Henri et Victoria Cuban Cigar and Cognac roll-on cologne

Today I am wearing the Cuban Cigar and Cognac roll-on cologne by Henri et Victoria.  What a treat!  I became aware of this fragrance through my recent exploration of the pomade with the same scent from Henri et Victoria earlier this summer.  Not only did the pomade out-perform many other pomades for its hold, but that fragrance was so totally unexpected and memorable that it was an instant winner.

In an effort to save a few bucks on shipping I visited a local re-seller of this brand in Gatineau – and to make it amusing they are also called “Le Local”.  They had the product on hand and were selling it for $20.

Here is what I initially wrote about this fragrance:  This cognac and Cuban cigar fragrance fits very well in that authentic-classy  space. I was transported to a Cuban villa where I was smoking a nice cigar and sipping a rum.  It’s 1953 and I am wearing a light coloured suit along with appropriately styled pomade hair (of course).  It is said that scents is one of the fastest doors to the memory complex.  Imagined or not, this fragrance brought me to a happy place. 

Aside from the fabulous fragrance, the delivery mechanism is also pretty cool.  It’s a simple roll-on knob.  Very much in the same manner as a ball point pen delivers its ink to the paper.  What is interesting about this is that you don’t loose any of the product in the application as you might with a regular liquid spray cologne.   This also goes to the point that the bottle can be proportionally smaller.  The bottle is actually only 10 ml.  I mention this because it might seem ridiculous to fork out $20 for 10 ml of a cologne.  It actually doesn’t sound competitive at all when compared to paying perhaps $50 for 50 ml of a big brand name cologne (on sale of course).

So why is it worth it?  First off you are getting a totally original fragrance. The big designer brands have a good offering, but in many respects the scents have allot of commonality.  It’s ends up being hard to actually find something unique or original that also suits your moods and personality.  Secondly, because of the simple and ingenious delivery system, you are not loosing or wasting a good portion of the product during the application. This little bottle will thus last you a good long stretch.   Lastly, I am totally surprised by the performance or lasting power of this cologne.  We are now about 8 hours after application and my nose is still being tickled by the aroma!

Concerning the intensity of the cologne, I will say that your nose will identify it right away, but it is certainly not an over-bearing  or intense fragrance.  My asthmatic wife had no reaction to this cologne as she often does when I use any sort of sprayed fragrance.   Thus making it Wife-Approved!

As a result of the Barber Shop revival a whole artisan based economy has sprung to life.  An incredible amount of exciting shaving soaps and creams and pomades have appeared.  This wave of products and the demand for such products is also leading to a second wave.  In this second wave we are seeing the emergence of the fragrances used in the first wave products, as stand-alone colognes.  We are also seeing the creativity of people in coming up with new delivery systems for these fragrances.  Actually, we might be able to argue that the roll-on is not necessarily a new solution but rather a forgotten solution that is being brought back.  Considering how well it works, we are left to wonder as to why was it ever dropped?

There might be some value in mentioning where to apply cologne.  For the longest time, I pretty much took the ape approach and sprayed cologne my chest.  I have come to realize that things are perhaps a tad more subtle.  The below diagram from the Art of Manliness (http://www.artofmanliness.com/2015/10/14/guide-to-fragrance/) is self explanatory.  For this Cognac and Cuban Cigar I opted to put a drop on both of my wrists with impressive and long lasting results.

If you are interested in this fragrance, Henri et Victoria offers a number of grooming products using this scent:

• Shaving soap
• After-shave Splash
• After-shave Balm
• Beard Oil
• Body Wash
• Cologne roll-on
• Pomade