Reviews by jrd4t

    jrd4t's avatar
    jrd4t
    United States United States

    Showing 1 to 30 of 79.
    rating

    Armani Privé Cuir Améthyste by Giorgio Armani

    Gorgeous mix of leather, violets, and a touch of fruit in the top. While it seems that mix isn't working for some folks who have reviewed it here, it does work on me. The base is warmed up a touch with what I'm guessing is the benzoin. It has a synthetic feel to it, but it's a nice thing in this one. It's also quite unique - the only thing I've come across that smells similar is the new Marc Buxton Hot Leather. Great longevity too.

    1st May, 2010.

    rating

    Havana Reserva by Aramis

    Incredible - it takes a traditional set of notes, makes it completely unique, and gives it a fabulous development. You'll be discovering new notes for hours as each pops out and shows itself.

    3rd April, 2010.

    rating

    Nightscape by Ulrich Lang

    Patchouli lovers – you need to try it. It’s not like head shop patchouli, but rather a smooth, crisp, woodsy patchouli. I can totally buy into their marketing; a man out on the town, dressed in great jeans, a dark cotton blazer, a white button down, and an air of confidence. It dries into this gorgeously sleek leather/musk/amber with just a gentle touch of citrus to give a tart, bright element.

    13rd March, 2010.

    rating

    Bois d'Ombrie by Eau d'Italie

    I can't put my finger on exactly what I'm smelling, but it's not doing much for me. There a bitterness and harsh grassy thing going on that I don't care for much. Oddly, it reminds me a little of Mark Birley for Men, which I feel similarly about.

    10th December, 2009.

    rating

    Mark Birley for Men by Mark Birley

    The herbs/woods in this are too sharp and harsh on me. It's not bad, but isn't working for me.

    10th December, 2009.

    rating

    Terre d'Iris by Miller Harris

    I agree with an_oud_girl - this leans much more to unisex or masculine, which lucky for me, is partly why I like it. On me, it's not too sweet or powdery and has a nice earthy backdrop. It also seems to have a good bit of development, which is nice as well. I need to give it some more time wearing, but I do like it on first impression.

    5th December, 2009.

    rating

    Pure Gold by Montale

    Pure Gold is gorgeous. If you're familiar with Chanel's Coromandel and enjoy it, you'll love this. It has a number of new elements, including some berry notes and other juicy aspects. After the first 20 or so minutes, it transforms and becomes a wonderful experience of patchouli and vanilla. I'll be buying this shiny one this week!

    13rd September, 2009.

    rating

    Astor Place by Bond No. 9

    I often put a bit of a fragrance on the back of my hand to sniff during the day at work and sample. Today, I decided to grab a random Bond out of my desk drawer at home – I grabbed Astor Place and thought I’d give it some more attention since I’d only briefly smelled it in the store up til now.

    When I first put it on, I got a pleasant, but not exceptional plummy fruit note. It seemed nice enough and I thought perhaps it could be something the GF would like when she wanted something light or girly. By the time I had gotten to work, it had fallen flat. I’m not sure exactly what the culprit is, but it’s turned into the smell of shampoo. I lived with a number of girls one year in college, and this is the smell of their just-washed hair while getting ready to go out for the night. I think the freesia may be to blame, but I can’t be certain. What I get now is nothing more than wet Pantene hair. Every now and then, I get a pop of citrus, likely the mandarin sticking its head out for a breath of air.

    I wrote most of this earlier and then headed to a meeting. Astor Place did evolve some, but not much. There were a few minutes that I felt like it was going to turn into something better, more tart – but then it settled back into a shampooed head. The juicy mandarin is smothered with the hammering freesia and white florals.

    I’m left pretty disappointed for the most part. It’s a pity – the bottle is quite a sight, and the real location seems to be very cool. Perhaps that intersection has a lot of recently washed heads of hair.

    6th August, 2009.

    rating

    Acqua di Sale by Profumum

    This was just awful. It has some sort of accord in it that almost triggers the gag reflex, not unlike Secretions Magnifique. I think it's an iodine note that you get hit with in the back of your throat. If this is a beach, it's definitely not one I want to be visiting.
    Unfortunately, it's also quite tenacious. Just a few swipes from the sample vial and I was wafting it everywhere. I seldom encounter "scrubbers," but I did actually have to scrub this off as best I could. It's just not good.

    1st June, 2009.

    rating

    Dans Tes Bras by Editions de Parfums Frederic Malle

    I can't really say much about this because it left me pretty unaffected and indifferent. I guess "it is what it is," but unfortunately, that wasn't much to get excited about. I wore it today and it certainly didn't smell bad, but there was nothing about it to warrant anything but a lackadaisical neutral rating. It's a pleasant skinscent, but there are many better ones out there.

    27th April, 2009.

    rating

    Dzing! by L'Artisan Parfumeur

    I have a hard time describing this, but I love it. When I first smelled it, I thought "old paper" in a good way, but there's so much more. The people before me have described it much better than I can, but count me as a fan nonetheless!

    2nd April, 2009.

    rating

    Jubilation XXV by Amouage

    I love this - It's one of my favorites of the genre. While it could stand to be stronger, I have plenty of other scents that are stronger in the same variety and it's really nice to have something that can fit into the category of smelling wonderful but not playing first chair. I've gotten really wonderful comments about this as well as it seems to create an aura of multi-faceted scent, rather than immediately tipping people off of "oh, it's just that guy's perfume." It's blended really wonderfully and is incredibly inviting.
    This is currently the only thing I have multiple bottles of.

    31st March, 2009.

    rating

    Armani Privé Ambre Soie by Giorgio Armani

    This is my favorite of the Prive edp line. This is a unique take on amber and not at all overpowering or overly intense. It's creamy and warm and really addicting. Very nicely done on this one.

    15th February, 2009.

    rating

    Acqua di Giò pour Homme by Giorgio Armani

    No good. It's tinny and synthetic to me. Clearly many people like it, but I really can't find the love for it. It's just thin, generic stuff to me.

    15th February, 2009.

    rating

    Labdanum 18 / Ciste 18 by Le Labo

    Oh I love this. It really reminds me of many of the characteristics I love in Musc Ravageur, but without some of the more pungent spices, less animal notes, and a softer amber. It's wonderful when you want a smoother vanilla amber with hints of incense. It's warm and comforting. I wore it once from a sample, and ordered a whole bottle.

    13rd February, 2009.

    rating

    So New York by Bond No. 9

    I like this quite a bit... starts out a coffee gourmand that dries to a rich, velvety floral. I've bought a bottle for my girlfriend and might be sneaking some sprays sometimes. It's super long lasting as well, as are all the Bonds.

    6th February, 2009.

    rating

    Amouage Homage by Amouage

    I can't add much more than what's already been said. It's really incredible - a few dabs lasts and lasts. It's a rich, deep, luscious attar that's just wonderfully made.

    5th February, 2009.

    rating

    Porsche Design Essence by Porsche

    Nothing good about this. It's about as boring and generic as any other aquatic ho hum designer scent. I sprayed it on my arm at Bloomies earlier based on some good reviews and I've regretted it since. It reminds me of Aqua di Gio, which is not a good thing at all. I tried to wash this off when I got home but it won't come off. At least it's tenacious. :)
    Thumbs way down.

    24th January, 2009.

    rating

    Kenzo Power by Kenzo

    It's pretty good, but nothing I got that excited about. It's a bit non-descript and boring aquatic/citrus/floral. There's a gummy character to it that has some interest but overall it just never did much for me. The same thing from my girlfriend: "it's not bad I guess... but nothing special."

    24th January, 2009.

    rating

    Passage d'Enfer by L'Artisan Parfumeur

    Crisp white incense with just the right amount of warmth. One of my favorites from the house.

    5th January, 2009.

    rating

    1920 Extreme by Bois 1920

    I'm right on board with the previous reviews.. this is a magnificent, complex scent. It stays dry and undoubtedly masculine on my skin. There's a lot going on in it, but it all works perfectly together. The name is a bit misleading as it insinuates that it's an extreme version of Classic which it's hardly even related to.

    29th December, 2008.

    rating

    David Beckham Instinct by Beckham

    Boooring. It seems like every designer scent from your regular department store is beginning to smell like the same aquatic mess with just the slightest touch of something interesting. This isn't a bad scent, but it's definitely something you'd expect to smell on someone sporting a popped collar and cheap hair gel. This is on the top of the others in its class so I give it a neutral rather than negative.

    15th December, 2008.

    rating

    Cereus pour Homme No. 4 by Cereus

    What a 180 on this for me. I initially dismissed it as just a generic scent that I wouldn't get into. I decided to give it another chance after Chandler Burr's glowing remarks. It really is quite good! The drydown is a magnificent sparkling vetiver that I really didn't expect and what seems like hints of incense. I recommend this one.

    16th November, 2008.

    rating

    Five O'Clock Au Gingembre by Serge Lutens Les Salons du Palais Royal Shiseido

    Looks like I'm the first to love this, but I do! It reminds me a bit of Tea for Two, but more like a gray tea with notes of soft ginger, a touch of bitter cocoa, and touches of smoky patchouli in the drydown. I love it!

    11th November, 2008.

    rating

    Aomassai 10 by Parfumerie Generale

    I've tried many times to enjoy this more, but it's very much a neutral for me. It starts out like canned cake icing, has some middle notes that almost hint at some woody depth, but that soon vanishes and it leaves you with a cotton candy base that lasts an incredible amount of time. Even just a dab on the hand will be detectable 13 hours later.

    11th November, 2008.

    rating

    Amber Absolute by Tom Ford

    This is one of the best and richest ambers I've tried. It's got the perfect amount of sharpness, and dries down to a magnificent, warm amber scent. It lasts and lasts and is pretty powerful so a little goes a long way. If you take the medicinal herbs from Ambre Sultan and add some extra warmth to the base, you'll have something close to Amber Absolute.

    24th October, 2008.

    rating

    Tuscan Leather by Tom Ford

    This is the most authentic leather scent to me. For some reason, many other leather scents (especially Royal English Leather and its counterparts) have something in them that disagrees with me. They're almost too pungent and sharp for my tastes. This, however, is a soft, supple leather without any sharpness or pungency - it smells extremely natural on my skin and is a real "comfort scent" for me.

    24th October, 2008.

    rating

    Armani Privé Vétiver Babylone by Giorgio Armani

    This is a really wonderful take on vetiver. It's not an earthy, dirty vetiver but rather one brightened with some fruit notes, light musk, and fresh accords done in such a way that it's unlike the standard mainstream "fresh." I find it to be made in the style of Outrageous! by Frederic Malle (though that's not to say they smell alike). It's probably one of the more inoffensive of the Privé line, but it's certainly still unique and creates a nice aura that will have others, as well as yourself, wondering what that lovely smell is.

    18th October, 2008.

    rating

    Nasomatto Hindu Grass by Nasomatto

    When I tried this I was pleasantly surprised. It's a really lovely super dry patchouli with dusty earth and grasses as a backdrop. It's extremely sensual without using the usual suspects of a vanilla or sandalwood cloak. It leans more to the masculine side than feminine for patchoulis, but it's by no means an overpowering scent. It remains a light aura of a scent on my skin as opposed to a powerhouse patchouli scent. I sampled a number of scents of its type and decided to get this one. I'm certainly glad I did. The bottle is really nice as well... the raw wooden cap is a really nice touch. The bottle/cap size was much bigger than I'd expected (to my pleasant surprise).

    It's a parfum extrait, but either I get olfactory fatigue very quickly (which rarely happens to me) with this, or it has poor longevity. Either way, I really enjoy it! Thumbs up from me.

    6th October, 2008.

    rating

    Nasomatto Absinthe by Nasomatto

    This is a good offering, but probably not something I would purchase. The opening is REALLY strong of cannabis to me... enough that it made me laugh. That's not a bad thing though.. I couldn't pull myself away from my hand for the first 30 minutes. However, once it settles into what it spends most of its time as, it turns much more average and quiet. It's certainly not bad at all, but it's just another good earthy base with touches of oiled saddle leather and a dusty vetiver. I do like it quite a bit, but find it's longevity a bit lacking. I doubt I'll end up with a bottle, but never say never! :) It still gets a (mostly) thumbs up from me.

    6th October, 2008.

    Showing 1 to 30 of 79.

Latest Threads

Partners


  
Useful Links

Read, View, Friend, Follow

Get in touch

Basenotes.net
BCM Box 1111
London WC1N 3XX
United Kingdom