Latest Perfume Reviews

The Vintage Cities: Rome 1963 by 4160 Tuesdays

Stardate 20171022:

I am not sure i am smelling same things as others here.
I get no chocolate or leather.
All I get is Neroli type cologne with musk and some tobacco.
Nice construction and not much development (uncommon for 4160).

Sex Goddess by 4160 Tuesdays

Stardate 20171022:

Tocade with tart berries.

The candied berries and plum adds a nice sour candy accord to the rose+vanilla (Tocade) accord.
The development is minimal but the effect is good
Recommended

Explosions d’Emotions : Amour Nocturne by L'Artisan Parfumeur

A decidedly unpleasant olfactory experience. My teeth hurt.

Bois d'Iris by Van Cleef & Arpels

Smooth and cold. Imagine Bvlgari Black and L'Instant de Guerlain for women had a baby. The beginning is all about rubber and woods, and then it calms down to Iris and ambergris with a bit of cedar. There's also a bit of pepper, to my nose. Completely unisex. A gentle cool weather fragrance with a rich temperament and a classy vibe.

Altrove by Acqua dell'Elba

Just tested Essenza di Un'isola Acqua from this italian "house" and I have to say this ranks right up with the 2/3 best aquatics tested by me so far on skin. Perfect balance between "salty" and "creamy/soapy citric" with an amazing green balsamic vibe (and soft breezy floral nuances). Musky, softly musky and salty balmy musky. Really a dreamy and summery scent like a sort of aquatic Must the Cartier Pour Homme's little relative from the southern Mediterranean lands. This juice smells like a never ending bath up in a terrace's pool in front of the sea (the sea iodine under the nose). I smell "minty" myrtle and pine, perfectly complementing salt, citrus, seaweeds and floral/ozonic elements. The aroma of a "bright" june-sunset while waiting the upcoming summer there in the little island (the heart filled with joy and optimism). A juice which tenaciously I recommend to all the ozonics-freaks of this wonderful world.

Eau des Missions by Le Couvent des Minimes

This is the Vanilla to spray when you want to smell like a regal baked cake - not a childish one.

I cannot understand how this delight flew under my radar for so long. In fact, I wonder if I assumed that the price-point was a predictor of quality. If that is the case, I am a foolish woman indeed.

If it were not for a dear friend who adores me as much as I adore her, I'd never have the funds NOW to afford this discontinued gem, as it is now sold for a terribly high price once people realized its value.

The scent is reminiscent of Mona di Orio's Vanille, but on the sweeter side. It sits proudly, bearing itself as much more than one might expect coming from such a sad sprayer. And I mean that - the sprayer made me feel sad - it's appearance is that of an old plastic hair-spray pump. It's ugly and while I KNOW these are essentially GOOD sprayers, it doesn't make for a good presentation. It certainly is awkward against the vintage-looking label. None-the-less, it is useful, and you only need a few pumps to get good coverage.

The use of Myrrh is what makes this less child-like and more regal - the combination keeps the vanilla from becoming too damn happy, and really, what woman in her late 30's and over wants that? Our beauty is discovered only in the trials and heartaches we bear and in the class in which we bear them. Too much sweetness grates against the nerves. The dose of Myrrh is an excellent addition for the true beauty here.

One final note: enjoy this as a layer underneath whatever you would like to add a vanilla note - it is truly a lovely experience for yourself and others around you.

Grey Vetiver by Tom Ford

I can't tell you why
Buttered citrus vetiver
Is grey, but it is.

Ambre by Réminiscence

This is my third Reminiscence fragrance and I’ve got to say I’m fast becoming a fan of theirs. It took me a couple of goes before I really got this, because for some reason I was expecting it to be a bit spicier. I was quite startled at how sweet this seemed when it first went on, but it settled quickly. It’s quite lovely; it feels warm and soft and so very comforting. I don’t get much of the clove at all in this, but I do get a lot of powder. Longevity is great – I get a good seven to eight hours out of this.

Paris*LA by A Lab on Fire

Looking at the notes for this, I was a tad surprised. I’ve not come across a coca cola note in perfume before, and I was curious to try it. Straight up I get the lime and the ginger, bright and zingy and fresh. After a few minutes, that settles and I get soft wafts of thyme and, yes, the macarons, which is where I’m guessing is where the almondy note is coming from. After an hour or so, I get the cola and musk. This is such an unusual combination, but it really works – I like it, a lot. I’ve sampled a few scents from A Lab on Fire, and I’ve got to say, I’m becoming a fan. I could easily go a full bottle of this.

Inverno Russo by Areej le Doré

It's taken me a while longer than usual to write about INVERNO RUSSO. While it shares the same DNA as the amazing SIBERIAN MUSK, to pigeonhole it simply as a quieter, more floral rendition would be missing the mark.

The Siberian deer musk element has been toned down in here yet sports the same unmistakable velveteen signature albeit a touch more animalic, augmented as it were by the inclusion of synthetic civet. Someone thought it smells like 'butt', but I wouldn't go that far. It's definitely not skanky; to my nose it smells more like dried saliva on self-groomed felines and the few times I've worn it this animalic aspect harmonizes well with the white florals and the creamy-ambery base.

Sillage is adequate though I feel it doesn't project and envelope the wearer nearly as well as Siberian Musk.

The thing is it seems to wear a little differently every time I spritz some on my skin. On cool dry evenings my favourite aspect -the musky rose- hangs around longer, while on warmer humid days the florals are subdued and short-lived, the scent skipping right to the oriental base in as short a time as 2 hours. This is not a knock on the fragrance but a reality challenge especially if you happen to live in warmer climates and not in the frigid cold of a Russian winter.

La Petite Robe Noire - Ma Robe Pétales by Guerlain

Fresh, Floral & Fun.
Pistachio Dryer Sheets.*
Not bad on a guy.

* = from Jessica's brilliant description on NST

http://www.nstperfume.com/2015/03/19/guerlain-la-petite-robe-noire-eau-fraiche-fragrance-review/

Graham Cracker by Demeter Fragrance Library

The opening phase expresses the cracker's aroma very nicely, with the wheat-based aroma being achieved quite convincingly and is blending in well with the cinnamon, which is the other core note.

Further into the drydown vanilla rises as the overall impression becomes sweeter, and a honeyed undertone is added on gradually. The wheat-notes becomes less prominent with time; and towards the end I mainly get the vanilla-honey duo, which is fading away very slowly.

I get moderate sillage, excellent projection and a very impressive eleven hours of longevity on my skin.

Whilst this wintery scent is probably a bit sweeter than the original Graham cracker towards the end, initially it hits the spot quite well, and the performance is very good. Quite artificial-synthetic but tolerably so. 3/5.

Haitian Vetiver by Ermenegildo Zegna

Haitian Vetiver is bright, fresh and uplifting, quite similar to Tom Ford's Grey Vetiver but a bit greener and a tad woodier. The principal accord is the bergamot-neroli-vetiver that lasts a long time before joining a whispering iris. The vetiver note bright, clean, sharp and not at all rooty or earthy. Sillage and duration are around average, though not as good as the Tom Ford; however there is a greater focus on vetiver and it is more refined and elegant.

Overall a nice, fresh, clean vetiver that I cannot get terribly excited about. The dry down is somewhat subdued and a little boring.

3/5

Borneo 1834 by Serge Lutens

A Patchouli between Coromandel and PG L'Ombre Fauve with a Fumerie Turque smokiness.
The overall feel has me much like FT feeling sepia non bright tone. Has the Chocolate of Coromandel and none of the Pastry. Dry Tobacco with a background of vague sweetness in the canvas. It captures a whisper of the animalic lactose sweatiness of L'Ombre Fauve with a slightly more complex finish. The glittery gold bits of Coromandel are absent ,however the Cacao puts this into the Gourmand. A fave of the Lutens for me, however the the other two fulfill my needs for this type of Patchouli.

Les Déserts d'Orient - Encens Mythique d'Orient by Guerlain

Why am I just finding out about this. I love it. I have been looking for a fragrance that will replace my Parure Extrait. EMdO starts out in the same musty plummy way even though I can’t see the notes listed as being the same.
I wish I had discovered this one sooner.

Cuir Cannage by Christian Dior

An extremely well done floral leather, in the same vein of Knize Ten and Cuir de Russie. Lacks the powerful petroleum-like accord of the former, and the aldehydes and the ultra-chic sophistication of the latter. The leather is that of handbags and fine leather shoes, and the floral blend has a hint of rose. There is a nice touch of iris, not powdery, balancing the leather. It is very refined, but perhaps not as much as the Chanel. I see Cuir Cannage as an improvement on current Cuir de Russie in terms of volume, which is too thin. However, it is also most stereotyped of the lot, and at times boring. Knize Ten (or Golden Edition) is more engaging, especially if one likes the bold aspects. Sillage is low key and duration is okayish. In this family my easy favourite is actually Cuir Mauresque that adds a balsamic twist to this plot to make things a lot more engaging, and is also more potent than any of these.

Cuir Cannage came out in 2014, interestingly the same year as Hermes released Cuir d'Ange. The two are very different, with only leather being the common thread. Cuir d'Ange is much lighter, with heliotrope, delicate, crisp and even more elegant but eventually too fleeting. I make this comparison because they can be like the leather fragrance for day (Cuir d'Ange) and the leather fragrance in the evening (Cuir Cannage). Ignoring sillage and duration, Cuir d'Ange is also more lovely.

3/5

Comme des Garçons 2 Man by Comme des Garçons

Then Smoke cooed to Wax,
In lowest Barry White tones,
"Can only be 2."

Comme des Garçons 2 by Comme des Garçons

Cherry incense rose.
Spicy waxy floral mess.
Synthropologie.

Hot Toddy by Demeter Fragrance Library

From the first monents of the opening blast on this is quite a good rendering of a Hot Toddy cocktail. The boozy rum note is quite nicely done, as the is the cinnamon as a matter of fact. The cinnamon blends in nicely with the booziness, and at times a glimpse of lemony freshness is also present.

Further into the drydown, a spicy undertone emerges that takes on characteristics of nutmeg at times. Otherwise the development does not go much further on me, and this creation's glowing warmth is fading out very slowly at the end.

I get moderate sillage, excellent projection and a splendid twelve hours of longevity on my skin.

A pleasant winter warmer, quite synthetic but as an attempt to create an olfactory equivalent to the drink this concept is crafted well. Combined with the excellent performance a positive score is warranted. 3.25/5

Tan-Tan by Coquillete Paris

A courageous idea of aromatic failure. Coquillette Paris Tan-Tan is (for long but thankfully not tout court ) another post-modern perfumed "anti-perfume". Dusty, dissonant, strident, leafy, chemical, electrically crazy. Opening (the less creepy part) is by soon intensely floral and prickly-herbal before to become plastically off-putting, sticky and synthetically dusty. The plastic/xerox toner-like smell a la CdG Odeur 71/Odeur 53 is evident, sour-green, acid and vaguely resinous in its floral background. I smell sticky white lymph, coniferous resins, petroleous rubber, dry florals and "a discount kind of leather" (milky/resinous). I detect several incensey/dusty un-liturgical aromatic facets (cold and impersonal) as well, combined with shopper bag-plastic, "liquid woods" (metallic and dry) and rubbed herbs, like smelling on skin a sort of watered down plastic/herbal/floral Durbano Black Tourmaline with figgy/leathery/piney disturbing nuances and with no trace of elegy.
P.S: dry down affords a significant improvement since the juice reduces its rubbery/leafy/dusty facets becoming a more properly leather-floral (almost fur-like) accord with classic woody-leathery-musky-floral elements.

L'Instant de Guerlain pour Homme Extrême / Eau de Parfum by Guerlain

L'Instant pour Gourmet
At the crossroad of senses,
Confectionism.

Everything & Nothing No. 10 by Tokyo Milk

Raspy.
Bitter.
Tart.
Medicinal.

Does not work on my skin. Too masculine. The dry down is so-so.

CAaastagna_saalaaata by Hilde Soliani Profumi

Almost but not quite gourmand. It's subverted just slightly from gourmand...painting an almost fantastical scene in my mind rather than food notes. I find all the elements weave around me, constantly evocative rather than evolving over time. The roasted chestnut is clear and natural to me, nothing artificial.

Wearing CAaastagna_saalaaata gives me the sensation that I'm walking by a roasted chestnut vendor set up on the beach in a cove of the Mediterranean; the chestnuts are fresh, not fully roasted yet, not burnt or dark. The ocean is gently briny and the air is warm. The vendor salts the chestnuts with sea salt as I walk past. I can feel the sand between my toes and don't want to leave this moment.

Friendly and accessible, CAaastagna_saalaaata manages to be creative and unexpected yet feel like an organic combination. It's a sign of how good it is when you think, how come no one thought of this before?

Gold Man by Amouage

I only read the reviews for this one after testing it, and they had me laughing out loud; so many of you poor boys were horrified and insulted by this fragrance! I kind of understand the shocked reactions, but I definitely don't agree.

So on to the scent: The resemblance to Gold woman (which I own and love) is clear from the get go. There's a similarity in the bright, floral opening, which is dominated by a strong lily of the valley note. However, there's also a darker undertone present that I don't get in Gold woman: incense and civet are lurking around the corner.

The combined effect is properly stunning and for me both familiar and unfamiliar, which keeps me on my toes. Going forward, the scent seems to have two faces, alternating between Gold man: the floral-powdery-soapy-with-an-incense-twist-twin-of-Gold-woman, and Gold man: a reincarnation of a deeply animalic vintage floral.

The former is quite comfortable and familiar to me, while latter is a remarkable experience. In those moments I feel like I'm wearing something of bygone days that should come in a tiny crystal bottle with a hefty IFRA warning. It's probably the civet, which can't possibly be the real thing, but it's extremely convincing. It actually smells a little like Bal a Versailles, but with a more exotic undertone due to the strong incense base.

I think this stage especially fantastic, and it makes me want to try all the animalic vintage florals. My credit card is crying foul already.

So in conclusion: this is probably not for everyone, but do try it, it's quite the experience. It's also very potent, so handle with care!

L'Art et la Matière : Cuir Beluga by Guerlain

It smells not exactly like suede, but it smells like a high end store that sells suede. It's delicious, opulent, and a little smokey. There's a lot of depth to the scent. It's also quite long lasting.

I'd call this perfume is my long lost love. I discovered it in an Oliver Polge sampler set and it sent me down a rabbit hole of trying any and all Guerlains, but no other was as lovely.

It became my most expensive perfume buy last year and I was initially disappointed at the new bottle. Fresh and from the atomizer, it has a very bright amaretto note. It made me worry that there was a reformulation or even that my initial sample had been compromised. Luckily, a knowledgeable friend suggested that I try decanting into roller ball bottle and apply that way. It really does smell better dabbed or rolled on compared to the spray. Also, now that the perfume has aged a year it has definitely settled down to match my original decant.

Gin & Tonic by Demeter Fragrance Library

Yes, in the opening blast there is a gin-and-tonic impression quite evident. As G+T goes, is is not very exciting; more the aroma of the rather thin, old and stale Genever, but the tonic has a touch of fizz - fizzed out it is though after about an hour.

I get about an hour of a nonspecific chemical cocktail afterwards, a concoction worthy of a spill on the laboratory floor the day after. The total longevity of two hours is not exactly impressive. The sillage is weak and the projection just adequate.

A him spring scent of a certain pallor and abysmal performance. Not bad but, not much more either. 2.25/5.

Halston Z-14 by Halston

Halston is clearly a less well-known name in the UK, but alas the joys of these boards is easy to hunt out scents that you've never heard of. Z-14 is one such scent, as is the designer house of Halston.

Not wanting another cypress/chypre, I reluctantly tried the current version. Let's just say the connections to big red gum are totally justified. Cinnamon in a bottle. You might be forgiven for wanting to dust your rice pudding with it!

Vintage on the other hand, even something I would class as semi-vintage, is clearly on another level. Woody, resinous, potent and long-lasting (and yes, with some cinnamon in there - but not a truck load), this is another one of those scents that any chypre lover should vie to try at least once in their life time. It’s hard to believe that this scent is so affordable. Two sprays are enough to last a whole working day. Projection is quite strong. Wearers should expect their clothes to smell of the mossy accord for days later.

YSL pour Homme Haute Concentration by Yves Saint Laurent

An oakmoss-rich, packed full of light herbs, citrus and luscious woods, YSL Pour Homme Haute Concentration is perhaps one of the longest-lasting designer scents of all time.

It's been well over 30 years since this gem came out and in my opinion was way ahead of its time. Chanel had Pour Monsieur, Dior had Eau Sauvage, Givenchy had Monsieur de Givenchy, so the bar was set quite high for YSL to compete with. But they came out with this!

Of all the 'homme' or 'monsieur' fragrances this one cuts above them all in my opinion. Fresh yet slightly dirty, smooth yet herbaceous, strong but not overpowering and very long lasting, Haute Concentration oozes quality and class.

I have the first edition bottle, with the large YSL letters on the bottle and the box. But despair not! Vintage is not the only way to go these days. The regular YSL Pour Homme in the La Collection square bottles is remarkably similar to the vintage and now long-discontinued Haute Concentration.

I'll never be without a bottle of this as it is just too classy to skip over. A thumbs up and an easy 5/5 for me.

Sahara Noir by Tom Ford

Sahara Noir is easily Tom Ford's best scent. And not just in his favourite category, the oriental.

With a ludicrous marketing campaign Sahara Noir was doomed to fail from the beginning, so thank heavens for the vintage market! What was going through their heads when this was brought out, I can't even come to imagine.

This is an incense (frankincense) scent through and through. In fact I waited for ages before writing this review until I could get to try some true incense (the type that is burned, usually in a church) before reviewing this scent. There is little else going on here - it's frankincense from beginning to end and hence the progression is minimal, if it’s even there. Incense, medicinal, meditative and to me the sort of gift a wise man would be carrying on the way to Bethlehem.

Projection and longevity are both nuclear, which makes it a shame that this scent is now discontinued.

For those looking for incense, this should be your starting point and it may well be where you end up staying. It's just a shame this house can't produce anything quite as good and keep it on the shelves.

Rozy Eau de Parfum by Vero Profumo

If you have Nahema of Guerlain, ( or its easier/cheaper to purchase) then you can skip this one. It has the same bright sparkly opening and the drydown is very similar too. The same tone so to speak. I find Nahema a bit nuttier and more buttery in the drydown, but they are so similar that I dont find the need to own them both.