Recently I bought the Eight and Bob self titled fragrance for the Mr. My fragrance addiciton is not a selfish. It gives me great joy to research and buy fragrance for anybody, including myself, so my partner gets a fair few fragances from me. As I spend alot of time with the Mr, I am only going to choose scents that I like, and that I think will smell good on him. So… Eight and Bob.
The Backstory
Generally I am not a fan of the ‘concepts’ or back story that fragrance companies come up with. I have said it before and I will no doubt say it again in the future. Relating a scent to the smell of gun powder in 18th century France does not resinate with me at all on any level. What. So Ever. For some people it will, but it does nothing for me. However, the backstory for this scent is noteworthy. According to French brand Eight and Bob,
Albert Fouquet, the son of a Parisian aristocrat, was part of the elite French society in the early twentieth century and a perfume connoisseur. In a room on the upper floor of the family chateau, Fouquet created and perfected various essences for his own personal use aided by Philippe, the family butler. At social events he would surprise everyone with an exquisite fragrance that became increasingly in demand within the exclusive social circle he frequented. However, Fouquet continually rejected proposals to market his fragrance.
One night during his summer vacation in 1937 on the French Riviera (Côte d’Azur), Albert met and got on very well with a young American student who was touring France in a convertible: John F.K. Within minutes of being introduced, the vain JFK was captivated by the essence that Albert wore. John’s charm and congeniality persuaded Albert to leave him a sample of his cologne with a note at the hotel the following morning:
In this bottle, you will find the dash of French glamour that your American personality lacks.
On returning from his vacation, Albert received a letter from John in the U.S. thanking him for the kind gesture and informing him of the success his perfume was enjoying among his friends. He requested that Albert send him eight samples, “and if your production allows, another one for Bob”.
Without fully understanding the request, Albert decided to send a box with sufficient samples to offset the transport costs. His perfectionism extended not only to the fragrance but everything surrounding it. He didn’t fill the order until Philippe found some beautiful glass bottles in a Parisian pharmacy that Albert considered suitable for his cologne. Finally, he ordered several boxes decorated with the same pattern as the shirt that JFK was wearing when they met, and then labeled the bottles and boxes with John’s amusing request: “EIGHT & BOB”.
Albert was surprised a few months later when he began receiving letters from America with requests from various Hollywood directors, producers, and actors such as Cary Grant and James Stewart. Everyone wanted the “EIGHT & BOB” cologne they had apparently discovered through John’s father, who had maintained relationships with well-known stars because of his previous business ventures in the movie industry.
Pretty intense huh? So what do you think – is this backstory resonating with you? Do you believe it to be true? For me, I’m not convinced and the Mr was not buying it at all.
The Packaging
Eight and Bob presentation is awesome. The fragrance is literally housed in a book. It takes up alot of space in my small fragrance storage (another reason that it is better it sits on the Mr’s side of the bed). The stripes are very ‘men’s cologne’ in vibe and and it has a luxe feel about it. The packaging also makes Eight and Bob very giftable.
The Scent
Eight and Bob eau de toilette is marketed as a man’s fragrance and I get why. It is a very accessible citrus spicy wood. I know that gender associations with fragrance are purely marketing andnothing to do with the aroma molecules that they contain. I also know that the Mr will wear anything that he thinks smells good (including florals). That said, he enjoys spices and woods in fragrance which Eight and Bob provide. After an inital and short lived burst of citrus the spice element comes through. On me cardamom smells slight ‘off’, not so on the Mr. Warm and spice it blends beautiful with the soft wood (sandalwood and cedarwood) base. Patchouli is a listed ingredient but it is not prominent on my skin or the Mr’s. This fragrance does evoke traditional men’s cologne vibes but to my nose it is not an old fashioned or vintage fragrance. Sillage and projtection are middling, depending on how much you spray. This isn’t a beast mode fragrance, but you will leave a scent trail.
Final Thoughts
This is a scent for a man not a boy (or woman rather than girl). If there was no cardamom in it, I would definitely wear it. At £140 for 100ml you get more for less than with for example Tom Ford so it is a great opption for a signature scent or a scent-a-holic.
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