We all have our favorite perfume brands. Michael by Michael Kors was one that I tried several years back and found pleasant but not overly impressive. Since starting this blog last year, I’ve made a habit of asking what fragrance friends and acquaintances  prefer and the name Michael has come up several times.

For everyone who loves Michael, there seems to be an equal number who believe that it belongs in the Perfume Hall of Shame. In Perfumes: The A-Z Guide, Tania Sanchez describes it as an “evil tuberose”, “shrieking hair singeing horror, probably first rejected for use in industrial drain cleaner.”

So, wondering if I’d missed something in my first trial of Michael that incited such harsh criticism, I decided it was worth a second go round.

Once I recovered from the harsh, almost pungent  opening (which I don’t remember noticing at all the first time), what I smelled after wearing it for a couple of hours  was a pretty tuberose fragrance. t reminds me a little bit of Marc Jacobs, only less aquatic. There’s some musk and woods in the base along with a punch of vetiver which gives it some spice. The overall vibe is creamy, warm and comforting, but manages to be a little sexy too.

According to Fragrantica, Michael contains top notes of freesia, incense, Chinese osmanthus and tamarind, middle notes of tuberose, iris, peony, orris root and arum lily, and base notes of musk, cashmere wood and vetiver.

I think that if you enjoy tuberose and aren’t afraid to be noticed, Michael is worth trying. If you really like it, you’ll love the fact that it’s long-lasting with great projection. It’s probably best suited for a night out than a day in the office though, since it’s on the heavy side.

Michael was introduced in 2000 and was Michael Kors first fragrance. Since then he’s launched 40 other perfumes. He’s been in partnership with Estee Lauder since 2003.