, it is a good summer fragrance for daytime use and reasonably priced, at £43 for 100ml.

Clinique Chemistry (originally launched in 1994, although not widely available in the UK for some while) is rather different – a heady mix of citrus, ginger, amber and lavender which is slightly soapy (the good soapy, that is). It really is quite unique and initially rather strong. It dies down fairly quickly however, leaving behind a slightly spicy citrus scent which is definitely more lime citrus than anything else with traces of ginger and lavender. After a while, these middle notes disappear and the base notes of cedar and sandalwood are revealed.

Throughout all this, the “soapiness'” I mentioned earlier lingers nicely and I think it is that which ultimately defines the scent. Whilst I like it (I think I like everything) I can see how some men definitely wouldn’t. But as with all scents, never buy blind. The best time to apply is straight after a bath or shower before going on – you’ll not only feel clean, you’ll smell clean. Also priced at £42 for 100ml.

Both Clinique scents are available from Clinique direct and major department stores (John Lewis, in my case).