Fragrance Reviews by hirch_duckfinder

Kerleo has acheived wonders within the tight budget he clearly had to work to here. The top is a beautiful balance of not-beautiful notes: eucalyptus, menthol, perppermint. It is immediately striking as unusual, slightly medicinal, not pretty. Just the sort of thing I like.

The heart has a good, slightly anisic, herbal quality (perhaps a little basil) allied with some synthetic florals, mace and resinous notes.The base boasts a woody-citrus underlined by a very quiet uber smooth woody-amber. Each level seems to attain a complexity and depth which belies the materials; even the obviously chemical base hints at more expensive resins with little hints of this-and-that ghosting from earlier, especially earlier on before the well known cheap chemical woody-amber takes grip.

The fragrance is a short lived burst of uplifting notes and I believe it is designed as such. Sillage is initially medium to strong but drops off rapidly.

Overall, I find this very likable and a considerable acheivement. Its different and interesting and smells very good at times. Ultimately the quality of the materials means I won't wear it very often, however, there will be sockets in my life which only this will plug.

I have fallen for this scent in a big way. My decant is used up and a 250ml bottle on its way! It just smells so natural. It has penetration but in a light sort of a way and it drys down (pretty fast) to a beautiful sweet vanilla which still projects just enough lavender. The initial blast of lavender action smells utterly wonderful, woody and fresh. For me this is a fantastically versatile fragrance, it works for formal or casual, hot or cold, day or night. Straightforward quality!!
Posted 06 June 2006

Added 25/10/09: My love for this has only grown over the years. Now I have smelled some real ambergris tincture I can say with certainty that my flacon from 2006 contains a big whack of it which comes to the fore in the drydown.

These days, there are no sandalwood scents which are really built around good quality natural sandalwood oil in any quantity, as the stuff is in very short supply. This means that sandalwood scents are either "impressions" of the precious stuff or full of the synthetic replacements which can smell fantastic but cannot really replicate the true oil.

Trumpers have taken an interesting approach - they have chosen to "stretch" aspects of the sandalwood accord out in various diections - sour, spicy, sweet, creamy - exaggerating each facet around the small but good quality sandalwood note which sits right at the centre. Lemon, sweet orange, spices and rose, vanilla, milky aldehydes and much more acheive this. This works very well for me.

Sandalwood Cologne is somewhat reminiscent of Egoiste, but lacking the "chanel" aldehyde attack up front. It is very complex and well composed, and fits the Trumpers tradition well. The level of complexity puts it alongside their Spanish Leather. It is long lasting and has beautiful evolution. The sillage is controlled and makes it very wearable.

Excellent.

Absolutely beautiful citrus top notes dominated by a bitter accord of bigarrade and lemon mellowed with a little neroli. Sweet and bitter orange in wonderful harmony. This really does sparkle initially. It moves rapidly forward into a herbal tinged musk accord where it stays. This base holds a little of the top notes within it...and fades.

The top layer is good, the base less so and they do seem a little incongruous together. The musk smells a just a bit cheap and ordinary. I understand that it is there fundementally to extend the life of the rather nice top notes but what about some nice moss guys?

However, like many of these Trumpers, the flaws seems to diminish over time. They get overidden by sheer practical wearibility.

Simple, enjoyable, unpretentious.

I have had change of heart on this one since my original neutral review on 30 July 2006. Now very much a thumbs up.

This belongs to the family of Eaux which are largely constructed from orange tree notes. As an Eau de Cologne of this type, it is truly excellent. It shares the usual trumper qualities of straightforward, solid construction. The lemon and bergamot are very good and the characteristic accord from this house of a big, superb neroli blended with a fine and prominant bitter bigarade note is here in abundence. It is sharp and highly refreshing with a brush of rose to broaden the floral heart.

The base is of the musky type, which is possibly the only weak point in the formula but it is there in just the right quantity to give somer longevity and the way it blends with the neroli is impressive.

This is similar to Portugal EDT in some ways, with quite a few shared notes but the heart is richer and the musk much scarcer here.

Wonderfully refreshing.

This starts with a large whack of top quality frankincense; effervescent, menthol-like, penetrating, rich and sparkling. This is follwed by a very natural smelling cedarwood. The little iris then provides a link to blend seamlessly into the base of ambroxin which is a little sweet and a perfect balance to the fire-dry incense.

An exceptionally well made fragrance from very good ingredients, totally free from irritating synthy woody-amber accords. Simple and effective - just how I like them. Diffusiveness is perfect, longevity satisfactory with a good application. Highly recommended.

It starts with a salty oceanic accord and quickly descends into a somewhat cheap smelling, rather poorly balanced mixture of musky, citrus and synthetic woody notes. With a bit of curdling ozonic still on top. And some plastic. Quite frankly, its a bit nasty. Especially if I think about it.

So why do I love it?

I really don't know. I find it compelling. I like the aquatic note. It does smell a bit like the beach. There is something frivolous and throwaway about it which conjours a carefree feeling. I just do.

What a blast of fresh cut grass!! Uplifting and masculine with a pleasing lack of sweetness. Very good duration and silage. A complex scent with interesting development. Unlikely to offend anyone (unless you over-apply massively).
16/05/06

Edit 21/06/09 - Well I stand by most of that except that I can't wear it anymore because of the everlasting musk in the base. It endures through several showers and interferes with my scent choice the next day. It would be wonderful for somebody who wanted to wear it every day, or several days in a row.
Changed from thumbs up to neutral.

I was on and off this fragrance for a couple of years and now have settled down with "on". It is a strange one in that it seems to lack any immediate impact or "wow" factor which gives it a hook. However, it creeps up on me as I wear it. It just keeps smelling good. Without ever standing out I keep thinking "that's nice". Until I reach the far drydown where this really does stand out. The base is familiar from other Creed fragrances but it seem particularly well realised here. I first became acutely aware of this low note accord when I smelled it on my nephew about 14 hours after application. It just smelled wonderful, very heavy on the leathery ambergris and woody musk (lots of ambroxin, I think).

It is not one of favourite creeds and I can find things wrong with it if I search; the top notes which smell a little like the scent in washing up liquid to me and the slightly weird gunpowder accord. It is not clean and classical. It may be something of a zeitgeist fragrance, may not be one which survives many years but it is still very well made with great development.

This is a thumbs up from me now (and for the past year or two. my previous review was neutral.

Quite a good Neroli fragrance. It is floral and slightly indolic but not so deep and rich that it crosses into feminine exclusive territory; it retains a little bite of bitter citrus which provides freshness and lightness. It is quite linear and focused, smells like the heart of a good traditional eau de cologne with its top notes removed. So good is this heart, it deserves to beat out its rhythm unaccompanied.

EDIT 21/09/09 The floral accord however, does suffer a bit of harshness if applied heavily and can descend into a slightly synthetic metalic quality as it dries. I suspect these are results of attempts to extend its longevity. Still very good and thumbs up though.

Like a refreshing spring breeze as everything comes back to life after winter. I used to think this the finest lavender water available but it is now reformulated for the worse and has acquired a slightly harsh and synthetic aspect. Still good, it smells significantly masculine, light, airy, wholesome, medicinal.

Along with the true and present lavender which dominates, there is a wonderful lift of mint and just a little grounding patchouli and a base of warm oakmoss. It leaves me feeling relaxed and refined, and will work for me as a light casual or an easy formal, or splashed in the bath.

It is easy to overlook due to its nature but I strongly advise paying this some attention.

Original review 19 April 2008, edited 19/06/09

Wonderful citrus of the old style. Strident, fresh, natural smelling top notes underwritten with aromatic accords and a mossy base designed to hold onto a little of the evapourated lime from earlier for that light but persistent summer green accord characteristic of the genre. To my nose this smells more natural and less aldehydic than other comparable fragrances.

A class leader.

Original review July 2008. Edited June 2009.

Frutti Paradisi

This one is a little abstract. It is centred on Osmanthus flower with jasmine, vanilla, blackcurrant. Profumo writes that it can smell different every day and I can see what he means because this is an impressionistic perfume (unlike others of his where I can relate the ingredients very directly to the smell/intended effect). Green fresh aspects of citrus with some indolic qualities from the florals combine to create illusions of tropical fruits. I can get the sweet aspect of pineapple, the fresh/deep combination of mango, something of the floral quality of pawpaw. The vanilla provides softness, jasmine and blackcurrant the organic, vegetal, even almost-animalic quality and the osmanthus a general vegetal, fruity floral flavour tying it all together. It is not overly sweet, has a subdued freshness and a very unusual natural accord. There is a light feeling of resinous wood underneath and maybe a drop of cocoa too (or maybe that is part of the osmanthus?).

If this perfume starts with a little emulsion, it burns away into clarity. I prefer it when the osmanthus drops away leaving the blackcurrant more vivid. It is lucid and drinkable, quiet and yet present, slightly acidic in a very friendly way, a tiny touch warmly urinous. I could imagine this smelling very sexy on a woman in a warm climate....

Frutti Paradisi does not possess a big colourful fruitiness like the synthetic fruity perfumes but rather pastel shades, and because of the abstraction I lose these somewhat as I deconstruct.

Projection is low and longevity medium. I find the base quite interesting and beautiful though I need to sniff from very close to get the detail. It is not something I would feel moved to wear myself, but it may just hit the spot for some.

Chocolate Amber

Which really doesn't sound like my style of perfume - and it isn't; though it almost gets there on quality alone. As usual - well made from excellent materials.

It begins with a clear melange of dry cocoa with vanillic amber. Smells like the best quality of dark chocolate without the sugar, could be edible but for the amber which is transparent, resinous and very coherent. After a few minutes I get just a hint of something vegetal underneath. Now..it will surely be linear...these accords will just fade gradually away. No, it develops, dries down to chocolate snow - the pure white vanilla is fluffed up by the tonka and the chocolate melts in infusing the whole affair as a dry powder. Eventually, the chocolate gets more distant and the vanilla light and smooth; tonka with its more earthy inedible quality dominates. There are other things in the base - sandalwood I think, maybe some moss?

Its is interesting to me how the natural amber accord starts so true but breaks down and develops, unlike in other perfumes where it is so often stoically linear.


Sillage is on the low side. Longevity is very good for the far drydown - and it goes back to smelling a bit more chocolatey. Very nice, a little like the drydown of L'Instant Homme EDP with the santal and cocoa (but more natural of course)

Chillum

Tabarome Millesime eat your heart out.
As written on the profumo.it website, this was created as a bespoke fragrance and is built from three ingredients, Ginger, Tobacco, Sandalwood.
It opens with lots of ginger. Very nice, fresh, green smelling rather than spicy ginger. It smells like the aroma when grating the root into food. Just where it would feel sharp and spicy, at the back of the nose when you breathe in deep and long sits the tobacco note. As the shimmer of the ginger drops down a little, this tobacco comes forward leaving a period of ginger flavoured tobacco, or is it the other way around? The ginger accents the green leafy aspect of the tobacco and the tobacco darkens and warms the spice. This is not a huge tobacco note but a slightly shyer one. Quite soon, the sandalwood comes through into the heart adding a third factor to the balance. It is a slightly vetivery smelling wood to me which keeps the green aspects alive.
Then the drydown - a very nice balance held together by the santal at centre stage with the other players interacting above.
The overall effect is a smoky green, without ever smelling burnt. I can see where the name came from.
Sillage is quite low with this one and longevity medium; the sandalwood remaining after the other notes have drifted away.

This is considerably less complex than the others from this house I have tried thus far though the notes themselves are quite rich and and the balance delicate.

Tabac

Starts with a slightly boozy blast of tobacco, like an islay malt, smokey and resinous with echoes of hay. For a short while the tobacco remains centre and top until it settles down and it drops into a strong structure with the warm tobacco at the low register, some lovely fluid labdanum, sweet tonka and beautiful vanilla sitting in layers. There is clary sage too, seamlessly integrated as flavouring. The drydown is absolutely my favourite tobacco accord of all time. The balance is wonderful, the tobacco is present but not too sharp or musty, not sour and thin or thick and overwhelming but with body and lightness at the same time. The other notes are carefully built around to pull out aspects of its complex smell.

This has instantly become my favourite tobacco scent and one of my favourite perfumes of all. If you like tobacco at all, you must try this.

While the opening is quite masculine, I think the drydown is very wearable by a woman who likes tobacco.

I am not sure if it is the natural materials, the composition or both, but there is something in these profumo perfumes which gives me the impression of 3D, its almost like I can see the layers of the structure, distinct but in balance and with clear air between them.

Cuba Express

Begins with a strident blast of sweet rum, dry cocoa, something peppery and a distant orange, I think also some frankincense. Next I get a mocha effect with a gentle sticky coffee and dusty cocoa coming to the fore. As the tobacco creeps in underneath there is, I think, some spicy bay oil giving reference to the traditional bay rum formula. What a tobacco note! - deep rich powerful and horsey! At once herbal and animalic. Now it settles with the tobacco up front and the spices giving a physical depth, as if I can smell into my arm. Then cloak and dagger games with coffee, spicy notes, rum all spinkled with light, warm cocoa. It is vivid, like a 3D film. Eventually the tobacco and spice seem to burn off a little uncovering a slightly vanillic, mild coffee, residual rum with just a hint of tobacco.

A wonderful journey! I particularly like the way the cocoa lies very lightly on top throughout. None of the supporting notes are loud, in fact none of the notes at all. The balance is evolving and always interesting.

The sillage is pretty good for an all natural perfume and the endurance good.

Oh yes.

Rose des Bois:
A gentle rose combined with a very green woody aspect (some rose petitgrain?) and maybe something animalic (which drops off quickly) followed by a tea-like aspect with or of the rose note. There is another floral too, I think? A spot of jasmine? Anyway, it is beautiful. All this is supported by an everlasting base of sublime vanilla with a little sandalwood and a touch of something else a little acerbic or skanky, maybe blackcurrant or that floral I can't place, I'm not sure. The base accord reminds me of a classic guerlainade made with the best possible materials. The vanilla and wood holding the soft aspect of the rose is just exquisite. It is a little rich but not sweet and a touch thorny without being sharp.

This scent has very low projection after the initial few seconds but endures extraordinarilly well as a skin scent.

This begins with a very fine old fashioned lemon note, evolves into a birch-tarry light but present leather and ends with a fine ambergris note. Some nice Sandalwood too.

Not a pretty fragrance but an excellent one. It states "masculine" strong and clear without the need to be confrontational.

Wonderful, incredibly natural smelling Bay Rum which is not too intense. Sits beautifully on skin, fresh, spicy and masculine.
Highly recommended.

Also - The Bay Rum with lime - also really good, a perfect combination, blended perfectly.

Quite a poor, cheap bay rum. The bay note itself is okay but it is packaged up in a rather unsubtle, drugstore aftershave accord and lots of castor oil.
Get the Trumpers Bay Rum, its beautiful stuff.

This starts with the most wonderful, sharp and very natural smelling lemon note and it is apparent that this is the granddaddy of GFT. The unusual (even slightly odd?) but really rather good complex accord which sits just under this holding it up smells of citrus including a touch of lovely bergamot, some bitter orange, a sharp, bright style neroli, other darker florals and a musk which seems particularly well blended here with some rosemary which continues the sharp acidity of the top. I detect a little drop of the "milky" floral aldehyde which trumpers seem to use frequently and froms a little of their signature (as well as the heart of the wierd Milk of Flowers). Maybe a little of the blackcurrant similar to eucris too, or a little mint and a touch of cypres or pine.

A deep, rich complex accord which morphs slowly bringing different aspects to the fore.

I took a tiny swipe from a sample vial 16 hours ago. One bath, one shower and a night in bed later and this is still pumping out unwelcome sillage. The smokey woody aroma chemical is so strong that I cannot even imagine enjoying the lack of craft and subtlety in the selection of materials and composition.

Utterly without merit for me, it seems to have little complexity of evolution, little reference to naturalness in composition and be intensely synthetic in its smell.

To me, this belongs with the lowest level of cheap modern fragrances and indicates the depths the so-called niche brands can stoop to under the cloak of a fancy box and a high price.

This is a review of the pure perfume oil.

A deep, complex woody fragrance with vetiver, spices and sandalwood all infused with the fascinating and slightly bizzare sweet/savoury multi faceted scent of ambergris. It captures the idea of aged wood from a ship perfectly, spices from the cargo absorbed in small quantity but deeply inside the timbers and the distinct smell of the sea in the amber. This is the smell of the sea as life-soup not the platonic ideal of oceanic scents provided by modern synthetics.

It is dark and mid-base note dominated and somewhat serious in its outlook.

The quality of the ingredients and strength of the composition shines through. There is a focus and coherence in this which is very compelling; it has deep roots and is born of conviction.

A wonderful sadalwood creation, somewhat akin to Chanel's Bois Des Iles in its warm sandalwoody creaminess, it is a simple construction of quality notes.

It opens with an old fashioned sour lemon and green petitgrain and drops into a aldehyde and sandalwood accord which lasts the remainder of its journey. I agree with my esteemed colleague zztop that this does contain a little indian sandalwood oil, but in my opinion only a touch of the real deal while the rest of the accord is a superb construction from other elements, maybe some other real sandalwood from other parts of the world, some other woods and some synthetics. The ghost of the lemon note with aldehydes adds some of the milky sourness which is an integral part of natural mysore oil, the smoothness is all there and the dry woody drydown too.

Still a very good perfume, and the best composed sandalwood perfume I know after Bois Des Iles (though I haven't smelled a recent version of that, maybe it has suffered a similar fate?), this must have been outstanding when availability meant it could contain a big quantity of real mysore oil.

Highly recommended, one of the few sandalwoods out there which is still worth the name, it is made from excellent materials which are used in a straightforward way.

Wonderfully medicinal, deep lavender and moss. Initially it smells almost too acerbic but soon settles into a very grounding combination of blue woody freshness from lavender and animalic forest green from the oakmoss. Lavender used this way can sometimes retreat into a thin top-middle register but this remains quite broad, the accord filling a wide spectrum.

Plenty of reference to other C&S - the house notes are here.

This endures very well for a fragrance like this, and projects with a light presence. If you like these old fashioned lavenders for gentlemen, this must surely be one of the finest examples.

Superb top accord, lovely bergamot and green notes but really quite subtle compared to the big amber which is present here right from the start. The heart is immensly rich with deep, complex dry hay and sweet blonde tobacco, a touch of florals and powdery iris. However, it is the base which dominates; so much so that I have to be concentrating to really notice the other factors (and I do wonder if anyone smelling it on me is likey to be concentrating that hard). A wonderful honeyed amber with a touch of fuzzy musk glues the whole thing together and the other accords can seem like token decorations of this at times.

At any rate Chergui (like many SL fragrances) has a very unified overal effect without a crisp deliniation between top, heart and base. The blending is sublime. It ends up with a strange combination of animalic hay and tobacco and naive sweet honey and amber, with a little savoury spice.

The projection is controlled and the longevity high.

I would prefer this in a lower concentration; I think it would make a better masculine as an EDT, but is very wearable in small doses as it is.

This is, to me, the finest, definitive, classic Bay Rum. It exudes the medicinal smell which defines barber shop to me; cloves, and a wonderful, smooth, linear bay rum accord. The whole thing is just so simple, so coherent, so natural smelling that it has charmed me utterly.

It is clove heavy, in the English style, so best avoided if you have trouble with that spice. If like me, you like your cloves, then I think you need to buy some.

Wonderfully constructed classic fragrance for men. This one should really be worn as aftershave on the face with EDT to back it up. Tradition reigns here with lavender, bergamot, cloves and that special fresh citric note which hails from a time when fragrances had to blend with tobacco smoke. It is difficult to believe that this was formulated in 1984 rather than 1934.

Discrete and compelling at the same time, the balance is utterly perfect and the far drydown reaveals an unexpected animalic twist which deepens the mix with a touch of dirt.

Perhaps the last of the great 20th century men's fragrances.

Rather a nice Javanese vetiver note, with all the round sweetness that entails, some nice backnose citrus and a rather odd salty aquatic undertone. This "seaweed" accord seems to me to be made from a combination of salty iodine and an ozonic note. The ozonic/vetiver is a strange combination which Vetiver Extrodinaire by Malle has realised rather better with its monstrous vetiver note and supporting cast including a much more subdued ozonic, though the vetiver here is more wearable in a conventional sense.

Quite compelling in a strange way but I can't help feeling it would have been better if the sea had been avoided altogether and the lovely sweet/savoury Vetiver allowed to shine unaccompanied.

No real top notes as such, just a big, fine flavoured amber. Very nice but not very detailed. My favourite part is a couple of hours in when the green bay cuts the amber for a very pleasing accord.
I think Turin is right on target with the comment that this is for people who prefer folk-naivité to Shalimar, this is not a multi layered complex balance but is made up from a single dominant accord which forms 90% of the scent throughout and the other 10% evolves.
It smells good.

A little old style citrus, aldehydic florals, pine and lots of moss on top of the smooth creamy sandalwood accord which trumpers uses in so many of their colognes. In the heart there is a carraway effect, I suspect from an aldehyde.

This does remind of Eucris at times, though it is less complex, more friendly and a little more restrained. The acrerbic green qualities are certainly present; the tamed animalic quality of the moss is like a softly spoken, well dressed gentleman who is incongruously deadly with his rapier if roused by injustice.

Very fine indeed.

I agree with the_good_life that this is a special scent.

It does indeed have a medicinal character, a combination of mint, pepper and edible herbal notes (without reaching gourmand territory) all underscored with a dusty but sharp nutmeg and supported by a lovely amber at times in its development giving an effect not entirely dissimilar to L'Air De Desert Morocain. The quality of ingredients is very high and the blend in villoresi style allows all the notes to show individually without fighting each other, distinct yet in balance.

Wonderful.

Lovely liquor-like rose note with some light spice and underpinned with vetiver dominated woods. The opening rose and style of the vetiver put me in mind of C&S No.88 without the house notes. This is considerably less complex though, and they diverge soon. The drydown slides into "generic wood" too much for my liking.

This is quite a good masculine floral in a formal style and the first phase is very appealing but there are others which I prefer.

Suprise!

I really like this. I was ready for another load of generic rubbish but didn't find it here. Against the grain of the market, it's conception is quite ordinary but it's execution is not.

I do believe this has a reasonable amount of natural derived elements - the quality of smell, especially in the top seems a notch above the normal cheap synthetics. I think the rather clever trick here is that some of the naturals are not expensive ones, such as the mint. There is definitely some natural citrus in there too, amongst the inevitable synthy stuff.
As it progresses, the naturalness decreases somewhat, the rose is quite good but somewhat burried in the fuzzy spices and the base woody amber accord is distinctly ordinary, and does indeed remind me of the nasty ultraviolet series however it does at least part of its job well, which is to hang on to the better quality stuff from earlier on. This is blended with a rather nice, if a little distant patchouli giving a clear and traditional masculine anchor.

The overall feel is very positive.

Good job Paco Rabanne!

I prefer this to Pour Un Homme. The top notes are toned down and the amber toned up. It is somewhat less vanillic. It is smoother and lacks some of the dirt and acerbic quality of the the original. The sillage is controlled and even. The persistence very good.

I find excellence in the way the base and middle hold the fresh lavender for a long time in balance with the balsamic base and vanilla for a very pleasing, steady accord. Highly comforting and bright at the same time.

Wonderful stuff.

Opens with a wonderful bergamot and lavender which reminds me a little of Patou Pour Homme. This rapidly drops into a powdery wood; a touch of rosewood which brings to mind the opening of egoiste with just a little acerbicity from wormwood all warmed and sweetened by rose dominated florals.

The drydown of sweet amber and sandalwood is a little less interesting than the earlier aspects of the fragrance. The wood smells good but is tied up in a slightly ordinary balsamic accord which is a little reminiscent of heritage without the interest provided by the fantastic guerlainade.

The sillage is pleasingly restrained. The top is very brief, the heart shorter than I would like but the base endures very well. This is rich and masculine and the lower sillage makes it quite wearable in a wide variety of situations.

Unlike some others who clearly get a big note of pathos from this, I find it comfortable and warm.

Very nice lavender dominated opening with bergamot and civet just a breath behind. Wonderful and inspirational.....
........but what a disappointment. Much too soon, these highly pleasing accords melt into a dominant synthetic soap-proof musk which endures forever. I actually became quite irritated with this.

Vetyver-
Wonderful vetiver fragrance of the soapy variety. Starts with bergamot, a little lavender and a little incense behind a soapy haze. The top notes drop off into the soap and then the true vetiver emerges, and what a note it is.

It is rounded and never "sticks out" too far. It is also earthy, warm with a little salty tinge. It is sweet like guerlain's wih just a little of that low-down-sparkiness-"back-nose" feel like vetiver extrordinaire. The woody base supports well, holding up the vetiver without intruding and smells of high quality ingredients. The sandalwood in particular seems wonderful and perfectly attuned with the main vetiver accord.

An absolute winner. All hail Wicozani for putting it on the radar.

Perfume oil. No oud in this. Synthetic apple and white flowers with notes of lavender, citrus, tonka and rose. Notable as having good diffusivity for an oil. Not a bad rose note in its heart, soapy and sunny with some natural oil as well as the synthetics but it gets lost in the haze of apple and fruity edible sweet stuff. It improves a little as it settles into a more stable, friendly, conventional chord of white musk, florals and fruits but there are better and cheaper varieties of this at the counter in the department store.

Musky Ambergris, subtle but very present and excellent. Many people must be amnosic to these accords or more likely unable to adjust their expectations from usual headnote dominated perfumes.
Wonderful, interesting stuff, it smells of beautiful warm skin, clean and sexy.

Rene of Les Nez says it contains natural ambergris and my nose confirms this, having twice smelled the real thing.

I was instantly disappointed at first sniff. The much touted arctical just smelled like a generic fresh molecule to me, I suppose if I thought about it I hadn't smelled that exact variant on generic fresh before, but don't expect a revelation. With this is a powerful synthetic smelling corrainder and a slightly more natural juniper, some very standard smelling resinous woods with a piney slant, a peppery thing and some incense (quite good but lost in the rest). It is very powerful and endures like a plastic bag on a rubbish heap.

I think this may do ok selling to those who aspire to own porsche cars. It is brash, unsubtle, clean and invokes images of skiing down hills wearing sunglasses which cost 1000 Euros but filter the light no better than the 4 Euro variety.

I think the purpose is to raise the brand profile of porsche design, put a product in finacial reach of those who can't usually afford their stuff. It smells like a part of their marketing department, rather than a serious attempt at a quality perfume. In my opinion.

Wonderfully uplifting and inspiring - this composition of all naturals is oustandingly beautiful. A powerful incense with full happy orange blossom, rose and santal. This sings a song of pure joy, but never frivolity. It knows that true conentment has deep roots underpinning its branches of plenty, and never dominates or burdens but guides gently and supports firmly.

It is only with you for a short time, but long enough to deliver its lingering ghost of frankincense which remains to remind.

Pofumo is a perfumer of great integrety, with his perfumes you get to smell only the real thing. His conviction transfers deep into his work and leaves me with a feeling of substance and physical reality which almost has its own gravitational pull.

A fine, controlled, unusual tobacco fragrance. This opens with a medicinal blast of mint dressed with some citrus, incense and florals. This is the only fragrance other than Creed's Selection Verte where I have experienced the menthol cooling my skin.

As the medicinal beginning fades spices and rose give a traditional barber shop or cologne feel to the heart which fades into the amazingly long lived base of sweet tobacco and green woods.

The frankincense straddles the whole composition as a good accord from this resin should.

In cuban music the bass anticipates the beat. This is disorientating to those unused to it who expect the bass to to state the beat while other registers push and pull and feels like a "stumble". Similarly, this perfume suggests it may teeter over the edge into sour, into harsh, into abrasive, into chaos with some strident accords but always stays inside and pulls back when it really matters.

Beautiful citrus and aromatic notes with a classical dry lavender sitting on a floral heart and an oustanding sweet base of amber and musk, this is a wonderful composition of careful accords.

For me, it is near to perfection. It sits quietly in the centre, musky but not brash, controlled but not compromised, civilised but with sexuality. To be such a masterful all-rounder is quite a risky endeavour, it would be easy to succeed at nothing . Arome 3 pulls it off.

A word more about the base - this musk is not a common synthetic which I recognise, it is of higher quality than that. It is blended with the fine amber to form something greater than the sum of the parts - recognisable notes in a transcendent accord.

Politely and smoothly dirty, Eucris is a fragrance of balanced contrasts. The opening combines a light freshness with crisp coriander and a very dry blackcurrant. As it deepens into a wonderful open floral heart of pretty muguet and somewhat indolic jasmine, the cumin note arrives to start some messy play. Just as it does, a little minty note previously buried in the blackcurrant comes along to tidy up behind it. The base is a discussion between soft sandalwood and rough moss with a little musk to tie things together.

This is a fine fragrance which talks quietly of taste and quality beyond the brashness of youth and new wealth. I find it one of the few fragrances which can create an aura of grounded civility and style, even when dresssed smart/casual; it does not demand a suit.

I wear it for happy work experiences.

Reference generic fragrance.

Azzaro Pure Cheap-Synthetic-Fresh-Woody Note more like.

I think could make something better smelling from the potassium permanganate, alum and sulphur from my 10+ chemistry set.

Like waking up by being punched in the face by your little brother. With your wits about you, it would be possible to dodge but if it catches you unaware it hurts for hours.

Very wrong. A hugely strong over-sweet cocktail of irritating cluttered business. Away foul beast.

In my opinion a really good example of what not to do with lavender. It is not featured in a natural way nor integrated in a complex way. Instead the scent strikes me as over produced, sacharin sweetened, de-medicinalised. All the purple roundness is removed leaving a monochrome two dimensional flatland.

I get no pathos with this, it is too technical and has no flow. It would make a good flavouring for a travel sweet in a tin. It lacks in depth of conception and execution to me.

It has been a while since a fragrance has moved me this much.

This is a beautiful uplifting positive fragrance which works for me in fine spring weather when I am feeling the joys of being alive. The initial blast of light flowers and sparkling citrus with an aldehydic roundness drops off into frankincense (the best I have ever smelled) and mixed florals with a slight fruity sweetness surrounding a fantastic rose. This accord persists for some hours, the bitter edge of the pure smelling frankincense is mellowed with great craft and skill by the other notes. This is the standout feature for me, an innovative and very successful handling of a note that is difficult to blend and can be dominant in an unpleasant way. The drydown also is very pleasing with all the notes still detectible, a slight powder and an accord which reminds me of the floral aspects of guerlain's famous base with some bitterness from the incense remaining; blended with the other notes this puts me in mind of a bigarrade note, though this late in the development it cannot be that. No vanilla here though.

Overall, an underrated and quietly arresting fragrance which actually delivers, to me at least, though it is true that there may be limited days which are appropriate for its wear.

A brilliant subtle leather which remains fresh too. It has the most persistent light presence that I know, this has cologne strength with EDP longevity.

There is a slight metalic note which sits with the leather, like the buckles on the belt a jacket.

Classic.

Time has moved on but truth remains ever the same. This new complicated world only obscures genuine inner beauty. The fleeting grasp of human contact is lost in the mist. Everything now is concrete and steel, the soft touch but a distant memory talked of in hushed tones by the older generation.

Some hearts were destined to synchronise across the ages, but only for long enough to feel the pain of eternal separation.I am a man born out of time, and in my time my woman wore L'Heure Bleue.

Deliciously melancholic, this rings of opportunities lost, liaisons missed and unrequited love.

I wear it because you don't.

Breathtaking. This is a wonderful green rose with a touch of lemon dominated citrus. It pulls at my heart with memories of soft beauty, springtime and peaceful sunshine in a place where life is lived at a slow pace.

I am a man who feels comfortable in roses and I am happier wearing this than the "masculinised" rose scents.

Life is a bed of rose petals.

Another fabulous fragrance from Villoresi. The top has a rough rustic feel but made from ingredients of the first order. Rosewood and bergamot shine here.

A perfectly balanced evolution ensues at once controlled and feral. Green notes with controlled spice and neroli blend into the santal, vetiver and cedar which dominate the base.

This leaves me with a calm, grounded feeling.

I reach for it when all affectation and pretence must be allowed to blow away with the wind.

A wonderful soft quinine, bitter but not overwhelmingly so. This has a much bigger, fatter structure than crown's offering with none of the harshness. There is some sweetness and powder here, almost creating an unexpected semi-oriental feeling to the dry down. A beautiful, pure bergamot note sings just below the main accord, like a faint pedal tone offsetting the rest of the fragrance, somehow separate but in symbyosis with it.

Very fine stuff from one of the few houses to keep the genuine British tradition alive.

A wonderful scent from the nose the the venerable J.P. Guerlain, this is an EDP in the classic French style dominated by a vanilla, but that is far from the whole story. While the rich vanilla persists, there is an ongoing development of supporting notes. Booze, tobacco, hay, smoky incense, some florals all unroll richly to prevent this from becoming sickly sweet, there is a kind of tart dryness underlying it all too, frosted with creme caramel burned sugar.

Sillage is controlled and perfect and longevity is very good. It doesn't stay glued to you forever either, it is possible to wash it off at the end of the day.

A masterpiece.

Zing Went The Strings Of My Heart.

"Wood of Cedrat" - Outstanding lemon scent - possibly the best lemon accord in existence. It is underscored by some light fresh, translucent wood. The blend is perfect, appetising and insanely refreshing. A masterful fragrance.

If you want a natural smelling fresh scent, it is hard to imagine better than this.

This review of the EDP formulation, first posted on the male fragrance forum November 2007:

I liked the original Monk EDT but this, I think, is something special.

In my opinion Michael Storer has really come of age as a perfumer. The reformulated Monk EDP is an exceptional perfume, blended with great
attention, craft and some really beautiful notes and accords.
This is a very "manly" perfume with much coherence. It works across the pyramid the notes of the top, middle and base blending beautifully while vertically through the pyramid there are themes which link top to middle
and middle to base.

It starts with a wonderful bergamot and a subtle bitter orange. Next I
smelled cocoa falling into civet and (wonderful) blond tobacco with
musc notes and a sweep of rose. I love the way the bitter orange sits
beneath all of this just brightening it. The beeswax adds a resinous touch.
The orange leads into frankincense and civet. The tobacco, musk
(ambrette?) and cocoa lead through to the sandalwood, vanilla, tonka
and benzoin. The base has a pleasing sharpness and definition, though
never loosing its resinous quality; the civet drops off somewhat, leaving a
lovely vanilla and tonka, with the vanilla doninating. Right at the bottom is
a wonderful jasmine note.

The way I perceive this, three threads run in parallel to create the accords
of the top middle and base. There is mild masculine floral theme which
runs from acacia through rose and linden to low volatility jasmine at the
bottom.
Then there is a musky resinous theme which follows galbanum with
cocoa, musk, beeswax, cistus and tobacco through to vanilla, tonka and
sandalwood. Lastly there is a sharp bright slightly acerbic/funky theme
which flows from bitter orange through to frankincense and civet.
Throughout these connect up and balance in a very pleasing manner.
The orange lives on into the beeswax almost suggesting honey, which
sits beautifully with the cocoa....I could go on...

For those who knew the initial formulation, while the similarities are
apparent, this is warmed up from the original EDT. The civet is stronger
and in general the notes are more distinct without ever losing their
balance and blend. There is a brightness and an articulation throughout
that was perhaps missing before. There is less sweetness around the
cocoa.

This is pure class, in my opinion on a par with great perfumes like egoiste.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This review of the original EDT formulation, posted July 2006:

Gothic ruined abbey, spooky stone, and the hint that an animal may be nesting somewhere near. A busy accord but not muddy.

Old stone castles in England smell like this, I remember the smell as a child visiting Orford Castle in Suffolk in particular. I always had the chilling feeling that there may still be some human remains in such a cold place. Quite disturbing.....


....of course there is the sweetness and cocoa too which pull back out of the twilight and into the comfort zone.

This is a very fine fragrance and my favourite of the montale aouds. It has great presence but doesn't shout like some of the others, more like a strong and persistent whisper than the aria of black oud (which I also like).

You have to be careful applying this as it takes time to come alive. It reaches full projection about 30 minutes after application and then stays bright for another one to two hours with the powerful oud and the subtle offset of the kumkwat and other citrus before it morphs again.

Then something strange and magical occurs. From the sillage, a beautiful but subtle (compared to black oud) rose note emerges. Smelling close up, this seems to vanish into oud for me, but it is there from a distance. I am not sure how this is achieved, but it is beautiful and impressive.

One of my all time favourites.

Absolutely stunning on a hot day. It actually feels cool on your skin! The vibrant and unique fresh initial accord of mandarin dominated citrus and mint fade slowly as it develops and a warm "sweet pea" note takes over which I suspect may be some derivative of neroli. The ghosts of the oranges and mint sit beautifully in this as it persists very well in its creed-like subtle way.

This really is unique and full of craft and originality, I have never known anyone NOT to enjoy it on me.

This immediately reminds me of a classic Eau, particularly Villoresi colonia. All the notes are somewhat detectable right from the start but the balance changes as it develops. It starts with lovely limey citrus like a high quality edc, light but very present neroli with the dark, heavy aspects chopped out maybe mingled with a light rose. While never overbearing, the neroli retains some indolic qualities. This sits with a clear and very excellent bergamot note which reminds me of the divine one in Patou pour Homme. Finally a very pleasant musk, with the sharp points smoothed off .The musk-neroli blend is absolutely outstanding, warm with soft spikes like a hedgehog polished by a disc sander.

Beautifully blended and balanced this is an outstanding fragrance.

A wonderful potion. This evokes timeless quality; it commands respect like a master craftsman fashioning an item which transcends time and trend; any person from any era could assess it and see it as fine.
The woods come over strong, especially in the edp but the corriander and pepper have a stronger presence in the edt, which I prefer. The guerlainade is there too in both versions but comes in earlier in the edt.

Classic French attention to detail make this a highly polished scent with all the quiet raw strength left in.<br><br>Available for a very good price, I recommend this to anyone.

I like this. Iit is a very warm alluring scent. It is a very interesting mixture of orange notes which provide an uplifting qulaity, metallic notes which give an edge, followed by a beautiful vanilla/ambergris dry down which to me is the most balanced natural smelling version of this creed signature, perhaps because the vanilla is more prominent.

A wonderful oriental scent, I find I can put this on in the evening after wearing a lighter orange based citrus during the day and it blends perfectly (I am not one to "layer" or mix scents as a rule).

A clear and fantastic sandalwood note is the one and only feature here.

It begins with a very nice citrus note which does a fine job of holding my attention while I wait the fifteen minutes it takes for the low-volatility sandal to show its face. When it does, it is sharp, rich and excellent. It projects good, if subtle, sillage and endures extremely well. It then drops seamlessly into a wonderfully comapatible accord of tonka and ambergris. It is serious, warm and never inappropriate.

Overall this is a subtle scent but it does what it says on the tin with class.

This is so uplifting and cheerful. For me it's a very positive statement. It opens with a blast of lemon dominated citrus, quickly joined by a relatively thin masculine neroli with a petitgrain accord. This orange/green/light floral combination underpins the still present citrus and creates a very natural feel. It holds this fresh green with slight muskiness from the neroli as it sinks into the profound but subtle sandalwood base. This base persists for a very long time in a low sillage manner.

Very happy stuff.

If you like citrus, I would be surprised if you didn't like this.

This was my signature fragrance for years. I love the large range of notes which are all distinguishable but are blended beautifully and never fight; it is amazingly uncluttered. The top is a blast of fresh celebration, very clean and pure champagne citrus. The heart boasts a beautiful deep rose and aldehydeic florals with some rich jasmine. The drydown is phenomenal, the balance of leather with the other notes simply astounding. I don't know why this is not more widely known or rated. The only thing it isn't is sexy. It's too clean for that.

Yes. I like this more and more. This is a very well made scent and an enjoyable one too. It takes many facets of classic, even generic men's' scents and tones them down, tucks in the loose edges, trims off anything unpleasant and puts them in an expensive suit.

The bergamot note is of wonderful quality and keeps a levity and a brightness which prevents the grassy spicy notes from being sombre. The pepper has surprising presence and gives a warm lift without being sharp. The juniper sits in wonderful balance, giving a dryness which reminds me of rosemary a little. In the heart the oud gives a woodiness and rich complexity which holds all the other notes and accords and seems to control the fragrance, checking any note which threatens to dominate.

The base mixes a very dry santal with a prominent mid range vetiver supplying a kind of hay or grassy accord which is detectable increasingly from the early development.

All in all this is a really well constructed scent which keeps the traditions of masculine scents intact but adds a special balance and unique quality. It takes notes which are usually serious and lightens them just enough to remove the appearance of trying too hard, while retaining a stamp of easy authority and unaffected quality.

A very special "Classic Eau" type fragrance with a beautiful prominent neroli note at its heart, clean natural smelling citrus (notably a lemon note of note) and bright focused notes of rosemary and sage. A sprig of fresh lavender completes this.

Villoresi seems to have the knack of blending very natural and clear notes so all retain their individuality but balance perfectly.

Really excellent, this is not intended to be new or ground breaking but a well constructed contribution to a long tradition of refreshing citrus colognes.

Very excellent, very interesting offering.

For me it is a crossover between the classic English Fougere/Fern scent and a brighter more modern composition. The lavender has presence but the heart notes of herbs and spices are obvious too, and arrive early.

A lovely green rustic accord ensues which hints at violets to me, while a little later the rosemary and light tonka with musky undertones creep in from underneath. The Rosemary in the base enhances the traditional cologne feel as it develops while in the higher register the lavender and sage meld into in an unusual and inventive accord which sits in the centre. Little ginger accents seem to sharpen and definine the edges. This smells both modern and natural to my nose.

Villoresi manages to stay rooted in tradition and make a modern progressive scent of great value.

This perfume has clear development though its three levels. It has very natural smelling top notes which remind me of my essential oil burner dish after I have evaporated several different citrus oils in turn without cleaning it in between. A bit general and undefined.

The heart is of "pink pepper" which is a note I have some difficulty with. It has a slightly oily, petroleum, labroatory quality to it and lacks the clear spicy definition of black pepper.

The base has a light cedar and a sweet vetiver and some nice transparent moss. This is a "nice" blend but that is the best I can say for it. It boasts neither the interest of complexity, or striking quality and definition of simplicity featuring a few stunning notes.

The top is a lovely accord of cologne notes underscored by leather. A light, sweet vanillic opening with a citrus brightness subtly accenting the rough saddle leather. I like this. It is a smoother fragrance than truefitt's cologne of the same name which is rougher with more pronounced spice.

Begins as a sharp fougere with a dark greeness dropping into a soapy clean ferny hillside green. A classic slightly distant impression of country gentleman. It is good and subtle understated stuff which leaves me with a feeling of refinement beneath the level of conscious smell. It is excellent but if I had to choose, I would take truefitt's grafton to my desert island instead.

Very woody dark fragrance. To me it smells of Santal, ashes and a fireplace. It puts me in mind somewhat of Greyland but little brightness just about cuts through like a grean leaf buried in the cold embers. Perhaps a darker Vetiver des sables with slightly fruity sweetness and a patchouli note? Not my type of thing, but for others, I think this could be an excellent addition.

This is a classic eau-ish citrus fragrance, slightly sweet, quite bright with light powder. In an Italian fashion, this is not ashamed of what it is. It sports a lightly sweet aquatic note which I find quite pleasant. It has a very clean light wood note which really marks it out for me. It perhaps reminds me a little of Royal water without the peachy notes, the floral heart contributing to this comparison. While I’m comparing it with creeds, the ozonic note reminds me a little of Himalaya’s “mountain air” accord. Overall, it is a little generic in style but quite classy in its execution.

A very bright young genius drawn from the finest old family. He dies achingly young but still brings a smile as he fulfils his narrative imperative of a brief sparkling life.

If it didn't disappear so quickly, it couldn't smell this good.

An acidic blast of citrus freshness - some quite vibrant and sharp lemons. The acid fizzes across my arm, I can feel it is right on the edge of being irritating to the skin without crossing that line for me. The closest smells which this brings to mind are the top (without the wood) of creed bois de cedrat, and Trumpers Limes (without the musk).

The top and heart of this last longer than those of the other guerlain eaux. However, it has NO base at all. Once the cedrat has gone, it has gone utterly. From start to finish there is a diminishing scent of lemons, cedrat and verbena on my skin. This is its development.

This is a little different to the more classic eau de cologne formula followed by Imperiale and du Coq but I love it. It is beautifully fresh, crisp and enlivening. It comes and goes quickly, but lasts better if sprayed on clothes.

A very soft, quite dry Eau de Cologne style frag. This has a stronger, earlier herbal aspect than many of the eaux with a prominent rosemary. The neroli is quite present too but the citrus aspects are somewhat tamed.

The whole effect is of a classic eau with the top cut back and the other aspects strengthened and enhanced. It is a different (upside down?) take on the eau concept. The softness is interesting, it really does have a soft feel; slightly powdery with a pinch of tonka and rosemary with the sharpness attenuated.

I like it, but miss the fresh sharpness at the top and I prefer these notes to play a supporting rather than a feature role.

A thing of sublime beauty, I really cannot overstate my respect for this fragrance. It is dominated by the creed house Vanilla/Ambergris base (which is possibly in its best incarnation here) laced with a little smoky incense and an astoundingly good if subtle Angelica. This Angelica has similar herbal/floral characteristics to lavender (in a functional sense, it doesn't smell similar) and just adds a non-sweet piquancy to lift the blend.

A big patchouli with green notes this is a pleasant and sweet incarnation of this note which I find difficult to wear. It persists well and is dressed up with a few other woody notes and amber but remains dominated by the patchouli throughout. Surprisingly good to me.

A slightly disappointing fragrance for me, this has a clear creamy santal which smells very woody and perhaps just a little muddy. This is mixed with other woody notes and also various musky and dark notes which are faint and blended so I cannot pick them. These contribute to a general woody, messy slighty harsh accord which puts me most in mind of a carpenters workshop.

Despite Montale changing their marketing to aim this at women, I find this to be a very wearable rose for a man. It is dark, spicy and brazenly rosey. The Oud gives it an earthiness so much more pleasant than the patchouli so often paired with darker roses. Much more straightforward than the Black oud which to me is overly complex, this belongs with attar as the very best from this house.

A very good, big amber with a little blue tinge early on. It doesn't change a great deal throughout its long visit on your skin. If you like amber, I suspect you will enjoy this, it is a bit one dimensional for me.

Surprisingly good and appealing. A traditional formulaic structure of citrus top, floral heart, woods base. All good notes which don't smell too synthetic just pleasant in a mild uplifting kind of way. No great impact here, but charming and entirely appropriate for pre pubescents and grown men on a morning off. Nice at the price.

Amazingly sparkling top with a loud heart accord which blends into a divine drydown of vanilla, moss and leather. This is a masterpiece with stunning longevity and beautiful development. Each layer has fabulous, distinctive accords.

All the notes of citrus, powdery leather, flowers and spices are there big and strong from the start. The sharpness dies off quickly allowing a more woody scent with some vanilla and slowly emerging florals to take over. Quickly the depth of this heart becomes apparent, as it is underpinned by palatable leather. The heart and base coexist for so long that it is almost an imperceptible transition from one to the other.

An outstanding classic, Guerlain have done an amazing job with the reformulation. I actually prefer the new version. It seems brighter and cleaner to me, maybe lacking a bit of "funk" from the original but I think the definition of the notes is stronger without compromise on the smoothness of the transitions.

Ah - I can drift away to those orange groves again. But no sweet, juicy child-friendly orange here. This is the acidic vitamin c rich bitter orange which makes your face curl as you feel it doing you good. Almost too much, it pulls itself back from scaring you away pretty quickly as initial blast dies off.

Sharp bigarrade and other blended citrus sit on petitgrain and green notes with a gentle santal lurking quietly at the very bottom.

If you are a citrus lover like me, you really must smell this.

While the development of this fragrance is dominated by the lavender to vanilla progression, its the other notes which pull it gently this way and that, add nuance and give direction.

The top has a pinch of lightly sweetened citrus as well as a little dry rosemary which together hint at classic eaux

The heart is brief and is more a link between the top and base than a distinct section in its own right, as the lavender fades into the vanillic base some distant woods, sage and rose creep around quietly, all clearly present (especially the rosewood) but not making a fuss.

The famed vanilla base is not as straightforward as people make out, it twists with the damp moss and the tonka which put bumps in the smoothness of the vanilla and add a little feeling of soil to the purity.

A very important and special classic.

Swimming hard against a strong tide here, I have to say I don't like this.

My first objection is that it starts with a a mess of notes including the signature Aramis accord from the original aramis fragrance. It is just too cluttered and this aramis signature seems out of place. As is develops I find that the tobacco gets lost in an overwhelming mixture of bay rum, wood and spice, and for the life of me I swear I get a "fishy" note which is somewhat unpleasant.

When it finally thins itself out to the drydown, it all makes some sense, but I am not really willing to jump the hoops to get there.

An overdone, overbearing cluttered fragrance with too much noise for my nose, I am not surprised this has been discontinued in many markets.

Much more wearable than most cyprus scents, I find the balance here to be excellent. It starts big and strong but not harsh and drops off into a lovely, persistent fresh accord of cyprus, green minty notes and musk with good projection.Like many creeds from this era, it "does what it says on the tin" in an uncomplicated way and with panache.

This is similar to kouros, it is true. It has fewer, more distinct notes than the BIG K, perhaps a little more natural smelling too.

Somebody who made urinal cakes had definitely smelled either or both before, but you can't blame the fragrances for that.

It stays pretty true to its name dominated by orange and spice, giving a happy, warming atmosphere. It stays pretty linear while chucking out good sillage. To me this is a cool weather scent and creates a coming in from the cold, cosy home feel.

Starts with a citric blast followed by a fresh pine accord. The pine fades quite quickly, dropping into the base of cardomon and other spice. The drydown is dominated by this.

I am not a huge fan of either pine or cardomon so this fragrance is not for me. Having said that, the pine accord in the upper-middle is really clear and natural smelling so if you like the sound of the notes, you will probably enjoy this.

Sillage is ok and longevity is good for the drydown, but the whole structure arrives at this persistent end point too quickly.

Easily my favourite from this house and possibly my favourite barbershop cologne. This is a soapy, dry and very green fougere which just sits very nicely without shouting. It adds a wiff of "gentleman" to the surroundings, but not in an ostentatious way. This will work well in any setting.

Another beautiful and superb Eau from guerlain. It has survived over a hundred years because of its simple, elegant excellent quality. It has the classic combination of bright, light, dry, crisp top/middle notes of lemon, bergamot, a little lavender and rosemary over a gentle and very subtle tonka.

Uplifting, airy and always appropriate.

This is a well made and above the run of the mill cologne. It opens with some good, cool citrus which quickly develops into an warm sweet apple-pie accord with cinnamon plums and apple. This lingers as white amber with a hint of vetiver and woods comes in underneath, quite early and strong.

Personally I find it a little sweet and am not a fan of the amber, but if you like the sound of the notes, I think you will find this to be a good quality construction.

The top has a little citrus and a powdery accord, the heart fruity floral notes are subtle, not sweet and quite "french" reminding me of guerlain in a way. A really clear but subtle frankinsence note underpins the top and middle. The base woods and amber are mild and hold the smell of the middle notes well, with a gentle plumby scent blending and alternating with the amber and vetiver. Early in the drydown and also a little in the heart a beautiful patchouli note is projected which again reminds me of guerlain heritage a little. There is also some good sandalwood in this busy but balanced and uncluttered frag. The overall effect is subtle excellence and I really think the ambition of blending eastern ingredients in a western style has been realised very well.

Quite a good balance of the sharp woods, sweet jasmine and spice. The house note of cardamon is present in this spice accord. I normally am not a fan of cardamon, but here it doesnt ruin the scent for me. As levente says, this is good in cold weather.

Not good. A heavilly synthetic fragrance. It endures a frightenly long time with its sticky ambery warmth. It does seem to get some attention from the ladies though, so not completely without merit. Maybe ok for a younger guy who wants something really loud but not for me.

At first I was underwhelmed by this. I wore it in the heat of summer and felt that it was a bit boring. On a clear autumn day I tried again. I went with a heavy application and found that it still whispered an aura rather than shouted a proclamation but this time it spoke with a beautiful voice.

Jasmine tea. Very subtle, it expresses a quiet confidence for me.

I like it, but it is not one of my favourites. There is the coolwater-alike thing in the top notes, though it does take a different turn from the heart onwards (the topnotes remain detectable for quite some time though).

I also find the creed house drydown a little sickly and overbearing at times. I really prefer the older creeds.

That said, this is a fantastically crafted scent with fabulous notes and development and logevity and sillage and I can see why so many love it.

This is a deep, rich fragrance of very high quality. In some ways, it is so distinctive that it is quite difficult for me to wear. It doesn't blend with your skin and create a subtle impression, it sits on top of your skin loudly pumping out egoiste sillage in all directions.

Initially, I found the top notes a little synthetic to my nose (maybe the aldehyde chanel thing?) and I can still detect this if I think about it but the composition and heart and base are so strong that I soon forget.

Beautiful notes, stunningly composed into a powerful fragrance.

Utterly fabulous. This is a classic eau de cologne, don't expect it to be anything else; it will not endure like an edt. The notes shine through as clear as day, they are just as listed. The top notes are gone in no time but with a heavy application the lavender hangs around for a while to be followed by a quite persistent but faint accord of cedar and tonka.

The heart of this reminds me of acqua di parma in a way, though the guerlain was first.

It is clear, with no sweetness. Great for situations where a light but classy fragrance is required.

Very formal. very excellent. This is a soapy, old school tobacco reminiscent of gentlemens clubs and ash from expensive cigars.

It is nothing like new tabarome which smells more of unsmoked tobacco leaves and is a much warmer and somewhat less subtle composition, though also very fine.

A very fine fragrance which doesn't mess about in its intentions. A clear strong and quite fine watermelon/aquatic/oceanic accord sitting on a fine creed house base. Sometimes I think I am sick of this,then find I am craving it a couple of days later.

I flit from smelling the top notes as natural or synthetic. I think it smells very much like natural watermelon, but watermelon could never smell that strong or clear naturally. Sometimes this puts me off a little.

Ultimately excellent.

Utterly fabulous! Love at first sniff with this one. Big, heavy, delicious spicy, ambery, fruity oriental heaven. This is to orientals what motorhead is to rock music. If your going to to it, do it properly! The ultimate oriental.

Save your money for a proper fragrance.

Pointless, very weak, unconvincing. Don't waste your money.

This is a quirky one. It is a construction made from really superb ingredients, each note is sublime and very natural smelling. The lime mandarin top is clear and bright and surprisingly persistentas it melts down into the mossy vanilla with a tinge of rose. The rose serves to blend the citrus into the middle and link it into the vanilla, which is underscored by a very pure jasmine absolute.

It really is a game of three halves, with top middle and base having quite seperate identities. For me this is a delight and also the problem with this fragrance. I get a slight curdling sensation between the acid citrus and the emulsion-like vanilla heart. This is smoothed off (to an extent) in a guerlain-like fashion by the mossy note in a conceptually similar way to heritage or habit rouge (in this conceptual aspect only, the frags are quite different).

I find it bold and interesting that the vanilla forms the heart and the jasmine the base where usually the contruction wouls sit the other way around.

Overall, a fine fragrance with stunning quality of ingregients, blended in an interesting and thought provoking way, but,for me, just short of being a classic.

A very green, very tangerine frag. Not too sweet, quite natural. Not bad. Not good. Not much at all after the initial blast. On a very hot day, this may work for me. Overall, a bit disappointing through it one dimensionality and lack of development or balance.

Very disappointed with this. Had high hopes as I loved Citron Citron. It is a spicy accord with some quite sanatised tobacco which lacks any punch to me. A sort of warm mess with some sharpness. Really not impressed by this.

This has lot of silage, but still strikes me as a "quiet" scent, it doesn't shout but it does make its presence known. It smells very cultured, refined and composed. The notes are all very clear, defined and balanced. They coexist as well as blend.

The orange opening is mellowed by the cedar which quickly drops into the woods, moss and a strong cardamon note. I am not usually a fan of cardamon, but here it works well, I think there is a little cumin in there too. The orange persists throughout, never too much, and as it drops lightly down to the base the rosewood (really natural smelling) comes forward somewhat. I don't really find the vetiver here, but otherwise the scent seems unusally close to its given pyramid.

A fine fragrance, and available in 15mls. It is potent, so that should go a fair way.

This doesn't really work for me. I like the green tea but the blackcurrant just seems to be too heavy and dominant, and a little crass. In between the two notes, there is another inky or musky murky thing which to my mind clutters the composition. If this had been left empty and the cassis toned down a bit it would be a great and subtle scent. Nearly, but not quite.

This is a great composition. Very warm and crisp at the same time. I love the way the ginger and tobacco blend, really soft and round and balanced by the cooler green tea and citrus. The tobacco is of the unsmoked variety, like the inside of a pouch of rolling tobacco.
Later in the day a very good warm wood accord of vetiver and santal emerge from underneath. Works really well as a formal scent for me, and also for evening casual.

The bad: it is nasty synthetic smelling generic rubbish. The good: they only sent a small sample and it washed off quite easilly.

Horribly synthetic mess.

Very unusual scent. Starts with a honeysuckle mint accord which works beautifully and dries down to a herbaceous, very green heavenly base which endures for an amazingly long time. Conjours rural pastures for me, I almost expect to hear birdsong. This is one of my favourire drydowns of all time.Its so incongrous wearing this in the big city that I love to do it. This scent REALLY doesn't smell like all the others.

Out of the way! The big boys are here! Lavender spice power. Dry aromatic wooden heaven. Assertive. Puchy. Frightenly classically in your face. Smell like you mean it!

I recently spent some time with this while travelling in paris. I felt right at home smelling of this in the home city of the great perfumeries. It is a great urban scent, projecting freshness and a light cooling aura. This lightness and freshness disguise a subtle gem. This is excellently crafted and balanced. It lasts well with a heavy application and does so without being overwhelming at any time.

I had owned this for a while as a mini and overlooked it as something a bit ordinary, I am so glad I gave it another try. A really teriffic pick-me-up. Try it when you are tired and need to keep going.

Well constructed scent, long lasting too. Lots of sweet honeyish leather and spice. For me it is too sweet and I find the spice a little generic so I won't be wearing it, at least until I'm in my mid 50s and have bought a very expensive beige suit.

Hmm. Rather a strange marine. Great top notes in a quality oceanic style that vanish fast, to be replaced by a strong and persistent cardamon note which just seems incongruous to me.

I really like the green tea but the citrus notes, faint as they are, just ruin it for me. I find thay don't quite blend with the tea and have a light but sour edge which I don't like and seem slightly feminine to me.

This is a phenomonal composition. The balance is perfect. It is not a modern perfume though, and this needs to be remembered when assessing it.

I have taken a long time to make my assessment on this though, as there are some notes in here which smell quite synthetic to me.

However, I just wore it for a week solid while on holiday and observed that when worn outside, it smells really natural; the silage reminds me of summer vegetation.

So my conclusion is this: from close up and indoors it smells good but there is a synthetic edge to it which puts me off slightly. Outdoors and from a distance it smells utterly natural and amazing. The "fresh" note especially seems to take on a natural character, it reminds me of the herb lemon balm.

The vetiver is earthy and masculine and the tobacco rich drydown is very good.

My only other reservation is that it endures too well. It seems shower proof to the extent that I can't change my fragrance on a day when I wear this and sometimes it persists after a night and a morning shower.

Overall it is a classic and i recommend it as a purchase.

Short lived citrus heaven! Perfect, I slap it on after the morning shower to wake me up and by the time I know what I want to wear for the day, it is gone. It leaves a very light, fantastic smelling residue for about an hour on my skin.

The initial blast is awesome! SO limey and fresh its amazing. Buy half a litre in a plastic bottle for £30 and splash it everywhere!!

Like a damp greenhouse full of pregnant tomato plants.

I had high expectations for this but was sorely dissapointed. I don't like patchouli much and this smells mostly of that to me. I'm struggling to find the rose in here. It seems to sit on me like a dead weight.

Funky.

It takes a while for the other notes to disappear. They smell nasty to me. Someone said lighter fluid and I think that is pretty close.

Then the funky bad vetiver from testosterone hell kicks in and stays.

I wouldn't wear it out but sometimes a few drops at home to round off a few days of different vetivers......

..OOOOwwwwwww!!!! Baby!!!! Get on down!!!

A horrible cacophany. A school orchestra tuning up. A heavy mess. Nothing at all like the original.

No no no. This has missed everything good about the original colonia. It smells shaply artificial to me and quite a different fragrance. Not really a citrus at all, rather a strange sharp woody discord.

If you are new to Acqua di parma I recommend the original colonia. If you have that, stick with it!

Fantasitic! If you like classic scents this is a must. Very sweet natural lemons which drop off into a warm rose accord cut with a little dryness and freshness from the lavender and rosemary. It drys down to a fabulous mellow smell at which point I find it very difficult to resist starting again. You can apply lot of this and it doesn't overwhelm. An essential.

TURKISH DELIGHT. when you open a box you get the aroma of the lemon and rose flavours mingling.very sweet.

I really like this. It is much cleaner than eau sauvage with fantastic top and middle clarity and less clutter. Only reservation is drydown which is a little bland, but still with some nice notes. Has the house signature which I can't quite place but like very much.