Fragrance Reviews

I've done a bit of a turnaround on this one. It's very temperamental in terms of sillage, but it does last longer and project better than I used to give it credit for. Case in point: I was testing several scents on cards one day. At one point I was sitting and relaxing with about 5 cards in front of me, including a few Bond no 9s, some Jo Malone, a Hermes, and on a whim Floris Sandalwood. I kept distinctly smelling the Floris from a distance over the others, but when I stuck my nose in the Floris card to get a good whiff, it really didn't smell that strong. Weird, but interesting. Further testing revealed that the fading in and out effect even more noticeable when the scent is alone.

Behavioral discussions aside, it really does feel like a single-note sandalwood. It starts very alcoholic and gradually - in fits and starts - morphs into a fuller and fuller sandalwood note, with little else there. I used to think it didn't have enough depth...but I failed to realize that you aren't going to have a single-note sandalwood with depth. You want depth, get Santal Noble. At trying to convey the smell of pure sandalwood, Floris succeeds in a way that even Tam Dao can't match.

Re-review from last year.

I am wearing the EDP version. Bitter cocoa and a cup of tea from the get go. A swirl of vanilla is also in the mix of this non-gourmand gourmand.

Wait....is that a bergamot flower that just whiffed past my nose? Is someone near me eating licorice? Oh, my bad....that the star anise kicking in and sitting atop a very soft accord of wood and possibly vetiver....no wait....maybe it's patchouli........Oh hell......I'm having a difficult fragrance day.

However, I do know this smells very good. Borderline gourmand and very well blended. The EDP has a midrange that the EDT lacks. Very good juice here folks.

Notes: Subtle floral notes, pear, apple, ambrette seeds (from luckyscent.com)

Ambrette 9 starts vegetal and green, with rooty notes evocative of carrot or iris, violet leaf, and something sweet and fruity. The "something sweet and fruity" turns out to be a note which, simply put, smells like Kool Aid in a generic "red" flavor. Within minutes, the lovely green notes are gone, and the "red" (cherry? strawberry?) persists in a one-note linear composition. A rapid development (under two hours) left me with hardly anything to smell except a very light and soapy white musk skin-scent. I have smelled shampoos with more personality and tenacity.

Notes: citrus, bergamot, coriander, mandarin, orris, jasmine, patchouli, cedarwood and vanilla (from luckyscent.com)

When I smelled this on paper last week, it seemed that Hot Leather was mostly about "leather" and not very much about "hot". The leather notes seemed artificial, like tanning compounds rather than the rich, smoky effect that birch tar lends or the animalic edge that castorium can give. As such, Hot Leather seems much more clean than classic leather compositions such as Chanel Cuir de Russie. Fast forward to today--I am trying Hot Leather on skin, and it is quite different when it melds with my chemistry. HL still has the clean and chemical leather note I smelled before. However, in wearing it, HL seems much more complex, with soft mixed florals, vanilla powder and a rooty iris. In fact, Hot Leather STILL is not "hot", is really not all that "leathery", but it definitely is pretty. The combination of iris and leather is tried and true, and the proportions in HL are quite nice. Now the reality...Hot Leather is sort of like a more feminine Dior Homme and is without the "lipstick" note. Or, if you prefer, it is a bit like a blend between Dior Homme and Prada Infusion d'Iris, replete with an artificial woody base (probably Iso E Super). Hot Leather is more powdery than Dior Homme and less soapy than Infusion d'Iris. I suppose for any who thought Dior Homme or Infusion d'Iris didn't quite satisfy, Buxton's Hot Leather may be the one that hits the sweet spot. For me, it makes me appreciate Dior Homme even more than I did before.

Re-review from 2008.

This is a good to go Fresh Fougere. I have since purchased a bottle (EDT) and have no regrets. The opening is slight wormwood teamed up with a spicy citrus accord that gives you hints of berry and then a light green note.

More green is on the way in each accord, but it doesn't overtake the fragrance. It simply keeps it on the fougere highway. Patchouli that's subtle and spicy wood alongside florals make up the heart. Leathery amber and moss complete this experience....and in spite of this having an old school "vibe", this is a well blended spicy green gentleman that has found its way into AromiLand. This does not possess the dreaded "cologny" aura that I detest.

I like this fougere from Borsalino. The opening is very nice. Spicy citrus with lavender and woody florals provided by petitgrain and a smidgeon of mace.

The green vibe comes straight from the heart and stays put throughout the life of the scent. The rest of the floral heartnotes are very subtle followed by a soft accord of leathery amber with an earthy woodiness.

Not strong and not anemic either. Borsalino has polite volume and I find it a terrific,green oriented frag.

Notes:
Top: Rhubarb, Kiwi accord, Red currant
Middle: Pink cyclamen, Watermelon, Jasmine
Base: Musk, Sandalwood, Grapefruit

Le Imperatrice 3 is for a heroine, a movie star.....a Disney channel star more like it, considering the flowing-to-the-brim fruitiness stuffed in the bottle.

3 opens with rich fruity kiwis whose sweetness amps up considerably within seconds of application. The kiwi note, while not overly synthetic and is pleasant at times, is like an uncontrolled madman..the sweetness scream over any potentially interesting angle brought to the opening by the tart rhubarb and red currant. Light melon notes in the heart are flattened by sweet synthetic jasmine which creates a linear block-style fragrance structure...and again a sweet musky basenote continues the rigid structure with some respite thankfully at the very end where an unusually placed grapefruit note goes against the grain and holds back the tide of sweet fruity nectar.

3 is a very linear fruity floral with a pleasant but poorly controlled kiwi note and little to no variety in evolution. It can act like a big boy bully in the teen-demographic fruity floral market mainly because the fruity florals making the rounds in that domain are so obviously synthetic and annoying, but anyone looking for a recent fruity-floral worthy of putting on their skin should either consider Creeds luscious woody greengage-plum based Acqua Fiorentina or even D&Gs own 18 La Lune with its delicious apple note nestled amongst lily and soft florals. 3!!....yerrrrrrrr out !!!

Rating: 5.75/10.0

I've never worn Ultraviolet myself, but a good friend of mine has been wearing it for years. It's a very strange fragrance, and it's unique in the best way. It's such a unique fragrance that I'm not even sure what the notes are - the best I can describe it is "sweet and musky, with a salty ambergris drydown." While the drydown is ambergris heavy, it doesn't smell like the drydown of a modern Creed fragrance. Rather, the ambergris is salty and slightly bitter, with a powdery facet to it and very, very diffusive. Ultraviolet has this amazing quality where it just surrounds the wearer, creating an aura of sweet musk without overpowering. I agree with the people who say it's very synthetic, but I can't say that's a bad thing. It might not smell natural, but I've never found it to be cloying, cheap or annoying.

While I can't really describe the way it smells, I can say that I love it, as many others do too.

8.75/10

What a wonderful insect repellent! I bet it would work, too. The opening is a clove bravado followed by a musky, synthetic, mossy base. Not good at all.

A fresh fragrance that opens with notes of non-citrusy grapefruit, violets and cardamom. As it dries down, a barbershop heart of powdery lavender emerges (similar to Le Male by Jean Paul Gaultier), supported by ginger and cedar over some clean vanilla-musk. Deep into the drydown is a Jicky-like leather (most likely castoreum and a touch of civet) that almost goes under the radar. The best way I can describe Invasion Barbare is that it's a fresh-oriental lavender fougere with a musky leather base.

Although this fragrance is anything but barbaric, I imagine the name is a double entendre, referencing both its clean barbershop (ie. "barbare" shop) lavender and animalic barbarian base of leather. Over all, it's a classy smell that emits positive vibes and makes me feel like an alpha male (cool, calm, collected and confident). If I hadn't found this in my quest for my holy grail, I might have lost hope somewhere along the way. This is one of the few fragrances out there that is good enough to be a Guerlain, and modern enough to not smell like grandpa.

A modern masterpiece.

10/10

A sweet rose fragrance with facets of strawberry over green and chewy patchouli and musk. Reminds me a lot of the Juliette Has a Gun fragrance line, however Lumiere Noire pour Femme is done with a lighter hand and less drama. Not quite as magnetic as Lumiere Noire pour Homme, yet this is much darker than the its male counterpart and much more mysterious. It might not be a groundbreaking fragrance, but it pulls all the right moves. Lumiere Noire pour Femme is a fragrance for a mysterious femme fatale, but its bright and fruity notes like strawberry result in it being pretty and accessible at the same time. True to its name, Lumiere Noire is black light - dark yet luminous.

While it tilts more to the feminine side, I see this fragrance as unisex and accessible by males, granted one wants to smell slightly femme in a fashionable way.

9.25/10

APOM pour Femme is one of the only fragrances out there that mirrors its male equivalent perfectly, as it is literally a female version of APOM pour Homme. A beautiful mix of middle eastern flavours along the lines of couscous, smooth spices, orange blossom water, ylang ylang and iris over cedarwood. While the male equivalent is heavier, with a touch of amber in the base (and no ylang ylang or iris), APOM pour femme is lightweight and femine, with a heavy hand of ylang ylang (and a bit of iris) added to the mix instead of amber. Both APOM fragrances are unisex in my opinion, but each one is fittingly suited to the gender in its name.

A comfy and foody (but not gourmand) fragrance that reminds me of elegant dinners in a fancy Moroccan or Armenian restaurant.

9/10

Very brisk minty citrus opening with well defined sweet woodsy accords gathering near the bottom. The woody amber and tonka bean notes listed here are very accurate. They are the dominant players here and they dry down in to a musky woods. Good sillage and mild longevity, I find it ok for work (a little strong) but going out in the evening it feels grand!

Here's what the creator, Andy Tauer says about this fragrance:
"I wanted to create an incense that is intense and clear.
A minimalist, cubist interpretation of incense, a touch of spices, powdery orris, dry cedar wood and ambergris supporting the frankincense that is rich, crisp, red and intense."

He did it. Though I swear that when I spritzed, the first note that hit me was a really true and pure lavender. (I do love that classic lavender/incense combo. It just works somehow.) Anyway, that disappeared after ten minutes and now it's wearing in, the pure, clear incense is the whole thing. Beautiful.

I'm quite picky about my incense and this is superb. There's no rasp to it (my beef with Black Cashmere) and it's not too dry and ashy. But equally, there's no sweetness to it and no flowers. This is completely unisex. I like the comparison with CDG Avignon, though I haven't worn it in a while.

It's obviously related to L'Air du Desert Marocain, but it is slightly different. As if the melody was played with a key change. This is a little bit quieter, I think. (I also haven't worn L'Air for a while.) It is certainly beautiful and very mellow and I think enormously wearable. I may need a bottle.

Whoo boy! A powerhouse rosy chypre over musk with that hint of skank that speaks of cumin. As a lover of "big" fumes I really enjoy this but it's not especially memorable - nor for the faint of heart. Pretty good sillage but not much staying power.

I find some similarities to Calvin Klein Eternity. It's a bit sweeter though. This style of frag was very common in Europe in the early 90s, I can find at least 5 other frags that have similar feel. Opening is a dull citrus, not tang, no tart. Many mention simple, this is just that, very simple. it is warm and clean...so office wear for the winter? Or maybe just hanging around the house.

ARABIE made me smile, the way a child usually does when presented with a large plate of dates, dried fruits, marzipans, and other variety of spiced and candied desserts. It smells so enticing I'm not sure if I should sniff it or lick it! In texture it feels dense and syrupy, almost sticky-chewy. And just when I thought I had it figured as a gourmand scent, it presents me with deep dark woodsy accords. Honestly, I'm not sure how or even when to wear such a fragrance but as far as olfactory art goes, Arabie is simply delightful as it conjures up a merry image of a party in full swing, under the shade of heavily brocaded tents in some distant exotic land.

Serge is a type of weave pattern popularly used by fabric makers in the 19th and early 20th century. This little nugget of information may seem unimportant at first but as I delve deeper into the philosophical aspects of the scent, I realise just how crucial its role might have been in the 10 years it had taken Lutens to compose SERGE NOIRE.

I agree with some of the earlier reviewers - this may not be the easiest of scents to appreciate for it is almost like an abstract painting, known intimately only to the artist. But many would no doubt agree Serge Noire is one of the most evocative from the Lutens line, drawing upon the wearer's own life experiences and memories to make this scent his or her very own. Therein lies its magic.

In my mind, Serge Noire offers a noir (dark) reflection of life's very own 'serge' or tapestry, woven from bitter disappointments (camphoraceous gunpowder, peppery incense) and heartbreaking losses (smoky ashes). But against such a bleak darkness, a resilience of spirit (resins, cistus labdanum) allows a glimmer of hope (cinnamon and benzoin) to shine right through. Sure, that might sound phony-baloney to some of us but hey, not everyone has similar artistic sensitivities.

Forget what you know of Serge Lutens' fragrances for this is truly one of a kind - a perfect scent for meditation and introspection, even as I contemplate the unravelling of my personal 'serge noire'...

This seemed very sweet and somewhat fruity on first application, but after a fairly long drydown, it goes to a very woody-oriental accord which is both warm and soothing. The spices in the heart note boost this effect slightly. The early stages have a lot of sillage, but even after it dries down a while it retains a moderate projection. Maybe not for office wear, but in situations where deeper, firmer scents are welcome, this is nice.

Incredibly soapy green fragrance with florals. Opens up rather strong and fresh and dries down soapy... but not a smooth soap more like harsh cleaning product soap. Don't think I've smelled something this green and soapy in a perfume before! It's rather headache inducing so a little goes a long way.

It’s Derby for girls! Well, maybe not exactly, but the opening sure is a dead ringer for Derby in its smoky, bittersweet, green leather chypre structure. Sous le Vent’s top notes include a magnificent sweet bergamot that’s lacking in Derby, and there is a more obvious floral component, but the two still present themselves as siblings. I’m left wondering whether Jean-Paul Guerlain consulted grandpa’s formula when he made Derby, or whether the resemblance is purely incidental.

Unexpectedly, the bergamot note expands rather than fades with age, contributing a bright accent to what otherwise might be a rather somber accord. Next to appear is a whopping note of civet, which serves at once to infuse the composition with a lascivious animal warmth and to associate Sous le Vent unmistakably with the tradition of Guerlain’s vintage perfumes, particularly Jicky, Shalimar, and Mitsouko. The current Sous le Vent was composed in 2005, and whether it follows the original formula or not, it certainly smells like something out of 1933.

The intensely animalic chypre accord persists for hours, growing ever more sweet, spicy, and balsamic, until the civet dissipates to reveal warm amber and oakmoss base notes. This drydown goes on forever on my skin, though sillage and projection are only moderate. I’d consider Sous le Vent equally appropriate for a man or a woman, assuming you’re comfortable with its raunchy animalic aspect. I think it’s a great scent, and regret that it’s so hard to come by.

Weeeeyyyooo this is refreshing! The opening is a beautiful, natural blast of eucalyptus and rosemary, while the heart is a powdery yet not-too-thick lavender. Deep in the basenotes is crisp and woody cypress. Like a dip into ice cold water at the top of a coniferous mountain. I haven't tried this in the summer heat, but I can see the lavender *perhaps becoming a little too powdery on days with high temperature and humidity. I'll update my review when the summer comes along.

8.75/10

Very interesting indeed! I have to admit, that while the actual smell isn't earth shattering, I've somehow never smelled anything like it. The opening is a strange citrus that somehow feels aquatic - not in the calone sense, but like an actual glass of water. Soon Mirto di Panarea starts to showcase it's blackberry leaves (picture the smell of black currants + green leaves) and some crisp (not flowery at all) florals. The base is a little woody and a little musky.

While I'm impressed by the uniqueness of MdP, I'm somehow not smitten. In closing, I agree with the consensus here that MdP is better suited for women, but easily unisex and a breeze to pull off.

8.5/10

Guerlain Eau de Imperiale is probably my favorite of the classic Guerlain eaus not including Eau de Guerlain of course and its prodigious caraway note. The opening is fresh citrus, lime to be precise, and then lime blossoms backed up by the lightest of cedars and the mere essence of tonka and verbena to create an aristocratic ambiance. Imperiale is well, imperial. It is short lived and has poor sillage, but that's what it was meant to be. Having worn this for a couple of days I can certainly say that I smell indolic flowers and an animalic musky tonka in the base albeit extremely light and close to the skin. This is what aristocratic Napoleonic dreams are made of (Napoleon III mind you as Napoleon I was dead before Imperiale debuted in 1853)! It's affordable, so spritz some on with reckless abandon of course!

Very citrusy opening followed by a creamy fig and natural, woody cedar. Although Fico di Amalfi isn't all I thought it was cracked up to be, it's fresh, clean and comfortable. My only gripe is that the fig gets to be a bit hand-soapish, but over all I can't complain. Highly recommended to all fig lovers. I like it equally as much as Philosykos, yet I prefer to wear Fico di Amalfi over the Diptyque.

8.5/10

Beautiful citrus-orange opening that dries down into sweet orange life savers. It never goes into the candy zone, and the other herbal and musk notes save it from being too sweet, but I'm still not sold on it. While the opening is promising, I'm just a little disappointed by the dry-down. Nice, but not one of my favorites from the line.

Longevity is short, but sillage is good while it lasts.

7.75/10

Ummm … am I the only one who thinks this is predominantly Iso E Super? Vetiver + Iso E Super? I can't find an Eccentric Molecule sample right now for comparison, but I hope someone else will do a side-by-side and opine. As far as the “ink” association, I think it's more related to mimeograph ink than the haughtier ink well or Mont Blanc sort. Yes, EN smells good, and the name and bottle show marketing genius, but revolutionary? Certainly not. Now I'm wondering whether the forthcoming women's version will smell akin to CK Eternity.

Great stuff! The only thing that smells synthetic in this is the white musk, which is actually quite enjoyable and not annoying – overall, StH comes off as very high quality. It’s also very smooth, and has a slight gourmand aspect to it, even though I wouldn’t classify it as a gourmand.

On my skin the patchouli is actually very faint (in comparison to some others’ reviews). While the patchouli is just a background note, sugar, rum, woods and white musk take center stage in a perfect symphony of notes. Real sexy, sensual and natural smelling. Might not be worth the money, but if you can deal with the hole this creates in your wallet, go for it. Truly a favorite of mine.

8.5/10

Edit: The other day I pulled out my sample of Straight to Heaven, and for whatever reason the synthetic cedar note in Straight to Heaven was ruining the whole fragrance for me. My nose tells me this is the aromachemical Iso E Super, which I happen to have an allergic aversion to. Thus, since I can't stand that synthetic cedar note, I have to give this a neutral. While Iso E Super is a somewhat necessary note in Jubilation XXV by Amouage (it gives the incense a dusty texture), it feels misplaced in Straight to Heaven. Otherwise, it's a great fragrance that I know is enjoyed by many.

A sweet blend of rose, vanillic amber with powdery overtones and skanky leather basenotes. Even though there's no patchouli listed in the pyramid, the skank in Citizen Queen makes me think of patchouli (I'm pretty sure I don't smell any though). Definitely pretty far on the feminine side of the spectrum, but I can see how you could pull this off if you're a stylish man (the leather gives it a dark and masculine touch). Dimitri is spot-on in his review, and I agree that Citizen Queen employs a great mix of classic (ie. old school) and modern notes. I really like this scent, but it's pretty loud and a bit too dramatic for me. I would, however, absolutely love smelling it on someone else.

8.25/10

Smells nothing like Armani Code or Brit. Same texture and feel but fragrances in the same family (fresh oriental) feel the same and can smell the same. Zegna Intenso smells more like Lolita Lempicka au Masculin minus the anise accord. Zegna Intenso is more sweet and brighter than Armani Code and not a fuzzy powdery like Brit. Armani Code is a darker, deeper woodier scent.

The differences don't make or break this fragrance. Zegna Intenso is a smooth fragrance with a rich amber base and a not-so-bitter-as-other-frags tonka bean accord. Smooth orange note on top but the "intenso" part is really its longevity of the amber and tonka bean. Good. I'd wear it more than once.

I love the citrus and nearly edible spices - the cinnamon is particularly nice - in the opening. It is a very attractive accord that has me excited to experience the rest of the evolution. Unfortunately, this scent does not open and up and deepen, as most orientals do. The edible baking spices and citrus fade out completely and I get a rather boring, synthetic smelling anise and light tonka combo in the base. This is reasonably attractive, but there's no depth here. I'll pass, at this price.

It smells quite good, with (as expected) with bitter, sour, natural citrus notes, followed by a vague woody dry down. I enjoy the scent itself (pedestrian though it is), but the longevity is pathetic. And this is coming from someone whose skin usually projects and holds scent well.

It was barely there after all of 10 minutes. If I put my nose IN by wrist. I could get just the tiniest whiff of some soft (sandal?)woody notes. Seriously, I get more out of Eau d'Orange Verte.

Floral fougere... and nothing much else. Not strong at all and rather fleeting... I've applied it lightly at first because of the "strong" reviews. Nothing. Then I doused myself. Nice opening and then nothing. Disappointing I'd say.

Holy cow! Literally. To my nose, a delicious blend of really earthy suede and L'Artisan Tea for Two notes. Now I have to go look up the ACTUAL notes... And convince myself that I really don't need another gorgeous leather-based frag. Oh, but I am lusting for this one. ::running to hide credit cards::

[b]Tuscan Leather notes:[/b] Saffron, raspberry, thyme, olibanum, night blooming jasmine, leather, black suede and amberwood.

For me, this is hands down the best vetiver on the market. Some are probably wondering, 'What about Guerlain's Vetiver?' Its not bad, but it is a bit one dimensional, and a unisex quality pervades. Grey Vetiver is undoubtedly manly, (surprising?) with an atmosphere of clean leather rather than in your face vetiver. It is love at first sniff for me, and I bet a lot of people will feel the same way. The nutmeg and pimento do what you would hope: contribute just the right amount without dominationg the juice. And the amber woods (or some kinda woods anyway) keep it all grounded through-out the mid to base.

I wasn;t too tickled about Tom Ford for Men, which smells more like perfumed cognac more than any 'for Men' juice out there. TF Extreme corects that with the addition of oud (I think), making a significant difference. TF Grey vetiver does an outstanding job of communicating sophisticated man with taste. Certainly worth a bottle. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED for vetiver (and leather) lovers.

Balenciaga PH seems to me to be a toned down Kouros with some of the more potent and rough edges smoothed over. I like to wear the YSL on occasion and in small spritzes, but the Balenciaga seems to be a fragrance that has more versatility and isn't as polarizing.

They are not the same mind you, but there are definite similarities and I like that Balenciaga is the more wearable of the 2. I received very good longevity from this juice and the sillage was exceptional as well. A definite powerhouse that has gone the way of the dodo. Too bad........

Trebor, foetidus and others have explained it very well. I'd like to add that I like how Balenciaga is geared more toward the oriental theme, yet utilizes cinnamon, honey and orris like its heavyweight counterpart. The amber, labdanum and patchouli are nice addition to the basenotes. All in all, this scent is a winner and a worthy addition.

Mitsouko and I have been intertwined for many years . I wore her for several years without deviating to any other perfume ,such was my love for this chypre . It's savoury sweet spicey peaches ,leather ,moss. That was what vintage Mitsouko is to me. The EDP and the EDT were my choices then .
I tried the new EDT recently and I waited for the Mitsouko I knew to emerge - I waited a long time. The new EDT is a 'ghost' of what I wore in the 90s. Stil she's there but much subdued.
Mitsu means light, some say it means mystery .

IMO, the florals in the mid are what really makes this shine. It took me quite some time to appreciate this. I always thought it "smelled good" but we all know that's only a small part of it. I had to get to know this a little better and now really appreciate the beautiful florals that make this one shine. I do think (in contrary to a large amount of members) that most of the Creeds seem to get better with age. I have owned 4 bottles of GIT, with my current one being from 2005 and it is the oldest I have ever owned. As I have also found with MI, GIT seems to get richer and deeper with age. I am not sure GIT is deserving of all of the hype it gets but it is a great frag that can fill a lot of voids when asked.

REALLY good juice here. I had a bottle and sold it to a fellow BNoter almost a year ago, not really understanding what I had. I decanted 1.5 ml for old times sake before I sent the bottle away. I recently won another on ebay and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it is as good as my previous bottle. I haven't wore it since I sold it and decided to spray a few squirts of my decanted juice to hold me over til the full bottle arrives. This fits so many categories for me. Classy, elegant, leisure, yard work, at the bar, at the office, etc. The list could go on as far as where this will work. It does smell very "fresh" but not in the trendy way that comprises most of today's newly released crap. I feel this is a nice segue into vetiver frags for somone who isn't familiar with the note or genre. Not too heavy on the vetiver as some of the other go-tos that get mentioned when vetiver is brought up. I'm sure it's not raw enough for some but it works for me as a change of pace, when I want vetiver to ride shotgun and not man the steering wheel. IMO this, among a few others, is why I hold Creed in high regard. They get knocked around for some of their latest offerings. But they have got some real gems in their stable if you look a little further than the well known. Big thumbs up.

I smelt this today at the Dior counter and it is a first rate men's iris/floral scent. I would say this is unisex. Guys, you are very lucky ,a superb men's fragrance. I would wear this myself !

Boring and uninspiring at best. I expected a clean, soapy, transparent scent and got a soapy, fruity, fresh, exceedingly feminine scent instead. Not worth it. I would go with a more classic cologne if you can. Perhaps the "S" stands for stagnation--a stagnant, unmoving construction with little to no development?

A smooth tart fruity scent that's clear and open. The pomegranate really smells like black currant to me and is the dominate note by only a slight fraction over the "freshness" (afore mentioned clear and open) that is the white floral of jasmine. Don't know how this ties in as a flanker to the exquisite Envy (sweet green floral vs. fruity white floral?). Longevity is poor but it's about 4 hours. Smells decent enough but smells very generic like you've smelled it before in other fragrances.

Obscenely fresh. It's like someone cleaned a flower with a plank of wood. ck One with a kick.

Welp, an avant guard take on the traditional Eau de Cologne? This is ok but it's a fun energy boost and goes into a woodsy drydown. It's nice enough but not something I go gaga for.

Monk starts out with dusty frankincense, bitter green notes, and very dry woods, in an austere, musty, old cloister accord redolent at once of weathered stone, parchment, and snuffed out candles. I detect nothing sweet, nothing warm, nothing citric, and nothing floral amidst all this ashen monochromatism. After about an hour of unrelieved gray, and just when I’m ready to write it off as “nice, dry frankincense, nothing special” and shelve it next to Heeley’s Cardinal, Bond's Silver Factory, and Durbano’s Rock Crystal, Monk pulls its massive sucker punch. The friar shimmies off his robes, pops a curly blond wig over his tonsure, and sashays out of his cell in fishnet stockings, pumps, leather skirt and a biker’s jacket he’s been hiding under the ecclesiastic trappings all along.

In olfactory terms, Monk abruptly softens and sweetens, draping its stark incense in mild florals and its bitter greens in sweet tobacco, soft leather, powder, and tonka bean - in short, Habit Rouge with incense! I’ll take Storer’s word for it that there’s civet in the formula as well, though it does not register as a distinct note. Instead it contributes to the warm mantle that embraces Monk during its more comfortable second phase.

Scent that transform as quickly and radically as Monk often do so to collapse from sublime to ordinary (Aziyadé, Fire Island), if not decompose, fast-forward, into a smoking heap of refuse on the skin. (Aoud Ambre, Serge Noire.) Once in a great while though, a scent will undergo a metamorphosis from grub to winged adult. Monk is just such a scent. Neat trick!

Before starting on my frag-quest, this was one of the very few scents I owned. Outstanding smell, decent longenity, and cha-eeeep. Another goo cheap scent.

Excellent longevity, and the scent,,oooh, its absolutely in my top 5. Unbelievable that a scent so cheap, could actually be this good. Also from one of my fav perfumers,,Maurise Roucel.

The re-launch is a fruity mess. It usually lasts til just about when I am ready to walk out of my bedroom. So, longevity,,about 47.5 seconds.
The vintage though is a different story. Why re-formulate a great scent.
This original scent is a boozy, leathery, and all around nice scent.
The original is in my 130+ bottle rotation.

Wow, I'm floored. I've smelled rose scents before but seldom one with as much depth and complexity - it is richly regal, green and alive, dewy and fresh, all at the same time. Sa Majesté la Rose smells incredibly potent, like a luxury rose scent only the rich can afford. Truly a rose fit for a queen.

I've been told this could be the reference scent for Iso E Super but even with a heavy spray, there were no strident notes to be found, cedar or otherwise. All I got was a well-rounded and silky smooth blend of dried fruits (esp. plum), spices (cloves), flowers (? unidentified) and just a hint of cedarwood. Though FEMINITE DU BOIS seems modest in its portrayal, there is no denying that this is another top quality creation from Christopher Sheldrake - I enjoy basking in its warm glow even if it lacks that 'wow' factor.

I've been trying to think of succinct ways to describe French Lover. The words I keep returning to are “mysterious green fortress,” kind of like a foreboding Emerald City from The Wizard of Oz.

On the one hand, French Lover is an absolutely shimmering, spicy green fragrance that remains resolutely muscular, dry and somewhat transparent throughout its evolution…a big, glossy, immovable green fortress.

I can’t overstate how prickly the opening peppered greens come off. This accord brings to mind a nettle plant, full of the tiniest prickly thorns, growing in a bed of ground black pepper. Incense and dry vetiver gradually join the spicy nettle-like note (probably the angelica, in reality). Eventually some dirtier notes start to show through. This is not a musky, animalic dirty note to me, but more of an earthy dirty note, almost like the enjoyable perfume of freshly decomposed compost dirt.

But on the other hand, there’s a certain other-worldliness to French Lover. There’s a detached wisp of a black rubbery note in with the green that makes the scent feel rather aloof and spacey at times.

It’s an odd duality for sure: the muscular green block and the spacey rubber. But I can’t stop sniffing it! This would be a great scent for gardening. In Oz. Or on a space station.

One of the first white florals that didn't sock me in the nose. So soft and creamy in it's initial stages, then the dry-down is more ethereal than I would have expected. Medium sillage and good longevity...I like to wear this for day-time.

Tabacco, black tea and vanilla. That's about it.

While I loved it at first sniff, Tabacco Vanille now makes me yawn of boredom due to it's linear (and lack of) evolution. I also hate the synthetic black tea note in it - I find myself getting annoyed of smelling the exact same thing for hours on end - like a song that was good at first, but once you hear it on the radio for the 5th time in an hour you're fed up of it. Not much else to say here, but that TV is also overpriced and smells a bit like a candle. Sorry guys, I'm just not feeling this one.

I much prefer Guerlain's Spiritueuse Double Vanille - now that's a fragrance with quality, evolution and great blending. Even though there's no tabacco in SDV, it still reminds me of vanilla pipe tabacco and gets top honors for being my favorite pipe-tobacco-style fragrance. SDV is less sweet than TV and it's not even close to being as cloying or annoying as Tobacco Vanille.

7/10

A horrible, nausea-inducing overdose of synthetic cedar (Iso E Super), violet leaf and sweet, candied violets. I've read somewhere that Bois de Violette has a 65% concentration of Iso E Super... No surprise here. If you don't like Iso E Super, or the usual suspects that also have an overdose of Iso E Super (like Terre d'Hermes, Kyoto or Feminite des Bois), avoid this at all costs.

I usually agree with the perfume critic Luca Turin on his "5 star" choices, but this one is not to my taste. Perhaps it fits the current trends in perfumery, but I don't believe Bois de Violette will stand the test of time (or future IFRA regulations for that matter).

3/10

A beautiful and simultaneously ugly (ie. jolie-laide) fruity chypre in the mold of Mitsouko, but more complex. Very reminiscent of the vintage Guerlains and a worthy homage to Mitsouko.

I haven't given this a proper wearing yet, but will edit my review once I have done so.

9/10

This review is for the EdP formulation.

Coco Mademoiselle opens with a lovely burst of citrus, and it is the orange in particular that captures my attention. To my nose, it is a slightly bitter orange, and I think I perceive it this way because the orange and grapefruit fit together so beautifully. The orange lasts well into the heart of the fragrance, and adds to the airy, optimistic tone of the composition.

The citrus opening is very quickly joined by the heart notes, and the two parts join together rather than one fading out and one fading in. The litchi gives CM a lovely grown up fruity feel, and provides something for the slightly bitter orange to connect with. The rose and jasmine are not the typical Chanel variety: the rose gains substance from connecting with the fruit, and the jasmine is greener and moister than in many other Chanel fragrances. The heart of CM is simultaneously fruity, floral, and green, and it is my favourite Chanel heart.

The dry down is a predominantly patchouli affair, with enough vetiver to add to the patchouli’s earthy, sweet feel. The combination of the patchouli and vetiver keeps the vanilla in a supporting role, which gives CM extra depth and substance. The musk is very feminine and just a little bit sexy.

Coco Mademoiselle is a fragrance for optimistic women who see the glass as being half full. If you see the glass as being half empty, then sniff elsewhere. CM is a confident fragrance for confident women of all ages.

Overall, Eau du Matin smells mostly like lime and citrus oils accompanied by natural cedar essential oil. At first I thought that Eau du Matin kind of smelled like a boring version of Mugler Cologne, but with deeper inspection, they're actually quite different. Eau du Matin might smell less interesting than Mugler Cologne, but that's because it's not loaded with synthetic ingredients (a strange anomaly for a fragrance from Jean Paul Gaultier).

While at first I wasn't blown away by Eau du Matin, I've grown to love it. One of its major selling points for me is the cedar note, which, to my surprise is actually natural cedar and not the cheaper alternative, Iso E Super (a synthetic aromachemical reminiscent of cedar).

While sillage and longevity are the pits, that's the price one pays for quality ingredients. At least it's decently priced.

8.75/10

Regardless of the note pyramid, when I put Homage on my skin, it turns into citrus, mangoes and roses over an ethereal and clean (white) musk. I get barely any frankincense - I seriously get *just enough to keep the whole thing grounded. I'm really surprised to read others reviews here mentioning oud too, as I'm not getting any of it upfront either. The incense and woods here are very muted and very distant to my nose for some reason. Perhaps it's the blending.

Either way, as different as my experience is from others, I still rank this as one of the most beautiful fragrances I've ever smelled. Homage easily fits into my list of favorites. Homage is quite exotic smelling, to the point that I used to think I just couldn't find the right occasion to wear it. I figured it was just too majestic, too mysterious and too beautiful. Well, so much for that. I now realize that you can wear this any time, as long as you're prepared to match it with a confident attitude. In other words, you wouldn't want to drive around in a Bentley while looking all nervous and self conscious now would you?

Anyway, as it stands, I do love Homage very much. But there are faults even in the most beautiful flowers. For example, the opening of Homage is quite sharp, and the base of white musk is a little generic. And so, I can't see myself purchasing a bottle at full retail price any time soon. 350$ is just too much for a bottle of perfume that isn't perfect in every way. I do, however, like Homage enough to have purchased a decant for those days when I really want to shine.

9.25/10

Note: There are some Middle Eastern attars out there that are similar to Homage and cost only a small fraction of what they are asking for Homage. While they may be hard to find here in North America, I've tried a few that are almost as good as Homage, if not on par. Sadly, the names of them escape me. Perhaps that's a reason to purchase Homage - it'll save you hassle of trying everything else out there.

Light, slightly rubbery, slightly indolic, slightly skanky and somehow slightly clean. While the fragrance C16 is named after a certain musk molecule with 16 carbon atom bonds, there's no doubt in my mind that this is in fact a musk cocktail, and not simply the musk molecule "C16." To my surprise and delight, the fragrance progresses from one musk to another, starting with a bit of skank similar to the musk in Kiehl's Original Musk and eventually drying down to a clean white musk similar to Les Nez's L'Antimatiere. While C16 is a wonderful achievement, the actual smell of it somehow never "wowed" me. I think my expectations may have been too high to begin with, but I just couldn't get over the feeling of "so what."

With so much hype and such a nice marketing spiel by Colette, I was kind of disappointed that the fragrance itself was just "nice." So I began to wonder if maybe I was missing something. After all, only a certain percentage of the population can smell certain musks in all their glory. So I thought back to my experience with the king of musks, Musc Koublai Kahn... Ah yes, it smelled to me like unwashed genitals. When I consider the fact that some people liken MKK to soapy flowers, there's no way I have any problems smelling musk.

So now that we have that behind us, you ask: what does someone with no musk anosmia think about C16? Well, it's certainly a work of art and very enjoyable. Now would I pay 250$ for a bottle? Probably not.

8/10

I'm not a big fan of leather fragrances, and Reve en Cuir is no exception to the rule. However it is an amazing fragrance for what it is. Reve en Cuir doesn't have that synthetic factory smell of a new leather jacket - it smells like real leather - slightly animalic leather with hints of vanilla sweetness. It seriously smells like they took an old and withered, perhaps over-worn and sweat-drenched leather belt, smeared a touch of vanilla on it, and then baked the whole thing in an oven.
There's a beautiful balance between the extremes of being slightly off-putting and comforting. In the same vein, Reve en Cuir is straddling perfectly between smelling like an old-school leather fragrance (ie. Bel Ami) and something more modern.

Although I love almost all of Francis Kurkdjian's work and I admire Reve en Cuir's ingredients and construction, it's just not for me. Maybe it's just too realistic. While I can't see myself wearing Reve en Cuir, I also can't deny the quality and blending here. I'm sure that many leather lovers will love it, and so I'll give it an unbiased rating.

9.5/10

Opens very generic fresh and sweet. Leaves you with a taste of peppery lavender and a slight clean bit of a smooth oakmoss. Mild tobacco and amber dry down. Overall: ok sillage, ok longevity, two factors than make for a ho-hum fragrance but good for the workplace in situations where your fragrance is tertiary.

Natural-smelling and dusty spices? Check.
Oud? Check.
High quality dried fruits, dates and plum? Check.
Super expensive silver frankincense? Check.
Ambery, fizzy, synthetic cedar accord? Check. Wait... WHAT?

I can hear Amouage's creative director and Duchaufour discussing it now: "Ok, so refresh me on why we're putting a synthetic cedar accord (ie. the aromachemical Iso E Super) in here? Ohhhh right, 'cause otherwise this just would have been too good!"

Well, alright, it's not that big of a deal. As others might agree, the Iso E Super does give the fragrance a dusty feel, while highlighting the incense. There's seriously no other fragrance out there with this level of complexity, high quality of ingredients and unique texture. The problem is that I just can't stand Iso E Super in any fragrance. In the end, the rest of the ingredients definitely make up for the synthetic cedar accord - it's just that they shouldn't have to.

8.5/10 (Could have been a 10/10 without the Iso E Super)

A translucent and fluid amber, heavy on ambergris with smoke, spices and a juicy apple note that almost goes under the radar. No powder or heavy amber here - just smokey yet transparent amber. A little bit generic in style, but a great fragrance overall; if you don't expect an amber fragrance, you'll appreciate it more. The ingredients are rather synthetic for such an expensive fragrance, but Pierre Bourdon has succeeded in combining them in a way that gives Ambre Topkapi the feel of an aged scotch whiskey. A fragrance for a cultured and experienced man who has seen it all.

8.25/10

Peach and spice done in a terrible way. But I sledom like fragrances form the early 1900s, but then this is the newer released EdT version I am sampling. I imagine this was very good back then, but to be able to pull this off today requires the right skin. It does smell like a niche something or the other, maybe rich and 'out-there', something only rich people could enjoy only because it's what rich people do...like eating caviar or something.

L'Eau de Tarocco is a beautiful, natural and refreshing citrus scent, but the musk in the base is too synthetic, clashing with the natural vibe. In essence, it feels like two different fragrances: a natural one over a synthetic one. I like musk of all kinds, but the musk cocktail here rubs me the wrong way. Whatever the musk in the base is, it's more or less the same musk cocktail used in Geranium pour Homme. Not for me, this one.

6.5/10

Bouquet Imperial by the esteemed house of Roger and Gallet attempts to be a refined, traditional cologne with an added modern, albeit feminine, flair. I suppose it accomplishes this if you consider heavy synthetics an accomplishment. Smells much like insect repellent with some roses.

I genuinely like the smell of this - it's got this dusty, orange and frankincense thing going on. But like others have mentioned, this just doesn't smell healthy to me. I don't want to smell like Messe de Minuit, nor I do feel good when I wear it. On the other hand, Etro's other fragrance, Shaalnur, is uplifting and enjoyable.

6.5/10

P.S. If you like the idea of orange and frankincense, I whole heartily recommend Holy Water by Profumo.it (AbdesSalaam Attar Profumo), which smells a whole lot like Messe de Minuit, but a whole lot better. Now that's an uplifting, crisp and consciousness altering fragrance.

To my nose, this is the best of the Ineke line, and still, not even that great. I found it be pretty sharp and synthetic, just like the rest of the fragrances from this house. A shame, since I love the marketing and bottles. Even the customer service is great - I just don't like the fragrances.

7/10

Yep, gasoline and paint thinner, but in the worst way (I actually like the smell of gasoline). I think I'll pass on this one.

4/10

A very, very light, minimalist, ozonic, wood and incense fragrance with light musk. Smells like a mix between Kyoto by Comme des Garcons and Tokyo by Kenzo. Pretty fitting if you ask me, considering Gaiac 10 is only available in Japan.

I can't help but agree that this fragrance fits the minimalist Japanese aesthetic very well (barely anyone wears strong perfume in Japan, if any at all). The problem here isn't that the fragrance is too minimalist or light - it's that it's just downright boring and cliched. There's absolutely no character to it, and the composition feels surprisingly synthetic for something with natural Gaiac oil.

I'm glad I didn't buy this blind or bust my balls trying to find a bottle. Regardless of its exclusivity or price, I still don't like it.

6/10

To my nose, this scent should primarily be used as a laundry detergent and linen spray, however it also works remarkably well as an EdT. Lemon, lily of the valley, ylang ylang (?) and a touch of iris over very light woods and musk. Quite simply the most natural-smelling laundry detergent in existence. Clean, crisp and breezy.

9/10

Fresh oranges and lemon over an airy lavender and orange flower, supported by a powdery musk reminiscent of bed sheets. The smell of a loved one who wakes up after an afternoon nap. Soft and soothing, yet refreshing.

9.5/10

I liken Cologne pour le Soir to the smell of slightly honeyed skin on someone who has been burning frankincense and drinking red wine. Dark and gothic, yet also comforting and stimulating. My favorite of the line so far.

10/10

Although the listed notes are orange blossom, cedarwood and amber, the overall experience can be described as the smell of a middle eastern kitchen: Basmati rice cooking on the stove, smooth spices and lentils simmering nearby and orange blossom water. The whole thing is accompanied by cedar and musk in the base. Comforting and laid back.

9.25/10

An airy rose with touches of cinnamon and a slightly tart/sour green note that makes me think of rose stems. The base is a soft and clean musk that is very similar to Narciso Rodriguez for Her. Utterly magnetic and intriguing.

9.5/10

This review is for the EdT formulation.

What an intriguing journey: from film noir black trench coat and fedora to black silk pyjamas.

Encre Noire undergoes the most striking transformation of any fragrance I have worn so far. It opens with a smoky and nutty vetiver that is most definitely tough and gritty. This film noir scent lasts for about ten minutes before the cypress wood arrives and changes the tone of the fragrance. The cypress wood brings a cool crispness to the fragrance, which balances nicely with the warm vetiver.

For the next couple of hours Encre Noire swings back and forth between warmth and coolness, and this movement keeps me sniffing my wrist. It’s almost like the tough guy in a film noir movie is agonising over a decision, and we get to smell him weighing up the situation.

Like all good things, this movement comes to an end. When the dry down arrives it is a surprise: the coolness from the cypress wood fades away; the vetiver becomes greener and softer; and soft woods and musk arrive. Encre Noire goes from brooding film noir to romantic black silk pyjamas in less than 20 minutes. The dry down is tender and elegant, and has a romantic, animalic air about it.

Longevity is good and sillage is low.

I didn’t expect Encre Noire to be as complex or interesting as it is. It is simultaneously an excellent vetiver fragrance and a yard stick by which the heights of the perfumer’s art can be measured. I am sure that I will always have a bottle on hand.

Guerlain’s Vetiver might have been the vetiver fragrance of note for the latter part of the 20th century, but Encre Noire is the vetiver fragrance for our time.

And just as an aside: Lalique have to be congratulated for the stylish bottle they designed to hold such good juice. The bottle has clean, substantial lines, and the wooden cap constantly catches my attention.

Under review here is the 2007 release, composed by Aurélien Guichard. Guichard created Visa between his breakthrough opus Chinatown and his reformulation of Azzaro Couture. These three scents establish a distinct personal style, but they also represent different facets of a single, extremely fertile idea: a hybrid between the lactonic chypre genre, (whose antecedents go as far back as Mitsouko,) and gourmand floral orientals in the modern mold of Angel. The lynchpin note is patchouli, which appears to bind the chypre and oriental components along a common axis in each of the three scents. Besides those patchouli sutures, evidence of common paternity includes boldly three-dimensional lactone-based fruit accords and vanillic base notes so emphatically powdery they cause a pleasant, if peculiar, sensation of ground chalk in the nostrils. Of the three sisters, Visa is the darkest, the spiciest, and the most oriental in its overall flavor. In many respects it may also be the most approachable and easy to wear of the three. It should find an especially receptive audience among those who enjoy the overall structure of Chinatown, but find it too intensely sweet or dissonant to wear with comfort.

Visa’s top notes are among the most immediately captivating I’ve encountered in a long time. Lush fruit, orange blossom, vanilla, a flourish of aldehydes, a touch of smoky leather, and a subtly pungent animalic element (synthetic civet is my guess) play a grand harp glissando across the olfactory centers. The olfactory colors shift and merge into a soft, luxurious, and utterly seamless accord that simultaneously conjures brushed suede, caramelized spiced fruit, and tropical blossoms, all wrapped in Guichard’s trademark powdery vanilla. Patchouli is ever-present in the foundation, though it does not register strongly as an individual note. Instead it works alongside the quietly persistent animalic musk from the opening to imbue a sense of living warmth to the entire composition.

Visa is potent without ever seeming crass or loud, and offers substantial sillage and longevity. The beautifully soft powdery/mossy vanillic drydown remains a joy for many hours after application. Fully worthy to stand beside its Bond No. 9 and Azzaro siblings, not to mention the outstanding recent reconstructions of Bandit and Baghari. (The latter again by Guichard.)

I don’t always agree with perfume critic Luca Turin’s assessment of a scent, or even his account of what a given fragrance smells like, but for accuracy and concision it’s hard to improve on his description of Eau de Cologne du Coq as “A good cologne with a drop of Jicky in it.” I’m inclined to go one step further and call it a great eau de Cologne with a drop of Jicky in it. It’s not only my favorite of the Guerlain citruses I’ve tried to date, but by dint of composition the most characteristic of the house as well.

Eau de Cologne du Coq opens on a flourish of brilliantly realistic citrus seasoned with a bouquet of savory herbs that seems to include basil or tarragon, along with lemon thyme. A bit of indolic orange blossom rounds out the eau de Cologne formula, while a gentle, sweet lavender, a dab of vanilla, and just the barest hint of civet apply the Guerlain stamp – and incidentally conjure Jicky in the process. There’s even something resembling a drydown, with vanilla and that bit of civet hanging on after the rest is gone. It’s all over in an hour or so, but it does say “Eau de Cologne” right on the label, and I’d be churlish to expect more. With its aromatic flavor and animalic warmth, Eau de Cologne du Coq is less of a traditional cologne formula than Imperial or Eau de Guerlain. It’s also far less floral in content than the beautiful Eau de Fleurs de Cédrat. I recommend it with enthusiasm to anyone who seeks a citrus with distinct personality, provided the limited longevity is not a problem.

Fragrantica's note structure is more accurate than listed here. There is big citrus in this. A lot of lemon. Don't believe me? If you're having difficulty catching it, smell the fragrance on your skin through a garment and tell me there's no lemon.

Of there's plenty of lavender, herbs and spices but the fact that no one has listed citrus and only 2 out of 56 have mentioned the resemblance to Egoiste is puzzling to me. How they could miss such a note? Well, for one it's being overpowered my this concoction's burdensome mixture of overwhelming fragrance dynamos. It's stranglehold on your olfactory sense is damn near unbearable. Vetiver and lavender being a one-two punch to the nose really deadens your senses to the nuances of the other, more refined notes. Namely the lemon.

I think at half-power this fragrance could really be something special but the way it is now it just causes headaches and anosmia and a desire to curl up into a ball in the shower, rocking back and forth, crying into the night.

Forget the scent pyramid, IRIS is L'Occitane's no-nonsense but no less pleasant take on iris and violet. It's powdery but not dry - I rather like it. But if depth and complexity are what you're after, you're out of luck.

A fresh light green floral which comes across more like a watered down version of Tommy Girl. Very pleasant if not a little synthetic.

This is exactly why Thierry Wasser was brought to Guerlain, to give the veritable house a more contemporary makeover. To a certain extent he has succeeded for GUERLAIN HOMME does have that modern vibe to it, with the interesting Mojito and lime opening, light and airy but rather nondescript middle accords and a competently handled drydown of vetiver. I don't get any cedar though. Unfortunately for fans of Guerlain classics (I'm one of them), this hardly feels like a Guerlain at all; it could have been a Diesel for all I care. And that's why a Neutral rating is the only option for me.

*** This review covers both the EDT and EDP, the latter smells pretty much the same except it lasts longer. ***

En Sens de Bois is a very cool and moody incense fragrance. It is a fascinating scent because the mood created is quite mysterious and thought provoking but also very solitary. This is an incense of cold isolation and a solitary struggle through the dark night of the soul. It sounds grim, but the fragrance is very cold but there is a purity about it that is intriguing.

What gives these notes of En Sens de Bois its cold earthiness? Very prominent are cedar, vetiver, patchouli, iris, and carrot. The carrot seed oil and iris are particularly noticeable with an icy coolness that lands on a patchouli and cedar chilled vetiver base. The cedar adds to the woodiness of carrot which is quite noticeable. I think this incense is built primarily around iris with carrot seed oil as an accent. Although amber, santal and ambrette seed are mentioned as notes, they are completely dominated by the colder, damp, grey and wood notes.

I give this one thumbs up because I do like it. However, this is not a fragrance that many people will want to wear on a regular basis. It is just too severe.

I like this incense quite a bit but find I can only wear it on rare days when introspection and solitary purity are my challenge.

I really cannot decide about it. It is supposed to have Langsat Fruit, Grapefruit, Ginger, White Peach Absolute, Lotus Flower, Lily of the Valley, Osmanthus, Vanilla, Musk notes in. the very first notes are someking of cheap and bublegum style berries and peach. But then it gets a bit warmer and smoother. The ginger note is sheer but loud, with grapefuit makes a menthol like aroma. though i have not enjoyed it much i apreciate the unique and playful nature of it.

Camphorous opening, almost harsh. When it finally settles down it's a very musky, subtle spicy woods with a bit of the green camphor let over. The drydown lasts for a while but has minimal sillage.

I really like the opening. It alludes to a rosy chypre but deep down, it's not. More of a blanched woods and spices. Much like Calvin Klein Man with a cypress note. Dries into a light musk and woods. Fairly pleasant.

Simple and pleasant. There's nothing exotic about it and it's clear and open. Puffy lemons with a woodsy drydown. Cheap to purchase, too.

One of the smoothest sandalwood scents I've encountered, with an almost buttery feel to the drydown. The elegantly composed Égoïste is yet another reason why Chanel is held in such high esteem.

A rather antiquated opening of aldehydes and neroli which doesn't quite score with my nose. While the progression is expectedly complex, NO.5 grows so powdery that I get the impression of being in a cloud of talcum powder. Still I must say this is a sophisticated fragrance which should be experienced from afar because up close, the wrinkles start to show, revealing No.5's true age. But when the drydown appears I find myself eating my own words and appreciating why screen siren Marilyn Monroe wore No.5 exclusively to bed...

*** This review is of the parfum, circa 2009 ***

This didn't blow me away and left me rather unaffected. It's not vile but it doesn't wow me. It feels mediocre and reminds me when I was young, perfumes when Tresor and Dune were the most popular scents out there. For the price you want to be head over heels and not left feeling ' not bad, but not great either' .

There was once a thread on the boards here asking people if they liked the products that accompanied the fragrances, in this case Black Pepper EdT is actually the accompanying product to the body wash.

I bought this on the strength of the scent in the body wash which Molton Brown claimed they had managed to put in an EdT. In my opinion Molton Brown didn't even try.

If this genuinely smelt like the body wash then this EdT would be a contender up there with some of the great power scents of the 80's and if it had some longevity it could quite easily have been my holy grail of scents.

As it turns out it is a poor version of what was supposedly copied which turns cloying on my skin, even once the scent has gone.

Get the body wash instead and on a day off have a bath or shower with it and enjoy it's scent for as long as it lasts.

This is what my hands smelled like after passing out lemonheads on Halloween for two hours--the box too. I don't think there is any kind of complexity here at all. I prefer a more traditional cologne such as Guerlain. Hopefully, the French one is better...

Pay no attention to critics of Azzaro pour Homme, especially the voices that proclaim it dated.

A famous designer once stated that "fashion passes, style remains". This holds true for this timeless honeyed blend of lavender and anise over a base of leather and amber.

If this designer classic was a niche release people would gladly pay 4 times its current retail price. Hell I might start wearing this gem more frequently just to piss the Tommy crowd off :)

Obsession for men is a very spicy, ambery, soapy concoction from the 1980s and it should have stayed there. It is not the worst designer frag out there but it is nothing special and rather annoying. The opening is cinnamon, bergamot, clove, and other spices much like your favorite holiday eggnog. Dries down to a heavy amber and musk. Obsession is a rip off of Creed's Ambre Canelle from the 1940s. CK cannot compete with a vintage Creed by the way.

I honestly hate this. Cumin and aldehydes do not agree with me. Sparkling body sweat? Yeah, a neat concept but wearing it is just a headache. From a distance, the florals and spices smell good but up close, on myself, is ugh.

Fresh fruits and soapy moss with a woodsy base. Typical run-of-the-mill fresh sporty scent. Not terrible but there's nothing unique about it.

Penhaligon's Amaranthine

In any artistic field it is just fun to see an artist hit their stride and start producing at the highest levels within that field. 2009 is shaping up to be that kind of year for Bertrand Duchaufour as in the last half of the year he has composed two very different scents that are also two of the most compelling scents out there. The first was L'Artisan's Havane Vanille and on the flip side is his contribution to the Penhaligon's Anthology series, Amaranthine. His stated goal in creating this fragrance was to compose a "corrupted floral oriental". The idea was to take a structure of white floral notes over green and then find a way to dirty it up a bit by traveling the spice road that M. Duchaufour has traveled so successfully in the past. The top of this is like an overture to a Broadway musical as the first group of notes give you a little hint of each of those qualities; the floral is represented by freesia, the green by a banana leaf and the spice components are cardamom and green tea. This is a beautiful beginning as the banana leaf adds a tiny fruity hint to the top but it really is more green in nature. The heart is completely floral as a mix of jasmine and ylang ylang create a heady bouquet. This mix of jasmine and ylang ylang create a very strong floral aspect to Amaranthine and if you are not a fan of other strong florals like Bandit or Carnal Flower then this is probably not your cup of tea. I do like those scents and this is exactly my kind of floral as it is deep and lush. As promised M. Duchaufour dirties the heart up a bit by adding in carnation and its clove like aspect before allowing clove itself to come in and carry the development into the base. The base has what will probably become the make it or break it accord for many, warm milk. As this transitions into the base I get an accord of the smell of heating up milk in a pot on the stove and it has a comforting feel to me. M. Duchaufour then adds in more traditional comfort notes as vanilla and sandalwood join the warm milk accord. This takes Amaranthine into comfort scent territory, for me, and it feels like the reward at the end of a long day. Amaranthine has good longevity and excellent sillage on me. For most I think Havana Vanille is going to be the scent that most remember by M. Duchaufour for 2009; which is too bad because I think Amaranthine is every bit as good while being completely different.

Amouage Ubar

Ubar was a fragrance created in 1995 to celebrate Oman's Jubilee Year. It went out of production and in 2009 was re-introduced. The previous version was an EdT and this new version is an EdP. As with many of the Amouage scents this is no shy flower of a fragrance, although it is full of strong floral notes. The top of Ubar begins with a palate cleanser of bergamot and lemon followed by lily of the valley. This gives the top a green citrusy beginning. The heart comes in with a deep jasmine note followed by an equally intense rose accord. The indolic nature of the jasmine in conjunction with the spicier aspects of the rose make a beautiful duet. Starting at the top there is a hint of civet underneath the proceedings and in the base that civet comes to the foreground along with sandalwood and vanilla which add extra warmth to the drydown. Ubar is of a genre with the other scents in the Amouage line full of intensity and quality. Ubar has excellent longevity and sillage; enough so that like many of the Amouage scents a light hand on the atomizer makes for a better experience. Ubar was made for Oman's Jubilee Year but as a fragrance it is a floral jubilee all its own.

Lorenzo Villoresi Spezie

We have a wonderful spice store near us called Penzey's and I love when I shop in there that first moment when I walk through the door. My nose is met with a melange of spices and it all smells different and unique every time depending on what is out for sampling and in bulk. I've always thought what a wonderful smell this would be if a perfumer could capture this. Well Lorenzo Villoresi must think the same thing because his 1994 fragrance Spezie does exactly this. Twelve of the 18 listed notes in Spezie are spice notes and they create the feeling of walking in that spice store near perfectly. The entry to Sig. Villoresi's spice rack starts with a mix of coriander and cardamom these are the most prominent notes but off on a far rack the aromatic jars containing eucalyptus and mint are noticeable. Another few steps deeper into the store and I encounter the section containing pepper and thyme which when I turn around on the other side of the aisle, the cinnamon and nutmeg also appear. Underneath all of this floats a cumin note that is exquisitely balanced. Cumin is the note that could have pushed all of the spices to the side but Sig. Villoresi keeps it under control and instead it feels like an appropriate partner. The base carries the clasical mix of rosemary and smoky sage along with a more unusual accord of tomato leaves. This isn't an accord I would think I'd want in a perfume but in Spezie it fits seamlessly and appropirately. Spezie has excellent longevity and sillage. If you are a lover of spice notes in perfumery this is a must try, as along with Piper Nigrum, Sig. Villoresi has made two of the stand-out fragrances in this area of fragrance. Back in the 60's Alka-Seltzer used to have a commercial built around the line "Mama Mia That's a Spicy Meatball!" I'd like to update that line a bit "Sig. Villoresi That's a Spicy Perfume!"

Le Labo Vanille 44

Le Labo has an irritating habit of making some of their best scents exclusive to one city. The 2008 release by Alberto Morillas for Le Labo, Vanille 44, is one of those examples as it is only available at Colette in Paris. I really like M. Morillas' Aramni Prive Vetiver Babylone for the bubble of vetiver that fragrance seems to create around me. It has a subtlety and a strength all at the same time. Vanille 44 does the same trick but with vanilla this time. When trying any Le Labo you always have to wonder whether the titular note will be prominent or a supporting player. The top of Vanille 44 starts off with a mix of bergamot, incense and gaiac with no vanilla to be seen. These three notes are lovely together and they are applied in a light way so as to begin to create that bubble I spoke of earlier. The heart is where the vanilla does come in and at first it is in balance with the light notes of the top before gaining in intensity until it is the dominant note. That intensity never becomes the sugary sweet overpowering vanilla of other scents. Instead this gains in intensity and then starts to warm on my skin and radiate in sheer waves of austere vanilla. Just as in Vetiver Babylone I feel encased in a bubble of vanilla and enjoy it tremendously. The base is a sheer musk which helps attenuate the vanilla slightly but this scent stayed all about the vanilla from the heart to the end. Vanille 44 has average longevity and is a close wearing fragrance with minimal sillage. As much as I want to be able to dismiss one of these Le Labos as overpriced hype; Vanille 44 is not Heinz 57.

Heeley Cuir Pleine Fleur

The 2007 release from James Heeley's eponymous fragrance line, Cuir Pleine Fleur, is often seen renamed as Fine Leather on some english speaking sources. When I looked up the real translation of the words it strictly translates to "leather full flower". While fine leather captures one aspect of this fragrance it is the strict translation that really tells the full story as the presence of a floral accord is what makes this leather scent stand out from others. The top of Cuir Pleine Fleur is all fleur as violet and mimosa bring this scent to life. Violet is one of my more favorite floral accords and the violet here is one of the better vioilet accords I've come across. It is tricky working with violet as too much and it becomes sharp and bitter. Here the mimosa rounds off those sharp edges with a dollop of sweet floral and helps accentuate the softer side of violet. The heart is where the leather shows up along with a deep slug of birch. This is a full-throated leather and oddly appropriate in combination with the violet at the top. There is a moment in the development where the violet is waning and the leather is in its ascendancy that I have a short period of unusual beauty as the floral and leather aspects are sublimely balanced. The base is a smoky vetiver which supports the continued presence of the birch and leather and give a little bite to the drydown. Cuir Pleine Fleur has above average longevity and moderate sillage, on me. Each Heeley I try has found a way to make me appreciate a note I think I know well in a new way. This is true in the case of Cuir Pleine Fleur not only for the central leather note but also for the violet and in both cases the results are eye-opening.

Byredo Chembur

Byredo is a new perfume House created by a Swedish Indian designer, Ben Gorham. In 2008 they released their first five fragrances. Jerome Epinette was the nose behind Chembur which is the incense centered scent of the line. Chembur is a city outside Mumbai, India and it is where young Mr. Gorham would spend days with his mother having a picinic. There was a temple nearby and he wanted to capture the mix of green grass and incense from just over the hill. I think M. Epinette succeeds in that but this makes Chembur a very light fragrance. The top carries a lovley lemon zing to it and it carries nicely into mix of nutmeg and ginger before the incense comes wafting in. The inspiration was to have it feel like incense from far away and M. Epinette does pull that off but as someone who loves the note this was a tease for me. I wanted the incense to slowly get more intense and pick up depth. Instead it stays just over the horizon and out of reach. The base is musk and amber and they are good compliments but again I wanted them to be stronger. For all that it is light Chembur has good longevity on me and it is very close wearing. I found my experience with Chembur to be frustrating as I was left wanting more. If you are someone who likes incense in lighter doses then Chembur might be just what you're looking for as it is a well-constructed piece of perfumery.

Tom Ford Private Blend Urban Musk

Those who read my reviews know I frequently kvetch about the name of perfumes that don't match the juice in the bottle. Hold on here we go again. Tom Ford released four new Private Blends in 2009 as the White Musk Collection. White Suede smells like leather and musk, Jamine Musk smells like jasmine and musk, and Pure Musk while not as strong as I might want smells like musk. What would you think Urban Musk should smell like? Does a barnyard conjure up images of a concrete jungle to you? Apparently to Tom Ford it does as the central accord here is akin to that same barnyard accord that is found in L'Artisan Dzing! and if you like that accord you should try Urban Musk because it is enough different than Dzing! to be worth giving a sniff. The top of Urban Musk starts with a jasmine and pepper zing. This gives way to a combination of ambrette, cumin and musk which puts me right in the center of the urban barnyard. I find this accord pleasant in small doses and the first few times I tried Urban Musk I over-sprayed and it lasted too long for my taste. With a little lighter application I found the barnyard to be a shorter lasting trip and thus more pleasant, to me. The base finishes with a mix of honey, benzoin and incense which gives off a light and airy sweetness overall at the end. Urban Musk has slightly below average longevity when sprayed with restraint and slightly above average longevity when sprayed with normal abandon. although as mentioned above I found the experience to be very different for me depending on the number of sprays I used. The sillage on Urban Musk is modest, as well. When properly applied I like Urban Musk but from now on I'm referring to it as Rural Musk.

Tom Ford Private Blend White Suede

Tom Ford released the White Musk Collection subset of his Private Blends in 2009. My favorite of the four scents is White Suede. One thing that can be said about the Private Blends is the name of the fragrance tends to give a good indication of what you're going to get. No Le Labo bait and switch in this line of fragrance. What I like so much about White Suede is it has a lovely refined leather to it that I have only encountered in one previous fragrance, Serge Lutens Daim Blond. The major difference is that Daim Blond is accompanied by a dark apricot and White Suede is accompanied by an herbal aspect. That herbal aspect is evident right from the top as saffron, thyme and mate tea combine. The thyme adds a smoky herbal character while the mate adds to the smokiness but gives an unusual note which I like a lot in this scent. This all gives saffron the opportunity to be the slightly leather and hay note that leads into the leather heart. The heart is plush suede leather. This is leather that has been lovingly treated and refined. There are no rough edges here. I love this form of leather and it is one of the reasons I return to Daim Blond over and over. It will also be the reason I keep coming back to White Suede. The base is a mix of musk over amber and sandalwood. White Suede has outstanding longevity and little sillage. It might be the closest wearing of the Private Blends, so far. For something that is part of the White Musk collection White Suede is all about the leather and it is good.

By Kilian Pure Oud

This renaissance of oud we've experienced in 2009 has found a number of perfumers attempting to tame the wild beast that is oud. It is not an easy task. Give it too much space and that is all you get. Dumb it down too much and you wonder what the point is of having it in your perfume. Too much oud and it is an acquired taste as it overwhelms, too little oud and the interesting qualities leave you wanting more. Calice Becker has, for my money, done the best job of getting this balance right in the 2009 release for By Kilian, Pure Oud. When you see a fragrance named Pure Oud you brace yourself for a blast of oud and what Mme Becker does, that is quite wonderful here, is she gives you that but then she pairs it up with the strongest notes set of notes in the perfumer's toolbox. This creates a beautiful complex trip into the darkest areas a fragrance can land. The top is the promised oud and it is paired with just a hint of tobacco. The slightly sweet aspect of the tobacco contrasts well with the oud. The heart is a dance of leather and oud and it is a raw leather to go with the raw oud. Just when I think this can't get more intense a civet note enters the mix. This phase is an animalic lover's dream as the oud provides an incredible base for the leather and civet. Plus those notes have enough heft to push back against the oud and take their place as olfactory equals in the heart. The base is the maple syrup accord that immortelle brings to things and it is also a great choice as it imparts a woody richness to the oud which allows Pure Oud to finish on high note. Pure Oud has outstanding longevity on me but it is a very close wearing scent. Mme. Becker has created the most well-balanced oud I've experienced, so far, as by choosing notes and accords that have an equal intensity to oud she ends up revealing all of oud's wonderful complexities in comparison. Pure Oud is a pure pleasure to wear.

By Kilian Prelude to Love

I do enjoy when I discover a scent from a House that I don't expect. I've gone through most of the By Kilian line and have found them to be dense collections of notes from the tuberose in Beyond Love to the rose in Liaisons Dangereuse to the tobacco in Back to Black these fragrances can be overwhelming. By Kilian recently opened a section in my local Sak's and I had the opportunity to try all of the fragrances in the line. The one that surprised me was the 2008 release Prelude to Love, which is unusually light and refreshing for a By Kilian fragrance.

Calice Becker, who has been the perfumer on most of the By Kilian line, starts with a lovely citrus mix of lemon and orange with a hint of grapefruit lurking underneath. This is a pretty standard citrus opening but it has an unusual depth to it and unlike many citrus top notes these persist into the heart of Prelude to Love. What they find in the heart is iris and this is the cool version of iris and it is the right choice to match with the citrus. Occasionally this cool iris accord is too cold and leaves me a little frostbitten, as in L'Artisan's Iris Pallida. In Prelude to Love the coolness is a match to the citrus and imparts a refreshing quality to this fragrance.The base adds a little spice in the fresh tones of cardamom and ginger beofre a sheer white musk brings this all home.

Prelude to Love, for a citrus forward scent, has amazing longevity and the lemon in particular lasts a very long time on me. The sillage is modest for Prelude to Love.

When perusing the nine fragrances in the By Kilian line I can easily play the children's game of "Which Doesn't Belong and Why?" and call out Prelude to Love. Even though it doesn't share the same temperament as the rest of the By Kilian line it definitely shares the quality.

Beyredo’s Green opens on a barrage of sage, galbanum, petitgrain, and aldehydes so unrelievedly bitter and prickly they make me want to sneeze. (Marvelous!) These challenging top notes are soon joined by a crisp, yet sweet citrus and a touch of jasmine, which combine in a lovely, lively honeysuckle reconstruction reminiscent of Annick Goutal’s Le Chèvrefeuille.

If Green sustained this uplifting citrusy green floral accord for more than half an hour or so, I’d consider it a triumph. Unfortunately it doesn’t, devolving instead into a very ordinary soapy floral blend over a super-clean laundry detergent musk. After the promise of that bold entrance and the charming first act, the drydown is a cramped and dowdy anticlimax. A very frustrating scent.

To me, the citrus on top is kept to a minimum; I primarily get a zingy rush of forest-y green and spice notes (possibly cinnamon in there, which may account for the otherwise mysterious "apple pie" comments). The top does smell rather like Christmas. This is followed by a sudden bloom of very resinous, dry, rich wood notes, with subtle piney accents. The green eventually fades out, leaving mostly the resinous woods, a light dose of spice, and a rocky, mineralic amber base.

On me, it's very deep, dry and tenacious base, bordering on powerhouse territory, but never cloying.

I really like it. It provides some real depth and "oomph," but never oversteps its bounds. It smells virile and refreshing, and is suitable for many occasions. This is one of those rare versatile scents that keeps me interested and satisfied.

I think it's discontinued, or at least reformulated, renamed, repackaged, and ruined...but the older version - cardboard looking box, bottle pictured above - can still be had cheaply. Get it NOW.

Gentle, easy-going and pretty. Not at all taxing.
None of those attributes are negative.
This is a great perfume to choose for a gift for a non-perfumista. And the Guerlain name is a nice little glam-bam on top.

But for 'one of us'? Hmm.
I prefer L'Instant Magie, the slightly woodier flanker.

Green, green chypre much in the way of many other classics: Gucci pour Homme (original, Lacoste (original), Loewe para Hombre, Lancetti Uomo... sporty a litte bit but fine for everyday wear. I like a drier woods in these chypre scents for more formal wear a la Homme de Gres. Trophee is still great: light spices with sandalwood and oakmoss (sounds generic, eh?)

For a scent named SAMOURAI, this is hardly cutting edge. It starts off fresh, finds some mild cedar and then fades rather smoothly to light vanilla - all within 3 hours. Rather simple and easygoing though a harsher critic might call it an attempt at minimalism gone wrong.

A big rose, another big rose, and then some light laundry detergentesque musk. Far too feminine of a floral for a man to consider wearing. There's some vanilla sweetening the rose here, thus it is not the natural, dry rose of Acqua di Parma, but rather a rose potpourri.

Expensive Jovan Musk and that's about it. Nice soapy opening similar to Dial, but the urine-like musk quickly takes over and makes the scent unpleasant.

Boo! I was looking forward to liking this one, but alas it smells only of maple syrup and has no development. I have difficulty describing this scent except for the syrup allusion. Perhaps there is orris root and anise?

I wanted to like this but found too much of a floral mess. I usually like florals that concentrate on a theme or single flower rather than every flower known to man. Very medicinal indeed. I would go with something like Caron Le 3 Homme or Floris no 89.

4711 is, above all else, a cheap drugstore brand, but probably the best known and most readily available eau de cologne on the market (shamefully nonetheless). I have 400ml bottle on hand to splash on now and then since it cost $6 at my local Walmart. The opening is a decent citrus with nothing exciting or special. There is some synthetic rose, and finally the faintest musk. Dissipates within a few minutes. A decent cologne, but I would spend a few more dollars and get Roger & Gallet Extra Vieille, Eau de Coq, or something along those lines.

Alyssa Ashley is your basic musk redolent with all the glories of a good laundry detergent and some white flowers. That's about it. AA Musk is basic musk, has no development or discernible dry down, and is cloying. 'Tis a decent musk and cheap, and that's about it.

This is by far the most sickeningly sweet and cloying sandalwood type cologne I have yet try (though the shaving cream is decent). The opening is an indolic blast then creamy woods and super sweet vanilla and tonka bean emerge and stick around for hours.

A dirty, musky concoction that is more earthy than friendly. I did not enjoy much of this scent except the brief opening that quickly digressed to a earthy orris root and musk.

This is a killer sandalwood and by killer, I do mean that it kills--the wearer that is. I tried this in aftershave concentration and it lasted all day and after a shower even and I only dabbed a little on my hand, too. The opening is peppery and medicinal and then the sweet, incense-like sandalwood kicks in.

No. 89 is truly one of the best midcentury scents available. It does have that Georgian-Victorian flair of musty citrus, white flowers, rose, sandalwood, and musk. No. 89 certainly carries Floris's house citrus note in the opening, but that dries down to a beautiful rose that is enriched by spice, musk, and moss. Overall, very nice and I suggest you try it. It will not of course wow anyone because that's not what is was meant to do--it was meant to be dry, conservative, lightly floral, and lightly musky.

This is the ultimate in fruity, floral fragrances! It is so fruity, in fact, that it begs the question, "Do we really want to smell like fruit?". The floral accords save this from being a pedestrian, however. So, if you love this sort of thing, you really need to keep plenty on hand. Badgley Mischka is the apex of this genre. PS This is being phased out because of the new regulations, so I purchased a bottle for nostalgic reasons. It really IS the best of the bunch in this genre and is composed of high quality materials. Allure & Chance can't hold a candle to this! Buy up before it's gone...

Another beautiful perfume from PdN! It is a kind of oriental floral gourmand with a spicy vanilla incense drydown that rivals Shalimar. In spite of that description, the scent is not too heavy-handed. I always receive compliments when I wear this and I always am eager to recommend Parfums de Nicolai. I like it best in the intense concentration. It isn't stronger; it simply lasts longer. PS Sadly, this has changed. It is no longer spicy and it has no incense in the drydown. It also has very little of the initial, sweet jam note. Still pretty but not what it once was...

A fabulous scent with an unusual scented-geranium-leaf note that lasts well and is fabulous in hot weather. I have worn this so regularly since I bought it early in the summer that it has almost become a signature scent. And I have no scientific evidence for this, but I swear I have been bitten by fewer mosquitos this year.
Yet more wonderful quality perfume from a fabulously inventive perfumer.

Oh my, what a handsome...bottle! It feels solid and heavy. Alas, the same cannot be said of this rather light-wearing scent. The opening act with bergamot and violet leaf is indeed bright and lovely, somewhat similar to that of Calvin Klein Man (also a 2007 release). But where Man goes all powdery with incense and amber, GUCCI POUR HOMME II gets drier and sharper, a lightly spiced tea leaf accord taking centerstage before the resinuous glow of myrrh alters the entire composition to something resembling GPH's cedar, only lighter. Maybe I expect a little more from Gucci but as much as I find GPH II versatile, it just doesn't excite me enough to get a decant, much less a full bottle.

A super woody aromatic of great proportion! This is pine, cedar, sandalwood--no, several types of pine and several types of cedar on a creamy balsam base. The dry down is pretty good, but the initial blast of woods is too much for me.

Orange and orange blossom and that's about it. Maybe some green notes as suggested in the name? Great for warm days, but it won't last more than a few minutes. A very modern yet classical approach to a traditional cologne by a house whose eaus we've come to trust.

The opening of fruity booze is rather aromatic and slightly fizzy (small dose of aldehyde for the champagne note?). It might be over the top but it's only the opening note. What this really gets down to is a fantastically made leather and amber scent. I love the middle though, with coriander and the woodsy incense. Opulent and luxurious.. good stuff and definitely for leather and/or amber fans who are looking for a rich, deep and soft amber with slight smoky qualities.

Another Avon from the 60's with aldehydes and musk. This adds in florals and some spices. I detect carnation and vanilla but it's more spicy and musky than anything. Good sillage and longevity for this one.

I really like this one! Its really fresh with citrus and florals (gardenia). I can't imagine why anyone wouldn't like this. As far as longevity and sillage, this is a excellent performer. I get noticeable sillage for 8hrs easy and I get up to 12hrs of longevity consistently. I think the biggest issue here must be the musk in the base. But it is very well done and it is adorned with some woods and the gardenia never really goes away. If you're into florals such as Dior Homme or Kenzo Power, check this one out. Its more masculine than the other two. FYI, I did a wrist-to-wrist test against Plat. Egoiste, and though I very much like PE I found this more interesting. Best blind swap ever!

A nice soapy fragrance with a decent spices, citrus, and ample musk. Too 70s for regular use today unless you of course were in your prime in the 70s.

Simple musk with poor longevity and sillage and nothing more. Super close to the skin and sickeningly sweet.

I must applaud CK for revitalizing the interest in unisex frags, but unfortunately, this is not a winner. The opening is somewhat like a traditional cologne tempered with harsh synthetics and fermenting fruits. Carries a light, musky, fresh base. I pass on this one. Try it at Macy's if you haven't already.

After all the hype about the rarity and excellence of Knize Ten, the heralded old Austrian gem of yore, I decided to try it. I was disappointed. It smells like tar, leather, and more tar. Also, the florals are astringent and overbearing for modern usage.

Opens with lemon and muslk. Dries into a cool sparkling aldehydic musk. Sorta soapy. It feels classic.

A "nothing but" musk that I refer people to when they ask "what does musk smell like?" since it's so readily available at drugstores everywhere. It's also got a nice amber sweetness in conjunction with the musk. For something so simple, cheap and synthetic, it's good and classic.

NOTES: Notes: Red pepper, Rose, Patchouli, Ciste Labdanum, Myrrh, Incense, Vanilla, Moss.

I don’t care for the opening – it’s too sweet and aimlessly abstract for me. Its lack of substance is my fault because I am anosmatic to red pepper, and the red pepper is probably cutting through and balancing the opening accord, but I’m missing it entirely. Within five minutes, though, I feel neutral about the fragrance: Enough of the sweet has gone away but what is left – a subdued rose, a non-descriptly mild patchouli, and some miscellaneous mild spice – is not yet exciting.

Then, somewhere between the beginning of the dull middle and the return of my attention to the fragrance, the resinous notes of the base begin to form and Eau d’Iparie has become much more interesting. The labdanum, myrrh, and incense are the true message of this fragrance, and the message is spoken sotto voce. I have always loved the resinousness of labdamun, incense, and myrrh and I own several fragrances where these earthy notes contribute their much of their full power. Even though Eau d'Iparie is very sheer, I truly enjoy the drydown. It is mildly resinous... discreet. It whispers deep tones, a slight moss, and a balanced sweetness. Eau d’Iparis has turned into a softly resinous skin scent that I very much enjoy.

Well described by Somerville MM and Asha. Fiore d'Ambra is a beautiful, soft vanillic / amber delicately combined with a gentle spice / incense. Doesn’t have much sillage, but does have good longevity. Translucent and not too sweet. A skin scent.

Nanette Lapore smells to me like lychee, which I’ve always thought smells like cheap perfume.

There you have it…

Eau Suave is not the type of fragrance that I appreciate, but, all things considered, it is impressive. It’s fresh, well balanced, has excellent longevity. It’s made of excellent quality materials, and is a bit edgy… a bit unusual with its touch of menthol… It’s a fruity / floral for a real grown-up. Its opening is cleanly aromatic with just a bit of spice – I even enjoy the saffron. I have to admit that I don’t smell the roses – there’s no rose note for me, but I do get the fruit, and I admire how pleasant the fruit notes are even though I don’t ordinarily care for fruit notes. The main aspect of the fragrance, though, is the aromatics: There’s a menthol-like note that is present from beginning to end. This aromatic note provides the clean, fresh feeling and tones done the sweetness of the fruit and, eventually, the vanilla. This is a refreshing, enjoyable feminine fragrance and the mythically connecting of this to Josephine is cute and charming.

I don’t get the usual explosion of olfactory dissonance that I get in many others of Villoresi’s fragrances. Alamut comes on quite normally to my nose. The opening is made to order for me because it is well done and contains many of my favorite notes: osmanthus, jasmine, and rosewood. It is not exciting, but it is rich and comforting. The middle is well done, too. Flowers (again, those I enjoy the most) and amber… these heart notes are also not exciting but offer another rich, long-lasting accord. Same story with the base, which has many of the traditional base notes… rich, but in no way exciting. This time there are a couple of notes I could do without: leather and powder, but their presence is not so much that I find them bothersome.

I would call this a comfort fragrance. It is traditional (or maybe even retro); it moves through the pyramid with finesse; it has moderate sillage and good longevity. It even has a refined touch of animalism with its indoles, musk, and leather. I like Alamut, but… it’s one of many among niches and designers, and there are several other Villoresi fragrances that I prefer. Nice one, though.

The opening bodes well for the fragrance… it is a smooth, sweet, and discreet wood / smoke / slightly spicy accord that presents a soft, resinous, masculine richness: Quite unique and highly attractive. The middle accord is loses the sweet and spice and stays as a dull, warm woodnote to my nose. I like this accord even though it is rather characterless, but there is not really a lot to say about it. The base becomes sweet ambery – almost gourmand, and I experience it as a significant change in the movement of the fragrance. I don’t mind this change, but I don’t applaud it, either… OK, I’ll admit that the sweetness was foreshadowed by the opening, but it was dropped in the heart notes and coming back makes it a little out of place. I feel that the scent, which was very good in the opening and heart, has lost direction and has taken an irksome detour: This is a bit sad because its initial direction had been so right! I’ll keep trying this scent – maybe I can get used to the base… the first movements are excellent.