Fragrance Reviews by HDS1963

That men can wear this is beyond question if you ask me. If men can wear Caron Pour Un Homme, then Lavandula is well within that remit.

In my opinion this is what PuH should be. Lavandula is a smoother more rounded fragrance, the lavender being fresh in the opening as opposed to harsh in the Caron formulation. The lavender never leaves, but eases back into the skin supported by lighter floral notes, which project a light and pleasing aura which puts me in mind for some reason of Eau de Cartier.

The vanilla note is soft as well, but pleasingly so and not at all cloying like you find in PuH or Pi. All in all, this is a very well rounded fragrance, a delight to wear and the bonus is that it is sold in EdP strength.

This is as unisex as it gets in my opinion. I highly recommend it.

I think this is a lovely warm spicey fragrance. I found it in a 2.5ml atomiser today after having sprayed it full at the Banana Republic concession in (I think) John Lewis in Oxford St.

A rich dark, spicy fragrance in the Courvoiser Edition Imperiale mode. It has a boozy edge to it. People who would like a darker, smokier version of Dirty English would love this.

It is my intention to empty the atomiser and then buy a full bottle. Recommended.

What's not to love here?

As others have alluded, this fragrance is capable of morphing differently everytime you wear it. It has at its heart the spice and slight pepper accords that mingle with citrus in the same way as Chanel PM.

But I don't get the endless Creed associations here, as though that's where the Patricia was being drawn as a muse. Sure I can see the BdP references - but those same opening notes owe as much or more as a doffing of the familial cap to one of Guerlain's greatest creations (IMO), Heritage.

This is a rich and opulent fragrance which leaves the wearer feeling special whenever it is worn.

This got a round of applause from me for its opening. Quite simply it is a spectacular firework display of olfactory bombursts. Heady boozy notes fight for attention before sobering up and little flashes of spice emerge from the melee.

It's drydown is redolent of Gucci Homme II, but much smoother and yes, sexier. This isn't "dirty" per se, not in the same way that Eau D'Hermes definitely is. It does suggest rudeness though, and on my first wearing when I asked female opinions of it, they all said it was a sexy fragrance.

Can I also say to perfume manufacturers that those little perfume samples you give to people do work. I bought this after using up one on a night out. All those manufacturers who are too mean to do it are fools to themselves. Juicy Couture got an order from me on the basis of me being able to sample this excellent fragrance away from the sales assistant.

I really like this. It lasts well and is a very well formulated fragrance that I will enjoy wearing for a long time to come.

Make no mistake about it, this is a very sexy fragrance. Don't ever try it on a tester strip, go straight for testing on the skin. This, on a woman is both fragrant and elegant and has hidden depths to it. Very feminine and very alluring. Highly recommend it.

Just as an aside, I've tried this as I like rose on my skin and it changes completely and could very definitely be worn by a man. I would wear this. The very lovely lady who runs the PdN shop in London says she sells this to a lot of men.

I think this is one of the most beautiful Sandalwood fragrances out there.

It starts out quite strong, but bear with it because the drydown is divine. It's sweet and light and soooo elegant. A sweet rose note over that glorious creamy sandalwood. A fairly linear but classic CLASSIC fragrance.

It is very English and old school - but wonderfully modern at the same time.

Oh and it's ridiculously underpriced, Penhaligons would be charging two or three times this!

Quite simply, this is one of the most beautiful fragrances ever created for men.

This is sweet, alcoholic in its whisky accord, spicy like the most exotic of dusky maidens and with an itch-you-cannot-scratch addictive nose to skin appeal that most design houses would kill to achieve.

This is so unique and beautiful a fragrance it almost seems a travesty to recommend it to others.

It lasts for ages, it has good sillage, but it gives so, so much more. Its evolution is complex and teasingly long lasting. The final drydown lasts the eons of time it takes stars to devolve.

This is a beautiful fragrance, achingly so.

Top note surfers may miss the point completely. They are the kind of people for whom a Crazy Larry car advert is too demanding on their attention span.

Le Dandy is quite simply a masterpiece.

I bought this blind as I had been going through a phase of retro fragrances. I'd been through a purple patch of blind-buying and had bought some fabulous fragrances.

So when I opened this one up I was not prepared for the astringent blast of lavender which threatened to peel the skin from my eyeballs. Mon Dieu! That's some lavender!

Now don't get me wrong, I like Lavender, but not when it's as literally in your face as this one.

What is interesting is the artistry of the cross over between Lavender (are there really other notes supposed to be present in the opening???) and the emergence of Clary Sage and Cedar Wood in the heart-notes. To my nose I can't detect rose in there, but that maybe because my nose was still sulking from the assault from the Lavender.

It's quite a clever story being told really, because if you didn't know what the ending was you would never realise it was going to end up as vanilla, because the ending is kept really well, with none of the heart-notes letting on what's coming.

However, the vanilla is not a nice vanilla. This is a sickly sweet Givenchy Pi vanilla (which I hate). It's just too sweet. I like a slightly manlier, dirtier vanilla than this and just does work for me in this day and age - and it's so soft too when you get to the vanilla, it's barely there. The problem is too, that you don't want to reapply because then you have to go through the Pearl Harbour like attack on the senses from the Lavender again.

I gave this a fair go before deciding to sell it. In the end I did, because I couldn't live with it.

For the fragrance on it's own it's a thumbs-down. For the artistry of the progression from Lavender to vanilla and the very well articulated stages in-between it gets a thumbs-up. So overall it's in the middle.

What is the point of this fragrance?

Take away the Creed name and there is no way it would get the rave reviews it gets. Yes it's all very pretty at the opening - but no prettier or more attractive to the olfactory lobes than any of the Acqua di Parma Colonias.

After about ten minutes of this engaging opening coversation, it starts to fade like the Cheshire Cat until all you are left with is the faint memory of the grin you wore when you first put it on. I really tried to like this, I really did. But I've had fragrant wet wipes which have a scent which lasts longer than this. And I though the original Chanel pour Monsieur was short lived!

For me, the aforementioned AdPs are nicer, more engaging, more complex, last longer and project better than this.

This is not worth the ticket price. Thumbs down. And that's being kind.

Mint, Thyme, Lavender, Mandarin..

Middle Notes
Golden Alyssum, Rosewood, Coriander..

Base Notes
Oakmoss, Sandalwood, Patchouli.

I don't understand the negative reviews here at all. This is a wonderful fragrance. Fresh and distinguished in the opening with the mint just cutting in above the thyme and lavender sweetened with mandarin.
Then the spice of the coriander takes over adding a really sexy muskiness to the scent.

The coriander never really leaves with this one, which is why it has a slightly animalic quality to it, yet the fragrance remains slightly sweet on the skin.

I think this is possibly one of the sexiest male fragrances out there - certainly women love to smell you when you are wearing this.

I love it - a thumbs up seems rather too little for this one.

This is not a young man's fragrance, 30+ I would say.

I really like this - although I hate the opening notes of milk and honey - I mean WHY bother?

Get through all of that creamy nonsense at the beginning and what you end up with is a tartly piquant pepper fragrance which is very refined and elegant. It smells a lot and I do mean A LOT like a cross between Blenheim Bouquet and Endymion, probably leaning more to Endymion but with the pepperyness of Blenheim Bouquet, with a wave of the hand in the direction of the opening of Opus too.

Let's put it this way, it smells like it should be a Penhaligon's fragrance. It's very nice. But if like me you already own Endymion which I think smells nicer all the way through, I wouldn't pay L'Artisan's prices to get one.

It still gets a thumbs up from me though because the drydown is delicious - long lasting on my skin too.

I don't understand the attraction to this fragrance at all. It starts off with a kind of hospital ward discinfectant smell to it mixed with the swill tray from a beer pump and then thankfully dies to a close to the skin spicy woodiness. I have to say you have to go through a lot of smelling unpleasant to get to the dry down, which is at best pleasant and at worst frankly rather average.

Thumbs down from me.

Top Notes
Yuzu, Bergamot.
Middle Notes
VIOLETS, Musk, Lavender.
Base Notes
Amber, Patchouli, Cedarwood.


This is one of my favourite fragances. But it didn't start out that way. First time I smelled it, I lightly misted my arm with it and... nothing. Didn't go anywhere, in fact it seemed to disappear altogther.

So then, I gave several spritzes and BINGO! The scent kicked in a gave such a fantatistic account of itself I couldn't believe it.

The top notes are sharp, airy yet hold themselves with a great deal of dignity. I have no idea what Yuzu smells like on its own, but it doesn't offend here, so I can only imagine it smells nice!

What wins for me here is the interplay of Violets and Lavender. Take away the Violets and this would be a distinguished Lavender scent on its own I think. But it's the interplay with the violets that really takes this a cut above. I disagree with others who have said that the Lavender doesn't last through to the drydown, they do, and so do the violets, all underpinned beautifully with sweet patchouli and cedarwood (can't get the amber, unless that's the warmth of at the ending?).

I've changed the heartnotes in my review from the heartnotes given at the top of the review section because Cartier themselves specify Violets as being one of the key notes for this fragrance. If you like Grey Flannel, you'll love this, because it renders with Violets with the same kind of elegance.

But Eau De Catier has something else about it that just makes it a winner, it is etherial and magical and smells very expensive.

If you don't realise that you really have to APPLY this you are going to miss out on a fantastic fragrance. This is not like, say Un Jardin Sur Le Nil where you have to mist it lightly otherwise you will wipe out civilisations because it's sillage is so great, this you need to apply in proper manly portions.

Once you get the application right, you will find that it has great sillage and longevity.

But heck, just get it, it's fantastic.

I have grown to absolutely love this fragrance. Since I bought it I have put it on when I am not going anywhere, just to enjoy it.

I've always enjoyed spicy, peppery openings, which is why one of my very early loves was Cacharel Pour Homme. This shares that blast of peppery fanfare and grabs the attention. And then like a dying fall in a musical phrase, the sweetness of the anise and cinnamon carress and sooth the savage breast.

But the headline grabber which is there throughout is the lavender, which is exquisite and it lasts and lasts and lasts all the way to the dry down. It is sweet and earthy at the same time - and highly addictive to sniff. Put some on your wrist or on the back of the hand (as I do) and you'll find yourself with your hand to your nose time and time again as you catch a whiff of this lovely fragrance.

Sillage and longevity are good to. It's not a sillage monster by any means but it does project and people do notice. It probably lasts four to five hours on me - but who cares, I get to reapply it and enjoy it all over again.

It is reasonably priced too - and much better than many fragrances twice the price. Highly recommended.

I can honestly say that this is one of the unsung heros of fragrance.

It is a masterpiece. Yes, it's ridiculously macho, but my god it teaches the metallic, ozonic, citrussy mass market fragrances of today a thing or two about being male.

Big chunks of wood, bashed around with patchouli, lumps of cedar wood lurk in the corners and with an ambery notes hanging out with opoponax, it is as rich and lucious as a truly male fragrance can be.

It also has a rather unique quality to it. I've been going through a divorce recently and have been feeling very down. At the depths of my lowness, I wore this and it made me feel better, I don't know why, nobody I know has ever worn it. It just has a warmth and envelopping quality to it which feels so good.

I wasn't that struck on this when I first got it, because my purchase immediately prior to it was Heritage, which is far more subtle. So this was a bit of a blunt instrument after the intricate finesse of Heritage. But it so easy to misjudge Lagerfeld Classic. This is, in its own way a very sexy, rich and complex scent.

When I first got it, I thought I'd never get through the bottle. Now I'm not so sure.

Highly recommended.

I cannot for the life of me understand the negative reviews submitted here about this fragrance.

This is a delightfully clean and gentlemanly fragrance. You can wear this when suited and booted, or at the weekend with jeans and a casual shirt.

When you consider the mass market for citrus openings and ozonic scents where men apparently like very clean and fresh fragrances, then really they should be buying this. This oozes class, the mass market frags don't.

What I particularly like is the opening. Yes there are elements of citrus in there but it's the violet which sings loudest, projecting an elegant haze around the user. I like floral notes in male perfumes and this one does it beautifully.

This fragrance never tries hard to please, it settles into a wonderfully smooth and comfortable drydown. It is understated and beautifully put together.

Thumbs up? Oh yes.

I'm surprised nobody thus far has picked up Racquets Formula being so similar to Heritage.

When I first went into one of the Penhaligon's stores to try this, the first thing I said when I put some of the EDT on the back of my hand was "I already have a fragrance that smells like this, Guerlain Heritage".

Racquets is a good fragrance if you haven't got Heritage, it shares some of the same qualities - but Heritage is the better of the two.

I hate this fragrance. It opens up like an overly cheerful waitress in a lousy diner who decides that after she's said "hi" that she wants to marry you and never leave you.

I know that quite a few women like men wearing this, but I have never figured out why.

It has perhaps one redeeming quality - that it is not compulsory to buy it. I just don't like this at all.

There are just soooo many better fragrances out there...

OMG, I cannot believe what some of the reviews here have said.

This is a spectacular fragrance. The neroli opening is a magnificent opening to an orange blossom heart. Quite simply this is a lovely floral yet curiously masculine scent.

This is like many great masculine scents, effortlessly so. This projects the levels of refinement you would expect of Heritage yet with a much fresher, livelier feel. It is what Chanel Monsieur would aspire to. This is a fresh citrussy (but not lemony) fragrance that has both longevity and sillage for a long time.

I disagree also that there are no crisp notes here, yes there are! (Although I accept that is going to depend on skin type.)

Creed lovers should take time out to consider this. It is a classic, elegant, fresh and articulate fragrance that any man who considers himself knowledgeable about fragrance should have as a de rigeur purchase.

This is the purchase that the real man should consider when faced with a choice between Blenheim Bouquet and Endymion. I would buy this every time. It carries more class, more elegance and more savoir faire than either of them.

Highly rated? You bet!

I think this is the best Iris scent I have ever smelled full stop. It's the only perfume in my wife's collection I covet,

I understand that Prada are to bring out a male version of this. But they needn't bother since on a male skin this smells very different anyway, how do I know? Because I am wearing it right now and I have male fragrances which smell more feminine than this does on male skin.

In the same way as Terre D'Hermes transforms on a woman's skin to a shimmering light fragrance, so Infusion D'Iris changes on male skin.

This is one of the best fragrances male or female of the last few years and deserves to become an all time classic. Thumbs up seems too small a gesture of praise for this absolutely stunning fragrance.

Every woman should treat herself to a bottle of this.

And men whose skin allows them to wear it should get themselves a bottle too!

I used to wear this all through the 80s and haven't bought it since, which surprises me because I used to love it and yes, ladies loved it too. I might have to reinvest in some...

Oh, this is one of my favourite fragrances. The very first second I smelt this I knew we were going to get on very well.

It is an etherial scent which has a similar ability to befuddle the nose as Heritage. With Heritage if you spray it onto the back of the hand and wait say, an hour, it does something very unusual. If you smell it from two or three inches, it smells completely different to smelling your skin directly, projecting notes into an aura around you which at close examination are lost.

So is it with Coriolan. As with most Guerlains the progression from top to basenotes is smoother than honey down velvet. It's sweet too, but not cloyingly so - yet women can and do wear this well.

The mid range mix of juniper and spices is delicious and perfect for a warm day, but it's the blend of Oakmoss, Patchouli and Everlasting Flower which is it's party piece. The Everlasting Flower floats above the skin supported by the best notes of Patchouli, the sweet warmth rather than the oily heavyness, underneath which the Oakmoss adds a delicious breadth.

This is never going to win awards for sillage. You should avoid this if you want to walk into a room and have everyone notice you.

But, if you want to exude an air of quiet confidence; if you want women to want to smell you because they just caught the faintest whiff of something sooo subtle but wonderful then wear this.

This is not a fragrance for men who have to try too hard. It is not for angry young men.

It is for men.

It is being relaunched by Guerlain as L'Ame D'Un Heros (The Soul Of A Hero) and that's a pretty good title really. Understated strength and charisma.

Oh and if you can get the original in the original bottle, do so, it's a classic!

I'm not going to go on about this one, save to say that this is one of those fragrances that doesn't really smell like many others but is always there, calmly delivering a delightful feeling of smelling great all day.

I do agree that it is quite a feminine fragrance in some ways but has a strong underpinning of Sandalwood which makes it err just on the side of hunter/killer for the more macho readers of this site. ;-)

This was bought for me by my wife. And thank God she doesn't know what my online ID here is.

I really don't like this.

Don't get me wrong, at first, when you put it on it smells fresh and clean, but it dries down to an overly cloying sweetness which makes me wish I'd worn something else during the day.

And this is nothing like the original Baldessarini (which I also have). The Baldessarini smells expensive and has a nice dry down which this doesn't.

Maybe it's just my skin but, this doesn't float my boat.

I'm in my mid 40s, I've been buying colognes for a very long time.

I love this scent. I feel fantastic wearing this. The drydown is one of the most seductive combinations of spice and musk out there. I have a broad taste spectrum, but this ticks a hell of a lot of boxes for me.

It is distinctive, rich in seduction and an inescapably male scent.

My wife loves this on me probably more than perhaps any other fragrance I wear.

I am a late convert to this. I'll be honest, I don't like the topnotes at all. In fact I don't like this at all until I've worn it for an hour.

But women love it.

As I do a fair bit of acting, I have to from time to time kiss women apart from my wife. I had to kiss someone on stage recently when I was wearing this and she whispered in my ear breathily "oh my GOD you smell SO good".

I am not a guy looking for a woman (I'm happily married), but if I were, I would wear this. I get more compliments wearing this than almost anything else I wear.

I echo everything said here - especially the warning about over application.

This is a wonderful scent, but do not, judge it on first application, it is over-whelming.

However you do not buy this fragrance for its topnotes. I bought my bottle of this last December at the end of a holiday. The reason I bought it was because when I tried it in duty free at the beginning of my holiday I didn't like it. Then on the plane my wife both kept getting this whiff of something that smelled gorgeous - it was where I'd sprayed the Terre.

To this day, whenever I wear this, my wife says "You smell lovely, what's that?"

Two squirts from the EDT, one for each cheek will last all day. You don't need more!

This is delicious. A wonderful smoky and evocative scent. It is a fragrance to be worn by an assured man who would think nothing of Bois De Portugal and carry it off with panache. It is a man's fragrance, to be worn in the evening with an expensive suit without a tie.

It is not for the younger man who doesn't understand the need for seduction rather than bangs and whistles.

The unsophisticated nose will miss its finer points. And or the record, it is nothing like the original Boss.

I also would recommend this. Initially a very fresh fragrance, redolent of Mont Blanc Individuel or Boss Selection, but sweeter at the top, then darker and muskier at the bottom. It lasts well too and you feel good wearing it. Very nice indeed.