Vendetta pour Homme (1991)
by Valentino

Check out the reviews by Foetidus and Milamber if you want to know what Vendetta PH is structurally all about; those guys can really break a fragrance apart. My nose is nowhere near that refined, so I have to rely on drawing relations to other fragrances, triangulating in on what a fragrance smells like vis-a-vis other frags. Sometimes I pick up a note here or there, if I'm lucky.

Anyway, Vendetta PH, to me, smells wonderful. I'm always a little surprised by at least some reviews for almost any fragrance, and this is no exception. Too sharp? Too sweet? Too spicy? I don't find it to be any of these. I mean, it's sharp, it's sweet, and it's spicy...but I don't think any one of those qualities is wildly out of balance, except maybe when measured against the focus-group formulated neutral and neutered fragrances of today. That is not a valid or historically useful measuring stick, in my opinion. To me, Vendetta PH is a sweet and spicy combo laid on top of a woody-ambery base. That said, it's not clovey to the extreme like Secret Melange or Trumper's Milk of Flowers. It's not sweet like almost any "masculine" fragrance you can pull off the shelf at Sephora or off the counter at Macy's here in 2011, where "masculine" has come to mean "orange push-up pop." It's more ambery than woody, but the amber is round and smooth and not the least bit thin or metallic like, say, Pal Zileri's Cashmere E Ambra.

Unlike Foetidus, I don't get too much leather, maybe just a touch. A difference that is due to skin chemistry, I imagine. Somewhat differing from Milamber, I find this to be closer to Arabie than to Ambre Sultan. I think there's something about the sweet, spicy nature of Arabie that seems similar to the same combo in Vendetta PH, though Vendetta PH is not as over-the-top as Arabie. Still, it's pretty amazing that this designer fragrance reminds us both of a niche fragrance from a very respected house. You won't find many like this, especially amongst new releases. The closest I can think of to this overall smell is Jean Pascal PH, but Vendetta PH is more concentrated, deeper smelling, plumper, and sweeter. One more thing: if you are going to test this - and you should - please let it dry down before drawing any conclusions!

1st May, 2011.

This quickly becomes too sharp and bitter - its geranium and clove fusion is a little too dominant for my liking. Some diversity and warmth would have improved matters immeasurably, but I find Vendetta rather monotonous and detached. Despite the patchouli inspired base being much more endearing, I am generally underwhelmed by the whole experience. Valentino made a good call in putting this out to pasture.

27th August, 2010.

This is merely another scent that, being from the 90's, tries to ease the way for boys and older, single men in the pursuit of women. Through both this and its smell, which is fruity and fresh but with a slightly traditional edge (which earns it a neutral), it is impossible therefore to take it seriously. Smell this on popular young men and then, years later, when they have aged, having gotten little historical or practical education in the process, either sad, old souls in denial at their aging, or at various charity, political, or otherwise cliche events on the wrists of narrow-minded fathers of five, six, or seven children. It is not the choice of the educated, wellbred man.

15th July, 2010.

A superb & highly refined masculine frag .
It shares a little with Z-14 but is much more polished & better dressed .
Foetidus sums this one up perfectly .
4.5 stars from me for both longevity & sillage .

22nd March, 2009.

The clove is clearly stated here and is quite sickening. A puffy spicy fragrance that takes some getting used to. Way too over the top for me.

13rd November, 2008.

up their with kouros as one of the nastiest and offensive colognes of all time. how come this is little known and kouros well liked. the answer is this was made 10 years later. valentino v is good but this lacks a smell that many if any man wants to smell like.

26th August, 2008.