Burberry London for Men (2006)
by Burberry

London’s smooth, spicy opening develops into something very much like Boucheron’s Jaïpur Homme, but not as good. By that I mean the Boucheron’s deeper, richer, more complex spiced vanilla-almond/heliotrope/tonka bean accord leaves London smelling scrawny, stingy, and artificial by comparison. (Especially so in Jaïpur’s EdP formula.)

On top of that, London pretty much goes to pot in its early-arriving drydown, which is nondescript sweet vanillic woods. It’s adequate, but no more. I don’t smell half the notes in the scent pyramid above - no leather, no tobacco, no “port wine,” and certainly no moss – only mimosa (heliotropin), cinnamon, something vanillic, and weak opopanax

I understand why this is a popular scent: like Armani Code, Geir, or Platinum Egoïste, it smells pleasant and inoffensive. Fine if that’s what you’re after, but for more or less the same money, I’d go for Jaïpur Homme. It pretty much does what London does, but at least twice as well. Wear London and you’ll smell “nice.” Wear Jaïpur Homme and you’ll smell distinguished.

London is actually a very nice scent--warm, woody, and somewhat gourmand--but it is not one that will always be in my collection. The longevity is absolutely horrible. I get around 2-3 hours maybe, but the sillage is nice for the first hour....

I really like this fragrance a LOT. I was never interested in Burberry fragrances but after reading so many great reviews I decided to buy a bottle.
The fragrance is very well crafted but it does not last very long on me and that is a problem. For some reason this juice makes me think of Christmas I can almost "see" the Christmas light and trees. I love the sweet tobacco notes, very well executed, it is mildly boozy as well. I also get a tender vanilla note that plays in the background but since there is no vanilla it must be the lavender/cinnamon combined.
This one is a winner in my book. Well done Burberry!

For me this is a peppery, bergamot, lavender and leather potion, that is better out of the bottle and on your skin. The dry down is nice and warm. It is a typical quality frag from Burberry. It may be a little to much black pepper for some, but that note retreats after an hour or so of wearing and the lavender and leather kick in. It is a 'pepe' style EDT that I recommend for the twenty+ crowd, and for evening events.

Just a wonderful fragrance. At first I wasn't won over by the almost cherry-like port note that permeates throughout the progression, but i've grown to love it from start to finish.

The dry down is one of the best i've experienced at my current early stage in fragrance discovery. You get the smoke and wood, with that port juuuust peeping in to lift the whole thing. The port note is somewhat cloying, but definitely in a good way, as it helps balance the notes in the dry down. Definitely a cold wintery scent. It paints a picture of sitting by the fireplace eating Christmas pudding while the grown ups are in the background drinking wine after the big Christmas dinner.

In terms of longevity and sillage, they're not terrible, but they're not exactly great either. Now sillage is probably a 5/10. You'd probably have to stand like a foot away (if that) to notice it. The longevity (on my skin at least) is rather strange. While the main body of the scent lasts around 5-6 hours for me, i'll easily be able to pick up at the very least a tiny bit of the tobacco and definitely some of the port probably 12 hours after application.

Overall a wonderful fragrance for colder weather, marred only by the spotty longevity.

On my skin, the opening of London for Men is a port wine soaked cinnamon bun with coconut covered icing. It would be nice to eat, but I’m not sure I want to smell like this without having said bun in my hand.

As time passes the sweetness eases and a little bit of wood arrives. The wood is always in soft focus, because the syrupiness of the port wine permeates everything.

The dry down is the best part of London for Men. The tobacco is close to fresh cut leaf and blends better with the port wine than with any other note in the fragrance.

If you’re up for booze and bakery, then London for Men might be just the thing, but if you are after real quality try Boucheron Jaipur pour Homme instead. Jaipur is richer, deeper, and clearer.