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RuScooters – :
It smells like an animal.
HAClinton – :
The opening is leather. This is the leather of game-hides, uncured, untreated, and only recently salted. It is earthy, pungent, almost spoiled. This wild smell continues throughout. The honey smells like wild stink-honey, musty, foul, and so-named for a reason. Despite this, I smell a warmth throughout, vanilla and lemony goodness.
NB, this is an extrait de parfum. Be careful how much you use. The last time I wore it, my entire family exited the room complaining about the smell of poop.
дучф3110 – :
I definitely can see Cuir by Carner or lil bit of Black Afganon when I starting smelling it. The longetivity is good for round 6h. But the sillage or projection is rather soft and close to the skin. It’s leather with beewax mix with oud. I hope the projection could be more 🙁
Bormalay – :
An erotic unisex delight from start to finish, this lovely composition builds sweetness around a central note of leather ( hence the term ‘hard’ is a bit sarcastic) with rum, iris, honey, sandalwood, cedarwood, oud, frankincense, styrax, and vanilla. Those who are looking for an animalic leathery fragrance will be disappointed. The perfume starts off with a whiff of leather and then begins to dry down immediately to reveal the beautiful woodsy notes. The perfume is beautifully blended with many moderate projection/sillage and very good longevity. The overall feeling that is conveyed is of a surreptitious carnal encounter with beautiful lingering afterthoughts. Totally undeserving of its notorious ‘barnyard’ reputation evidenced by the somewhat overbloated reviews down here, this is a beautiful leather blended perfume that is more suggestive rather than demonstrative of its animalic nature.
kokssev – :
When I first sprayed this I though it was quite pungent and not sure if I’d like it. Opens with a strong animalic leater note and oud. I spayed it on my wrist at about 9pm. A few hours later I went to bed. I woke up at about 2am and could smell the most beautiful fragrance, quite soft, powdery and sandalwood. I realised it was the Hard Leather I’d applied before bed. It has such a beautiful dry down!
igorek86 – :
I bought a sample of this fragrance because it sounded intriguing based on the comments and reviews.
I will say that it has a barnyard type beginning (think being close to a bull in a pasture) but it dies down to a more of a new leather and sandalwood smell after a very brief period. There are hints of iris and honey on the backend and I do not consider this to be near as intense as many others have thought.
I’m definitely not an expert but I know what I smell and even my wife thought that it was more floral than anything else.
In the end, I really like the scent and it is somewhat intoxicating. I’m not sure that it is as raunchy as others seem to believe but everyone smells things differently so this is all a matter of opinion.
The silage is not overwhelming so even though most seem to think that this is a nighttime only scent I could see it being okay for a winters day in the office as long as you’re not in a closed in conference room all day.
mr.bag – :
I bought a sample because of the notorious reputation of this one, but the actual product is much more subtle than some reviews would suggest. For someone into animalic and leather scents, this fragrance is wonderful. The main notes are authentic and enjoyable. The more secondary notes like rum and honey are nice complements and really add depth. Also, the sillage is relatively slight so you would have to apply a good amount in order to possibly offend other people.
yurik777 – :
Bought a sample. Sorry, can’t pull this off. I’m far from being able to tell what notes I’m getting, but I can safely say this is not what I’d want to smell like.
The search for an ultimate masculine niché winter scent continues..
Fuckyou – :
Oh my god. First time spray here. Fecal. Like a chickens coop. Also really animalistic and musky.
My wife is next to me changing our baby’s nappy, I’m not kidding, I wasn’t sure if it was this, or the nappy I could smell. Im still waiting for the dry down, I’m not sure it’s going to change too much.
I love it. Bet you didn’t think I was going to say that after this review. In a nut shell, strong barnyard woody fecal matter. I can’t smell any leather though. Guess they couldn’t have called it hard chicken coop.
7/10
Lomslusylon – :
Hardly leather. Shoe polish.
Vladislavvv – :
A mild beeswax leather with styrax, french style oud, and sandalwood. The olibanum, iris, and the vanilla is adding a sort of twisting effect to the juice and makes it roundy.
kind of pleasing to be honest but doesn’t deserve the price tag unfortunately.
vdem – :
Have to agree with Chicago Tony ( maybe it’s just a Chicago thing) that this is far from “Hard” Leather. I expected something much different from this but it’s just another leather, nothing hard and nothing fecal about it. And the longevity is suspect.
North_228 – :
“Bold, raw and borderline fecal… a feral beast lurking in the smoky woods.”
Hard Leather is a 2014 fragrance by LM Parfums, a French niche perfume house by Laurent Mazzone (Hence, “LM”). For a relatively new perfume house, it’s been making some rave news in the niche perfume community for its bold scents, of which Hard Leather is the guilty party. In fact, even “bold” may be an understatement: of all the animalic fragrances I’ve smelled, this may the king of them all alongside Maai by Bogue Profumo.
Hard Leather is never to be taken lightly. In all seriousness, this is a heavy-duty fragrance that should be used sparingly. Yes, it’s THAT strong. Just when I thought that Maai set the benchmark for animalic/super strong fragrance, this came in as a throne usurper.
On my skin, it opens up with huge wafts of leather, honey and a mix of resins (probably styrax and frankincense). It’s a truly intense experience for the first 40-60 minutes: it’s a feral beast in perfume form, one that is even borderline fecal.
I get the same vibe in the opening from Absolue Pour le Soir by Maison Francis Kurkdjian. It’s probably the unrefined honey-incense accord (incense stemming from resins for Hard Leather’s case) that both fragrances share. However, Absolue is a spice-bomb for it is heavily laced with cumin and caraway, invoking images of hot and sweaty skin and smouldering incense in the desert. Whereas for Hard Leather, the spices are substituted with raw leather, thus invoking images of a unwashed animal lurking in the hot smoky woods. It was truly an hour-long experience that people would either love or hate, and I belong to the former category.
After roughly an hour, the scent mellows and changes into pungent oud notes with tinges of vanilla and possibly rum. It’s the same kind of scent I get in the drydowns of Cuirs by Carner Barcelona and Black Afgano by Nassomatto, albeit with subtle differences. At this point, it becomes more acceptable (for the people around me, at least), and the feral beast slumbers silently. At this point I was also wondering if I am smelling oud or leather, the same thing I encounter when using Cuirs. Both have similar pungent accords, since the smell of musty leather and rotten wood does overlap to me. For me to find out, I have to wear Hard Leather again in much colder weather; that’s how I found out where the leather accord lies in Cuirs.
This fragrance is conceived for the confident, alpha male. Absolutely, this is NOT for timid people who feels halfhearted at putting this on and enjoying it for the rest of the day. I personally find it hard to imagine women to wear Hard Leather for themselves, but I can imagine being an erotic experience smelling it off people of the opposite sex. This should be reserved for special occasions, such as crazy late0-night parties or for those when you really want to make your presence felt.
It’s hard to imagine what inspired Laurent Mazzone to create this fragrance. While the drydown is good, the opening is the main highlight of the perfume where the real action takes place. While I don’t think I will be purchasing for myself – EUR 295 is very steep for my budget – I think it’s a must to at least get a sample. Thank you to Monsieur Mazzone; you showed me what “animalic” really means and presented me with quite an experience in liquid form.
EDIT:
In the drydown after 10 hours, upon further observation, I get a faint whiff of dried saliva on my skin, and I think it’s because of the oud. A little yucky, albeit deliberately and even appropriately so for a fragrance like Hard Leather.
Серый 1997 – :
The trend toward dense, smoky-woody perfumes is not particularly new. Nasomatto Black Afgano was an early example and many perfumes followed its blueprint closely. The trend has been given new life by the abundance of synth-oud accords. Hard Leather smells like a hopped-up version of the oud accords I’ve smelled many recent perfumes. Imbalance and the extrait concentration suggest that quantity was used to define quality. Early niche models of the smoky, tarry, vanillic perfumes such as Lonestar Memories or Patchouli 24 are as strong as Hard Leather but are rich and nuanced.
The durable, dry, woody aromachems that I assume form the shape of Hard Leather are forceful and need a judicious hand to prevent them from becoming the bull in the perfume shop. It’s fair to say that while Hard Leather is as potent as it claims, it is also unbalanced. Heavy synthetics overpower any other materials that don’t shout and the perfume’s chief characteristic is disproportion.
The name says it all. Not about the perfume but about the fantasy the LM Parfums wants you to buy into. Hard Leather strikes a butch pose similar to the spectacle of masculinity you’d see in professional wrestling. The difference is that professional wrestling has a campiness that allows it to be melodrama and comedy at the same time. Hard Leather has the gravity but lacks the irony.
Lelik2040 – :
Poor reformulation, too bad.
lcg486Unlogrere – :
Eau de bondage…
By far the nastiest, sexiest and most indecent fragrance I have smelled this far. And I love it! After writing almost x-rated reviews of Al Oudh and Quality of Flesh, I should be careful not to repeat myself, but this one definitely calls for some rather coarse and juicy characteristics.
The name of the scent already suggests where we´re heading, so make no mistake about it; this is hardcore! The way the different notes come together transports me to dungeons and dark basements; hinting black leather and masculine pheromones HL takes no prisoners. This dark master of a fragrance treats its chosen subject with loving dicipline, just go along and enjoy the ride…
Save it for the weekend, I can´t imagine this as a suitable scent for the office.
The drydown of Amouage Fate Man is very similar to this, allthough it´s quite a lot more subtle than HL. Strange that cumin is not listed among the notes here. Also it´s sometimes hard to tell this one apart from LM´s Black Oud, and the way the notes are divided between these two puzzles me.
Rum and honey contrast the rather musty dryness, with oud providing a broad, confident base. Hard Leather is fulfilling and comes across as masterful perfumery, if not subtle… 9 out of 10!
rch463elipseskism – :
4Day Challenge part 5: LM Hard Leather
Conclusion: LM Hard Leather is very good and definitely has an endorphin releasing effect of me as I enjoy it tremendously on a mood level. As far as deconstructing it, and enjoying it on an intellectual level, well … there is not much to it. Don’t get me wrong, it has a permanent place in my life and I am likely to even get another bottle. Because it is very satisfying, but unchanging from day to day, just like my opinion about it, I am going to cut this review short at 3 days.
Day three: It is exactly what I am looking for in terms of sillage. I used two sprays to my stomach and it pumped out waves of soft and unobtrusive scent for good 6 or 7 hours, at which point I may have started experiencing olfactory fatigue. Today I am noticing a slight resemblance with MKK in terms of the sweet musky accord.
Day two: getting a strong Black Afgano semblance today. They are not the same scent, but as a lot of other reviewer’s mentioned, the oud element is much like the BA. I have awesome associations with BA, so I am loving the semblance, but your millage may vary.
LM Hard Leather opening and midnotes have an endorphin releasing effect on me, and I find the drydown to be very polite and pleasant.
I am starting to think of Hard Leather more in terms on Herod and Ambre Narguille because of the delicious honey.
Day one: I have a decant and was thinking of buying a bottle, but before making the purchase, I thought it may be a good idea to put it through the challenge to see if I could wear it regularly.
Opens with rum, raisins, sweaty feet and suede. It’s furry, boozy and sweet. Fifteen minute in, I am getting caramel, almonds, and smooth suede a la Cuir Ottoman. 45 minutes in, I am getting a persistent iris. As the drydown progresses, the suede turns into smoke, and the honey-sandalwood combo becomes more prominent…. And all of the sudden there is something that reminds me of strawberry jam. Will watch for it in the coming days.
fullvideohentai – :
Should be named Soft leather. For those saying that this is so fecal and animalic I laugh because even the reformulated Kouros is more hardcore than this! Don’t get me wrong, this is a masterful blend of dark meets woody meets creamy. Just a pinch of honey and rum mellows it out a bit and the creaminess of sandalwood gives it the perfectly smooth balance that I could see it being a signature scent for the right person. Maybe an upscale lawyer or a successful real estate agent type of scent. 7.5/10
_123_v – :
I think “hard leather” is a misnomer; I prefer something like “lick me” 😉
The most dirty, animalic and carnal scent I have ever smelled…
کاملا بوی پوست کثیف گاو و میده دی
Deroxfjevr – :
Not as hard as the bottle suggests, just a mere offering with leather in it. When i think of hard fragrances, scents such as Black Aghano or Jeke comes to mind. Once again, I thank the perfume Gods for the creation of samples. This kinda reminds me of Nuit Epicee with olibanum. If you’re into saving money then go for N.E, simple as that. This opens with a little leather, a little oud, a lot of olibanum with a hint of cedar. The composition is at its hardest moment in the opening. As the fragrance matures, the sweetness intensified. Sweet ashy smokey dry cedar is what you’re left with in the final stages. More convoluted than it is leather, no wonder the opinions are a mixed bag.
Update: Well, well, well….I never would have guessed that I would receive so many compliments while wearing Hard Leather. I literally had a total of 4 people compliment this sample……all within a 2 hr time frame. Just to think, I was somewhat dismissive of this offering.
ford058 – :
This review is based on a decant. It’s basically a barnyard oud with a touch of leather. Projection is below average and longevity is good on my skin.
Trunk – :
I’m a fan of both LM Parfums (Ambre Muscadin was a tremendous take on french-classicism) and hard (core) leathers but I can’t say Hard Leather impressed me the way I expected.
I read it’s brutal, strongly animalic, luxurious and rich but, honestly, not in a way I like. I’ll make it pretty short here. This is basically a modern synth-oud that could easily be a Nasomatto or an Orto Parisi (the latest line by Gualtieri). Dry, intensely woody, (kind of) leathery and ultimately boring.
It smells overall nice but it’s nowhere close to the striking and challenging power of similarly themed fragrances such as Rancè L’Aigle De La Victoire (now that’s an *hard leather*).
Rating: 5.5-6/10
MaximusUnexcelled – :
The opening is true feral barnyard skank, there is no way to be polite about it. I know that a perfumisto is (usually) rewarded for persevering through that phase in any perfume, particularly one that contains oud. This is undeniabley a very carnal perfume. I do like me an amimalic stinker, but it is going to take a little more time before I go bananas over this bottle. After the astonishing and quite shocking opening sequence, it becomes slightly calmer but not in the least bit tame and smells like giving a gorilla a hug. After a while, it does become almost tame – at least housetrained – but it is actually whispering at me now after a few hours rather than barking and hollering and I was hoping it would retain some more of its growl for that price, but indeed it is purring nicely.
Xeroxuztpn – :
My first review EVER!!!!
I felt compelled to write this review, only for the sheer lack of love shown for this absolute masterpiece! This is by far the most unique and intriguing fragrance I’ve ever smelled.
Hard Leather is what I believe fragrance on a Human Being should be.It’s natural smelling, yet undeniably a perfume. Hard Leather is pure outdoors living, while making sure you were clean and presentable using nothing but the elements surrounding you.
The first 10 minutes put me in a trance where nothing can remove the contented grin from my face. It’s primal, uninhibited, sensual, skanky and seductive all at once.
I smell:
Rum – CHEERS!
Honey – Smooth but not sweet
Sandalwood – Absolutely undeniable!
Leather – It’s Preakness Time!
Oud – Yes!!
I will do anything to ensure that a bottle of this juice remains in my collection forever! Perhaps it is a blessing that it remains relatively unknown.
SSSSSHHHHHHHHH!!!
Let’s make it our BIG secret…
uripascal – :
Indecent! Lustful! Carnal! Perfect!
The transformation of this perfume is incredible, with every sniff you can find something different, „50 shades of Hard Leather“ in other words.
Oh such an opening!!! Like a crack with a whip – raw, steamy, and almost a skanky scent. A few moments after initial, musky „I’m in a heat“ opening, it becomes gentler, more rounded. The main elements of rum, incense, honey, leather and oud are perfectly blended. It ends like a lover’s whisper with traces of powdery iris, a lover with soft lips, but still a rough chin.
5/5
gonta – :
Hard Leather…not to be mistaken for harsh leather because this is a very masterfully crafted leather, starting out with a surprising stank (okay, a bit barnyard) I wasn’t expecting but quickly evolving into a spicy yet deep leathery-sweet, woody, aged-rum concoction that is just divine.
If you like deep, earthy, resinous fragrances where yes, they’re sweet by chance but not sugary, syrupy, or candy sweet, this will work. The vanilla is minimal and woven in just right so that those of you who dislike intense vanilla (like me) won’t wrinkle your noses at it. I wouldn’t say it’s that powdery either, another note I’m not a huge fan of, but in just the right, necessary amounts of vanilla and powder to round everything else out.
It’s complex with all the other deep notes in the background, the styrax, cedar, olibanum, whatever…and I really don’t get much iris, but the leather definitely takes center stage. Oh, and the barnyard effect cleans up the most in the third act, becoming a rather sophisticated, more refined leather.
I’d say this is very much a men’s fragrance in concept, but I know some strong, powerful, daring women who could wield it just as elegantly.
Get some.
proliku – :
One of my favourite perfumes EVER, this is highly addictive.
I never tried it on paper: LM parfums is not sold in my area so I bought the 5ml sample (and later the full bottle) from online shops.
It’s funny because the first time I dabbed it on, I was shocked and almost horrified, because on my skin this fragrance opens with a powerful (but very quick to fade, luckily) blast of….burnt tires and hot asphalt.
It mellows immediately to a raw, horse-y leather, quite animalic but not to the point of smelling truly skanky nor fecal. Sandalwood starts then infusing everything, blending this first phase into a second one, in which olibanum makes its appearance on the stage with rhum, followed a bit later by honey.
I can’t detect iris nor oud, and even rhum is just a walk-on: on me woodsy notes, and especially sandalwood, are what dominates the fragrance after the first couple of hours. I still managed to catch some brief, defined whiffs of frankincense, honey and leather (a different, more refined one this time), but they are now mainly a frame for sandalwood, not the main actors anymore.
After 4 to 5 hours it does pretty much remains this way, swinging back and forth from a slightly smoky sandalwood, to a leathery one, to a honeyed one.
Definitely a more masculine scent, hardly a unisex one, but I don’t really care, as I tend to gravitate around both extremes (very feminine/very masculine).
I like it, therefore I wear it.
scale20 – :
Hate to brag 🙂 But it was my christmas gift from the Laurent himself. And I love it, it’s a darker twist on Black oud, this time not as velvety and bewitching, but louder in a more cruel manner. Yet this gentle beautiful cruelty is that magic that delivers me bliss. Love you very much Laurent, such a beautiful soul.