Happy for Men
Clinique (1999)

I always find it interesting when reviewers are always able to identify even the most elusive of listed notes, but not one of them even hazards a guess as to what "green notes" are in this. "Green" is perhaps the broadest category of notes, covering resins, vegetal, pine/balsam, several kinds of mint, dozens of herbs, dozens of garden and forest plants, even seaweed. For Happy, I get two: peppermint and ivy. The peppermint is easy to miss, but if you breathe this in deeply, you can feel it on the back of your throat and sinuses. I adds just a touch of cool sharpness to offset the warm orange main note. The ivy is that earthy, dusty, bitter thing that most of us can smell, but just can't identify. A bit more musty than artemesia, but the bitter/earthy also compliments the happy citrus. These notes make this a bit more interesting than your usual fruity/freshie.

That's my take. Would be interested to hear what others think the "green notes" are composed of.

Typically sweet and safe this fragrance is mediocre at best with poor longevity. Launched in 1999 when Masculine perfumerie was starting to decline and has continued to decline to what it's become now. However I'd like to try a vintage bottle if there are any out there. The scent isn't half bad though and that's what's stopping me from giving this juice a total thumbs down.


6/10

The first time I tried this on my skin I was practically skipping back to my car. It wears off faster than I’d like it to, but it’s really polite. Nobody is going to be sneezing or holding their nose. A great summer scent for work or play with bright clean mandarin, fresh linen, and a faint woodsy dry down. I layer it with Versace Man Eau Fraiche to extend longevity. This is not for any guy who has ever referred to himself as an alpha male, it’s the most optimistic guy at work who makes your shift better because he’s there. Quite possibly the least offensive scent ever created. You can’t not smile while wearing this.

This fragrance is true to the name. This light and fizzy mandarin scent really does bring happiness. It's just easy-going, fresh, and youthful. Perfect to lighten up a hot day. It only has roughly two hours of wear however, which can be remedied with iso e super, giving it a couple more hours of wear.

Sweet and limey-green orange is the main note in this fragrance. The orange feels sparkly and slightly carbonated, like an orange Fanta. It doesn't smell as natural as Atelier Cologne's citrus scents, but imagine a carbonated Orange Sanguine with a bit of aquatic greenness and artificial candy sweetness.

The longevity is mediocre, but it's affordable enough to reapply throughout the day. If you're not a big fan of Orange Sanguine or Artisan John Varvatos, you may want to skip this one. However, since it's widely available in department stores, it's worth giving it a try. I wouldn't recommend blind-buying it because there may be a singular note that turns you off. Overall, I give it a thumbs up for its price and scent.

Sad to say, it was a bit difficult for me to take a men's fragrance called Happy seriously so I hadn't tested it despite my affinity for Clinique. That changed today and because my wardrobe is robust by my standards, I probably won't be buying it, unless it can be a sneak purchase (my wife swears she prefers me to wear no fragrance whatsoever, but I like to). The top notes weren't exciting, even a little concerning, but just wait a bit. Happy reacted with my skin and chemistry to work down to some very tasteful and alluring base notes. My rule is to never wear a fragrance I don't like (to do otherwise makes absolutely no sense to me), and I'd wear this. Use a couple of light sprays and you'll be confident you have a nice, pleasant smell that isn't overpowering. You won't have to worry your scent is too strong or offensive. Give it a try. It may be something you're looking for, and you can be reasonably assured you won't smell like a significant number of other guys. When a lady or another guy can identify your fragrance by name, there's no intrigue. My hunch is that won't happen with Happy.