Fragrance Reviews by adowds

There's plenty of body to Volupte, it's sweet, rich and floral with incredible lasting power. Everything sits on a base of ambergris, though I'm certainly not fan it's accompanied by plenty of patchouli, so one gets the character of the amber but not the oftentimes nausating fecal note.

Volupte is indeed very nice and it carries a certain amount of feminine elegance and maturity.

For the most part I feel it's menthol not mint that governs 'Geranium'. Now in thruth I can pick out a faint trace mint, but only occasionally. I do like this, it's fresh and simple but it's just not striking enough or long enough lasting to justify the price.

Would be a perfect alternative to Vera Wang 'Princess'. This is a sugary-sweet berry fragrance that could only suit a little girl.

Sweet but not cloying, I quite like this, though not one I'd wear personally. Reminds me of Body Shop's White Musk but has a little more body and character. In addition I find ambergris in the base, thankfully the ambergris is there in only a small dose.

I actually find that Narziss opens a little fusty. I was immediately reminded of a bedroom in my Grandmothers house that hadn't been used in 20 years.... dusty and dry with a touch of camphor in the room. Narziss soon brightens, becoming a mix of pepper, vetiver and sweet flowers, though a little of that fustiness does persist. The mix of pepper and vetiver puts me in mind of Roger and Gallet's Vetyver. There's quite a lot going on here, I can't help but feeling that I've layered two very nice and gentle fragrances together.

Although it goes on a little nasty Narziss settles quickly into a very 'easy' and relaxing fragrance. This ranks alongside my R de Capucci as a fragrance that you can always fall back on if choosing a fragrance for the day is too difficult.

Just OK. Although it's sweet and faintly (femininely) floral there's enough jasmine here to make me feel that I could carry it off. To me Sacreblue smells like soapy jasmine bubblegum, not unlike many of the soap bars one can find in LUSH (handmade cosmetics chain store).

Not really one for me. Carre D'as has a delicate and gentle citrus top with an equally gentle drydown. The base though was a bit of a surprise, it's a lot softer that the individual elements would have you expecting.

Though this is my least favourite PdN it's perfectly acceptable, just nothing special!

The stand-out note in the opening is the agar wood but the ambergris is definitely there in equal measure. The agar wood jars the nose more but it's the ambergris that provides the body of M7. There is a freshness given by the vetiver, and a spiciness that doesn't marry to the stated top notes (to my mind) with the agar wood bringing a woody and medicinal quality. The ambergris 'rounds' off the fragrance, providing the sweet smoothness (which some refer to as vanilla). The top notes are very nice and give extra character but sadly disappear off too quickly, rendering them ultimately unimportant.

The spiciness has all but gone after one hour leaving the musk, agar wood and ambergris blending well together. One moment I feel that I mostly get ambergris (which I loathe in isolation) the next the agar wood would become the more obvious. In the end it’s the always long-lived ambergris which remains the more powerful element and sees M7 out. Now ordinarily this would be intolerable for me but there is just enough trace amounts of musk and agar wood to keep it pleasant for me.

Some have felt that M7 needs thirty minutes to tame before they believe they can face the world. Myself I like the opening most. M7 sits more in the realm of niche fragrances than designer, as rich and thick as Blue Amber or Chergui. I prefer M7 over the aforementioned, it has a less pronounced ambergris, a nutty character and swapping the ‘vanilla’ sweetness for a ‘cough syrup’ sweetness is just fine by me.

Opens with a very feminine burst of bitter flowers, none of which I can identify. Within minutes it completely changes and becomes very similar to what Black Aoud smells after an hour, though fresher and less rich. And there it remains.

As Sir Slarty says it smells “Like a watered down Black Aoud”, and yet it’s the same price. If I had never encountered it’s Montale doppleganger Odori would get a thumbs up, but that isn’t the case.

For the first hour there is just so much going on in Chergui, it’s so well blended that breaking it down is hard going. Slightly spicy, brown sugar, with tobacco, burnt grass, maple syrup and most importantly ambergris.

Gradually Chergui becomes more sticky sweet as the top notes leave revealing the ambergris more and more. Some of the spiciness remains throughout but ultimately it’s the ambergris that governs until the end, which incidentally is sometime during my sleep.

There’s no disputing that Chergui smells good, in my opinion the first hour is best. I’m just not really sure if I want to smell of Chergui, sweet fragrances just aren’t my thing and ambergris is sickening for me. If you like Bulgari Black or Burberry Brit for Women this is for you. And me, well if you put a dessert in front of me called Chergui and I’d gobble it up before you could say “Jack Rabbit” and before it goes off.

Begins with a beautifully sharp and bright lemon blast, but very quickly something putrid and woody appears underneath. It was quite unbearable and I did feel a little nauseous. Each following five minutes I cautiously took a sniff and found that after 30 minutes the smell was gone leaving only the pleasant lemon and a little dry wood.

I’m not a big fan of Lemon fragrances, GFT is enough for me and Acqua Viva isn’t about to take it’s place.

I feel this is a unisex fragrance. It has many similarities with Blenheim Bouquet, the familiar Citrus and Lavender accord lasting until it’s near end. Though not mentioned in the notes pyramid I feel there is pink pepper in the base. The pyramid also suggests there is oakmoss in the base but I can’t separate it out. Also not mentioned but seemingly present is a sweet turpentine odour coming through.

With the similarities of Blenheim Bouquet in mind I decided to test both side by side. The similarity is indeed striking but overall the Penhaligon is much, much better. The Penhaligon feels more complete, richer and classier, it’s citrus being much nicer and more piercing. But this isn’t a Blenheim Bouquet review so I’ll leave it there.

I would have given the Profumi a thumbs up but in its wind down I find it becomes rather fusty and unpleasant.

Like with the opening of Trumpers GFT the lemon is fresh and uncomplicated, though not quite as bright or sharp. Within an hour all I'm left with is a lemony soap smell, a bit of a let down.

Opens with orange zest, pleasant florals, and perhaps a little mint. Doesn’t project too much but lasts well. Wears for the most part as a soapy, light-spicy, citrus and musk fragrance that would be suitable in pleasant weather. Reminds me of Live Jazz (which in my opinion is slightly better).

I couldn’t ever see myself looking at my collection of perfumes and reaching for Uomo if it was amongst them. I can however imagine it being an ok gift for a male under 30, if the shop was out of Live Jazz. It’s really not bad, certainly better than a lot of others in chemists or duty free shops. Really though it’s not great either, nice but boring. If you live somewhere where men don’t wear perfumes you may get the odd compliment, but as that isn’t the case for most it’s unlikely Uomo would ever turn a single head if worn.

It takes a good half hour but eventually this evolves into something that brings Grey Flannel and Fahrenheit into my mind. More fresh and less ‘damp rag’ than Grey Flannel, less noxious than Fahrenheit. I’d have to say that Invasion bears most resemblance to Fahrenheit. I understand that for anyone to imagine a soft Fahrenheit is a tough task but there you have it. Think of it like the petrochemical smell is removed with light vanilla added. In the end it’s that same vanilla which can still be detected the following day.

So why there is a resemblance between the three fragrances, when the pyramid notes point in slightly different directions. Although not mentioned in Fahrenheit’s pyramid there’s definitely violet there, then also all three contain fragrant woods.

Of the three, Invasion Barbare is the most ‘beautiful’ and wearable, though vastly more expensive. At €160/50ml it’s not worth the price tag, knock €100 off and I’d gladly wear this (nearly) as often as my Dunhill Editon or Bois du Portugal. A great everyday multi-occasion scent.

Initially I thought I was smelling moist rolling tobacco but it quickly settled itself as oakmoss with a trace of bergamot. Two minutes in and we arrive at a more velvety Grey Flannel. Thirty minutes later and it turns quite soapy where it remains until it expires some five hours later.

Like Grey Flannel it feels grey/green but rather than damp it’s much wetter and never aggressive. In summing up wet cement powder with oakmoss and soap. Now whilst it may not great, and it isn’t, it’s not terrible either. I wouldn’t turn down a 10ml decant but it would take me a while to use it all.

The first thought that came into my head was one of being surrounded by a moist, sweet, spicy and bright-white 'dry ice' smoke. The initially smokiness borders on cloying and overwhelming but never goes over the edge.

The blending of the fragrance is very, very good, this makes separating out the individual elements throughout entire duration quite a strain. It's only present to my nose for a short time but I would swear that there's clove. Also there, though for longer, is sweet liquorice and a fruit I can't place for sure (maybe lychee). For the life of me I can't detect sage, yet the fragrance is definitely herbal. I have some fresh tarragon growing in my home and although not a dead ringer there's a definite similarity. If I'm correct about the tarragon it would explain the liquorice smell, as anise is present in both. The strangest smell of all that I believe to be there is that of turpentine.

It's now eight hours after application and L'Homme Sage is still plainly present on the back of my hand. The strong smokiness, which really only lasted for the first hour is long gone. For the remaining time, although still smoky, the fragrance has been much more velvety, with the always present sweet herbal.

I would suggest L’Homme Sage in flash over people’s romantic favourites like Envy or Ghost Man. All too often romantic scents are overly sweet, and although I can wear neither Envy nor Ghost due to an allergic reaction (that causes me to wheeze), it’s L’Homme Sage’s ability to be romantic without the over-sweetness that wins out.

I had the same experience as Katrinket. Like her I was left questioning my noses failure, quickly having to reassure myself that my nose still worked by reaching for an apple to taste.

Though faint I can detect lemon but not tart lemon. I get a fresh scent coming through too which may be mint but my nose can’t get a hold of it due to the overall weakness. I also get a tea note but it’s so elusive it may as well not be there at all.

The overall experience reminds me of the faint scent that’s left behind after washing a new born baby with gentle formulation bath soap.

Opens quite calmly with clean and soft lemon. Never becoming tart Energy C is a pleasant lemon fragrance that I’d be more than happy to smell on others. That said as I’m not an ‘upfront’ lemon fragrance wearer it’s unlikely to ever be on my skin again. There may well be more elements present in the perfume but I can’t say I get any of them, which is fair enough as it’s nice enough as it stands.

Due to it’s decent longevity and straight up simplicity it’s on the better side of a neutral review. As I’m fairly indifferent about lemon scents this one was never going to get a thumbs up. I hope you have the weather to enjoy it.

I feel like a joke has been played on me. Never mind gone in 15 minutes, on my skin Agrumi Amaria di Sicilia never appears. I am certain I would project a stronger smell if I simply washed my hands and face with a perfume free soap. At first I thought it was oddly weak but imagined eventually it would come good. An hour later when no trace was left I decided to empty half the vial sample onto the back of my hand. Although I was dripping wet with the stuff still nothing appeared but a lightly fragrant citrusy soap, again gone in under an hour.

I’m tempted to get another sample in case there was a mix up at Luckyscent.com, but you know the old adage “fool me once, shame on — shame on you. Fool me — you can't get fooled again." GWB

Baraja starts out with a non-descript slightly stale smell. Within fifteen minutes I began to enjoy the scent, detecting ginger and fragrant wood. It really felt like the ginger and wood did no more than say a short hello before the main act tiptoes in. For roughly three hours my skin smells like standard fare fabric conditioner.

It's true that there is something more interesting going on underneath the main projecting smell of Baraja, but it's so ghostly that to my mind it's irrelevant.

I just can’t get my head around this scent. To help my wife explained, “I can totally understand that someone would want to smell like freshly washed clothes, afterall the clean clothes smell doesn’t last too long after the wash”…. I’m wasn't convinced. Wouldn’t it make more sense to buy Febreze ‘Fabric Refresher TO GO’ for 5% of the cost of Baraja. It easily fits into your pocket or bag, you can then spritz your clothes with they need freshening up. Baraja is not a bad smell but I'm not going to help dupe anyone into buying this by leaving a neutral.

In reading all the previous reviews I have picked out several words which are repeated throughout, rich, round, smooth, vanilla, dirty, creamy, sweet, caramel, vanilla, buttery and musky. 'everso' is the only one to pinpoint the main element of this fragrance, ambergris! Real English Leather is a fragrance that is given all the qualities mentioned in the first sentence, and therefore ALL it's direction, by the ambergris that is present in abundance. It is of course genius in its obviousness, a soft and fresh leather can be described as having same qualities but it would be impossible for the leather to retain these qualities in a bottle. Ambergris substitutes and does this with ease. The resemblance to "urinal cakes" is uncanny when smelling the nozzle of the bottle and the first blast to the skin, but it soon dies off for those that may be concerned, and me, I quite like it. What I’m not thrilled about is the fecal note that follows the urinal cakes exit. From the start REL contains a powdery note that is hard to place. It is not until the top and mid notes die off that it can be seen to resemble the magnesium smell of talcum powder.

I've given my thoughts already on ambergris in my review of Angelique Encens and won't repeat them here. I will say though that I can tolerate it in small doses to 'round' a fragrance and give a 'creamy' quality to a blend of other ingredients. Here in REL it sits heavily in the base and has more potency than the other elements, as a result it turns my stomach slightly. Other reviewers have also stated that REL tames and becomes soft, yes that's true, as all the other notes disappear one by one the ambergris is left standing to the bitter end.

Agreed it will read like I don’t like REL and it’s true that it’s just not for me. That said it is indeed gloriously unique and will make a bold statement for those that can stomach it and choose to wear it. It’s also genius how such a vivid and fresh leather fragrance can be created without necessarily including any leather.

I just can't fully warm to Eucris, it's just a little stale and dry for me. There is a short period mid-way through when a faint fruitiness and freshness come through; I just wish it was for longer. I'm not convinced about the presence of cumin that others can pick out, it's certainly not freshly ground cumin. The only thing it could be is packeted cumin that's well beyond its sell-by date.

Eucris feels incomplete, as if it's missing top and mid notes, I may try to layer with something like very light. I can see myself wearing this when the mood takes me so a negative would be inappropriate.

I have the same experience with Angélique Encens that 'the_good_life' has, really enjoying the first hour then finding the dry down increasingly hard work. I'm not going to give a run down of the fragrance as others have pretty much covered everything, rather I'd like to comment on the element that pretty much governs Angélique Encens, ambergris.

For those that are a little squeamish now would be a good time to stop reading.....

Created by the bile duct of sperm whales, ambergris is a waxy substance that helps the whale pass sharp bones of large sea creatures that it inadvertently ingests. How it is expelled is another matter. I apologise if this is more information than the reader needs but I feel that the back story to ambergris is important and why the idea of smelling it in it's pure form can be more than some can bear. Ambergris smells waxy, sweet, creamy, syrupy, slightly smoky and a little animalistic. With a little used in a blend ambergris can give a smooth and round finish, but here in Angélique Encens it is left alone and unadulterated. I find this smell nauseating in much the same way that hot fudge cake is if you have eaten way too much for main course, though the dessert has a more pleasant story to it's creation.

Angélique Encens is indeed a classic and unique blend, and with fantastic longevity and sillage, one could hardly not recommend that everyone try it out. 8.4 oz is just too much for anyone though, like Blue Amber by Montale a little goes a long, long way with this much ambergris present. The Neutral is only for my personal taste rather than the quality.

A very peculiar opening indeed for this one. I can pick out vetiver, ambergris and in particular cedar, but I can't quite understand why the overall result is a damp rag that has become a little mildewy. No matter, as within 15 minutes L'Air du Desert Marocain has completely transformed and is radiating out the most wonderful dry cedar and incense aroma. The incense does catch the back of the throat a little but not so much as to be turned off it. That said there is no escaping the smell of the incense, I feel like I'm surrounded by a cloud of invisible smoke when wearing this. L'Air du Desert Marocain is also spicy but not fresh and vibrant spices. Instead the spices are stale and woody, like a bag of Garam Masala that's well beyond it's use-by date. The result in summation is a fragrance that smells ancient and mystical.

Fiercely bitter and unapologetically green, Wild Fern demands to be noticed. Unlike some others I don't get any sweetness or fragrant herbs, I also don't get the impression of the countryside (in the sense of rolling meadows). I know it sounds very specific but I have the image of being in a hillside forest that sees a lot of rainfall. Wild Fern also has quite a soapiness to it, and whilst it's densely green if I hold my nose close to my skin for long enough there is a freshness that comes through, not lemon but something equally bright and tart. So finally I have to say I like Wild Fern, I like it a lot.

EDP formulation.

Monk is an odd fragrance, I know I'm smelling cocoa butter but yet it doesn't conjure up feminine associations. Though the smokiness is difficult to discern there's just enough there to mould the cocoa butter in a masculine smell. Within an hour vanilla starts to dominate and I'm afraid vanilla is just not my thing.

When all is said and done my wife likes this, and because I don’t dislike it and as I'm a bit of a tart I'd wear this just to impress her. A 'Thumbs Up' but barely.

For just shy on 3 hours this is one of my favourite summer fragrances. It's instantly pleasant on application, a light and not too tart citrus with a touch of fresh mint and sweet pea. But by the time it's been on for 3 hours a stale/musty note comes into play. That note lingers on until the very end. I would really have preferred Extra Vielle to remain fresh throughout but alas no. Thankfully the note isn't so strong as to ruin the fragrance for me.

I can't tell you for sure whether it's worth the upgrade but Selection Verte by Creed is everything that I would have hoped for in EV. Extra Vielle is on the better side of a neutral review but the fact that it's so easy to get it cheap just nudges it to a Thumbs Up

Very, very nice. Selection Verte may not seem very original or unique but it is such a pleasant fragrance. On examination of all the previous reviews, non-'Thumbs Up' reviewers each have their different gripes, but I notice that none actually disliked the smell.... this is not a surprise. I myself have no problems with the longevity, 6 hours of soft citrus and fresh mint goodness.

I've had a bottle of 'Roger & Gallet - Extra Vielle' for quite some time now and it has been one of my favourite summer scents. The moment I tried Selection Verte recently I thought "My God this is identical to Extra Vielle". So the next day I decided to wear the two on either arm. Side by side the Creed is head and shoulders above the Extra Vielle, brighter, better longevity, cleaner and just plainly of a higher quality. The Creed remains bright and fresh throughout (with the help of the mint) whereas the Extra Vielle takes on a rather stale/musty direction 2 to 3 hours in. There is no denying the two are 90% the same, but with the Creed being 21 years the senior makes the EV into the blatant copy. Roger & Gallet's offering represents much better value for money though.

Brings together two of my favourite fragrances, Eau Sauvage and Dunhill for Men. Eau de Patou though has no Vetiver, minimal pepperiness, is much brighter, and for sure has more bitterness. This is a unisex and universal fragrance. It may be a bit too bright for some men so I think it might be a perfect candidate for a little bit of layering. Given its superb longevity Eau de Patou is a keeper in my books.

Quite a peculiar fragrance this, going by the notes it doesn't seem to be the sum of its parts. The Grapefruit is the most obvious element in the mix but it's neither zesty nor acidic, rather it has the same soft and sweet feel of a galia melon. I suspect it’s the juniper berries that gives Balle de Match its soft and fruity quality. There is also just the trace of incense in the blend but oddly enough it's not smoky. And though not stated, ‘pink’ pepper keeps the fragrance on the bright side whilst providing just a little spiciness.

Zztopp has done a great job below in trying to describe quite a unique fragrance, though I’m sure he’d agree this is one you need to try for yourself to truly get a hold on it. Very, very nice.

This is 'Series8 Energy C: Lemon' with the lemon swapped for lime, I prefer this one.

Opens quite calmly with clean and soft lime. Never becoming tart Energy C: Lime is a pleasant lime fragrance that I’d be more than happy to smell on others. Winds down a little bit better that the 'Lemon' version, becoming a mix of citrus and fragrant woods.

Due to it’s decent longevity and straight up simplicity it’s on the better side of a neutral review.

I dislike the opening, smells a bit like fenugreek coming through, giving a woody and airy quality to the accord. But that same woodiness also makes the fragrance smell a little stale. The occasional faint whiff of a very natural and soft lemon comes through. The Lemon seems to be there throughout, though it is quite weak and very much in the background.

Li Altarelli has some of the feeling and comparable sillage to both Creed's Erolfa and Himalaya. Having the airiness and saltiness of Erolfa and some of the dry, woodiness of Himalaya. In the end I was quite surprised by Li Altarelli, I believed that it was so weak early on that it could only have a short life. Instead 6 hours after application has outlasted both the Creed's I mentioned (and tested alongside). I can't wholeheartedly give this a 'Thumbs Up' as I really disliked the staleness of the first hour, but a 'Neutral' seems unfair as it really becomes excellent (and to my mind better than Erolfa) afterwards. For now I'll settle on a 'Thumbs Up'.

What an impressive fragrance, but what really impresses me is the number of stunning reviews of 1913 here on BNs. Seldom have I seen so many reviews of this standard for one fragrance. Could it be that 1913 is so special as to bring out the best in the reviewers? I think so. What can I say that hasn't been already, well not much new really, only that in the first hour I believe I can pick out elderflower.... I can also offer glowing praise though. 1913 is wonderful and is on my 'Wishlist'.

First of all this is not a feminine fragrance, if anything it's masculine, and less likely a unisex leaning towards masculine.

This is nearly a cut and paste of Comme des Garcons - Series 8 Energy C Lemon. Opens quite calmly with clean and soft lemon. Over the next two hours fragrant wood and a trace of spiciness appear and they remain until the end along with the lemon. Never becoming tart Atao is a pleasant lemon fragrance that I’d be more than happy to smell on others but not myself. Nice but very boring.

Starting with an instant blast of sharp and zesty citrus fruit. At first I thought lemon zest, then grapefruit zest, then orange zest... let's just leave it a citrus zest. Yuzu, Ab Irato nearly has the character of a Penhaligon but ultimately falls some way short. There is something of an accord happening here as I struggle to pick out any more than pine from the mix. Although it's certainly complex it does feel a little too generic. As I said, snub this and sample some Penhaligons.

2007 Re-issue


Opens with a clean and not tart lemon and chamomile blending. There's also something from the Chinese kitchen coming through but I just can't place it. Soon lavender appears and a growing similarity to Blenheim Bouquet becomes clear. Like with most lemon fragrances the lemon can't stand up too long and within 3 hours I'm left struggling to pick out the lemon underneath the light lavender and fragrant wood.

There is something important to note here and it's that I've never come across chamomile in a fragrance before. When I smell it here, paired with lemon, it surprises me that the pairing is not more common, it really seems like a natural choice. But really that's by the by in this case as ultimately this novelty can't raise my interest in this rather boring lemon fragrance.

Very unusual indeed, sweet, flowery, smoky, leafy, musty and fresh all at the same time. I don't get a second hand smoke (in the air) smell but I do get the smell of a smoker that has finished their cigarette and is now chewing sage and mint gum.

At the moment I feel it's just not for me, but it is interesting enough that I'll definitely give it a try again in 6 months. I'll say neutral for now.

Opens very obviously smelling of tobacco leaves. It is green, bitter and a little musty. Like Rivarama there is liquorice here, but this isn't a sweet liquorice. On paper one would assume that the liquorice is coming from the star anise, but I just don't get any of the feel of star anise, mainly it's mentholated property. To me there is no star anise here at all but there is liquorice extract. There is certainly a little pepperiness to L'Altra but it's so faint that it could be the cumin, cinnamon or the rose pepper causing it. I imagine I'll never find the source of the pepperiness as I dislike L'Altra and can't see it crossing my path again. Lasts for a reasonable 4-5 hours pretty much as it starts out as a leafy, musty, liquorice with a little pepper. To me this stuff is just a mess.

This cedrat doesn't distinguish itself too much from common lemons. Less tart and softer than most lemon fragrances it's certainly more to my liking. But with such a short life, and the only a faint trace of pepper and bergamot to add character this is not something I'd ever consider buying. Although Cedrat is nice enough 'Bois de Cedrat' renders this fragrance obsolete.

I quite like the sparkly opening, a different take on citrus. Citrus that's light on citric, it has more of an apple or pear feel to it than lime. Nice light woody feel to it throughout. Though I enjoy Aromatic Lime it's a little weak in the sillage department and it's price guarantees a non-purchase. Lasts most of the day but too close to my skin for anyone else to know I'm wearing it.

Even if the full duration of Villoresi Vetiver had remained as punchy as it did at the start I’d still adore it. Out of the bottle it was raw, bitter and earthy. It’s all about vetiver, bergamot, lavender and with a distinct nuttiness and very obvious celery note. It does soften over time but still remains as bold throughout, giving off a strong and continual earthy and smoky woods aroma.

Vetiver is wild enough to make noses around stand up and pay attention. It’s never beautiful but certainly not ugly. Imbues the wearer with a sense of sophistication and masculinity.

Aoud Lime without the citrusy blast at the start, and a slightly different wind down. Like other Montales Aouds I’ve tried (excepting Attar) it takes half on hour for Royal Aoud to settle. Once it does it too is magical, rose that’s wearable on a male. Not my favourite Montale but certainly not far off. The only thing bringing it down for me is the sweet vanilla wind down, but really I’m just nitpicking, Royal Aoud is superb.

Top Notes - Lemon, aquatic notes
Mid Notes - Juniper Berries, Black Olive, spicy Herbs
Base Notes - Cedar wood, Patchouli, White Musk

Summery, sweet and fresh, Rivarama is quite a pleasant smell. It’s certainly not masculine, rather it’s a unisex fragrance that’s a little in the feminine side. The main thing that sticks in my mind is fruity liquorice and coconut sweets (candy).

Looking at the notes is a bit of a puzzle if I compare them to what I smell. The blending is balanced enough to make picking out the individual notes difficult. I suppose the ‘spicy herbs’ may contain basil in order to supply the liquorice, I can also pick out the white musk. Longevity isn’t bad at 5 hours, and it doesn’t project too much. Although I wouldn't wear Rivarama I still like it, too sweet for me.

I quite like this, it starts out smelling of 'wet' sweet flowers (maybe rose). Over time it becomes powdery and fresh with a peppery note that appears in regular bursts.

In the opening I thought it was very similar to Ungaro III, so I tested the two alongside one and other. They are a little similar early on but diverge soon enough, though both have the wet floral note with a touch of pepper. For the most part I see a closer resemblance to Erolfa. Testing the two together I feel that the pair is indeed pretty close. The Divine has a little saltiness but far from as much as the Creed. The Creed is certainly fresher and has none of the Divine’s powderiness.

L'Homme de Coeur holds up quite well during the day and doesn’t eventually become musty (which I half expected) remaining pretty fresh until the end.

Undoubtedly the best vanilla fragrance I’ve encountered, unabashed, straight-up sweet and sticky vanilla. Spiritueuse Double Vanille is never over-bearing though.

Lasts for hours and hours and can still be detected the next day. My only gripe is that after 6 hours it takes on a very milky smell on my skin. Males that wear Bulgari Black, Monk and Chergui should give this a try.

Aoud Lime opens with a sharp and bitter blast, though I can’t promise it’s lime that I get. Half an hour in and I get the beginning of soft, but ever so slightly bitter floral notes. These florals clean up into very gentle, fresh and clear rose over the period of the following hour. Like with Attar there is Sandalwood but it’s much more in the background. As a male I feel that rose fragrances need something like fragrant wood to suit my gender, in Lime Aoud (and Attar) the sandalwood provides a more smooth finish. Great longevity and a great daywear fragrance, Aoud Lime only needs a better name.

With so many excellent oud Montales, that are slight variations on a theme, it’s quite hard to pick out which to plumb for in the shop. Maybe what’s needed is an Aoud collection containing a wide range of 10ml mini’s. For me I’d have to pick Attar, Black Aoud and Lime Aoud.

Attar opens with none of the bitterness of Royal, Lime, Steam or Black Aoud, it also arrives much quicker at its main act. It straddles the boundary of a daywear and an eveningwear fragrance. In weight it lies midway between Steam Aoud and Black Aoud, having all of Steam Aoud’s versatility and some of Black Aoud's sensuality. The Sandalwood and rose are so perfectly balanced that it’s not possible for me to tell which is the dominant element overall, one minute it’s the rose the next the sandalwood.

Attar is a very linear fragrance with an ability to get straight to business after application. I get a decent amount of noticeable presence for 6-7 hours on my skin. Soft and sweet, but never too rich, Attar is probably the Montale I would apply the most. Given the opportunity I’d still jump quicker to put on Black or Lime Aoud.

The unfortunate thing for Steam Aoud is that it lies in the shadow of much better fragrances in the line, not least Black Aoud. Other Montale Aouds leave an altogether better lasting impression, but that’s not to say that Steam Aoud isn’t great in itself.

Steam Aoud is very enjoyable, after a bitter start lasting twenty or so minutes, Steam Aoud settles neatly into a straightforward gentle rose and light oud. Though I can’t pick out the slight spice of caraway seeds I do get the fresh smell of caraway seeds (when they are picked in nature and rubbed aggressively between your palms). It’s most likely the fresh aspect of caraway that gives Steam Aoud its aquatic feel.

It’s only when you test Black and Steam Aoud side by side that you really appreciate how much weaker Steam Aoud is, or depending on your perspective, how much stronger Black Aoud is. Yes Steam Aoud is weaker with a much shorter life (5 hours on me), but I see it as a better daywear fragrance than it’s stronger sibling. A good unisex fragrance that I’d be happy to buy 50mls of.

Vetiver is an amazing substance; there are a tremendous amount of fabulous fragrances with Vetiver in them. Let’s just take five that have Vetiver as their main element, Mugler Cologne, Guerlain Vetiver, Villoresi Vetiver, Eau Sauvage and of course Encre Noire. It’s amazing that with every one you’ll take a sniff and say “yep Vetiver” and yet they the spectrum in that group from light to dark is vast. Encre Noire falls near the end of the dark side of the spectrum, rugged but at the same time soft and smooth. For such a full bodied smell I find it amazing that it never becomes oppressive. In my mind its smell conjures the image of dark, gnarled and soggy wood akin to ‘bog oak’, accompanied with dense green Vetiver and a kind of bitter smokiness.

In the morning I look out the window and decide what to clothes to wear for the day. The clothes and weather then dictate my choice of fragrance. If the weather is overcast and cool I’ll plumb for Encre Noire. But it’s ultimately Encre Noire that dictates the clothes, generally black, in the same way that M7 makes me go for brown or Antaeus makes me go for purple.

I absolutely love Encre Noire, from the colour of the liquid, to the bottle, to it's all day dense aura, to the pure majesty of the smell.