Fragrance Reviews by Eggberj

Smells like hot red Jello. You know, when you first put the powder into the boiling water, but before adding the cold. It's definitely a distinctly different smell than the solidified Jello, or even the powder alone. As it develops, the honey and nutty notes emerge, and it eventually dries down to something woody and mossy. The opening accord is very strange, but also very unique, and not at all unpleasant. Chypre Rouge is quite wearable in that offbeat CdG sort of way.

God-awful. Likely just my body chemistry (the other scents in the series work for me; ALL of the incense series are phenomenal), but all I get is tomato. Spicy, pungent tomato. All the other notes fade quickly into the background as if the tomato had beaten them into submission. I've heard rumors that this works exceedingly well on others, but personally, I'd rather not smell like four-alarm spaghetti sauce.

Rose scents, for me, generally conjure up images of Grandma trying to look sexy for Grandpa's 75th birthday, complete with lingerie and too-red lipstick, an image which I would like as far removed from my brain as humanly possible. CdG's take on Rose, however, sidesteps this nicely, being neither old lady-esque or overtly sexual. And while the combination of rose and raspberry sounds uber-feminine, it just takes a little panache for a man to pull this off. A unique addition to any fragrance wardrobe.

Smells like a mocha, with extra chocolate and whipped cream. Sweet, foody, and linear in development, but never cloying. Great for winter!

L'Eau de L'Artisan in a bright, crisp green scent, perfect for spring or summer. Very similar to Miracle Homme L'Aquatonic, except without being sharp or astringent. IMO, the higher quality ingredients and the artful blending justify the higher price point, but if you were on a budget, you could probably find a bottle of L'Aquatonic on eBay for about $20.

Smells like lying on dewy grass at the entrance of a cave, in foggy moonlight, in winter. I cannot detect any individual notes, and the overall effect is not what one would normally call 'perfume', but as a whole, the scent is VERY evocative of a fairy-tale setting. The Unicorn Spell has a cold, earthy feel to it, but also a transparent softness in the style of L'Eau d'Hiver. The lasting power is only moderate at best, but as a lover of 'challenging' scents, I would highly recommend this.

It took me a few days of constant wear to really appreciate the beauty of this scent. Upon first application, the oud note was harsh, even jagged, and seemed to disturb the continuity of the composition. After a few applications, perhaps my nose adjusted to the characteristic roughness of the oud, or my brain just learned to process it differently, but it seemed to blend effortlessly into the rest of the scent, creating an aura of masculinity and sex. This is definitely a 'naughty' scent. Just go easy on the trigger; a little goes a long way.

Hmmm... this is a strange one for me. I had to empty the entire sample vial on my arm in order for it to even be perceptible, and after about 10 minutes, there emerged a faint clean/musky smell, with a hint of what smelled minty to me. After 30 more minutes, I was unable to smell anything even with my nose pressed to my wrist. However, my roommate walked into the room, and immediately commented on the strong aroma which was emanating from me. I have heard that some people cannot smell certain musky scents, or perhaps my nose had just gotten used to it. The scent itself is not at all offensive, or even moderately unpleasant, and while others seem to be able to smell it on me, I wear fragrance so that *I* can enjoy the smell.

One of my favorite scents. It never really seems to smell the same way twice. Some days, it's bright and fruity, and others, dark and brooding. I've heard that body chemistry changes slightly with your mood, which may explain the most interesting way this fragrance behaves. Might not be worth the high price tag, but a unique addition to any wardrobe nonetheless.

Not a 'true' lily, such as Frederic Malle's Lys Mediteranee, but strikingly beautiful nonetheless. It's got a very fresh, green quality, which tempers the abundant florals. Florals generally don't work for me, but this is incredibly easy to wear, without feeling like I'd been covered in debris from an exploding florist shop. And, as with most Yosh oils, it lasts next to forever.

I would consider this one of those 'nostalgia' type scents. To me, it's reminiscent of the cinnamon sugar covered nuts they sell at little kiosks in the mall, which I might add, are quite tasty. I would hardly consider this a sexy scent, but it's very comforting and evokes good memories. Jour de Fete is something you wear for yourself, to invoke a daydream vacation.

Hands down, THE sexiest scent I've ever had the pleasure to wear. Spray this on your clothes when you want them to ripped off, but make sure to get some on your body too so the effect still lingers after the clothes are gone. :)~

While at my local Barney's New York, this fragrance was referred to me by the very cute salesgirl. I expected a deep, beautiful wood, but was instead unpleasantly surprised by a harsh, sharp floral note - my nemesis, the tuberose. I sprayed some on my skin right before leaving the store, to see how it dried down and perhaps give it another try. The shrill tuberose note was present all the way through the drydown of the fragrance, and I never felt like the scent truly settled on my skin. I had to resist the urge to wash it off many times throughout the day. The name "Cedre" is highly misleading, as this is primarily a tuberose fragrance, albeit a very poorly done tuberose fragrance. If it's tuberose you're looking for, Frederic Malle's Carnal Flower is FAR superior.

I am normally not a fan of florals. I am especially not a fan of tuberose. But there's something about Carnal Flower that entices me to repeatedly smell my wrists, clothes, or anything else I may have sprayed it on. CF takes away everything unwearable about tuberose, which is IMO the harshest and most difficult to pull off of all flowers, especially for a male. The shrill, piercing quality so often attached to tuberose fragrances is all but missing, replaced instead by a soft, buttery quality. Carnal Flower excels in all the areas where Serge Lutens' Cedre failed.

Normally, I shy away from citrus scents, as I find them one-dimensional and fleeting. Not worth spending my hard-earned money on, IMO. Bigarage Concentree is the exception, and I've learned to expect nothing less from Frederic Malle. BC is sparkling and fresh, without being soapy or sweet, and actually has fantastic staying power for a citrus-based scent. It also doesn't hurt that Jean-Claude Ellena is one of my favorite perfumers, and I find it very hard to dislike any of his work. With summer fast approaching, I imagine this will be one of my staples.

It's fragrances like this one that really make you appreciate the artistry of perfumery. The use of high quality natural ingredients to create something that smells synthetic is astounding. Normally, the reverse is true. And while I can appreciate the artistry of this scent, I could NEVER wear it. There's something so gaudy and unnatural about it. I'm reminded of an episode of "America's Next Top Model" I saw where the girls had to do a photoshoot dressed as 1920's pin-up girls, complete with too-red lipstick and loads of powder and rouge. This is exactly what I envision them smelling like.

Color me unimpressed. I should hope I never run into a wild Cassie flower, if this is what they actually smell like. Also, I suppose luckily, this scent was almost undetectable on my after about an hour.

Green and fresh, yet soft and beautiful at the same time, a perfect balance between the two. It truly does smell like sopping wet live plant matter. And as sexy as that doesn't sound... it is. My only complaint is that it is quite fleeting, fading to a very soft skin scent within about 2 hours. One can only hope for a concentree version of this delightful scent.

I hate Vetiver. I've tried again and again to incorporate a Vetiver based fragrance into my collection, but I could never find one that I liked, or was even tolerable. VE is the exception. It has an incredibly high concentration of Vetiver in it, the highest in modern perfumery, I believe, and yet, it isn't harsh or astringent in the least. It's just a beautiful green scent that is pleasant from application to drydown. I imagine, that if you are a Vetiver fan, you will absolutely love this fragrance, as it was able to convert one so anti-vetiver as myself.

It really took me a few days to appreciate this scent. I got a small sample of it from the sales girl with my recent Frederic Malle purchase. I told her that I don't wear florals (not that they aren't great - they just aren't ME) but she insisted I try it anyways. Upon first application, I hated it. I had to resist the urge to wash it right off. But after a while, I forgot about it, and would occasionally catch a whiff of something in the air. "What IS that wonderful smell?" I thought. Then I realized it was me. I wore Iris Poudre again the next day and fell in love. This truly is a work of art. And completely wearable my a male, I might add.

My boyfriend bought me lilies for Valentine's Day this year, and this scent smells almost exactly like them. I mean, the natural scent given off by freshly cut lilies, right from a garden! It's amazing. However... I'd say this fragrance is a tad to feminine for a male (even a gay one like myself) to pull off.

I was recently out to dinner with my boyfriend, and he asked me what I was wearing. It was Opium. We got back to my apartment, he sniffed the bottle and said, "You know, from the bottle, I would think that I wouldn't like this. But ON you, it smells AMAZING." That's plenty enough for me to give a wholehearted thumbs up. And as a side note, it lasts forever. I smelled it on my wrists the next morning.

Skai is the only truly palatable scent from the Synthetic series. That being said, it's not for everyone. It's for those who would parade around town in red pleather pants, perhaps with a coordinating teal pleather jacket. Not real leather, mind you, which can be sophisticated and subdued as the need arises, but bright, almost retina-burning imitation leather. Skai is definitely a "statement" scent, and of course, therein lies the appeal.

Fresh. Summery. Average.

Decidedly run-of-the-mill, like many other modern fragrances, though a very pleasant scent nonetheless. Good for everyday casual wear. Thumbs up for the fragrance itself; Thumbs down for originality.

Smells nearly identical to Keiko Mecheri's "Paname" which I LOVE (it is in my fragrance top 5) but already own.

Quite nice in the top notes and even the middle notes, but on my skin, I do agree that in the drydown, all I could smell was animal urine. I suppose this fragrance would be OK if you kept reapplying every hour or so to keep the drydown from appearing. Serge Lutens has much more pleasing offerings, such as Chergui and Daim Blond. Not sure what he was thinking here...