Fragrance Reviews

Why try Djedi? What struck me is that before mine there are but six reviews, all positive, several of which describe Djedi as not just a fragrance, but as an experience. While many fragrances reviewed on Basenotes produce intense reactions, few seem to rival the effects of Djedi.

Curiosity got the best of me, so I obtained a small decant of the vintage parfum (not the reissue). Was it worth it? Yes! Dark, earthy, pungent, austere and unlike anything I have ever tried. A great scent to support introspective thinking and quiet contemplation. I cannot help but wonder how wearers were affected and impressed by Djedi in the 1920s.

It starts with cool tangerine and morphs into a warm black currant and musk accord. To my nose the drydown has a soapy character. Not very long lasting on my skin. Worth a try, but I nothing I would buy.

I have tested 5 Creeds so far and after HimaIaya and MI I like this one the best! It's a scent you can wear ANY day at ANY moment! Maybe it's just a bit too feminine, but I like it very much!

8/10 for sure!

Last week I tested the endurance of Neroli Sauvage, Royal Water, Royal Delight and Millesime Imperial on my arms simultaneously. Royal Water lasted about 7 hours, and Royal Delight and Millesime Imperial lasted a few hours longer. However, Neroli Sauvage was pretty near undetectable on my skin after just one hour. I've cited the other three to show that I don't have some kind of weird scent destroying skin chemistry. By way of comparison, I get five hours out of Eau de Rochas Homme, but I only get two hours from Dior's Eau Sauvage - though others claim they get a full day's wear out of it - so I suppose it is possible that some people would get longer longevity out of Neroli Sauvage than what I did.

But at the end of the day, Neroli Sauvage outlasts only one other scent I've ever come across - the ubiquitous 4711. No matter how nice it may smell, it's ultra poor longevity on me, disqualifies it as being a scent for me - I'd rate it poorly as an air freshener.

Buying this scent blind on the basis of the reviews here is certainly Not Recommended.
Unless you are happy with buying very short lasting scents that cost a lot of money, you really have to test this one properly before buying.
Renato

I Have just recently tried Kremlin and I'm loving it! It is a Spicy Oriental. It is warm, fresh, spicy, and long lasting. It's very hard to find in US but it's well worth trying if you can locate it. This is a good one! Below are the notes in Kremlin

Aldehyde, Basil oil, Bergamot oil, Galbanum, Green Note, Lemon, Mandarin, Peach,


Carnation, Jasmin, Lily of the Valley, Rose,


Amber, Cedar, Civet, Labdanum, Patchouli, Sandal, Tonka, Vanilla,

Ohh I like this one!!!

This is my favourite scent when going to work or when meeting a client. The drydown is one of the best I have ever seen (or in this case, smelled). For hot weather I prefer MI, but that said this fragrance is absolutely awesome!

8.5/10

Don't get me wrong, I would NEVER rate this perfume with dumbs down. It's greatly crafted and it smells nice, but it's just not my thing!

I prefer Himalaya and MI, but that's personal.

Try before you buy!

Cyprès-Musc was the first Creed I tried and it remains a favorite of mine. I see it as a scent of ‘cool-warm’ contrasts: a cool, crisp Cypress wood, wrapped in a warm musk, supported by oakmoss. I think of it as an autumn scent: it suggests to me a walk in woods on late day in Indian Summer. The scent of pine needles on the trail fills the air; the heat of sun is felt, but in a quiet way. Intensely coniferous in its opening, I realize it won’t be for everyone. A rather simple scent, but unique. It lasts 12+ hours on me.

This was the first feminine perfume I have recollection of smelling. It was my mother’s perfume and I remember it from my teen years and before. L’Aimant had a consistently negative effect on me. Whenever my mother sprayed it and I was on within 20 feet of her bedroom, I would become lightheaded and get a headache: a precursor of migraines to come. This was a heavy, powdery, aldehydic scent and one that gave me a negative view of women’s perfumes in general until I was well into my 20s.

I have had to review this perfume several times as I learn to identify notes. It is highly representatiave of the incense note--not as sweet and wearable as Black Cashmere, not as airy as Passage d'Enfer, not as herbal as Citti di Kyoto--but very realistic instead. This is the aroma that permeates Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches.
The notes in this fragrance are extremely difficult to pinpoint. My favorite part is the opening, which is intense, almost fizzy lemon and orange, but bittersweet, like pineapple and tonic water. The heart is full of frankincense and myrrh, which are dried tree resins, very woody and rich. Many reviewers report a "mildew" note. Perhaps this occurs from the dustiness of the cinnamon and frankincense combined with the mustiness of the patchouli. It is quite pleasant to me. My only complaint is this: the base is difficult for me to wear. Inside is a smoky, bitter note that builds up with time. It smells herbal, like sage, and pungent, like burned green wood. The drydown becomes ashen if the fragrance is overapplied. I have been thwarted in my enjoyment of this fragrance many times because of this single note. Without it, Messe de Minuit would be less artistic but much more functional as a perfume. As pure artristy, I give it a high thumbs-up, but I have to drop my rating to neutral as a perfume because of my frustration with the drydown.

I like many of the notes in Chinatown so in theory I should love it but unfortunately I just can't get on with it. The spicy dry down is too spiky for me. I got a second sample from another source just in case the first one is off but no joy. Longevity is good though, I've had to wash it off each time I've sampled it. I'm disappointed this one's not for me.

Lemon, spice, incense, vanilla and a big musk finish. Pepper and vanilla present themselves first, but the scent quickly develops into a huge, spicy musk. There is some rose, but Parfum Sacre not floral; it is a big Oriental, heavy and hot/sweet. I think cardamom and mace are evident. The scent blooms on the skin and lasts a long time.

I really don’t know what to make of this one. Is this just another “creatively” labeled fragrance? Do I have selective anosmia? Did they send the wrong sample? Does my skin eat fire? From what I smell, this fragrance could realistically be labeled “fire” only in some sort of reverse universe. The website blurb about Fire says, “The powerful fire of precious woods and spices, cooled off with lavender and soothing herbs…” I get no fire at all – not even a spark. I get a rather tame, unspicy, possibly wood, probably lavender opening accord that pretty much linearly stays that way for the entire long, long run of the fragrance. Dull and monotonous, I’d rather spend five or six hours smelling ketchup.

L’eau de Circé is a quite nice fruity / floral. White peach dominates the opening with a touch of citrus – not too fruity sweet, which is important to me; and it certainly does not smell like so many of the other fruity / florals. The florals of the middle, too, are kept from becoming overbearing or cloying or ordinary. They present a smooth, even, long-lasting floral richness to the still-contained / controlled fruit notes. I get an excellent wood / patchouli dry down with a bit of honey for its only sweetness. Lasts beautifully and is legitimately unisex as far as I'm concerned: This is a quality fragrance. I’m not quite sure about the Circé reference, though. Perhaps L’eau de Circé turns men into pigs just as Circé did, but my ex would say that you don’t need a fragrance or magic for that to happen...

This is a fairly green floral perfume. It starts with a citrus top note sweetened with ylang-ylang and moderated slightly by green leaves. The heart blooms with muguet and cyclamen, softened by the slightly acerbic note of linden flowers. The base is a woody-musky blend, which supports the whole as effortlessly as if it floated on air above.

This is an airy, springlike scent. The blend of the notes almost inexplicably produces an unmistakably green aura which one wouldn't expect from the fragrance pyramid. The linden note is definitely central to this, its slightly bitter, sharp overtone altering what would otherwise be a rather run-of-the-mill sweet floral accord into something far more intriguing and satisfying. This is marketed as a shared scent, and I believe it can be, though I expect it will appeal mostly to women. Air signs (like this Libran here), the tender-hearted, and the idealistc among the male crowd, however, may find this pleasing, I suspect.

This will and always be my signature scent. No other fragrance has impacted me and my life the way this has. Yea Yea Impacted sounds a little extreme. I've recieved immense amount of compliments with this. The Lemon top note combined with geranium gives off a nice clean fresh feeling but with added depth. As the scent progresses I find the beautifully comprise basenotes kick in and well it just gets incredibly sexy. Definatley a lady killer.
10/10

Ahhhh my first Bond No 9 fragrance and well...what a success! The intial blast of Violet, Cassis, and Thyme was dead on beautiful to me. Love at first sniff! This fragrance is amazing. The comparisons of Original Vetiver and Bvlgari Extreme have a very VERY, I'm talking miniscule the size of a molecule truth to it. Yea yea they have "GREEN" aspects to them but nothing other than that. Anyway, Longevity, this baby lasts and lasts on me I smell it a good 9 hours at the very least later and its still kicking butts and taking names. Sillage is damn right amazing. I remember walking to get my food in the mall and hearing 4 times just walking to get the food, " Oh wow he smells really good" or " Hey what are you wearing?" Its just plain sexxy. What can I say... my first Bond was a beauty!
10/10

The comparison to Rochas is quite true BUT I do believe this fragrance is way better in terms of quality than Rochas. At first it hits with its incredible RICHNESS. Incredible amount of body here but nonetheless still not over the top. As it dries down it still doesn't faltar. Thing is though it never goes away. It lasted a good 9 hours on me but I wanted to take it off during the last couple hours. I think this is incredibly well made and doesn't take the route of other "Gourmands" and ends up as just vanilla. It stays together, a little too well for a long time. Its not for me but nonetheless I can appreciate this gourmand.
6/10

It’s fresh, it’s blue, and it’s musky. Except for its strident synthetics, it does smell something like Grandma’s purse, bless her soul. I don’t remember buying it, but there it is on that out of the way shelf in the hall closet. It doesn't hold my interest for very long, and I realize there are a lot of elements in Fresh Blue Musk that I should dislike; nevertheless, I do rather like it...if I’m not exposed to it for long periods of time. There’s no accounting for taste, I guess.

I don’t know why it’s called "magnolia": I don’t really smell any magnolia in it. It is floral, though – there is a definite rose note. Unfortunately, I get orchid, too (I don’t like orchid notes in fragrances). Besides those florals there are a solid honey note and lots of powdery notes whose source I can’t identify. The sandalwood that is listed for the base is not available to my nose, but I believe that I get a slight leather note in the background – leather is not listed in the pyramid. Whatever, I don’t find anything in this scent that is especially attractive or accomplished … it just doesn’t come together for me.

I don’t get the citrus of the opening because the darker notes from the lower levels of the pyramid rise into the opening immediately and drown the citrus out. George Sand opens deep, rich, and a bit dark. In the first several minutes I seem to find a strong element of animalism in the mixture: This is probably the result of the way the patchouli is presented, but I wouldn’t be surprised by an inclusion of civet. Whatever… I really like this part of the fragrance, as well as the remainder. I do love the depth and richness of the opening and the heart accords. I don’t find the fragrance really “dark” per se. It’s just rich, mature, and fulfilling. I believe that, while the patchouli and sandalwood are responsible for the depth and shadowy feeling that dominate, the middle notes of rose and amber combine to round out, balance, and refine the patchouli / sandalwood accord to a beautiful degree. This fragrance drips with sophistication. The dry down is a spicy / ambery / sandalwood treat, quite classic and very well made. It surprises me that it is now offered through MPG – or is it still Les Parfumes Historiques? – because it seems more classic and traditional that the usual run of MPG fragrances. I don’t see much of a relationship to Opium, but I can agree with the comparison to Bal a Versailles. It is labeled as a feminine fragrance, but, just like its George Sand persona, it can go both way. Personally I’m a sucker for well-made, classically styled Orientals, and that’s exactly what George Sand EDP is: excellent and well-made and beautiful.

Captivating aromatic and resinous opening – admittedly, “aromatic and resinous” doesn’t sound like a gourmand, but it is gourmand in this case. Cedre Sandaraque has all the necessary elements to qualify it as a gourmand, but it is different from the normal run of gourmands: It’s not strong, nor is it thin. It’s a rich, quietly brooding, softly medicinal sweetness centered around the pralined amber. This amber accord is refined and balanced and steeped in shadowy resinousness and smoky sweetness. The cedar warms the background, and I suppose that the cereal gives that bit of neutral richness that I can’t ascribe to anything else. I don’t get any vetiver.

There are a lot of gourmands that I consider thumbs up fragrances, but I don’t really enjoy wearing most of them (Casual Friday is the only one I wear regularly) – they are just too sweet and youthful. This is one I really enjoy wearing because its resinousness and its smoky depth provide a broader dimension to its sweet gourmandness.

There’s a rather mysterious and exotic twist to the opening rosewood and aromatic accord – the combination of rosewood and aromatics is captivating. I’m not sure what causes the aromatics – other reviewers seem to think it is cedar, but it seems to me to be more aromatic than cedar usually delivers. It’s not woody enough for eucalyptus or aoud, so I think it is herbal – it is something like a strongly aromatic basil and thyme combined… or maybe the effect is caused by the rosewood itself. Rosewood is tricky. Whatever… I love the accord: it’s exotic and it’s highly wearable. This opening is somewhat sharp and it continues for a healthy period of time. When it finally morphs into its next and last stages, the sharpness is reduced by the florals, but the reduction isn’t enough to become mellow or soft on the skin.. The florals are significantly gobbled up by my skin and never have a chance – all they do is smooth out the sharpness of the rosewood / aromatics: The fragrance does get a little feminine at this point, but nothing that I can’t handle, especially because the middle doesn’t last long. The final stage is somewhat marine: I don’t get as strong of marine accord as others do. I get a weak salty ambiance in a neutrally textured accord – it’s an accord I enjoy it very much and it lasts beautifully. Complex and Zen at one and the same time – I love this scent.

Somehow this one had gone under my radar, and when, several years ago, I saw it at Marshall’s for a very reasonable price, I had no idea what I was buying, but I bought it for the name ‘Gucci.’ It opens up a bit ‘perfumy,’ which is exactly what to expect from a 1988 fragrance. The opening is clean—clean and green—it is a remarkably pure accord for as complex as it is: sharply citrus and lavender with herbal accents, but the herbals aren’t the usual aromatic version; they are solid and centered, which, I believe, causes the accord to have so much clarity. As Nobile moves to the mid notes, it picks up a little more green and some florals to fill out the accord with a fuller note. The middle level also begins to add in the coniferous notes, which continues the clean green character. The base is the typical base of the 80’s—complex, deep and rich, with cedar, sandalwood, and moss predominating. Nobile is long lasting and quite linear and that linearity offers those wonderful clean green vibrations in rich full deep green accords. There is a caveat with Nobile: It is very strong—there is the possibilityr of becoming Mr. Cologne if sprayed too injudiciously.

I am very prejudiced about Gucci Nobile — to put it plainly, it has been one of my top five fragrances since I found it.

Unique, unmistakable (a friend of mine wears this sometimes and you can just tell from the other side of the room), cloying and heavy. Feels like someone just doused a plum pudding with even more syrup, thinking it wasn't sweet enough, and decided to shove it under my nose. Just smelling it gives me a toothache. It's something I wouldn't mind having a spoonful with some ice cream for dessert, but do I want to smell like this all day? I think not.

Pleasant enough, but you know what, I've smelled it somewhere before. That's right folks, cK One. While the synthetic edges of cK One has been polished here and Quercus has a little more depth, I would have difficulty sorting out the two in a blind test. I don't see the point of getting this one when you can buy a bottle of cK One for 1/3 of its price.

How should I describe this one? A florist's compost?

Could have been a beautiful floral & fruits composition, but the stinky note that other reviewers have mentioned is on me unmistakably present and seems to dominate. Over time, that note fades to a manageable level where it resembles overripe bananas, and at that point I can begin to appreciate the scent without my stomach churning. However, the opening is just too off-putting for me. Apparently some people have less problem with the old sock thing, so give it a go in any case. It's an educational experience.

I dig grapefruits. I always keep some in the fridge, and sometimes I rub the peels on my hands because they smell so good. And that's exactly what AA Pampleune is like, in the top notes. Forget all those shallow, two-dimensional grapefruit wannabes. This is the way to go.

You could really imagine yourself sitting in a cathedral wearing this. The whiff of incense, the ancient wooden pews, the musty smell of old Bibles and tapestries, the cold stone floors. Yup, it's all there. But as beautiful as it is, I could not wear this on a regular basis - too somber.

Kisu is now called AKI by Tann Rokka. To me, it is one of the finest scents I've ever worn. It's become a favorite of mine, instantly. Others have described it well...it just takes "warm and wonderful" to the highest of levels. It IS very expensive...but a little goes a long way and it has wonderful staying power. For a parfum lover...this is a must try...and for me a must have.

Thirty years later, this is still around, and still pleasing, at least to some people. I have been on a green kick for a few days, so this one came to hand today. I think the green top is the most captivating part, but the floral-spicy heart and the woody oriental base with a touch of leather make this a winner all around. Leather chypre; bergamot in the top, moss and patchouli in the base: the classic formula.

Elegant, but approachable; comfortable; relaxed yet confident. This is the late seventies guy feeling his freedom and totally cool with it. Is today's world so different? Maybe this is one sense in which we could call this a "heritage scent."

An interesting scent. Paratus presents a strong coniferous accord that is a bit unusual in that the cardamom seems to neutralize the cedar and juniper to the point where I experience the accord as something not very coniferous. This is certainly not a coniferous accord that might be called “hamster cage.” Paratus is soapy, minimally spicy, a bit woody (patchouli). It is abstract and minimally minimalist. The main accord that opens the fragrance: the gray – green, soapy, faux-coniferous accord, is pretty much the whole fragrance – rather non-exciting, I think. The fragrance is linear and it lasts short of average length. Even though it is unexciting, I rather like Paratus because of its wierdness, but I have serious questions about its wearability and cost.

Not a fragrance for everyone, Rochas Femme is very strong, with a potent ripe fruit accord and a touch of the dirty. The opening fruit accord – peach and plum – is not at all sweet because its sweetness has been tempered by cumin and rosewood. It’s an excellent accord and I think that it is quite unisex. The florals from the middle still carry the spices to a very great extent, reducing the femininity of the florals. It’s base is a typical chypre dry down complete with patchouli and oakmoss. The result is a full, mellow, traditional chypre that is quite attractive and sensual. It’s a grownup scent, strong and forceful, that like so many of these older chypres, could easily make it as a unisex fragrance.

Aaaahhhhhh, this is scrumptious! Violet and wood. The violet here is absolutely succulent! It is deep, rich and dark (as opposed to bright/fresh/dewey). I actually salivate when smelling this Luten's masterpiece. It immediately reminds me of Dolce Vita - only better! The funny thing is, after reading Perfumes The Guide, I discover they are related! Bois de Violette pushes all the right buttons for me...including the woods blend, which does not strike me as dominantly cedar...it is crafted well and comes off as very wearable by either a man or woman. Maybe just a touch more feminine. In any case, I emptied my wallet for this one...and have not a single regret!

For a while in the late sixties this was my idea of class. Of course, by comparison with what I had been wearing, I wasn’t too far wrong. I believe that I began using British Sterling after an understandingly abortive attempt at wearing Hai Karate. Believe me, British Sterling was a great improvement over HK. Testing BS again I find it a bit better than I remember. The opening floral and citrus is a pleasant accord – more florals than I would have been comfortable with back then, but I can handle it now. When the fragrance moves to the middle level, it picks up its strong metallic vibration thanks to the clove / cedar combination. I recall it as being more metallic than I perceive now; I still find it too sharp, but not as sharp as my memory had expected. The base is rather dry. It claims amber but I can’t find a strong amber presence. As in many men’s fragrances at the time, it has a fairly dominant generic musk note – not a sweet musk – more powdery than sweet. I don’t get a strong wood accord from the base, probably because the base notes simply do not last very long. The metallic clove and cedar from the middle and the powdery musk from the base hang on as a skin scent for an hour or two. Possibly the fragrance has been reformulated, or my olfactory abilities have lessened, but I found in this reintroduction to British Sterling, that I don’t dislike it as I had expected to; however, I’m not going to take up wearing it again.

Nothing too exciting here: Numero Uno is not number one in my book. It’s a competent chypre without major (or even minor) flaws: It is primarily masculine because of its somewhat rough camphorousness and sharper textures from the use of eucalyptus and vetiver. Numero Uno is traditionally structured, and its movement is quite uninspiring. The opening is forgettable – I know this for sure because I had to apply it three times before I could force myself to pay enough attention to it in order to register it in my brain – make that four times, I just did it again. I tend to nod off at that citrus / lavender opening that I have met in so many fragrances, and this one seems as mediocre as the majority of that genre. The citrus in Numero Uno is bright and clean, but the lavender muddies up the accord. The middle is herbal / floral, with the thyme being the dominant representative of herbal group: poor choice as far as I’m concerned. Thyme doesn’t get along with lavender IMHO. The florals that excel are ylang-ylang and violet. The middle is competent but just as forgettable as the opening. For the dry down I get only the vetiver and a little bit of myrrh with an understood but intangible patchouli. The base has a real chypre feel to it, and is my favorite part of the fragrance.

In all, I find this an earthy fragrance – rustic, even. It is without flaws except that it is too safe, too uninspired. Its chypre classification is very real, and that is what I respect most about the fragrance. Test out Numero Uno – it’s a respectable fragrance that unfortunately holds too many squeaky boards for me, but I’m sure it would perform well on someone else.

Errr… I’m not so sure about this one … Maybe it smells a little like a Martini – especially the olive part of the Martini. I’m not so sure about the gin and vermouth, though. And then there is a kind of like some sort of alcohol but I would say that I’m not getting that juniper berry tickle that I get from gin – maybe that’s why it doesn’t seem very realistic to me. Martini gets spicy after a while – cloves to tell the truth, and I wonder how that fits in. I don’t find this an especially easy wear, but at least it has some sillage and very good longevity for a Demeter. I’m not crazy about it, but it’s okay.

Tiffany for Men Sport is at first dominated by a fresh, light cilantro (coriander). It’s clean and green and rather short lasting. Its cilantro introduction is replaced by a juniper berry woody middle accord – also very light and clean. There is supposed to be pepper in the accord, but I can’t find it. The whole feeling of the fragrance is one of lightness, cleanliness, vegetation freshness, which is, I suppose, appropriate for a sport fragrance. I find it quite linear. Its intensity is just about right for a sports fragrance, but it is a lot too short-lived for me. It serves its purpose very nicely for a while, and it is an enjoyable scent. Pretty expensive for what it delivers.

I hate to say this about a fragrance represented by the beauteous and provocative Catherine Zeta-Jones, but, unfortunately, this scent is not anywhere near as beautiful as Ms. Zeta-Jones. Provocative Woman is initially perfumy and then quite overpowering through its progression. It’s too fruity sweet: a sweetness certainly more on the annoying side than the provocative. And as for the florals, they seem to be dominated by the orchid, and I have never been fond of orchid notes in a fragrance. In this case, it’s much more than orchid that’s the problem: The fragrance is a bit rough in its projection just not as refined and structured as it should be. And I’m afraid that its accords and notes are just not very original or inspiring – it is not the fragrance that it should be.