Fragrance Reviews

Does Portofino smell a certain way? Like the bitter strain of perfumer's bergamot and windswept, blooming neroli?
I mean, I have never been there, but this year I have smelled both Dior's 'Escale a Portifino' and this one from Tom Ford, 'Neroli Portofino'. And they smell just alike. Well, 'Neroli' has slightly more neroli...

Well, it smells nice in Portofino, I guess... like a wholesome, twenty-year-old French beauty with full wavy brown hair, dressed in a fashionable beige linen summer dress, circa 1983... shaking out her umbrella in a first class night train.

A bit more floral opening than I was expecting, but the middle note is a wonderfully realistic fig scent. Slightly sweet, slightly green. Very wearable; A most affordable high-quality fig scent.

Nice overall scent, but does not do justice to the original Nautica Classic. It is very today in that it is an acquatic clone of a melange of the stuffs launched in the last 5 years for the mass market. I think Nautica wasted time launching this, but then maybe it drew some interest back to the classic?

I am with mcjra...I rocked this in junior high school and was a mac daddy because of it. Smelling it today evokes vivid memories. I love the bottle shape and the jus color. It is a powdery sweet but well tempered, linear fragrance. It is quite uncomplicated, does not pretend to be anything, does not evoke crazy visions, rather it accompanies the wearer, putting forth a benign facade, a loveable persona. I like it.

Safari is loveable, undeniably old, but in a classic way. That is how I see Safari, a classic men's fragrance from the past...however long ago the past might be. It is a fine blend of just the right amount of sweet, spicy, and green. It lasts quite well, and I would recommend it in hot weather, thought it is verstile enough for year-round wear. It isn't versatile enough to be casual though, a dress shirt is required at a minimum :)

I think this is really, really gorgeous. Narcissus is one of my favorite scents, and in this fragrance it is wickedly interesting (I don't know why that adjective came to mind, but there is something about this scent that is kind of naughty to me)

OK- on another note, I'm finding this line reminds me of body smells, and this scent, to me, smells like your lover's body after he's stepped out of the shower and dried himself off. (See the naughtiness creeping in?) I'm afraid to find out what was the inspiration for this fragrance...

this scent lasts all day on me, and does not fade into something 'unfresh'. IMO this is his best scent for women.

This has an 'ooh I like that!' opening that really draws you in. On me hte staying power was 4-5 hours, or a good half a day. In my opinion this would make a great room scent, but on me not so much a great perfume scent as around the 1 1/2-2 hour mark it turned a little too sweet.

I know htis is listed as an oriental floral, but I don't think the base is strong enough to carry it that far, and I would place it more in the floral category, and a lovely one at that.

Sous le Vent means 'under the wind', and indeed, if you get a sniff of this you'll think you've just caught whiff of someone's wind. I had to scrub this one off, actually. It opened interestingly enough, although a little dated, but did not develop well on me.
Too bad, as the concept and story behind it are quite interesting.

I've been trying to wrap my head around this one... Do I like it? Yes.

What is it similar to? Kurkdjian's Lumierre Noir pour femme, another floral chypre with a patchouli/rose accord.

Does it last? mid-range, but it's a peek-a-boo fragrance- the scent comes and goes throughout the day.

Is it interesting? This is where i get stuck. I do like hte opening with the blueberry and forest berry combo, it isn't a sweet, juicy fruit of an opening, but more like the bark of the fruit tree. Nice. Dry down is lovely too. But any floral or fruity chypre is held next to Mitsouko for me. With this one I keep wanting a 'little more', more sillage, more oomph, more dark notes in the base.

I think if you sniffed your way through a row of expensive, high quality floral chypres this is not one you would remember.

I"m a fan of Guerlain's exclusives, but I do have high standards for them and am more harsh in my reviews. This is a good perfume, in the $100-$140 range, but at the price point sold I have to wonder what they were thinking.

This is a basic patchouli/rose chypre, which I'm comparing to Sublime Balkiss, Lady Vengeance and Kurkdjian's Lumiere pour femme. This is most expensive of the four, and in my opinion, hte least interesting. What I"m wanting is some 'OOH!!!', like Kurkdjian's spicy rose, Balkiss' blueberry note or Lady Vengeance' edge.

But peach and vanilla are just too safe. I"m wondering who the intended audience is for this line, because I don't think it's those who want something unique and trend-setting.

(Extrait review-2008 production)
While I sampled the EDP, I bought the extrait, mainly becuase I was told the other versions were old, and sure enough, the one EDP I saw on the shelves was from 2004.

What I hesitated with in the EDP version was the loud, 70's opening blast. This is completely missing from the extrait.

In short, the extrait is just stunning, with massive WOW factor. Like other reviewers mention, it is smooth, smooth, smooth; deep, rich, and a bit spicier than I remember the EDP being. Also not as 'dusty' as the EDP, but more vibrant, with more pronounced floral notes. Everything is brought together perfectly, for a fragrant experience that is bar none.

Honestly I got this sample because it included Jinkoh wood, which I've never heard of so my interest was peaked.

After wearing it for a few hours I get what is wrong with it: it is not marketed correctly. This is not an oriental, but an oriental woody spicy. It is also not for men and women, but for men.

But what a lovely woody spicy for men it is! This is a sweet, delicate wood with a lovely drydown.

Now here is what I find interesting: I always read about Bal a Versaille, Shalimar, etc. and their references to 'sexy smells'. 'Dirty panties', 'freshly used sheets', etc.

This scent, to me, is what 'sexy scent' should smell like (on a man). It's refined suggestive pleasure in a bottle. If Marilyn sleeps with just a drop of Chanel, the Statue of David could dress with just a drop of Iris Taizo.

I"m goign to see what my BF smells like in this...

Have you ever sat and flipped through channels at night, stumbling upon PBS where Charlotte Church was on stage, singing a pitch perfect operatic song, afterwhich everyone clapped politely?

That's Oha.

But I prefer it when Mariah Carey or Celine Dion take the stage and belt it out. And this is my problem with Oha.

It's subtle. Pitch perfect, but subtle. And as a chypre floral it is competing with some grand divas in my boudoir, like Caron's Or et Noir and Guerlain's Mitsouko pure parfum; and they are outsinging this one.

Nevertheless, I like this fragrance, it is indeed beautiful, and has all but three of my favorite notes. I will order a sample in the pure parfum to see if it kicks it up a notch, becuase htis is one I'm not ready to write off just yet.

When I was a child I went to church every Sunday, and since I was a cute little girl all the old ladies liked to give me a kiss.

This was back in the day when people dressed up for church: nice dresses, hair done, makeup applied and perfume generously sprayed.

Teint de Neige reminds me of those sweet little ladies, especially since I went to church in Minnesota, where folks walked in the door carrying the scent of snow with them.

It opens well enough, but the middle notes get carried away with the florals, and I find myself fidgeting with it just like I did when the sermon got too long.

In short, I like this perfume about as much as I liked getting kissed by those weathered, heavily lipsticked, powdery smelling lips.

My maternal Grandmother owned a small, black lacquered box that was lined inside with dark, red velvet. It's where she kept her jewelry, prized possessions ... and favorite dirty jokes.

When she passed away this black box went to my mother,and every time I"m home I like to go through it to bring back memories. This box has a very distinct smell, and Rose Poivre reminds me of that smell.

It's a musky, spicy rose smell (with a touch of 'old) that I get when I'm sitting there reading the joke on 'Sister Mary peddles 'Donkey' to raise money for church'. (Noun replaced for decency's sake).

How funny to discover my Gma had a naughty sense of humor. This scent, too, has a naughty sense of humor. You think it's sweet with 'rose' in the name, but then you come to the punch line.

The pink pepper/coriander duo is also in my beloved Bois D'armenie, but here vetiver and civet replace incense and guaic wood, making it edgy and commanding versus smooth and serene. Vetiver, unfortunately, is a note I can't wear very well, and keeps this from getting a pass from me.

But I'm sure my Gma would have loved this.

This scent reminds me of a scene in my favorite movie of 2009, played out by my now favorite actor.

In Inglourious Basterds, Christopher Waltz's character asks Melanie Laurent's character to have a pastry. As she is about to take a bite he stops her, saying 'No, no... wait for the cream. It's much better with cream."

The tension in this scene is just incredible, and you find yourself screaming in your head, DON'T TAKE THE CREAM!!!

And so it is with Louanges,you know there is a good pastry lurking there, but at the last minute some evil person added a big ol' scoop of sweet cream.

That said, this is my most liked fragrance from this line, but not sure how much of a compliment that is.
But unless this scent was aiming for an oscar nomination it didn't need that huge helping of sweetness. It's just too much here.

If you stumbled upon this review because you are interested in sampling Il Profvmo, you're probably scratching your head right now. Patchouli as the top note? Florals as the base?

Here are the notes from Lucky Scent:
Mint, cedarwood, patchouli, poppy, vanilla

But yes, from the alpha to the omega sniff, it's savory, resinous, don't-hate-me-because-I'm-beautiful Patchouli.

I like the mint burst in the opening, it's refreshing and unexpected.

The middle act is very 'Western' to me. Think moccasins lined with sheep's wool; campfires crackling with cedar logs; and incense sticks smouldering on a rock.

And then...no you aren't hallucinating ...the delicate smell of poppies and the luscious, seductive scent of vanilla.

I'm in love.

Random thoughts I'm having with this fragrance:
-The opening is very similar to Guerlain's Philre d'amour with its big BOOM of a citrus jolt
-Francis Kurkdjian was meant to be my soulmate, but since we've never met I make do with his awe-inspiring fragrances
-the Execs at MDCI need to put their heads together and come up with a way for their amazing fragrances to last more than 3-4 hours
-I thought En Couer en Mai was this line's best scent, but now i'm not so sure
-This fragrance reminds me of when I woke up in a 350 year old farmhouse in the rolling vineyards of Provence. The morning dew had not yet lifted, the surrounding hills were various shades of purple, and everything was serene, pure, and fresh
-I would give this a 'Love' and a place on my perfume shelf if it were longer lasting and had more sillage. sigh

I've now sampled all of the Art et Materiale line (excpet Tonka, which will be here tomorrow). BdA is the one I bought, (with Cuir Beluga and Rose Barbare getting honorable mention)

BdA has all the qualities I look for: longevity (18 hours easily), quality, depth, and warmth. I first tried this in Las Vegas at the Guerlain shop, before heading out into the hot Vegas sun. Much later that night I wondered where the heavenly scent was coming from. I decided then and there that I must have this (and quit my gambling accordingly) The incense note is just heavenly, and mellows out into something that never becomes too sweet or harsh.

Really love this one.

This frag is so tart it made my mouth water in a bad way. It's like biting into a fresh lemon, except spicier and slightly more sophisticated. As much as I like bond, this is a disappointment.

It looks like most everyone else thinks this would make a good unisex scent. I don't. I smell feminine all the way.
As a whole, NOHO does nothing for me. I don't care for paying any attention to notes listed on a scent pyramid, either.
I wouldn't think "pineapple" if it weren't for the suggestion of it by other reviewers. What I DO get (and very exquisitely) is a dominant "grape" note. Not a corny synthetic (think bubble-gum) grape flavor; but real, fresh, Concorde Grapes growing on the vine. When I take a whiff, I can perfectly visualize looking up at gnarly shrubbery consisting of leafy, curly grapevines, choking the life out of old brick houses and the fences that surround them. When I take the next whiff, my mind's eye focuses, like a laser, on the young clusters of grapes, ranging in color from light green, to frosty black/purple (this is NOHO's saving grace).

Los its place in my wardrobe due to my strong preference for Villoresi Sandalo and Creed Bois de Santal. This one is rather straightforward and lacks the rosewood ornamentation of the Villoresi, which buffers the synthetic harshness of the sandalwood there, while the Creed manages to come across as quite natural-smelling with its green creaminess and allusions of dirt. Floris is bare-naked by comparison, somewhat harsh and more regimental than gentlemanly. A Sandhurst synthetic.

A fruity fougere this scent is literally mouthwatering. Yes, I get an utter "juicy fruit" effect from this, which lasts and lasts - usually I would hate that, but the citrus-anise-raspberry combination manages to avoid the juvenile stickiness of many similar designer concoctions. The base well done, but not overly exciting, the usual synthetic fare. I would never wear this with a suit or if I was aiming at coming across as "serious", to me it's a leisure fragrance for fun wearing, but I dare say it's a masterpiece in that category.

EDIT: alas, I'm much too old for it, and having never once given it a full wear, sold it off. Too loud and sweet for me, very much under 30 indeed.

I enjoy this chypre a great deal. It's a very retro fragrance, not even of its own decade, but reminding me strongly of a sample of 1950s La Rose Jacqueminot I had an opportunity of trying a while ago. Here is that which distinguishes many older fragrances from their younger counterparts: a rich and vibrant vein of oakmoss, something that's often a mere ghostly presence in the mossiest of moderns.

The top notes come on bright and aldehydic, with a peach-tinged bergamot leading the way into the heart. The heart is ruled by rose and moss, not a thick and heavy sensation as in Rose de Nuit, but transparent and serene. Deep into the drydown, the rose disappears and moss quiets down a little, revealing a distinct musky animalic side aided by the presence of patchouli.

Unlike many, I do not find this a dry fragrance. If anything, I'd say it's far lusher than the average chypre, and rather than being an aggressive fragrance like Bandit or Azuree, it conveys a sense of classicism and proportion, and an atmosphere of a calm, sunlit morning.

It's been sadly discontinued, but not surprisingly so, as this is one mossy fragrance I can easily imagine mutilated at the hands of the new regulations. It's still widely available online as of this review, however, so get it while you can!

From what I read about this it sounded like something I was really going to like. I grabbed it off of the internet for about $14 for 1.7 oz. I like scents with a leather note which is why I was interested in this. However, this does not come off very leathery to my nose. What it remindes me of is a cross between Mauboussin's Mauboussin (which I like much better) with it's stewed fruits, minus the booziness (and some of the quality ingredients), and Armani's Cuir Amethyste, which is another "leather" scent that I own that doesn't seem to have enough leather to support it's name. If your a fan of either one of those scents or both, you may lke this. As it dried down it did have some of the (very subtle) "suede" qualities that other's have mentioned and some people may be looking more for suede than intense leather and so they would be satisfied...if so, this is a good buy, especially for the money. It's not bad at all, but since this didn't have the more of the leatheriness I expected, I can only give it a neutral thumbs up as a big leather fan. The packaging, everything from the bottle to the box, is gorgeous in a funky, space-age kind of way.

I had never bought this before because the "rubber" note in the top used to bother me. Today I smelled it once more, and this time I got it. If I like Dior Fahrenheit, with its "gasoline" note, or the weird note in the top of Geoffrey Beene Grey Flannel, why should I not like this? And, of course my recent blog musings about the working of Oriental scents made it a natural. Once the rubber "hits the road" (pun intended), this settles down into a beautiful leather oriental accord with just a hint of jasmine tea. Very Bvlgari. (And what's with that Roman stone inscription-style "V" in their trademark name anyway?)

It is very linear....but smells good for an ajmal oud. definatly not worth the $200 price tag! you can get a much better single origin oud for the same money that actually evolves! Ajmal does mukhallats and musks pretty good...but they need some practice in the oud department. neutral cuz it does smell good....just dosent do the things a good oud does.

Now when you see the mega cutsie over the top glam " I have a beverly hills chihuahua" kinda packaging of this scent- you are starting out biased. Add to that, the 2 owners of Juicy Couture themselves say that this is what Barbie might wear..... yes....pass the dog carrier..
I was expecting a bubbly gummy ,pinky froo froo scent but it actually very well done quite subtle and chic fruity floral - not like the standard mush out there in dept stores.
Pretty and chic in a modern way. There is nothing 'dirty' in this fragrance.
It is not gourmand despite the sweet notes in this scent - the sweetness never goes OTT and it all does calm down rapidly to a pulsating greeny floral on me. Long lasting, well done .

This review is for the original and reformulated versions of Femme.

The orginal version of Femme is a green/leather chypre that has a lot in common with the original Miss Dior and has the reputation of of being a little on the skanky side. To my nose they are very similar, although I think Femme came first.

The reformulated version is slightly fruity with a big cummin note that lasts from start to finish. While some people seem to be put off by the cummin note, I feel that it adds that slight note of b.o. that takes it out of the cutsy, fruty floral range of most of the perfumes that are currently available in Sephora and the department stores.

The origanal Femme and the reformulated version smelll nothing alike. I don't even know how they can be called by the same name. I decided to layer them and what emerged was a whole new filthy animal that I liked much better than I liked the two separately. I'm still giving both a thumbs up separatly, though.

I knew the first time I smelled the wax sample of Iris Silver Mist that it was in the realm of Guerlain's Djedi and Vero Profumo's Onda...not mere perfumes, but scents that are meant to be pondered as they're worn because of their otherworldliness.

I kept smelling the remnants of the ISM wax sample until I broke down and purchased a large decant from the Perfumed Court. The opening is as strange, brash and slightly medicinal as Serge Luten's Borneo 1834. In the first few minutes ISM also reminded me of L'Artisans Bois Farine. However, where Bois Farine has a warm, doughy quality, ISM is as cool, sad and aloof as Guerlain's Apres L'Ondee.

After the big opening, ISM quickly settles, surprisingly, into a quiet skin scent. At this point a vetiver note emerges that takes ISM into the cool, damp cellar territory that vintage Djedi is known for. In fact it begins to smell very much like vintage Djedi at this point in its developement. The difference is that where Djedi is all melancholy and forlorn, ISM has a cool sweetness that eventually stears it more toward the cool moist earth of a garden after a spring rain.

At first I was disappointed that the scent seemed to have very little sillage. However, I was awakened in the middle of the night as I turned in my sleep by a smell that was achingly beautiful. I came to consciousness enough to realize that my head was resting on my wrist and I was smelling the ISM that I had applied earlier in the evening. It had had morphed into something sweet, woody and slightly powdery. The development of this scent, from start to finish, takes many twists and surprising turns and the rewards are many if one is patient and open to all ISM has to offer.

Let me say this: don't purchase this if you're just looking for a perfume to smell good. ISM is not that kind of scent. Rachelsf hits the nail on the head in her review. However, as somber as ISM is there is still an underlying sexiness. This is not a perfume for girls or boys. This should be sampled before you buy a full bottle.

Notes: Vanilla, saffron, orris, banana wood, hay absolute, amber.

That Felanilla's smoky vanilla and astringent saffron top notes don’t smell at all foody is an ongoing (and welcome) source of wonderment for me. There’s a woody edge to these notes that renders them inedible, and the intensely rooty iris that joins them after a few minutes only drives Felanilla further from the dessert cart. Never mind the name or the note pyramid – this isn’t vanilla custard and it isn’t rice pudding. It isn’t even Bananas Foster. In fact, to my nose it’s more of a rich, sweetened iris scent with lots of wood and bitter saffron over a vanillic amber foundation. A trace of gamy labdanum adds a welcome animalic tang to the drydown.

The weird, dark complexity of hay absolute is played very subtly in Felanilla, so anyone expecting it to dominate the scent to the degree it does in Serge Lutens’s Chergui may wind up disappointed. While it offers plenty of depth, Felanilla is not the kind of cloying, syrupy fragrance the note pyramid might suggest. It’s greatest liability to my mind is its endurance – or should I say its lack thereof. It may be that I’m partly anosmic to the drydown, or that I habituate to Felanilla rapidly, but whatever the case I find it hard to detect after just a couple of hours’ wear. Even so, I enjoy it enough to want to wear it and to reapply it as necessary.

I can see that this one might be an acquired taste, but one must appreciate the exquisitely crafted citrus-floral-vetiver cocktail that is Salvatore Ferragamo Pour Homme. I'll admit that I did not like this the first time I sprayed it on my skin, but it grew on me and I really enjoy having this one in my collection. I'm saving it for the summer and spring when the weather warms up.

Fresh out of the bottle, I get grapefruit, cyclamen, and fig leaf done in a very Mediterranean style. Its quite nice and there are very few scents as refreshing as this after a long shower. Next, one smells notes that are more typical of this genre - the classic aromatic fougere - which are geranium, caraway, and clove. Apparently there is cardamom, orris root, jasmine, and rose but I don't really notice these as such. Lastly, it dries down to a prominent vetiver, musk and sandalwood. I'll bet its the combo of the musk/vetiver with the fig that turns people's noses. Personally I think the musk is well done and the vetiver makes it a classy one for the summer. There are definitely some gems in the Ferragamo line; one just needs the patience to discover them!

A surprisingly competent blend of synthetics (Limonene, Linalool, Citral, Eugenol, Citronellol, Geraniol, Coumarin, etc) with these interweaving descriptives: tangy, musky, woody, ambery, spicy, etc. For a guy who's new to perfume-wearing, this could be a decent option. Rather reminiscent of Nina Ricci's Memoire d'Homme, only better.

"Oh dear, did you just spill some of that fruit cocktail on your bikini? "

Frankly, that's what it smells to me. It works well enough as a room fragrance in a tropical resort, but as a skin scent? Ugh.

This sniveling little runt of a green citrus fragrance bears not the slightest resemblance to the august Habanita. A little bit of lemon-lime, a little bit of green jasmine, and a light, fleeting vetiver base note are all there is to this. You may safely ignore it.

Patchouli and amber. Amber and patchouli. Patchouli Leaves is sweet, dark, rich, and sensuous. The amber and patchouli sit on a base of viscous vanilla, and the whole composition unfolds in a gratifyingly warm, smooth manner. I consider this a simple fragrance, but that doesn't make it any less enjoyable. It fills the same role for me as several other thick amber and patchouli scents, including Mazzolari Patchouly, Profumum's Patchouly, and Les Nereides Patchouli Antique, being a bit sweeter than most, and leaning more heavily on the amber as well. Interestingly, it is less tenacious on my skin than other heavy patchouli fragrances.

I was expecting something very dry and bitter but this begins suprisingly sweet. As the alcohol burns off there is a brief wonderful candied mixed up accord, mainly floral with a warm neroli, delicate rose and dry lavender all underlined with dusty animalic civet. As this settles after a minute or so, the bergamot rings out clear, more orange than bitter and quite green too. At this point Guerlain's Eau Du Coq springs to mind somewhat for its juxtaposition of the lavender and civet, though this is sweeter, warmer and friendlier. The bergamot coninues to blossom and is joined by a lovely citrus accord with I think contains cedrat and lime. There are sweetish green notes too.

There is now a period where I thought of Creed's Bois de Cedrat. I experience a sheerness and transparency here; it shares the liquid, almost thirst quenching quality of that fragrace. The palpable depth is provided by the fantastic base of civet and maybe a touch of sandalwood? It remains in this balance for quite some time, the citrus and florals fading into the base which endures for many hours. The Guerlainish civet-lavender remains a feature; later on it reminds me more of Mouchoir de Monsieur. The balance of floral notes smells almost plummy at times and really sets this apart.

The overall softness and roundness define this and separate it from those other Eaux and similar fragrances. The layering is suprisingly coherent to me and very well conceived giving me a fascinating insight into how a truly natural version of this, perhaps my favourite fragrance style, works. The citrus oils are not sharp or acidic and overall it suprised me how they blend in and even take more time to come to life that the florals.

The civet endures to keep this fresh and funky at the same time.

Longevity is excellent with the base accord, sillage is on the low side.

I don't know what about this fragrance is "Sport." It seems actually a bit more floral (jasmine and rose). The jasmine gives the composition a bit of a sour note that I found quite off-putting upon my first several wearings. There is also a metalic element that I found quite foul. I really hated this one at first.

However, the more time I spent with HRS, the more I warmed to it. It didn't hurt either that this is one of the few fragrances I wear that actually garners many compliments. It is a floral, somewhat harsh, slightly woody interpretation of Habit Rouge with a nice peppery note. It really is the floral elements of HRS which I find quite attractive. I think if Guerlain wanted a "Sport" version of Habit Rouge, they would have done much better bringing back "Legere" and renaming it. HRS is not a bad scent, just not great. It finds moderate rotation in my wardrobe.

This is a wonderful scent, and quite unisex, IMO. The opening is an interesting blend of fruits (peach and apple are both identifiable) and harder to define spice notes. This opening is a little bit loud, but relatively unique, and quite pleasing.

I have no idea where the topnotes in the pyramid above came from; they doesn't reflect the opening at all.

As the scent evolves, it gradually dries into a very dry, dusty, almost resinous amber and mossy sandalwood accord, which maintains softening sweet element. I could swear that there's good helping of oakmoss in there, but I could be wrong. This compelling and versatile drydown is why I don't hesitate to wear this scent myself.

My girlfriend likes it (finally, she likes something other than a vanilla-beast oriental!!), but I steal it occasionally. Big thumbs up.

Very much the Sandalwood complement to Dominguez' Vetiver hombre, though I love the latter while this is merely fair. Both are well-crafted blends in which actual sandalwood or vetiver are not dominant, both are incredibly clean and fresh (as castopollux points out for Sandalo), both exude a refined, understated elegance and masculinity. While Vetiver hombre is a perfect fragrance in my book, with the bonus of evoking childhood memories, this gets only three stars because I am disappointed in the top notes, the "watery" aspect of which comes across as shriekingly synthetic to me - there is this awful onion rubbed on aluminum note a certain material always evokes. The drydown, soft clean wood wrapped in silky transparent floral notes, is quite beautiful. It is, however, more of an abstract wood than a genuine sandalwood note, or rather: we are dealing with a nicer version of synthetics than at the top. I have cooled off on this fragrance since discovering better sandalwoods and because my tolerance for certain synthetics is diminishing. My wife loves the drydown of this, however, and since she hates most of my perfumes, that alone is a significant reason for keeping it in the wardrobe. This my sound luke warm, but in the end Myrurgia's concoction is still an excellent designer scent that leaves many better known brands in the dust. I have said it before and will say it again, that perfume afficionados are missing some very fine fragrances if they fail to seek out the Adolfo Dominguez line, difficult as it may be to find it beyond the borders of Spain.

Bois Precieux is a delightful woody, slightly sweet and amberic scent that highlights a sensual sandalwood note. This is an amazing scent considering the price. All of the Molinard fragrances from both the Les Senteurs and Les Fleurs de Provence lines make excellent layering scents, as well as the most exceptional room sprays available.

Molinard Musc is a very warm, slightly sweet, very lightly animalic musk that could be easily be sold as a niche scent for 8 times the price. All of the Les Senteurs line is quite remarkable. If you are looking for single note fragrances, it doesn't get any better than Molinard.

Another example of why I (even though I damn well know better) still blind buy. Well at least if it's cheap enough.... I bought this from a very generous BNoter who was practically giving it away and had no idea how good this was. The opening was uneventful but the herbal mids put a big ole smile on my face. I don't really get anything animalic or "dirty" out of it. I only wish I did. Something along the lines of Eau de Hermes or Declaration would have only made it better. Nope, it stayed "fresh" on me for the entire ride. At times it did remind me of the overplayed Fierce by A&F but that's not entirely a bad thing. Sillage seems a tad low and I only wish it lasted a little longer. It could be the low sillage throwing me off but I didn't really detect it after about 4.5 hours. All in all a good frag and an easy thumbs up.

An abrasive galbanum top note gives way quickly to a bittersweet green floral accord that’s reminiscent of its obvious precursors Silences and Yendi, and to a lesser extent, of Chanel No. 19. Rose, muguet, and narcissus peek out as individuals from time to time, but the floral notes for the most part blur together into a monolithic fresh, blooming meadow accord. The heart is a bit sweeter and brighter than Silences or Yendi, much more so than the Chanel. Without the conspicuous iris note common to Yendi, Silences, and No. 19, the Molinard is a more crisp and cheerful fragrance. Unfortunately, it’s also comparatively thin and soapy next to its more sumptuous predecessors, especially once the drydown sets in. Caustic synthetic woods and a harsh, soapy rose dominate the base notes, and the vetiver and amber listed in Molinard’s pyramid don’t register strongly enough to counteract their unpleasantness. While I admire the green floral style, I don’t think Molinard de Molinard adds much to the genre, and I’d sooner wear No. 19 – or better yet, track down Yendi or Silences.

I don't understand why so many people call this feminine or an "old lady's perfume". Why? Just because it's a floral? Who gives a damn?!

I used to hate Stetson because I thought it was cheap smelling, but I recently re-sampled it and now I quite like it. I find it to be very masculine - it is a very dry, fairly bitter floral scent with just a touch of amber in the base. I like this because it has a dirty, animalic musky smell to it on top of the floral notes, which gives Stetson an edge that I like. I find this "dirtyness" quite prominent, and I'm surprised more reviewers haven't noted it. Stetson may not be a scent I'll be wearing, but it is a very good masculine, representing very good value for your money.

It took me a couple of days to wrap my head around this one. Like everyone's saying, it's uncompromizingly dry and serious. It's actually quite reminiscent of Gucci Pour Homme I (Or is it II? I'm thinking of the woody one)
In any event, the difference is that Gucci smells like pencil shavings whereas French Lover has enough spices and other details well blended in to make it quite a bit more sophisticated, in my humble opinion. If I hadn't already spent all my money on other things, I might have considered buying it even though it's not really my style.

Chergui is incredible but it's fairly girly. Thumbs high up in the sky for a girl who'd wear this. Thumbs up in the sky for a guy who can get away with it as well.

Suprisingly welldone aquatic citrus. Aquatic note is not cheap and ozonic. All cirtus notes are well blended, bold loud and far from being acidic. It is not my style and i cannever think myself wearing it as i found it really masculine. But i must admit that it is a good work with high quality and fine design.

Most resines are obtained from woods but resinous notes are not woody notes. i do not enjoy resinous notes in common and even cannot bear them when they are loud. Encens Flamboyant is more woody than resinous, warm and smoky. yes definetly one of the most wearble incense scent i have tried and it is definetely masculine.

Clair de musc is clearly and mostly a musk scent. I have never smelled such bold musk since my childhood. Supposed to have some other notes but when i force myself i can hardly define some neroli, iris and sandalwood. the musc note in t is clear and loud, Some how cool and more aldehydic than being animalic. The scent is for musk lovers and not anyone else i suppose.

Melon...Margarita? Sure, I guess. That's where the similarity ends. Maybe even a hybrid choco/vanilla vibe (that lasts and lasts...and lasts). But, YES, very pleasant in a very tacky way.
I think it smells like the 1980's; not the "perfume" of the 1980's, but THE 1980's. What I mean is: when I get a whiff of Coney Island, I can practically hear the music of Cyndi Lauper, Erasure, or Oingo-Boingo (Either that, or the giant rat from Chuck E. Cheese).
I bet JOOP is jealous that BOND beat them to this one.

This smells "good", is pleasant, and inoffensive (to parrot everybody else, I guess). Back in 1987, I bet this was a big hit; it countered all the masculine scents that were reminiscent of burning hair and gorilla urine. Possibly even good enough to justify the price. A trusty standby.

Molinard's "Gardenia" is a soapy green floral composition with a crude, chemical profile that smells more like a room air freshener than a personal fragrance. Or a gardenia, for that matter.

Extremely marine fragrance. Like a super L'eau d'Issey pour Homme. Starts of bitterly fresh and clean. Starts to drydown with a touch of sweet herbs and ends with a airy cedarwood chest like note.

Honestly, I hate orientals. I'm just not big into the opulence and sweetness. It tends to get old to me after a while and then I get a headache. Keeping that in mind -- I absolutely ADORE this stuff. I tried a decant and one spray was enough. I had to spring for a full bottle. The bubblegum bit is spot on. This has a distinctively minty/clovy effect that is like some type of old fashioned candy. It dries down into honey and caramel sweetness. I normally don't like such warm/sweet/gooey scents, but this one is an absolute guilty pleasure. I get compliments left and right when I wear this! The staying power is amazing -- I can wear it and go to bed to wake up with warm sweet murmurs of this still resonating on my skin and I love every single second of it. Penhaligon's should really diversify this line into shaving creams, body lotions, deodorants, etc. I can see why some might tire of it -- normally I would too -- but that's where the eccentricities of taste come in. I don't like this genre at all, but I'm glad I kept an open mind and tried this one anyway. I prefer this to Endymion hands down as the "sweet, modern oriental" in the Penhaligon's line.

ANGE OU DEMON starts off promisingly, with a lily lurking ominously behind what is mostly powder and white flower. So I waited. Angel or Demon?

On my skin, not a trace of 'demonic manifestation' can be found. Instead all I found was an angel, not just any angel but a cute little cherubim, with lots and lots of baby talcum powder. No thanks. If I had wanted to smell of baby powder, I'd have picked Johnson & Johnson's.

I've grown wary and weary of fragrances that list more than a single perfumer as its creator. More often than not, they end up disappointingly poor. This is sadly no different so don't be deceived by the pretty Serge Mansau bottle.

*** This review is of the EDT ***

AMARIGE MARIAGE features a nondescript white floral that's barely indolic, tempered somewhat by magnolia's citrus-like softness, yet compliments the spice-tinted wood of the star player, cinnamon. I am a sucker for cinnamon bark scents so it's hardly surprising I find this enjoyable. But the drydown to soft patchouli-laced benzoin sweetness is just as equally agreeable.

While not particularly arresting as a fragrance, I can't help but admire this very lack of pretense. There is a blissful contentment about it that puts me at ease and makes it a warm, rather comforting day fragrance.

Notes
*******
Top: Sicilian bitter orange, Calabrian bergamot
Middle: magnolia, Egyptian jasmine, cinnamon bark
Base: benzoin, sandalwood, patchouli

I enjoyed the first minute with the coffee accord but it quickly loses its gourmand appeal and instead gets lighter, fresher even with (gasp!) lavender. Unexpected perhaps but I don't feel the 'attitude' at all. All I got was a plasticky note that runs through the heart of the scent.

ATTITUDE is abysmally the most incompetent Armani scent I've ever had the misfortune to sample. I finally understood why they needed 3 famous noses - to share the collective burden of a creative failure without actually damaging their individual reputation as excellent perfumers.

This is a very decent fresh fragrance. I get a combination of citrus and a candy-like green accord. It could also very possibly be the listed vanilla that contributes to the very appealing sweetness. This actually smells a whole lot better than many recent designer releases of a similar genre, that are more than 5 times the cost.

A hint of florals, edged with cardamom against some very synthetic cedar, layered over sweet mildly peppery coumarin. Dilute this blend a hundred-fold and there you have it - LA NUIT DE L'HOMME. Arguably a worthy flanker for it continues the snooze-fest that the original started, but IMO a source of embarassment for a proud house like YSL.

A tart yet bitter-fruity note which fades away all too soon is probably the only distinctive part of the scent for what's left - powdery florals over musk and sandalwood - is something that has not only been done before but done better. Look no further than Chanel's Coco Mademoiselle.

And what the heck is a 'vinyl accord'? To 'evoke the gloss and varnish of a spiked heel'? That's probably just some marketing B*S* to create a 'novelty' buzz or hype, a tactic presumably employed to draw attention away from the fragrance's shortcomings; synthetic and uninspired just to name but two.

Still I find PARISIENNE a pleasantly wearable and safe option, especially for young women new to fragrances.

Notes:
vinyl accord, cranberry, blackberry, damask rose, violet, peony, patchouli, vetiver, sandalwood and musk

Fresh sweet clean woodsy scent. Very plain and common but a nice scent nonetheless. Average sillage and longevity. For a fragrance named after fish eggs... well that's just weird!

A tobacco-laced soft oriental made slightly powdery by iris and musk notes. This is a bit challenging at the top because of the odd combination of honey, tobacco, and musk which states the theme. The dryness of the tobacco, combined with the sweetness of honey and the powdery note of musk makes an odd, tickle-my-nose kind of impression on me. Yet the whole is so delicately balanced and resolves beautifully, like a dissonant chord returning to the tonic. It is hard to resist the brilliant development and the excellence of the drydown. This scent could well be taken as the paradigm of a soft oriental: the hallmark musk, amber, incense, and sandalwood accord here assisted by elegant florals (rose and a light iris) and the evanescent pipe tobacco note. Mysterious, alluring, intoxicating.

Cognac inspired opening, with a wonderfully complex fruity and earthy dry down. Delicious and sensual.

All I get is aoud – Montale aoud... no rose, no amber, no caraway… Nada. So I guess it comes down to whether or not I consider a straight aoud note to be good enough to satisfy my definition of a worthy niche fragrance. It doesn’t. All I can catch from this fragrance, is a straight-forward aoud note… nothing exciting...

Steam Aoud has a definite sillage, and it lasts a long, long, long time. As Montale aoud notes go, it’s a typical enough but certainly not at all compelling.

The opening smells richer than many bergamot openings... prominent in this one are a firm, clear (tingly) petit grain note and a tart grapefruit note which together add a broad dimension to the high quality bergamot: It’s an excellent opening. I don’t seem to pick up any heart notes, which doesn’t surprise me in a fragrance named for probably the supreme opening note. The opening lasts a long time, which is good, and gradually morphs into a vetiver / cedar with a strong background of floral – orange blossom (appropriately) in particular. It’s brilliant… It presents such a clean, clear, distinctly sophisticated version of bergamot… this one certainly is an exemplar of the artistic use of this note. The bergamot in Bergamote 22 is particularly well presented.

This is one of those fragrances that I simply couldn’t understand the first time I tested it… I was a total blank. So, as is my habit, I put the sample tube back in limbo part of the sample drawer and went on with my life. Months later at my second testing the word “coconut” popped into my brain when I sniffed it. What I smelled was the hard, dusky-almost-dusty, shaggy/woody surface of a coconut after its fleshier exterior had been removed… just a little of the coconut meat/milk aroma came through, just enough to allow me to think that I might be smelling coconut palm wood (of which I have no idea of the smell). The woody dominant coconut accord was nice, but not intriguing in the least. The next testing gave me the rosewood that I had been seeking out combined with a amber/wood like scent that I assume is ambrette seed. There was also a bit of resinousness involved, but I just didn’t find anything exciting about the fragrance. I was bored with the whole idea of it until I realized that I had been getting it all wrong: I suddenly realized that this is a scent that I could easily live with: This is a dusky/woody, semi-resinous, semi-sweet, masculine-enough fragrance that is assertive without calling attention to itself. It exists as a comfortable fruity/woody background abstractness that, sprayed lightly, gives off an air of mystery without really giving its presence away. Off my skin I don’t get sweet and I don’t get gourmand. I get a woody dominant slightly coconuty background abstractness. Cadjmere has a firm sillage and a good enough longevity… I wear it with an extremely light application and I quite enjoy it that way.

One of the great classics of all time, Miss Dior was a joint effort by Jean Carles (Tabu and Ma Griffe) and Paul Vacher (who worked on Arpege before Andre Fraysse finished it). Luca Turin has called the newer formulation of Miss Dior the Reader's Digest version. That may be, but even a Reader's Digest version, if done well, of Shakespeare will retain some of the beauty and vigor of the original. That applies to the newer Miss Dior. It's not as dark and daring as the original, and it's definitely more powdery. However, it is still a beauty. The vintage is easy to find on eBay and can be had for a reasonable price. Elegant and feminine, Miss Dior is very fine in its vintage form and still fine in its newer form.

I found Steam Aoud quite unremarkable, so much so that I really don’t have much to say about it. If you’re interested in trying one of Montale’s ouds, try Black Aoud, Attar or Aoud Lime instead.

Truly forgettable.

[Original submission date: 25 May 2008]

This one is kind of interesting. The initial blast is kind of offputting, but there is something addictive about it. The only reason I got it (for free. A friendly basenoter gave his bottle away) was the mentioned laundry note. I'm a nut when it comes to clean smelling fragrances, especially if they come with a twist. Some people here has written about a peppery accord. Another one mentioned a "screechy ambiance" in T for him. I think both are right, but then comes that laundry note which is very hard to pinpoint. It is a bit of a mess, but a nice mess. Kind of like the dusty concrete floor in the laundromat. Or maybe just the entrance, since the detergent note is so subdued.

I'm giving it neutral here, but I'm on the positive side.

The flanker craze has produced a mixed bag. Too often a flanker is as ridiculously bad as or is worse than the original. There are exceptions to many things in life, and Eau Première is one of those happy exceptions. Jacque Polge has once again proved his genius in navigating the ever demanding waters of perfumery. Eau Première is exceptionally wonderful. It has been many a year since I've worn a fragrance as consistently as I do this one. Eau Première is basically a lightened form of No 5. Instead of orange citrus in the opening notes, there's lemon. And it's a wonderfully soft and subtle lemon. No Lemon Pledge here. Quite the contrary. All the mink coat heft and heaviness of No 5 has been stripped away, and, yes, I'm a huge fan of No 5. Eau Première is still an aldehyde, but it's so friendly and ageless that many of those who can't tolerate No 5 have found a new friend. It's been a long time since a fragrance so versatile and easy, yet so elegant and glamorous, has captured my loyalty. When you wear Eau Première you can be confident that you smell terrific. I can't think of a "wrong" place to wear it.

Private Collection Jasmine White Moss is like Cristalle with fangs and talons. I found it very disappointing. There are two impressions I get from PCJWM, other than its being an obvious nod to Cristalle. One is the smell of acetone. You know, fingernail polish remover. The other impression I get is a good measure of helional, which here smells discordant. Helional, by the way, is the impression of aluminum tinged milk. If JWM doesn't contain helional, then it contains something very close to it. JWM is much too rough for my tastes. My advice is to go for Cristalle, the real deal.

Enlévement au Sérail (FK3) is one of the most stunning, elegant, drop-dead gorgeous scents to come down the pike in years. Huge shout-outs to Claude Marchal and Francis Kurkdjian for this beautiful creation. It is like a rich Baroque tapestry with opulent colors and textures. The opening reminds me of the original Rochas Femme, only cleaned up a bit. This is the indolic jasmine part, but this indolic jasmine doesn't have the diaper note that it does in some fragrances. Far from it. The other notes I smell are mandarin, some rose, very subtle and well done peach, and finally, a beautifully matched patchouli-sandalwood combination in the base notes. There's not a lot of gymnastic development to the fragrance, in my experience. After the opening, it's fairly linear. In addition, I find the lasting power to be quite good. Technicallly, Enlévement is classified as an oriental. It is, but it also dips its toes into the chypre area, so it makes the wearer smell as if she's maybe been more places and done more things than she really has. Regardless, it's one of those timeless scents that never smells dated but always smells feminine and totally unlike the scents the "whatev" generation seems to wear endlessly.

If Kay Francis, that wonderful but under-known and under-appreciated actress who hit her stride in the early '30s, were alive today, I hope she'd wear this fragrance. Her warm, sultry, brunette beauty would be a perfect match for Enlévement au Sérail.

As much as I tried, I simply cannot like this fragrance; therefore, I must respectfully disagree with all the glowing reviews PCTG garners. I've tried it numerous times, and each try is like wearing something radioactive with a ginormous half life. I even decanted some into a roller ball bottle so I could avoid spraying. No success there, either. Long story short---I hate it. I wish I didn't, but I do. I turn to Fracas when I want a good tuberose.

Miller Harris's Noix de Tubéreuse smells like a perfect combination of Fracas and L'Origan. The opening is tuberose and bubble gum, and then a few seconds later something like coconut emerges. I'm not a fan of super-sweetsie fragrances, but I don't find this stage offputting. It's fun, interesting, short lived and totally inoffensive. What emerges in the middle notes is something that smells very much like L'Origan. There's an oriental vibe here, a nice balance of what smells like heliotrope, a little powder, some violet-like notes, and a bit of amber. The ultimate drydown is basically more of the same. I have no idea what specific consumer MH had in mind for NdT, but I would recommend this for those who love the greats like Fracas and L'Origan, especially. NdT seems to be an homage to these classics. Sillage is subtle, much more so than Fracas.

If I could put a face with Noix de Tubéreuse , it would be Jean Arthur, the great actress from the past. Like Arthur, NdT has an easy glamour and projects a good sense of humor. Each is a perfect fit for the other.

I recently got this in a trade with a fellow Basenoter. I took the risk based on his praise for it, as well as the positive reviews here, even though the mention of apples and cinnamon concerned me (I don’t like gourmand scents). I also can’t stand Carlos Santana’s music. I’m glad I took the risk because this is very good.

This is what Cartier’s lame-o Must Pour Homme should have smelled like if the perfumer had worked more than five minutes to create the formula. Though this is a very sweet and somewhat gourmand-y oriental, Carlos Santana For Men has lavender, wood, spice, and leathery notes in the background that prevent this from being a syrupy mess, and give it some real sparkle. The drydown is what “makes it” for me – it is slightly powdery, with hints of lavender and sandalwood, and is simply excellent. It’s interesting how the lavender becomes more prominent and the vanilla fades out (thank God) as the scent evolves, almost as if the scent development was put in reverse mode.

Fans of sweet oriental scents will surely like this, and I think people who wear fragrances like L’Instant Pour Homme or B*Men will find a lot to enjoy here as well. Carlos Santana For Men is a very good scent and represents excellent value for the money.

A victim of Cool Water's runaway success, HOT WATER certainly has a lot to live up to. I was therefore prepared to cut it some slack and gave it more than a few wearings. Sadly the outcome doesn't get any better. This is as vapid as it gets, lacking in distinction from the top right through to the bottom. Even the 'steamy' TV commercial seems contrived.

Well Zino, what's next? Boiling Water??

Weird, creamy fruity liqueur. And the leather makes it even more strange. The dichotomy of accords makes my head spin but it smells fine.

I still see this stuff on the shelves.

Sex Appeal for Men is a woody oriental patchouli. Very strong herbs I must add. Spices and what I think is anise makes for a 'hot" fragrance. Lasts a fair amount of time. Good stuff if you're into $20 bottles of heady spices.

The life of this fragrance goes out rather quickly. The opening is a complex, interesting, yet slightly harsh barrage of citrus and spice, leading quickly to a very pleasing cinnamon and rosewood heart with a slight fruit tinge. Then, it's like the fragrance suddenly falls apart, losing all its sillage and becoming a faintly sweet skin-scent reminiscent of soap. It's a slightly baffling little performance, and doesn't do much for me.

Not bad at all! A nice fougere, that starts off cool, fresh, and soapy... and then dries into a very warm, slightly sweet, and enjoyable base of peppery oakmoss and faint patchouli. Longevity and sillage are impressive on this one, for sure. A spray on the wrist and a spray on the chest will last all day and into the evening for me! I actually sprung for a bottle. The price was quite reasonable (compared to the price I plunk down for Penhaligon's or L'Artisan Parfumeur!).

I get a lot of delicious smoke (not like ashes, but like something delicious burning), woods, lots of leather, something green, and the animalic castoreum. I cannot identify more individual notes because this perfume is truly complex and incredibly balanced. Everything is super mixed and the result is truly beautiful. If they re-release it someday, I will buy a stock to last my lifetime.

I loved this back in the mid 90's. I revisited it this weekend, passing time in Ulta while my GF shopped, just for the hell of it. I really don't understand it at all. I guess it made sense when I was a 17-18 year old kid. But now at 32 I just don't get it. It didn't smell sporty to me at all. I just got a general "spice" smell out of it and it was terribly synthetic. Not to mention, extremely overbearing. The fact that there are so many other "sporty" frags out there makes Polo Sport expendable and IMO not worth sampling.

If you liked L'Ombre dans L'Eau but found it a little too "out there" for you, Fleurs de Bulgarie might be just what you're looking for. Same burst of bright green galbanum-tinted top notes - perhaps a faint touch of something herbal here, too - but much more reserved and polite in its marriage of green and rose, being subtler, darker, drier, and soapier, with a distinct "clean" edge that I think would suit many men seeking a rose fragrance. It's old-fashioned, but not in the least powdery, to its credit, drying down to a light, woody base.

Not my cup of tea, but it impressed me none the less as well made and distinguished. One of the most wearable green roses I know.

A pleasant gin-like scent. Not much in terms of development, but a refreshing option for juniper lovers.

Hmmm… it is interesting that the most recent review before mine mentions how soapy this is and none of the previous twenty-six touch on that. To me, this is ultra-soapy and I do not like it. A touch of citrus and green, but mostly soap Reformulation? Degradation of topnotes? I don’t know. But I don’t recommend it.

The ethylbenzodioxepinone in the top note is very subdued as far as I'm concerned; this is not an aquatic scent at all. I mostly get citrus and a bit of mint on the top; lavender, herbs and pepper in the center; and patchouli, woods, moss and musk in the dry-down. New West has the slight hint of leather in the base that is sort of the Aramis "house accord." It's like no other scent out there really, I like it quite a bit.

Wearing Love in Paris is like experiencing feminine perfumery’s recent evolution in fast-forward. The fragrance enters on a genial, traditional, and perhaps even banal spiced bergamot and floral accord that quickly sheds its citrus note to settle on a simple, soapy rose. The rose’s most obvious – perhaps even its only – accompaniment is a cut-grass green note that renders the heart brisk and refreshing where it might otherwise have been cloying.

In both style and content this phase of Love in Paris echoes classic soapy green florals of the 1970s - including scents like Ivoire and Estée Lauder’s Private Collection - but it updates the conceit by paring down the structure and dispensing with its ancestors’ aldehydic overdoses. It’s essentially an old idea that’s sweetened and brightened for a younger generation. The facelift wipes away signs of age, but inevitably sacrifices a degree of character in the process. Yet if at its heart Love in Paris is a wee bit bare and bland next to its antecedents, I have to grant that it’s also much more lively.

The classicizing pastiche of an opening having stripped itself down to a heart of “modern” simplicity, the olfactory structure lightens and brightens, and sheds all pretense of floral naturalism. The base notes are a blend of unabashedly synthetic post-modern musks and reconstructed woods. Where the former can smell like fabric softener and the latter can feel like a blow to the head from a melamine slab, Love in Paris retains translucency and balance, and a hence a sense of poise uncommon in its breed. I admit I was prepared to hate this during the first fifteen minutes, but it evolves into a pleasant, unpretentious scent that’s well-suited to everyday wear.

I like quite a few of Tom Ford's scents, although I would not call myself a full-fledged fan. I can see why BO has admirers; this is definitely a scent I can see many people considering luxurious, dark, mysterious, and sensual. On paper it sounds like something I would love! But it really smells obnoxious to me. The very prime top notes hold some promise with some nice ylang and jasmine with a bit of currant, but immediately the whole thing starts to develop and completely loses its balance with a sickening combination of aroma chemicals that try as they might leave absolutely no impression of any orchid I have ever smelled, instead they take all the worst headache producing aspects of a floral oriental and turn the volume up to full blast. When the dry down eventually (and thankfully) comes it is an anti-climax of monumental proportions weaving in the blandest interpretation of woods, ambers and gourmand notes I have ever smelled. It is a big seller for this house, and I guess my tastes are absolutely not with the masses on this one. This is one expensive, over the top mess.

This one is really up my alley; I'm not a huge fan of Cartier fragrances usually with the exception of Declaration and Must pour Homme. Here we have a case where the masculine version of a scent actually outshines the original feminine creation. Must de Cartier pour Homme is a little tough for me to describe, but I really find it pleasing from start to finish. I guess I would call it a spicy, woody, slightly herbal, animalic oriental. I own the L'essence version and I don't notice any problems with longevity. It is very masculine, very elegant and just discrete enough without being a true skin scent.

Different from many other incense fragrances, this is not about top-note shimmering frankincense oil but instead a deep, resinous, woody accord of various balsams including frankincense, myrrh, benzoin and more.

Incensi opens with LV's signature rosewood/herbal top accord, supported by a little sweet ambery labdanum. Out of this a rich incense unfurls. The balance here is perfect, like a smokeless effect of the best burning brazier. It is powerful but not overwhelming like a middle-distance view of a large snow capped mountain.

Some spices add continuity through the heart but incensi is dominated top to bottom by resins and tree notes.

A very subtle and excellent creation, I find the incense is very prominent and potent. Refreshing, uplifting, balanced, grounding. This has it all.

I could wear it every day.

I liked the opening. However the abundant spice rack accords towards the drydown get all "ammonia" like on me. This is my last scent I'll ever try from Diptyque since the 5 or so others I really didn't enjoy.

I disagree that Diorella is too feminine for a man. It is one of the better woman's scents that men can wear easily (at least this man). If you were able to take all the best aspects of Eau Sauvage, Y, and Givenchy III and balance them into a wearable chypre you would get Diorella. This is a classic.

It starts off as pure cotton candy, and mellows out to a long lasting straight up sweet vanilla that is delightful. It is an awesome vanilla for layering.

The opening is a very lovely slightly spicy citrus, somewhat reminiscent of the exceptional original Colonia. On my skin, the citrus dies very rapidly and the fragrance moves very quickly into a clean "white musk" type accord. This is my least favorite style of musk. I'm sure it is pleasing to people who enjoy this type of scent but unfortunately to me it is the olfactory equivalent of a migraine. I'm rating it neutral due to the fact that it is obviously a well constructed scent but not my style at all. I will stick to the original Colonia by Aqua di Parma.

I feel like an ignoramus from a different planet when I read most of the reviews of this fragrance. (But as far as I know only the first part is true.) For me Pomegranate Noir is truly awful! JM categorises it as a “fruity” fragrance and if I am very quick there is a nondescript fruity smell initially – though not resembling any pomegranate I have ever known.

But that is entirely irrelevant as it is completely overwhelmed by a dreadful, chemical pong sickeningly reminiscent of industrial strength antiseptic. To make matters worse it’s the type of smell that gets stuck in your nose and feels as if it has bound itself to your nasal mucous. And it lasts! And lasts and lasts. It is still evident after 24 hours and doesn't wash off easily. I thought that maybe I just didn’t “get it” until my partner complained about the stench and begged me not to wear it again. I bought it as part of the combining coffret and have tried combining it without success; that overwhelming chemical odour just overpowers everything.

We’re trying it as a toilet spray in our guest loo now at the risk of making out guests gag. Let’s see what reaction it gets...

Update: What fresh hell is this?! Someone has sprayed this in the vicinity of the downstairs loo. It is now 7 hours later and the noxious smell still lingers in a pernicious pall. That's it: I will have to trash this. But am not sure how - it must surely constitute a chemical hazard!

Quite a unique tobacco opening with a very strong, very tenacious honey note. The honey certainly adds an interesting perspective to the citrus / tobacco / florals of the opening and heart: I enjoy the combination, and am reminded of Miel de Bois because of the powerful honey note. The opening has an excellent longevity. When the heart notes eventually do come along, the uniqueness continues. The lightwoods of patchouli and vetiver combine first with the middle’s abundant florals and then morph to a soon-to-be-prominent cedar note, all the while the honey is prominent and retains a firm relationship with the tobacco. I don’t get a very strong drydown. The honey and tobacco remain and there’s an amber and a leather that show up, but the whole accord doesn’t seem strong to me.

The first time I wore MCM Success, I got a balanced tobacco, leather, and honey accord. After that the honey has dominated each wearing. With its honey dominance it’s still an ok scent but I prefer the balance of the first times I tested it.

THE CURRENT FORMULATION: The sage in the opening brings out an interesting sort of cover-up of the indole from the gardenia, but the indole lasts only a minute or two as does the sage, leaving a pleasant green galbanum in control. I often had problems with galbanum but in this case, it comes through beautifully. The galbanum morphs into a delicious floral heart accord featuring jasmine, rose, and bergamot, and here’s where I begin to pick up Miss Dior’s chypre nature – the soft, discreet oakmoss from the base shadows the excellent floral bouquet. It grows richer and richer, adding depth with labdanum and patchouli with the soft oakmoss coming to its full bloom. The current version of Miss Dior is a bit of a rarity: It’s a pretty fragrance that has real depth in its hidden recesses. But it has longevity problems on my skin.

THE VINTAGE VERSION (thanks, ubuandibeme): After the sharp galbanum opening, the chypre nature of this earlier Miss Dior hits – complete with the leather that I didn’t smell in the current version. This opening carries an immediate leather note along with the bergamot and the oakmoss – I don’t get the gardenia and only a hint of indole hiding under the smooth leather. The rose and jasmine take their time (why hurry?) to show up under the leather chypreness and these aren’t the “pretty” florals that I expereinced in the current formulation… these florals are sensual and enticing in their quiet voluptuousness. This accord holds for hours as it gradually changes into a soft drydown of patchouli and labdanum with still a trace of oakmoss. This is a great scent and even the current version, though less intense and more modern, is a thumbs up.

The lavender note used is not a quality lavender, and it detracts from the citrus and fruit of the opening accord. Eventually the accord settles down to a very nice combination and stays as a pleasant but uninspired opening. I’m not fooled by the calming down of the lavender because poor lavender always returns to get its revenge. By the time the fragrance softens to the middle light herbal accord, the fragrance has permanently set its character as a soft, pleasant, uncreative fragrance that probably won’t have much of a dry down because that’s what most fragrances like this do. ... I don’t get much of a drydown except that disagreeable trace of leftover cheap lavender…

I've just sampled Chez Bond, and was struck by it's similarity to GIT. Then I read the other reviews and realized I was not alone.

I'll stick with Creed. I mark this as neutral purely for it's lack of ambition.

I get an Acqua di Gio opening with cucumber and lime served on the side. I didn’t like it at first but after a few wearings, it’s growing on me. I also enjoy is the minty middle notes: Acqua di Gio has turned into Live Jazz – two fragrances in one – what a deal! With the base the cedarwood comes through the most dominant for me, followed by the vetiver and then amber – it’s not a sweet base, and it carries the fresh, clean feeling of the top and middle levels. I never thought I’d like this one, but it turns out to be rather interesting: An Acqua di Gio clone that is better… more complex… than the original AdG.

Passion? I don’t think so. To be honest, I’m not a fan of that citrus / lavender opening accord that is so prominent in so many of the mass marketed fragrances. It’s too ‘90s. This is a typical generic, synthetic concoction. I get metallic… probably the combination of the lavender and the cedar… and it certainly isn’t one of your better metallic notes. The drydown, too, is uninspired and persistently sub par.

A beautiful fragrance… a classic and discreet green floral. It opens fresh and clean with bergamot, hyacinth, and light citrus. In the background I get a soft rose and jasmine that rounds out the floral character. Some slight spices and the florals continue building the heart notes. The pyramid says clove for spice, but I find it hard to believe that clove could be this sheer… The powdery base presents patchouli, amber, and musk in a soft and sweet accord. Delicate sillage and near enough longevity …totally lovely.

Unisex, definitely. I find Edwardian Bouquet decidedly indolic. It presents a rich and smooth indolic jasmine with a refined galbanum for an excellent floral / green accord that is backgrounded by a clean mossy note. To my nose, the jasmine and possibly the lily overwhelm the other florals in the mixture causing me to question why this scent was named “bouquet” instead of “white floral,” but that’s just nomenclature. The complete accord of the opening, the white floral / galbanum heart, and the clean mossy background give off a chypre feeling to me – one that makes me luxuriate in its power and sensuality. I lose the moss in the base and get a rich but discreet woody / amber drydown that lasts for an impressive length of time. Edwardian Bouquet is another winning scent from Floris and likely will be my fourth purchase from this excellent company. I love Edwardian Bouquet’s classicism and its elegant, chypre nature. …Moderate to strong sillage and lasts forever.

Except for the first time I tested this, I have not gotten a tobacco note. The first time, it opened up with a quiet tobacco that lasted only five or ten minutes; then it went to a wood accord with the gaïac wood predominating over vetiver. Every test after that has brought an opening that featured a strong, bitter smoky note much like birch tar. The birch tar smokiness now continues to dominate the whole fragrance to my nose and the pleasant aoud / vetiver accord that I smelled the first time I tested it has never shown up again. So my judgment is that there is way too much tar for me in this fragrance, even though the tar does not project strongly. If you can get along with birch tar, this might be a good fragrance… me… no.

Sampled this recently and was quite impressed by the scent - upliftingly fresh, living greenery with a mossy vetiver drydown. I don't find the top notes harsh at all and I suspect a modern update-type of reformulation may be responsible for rounding off these edges. The quality is still impeccable and the composition bears all the hallmarks of a Jean-Claude Ellena classic - crystal clear notes, clean lines, ethereality.

EAU DE CAMPAGNE lasts about 2-3 hours on my skin on average. Not particularly unacceptable for an 'eau' but it does make me scrutinise the hefty price tag just a little bit closer.

A fruity opening that I can actually enjoy… It’s pleasant and perhaps a bit more floral than fruity, but the probable reason I enjoy it is that the opening has rosewood and I’m a sucker for rosewood. It’s a beautiful opening and one that is unique – at least I haven’t smelled many like it. The middle accord presents a refined floral accord. I particularly enjoy that the heliotrope comes through quite clearly and heliotrope is my favorite of the floral notes offered. I get a bit of powder from the orris in the heart’s background, and that adds a sensuality to the florals. Birmane is listed as an Oriental – Woody… the “Oriental” I understand but I don’t get much of a wood emphasis, not even in the base that lists sandalwood. What I get is primarily vanilla, tonka, and musk... and this accord, in particular, presents that aspect of the fragrance that Takemyhusbandplz points out: It comes across well when smelled away from the skin but is rather too bland when smelled closely. Birmane is a charmingly feminine fragrance with soft sillage and good longevity.

This is the most uninteresting, unremarkable fragrance I’ve tried in a long time. My first impression is that it is synthetic – not hugely synthetic… just err… blah synthetic. Then it’s generic but not grossly generic, just “Hmmm… I can’t think of a more suitable word than ‘generic.’” It’s sort of aquatic, I guess, and it has some cedar in the heart notes. It’s not sweet and it’s not not-sweet. It’s supposed to have a resinous drydown. I don’t get any drydown at all. Intuition has weak sillage and unimpressive longevity. Totally forgettable.

If you love violet, this one’s for you. I find the violet notes in 99 Regent Street completely overwhelming to the exclusion of the other, more desirable, notes. I dislike the synthetic violet note that is included in so many of these fragrances now days – I’m talking unconditional hatred for several of them. If you, like me, dislike the synthetic violet notes of modern perfumery, forget about 99, Regent Street… it’s as violently violet as Grey Flannel.

Metallically synthetic, and not in the most pleasant way. Ferrari Black is pretty typical of the automobile fragrances – unoriginal, fruity, sweet, and featuring a strong vanilla / amber drydown that somehow is short of lasting ability. But it’s certainly not the worst one of its sort, and it probably won’t be the last of its kind, either.

I’ve tested about four or five fragrances based on the Turkish delight concept, and in my mind, this one is unquestionably the best. Keiko Mecheri’s Loukhoum doesn’t go over the top with gooey sweetness, nor does it get unbalanced in its handling of its several dynamic floral and fruit notes. Loukhoum presents its refined rose / honey / almond accord in a way that features the sweetness and lusciousness, but with the perfect timbre for wearing as a fragrance. The musks, woods, and vanilla of the base are beautifully presented, discreet, and long lasting. I love this one.

Not bad at all… It’s a bit green, ambery, fruity… a bit synthetic but not disagreeably so. It’s quite powdery, and I think Russlan’s right… there’s even a little bit of osmanthus in there.

What I really enjoy about Fire & Ice is that it has some uniqueness to it: It’s not generic / synthetic like so many of the designer fragrances of recent vintage. Its synthetic feel is acceptable... enjoyable even. It gives off a pleasant sillage. If money is a consideration, this one merits a tryout.

Romeo Gigli Man is another very good product from a designer who has produced some notably good scents. RGM opens with an interesting spicy / citrus accord that keeps its well-balanced nature quietly and competently. For spice I get a soft, sort-of-nutmeg note that I find is more enjoyable than a true nutmeg note. The bamboo and the hiba wood in the middle and base work beautifully: They present a slightly exotic feeling to complete the comfortable, casual, discreet feeling of the fragrance. I enjoy this one very much and it’s a steal at the prices they are charging.

A compilation by Sheldrake of a couple of his other creations… Yes, it does remind me of Feminite du Bois and a little of Arabie. It’s quieter and softer than Feminite du Bois. It’s not as radical as either, but, reminiscent or not, it does have its own character as well as the character of a Luten’s fragrance. Bois Et Fruits is fruity, but not the fresh, juicy fruity... rather the dried fruits of Arabie. It’s woods stand out more than in both of its Sheldrake progenitors. The top and middle notes are primarily a dried fruity presentation similar to Arabie but without the abundant spices or the abundant abundance. The woodnotes are smooth and rich but for a long time remain in the background of the fruit accord. When the cedar does come forward, it is quite diminutive, and the end is near. I find Bois Et Fruits a highly enjoyable scent while it lasts, but it is way too short on longevity on my skin… Too bad for its poor longevity, it would have been a sure purchase if it had lasted longer on my skin.

The apple, the coffee, and the extensive list of liquors don’t come through for me. About all I get are some screechy synthetic notes that do not bare a resemblance to any smell I know of in the natural world or the virtual world for that matter. Sillage is poor and longevity is poorer. Not a very good scent IMO.

This is a fragrance that probably should not be smelled close to the skin… Its special beauty is in its sillage. Close sniffing gives primarily a massively amalgamated accord that is substantially linear, and, likely, to most of the younger generation and even many of the older generation, extremely off-putting. Versailles Pour Homme is a rich, spicy, resinous, and grossly animalic complexity, but its complexity is not in its traditional movement or level-to-level development. Its complexity is accomplished in its sillage that richly sends out its captivating essences in various wafts of spice, wood, resin, jasmine, greens, amber, leather and musk.

For those who love this kind of olfactory art form, Versailles Pour Homme could well be the art form's supreme masculine expression. It’s a fragrance only for those who understand and value that distinct animalic masculinity that is often called “outdated.” As for me... I have to award it a thumbs up - but only for its audacity. In actuality, it frightens me... Strong sillage and unreal longevity.

Strong… too strong and not very original. Gendarme Sky opens very perfumy-citrusy; it smells to me like an inexpensive should-have-been-forgotton fragrance from the past. The floral element of the middle (magnolia? Can’t really tell… too perfumy.) is also quite strong and a lot more discretion would be advised. The dry down is woody and mossy and perfumy. It’s nice if you want to be Mr. Cologne guy, but I’ll pass.

I first tested Infusion d’Iris and loved it so I was expecting to love this one, too. I was surprised that I did not enjoy the opening or and other level of Infusion d’Homme. Its pyramid presents a list of notes that I enjoy and look forward to… but it doesn’t carry through to an actuality. It is shallow and uninteresting and annoying. I don’t mind the aldehydes even though they are very prominent. What I find annoying is the “clean note” (or maybe the galbanum... I’m not sure which). It’s not a bad note, it’s just so generically and boringly soapy. My dislike for Infusion d’Iris isn’t limited to the opening: the heart and base notes don’t come through very pleasantly for me because that "clean" note continues to the end, overwhelming everything else the fragrance has to offer. I much prefer Infusion d’Iris over this one.

Interesting opening – a floral accord that seems almost bubble-gummy sweet, but there is something about the accord that holds my interest instead of my seeing it become a cliché. I think that what keeps the accord interesting is the (comparatively) heavy lily note in the mixture that dominates but in no way overcomes the lighter, more delicate, neroli and hawthorn notes… It’s a unique accord that, as Vibert says, gets dangerously close to being a disaster… but it never closes that last inch. I seem to miss a lot that is supposed to be going on in Louanges: The lily note, though prominent, does not come across to me as indole laden, and I don’t get an incense note unless that slight smoke in the background counts as such. Louanges stays rather linear in its excellent floral accord, and that accord continues into and through the drydown where the florals get a bit sweeter and unite themselves with a modicum of resinous wood note. The delicacy and artistry of the structure and movement is exceptional.

Louanges Profanes 19 is an endearing classical floral fragrance, done exceptionally well with enough edginess to remove it far from the “pretty” category and place it in the “has a strong element of depth and complexity” category. It’s lovely and memorable.

Sweet carmel but not the icky sweet caramel… this one is sophisticated and adult. One way it is more adult is that it is presented with toasted hazelnuts, for a burned effect that reduces the sweet aroma of caramel. Underneath caramel and smoky hazelnut accord, I get the licorice whose obscure sweetness forms an agreeable tension with the caramel. I like this conflict very much... it adds its tension to the opening accord to make it so much more intriguing than the several cloyingly sweet interpretation of these elements that I’ve tested. The movement from the opening to the middle and base is quite slow and this lethargy shows the smoothness of this fragrance’s strong, unique notes. The drydown is excellent. It’s a dry, aromatic (resinous, even) wood accord that is everything a wood lover like me can ask for… I can identify the wenge wood, the vetiver, the incense, the dried grass and certainly the resins: everything I love… Identify them but I feel the drydown could be stronger; if fact, I find the whole fragrance rather too discreet. Aomassai contains beautiful and captivating accords and I would like them to show off a little more than they do… and they could last a little longer than they do.

Jasmin Full opens with a strong, clear, floral accord with a potent green streak. I’m not sure how much of the floral accord is jasmine and how much is honeysuckle or orange blossom… I think it’s possible that the jasmine dominates, but however much, it is the aromatically clean, non-indole jasmine… It’s pretty and quite strong at first, but it’s also a bit unchallenging as floral accords go. Yes, I can see this as a fragrance that would do for a casual everyday choice, because it’s the kind of fragrance a person could scarcely go wrong wearing.

I think that (worn lightly) it would make a good office fragrance exactly because It IS pretty and fresh and green and uncomplicated… It does “pretty” very nicely, but “pretty” is only superficial: It needs a soul…

Nope! Too much of a violet smell for me… the violet smell, ginger, and ylang-ylang come through strongly enough to all but overwhelm what I think the iris note should be. I like the ylang-ylang note but I would prefer less ginger and violet. What Iris ambiance I do smell, is very nice, but it suffers from too much competition with other, less desirable notes IMO.

The opening presents a strong smoky note – I would say that the smoke is caused by a combination of the incense and cedar oil... if vetiver is a part of the smoke, it’s wearing an entirely unfamiliar face in this version of itself. It’s a persistent smoke and it dominates to my nose for several minutes until I start detecting a bit of sweetness with a touch of a dry but not harsh vetiver note. The vetiver note is more recessive than not… It is neither the wild, raw green vetiver nor a delicate vetiver... it lies somewhere in between and it comes across as sweet. One thing I like about the vetiver is that it isn’t cut with citrus as too often happens, but the lack of citrus is irrelevant because the vetiver note is extremely short lived to my nose.

The smoky note stays around for the entire run of the fragrance, while the fragrance plays with presenting hits and misses of spice notes such as pepper and cloves grounded by a hint of gaïac wood and / or labdanum. I don’t appreciate this fragrance to any great extent; it doesn’t come on to my nose either very forcefully or very interestingly.

I agree: … that in the opening I smell more neroli (and orange blossom) than jasmine …that Jasmin 17 is fresh, gentle, and lovely …that there is a whispering sensuality hiding beneath the prettiness. This is not the way I usually prefer jasmine. I prefer the indole laden, no-holds-barred jasmine. But Jamin 17 presents the powerful jasmine is such a diaphanous way, that I can’t help but admire its originality and transparency. …such a lovely, delicate presentation of such a powerful force.

I’m not sure what the idea behind this fragrance is… It’s a simple, dry, clear floral / green accord. It doesn’t smell like orange blossom and there’s a streak of clean green running through it that seems to confuse or disguise the floral notes to my nose… I just can’t identify the floral. At times the simple, clear, pristine, straight-forword scents can be incredibly beautiful, but this isn’t a scent like that – it isn’t pristine or delicate or at all captivating. I agree that it seems like a household cleaning product.

A robust and fantastic lavender based scent. Smells like real lavender, too. It is smoky which makes Gris Clair very unique as far as lavender scents go. Light and refreshing enough for the mild weather months. Could be a little desnse for some for the really warm weather months. Good sillage and longevity.

A vetiver for people who don't like vetiver. Although I really do like Creed's Vetiver, for the life of me I cannot detect the presence of any vetiver in this. Maybe it's blended so well with some of the other notes that I just can't smell it, but aren't fragrances with the word "Vetiver" in their titles supposed to have a prominent vetiver note?

Anyway, vetiver void aside, I think this is a very interesting scent, one which takes me back in time. Although The_Good_Life did not like this scent, I do find his descriptions very much in line with what I smell in Creed's Vetiver. Yes, this does have a very old-fashioned vibe to it, with a smell that reminds me of a barbershop from a very long time ago, where the leather on the chairs is so old it's started to crack, and the spilled talcum powder and aftershave over the years has soaked into and become ingrained into the wooden floorboards in the shop. There is a sort of old mustiness that pervades this fragrance, which I hated in Knize Ten, but which intrigues me in Vetiver and draws me to it.

Creed's Vetiver is not a scent I would wear very often, but it is one I could see purchasing simply to savor every once in a while, so that I can take a quick blast back to the old days when personal grooming was a hallmark of a gentleman.

"Musk For Men" is a misnomer because there ain't no musk here, as far as my nose can tell. This is a basic, stripped-down fougere, very old-school and manly. Although I can smell some similarity to Clubman, particularly in its strong talcum powder and barbershop feel, I think it's much more similar to Canoe, only less blatantly synthetic and better balanced than Canoe. Musk For Men doesn't have the green, natural beauty of early fougeres like Wild Fern (Trumper) or English Fern (Penhaligon's), but if you're looking for a pure, unadulterated fougere that is longer lasting than most, you can't go wrong with this, especially considering the price. This is a perfectly respectable scent that might not garner tons of compliments, but won't embarrass you either.

Musk For Men by Coty is nothing to write home about, but it is a competent, well balanced scent that represents good value for the money if you're looking for a no-frills fougere.

Apparently this was a pretty popular scent during the disco ‘70s, and looking at the silly looking box you can tell. The fragrance’s cheezy packaging and dumb name made me think this would be some horribly tacky, outdated swill (think Bill Blass For Men), but once I smelled it, I realized I was dead wrong. This is truly an outstanding fragrance.

Let me start by saying that if you walked up to me wearing this and told me you were wearing KL Homme because you were too embarrassed to admit you were wearing Sex Appeal For Men, I’d believe you. This really does smell remarkably like KL Homme, and I have to assume that it was what inspired Lagerfeld to release KL, since Sex Appeal was released years earlier.

Never smelled KL Homme before? Well, in a nutshell it’s only perhaps the greatest oriental fragrance for men ever made, It is a warm, spicy, orange-hued beauty, with a smouldering amber base (see my Basenotes review of KL Homme for more details). It most certainly is a “sexy” smell, and thus Sex Appeal For Men is actually a very apt name. The only differences between Sex Appeal and KL that I can detect are that KL is a tad more complex (Sex Appeal is rather linear) and spicy, and is just slightly longer lasting than Sex Appeal. Other than that, if you’ve always wanted a bottle of KL Homme but can’t score one due to its being discontinued, Sex Appeal For Men makes a great alternative, and at a fraction of the price. It has exactly the same overall feel of KL Homme, and all of its virtues.

I don’t agree one bit with those who say this smells dated. In fact, I don’t associate Sex Appeal’s scent with any time period at all. This really is a classic and timeless scent, and could easily be mistaken for one of today’s super-expensive niche scents. It really is that good.

Cedre isn't awful to my nose, but it really isn't anything noteworthy, either, especially given its price and numerous superior renditions of the tuberose flower ( some by the very same house! )

Poison infamously has a grape crush note, but Sheldrake has paired his jasmine and tuberose with something even sweeter - bubblegum! Yes, bright, simplistic versions of these two flowers feel sandwiched between a pack of Juicy Fruit and the more usual pink stuff. This isn't at all the limpid naturalism of fragrances like Carnal Flower or Lutens' own A La Nuit, but perhaps a close cousin of Michael Kors for women with the sweetness turned on high.

In the drydown, some of the token cedar does show up - a hint of Lutens' Bois accord, candied yet still smelling a little lost among the hot-pink neon sweetness.

When I picture the wearer of this fragrance, I picture a woman raised on this generation of fruity-florals, seeking something more upscale, yet gravitating to more or less the same thing she knows from thousands of better-priced fragrances.

She'd be better off saving her money and going with what she already knows.

A young and average style scent. Slightly sweet n' fruity, slightly fresh/clean white floral. Average longevity and sillage.

Ok, I'll say it - I *LOVE* this fragrance, despite the price tag, it's probably one of the most versatile and enjoyable colognes I've experienced.

At first, it's extremely powdery and floral-like - almost reminding me of my grandmother's perfume.

However, as it dries down and settles in, it becomes a wonderfully blended combination of mild floral scents and little bit of vetiver, and perhaps pepper or another spice, I can't quite place it. An hour or two after applying it, Number 1 is a little more subtle, but all of the scents are still there, and for me, last all day.

I have to admit, as another reviewer said, I have a hard time separating the price from the fragrance, but in all honesty, I'd enjoy this regardless of the price.

If you're ever visiting a Nieman Marcus to pick up a Creed cologne, ask for a sample of No. 1. The women at the fragrance counter at Nieman's in Troy, Michigan were a delight to work with, and really loaded me up with samples of a number of colognes.

At first this disappointed me. I had heard it called a green chypre and compared to Chanel 19, which I adore, and was looking for something similarly chic, aloof, and complicated. Ivoire suffers by the comparison; on first test I found it cheap and sanitary.

I liked it better when I gave it a second test on it's own terms. After the alcohol burns off the top, it is sweet like skin freshly scrubbed with soap, with a recognizable hyacinth note that I love. It is green, yes, but barely a chypre, with no mossy or funky notes. Galbanum warms up nicely over time. The drydown is mild sandalwood and a fruity note that reminds me of a raspberry lotion I had as a pre-teen.

It's a fresh and cheerful scent that reminds me of a cleaner, simpler time in my life. Wearing it now makes me a little sad. I took a nap yesterday with my Ivoire-dabbed wrist against my nose, listening to the neighbor's children play outside and dreaming of someone I'm not anymore.

The top notes earn 5 stars, the heart notes barely 2 stars, and the base notes deserve about 3. Full Choke must catch many a buyer who feels instant attraction—at introduction, the scent is lively and reminiscent of the best part of New Haarlem: fresh coffee and sweet, burnt cinnamon toast. Within minutes, FC turns stunningly boring, like the delicious stuff exits the room, leaving nothing to smell but an old metal toaster. Surprisingly, an echo of the original scent and sweetness surfaces during the drydown. If I could freeze-frame those top notes, I'd either wear this or insist my husband do so. It's a shame that pineapple, rum, vanilla and amber couldn't maintain a gourmand heart. (Notes: gunpowder, cardamom, pepper, pineapple, coriander, jasmine, lily of the valley, rose, vetiver, rum, vanilla, musk, and amber.)

Simple juicy lemons and simple sneezingly hot black or white peppers. When peppers gone you got only lemon. It is flat no better than many more complicated lemons like Eau des Merveilles by Hermès or Erolfa by creed or Suivez-Moi by Fragonard or any hundreds or more bergamot lemon colognes....

The labdanum and benzoin should be at the base but the very first think in this scent is the nose blinding vicks vapour like resins. They are so strong that when i try to smell i can feel it in my eyes, my cornea burning. After fifteen minutes or more vicks weakens a bit and shows up something like leather ad some violets. after the first hour grows coriander birch and pachuli. Really hard to enjoy for me.

Possibly the best Men's fragrance value in the $0.86 per ounce category!

I hadn't worn this since T-Rex roamed the earth but was inspired to try it again by a recent Basenotes Thread. It instantly brought back memories of the very few times I wore it, and those all almost exclusively on high school dates as I recall.

If Aqua Velva Ice Blue had never before been issued and was brought to market today as a Designer Fragrance I believe it would easily sell for 5 times the price for half the 7.0 ounce volume of today's bottle. This is a smooth, masculine of typical Aftershave longevity with a most pleasant lavender/bergamot opening that ends up as a musky/mossy/amber delight!

Don't expect a powerhouse or a top tier mix of scents by any means--enjoy it as a comfort frag that projects a relaxed mood and a man-in-the-house atmosphere.

I know of no other bargain fragrance that gives so much for so little money.

Wi-zi-wig.
Like several of Jo Malone’s blends, Amber and Lavender is a fragrant "wiziwig." That’s a sound-it-out spelling for WYSIWYG (What You See is What You Get), a user interface term with etymological roots in Flip Wilson's "Geraldine" act, and a 1972 hit song by the Dramatics.

In this no-nonsense mix. For the first twenty minutes or so, light, creamy amber peacefully coexists with herbal lavender. Within an hour the amber fades, lasting close to the skin, while lavender takes the lead. The two notes nearly regain equilibrium in a quiet, long-lasting dry drown.

I find straightforward, brisk lavender scents difficult to wear, even once they fade, perhaps because lavender is my aroma of choice for dish soaps, ironing water, and such. Unlike Jo Malone’s luscious Dark Amber and Ginger Lily, where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts [to use a Turinism], the scent of Amber and Lavender never overreaches its name. I like ti best about 8 hours in when I have to seek it out on my skin.

Lavender lovers should try this fine example of disambiguation in fragrance. As for me, while I appreciate the simplicity of WYSIWYGs when building web pages, I would rather navigate multiple layers of complexity in high-end bottles.

Fizzy vanilla, bitter almond, a hint of rich dark cocoa... It smells so delicious I feel like drinking this stuff! But HYPNOTIC POISON is far from being overtly gourmand nor strongly feminine (I smell no jasmine); I wouldn't hesitate for a second to recommend it to those who enjoy 'fizzy frags' like Myrrhe Ardente, 1969 Parfums de Revolte or even Escada Magnetism. To them I say forget 'magnetic', go 'hypnotic'. This one plays for keeps.

In my opinion, Avignon is THE archetypal frankincense fragrance. While I've smelled creative uses of it in mixed blends, and even more so, smelled dry, brittle, and faint renditions in various forms, in my experience only Avignon has truly captured the magic of the burning resin. Here, there is a deep, glowing richness than encapsulates all things frankincense in liquid frorm. Are there other notes? Some, yes. I distinctly detect chamomile, and perhaps some background of spice, but none of the bright citrus or dry woods frankincense is often paired with. Avignon is almost entirely about frankincense, though and though, totally linear yet complex enough to be satisfying in and of itself.

The silllage and longevity are well above for me.

If you love frankincense, I can't imagine why this wouldn't be for you.

Black Orchid to me is a swirling drama of spice, sweets and darkness. I do not find the aquatic note distracting- it lifts the darkness a little . I also find the truffle/ mushroom unobstrusive /it just adds a little quirkiness to the opening. I can imagine this being a black orchid flower that grows in the swamps of Florida - a much desired orchid whose intense aroma is fills the humid night air . This is not the mild vanilla scent of any ordinary orchid , it is an alien orchid with a strange but delectable scent that seduces.
Lasting power is very good for an EDP.
Packaging and advertising all point to a retro - style powerhouse fragrance ,glamorous,loud,diva - like and big. However, I think it is a very modern interpretation. So Tom Ford and I love it.

A charming take on the cologne genre. Here the typical bright, pleasing neroli of these accords is paired with frankincense and a subtle touch of herbs. The balance of sweet, tart, and resinous is all perfectly in balance.

As with most of the genre, the sillage is briefly loud, then quiet, then gone, and the longevity correspondingly ephemeral. This in no way reduces it's charm if you, as I do, think of colognes such as this as brief little refreshments, rather than all-day fragrances.