A*Men by Mugler

Absolute icon and king of the gourmands. Polarising and ahead of its time. It has a reasonable resemblance to its sister, Angel, but with a dark, earthy patchouli that isn’t for everyone. The trail is heavy and the longevity is eternal, even on clothes and after showering. Imagine an old library with a milky coffee and a chocolate and honey bun, with a hint of jasmine drifting in through the window. It combines the sweet with the bitter of the patchouli and a floral note. A jewel of the 90s. In-store it comes to €90/100ml, while online it hovers around €60.

I first encountered this perfume years ago with samples that I didn’t like at first, as I prefer leathers or incense. I kept them in a drawer until, by mistake, I took them on a trip. With no other options, I put one on and, curiously, within a few hours it began to recite poetry on my skin. It wasn’t a one-day thing; over the following days I kept using it and fell in love. It’s mentholated, sweet, with a marked patchouli that transports you to other eras. Nostalgic, vintage, addictive, and enveloping. The lesson: don’t judge at first sight. I now have the full size, and every time I wear it, someone compliments me. It’s the father of male gourmands, but a woman can wear it without issue. Top quality, lasts about 10 hours and projects more than 5 metres. On clothes, it smells for days. Try it on skin, take a walk, and let it speak for itself.

Angel Man, ufffffff, I love it with all my heart. I saw it in 2018 at Sears, a beautiful and simple bottle. I tried it and thought it smelled of chocolate and earth, so I left it. Hours later, the air smelled different, with presence. I put it on and it smelled of wet earth, coffee, and a delicious caramel. I died from smelling it. When it dried down, I fell in love, and the next day I went to another perfumerie, tried it, and it was the same. I saved from my school allowance, went to Sears, and took it home. I’d never smelled anything like it, something unique and special. That makes you feel like Mugler, someone who imposes and isn’t afraid. I used it a lot and never received compliments, except from a cousin who said it smelled sensual and intimate, a bit dirty due to the patchouli. I loved it for years until I saw it had been reformulated and there was nothing left. Try it if you see it; you can fall in love like I did.

With A*Men, I’ve always heard it doesn’t accept half-measures: you either love it or hate it. I belong to the first group. It’s potent, sweet at the start, and although some notes might seem feminine, it is deeply masculine and makes you noticed. On skin it lasts a medium time, but on clothes it clings so much that I’ve washed shirts with fabric softener and I can still perceive the notes. Definitely not for everyone, but if you belong to the club of lovers of this Mugler icon, it will be an indispensable for a lifetime.

I bought it for my collection, thinking I should own it. When I tried it, I found it dreadful and always avoided it, but over the years I decided to understand it. I’m going to try it on a cold Sunday at the cemetery; I think it doesn’t fit elsewhere for now. A few days passed and I got used to it. The opening fades after 15 minutes, becoming more friendly. It doesn’t seem like a beast; it gives strong bursts but isn’t unpleasant, nor is it delicious, simply bearable.

First impressions: It’s a brutal perfume! Hyper-sweet, gourmand, milky, spiced, and woody. It evolves very well throughout its olfactive pyramid. If you have a discreet personality, stay away from it or it will eat you alive. I think the setting that suits it best is a semi-formal cold night. Nearly 30 years old and it doesn’t seem obsolete or outdated. I can’t even imagine the first impression someone who used it in the late 90s would have received. Unfortunately, we are at the end of spring and beginning of summer in Mexico, so it will have to wait a few months to be tested without reservation. The beast will enter its summer period. (I will update until then).

A man’s scent with a lot of personality, like shouting, ‘HERE I AM AND I DON’T CARE IF IT INVADERS WITH THIS SMELL OF BURNED MATCHWOOD, I’M LOOKING FOR A HOLE TO HIDE IN’ a spectacular aroma!!, I repeat, you have to wear it with a lot of personality or the perfume will wear you out. Ideal winter nights for going to clubs, parties, and with friends, you will attract attention.

It cannot be denied that it is an interesting perfume, but another thing is whether it is pleasant to smell on a person. I recommend not buying it blindly as it may not be to your taste. It is a perfume that goes through different aromatic states, so do not let yourself be carried away by the initial aroma, and you must wait a certain time to appreciate its final aroma, which, for me, is the aroma of smoked woods: palo santo, mahogany, and other woods, and a slight touch of toffee, that is, for me, the aroma of smoked woods, like incense-burnt, is predominant, so each person must evaluate if they want to smell like that and in what situation. The toffee sweetness is there but very slight.

Today I had the opportunity to smell it and upon spraying it, a very strong and strange scent arrived, nothing commercial or like those sweeties they release lately. In the opening, I didn’t like it much; it smelled medicinal, sweet, amantolated, like throat lozenges with honey and propolis, or vitamin gummies my mum gave me when I was a child. A nostalgic but interesting aroma, not unpleasant, although strange. As it dried and after 30 minutes, that medicinal smell went down and a rich coffee and vanilla aroma came out, some caramel and a patchouli and woody base, very tasty and striking. It ended up pleasing me a lot; it is addictive. Give it a chance to dry and settle on the skin; you won’t regret it. I definitely recommend it, but test it first, don’t buy blindly because of the opening 🙂.

If it didn’t exist, it would have to be invented. That was the first thing I thought after testing it on paper and skin. The opening leaves you disoriented; you don’t expect it. It’s something between mentholated and gourmand (it reminded me of Joop Homme), followed by a sharp ‘coffee shot’. Coffee is the protagonist. As it dries, the coffee stands out even more, escorted by an ambroxan base, very sweet, with vanilla, tonka bean, and benzoin. It has tremendous personality. At times it seems like an aroma for a classic black-and-white movie man, and instantly you think of a 21st-century man who enters and exits the metaverse, dominates the laws of physics, and has the world at his feet. I don’t see it for daily use, unless you have an excessive personality or are an actor who can give the note constantly (it is rumoured to be Maradona’s signature, which fits). More nocturnal than diurnal, made to conquer emotionally. Do not wear it if you are a complete jerk, because you will generate ambivalence and in the end they will hate the perfume and you.

Maradona used it. Almost everything is said: it’s a fragrance hard to love, but those who do, love it madly. On my skin, it lasts about 7 hours with two hours of projection. I wouldn’t recommend it; as the saying goes, tastes vary, except perhaps for ice cream.

It evokes the scent of Santería and witches’ cauldrons with their magical brews, like Nganga. It also smells like Aztec pozole, the kind where chocolate and spices are added to mask the smell of burnt meat. I acknowledge that angels too have fallen; Angel is Lucifer, symbolised by the five-pointed star. There is only bourbon vanilla, Arabica coffee and patchouli, but assembled masterfully they seem like caramel, milk and lavender.

After years with its overwhelming and beastly vintage formula, and a long time without using it, I inevitably fell into its clutches again. It passed through Clarins and Oreal losing intensity and identity, but now I am convinced they have restored its potency. It is back to being my great love, though I no longer hate it so much; it sits between the vintage and the softer Oreal formula.

Mugler’s A*Men is the quintessential festive and cheerful fragrance. Its sweet and caramelised blend of vanilla, coffee, wood and patchouli is a unique experience. Name it and they’ll have it! With excellent performance and quality, it has established itself as a masculine classic. It is a genuine pearl; I recommend it wholeheartedly. PS: Did you know Maradona used it? Now you do.

If you’re looking for a ‘beast mode’ fragrance, look no further. If you like it, you’ll enjoy it like a maniac; it’s not a blind buy or a gift, you must try it first. When sprayed, it’s an explosion that fills the room, extremely sweet; don’t pull the trigger if there are diabetics nearby.