Fragrance Reviews by gimpy

This classic and simple scent pleases you upon smelling its lemon and verbena. Similar to other oldschool scents such as Givenchy's and Chanel's Pour Monsieur, YSL pour homme differs in that the herbs and vetiver soon make their appearance, giving YSL a somewhat more dirty—and I may even say dated—smell than other aforementioned two. Still, the masculine freshness and elegance is not lost, and the wearer will surely be rewarded by its above average duration for such a fresh and simple fragrance.

Rive Gauche is a very perplexing fragrance. Immediately it reminds one of Barbasol shaving cream. Yet, I believe that that was the effect the makers of Rive Gauche were attempting to create. Something masculine, yet clean and fresh. What other scent could capture this idea, that of a freshly shaven man straight out of the barber shop? And while it is true that there are other notes in Rive Gauche, a man fresh out of the barber's is the overall idea I get from wearing it.

Overall, a very nice and unique fragrance that should at the very least be tested.

John Varavatos is a very nice scent that opens with a fruity and creamy date note, which then blends into notes of vanilla, amber, and subtle leather. Longevity is of average durations

John Varvatos seems to fit perfectly for young urban professionals, or simply those wanting to move up from their mass designer scents into something a little more mature. While there certainly are better scents, John Varvatos offers something a little more unique and daring than most would otherwise wear-—not to mention it's ability to garner compliments.

Certainly, one of the better recent releases.

I don't really see SMW as a refined scent. It is youthful and and well constructed, but is certainly not something I'd reach for when I want to make an impression.

Despite that, this tart scent will impress in the right situations. Very easy to wear, and overall very pleasing. I found the longevity to be average.

Very mundane. It's light, green, and fresh at once. Pleasant, but boring. Longevity could also be better. All in all, I'd pass on this one.

Upon first spray, Cacharel Pour L'Homme seems to almost disappoint. With such enthusiasm for it here on basenotes, one wonders if there must have been a mistake. That is because Cacharel opens with an almost linear nutmeg note, which makes one think "Is that it?" to this fragrance.

But it is not until the midnotes that that overbearing nutmeg note begins to subside, and the beautiful subtle, spicy florals emerges giving Cacharel pour L'Homme an almost unmatched masculine elegance to it, before revealing it's spicy woody base. Though the nutmeg in Cacharel never fully disappears, it is in the drydown were Cacharel's balanced beauty is displayed.

If I could have two improvement for it it would be for one: the overwhelming beginning nutmeg to be tempered, and two: for it to last as long as it should.

This is almost a straight white tea and musk fragrance. Occasionally, one will detect fleeting hints of pepper, yet the overall experience is a simple white tea/white musk combo. I find the longevity to actually be decent on this one; more average in duration than is anticipated.

With such a simple and linear fragrance one would expect to be underwhelmed, yet the simplicity in this fresh fragrance manages to work, giving off a clean, carefree scent that's surprising with it's versatility.

Havana shares very much with the also discontinued, Montana Parfum D'Homme. Besides Havana's sweet rum-centered top and midnotes, which Montana lacks, they both share that warm, spicy, musky, drydown tempered with a fine tobacco aroma.

Havana manages to be a great masculine fragrance, while still being able to reek of class. Havana straddles the line between overt masculinity and pompous stuffiness. It conjures up images of a gentleman in the Caribbean who is familiar with the finer pleasures of his homeland.

Allure opens with a nice citrus blast, which quickly develops into a peppery, vanilla body supported by light woods. A very nice light oriental, Allure shares many similarities to the now discontinued Nemo by Cacharel. Longevity is average.

While Allure is nowhere near classic status, for those looking for something a little more classier and more mature to move up to from their mass-market aquatics, Allure would be hard to go wrong with.

Body Kouros is many things at once—medicinal, sweet, dark, seductive, and even playful. The opening Eucalyptus note is somewhat weird and medicinal, but that shortly gives way to an incensey and powdery sweetness supported by benzoin. Body Kouros is extremely sweet yet still manages to somehow seem dark. Longevity is better than average on me.

While I can admire the idea and crafting behind Body Kouros it is just too sweet for me to wear.

A very unique fresh, casual scent. Opens with a biting mint to it, which is supported by a refreshing cilantro note (beware those who do not care for cilantro may be put off by this as it really stands out). There is a slight vanilla basenote to Live Jazz, which gives it decent longevity for a fresh scent.

One of the better and more unique hot weather scents one can buy.

Tuscany Forte is pretty much the same fragrance as the orignal (a spicy sandalwood fougere) Tuscany, yet with something added in the base to act as a fixative. The original is pretty short-lived so it was nice to see Aramis address that problem, yet sad to discontinue the Forte shortly after. I would add that their differences are akin to those between Boucheron PH EDT and EDP, yet even more minute.

Tuscany should have been what Tuscany Forte was.

Iquitos opens with extreme aldehydes, which soften into a primarily rose based scent. While it is very feminine at first, it develops into something a little more masculine and even dark.

Very 80's in nature, yet not outdated. It's a shame it's been discontinued. I highly recommend trying this for those who like rose-based scents. Iquitos fits perfectly for spring wear.

Montana is an underrated gem. It has a slight fruityness to it, which is then taken by an excellent mix of spices and musk, giving Montana a great masculine edge to it. Montana has pretty great longevity, as well.

There is also an extreme similarity to the long sought after, and also discontinued, Havana. Havana is slightly sweeter than Montana, but the similarity between them is evident. One has to wonder why Montana does not get more attention given it's similarities to the aforementioned Havana.

The topnotes are to die for in Prestige. There is mint there, but not as present as in the Live version. The added tobacco is very easy to detect in the drydown, with hints of Sandalwood. Overall, a richer, warmer version of both the original and Live versions, and slightly better than both as well. Makes you wonder why they discontinued it.

Boucheron is one of the most classy, versatile fragrances one can wear, up there with Chanel Pour Monsieur and Nicolai's New York. One will smell extremely elegant when wearing Boucheron PH; at home with a tux yet still able to be worn casually. The only thing I would limit about it is that is really is for the mid-20s and up crowd.

It opens with a very strong lemony-citrus, which evolves into a lovely slight floral heart—though never overpowering. It settles into a lovely soapy/powdery, and light woody base. Class all the way.

Few scents can claim to live up to the beauty that was Ungaro I. Introspective, melancholic, and very calming. A subtlety that is inviting is Ungaro I. Earthen floors, dampness, and deep red are the images it conjures.

Ungaro I was too niche for the masses, which was the cause of its doom. The best of the Ungaros. A masterpiece.

This is not really like any other modern scents. More 80's in nature, but not over the top. It's a heavy-hitter that's dark, masculine, but still sensual. Though this is not an Envy sensuality we're talking about here, but a dead one. Think dead roses, over wet wood. It's like some place you've been in a dream, some place in the past. It puts you on edge, yet still allures you.

An extremely sensual oriental. The inscense really comes out in this one on me, which along with the ginger and nutmeg , gives it a semi-sweet body that dries down into a musky, woody base that almost seems powdery at times. This is a fragrance you want for a romantic date, or just a night out on the town. Very out-going in nature than introspective, and very long-lasting. A modern classic.

Very sweet oriental. This one seems to be mostly linear on me, being dominated by vanilla yet with a slightly woody accord. Even though I hardly find myself reaching for this one it still gets a thumbs up as it is one of the better "sweet" fragrances.

A green, woodsy smell. It smells like you're walking in a forest. The prominent note in this one is fig. Overall, an excellent casual fragrance.

Unique. You can definately smell the rubber intially, with the drydown being dominated almost entirely with a warm vanilla note. The vanilla is not as cloying as in other colognes though, and it retains a slight smoky character.

Chrome is a good safe scent. Doesn't offend, but doesn't really impress, either. It has that "popular" smell to it. Very similar to CKOne. Otherwise, a good casual scent with great lasting power.

I agree that it's very similar to Sculpture by Nikos , except Sculpture is more well-rounded. Desire has a vary sharp sweetness to it, with some spice. Can't really see it working on anything but younger people.