40 Rogue Eau de Toilette

40 Rogue is a recreation of the long-discontinued 40 Love by Jean Desprez, a fragrance that was apparently an interesting cross between an animalic, 1970s-style musk and a fougère. Given the opportunity to smell a vial of this forgotten gem, Manuel Cross decided that it wassimply too good to lose to the mists of time, and so here we are! Fragrance fans not used to vintage perfume, or even vintage-style perfume, may want to adjust their television sets. 40 Rogue initially smells very vintage, with a burst of hairspray-ish aldehydes, wax-coated fruit, and a dusty carnation setting the scene in a pre-war diner in Paris, its spine straight and hair coiffed to an inch of its life. But this rich, formal air relaxes quickly, loosening its stays to let in gusts of aromatic, sunburnt herbs, lemon, and creamy, animalic musks that recall a fresher Jicky or even a jazzed-up Jovan's Musk (original 1970s formula). Fuzzy fruit, moss, and hay-like narcissus folded into a barbershoppy musk ? what's not to like here?