Parfums MDCI Ambre Topkapi vs. Clive Christian X for Men

Parfums MDCI Ambre Topkapi: Dry, dusty herbs in the opening are spiked with a mellow punchbowl of ginger, pineapple, melon and the citrusy bergamot, and yet it's all so easy and laid back you'd swear there wasn't a fruit peel in sight.

But beyond the herbs and fruit opening, darker notes of nutmeg, oakmoss and vetyver circle sweeter notes of rosewood, lavender and vanilla, and while it sounds like half the ingredient list should be snarling and biting at the other half, the result is actually a quiet, smooth balancing act where the light shakes hands with the darkness and both sides agree to a draw.

I'd previously tested out Parfums MDCI Invasion Barbare, and was not impressed. It was too big, too potent, too much, smelling like the pinstriped, clenched jaw of DotCom bubbles and Hedge Fund scandals. Ambre Topkapi is far more relaxed, like a patriarch who made his fortune so long ago that what's all the fuss about? Just pour yourself a drink and sit down with him to enjoy the sunset . . . on the porch of his thousand acre ranch in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, of course.

Clive Christian X for Men: Clive Christian No. 1 for Men is a balanced floral, rich with citrus, cedarwood and a primo vanilla at the base. X for Men is a different creature entirely -- spicy, a little green and with a salty, appealing cardamom oil layered over a cracklin' dry cedarwood.

This is the kind of earthy fragrance for men I've been hoping to find -- no sweet ambers in the base, no white soapy musks, no sharp synthetics to ruin the brew. X for Men is a terrific salt of the earth perfume that knows how to lay it on without going too thick.

I much prefer the salty earthiness of X for Men to the balanced florals of No. 1, but No. 1 is the BF's thing anyway, and far be it from me to take candy away from my baby. That leaves all the X in the house for me, anyway, and who can complain about that?

Some final, parting notes: Parfums MDCI Ambre Topkapi does take a turn toward the sweet at the end -- It is an amber, after all -- but it exhibits a great deal of restraint about it rather than morphing into one of those heavy, syrupy ambers that are typical of the ambers I've been reviewing lately.

Another thing to keep in mind is that both Parfums MDCI and Clive Christian pride themselves on using high-quality, natural oils. This makes them very expensive (synthetic ingredients are cheap, natural oils are not) while also affecting both the staying power and what perfume fanatics call the sillage -- "the trail of scent you leave wafting behind you." Ambre Topkapi and X for Men last for a few excellent hours, then are definitely seen leaving for the door, a fact which upsets people who can't understand why fragrances as expensive as these don't last as long at the party as the decidedly cheaper D&G's and Estee Lauder's they can snatch up at Macy's by the bucketful.

Like it or not, natural essences have a shorter life span than synthetics, so what you're paying for with these two perfumes is an ingredient list rich with top shelf naturals, along with the expertise of the master perfumers who blended the formulae -- a neon-bright, chemical-enhanced lifespan is not part of the package.

Speaking of packages, the bottles for Parfums MDCI are old-world French godawful. While I may not expect the perfume to have the lifespan of Methuselah, I don't think it's too much to ask for at least some small stab at 21st century design concepts. I mean, the Yohji Yamamoto for Men bottle is awesome, and it's a fraction of the price of anything put out by Parfums MDCI. Just sayin' . . .