Latest Perfume Reviews

Allure Homme Sport Cologne by Chanel

A better version of Dior Homme Sport, in my opinion. Less harsh and more refined. It's all about sharp citrus and musk but it's all done very smoothly.

Hours into the drydown, it reminds me of a toned-down, less dynamic version of Edition Blanche. Not saying it's not good, in fact, I really like the Cologne version, but EB is just its own animal. The late drydown is just very nice and smooth, reminding me of the original AHS.

Average projection and longevity, lasts about 6-7 hours.

Lauder for Men by Estée Lauder

Clumsy opening, lovely drydown.

Dirty English by Juicy Couture

Encre Noire's vetiver and cypress serves as a background for a sweet boozy leather.

You have to overspray to enjoy this, because it's pretty light, but the pricepoint allows for that. It's kinda cheap-feeling but that's part of the fun.

Jones Beach by Bond No. 9

A strong performing white floral beach scent. It's actually not super-synthetic, so that's good. My wife immediately liked the smell from a distance, saying it reminded her of “Paul Mitchell Hair Spray”. I’m not familiar with the product but such an immediate and detailed description is telling.

Leans just slightly fem to me. Daytime, warm weather appropriate.

Excellent performance, with noticeable projection and all-day longevity.

1826 Eugénie de Montijo by Histoires de Parfums

Hairspray aroma. Flowers, dipped in spice. Not very heavy, even with eight sprays... Flowers and spice fade. I'm left with a mellow, barely there base. It started out great but, ended with a disappointing sigh.

Basil & Neroli by Jo Malone

Very perfume-y. Herbal and heady floral aroma. No sweetness. A steady "green"... Stays fresh and green, fairly linear for a long time.

Vetiver increases the green vibe and musk gives it a soft coating. A rather safe fragrance; not overly creative.

1725 Casanova by Histoires de Parfums

Intriguing top notes. The licorice seems to take the edge off of the bitterness and the citrus. I can't say it specifically adds any "sweetness" but, it adds an Ouzo vibe. Lavender plays with anise. It's a kind of syrupy-sweetness, almost boozy.

Vanilla mixes in, along with almond making this an almost gourmand scent and still, remains boozy. It almost smells like a cookie!

The "woods" blend in completely not smelling like any specific wood at all. An amber tone mixes in as well. Spiced, almond cookie smell sticks around. Overall, this is interesting, stands out from others from this house. Thumbs up.

Orchid Collection : Twilight by Demeter Fragrance Library

The ironing is a floral, white floral, with a rather reasonable impression of an orchid. Not strong, it is sweet, but discreetly so.

The drydown adds touches of a lemony yuzu, which together with a ripe grapefruit brightens it up a bit. A nice and freshly green jasmine is present in the background.

In the base a wood note - a soft synthetic oud mainly - combines with the amber, the jasmine and residues if the orchid. Now it is still a bright-ish floral, but smoother and with a whiff - not whipp! - of creaminess.

I get soft sillage - skin deep only - with limited projection, but with a great longevity of nine hours on my skin.

A pleasant floral for cooler spring days; it is a bit generic overall but pleasant. 2.75/5.

Hyrax by Zoologist Perfumes

At first I smell dried clay which smells old and dusty. This is a powerful dry and clean sun baked type of clay. Few top notes, none. There are so many dry animalic and powdery dust notes in here which create this intense dry clay smell with a slight warm skin aroma that smells like an earthy tuberose that is emanating through the dusky darkness of dried mud and stone. Turkish Rose, Hyacinth plus whiskey and amber gives that slight floral warmth that escapes unnoticed until an hour after application and then it just barely escapes the dryness of saffron, african stone, benzoin, castoreum, tonka and sandalwood. I don't get a fecal smell at all with Hyrax, but it does have a dried dusty floral tone that never overcomes the musky dry scent as the primary aroma. I like this scent, but it is an oddball and I could never recommend it without testing.

H – The Exclusive Aoud by Roja Dove

This is the first time I have copied and pasted but I am honoured to acknowledge the prefect description from my fellow basenoter:

A gut-punch of spicy-agarwood goodness that is yet again meant for the most discriminating of fragrance lovers (read: not for casually interested folks).

Simply put this is strong and heavy and not very wearable either for the person or the occasion. That's not to say it does not smell nice but there are many out there that do what this does better for more of the time for more people and with more value to quote President Lincoln. Or maybe President Lincoln's original quote is more accurate here as well if you think Roja are having a laugh with their price!

Copper by Comme des Garçons

First I got a blast of angelica roots or something like that, then underneath is a woody aspect like Shiseido Basala. Very strong, upfront fragrance, no subtlety at all.

Harrods Homme by Roja Dove

Pour Homme? Depressingly so in these metrosexual politically correct times.
This manages to be a floral aquatic with some peppery bite.
It is so well blended, so harmonious that you don't mind smelling it for that reason until you realise the title is misrepresentation. If you wanted to smell like a woman you'd look for a feminine leaning unisex or one for women. Then it starts being cloying.
So nice smell but not if you want something that lives up to Harrods Pour Homme. A reluctant thumbs down. A neutral to up if it was given a more gender appropriate title. The sheer quality can't make up for the fact that this is just an excellent version of "nice". And at these prices etc etc...

And to think they discontinued Scandal pour Homme. What planet are they on?

Tootsie Roll by Demeter Fragrance Library

The opening blast is a chemical nigh-kitchen-sink-cleaner like blast, that soon gives way to a very laboratory-style caramel that is less than pleasant.

The drydown sees the ultra-synthetic side reforged a bit, and an aroma of smooth mild chocolate arises. A caramel fudge note is also evident.

Towards the base, about four hours before the end, a vanilla is added to the chocolate-laden caramel fudge, and now the whole smells like Tootsie Rolls indeed - rich and smooth.

I get moderate sillage, excellent projection and a splendid eleven hours in my skin.

An autumnal gourmand that is more than disappointing initially, but gets its act together a bit eventually. 2.75/5.

Ursa by Tiziana Terenzi

Reminds me of Straight to Heaven. Has that airy, woody, wet hay smell.

Big performance on minimal sprays for me. Big, loud opening that lasts for a few hours before settling down. The drydown isn’t as loud but the scent remains the same, except slightly sweeter and less dry. Lasts all day.

I don’t get any tobacco or rum, so this is not a dark fragrance to me. Also, the patchouli and incense were not as dominant as I thought they would be, again making this feel like a scent appropriate for warmer climates and more casual attire. Even though it’s not listed, cedar is what I keep getting along with that hay note.

Cattleya Flower Body Mist by Jo Malone London

The orchid I get right from the start. Is is not very vivid, but a pleasant and quite recognisable orchid impression that remains as the backbone of the development until the end.

Initially I get an undertone of citrus - mandarin and lemon mainly. In the drydown a fruity note is present, with whiffs of cocoanut coming and going.

In the base a dark but fairly smooth vetiver is added, without and harshness edge. It remains a smooth and mainly floral composition, and the orchid is present throughout, fading gracefully towards the end.

I get soft sillage, (it’s a body mist after all) adequate projection and a decent seven hours of longevity on my skin.

And agreeable spring creation, but far from being exceptional or particularly inspiring. An acceptable orchid it is; the rest is in the generic side. The performance is as expected from a body mist. 2.75/5

parfums*PARFUMS Series 3 Incense: Zagorsk by Comme des Garçons

When it opens , if I put my nose up close it hits me like cold metallic ctrus...if I step back , I smell laundry musk and pencil shavings...I'm Russian , and I guess theres different variations of Russian Orthodox churches... In my church the priest would walk around swinging an incense burner that made the church look like it was just hit with the fog machine at a rock concert...that childhood envelopement in clouds of frankinsence and myrrh is what launched my love of the smells of incense...i can hardly smell any incense in this fragrance...even a tad soapy at times...kind of ghostly pine and woods in general...i do get a very good scent aura with this...i can smell it drifting around me...nice for someone looking for a light and refreshing pseudo-incense fragrance...me, I'll stick with the hardcore stuff...

Original Penguin for Men by Original Penguin

Richer and darker than I anticipated, more mature but not necessarily refined. Not as loud or as pleasing as Boss Bottled (and maybe even somewhat dirtier) but there are some subdued similarities. Feels like a late 90’s scent.

The heart of the scent is sweet, woody and powdery. Quite masculine throughout and straddles the line of being something for younger or older guys, having elements that favor both. I find it nice and quite versatile.

Never big on projection, so spray liberally and on clothes to get more performance. Lasted 8-9 hours with most of that being a skin scent.

L’Homme Rochas by Rochas

Rochas is an old house, and as such, has some esteem among collectors of vintage perfumes. For the masculine market, the legacy of scents like Moustache (1949), Monsieur Rochas (1969), Macassar (1980), Globe (1990), Eau de Rochas Homme (1993), and Rochas Man (1999) all basically speak for themselves, so after a shakey time carrying on that legacy through the 2000's (mostly due to a flurry of ownership changes), the house returns with L'Homme Rochas (2020). Bruno Jovanovic, who has gotten some attention with his work in the niche realm, is tapped to create L'Homme Rochas, but he plays it relatively safe with the composition. L'Homme Rochas is a mass-appeal "blue" masculine, as one might expect from any house marketing a new scent for men that isn't meant for the boutiques or high-end luxury chains, but it does show a bit of that old Rochas quality distinction from many designer peers in the same segment. Rochas has always had spotty availability in the territories outside Europe, so how much impact this makes outside its home turf is anyone's guess really, and some may see it as redundant considering what's already come before. One thing's for sure: all the old heads worshiping those expensive surviving bottles of Macassar will disown the brand after sniffing this, which is to be expected.

The opening of L'Homme Rochas reminds me very much of a smoother and less-spicy Dolce & Gabanna K (2019), mostly because there is no pimento here, but the blood orange and bergamot that scent has also opens this one. A sweet pineapple similar to Coach Platinum (2018) also emerges here, but it is pushed a bit behind some cinnamon, cardamom, and sage. This sage note combines with geranium, juniper berry, and basil in the heart to create a core "green barbershop" vibe modernized slightly with the sweetness of the top and some woody aromachemical magic from the prerequisite ambroxan in the base. Some patchouli isolate also brings in additional smoothness and body alongside tonka, helping reduce the scratchiness of the "amberwoods" accord made after the scent dries down. All in all, bit of near-fougère woodiness from evernyl finish out L'Homme Rochas, making it a contender with Versace pour Homme Dylan Blue (2016) too. I'd call L'Homme Rochas generalist and best for spring through fall, although thanks to very appreciable longevity and sillage, could also make work in winter as well. Projection is also very good for the first few hours, so watch how much you spray if entering polite but strange company like an office or public event. The sweetness here also reads a bit too "fun" for formal situations, but L'Homme Rochas is definitely no clubber scent.

L'Homme Rochas goes after the flooded general-purpose signature scent market with a well-rounded and conventional but solid fragrance that will excite no one but out-classes and out-performs many things with which it shares shelf space. If this sounds familar, it's because that's the same lane a lot of classic non-designer houses like Guerlain, Lanvin, and Houbigant have all tried to take with their 21st century masculines, at least since 2011's "IFRA reckoning". These kinds of brands don't want overtly daring or artistic compositions unless they carry three times the standard price tag and come in limited editions or lines only sold at places like Bergdorf Goodman, but at the same time don't want to make releases that get confused with your everyday Paco Rabanne or Jimmy Choo, so they opt for "premium performance and refinement", which also explains lines like Guerlain L'Homme Ideal (2014) as well. Whether or not L'Homme Rochas will be seen as a slightly more-artistic and higher-quality alternative to "high street" fragrance, or another weaksauce "blue fragrance" sellout attempt is up to time, although it remains a good low-key cost-effective workhorse fragrance option regardless. If you're in the market for a "dumb reach" kind of scent and don't want to smell like you follow conventional wisdom or shop at the mall, this just might be the trick to stand slightly apart from your peers, like most Rochas masculines. Thumbs up.

Oud Violet Intense by Fragrance Du Bois

First of all there is no violet note in this fragrance and very little oud presence so this one has a confusing name right off the shelf as I kept looking for those notes but mostly it's not there. But after spending some time with the scent I like what I discovered inside. The opening is a bright mandarin possibly with some grapefruit blended with a smooth slightly powdery amber backdrop that yields a juicy floral like tone over the elemi resin, frankincense and amber second half of the scent. The opening effect is light and uplifting while thoroughly resinous through the heart of the scent and settles onto an amber/oud base. Nutmeg adds light texture to the mandarin and some depth as the frankincense hands off to amber and just subtlest hint of oud. The oud blends into the overall composition and does not stand out at all - kind of disappears. The resins also blend nicely so there are no jagged edges or abrupt changes from elemi to frankincense to oud to amber. Overall this is an excellent quality masculine woody oriental fragrance that retains the uplifting mandarin for most of the journey through the perfume. From one perspective this scent could be considered a bold mandarin scent with a strong resinous amber background. Very nice fragrance that is expensive for what you get, but it is a quality product. The blending keeps getting smoother and more comfortable as it ages in a similar way to Oud Noir Intense from Fragrance du Bois. I rate Oud Violet Int. 8 of 10 stars for perfume quality; however listing "oud" as well as "violet" in the name is a little misleading as this is a mandarin • resin • amber scent.

Fuzzy Balls by Demeter Fragrance Library

A strange plasticky opening followed by a citrus note, mainly a lemon impression.

In the drydown the lemon goes, and the plastic remains until the end. I do not get a dedicated base here.

The sillage is moderate, the projection adequate and the longevity five hours on my skin.

A bit summery, generic - no, make that ultra-generic,
and synthetic - no, make that mega-synthetic. Good for chemical exercises in the lab. 2/5

Alien Man Mirage by Thierry Mugler

Thierry Mugler Alien Man Mirage (2020) is showing that the Alien Man (2018) line is starting to follow the formula of "another year, another unrelated flanker" that the original A*Men (1996) line seems to follow, but with much less creativity and more of "what everyone else is doing" to try and desperately cash in on novelty. I'm not a fan of the "bubblegum" sweet freshies that lace ethyl maltol with your typical ambroxan stew then shove some tonka in there for skin heft, because outside originators of the style like Gucci Guilty pour Homme (2011) and Paco Rabanne Invictus (2013), it's just whipping a dead horse. Thierry Mugler basically treads down the same path as Jimmy Choo with Urban Hero (2019), serving up another carbon copy of a carbon copy young men's scent that smells like an Invictus or Gucci Guilty pour Homme but channeled through the usual Thierry Mugler aesthetic weirdness. Once smelled, you'll quickly realize all the weirdness ends with that packaging and bottle aesthetic, and this is just another sweet, clean, musky and fresh nothingness in Emperor's clothes.

The opening is juniper and a huge slug of ambroxan freshness mixed with that generic sweetness which is so common in fragrances of this type. The juniper is interesting and I see this trying to convey a bit of aquatic personality without the usual lucid fruit and dihydromyrcenol soap notes, and it does that, However, the sweetness just continues to countermand any real freshness potential this might have had until much later, utilizing some ozonic notes for lift to replace that sweetness but otherwise bearing down heavy on a nondescript patchouli isolate that just adds body with little else to so many things now, before showing off a little bit of a suede leather note and tonka over the dominant ambrox like in Coach for Men (2017). The leather and patchouli connect this more to Alien Man Fusion (2019) than the original Alien Man, but there is little else in common with anything from the line before it. Wear time is average and performance is slightly below, with sillage being close after a few hours, but as a summery release, I can see why. Best used in summer obviously, and this is the most casual entry to the Alien Man line to date.

There isn't much else to say here, and I feel dogged for having to make you read another review about another attempt to cash in on ideas that haven't been new since the beginning of the 2010's, but seeing as bloodsuckers and bean counters are squeezing all the life out of increasingly-incorporated designer perfume houses like this (at least in their standard lines), reviews like this are getting more common and nearly unavoidable. To be fair, I don't think Alien Man Mirage smells offensive from afar, it just does absolutely nothing for the line it has been thrust into, nothing for the name of Thierry Mugler, and adds yet another redundant option to a long row of many such options for the general consumer. It's like stuff such as this isn't even trying to improve or innovate on what other scents it borrows from, and just steals a bit of thunder much the same way a scent from a clone house does, but minus the clone price. Not recommendable unless you are a collector or extreme Thierry Mugler fan, because whoever perfumed this was definitely painting by numbers, and there are much better options for a modern freshie that cost less. I really hope this stuff is a mirage, so it eventually goes away. Thumbs down.

Not a Perfume by Juliette Has a Gun

On my skin... Vaguely reminds me of ambergris. It's salty, rotting dead sea creature, seaweed something, with a tinge of something alive and green. Then it's musky, like faint body odor, on a sweaty day. Sometimes it even smells like mixed greens with a hint of ozone. It doesn't smell too bad on me actually. It comes and goes as if by magic.

The emperor's new clothes - I wouldn't buy a full bottle, for such a vague "scent".

Habanita by Molinard

A distinctive but repugnant blend of baby powder and rotten flowers.

X for Men by Clive Christian

Clive Christian X for Men (2001) is the male counterpart of the third and final line that launched the house of Clive Christian, a house built on the notoriously-cannibalized remains of The Crown Perfumery. With X for Men, the house sought to deliver something more modern, more appealing for the man that wasn't going to enjoy a classic chypre like 1872 for Men (2001), or an overpriced and overwrought floral like No 1 for Men (2001) was at its heart. Instead, Geza Shoen (creator of 1872 for men) tapped into some Middle Eastern tones, then fused them with the Western penchant for freshness and dry spice that could be found in many high-end designers of the day. The end result of this mixing feels like one part Tommy by Tommy Hilfiger (1995), one part the yet-to-be Amouage Epic Man (2009), with a healthy dose of cardamom sprinkled throughout. I must say I rather like X for Men, even if I don't find it as finely-tuned as 1872, nor as complex as most things the house has done since. Perhaps though, that is the point of X for Men, since the "young money" nouveau riche likely to buy into this line need something ostentatious but at the same time understandable, since classic structures like No 1 or 1872 would just feel obtuse and fussy to most onlookers without a vested interest in perfume. Something like this is obviously too affected for my liking (and too rich for my blood), but I can appreciate the work Schoen has put into the composition of X for Men in trying to make something at this extreme end of the market feel at least somewhat relatable to the mass-appeal market it attempts to lord over like a district manager at a Target.

The perky opening of X for Men is pink pepper, a huge slug of cardamom oil (that never goes away), ginger, bergamot, and a bit of some fruity ozonic twist for the modern edge it needed in 2001. The cardamom shines through the rest though, so you better be okay with the note if you intend to enjoy this ride. Cinnamon comes in to darken things up a bit, while violet and iris offer a dry green powdery floral one-two that helps this scream "proper British gent" as one might suggest a house like Clive Christian to do. The fruity sharp opening slides into a sour-ish cypriol note into mid and base, recalling a bit of what you will find in greater quantity in Amouage Epic Man, but the cypriol is kept moderated by both vanilla and a smooth labdanum which adds just the right bit of pasty animal musk warmth. Oakmoss, vetiver, cedar, and styrax bring a classic masculinity to the otherwise modern freshness and spice on display here, while a breezy salty mineralic ambergris accord a la Creed style helps re-assert the freshness that this stuff tries to be all about. It's quite a convoluted mess when you itemize the notes, but as a whole it works, even if X for Men never quite smells "expensive" like it's peers No 1 for Men or 1872 for Men. Wear time is long but projection is moderate. Sillage is tight as per typical parfum design, but your personal space bubble will be pleasantly aglow in all but the hottest weather, so I'd say X for Men is pretty generalist for being a luxury "Veblen" kind of scent. The smell of X for Men is pretty "sunny" in disposition so I think spring and early fall for day use would be the best times to spray on X for Men. I feel reluctant to say X for Men comes across casual, especially with all the pomp and circumstance surrounding the brand, but here we are.

Who's gonna be into this? Well, I think you already know: the big-money "ballers", the "stunners" that need to show off at every opportunity, the guys convinced "you get what you pay for" in this hobby, or the sheer collectors who spare no expense just to have everything, price be damned. There are honest fans of the stuff, and maybe they don't have a large enough collection or investment in perfume for a rare bird costing about $600 new to seem like that much of a scandal, so something this expensive and elusive has appeal in the same way anything relatively rare and distinct does, so I'm not saying everyone who enjoys X for Men is overcompensating for something. Some folks find this as their gateway to perfume as a hobby the same way others find brands like Creed, the "shiny jewel effect" that makes them dig deeper to see what else is out there. Ultimately, that is why I don't just totally rip to shreds stuff like X for Men, even if I think it is about as rote an exercise in "expensive for the sake of it" as you can get in this hobby without commissioning a bespoke fragrance from Roja Dove or Olivier Creed themselves. The freshness, the spice, and the tiny hints of animal magnetism with a slight sour edge make X for Men a pretty interesting experience for the seasoned hobbyist too, but unless you have the coin to drop on a full bottle, sampling this is about as far as I'd to go. Like so many things in this overblown market segment, Clive Christian X for Men is a perfume worth paying to smell at least once, but beyond that is contestable at best and absolutely absurd at worst. They made limited edition flankers of this so it at least must have done something right. Thumbs up.

Frankincense by Demeter Fragrance Library

This is an incense creation 100%. So the incense makes or breaks it. It does neither of the two.

The frankincense is there form the start. It is light, minimally spicy, and more on the bright side.

The development - well, there is not much of it; this is a very linear composition. Not without a bit of smoothness, but somehow it lacks life.

I get poor sillage, adequate projection and five hours of longevity on my skin.

One of the mildest and inoffensive frankincense scents I known. Maybe for warmer autumn days for someone who dislikes the genre and wants a very light and weak version. Frankincense lite so to speak. Overall 2.5/5

Mayura Extrait de Parfum by Auphorie

Mayura Extrait de Parfum by Auphorie (2018) is another semi-bespoke fragrance from artisanal perfumers Eugene and Emyrs Au, although one that has had more than a single run (but as of this writing is vaulted). I guess interest in this one is enough for the house to make small "top-up" batches but not keep it on the books like the award-winning Miyako (2016), and I can see why. Mayura is a stunning perfume to be sure, an intense floral oriental chypre (aka "floriental") full of animalics and resinous base notes layered with skanky indoles, precious woods, and spices. Instantly I'm made to think of landmark perfumes in this field like Estée Lauder Youth Dew (1953), Bal à Versailles by Jean Desprez (1962), or Lagerfeld Cologne by Karl Lagerfeld (1978). The house theme is the sacred fowl of Hindu mythology known as the Mayura, a peacock that factors in to many traditions in India, and the scent carrying the same name is attempting to capture a similar resplendent vibe. Despite this, I can help but feel Mayura is a tad on the Western side compared to other things made by the house, but that doesn't stop it from being excellent. If you're looking for a slice of the Au's homeland, I'd stick to Miyako or maybe Eau de Nyonya (2016) if you can find it.

The opening of Mayura is a rich concoction of tuberose, jasmine, ylang-ylang, and mandarin orange. The heady indolic and fleshy sweetness from this mixture is evident right away. Mayura is not fresh in the slightest, not meek or mind, and definitely makes a statement about the wearer. Immediately from this opening "bordello stank" opening comes the dark Turkish rose, artemisia, oakmoss, and a virile amber. The rose and amber mix with the jasmine to make a familiar classic perfume vibe, while the bitter artemisia keeps things sharp enough for the chypre accord to take form once the base focuses into the picture. Mysore sandalwood, ruh khus (Indian vetiver), jatamansi (indian floral), and tonkin musk continue the Indian theme of the scent, while oud, hyraceum, civet, castoreum, and ambergris mix to create an animalic kitchen sink of crotch funk splendor for the fans of "unwashed sex" in their perfumes. If you're a lover of that mock-pheremone vibe then this is the stuff for you absolutely, and it all mixes with the oakmoss and last-stage frankincense to make one rock'em sock'em chypre accord which will put everyone with 12 feet of you on notice. Do we even need to discuss projection and sillage? No, we don't. I'd say use this where you dare, but be mindful of humidity and dense heat with this one, pretty please.

You'll either fall head over heels for this perfume or run screaming into the arms of a hazmat crew ready to disinfect you with a power washer spraying Lysol from the nozzle, there is no middle ground on it. I love animalics and furthermore very controversial uses of them such as this "everything in one pot" perfume. Mayura is most certainly that peacock, strutting all its feathers, letting everyone know that it's time to get it on with the big bird, so step up or step off. Since Mayura is an extrait, this will last eternally on skin, and you'll need to wash several times, plus launder whatever shirt you've worn multiple times over, to remove the smell of it completely. The price when new was steep, but a single bottle is likely a lifetime supply unless you wear this stuff to keep everyone away from you, in which case maybe you'll need two. Prices are insane on the aftermarket so if you're reading this after the stuff has been long vaulted or discontinued for good, I wouldn't put too much energy into seeking it out, since Mayura is just a "floriental" on steroids, with most things that inspired it still available in some form. Still, this was a Hell of a ride to experience and will either be someone's wildest dream come true, or their worst nightmare made flesh. Thumbs up.

White Collection : Rain by Commodity

Fem florals and laundry musk opening. Smells like scent beads for your clothes washing machine. Very clean, not earthy or musty like rain can be sometimes.

I could still smell it in skin about 7 hours later, so decent longevity but the projection is pretty light throughout.

Number 3 / Le 3ème Homme / The Third Man by Caron

The evocative name Caron chose for this scent may be my favorite name for any masculine-branded fragrance ever. I'm not sure how much the scent ultimately suits the film of the same name (there's no undercurrent of mystery or danger here), but it does suggests a kind of old-fashioned European elegance.

That said, as pleasant as it is, I don't find it a particularly interesting entrant in the dandyish spiced floral subgenre, and, as far as I can tell, its primary claim to fame is that it has survived changing cultural tides and IFRA longer than many others in this vein.

Séville à l'Aube by L'Artisan Parfumeur

I have had the pleasure of wandering through old Seville late at night.

Duchaufour's tribute to the majestic and peculiar city captures its spiritual essence. Duchaufour builds an artful church-y incense and beeswax composition and then uses sensual and lively floral notes to undercut its seriousness, blending the imminent and the transcendent.

Musc Noble by Guerlain

Middle eastern Rose/Musk

Im a sucker for saffron, and the opening hits with a nice saffron/rose. Rose can be sharp and pinch a bit when bad quality is used, this is not that. Which is actually interesting, because the saffron gives a sharpness in the opening alongside it, but because the sharpness is not derived from the rose (or maybe indeed any shortcomings masked) it smells very nice. The musk is clean, of the white variety, but not soapy. Pink pepper gives it something of a sweet, youthful edge. It is thoroughly clean. It does have a middle eastern composition feel, which is not always my cup of tea. I think this is unfairly maligned. It is the most approachable of the absolute d'orient line, and probably the most palatable by the masses. Its not my favorite (Bois Mysterieux is an absolute stunner), but it is solidly great quality. Wasser really is a master blender, and I feel like this line is his flex. Mid-way through, say at about the 4 hour mark, some of the ancillary notes have faded, and a heart that is more blatantly rose and musk is apparent, playing fiddle with the "white amber". That white amber is an interesting thing. It almost smells like a fractured clean tonka, maybe a captive. Whatever it is, its a bit powdery. There it sits for the duration, which is considerable. All of the line have monster longevity and projection, and this one is no different. Easily lasting 10 hours, and boasting for a solid 4. I like the bottle, at the moment it is available for a price of $130 for a 4.2 oz. For that price this is a good deal. To me, the quality is more in the upper 160s or something, shading more or less considering your preferences. I would consider this unisex, and would have no problem wearing it. Musk rose is so often feminine, and I don't know why this doesn't land squarly in that category, but it just feels beautiful. It is strong, but a soft hand at the same time. Thumbs up.