Fragrance Reviews by JanAlways

This is remarkable - solid, almost unrelenting. I get a timeless incense from it and very little of the spices others seem to smell. I can well believe that this is based on an ancient perfume recipe. It has the same emotional effect on me that Philosyskos does - these are both beautiful scents and aromatherapy, rolled into one...

I never thought I'd find a more "churchy" incense scent than Avignon, but Cardinal is it. Compared side-by-side with the CdG, Cardinal is more natural smelling (Avignon has a chemical undercurrent I never noticed before - and still only notice when comparing it directly to Cardinal). It is also rounder and more interesting. Sadly, I don't get great longevity out of it - couple of hours at best - but it is so heavenly I'm happy to make allowances for that. HUGE thumbs up!

This is one of my very favourites: incense, earth and (buried deep within it) a tantalising sweetness like orange pomander. I have many incense scents and this ranks right up there with Cardinal and Avignon. I'd give it four thumbs up if I could...

I never got to try the original DK Men, but I have just purchased the reissue and I have to say it's terrific. It has a peculiar "grey" in the top-notes, not completely dissimilar to the top notes of Narciso Roderiguez for Men. The NR's "wet cement" opening is cold, while the DK is wet cement almost completely dried out by golden sunlight. The dry-down is simply gorgeous too, and I get decent (if not great) longevity out of it. A new favourite for me...

This is a real Cheshire cat of a fragrance. One minute it's not there at all, the next it's large as life, grinning malaevolently at you.

This is like Ungaro III's wayward brother, the one who took to a life of crime. It makes a terrific counterpoint to the elegant Ungaro. Love them both and happy to have them in my collection.

The best perfume I have ever smelt. It tastes exactly like cotton candy!

(Review by my daughter Isabel, aged 8)

These are actually TWO wonderful scents: L'Instant de Guerlain PH and L'Instant de Guerlain PH Eau Extreme.

The packaging is viturally identical, and you'll have to look carefully at the boxes to spot the differences (basically small type identifying one as the EE and as "Eau de Pafum"). The juice is the same colour and the bottles are identical in size, shape and typography. The EE bottle has black edges, and makes no mention of Eau Extreme whasoever (only the label on the bottom of the bottle mentions Eau de Parfum).

L'Instant PH opens with a citrus-tinged green blast before settling into its truly warm and enveloping mid- and base-notes.

L'Instant PH EE EdP has just a hint of citrus and instead majors on luscious gourmand burnt sugar-chocolate notes in its opening. Those notes remain throughout the dry-down and give it quite a different "hue." (It has much more depth, warmth and sophistication than New Haarlem.)

The two L'Instants draw closer to each other as time passes, but there is still a discernable difference in tone.

Put simply, I'd say that L'instant PH is an ideal daytime scent, while the EE is the perfect after hours choice.

Both have pretty good staying power too, though (ironically) it's not the Eau Extreme EdP that lasts the best on my skin but, rather the EdT.

Love them both and wish only that the Eau Extreme wasn't so hard to find. They are the urbane counterparts to Caron's masterful PH and 3rd Man, which I also adore. I choose one of the Carons when I'm feeling puckish, and one of the Guerlains for my more "refined" moods.

Some fragrances lie close to your skin and reward close perusal. Caron's scents stand tall and when your nose gets close they give it a quick jab with a knuckle-duster. None of them punches harder than Yatagan. This is truly one of the great fragrances of the world, and there's nothing like it elsewhere. It was my first "blind" purchase (based on reviews here), along with Caron 3rd Man and PH, and it has pretty much ruined me for other fragrances - though I'm happy to keep trying!

I love this fragrance from the moment it comes out of the admittedly fecky sprayer. It is gloriously "mechanical," with smells of petrol, oil and machinery in equal measure. The dry-down is redolent of Bulgari Black, but without the softness of the Bulgari. I'm sure no one near me will like smelling it, which could be problematic, as it has powerful sillage and lasting power (eight hours and counting), but it is so unusual that I cannot resist it.

I've been keen to try this for ages, and I finally got a blast of it today. What a remarkable, multi-dimensional scent. Yes, the fig is dominant, but it's tempered by the coolest of breezes. It hovers around the edges of melancholia too, and though I love this scent, at times it also makes me sad, or at least wistful. In terms of longevity, it is still giving of its best six hours after application. This is a "must buy" for the collection.