Basenotes - Reviews by germanomio

France

Showing 1 to 30 of 33.

Eau d'Hermès by Hermès

animal notes combined with a cologne style head and some white flowers
the animal notes have been tempered down but it remains elegant and very unusual mix

13rd July, 2009.

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L'Instant de Guerlain Pour Homme Extreme by Guerlain

more than a simple concentrated version of the eau de toilette, this eau extreme is wonderful mix of bitterness and sweetness, with a strong cocoa note
a gourmand woody oriental

very powerful, enormous sillage and staying power

17th June, 2009.

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Mitsouko Fleur de Lotus by Guerlain

a wonderful variation on Mitsouko
the original fragrance is still recognisable but softened by a floral note slightly watery
great

17th June, 2009.

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Eau de Gentiane Blanche by Hermès

contrary to what memechose wrote, gentiane has already been used in perfumery; an example is Guerlain Aqua Allegoria Gentiana

but back to Hermes cologne: the opening is bitter and rooty, slighty earthy (I guess it's the gentiane note) with no citrus (as one could expect from a cologne) and it smells a little bit like a wet old paper ; this head note remains for a while then appears a woody note slightly green and rather fresh that reminds me of Bois d'Ombrie (is it olive tree?)

quite unusual; longevity seems rather long for a cologne concentration

24th April, 2009.

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Eau de Pamplemousse Rose by Hermès

a very good rendition of grapefruit
you can get all the notes you smell while cutting a grapefruit: first the zest then the juice

the drydown is very Ellena's style

I recently tried Terre d'Hermes and suddently I understood what was Eau de Pamplemousse rose: it is the cologne variation of TDH , a strong grapefruit in the head with the same woody/mineral drydown in a lighter way
I guess this one was not too difficult to conceive ...

24th April, 2009. (Last Edited: 13rd July, 2009.)

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Habit Rouge Sport by Guerlain

sorry but this variation is a complete failure (not to say a complete sh...)

first the name : how to add the suffixe "sport" to the classic HR ? (if ever a sport fragrance does mean anything?) the spirit of HR (even if associated with horseriding) can't be associated with sweat!

second the concept: why and how transforming an oriental into a fresh/sporty fragrance ? surely because all perfume designers are launching sport fragrances and that Guerlain needs to stay ahead on all the markets; but why choosing Habit Rouge ? Guerlain has recently released Homme that would be a perfect sport fragrance

third the juice: it's no longer HR, all the oriental notes have vanished replaced by green notes (bamboo?) which don't smell sporty at all; to summarize: a disater

the only thing to save would be the red bottle

HR surely needs a lighter (the Eau de toilette légère wasn't particulary light), fresher variation that would appeal new consumers but not of this sort

my first thumb down for a Guerlain

31st March, 2009.

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Sous Le Vent by Guerlain

to me Sous le Vent is all about colours : the head is fresh-green with a hint of spices then it evolves toward something i would call yellow-green (a luminous feeling, like the first rays of sun on your face at spring with a gentle wind); the middle notes are back to fresh-green and soapy-green and the drydown is spicy-green (with a note that reminds me cinnamon?)
very subtle and refined, very unisex

11th March, 2009.

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L'Ame d'un Héros by Guerlain

to me , apart some details, it's indiscernable from Coriolan
the opening is a little bit more transparent and "fizzing" than the original (or simply my bottle got old and the opening is not so bright)
the overall evolution is same
the drydown is a little bit lighter

when Coriolan will no longer be available discounted on the Internet, L'Ame d'un Heros may come as a natural replacement
i loved the original bottle and the bee one is alson magnificient

11th February, 2009.

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Pi by Givenchy

overly sweet and synthetic !
a shame

12nd January, 2009. (Last Edited: 13rd July, 2009.)

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Aqua Allegoria Laurier-Réglisse by Guerlain

a very disappointing one
where is the reglisse and where is the laurier ?
the fragrance is confuse, as a sketch of what it should have been (or what i thought it would have been)

neutral because it's Guerlain and it's my favorite House (all their releases can't be masterpieces...)

8th September, 2008.

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Aqua Allegoria Figue-Iris by Guerlain

the Fig by Guerlain ...
the only fig i know without coconut
the fruity and green notes of the fig are associated with light milky notes
the association with iris makes it very elegant and powdery , very feminine and quite gourmand scent

8th September, 2008.

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Guerlain Homme by Guerlain

i found it fabulous in its style : it is certainly not a smell that we use to know from Guerlain even if i think they tried to make a synthesis of different notes from their other compositions
the head is very fresh with lime and mint (a note found in some aqua allegoria, closer from the mint in Mentafollia rather this of Herba Fresca) and green and a little bit acid (with rhubarb), but the note of rhum was not detectable to me by itself but it certainly adds some strenght

the floral accord in the middle is very pronounced with the geranium overwhelming (a strange unusual note indeed very masculine and also fresh); a hint of green tea is also present

the drydown is maybe a little bit more formal and conventional but the woods are elegant, mixing vetiver and cedar (the vetiver note is a tribute to JPG's Vetiver) and very well crafted, but i did'nt perceived the rhubarb note; when i smell these basenotes it reminds me many things from other compositions (without being able to told which, something familar from other Guerlain)

my overall impression is that they created something new, very different of the other fragrances for men released nowaday (of course they want it to be a good seller) with still the high standards of quality of this noble House

the bottle is heavy and masculine and i like it a lot

26th August, 2008. (Last Edited: 22nd July, 2009.)

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Aqua Allegoria Anisia Bella by Guerlain

a great unisex summer fragrance
fresh and light, slightly spicy and bitter and not sweet at all
at first i was afraid to smell like "Pastis" (a french anised aperitive alcohol),
but Guerlain made a very nice job and it appears that Anisia Bella is rather closer to the anise seed than to a liquor or a syrup
i also get a note that reminds me salt or the seashore
it's surely a particular fragrance and you must like anise to wear it
discontinued from the Aqua Allegoria line but easily found discounted on the internet

23rd April, 2008.

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Aqua Allegoria Mentafollia by Guerlain

leaves of fresh mint crushed in the hand in the early morning while sun is rising and flowers around are opening their petals
a fragrance fair to this view and which name corresponds excatly with the impressions created
so fresh so minty (far more minty than Herba fresca)
dedicated to hot sunny summer days

23rd April, 2008.

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Aqua Allegoria Herba-Fresca by Guerlain

to me surely the best Aqua Allegoria
a refreshing garden in spring while herbs are growing
the mint, the fresh cut grass the aromatic herbs
all are there while walking around, crushing some leaves in your hands
barefoot in the grass
wonderful and one the most evocative fragrances i have ever smelled

23rd April, 2008.

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Bois d'Arménie by Guerlain

a gorgeous fragrance
a complex and perfect blend of woods and benjoin with a hint of vanilla and flowers
it's sweet but not excessively so that it's suitable for a man
a scent for winter, near the fire while snow is falling silently outside

10th April, 2008.

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Vetyver / Vétiver by Givenchy

recently re-issued
this is a smoky vetiver with a roasted note that reminds me of Hermessence Vetiver-Tonka (with a far greater longevity) mixed with the drydown of Terre d'Hermes
also very reminescent of Guerlain's Vetiver original formula (the 80's one)
it doesn't evolve a lot and the vetiver not isn't very pronounced
the smokiness makes it rather a winter scent

10th April, 2008.

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Tam Dao by Diptyque

a dry fresh clean sandalwood
a little bit simple and prosaic but of high quality
does not evolve a lot
perfect for a young man or for office, as it's not an offensive scent

9th April, 2008.

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Oyédo by Diptyque

thyme and mandarine
simple fresh but a little bit too linear

9th April, 2008.

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Philosykos by Diptyque

the top notes and the base notes are wonderful but the coconut in the heart is too much for my taste
in the head you get the green and fresh fig (rather the fruit than the leaves) not too milky (compared to l'Artisan's one)
once the coconut has disappeared Philosykos gives its best: a perfect blend between the woods (cedar) and the fig tree's leaves
one of the most beautiful fig based fragrances

9th April, 2008.

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L'Instant de Guerlain pour Homme by Guerlain

The EdT is fresh and light, opens with citrus/grapefruit and anise and a discreet note of cocoa and slowly evolves to a pleasant vanilla drydown with a bitter note
Very different of all the man fragrances created in the last years
Surely one of the most appreciable

The EdP (eau extreme) shares the same notes as the EdT but the citrus opening is briefer, the heart and the drydown are at the same time very bitter and sweet
a masterpiece

3rd April, 2008.

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Mouchoir de Monsieur by Guerlain

a kind of supreme elegance from past times
a dandy's perfume

one must dare wearing it, surely more difficult to wear than Jicky with which MDM shares many notes
one of the most magnificient fougere ever created, light and fresh, slightly animalic due to civet (i guess that nowadays it's synthetic civet) with a powdery drydown
ten thumbs up for me !

3rd April, 2008.

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Égoïste / L'Égoïste by Chanel

neither bad nor excellent nor original
over-rated for sure
i would rather say it's inoffensive
a discreet masculine fragrance fresh and not too sweet

8th January, 2008. (Last Edited: 13rd July, 2009.)

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Terre d'Hermès by Hermès

an interesting fragrance in its topnotes that mix dry mineral notes, woods and hesperids
but the drydown is ... non-existent !indeed, IMO, there's not really a drydown : all notes seem to stay the same in a very linear and boring way
all what the fragrance has to "tell" us is done in the first minutes and then it just repeats itself
and as the staying power is very long, one gets the same "conversation" all daylong;

17th December, 2007.

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Eau Sauvage by Christian Dior

to me was great and innovative in the 60's but got old, very old nowaday...

17th December, 2007.

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L'Heure Bleue by Guerlain

sublime !!!!
a classic among classics

17th December, 2007.

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Mitsouko by Guerlain

i've tried the new formulation
and i found it far more pleasant that the old one
yet they are very close, the new one has lost this "frying oil" odor i got in the old one and found so displeasant ; it's maybe less earthy and mysterious, but still as deep, rich and complex and surely more wearable by men even if it's more floral
some will think a masterpiece has been massacred and some, as me, will think that a new masterpiece was born !

17th December, 2007.

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Dior Homme by Christian Dior

gives me headhache!
it's not a man perfume at all (or for a very effeminate one)

foral perfumes for man why not; but not so sweet and powdery
disgusting

17th April, 2007.

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Déclaration by Cartier

I completely changed my minds on this one
at first I liked it a lot, I found it was a new style for men
but the more I smell it the more I find it cloying, artificial and unbalanced
wearing it always give headhache and nausea

17th April, 2007. (Last Edited: 13rd July, 2009.)

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Very Irrésistible for Men by Givenchy

an interesting mix...during one minute !
on can smell mint and grapefruit first, second mocha and then hazelnut but it evolves too quickly to a boring cheap drydown, similar to any "male" perfume released now
the intention of creating something original was maybe there but it was not achieved

19th March, 2007.

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