One of the things I like about the majority of niche perfume lines is that they don’t designate a gender to their fragrances. They understand that by marketing a scent strictly to men, or women, they are decreasing their potential audience for that fragrance. Fortunately, most perfumistas will try everything no matter what, but there are those who are not comfortable crossing the aisle. I wear several scents that are targeted to men, and know a lot of men who wear fragrances targeted to women. In a perfect world, all perfume would be on one counter.

Marlene Dietrich

On a recent visit to Neiman Marcus, I met a charming sales associate in the men’s fragrance department. He offered up his personal favorite scent for me to try, 10 Corso Como Uomo, and I was smitten by its burst of black pepper. After learning that I was a fragrance writer, he kindly wrapped the tester bottle in tissue and bagged it, to my amazement, and handed it to me in the hopes that I would write a review. I was a little stunned, and made no promises, but I was thrilled to have this great fragrance to take home. My companion asked if that happened a lot, and I said no. She said I was so calm about it that she thought people handed me bottles of perfume every day. I wish! A lot of people, even in the business, just give me a blank look when I tell them I write about perfume.

Katherine Hepburn

10 Corso Como, which is not directed at either gender, is one of my favorite perfumes. It’s warm, spicy, rosy, a little boozy, and a comfort on a cool day. 10 Corso Como Uomo is the masculine counterpart to, as we call it in perfume-land, 10CC. Uomo is a different beast than 10CC, but I don’t think it needs to be directed at a strictly male audience at all. It is heavy on pepper, but gingery and sweet underneath for balance. Where the woodiness of 10CC veers toward wanting to wear it in cooler weather, Uomo is seasonless.

Sigourney Weaver

I wore 10 CC Uomo for a few days in a row while working on this review, and realized that as much as I love the black pepper at the opening of this scent, what really makes it for me is the ginger heart, which makes the pepper note approachable and friendly. I was spending time outside in some rare sun, reading and relaxing, and the sweet spiciness of the perfume created a gentle aura around my body. This is a great companion perfume; it maintains interest while still being comfortable and easy. It’s never boring, but not annoyingly quirky. Needless to say, this has become an instant staple in my collection, and I will wear it more than I do 10 Corso Como.

Notes: ginger, black pepper, musk, and amber

I received my bottle from my new best friend at Neiman Marcus. To pay his kindness forward a bit, I am offering a 10 ml decant to any reader in the US. Let us know which perfumes you cross the aisle with, in either direction, and that you live in or have a mailing address in the USA. Draw ends June 1, 2013.

We announce the winners only on site and on our Facebook page, so Like Cafleurebon and use our RSS option…or your dream prize will be spilled perfume.

–Tama Blough, Senior Editor

Note: My current favorite scents from across the aisle, aside from this one, are YSL M7, Chanel Egoiste, Hermes Bel Ami, Bvlgari Black, and Marc Jacobs Bang.