Fragrance Reviews by Redneck Perfumisto

A fascinating scent. Whereas [i][b]Un Jardin Après la Mousson[/b][/i] was more or less a green aquatic, this is an aquatic green. Disturbing and artistic just like [i][b]Mousson[/b][/i], this one is less sad. It is not the survival of a tropical storm. Rather, it has the emotionally flat beauty of the jungle - life and death and beauty thrown in for no reason at all. My wife was actually shocked when she came into the house, wondering what the strange smell was. She refused to believe that it was this scent, diffused into the air, and kept searching for the source.

Just like the jungle, there is beauty and harmony in this scent when one examines it closely. Flowers peek out gently when one pays close attention. A very sniffable green accord maintains several clear notes for several hours, mellowing down to a faint green and musky base. Stays pleasant the whole time, although I prefer the lush beginning and middle.

One of the nicest and most interesting green scents I have ever smelled.

I tried Mahogany because I'm a woodaholic and was looking for something different. I agree with the others that it's a rather synthetic smell - in my mind, it's akin to a hardwood floor with a pleasant but strong varnish. Someone else (the_good_life, I think) likened it elsewhere to being smacked in the forehead with a two-by-four, and I would concur, and add that the wood has been highly treated, sanded, turpentined, and varnished with something really, really synthetic. I will admit to liking it, as does my wife, but if you don't love wood in almost every form, I suggest care in choosing this scent. It's light, and projection and sillage are low, which are, to some extent, saving graces for something which errs on the side of being synthetic. Drydown gets better, not worse, so you have something to look forward to. But longevity is not great here, so those who are really put off by the need for reapplication should stay away. Glad I bought it, but not as much as I had hoped.

HM is a really fun gourmand that smells like some kind of toluene-menthol-vanilla-white-chocolate mixture. At the EdT concentration, it's a light scent that shouldn't offend anybody. At the EdP concentration, it gives an aura of frozen menthol vanilla cream ether. Not everybody's cup of tea, but I'm something of a sucker for vanilla creme doughnuts.

"the one" is a love/hate frag for me. I love the scent, but hate that it's not stronger. But there's always a solution - in this case, buy big and spray adequately. Seriously, this one has training wheels that can't be removed. One could cover every inch of skin with the stuff, and it wouldn't overpower. It's almost impossible to turn this one into a sillage monster. "Close to the skin" is hilarious understatement. But the scent you get when you sniff up close is divine. It's a sweet, warm, subtle, ambery fragrance that is mildly reminiscent of YSL L'Homme. If the version pour femme is anything like this, I'm going to buy it for the wife and sniff her until she has to shoo me away with a newspaper!

Here's what fragrancedirect says:

Occasion: Romantic wear
Launch Date: 2008
The One for Men perfectly reflects the Dolce & Gabbana man: charasmatic and seductive, elegant and sophisticated, he loves taking care of himself. A modern hedonist who never passes by unobserved. Oriental-Spicy Luminous, with sensual and elegant, the fragrance is created around a sensual tobacco note.

Well, I don't know about all that other stuff. But romantic wear sounds about right.

I like it, but I'm going neutral on this just so I don't steer somebody wrong. This scent needs to be right for you, or else it will be a waste of money. The first time I tried it, I laughed. Kenzo Air? More like Kenzo Vacuum. Like, where's the beef? But when I went back in the store with my son, to show him just how much of a joke it was, it suddenly smelled great, and I "got" it. It opens like fresh fruit, goes to something fruity/woody and very interesting, and then dies down quickly to a faint wood. And Mokkie is right - ginger is always there. I like ginger, and I could drink ginger ale all day and I not even notice it, so I think that's why the other stuff comes through very interesting and I'm not put off by ginger notes.

My recommendation is to spray skin absolutely wet with the stuff to test it, and to spray strongly on skin if you buy it. In just a couple of minutes, you're OK for a crowded elevator. But if you baby this scent onto clothing, it's gone in 60 seconds.

I love this scent. Even my picky wife loves it. For me, there is a cedar-like accord unlike others, which never gets too loud, but has great persistence all day long. I compared it to a good dozen other potential buys in Sephora, but just found myself going back to it over and over again. I can see why Ellena thinks it's so important. It's a soft but masculine scent that is outdoorsy and sophisticated at the same time. For me, it's now "my" scent. I bought the deodorant stick to go with it, so that it wouldn't collide with my usual deodorant, and I'm happy to report that the Terre d'Hermès deodorant is the perfect complement, and keeps the volume constant all day long.

Interesting factoid - when it was still in the box, in my luggage, it slowly gave off a strange, sulfur-like smell which really had me worried. I'm not sure what it was - it had to be unusual to get through all that packaging. Most scents stay in the bottle, but this one wanted out. But once I actually opened it up and used it, the balance returned, and the sulfur smell fell back to a single, weak note in the symphony.