Spark for Men
Liz Claiborne (2003)

Actually not a bad fragrance but quite decent. Has a familiar scent but the longevity is impressive and naturally it's become quite expensive online but I guess that's to be expected. Overall this is an above average scent that any fragrance collector would enjoy.



9/10

A meh for me, but it's nice enough. Spark for Men is another warm, spicy scent for fall or winter, with just okay performance. It's got that "creamy" note about which I'm not particularly fond. It's low price and widespread availability are its best assets. I'm glad I only paid $3 and only got a mini bottle.

Although this isn't half the scent that the amazing Spark Seduction is, Spark is certainly no slouch. It gives something different to an already quite good men's fragrance label (in my opinion of course).

To me, this smells like a take on Escada's Casual Friday, although not as sophisticated. This opens with a fantastic, highly enjoyable and highly addictive smell that you wouldn't typically find in the opening of a fragrance. I get rum, cardamom, and vanilla. The booze ain't over yet, I get the cognac in the mid, the honey, and I even get the fig note! Sandalwood listed as a base note along with amber, and I wouldn't argue those notes either. In fact the whole fragrance, I get everything here listed, which is rare, especially in a Claiborne fragrance. Sometimes I get a slight rubbery accord, but it's still pleasing.

This sort of reminds me of Rocawear Evolution, Escada Casual Friday and a few others I can't think of right now. Sadly performance on Spark is not the best, and projection is on the softer side.

If you can get a bottle for $20 it's a win. Its been discontinued over a decade ago though, and it's starting to finally dwindle down, prices are going up. Hopefully more people get to find this, before it goes for outrageous prices.

Spark for Men by Liz Claiborne (2003) is something of a latecoming underdog in the Claiborne Cosmetics lineup, and attempted to continue benefitting from the "Curve DNA" that Claiborne has stuffed into every masculine fragrance since the release of Curve for Men (1996). By that time, the theme was growing tired as Curve for Men itself had become incredibly ubiquitous, dominating the male fragrance landscape alongside Giorgio Armani Acqua di Giò pour Homme (1996). If you know the story of Claiborne Cosmetics and their cash cow Curve line, you already know that it and Acqua di Giò only ran parallel for maybe the first five years on the market, because Claiborne went for volume over brand clout by taking price cuts and tossing its perfumes into every big box retailer that would have them. In the short term this created a windfall, but in the long term, Curve's rival Acqua di Giò would eventually eclipse it in sales due to better brand integrity. Spark for Men fits into this by being the last "psuedo-flanker" of Curve that borrowed heavily on the base of the scent without being an actual flanker, as the official flanker rollout had already started with Curve Crush for Men (2003), and soon Claiborne would become an arm of EA Fragrances, making almost nothing but Curve products going forward. The smell of Spark for Men is a really well done gourmand that slays compared to some of the other things that came before using this DNA, and I've been harsh with scents like Mambo for Men (2001) or Bora Bora for Men (2002) for being really trite and messy cash-ins, but Spark for Men doesn't come across that way.

Perhaps the perceived increase in quality comes from Harry Freemont handling the "Curve DNA" in place of Carlos Benaim or Olivier Polge (like with the previous two scents from the Claiborne range), as he has had more experience working with cheapies and synthetics than those other perfumers due to his work done for Avon and Calvin Klein. Plus, the boozy, heady, and spicy themes in Spark for Men are all things Freemont does very well, as evidenced by his work on Michael for Men by Michael Kors (2001). Whatever the case may be, Spark for Men can be seen as the shockingly-good "gourmand" flavor of the Curve DNA, executed with grace and panache missing from some of the other Claiborne masculines banking on this scent profile. You get a golden spiced rum note doused with cardamom and a mulled cayenne pepper in the top, which leaps out to envelope the senses in comforting warmth. The honeyed fig and congnac notes in the heart further this theme, with a tiny speck of cinnamon and clove to match the top. The oriental-themed base of Spark for Men features the woody amber aspects of the Curve DNA the most, and emboldens them with additional sandalwood, tonka, vanilla, and oakmoss. Sillage is persistent at about 10 hours (which is excellent for a "spray cologne") but the projection is not monstrous with Spark for Men, and I get the feeling that this is one meant to be snuggled up to on a winter day, not something made for the office or club. Spark for Men takes the rich and dark direction that many Serge Lutens orientals take, just with a fraction of the budget and that underlining sheen of "Curve" letting you know this is still a mid-tier designer fragrance in the dry down.

Spark for Men, along with the following flanker Spark Seduction for Men (2004) would not survive the buyout of Claiborne Cosmetics by EA Fragrances, leading me to believe that this was a commercial flop and discontinued. As I said, Claiborne was bleeding brand cashet by the second back in the mid-2000's, and Curve (or Curve-like alternatives) were gassing up high school hallways and movie theaters thanks to how commonly available the brand had become. Combined with the fact that "metrosexual" styles were picking up steam in 2003, and you can see why something so unabashedly masculine like Spark for Men just wouldn't suit the trend-conscious. You won't find any bottles with EA Fragrances on the label nor long IFRA-approved ingredients lists, but even if viewed through the lense of a vintage purist, Spark for Men is still "too new" with it's use of aromachemicals to appeal much for hobbyists whose taste rarely escapes the 20th century. I suspect the unloved nature of Spark for Men will at least keep it hidden from the eyes of scalpers, but if the price ever organically creeps up beyond the original retail of $69, it will be an even harder sell than it was when new, languishing in obscurity forever. Spark for Men is a snuggly fragrance like a hot toddy on a cold night, showcasing an incredible efficacy within the stylistic and budgetary constraints of the Claiborne brand, but I expect no less from a wizard of "good n cheap" like Harry Freemont, who also knows his way around a gourmand at any price. Thumbs up.

A mellow, warm, and sensual cologne. Spark capitalizes on the drink-notes within (rum and cognac - nice!), both in appearance and sensory perception.
The honey sweetness marries well with the sandal and amber in the bottom of the fragrance triangle.

It's flanker, Spark Seduction, peps things up with a spike of peppery goodness in the head. It's a sort of "extreme" or "intense" version of Spark, in a non-pretentious way.

OMG I thought this had been discontinued because I hadn't seen it in years, but apparently it's just gotten a little less expensive.

I liked the female version so much I tried the male and liked it even more, so I bought it for my (ex)husband and I think I wore 3/4 of the bottle myself.

It has a beautiful amber scent and the woody complexity of cognac is also strongly present. The cardiman also manages to make it's presence known the whole time. It is definitely a sweet and spicy scent and I think it's wonderful