Dior Homme 2011, as mentioned in my review of Dior Homme 2020, is classified as a woody floral musk-based fragrance. Since, at the time, I hadn't tried the original--or rather, the reformulation of the original, as mentioned in my video-- I was inclined to believe that the older Dior Homme was in fact a woody floral musk-based scent.
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| Dior Homme 2011 50ml ($65) |
But is it really?
I know a lot of people-- basically everyone I've watched review this one-- has said how much better this one is than the the 2020 version. Now, I'm not going to go in details because I want to focus on the older formulation, so all I'll say is that both my fiancee and I prefer the newer version. I'll explain why below.
But Dior Homme 2011 is by no means a bad fragrance, in fact, I really like it. It's very sweet and powdery which, in my opinion, makes it perhaps the best unisex fragrance I have ever experienced.
You'll probably get what I mean based on the notes. So at the top, we have lavender, sage, and bergamot, in the middle there's iris, cocao, and amber, and at the bottom, there's vetiver, patchouli, and leather. Despite being classified as a woody and musk-based scent, I could not confirm that there is any musk in it and the patchouli is virtually undetectable to me.
I would instead classify it as a sweet, floral, and powered fragrance.
When I spray it on I immediately get a strong sweetness from the cocao followed by a subtle hint of the iris. Indeed, these are the two dominant notes in this one. The longer the fragrance lasts on my skin the more flowery it becomes, almost as if the cocoa and iris trade places.
I also get a bit of the lavender and sage which kind of give the fragrance an herbal, earthy kind of feel. It's very pleasant and even relaxing.
In terms of performance, Dior Homme 2011 is on par with the 2020 version. I get a pretty good 1.5 hours of subtle projection, which is 30 minutes more than I get from Dior Homme 2020, and it lasts for a good 7 hours, which is 30 minutes less than I get from the new version. Overall, it is still very refined and eloquent.
I was able to find the original formulation at fragrancex.com for $65 (USD). I didn't look elsewhere, but based-on a quick Google search, it appears that this one is becoming harder to find. I'm not sure if Dior is still making the original or just making the new formulation now, but $65 for a 50ml bottle seems like a pretty reasonable deal to me.
Remember: if they do in fact stop making the older formulation, prices are going to sky-rocket. This means that if you like the 2011 version you probably should stock-up.
But, as I said, Dior Homme 2011 is a very nice fragrance. I could see myself using it for dinner parties and other small social gatherings. Here's why I prefer the newer formulation though:
Simply put, I would not call the original version a masculine fragrance. When I think of masculine I think musk, woodsy notes, marine notes, strong vetiver based scents, even something with a touch of ambroxan and spice. I just don't see Dior Homme 2011 as a distinctly masculine scent and I think that's why my fiancee prefers the newer formulation as well.
Dior Homme 2011, as I stated, is possibly the best unisex fragrance I have used. I could easily see you being able to share this one with your significant other. I could also see this one being a signature scent for some people; it's just a bit too powdery for my liking.
Overall though, I would give Dior Homme a 7.5/10. Performance-wise it is basically the same as the new version and it definitely has a similar amount of versatility, although perhaps not as much, in my opinion. I really do like the uniqueness of the scent, but unfortunately, it is not what I typically want in a men's fragrance.
What do you guys think though? Do you prefer Dior Homme 2011 or 2020 and more importantly, why? For those of you who have tried the original 2005 formulation, how does it differ from the 2011 one? How does Dior Homme compare to the other fragrances in Dior's line?
Let me know your thoughts in the comments!
-Ryan S.
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