Fragrance Reviews by Ken_Russell

Exquisite, but as with all Jil Sander frags, the lasting power comes off as a bit short and it would have been if it lasted longer, because the notes are just stunning. Discreet, elegant, clean cut yet with a slight, not overpowering touch of sweetness, quite a few classy leathery and smoky touches too, mingled with a certain showery freshness. This has truly some serious cult classic potential, if they could only make this one more long-lasting. Modern yet timeless at a time, doing this effortlessly and impressing through a very puristic and minimalistic sort of elegance. I never thought I would love any Jill Sander frag, but I was proven wrong, since now I've found something close to pure bliss (of only the strength of the fragrance notes would render me even more blissful...).

Not bad, but slightly to sweet for my taste. The fleshy, animalic notes also found in Cerutti 1881 Amber are even more pronounced in this one. There's something about the spiciness of this frag that is a bit overdone to me. All in all, the overall impression is not an unpleasant one, yet something in this just seems not to "click" together with my fragrance taste.

One of the most refined male scents around, reminding faithfully to its name of a Mediterranean landscape, the notes changing, just in a real life landscape, between light and shadow, between solar warmth and both hot and cool winds, somewhere near the seaside... Rich woody mossy background, bearing the same incense smell like Irish Moos, but much more elaborate, deep, almost dark, powdery spiced backbone of this creation. Also, a very Oriental impression at first, almost thinking that this scent might (d-) evolve into something too sweet, but then comes a peaceful, distinguished and uncommon citrus dry down, with hints of leather ( quite similar to Armani PH) with record-worthy staying power, but also discretion. Almost 24 hours of a timeless, puristic citrus cocktail as the longest memory connected to this scent. This one is therefore one of the utmost perfect, distinguished scents i ever knew.

This fragrance also falls into the category of "female classics" I would love to smell on more of my female friends and acquaintances. Not for everyone, since, I presume, this one is targeted at a more mature audience, heavy floral, slightly aldehydic, almost leathery dry-down.

Simple, discreet, timeless. Will surely evoke great memories of classy past-by ages. The perfect scent for a conservative, somewhat restrained gentleman.

I must confess that I didn't like this scent at, when I first smelled it, but then, in an unexpected change, it became nearly a standard value in almost all of my gifts directed to female friends, relatives and acquaintances. Why? Because while the first impression was heavy and sweet, the dry-down increasingly develops wonderfully mature and distinguished leathery and woody notes. In spite of the presentation or the first impressions, definitely not an average female "green" or "floral", but a truly sober and refined creation, directed towards a discriminating and classy audience.

Probably one of the most elegant and one of the best female scents I ever had the honor to smell on a lady- since a female friend has worn it, I was haunted by this scent for many days and months. Clean, bright, warm and extremely classy.

Along with the more niche oriented Muschio Bianco from Acca Kappa, this one has truly great unisex potential, although this one is a bit less elaborated and distinguished than the first. Nevertheless, the with musk, to be found in both fragrances, gives this one, just like in the case of the former, a certain soapy, solar and uplifting touch of cleanliness and softness, thus easy to be worn on informal occasions, in spite of the musky notes, which usually appeal to an elaborate and mature sort of fragrance taste. Also, slight (at least, to my perception) vanilla touches and sweetness... in all shapes and sizes. This one could actually be truly an olfactory treat, if only the Body Shop would not use no many generic notes, in affordable, yet quite one- dimensional (with the rare and notable exception of e.g. Kistna, in my opinion, a few degrees better than most of the male scents crafted by the Body Shop).

In my opinion, extremely spicy, leaving a quite sharp overall impression. The olfactory sensation might seem assaulted, at first, by a variety of peppery notes, as other reviewers correctly remarked, followed by a warm and quite sweet dry- down. Pleasant and quite good value for money, but not something I would wear every day and, also, not enough to become my signature scent.

Left me with mixed emotions, could have been done much better. The Guerlinade note is here almost imperceptible and thus underused and I'm just suspecting that this scents is a desperate attempt by Guerlain only to capitalize on the craze of everything new, regardless if a novelty is truly an innovation or just a ripoff. While this fragrance is by far not repulsive to, it is no match to the classical male scents by Guerlain either, the few timeless masterpieces which wrote and rewrote perfume history. Too sweet and quite average longevity, combined with a desire to be trendy which could have been put to much better use in many other ways. Although it's by far no unpleasant scent and it's notes are good quality, it's just not my thing.

I already had great expectations, entirely fulfilled, regarding Esencia Loewe and Loewe para Hombre, thus my initial reaction, before I ever tested this scent was like: "Oh, even the historic house of Loewe wants to compete two of its most flawless creation, symbolizing old- world conservative class and luxury (of course, the two aforementioned scents) with a heartless neoliberal, postmodern world-order, symbolized by a an androgynous, unimpressive, metrosexual teeny cookie- cutter fragrance?". But I could have not been more wrong and, arguably, the launch year confused me a bit. Sure, it is hypermodern anmd cutting edge, yet with a lot of style, warmth, manhood, distinction and creativity. All these "pillars of wisdom" more likely to be present in an old school scent, were, against all odds, carefully and stylishly used and valued even here, just in a very different manner and a different composition. Initial floral- fruity blast, followed by a hint of... both sharp, icy and fiery notes, a variety of aromatic touches employed in various unexpected ways. Finally, at least on my skin, a highly powdery and also Mediterranean drydown, reminding me of Roma Uomo and Minotaure (other sooo typically Latin creations) but both with an extra edge and an extra ease and slighly more musky and, as I previously remarked, fiery than these two. Well, if most Spanish scents are either brilliant or ghastly, as other rewievers remarked, with regards to other e.g. Loewe, Rabanne or J. del Pozo creations, then this one is just one of the few who belong to the truly better half.

Ok, maybe not the greatest male scent around, but pretty bearable (and not much more than this for a generic, summery scent. Oranges everywhere, a slight touch of sensuality and in spite of a very pleasant initial impression, the middle notes and the drydown lead the fragrance wearer, especially the discriminating and curious one, to a clean- cut but highly synthetic and sweet shower gel and cream note. Would have worked much better if these notes would have been put to use in a fruity mass market cosmetic product.

Distinction has hardly ever known a more worthy and dignified expression, as this olfactory creation is truly memorable. Smells a bit like Santos plus a more aromatic and citric opening, than Santos could ever achieve in its mysterious, but seductive ways, plus the chypre style refinement of some rather classic and formal male scents by Guerlain, Chanel, Givenchy and YSL from the past. Regarding the previous sentence, the suave smoothness, combined with the understated class of Monsieur de Givenchy, Gentleman, the original YSL pour Homme and Chanel pour Monsieur is present from the first whiff, but only as an opening, yet never copying these scents in any way. It than takes a very different approach, a twist regarding a persistent and highly aromatic woody background, which only adds more masculinity and sobriety to this already very well balanced composition. French- made extravagance, combined with outstanding, absolutely flawless technical achivements.

I was nearly fooled by a quite relaxing, easygoing and unspectacular introduction- with many "sweet", aquatic- ozonic undertones. But once this first impression has passed, a blast of spice and truly "dark", edgy notes take over. Seems like two very different perfumes in one, as the styles, the intensity and the suitability for formal or informal use are extremely different between the first impression the final drydown.

It's so nineties, and I bet that this one must have been groundbreaking back in 1996, as it has, as previously remarked, strong similarities with lots of CK male fragrances from the same period. Maybe too watery and ozonic for my taste, yet some aromatic notes, combined with fruity undertones just make it the perfect casual scent, with that certain extra that makes this scent rise above the mass-market simplicity of (even designer and niche) casual scents. If the androgynous touches would be less developed and with more emphasis on spices and uncommon essences (maybe, but not necessarily, woods, herbs and the list may go on) this fragrance might have been something highly refined and extremely arty- but then again, one single note might change the whole mixture, with all the good and the bad and thus even annul that comfy, lofty 90's feeling.

Described by many of my female friends as the ultimate "seduction in a bottle"- fragrance, as THE flawless olfactory artwork, I was slightly surprised to find out that this scent was not that groundbreaking as I expected. Still, it was highly sensual, yet also distinguished and inoffensive, but a slight bit to flowery for what I consider to be a truly complex female scent. The sweetness seems to take over too much of the notes and it's also not as "dark" as some might suggest. Nevertheless, it's a safe and quite inspired choice for the female wearer ready to detach herself from the generic, commonplace trends dominating the fragrance world and trying to make a mature, dignified and stylish impression.

I actually enjoy this scent, altough not as much to turn it into one of my favourites. Nevertheless, it is crisp, light yet distinguished, sporting a more vibrant and easygoin, informal approach, in comparison to the almost hieratic opulence of the more calssical Guerlain or Creed Vetyvers.

How light, how vibrant and accomplished enough to impress a fan of rather formal, heavy and classic scents. So much more than a watered-down version of Visit. This fragrance is truly exquisiste and a genuine feast for my senses. Ozonic and watery... yes, maybe, but still so distinguished, silky, yet easygoing and even with the same spicy base found in the initial Visit-fragrance, but witha lighter edge.

I agree with other users, this one is nothing like the original Hugo, which i profoundly dislike. However, i did not discover much more than the usual generic, casual type of sweetness, specific for Boss and the Hugo fragrance line. But maybe it's just me, since i'm more inclined to the formal scents- at any rate i don't see myself belonging to the age group for whom this fragrance is created, altough i don't dislike it either.

True, it couldn't be more true- it has the typical Drakkar Noir notes, as previous reviewers have pointed out. This is also what i first felt, when i tried it out for the first time. And yes, some Drakkar notes are even stronger here. It's very conservative and i would associate it best with evening wear. At any rate, i love it, it's just sooo hard to find...

Much like the original Sandalwood, an optimal choice to smell, great, altough a bit formal, without breaking the bank. For all the fans of classic fragrances outthere, i recommend this one, however only for the ones who clearly know that they love sandalwood scents above all and are not repulsed by an almost medical or (why not) culinary quality of spicyness. Some laethery touches towards the drydown, whcih make it more complex, manly and classy. More than just a cheap, reformulated, marketable, commonplace refolmulation of a true classic, as it oozes individuality, discretion and timelessness.

Quite generic floral, but in a good sense. I actually liked it, while smelled on teenage girls- and note that i was even younger than them, back then and had no significant experience regarding fragrances. This is why i can hardly imagine a woman over 25 years of age wearing this. While it's not the best choice for a formal social call or a night out, while cald in couture garments, it's still a safe, flowery, clean, crisp choice, that actually smells good and inoffensive, especially if combined with casual wear.

When a female friend wore this, i asked her if she wears Opium, insteand she replied that it's Crystal Noir. But still i found some similarities with YSL's potent and iconic original (not the selection of more girly version of the classic, not the male version of it either, just the first female Opium ever to be launched)- spicy, plummy, some Oriental undertones (less pronounced, if compared to Opium), exotic notes of precious wood and incences, even this famous berry note, which is one of the trademarks of Opium, plus a certain resinous touch. Aside from this similarities, Crystal Noir is more loud, flashy, yet without any vulgarity, it also has some siren-like, alluring, thrilling sensuality in it, that gets lads(including me) , especially the ones with certain amounts of fragrance trivia in their brains not just attracted, but blind and overwhelmed with admiration and worship for the lady wearing this. However, it's, at least according to my opinions, more than just a simple man-magnet, in fact it also spells right-in-your-face powerhouse, overt, unaltered
ambition and energy, whcih doen't need either to girly, nor to crispy, nor too dated and discreet female scents to confirm itsself, instead wears this on the sleeve, with a loud, extroverted and higly compelling openness.

Smells exquisite and mature, a truly powerhouse female scent, i just love to sense it on women. It reminds me not only of true Parision chic, but a touch of understated, sober female- (not girl-) power. Especially the drydown is a true olfactory treat.

One of the few, if not the only powdery-leathery florals for women. Why leathery? Because altough the floral opening is one of the main parts of the perfume and obvoius from the first encounter with this one, i noticed something appearantly surprising about the drydown- on all women, on whom i smelled this, it had a leathery undertone. Almost like a female version of the classic Givenchy male fragrances, not the post-2000 masculine creations, the restrained yet potent elegance of e.g. Monsiuer de Givenchy or Givenchy Gentleman's finnish seems to be present, at least at subliminal intensity, in Amarige too. Call me mad, but i also discovered some similar points even with the iconic representation of calssic leathery fragrances Knize Ten, especially during the very same drydown of Amarige. While all these leathery notes do not alter the femininity of this scent, they add the extra edge, persistence, vintage note, distinction and even a slight execentricity, which actually recommend this fragrance for formal and mature wear.

Undoubted distinction, very classic and mature style. I just love it on a woman and it's no surprise at all that Luca Turin praised this scent up to the high heavens. Apart from the fact that his opinion means a lot to me, even without his confirmation, i loved to smell this scent on a woman from the day i first smelled it on one. And believe me, for u guys outthere, who enjoy it if ur gf/spouse/significant other/ female friends smell conservatively stylish, not just girly and provocative, this is a real treat.

How can I not love this scent? Despite the rumours about having changes and worsened along the years, for me it's one of the most classic, inoffensive and gentlemanly scents still available today. Besides the discreet, but persistent lasting power of 12+ hours on my skin (altough after about 12 it becomes a very dim, yet not vapid presence, it's just that i'm marginally aware of it, even after so many hours after application). What i love about this one is the clean, crispy warmth, the exquiste impression of effortless distinct and the fact that it developes into something containing much more than Vetyver- it takes quite a while to discover what is beneath the initial earthy and resinous blast of vetyver, but after that, the finesse up to the point of imperceptibilty of aromatic notes (altough "green, very different from vetyver, the spice and even a slight leatehry touch, which can neither be described as the dark, macho, gothic leather found in some scents, nor the vapid, teenie suede note found in others, it's rather an uncomon tobacco-leather mixture, including the most complex and uncommon association this note can trigger, come to life). I think it's admirable that a fragrance from 1961 is not only still available today, but also upholds very conservative standards of quality seldomly to be found in contemporary fragrance orld. Almost an oldtimer style trip into the depths of the (unfortunately) increasingly inaccessible of true Parisian chic. Hence, this one can be called- along very few other classics- one of the last scents of the golden age of French perfume,which, inspite of being a flawless masterpiece, a luxurious reflection of couture, of both exclusively elegant and highly intellectual salons, has managed to avoid the trappings, complications and restrictiveness of niche marketing- it's not afraid to show that it's "just" a designer fragrance, however finely crafted by one of these few famous designer houses which managed to avoid the hype, the overblown frenzy created around the niche frags lately, counterbalacing them with
a simple, puristic reputation, a gurantee for outstanding and countiously upkept quality, for sheer, undissmulated, but almost axiomatic, almost dogmatic quintessence of unquestionable elegance, that particular mood of French stylishness, which can be natural, sensual, bohemian, without failing one single second to be effortlessly mannered, elitist, high-class and high-culture at the same time. For this reason, i guess that GV and a very few other other equally cleant-cut close contemporaries from other traditional designer houeses, bear a name and a myth equal to an unlimited, always upkept promise and guarantee of good taste, somtetimes even putting some overrated, but much more moody, unpredictable and less sustainable niche houses in inferiority (and remember, this comes from a hardline fan of niche frags)- compared to these, GV is a more sober, apaprently more simple, but much more safe, inoffensive and discreet way to smell like niche and even beyond, for the cost and the implications of a designer scent.

I became curious about this scent when i first read an article about it a German magazine, which, altough not specialized on perfume and not even lifestyle, granted Visit a quite generous article. Even more, the article was packed with poetic associations about this fragrance, raging from exotic food soaked in uncommon spices up to incesce in a church. While being skeptical that there ever is a scent capable to illustrate this, Azzaro Visit gave me soon different, altough equally uncommon associations. What i first smelled was a mere, bare youthfull teeny stenchwater so i moved on unimpressed. Many days later i tried it out again and, surprise, surprise, i found one of the best and untypical contemporary scents in the very same essence. One tiny flaw, why visit -ok maybe i'm uninformed / misinformed but it should have been called out of the cleanest shower, wonderland of spices or complex, stragely beautiful clenliness, to name only few of my sensations. It starts out as a plain, but correct refreshing aquatic and ends up in one of the most complex aromatic symphonies ever - altough the aquatic note stilll lingers on, even something youthfully ozonic and soapy, it gradually turns into amore mysterious scent, spicy up to the point of medical and toothpaste associations, still crisp, but also sensual and uncommonly romantic and sensual, a bizzare association of hot and ice-cold spices. If the youth of today ever wanted to smell original, classy and refined yet avoiding being both generic but also too conservative, this might be the right choice.

It might sound very odd, but i know at least one girl, on which this one smells exactly like Venezia for women. And since they discontinued grand old Venezia, i guess this a much more affordable alternative to wear a highly calssic, smooth, Oriental, with a slight tendency towards the more playful side, due to some uplifting florals and spices. Plus, it's highly persistent too, which means that it is in any respect great value for money- especially for female fans of the genere.

The true incarnation of 90's sensuality and excess, romanticism and fantasy, even tough a touch of 80's ( and even male scents from this period ) powerhouse is also present. One would expect an elusive, watery scent, rising like the ghostlike city from the waters, reaching the airy zenith, right? Wrong. This csent devoures, ethralls, captvates and is also highly tought proviking.You have to either love or hate it! An Oriental who's force comes close to the one of the original female Opium, yet with an extra touch of subtlety and floral delights which is much more underdeveloped in the French classic. Without being its imitator, i would like to the describe this as its more Mediyterranen, hotblooded, but also more romantic and dreamlike counterpart. Aslo, there are some lavish woody notes in it which make me- strengely enough, associate it with some calssics of exquisite woody fragrances for men, Creed's BDP among others, altough minus the citurs notes of the latter. Another similarity with both BDP and Opium is the highly formal component- romantic or conservative wear permitted, even required, however anything casual strictly forbidden if worn with this one. The fragrance industry will remain a constant mystery to me- if so few creations of pure genius, like this one, are being put forward, why do they discontinue them so abruptly? I would have liked to have smelled and felt this one lots and lots of ladies ( provided taht they have the distinction to match Venezia's stylishness )...

Underrate gem of sporty, casual scents and also extremely affordable. The citrus notes are smooth and youthful, having both an energizing and relaxing effect. A scent that arguably won't get one noticed instantly but still uplift one's mood in very pleasant way. At least on my skin it smelled very Mediterranean and giving me the feeling of indulging my body chemistry and my spirit.

Inspite of the agggresive and overtly mascho, muscular association of the name, this scent is a truly safe, wearable and quite mellow aquatic scents, basically a lighter version of the initial Everlast 1910, but with its strong tones significantly reduced and turned into a sweet, slightly unisex creation. What bothers me the most about this one is not the sweetness, but rather the synthetic subtext of this very sweet note. Not bad tough, but unlike the original Everlast, not too different from the bulk of usual mass market creations, however, even with less value for money than the original, it's still an ok, yet not outstanding, choice regarding uncomplicated summer /casual scents.

A bit like the original Chevignon( even the bottles are quite alike) for men from 1992 with a more marine, aquatic twist. Maybe this pair of scents is reminding of a much more famous duo: Boss Elements and Elements Aqua, not only beacuse of the concept and the two versions of a concept, but even the notes are not that different, while Chevignon for men is an earthy, leathery, more conservative scent like Elements, Best of Chevignon is, just like Elements Aqua, lighter, more unisex, crisp, fruity. Oddly, I tested this scent at a time with another Boss scent, Hugo dark blue, and compared to the latter, best of Chevignon was much better recieved of people in my company as it smelled, so they said, more masculine than Hugo dark blue( considering that typical Hugo sweetness it might be true). This one is (de-)lightfully aromatic, pushing the grren notes further than in other Chevignon scents, fresh, youthful enough to be considered modern, yet elaborate, elegant, masculine( even if listed as unisex), long-lasting enough to be a classic. So, besides Chevignon for men, another incumbent classic, with a more easy-going, yet not necessarily casual, experimental, playful approach.

First, I was quite uninterested by the combination of minimal citrus opening, paired with a strong leathery drydown. I mean, I love leathery scents and I have great respect for Givenchy, but I expected more from a leathery creation. But...I discovered an undisclosed smoothness, a certain almost unexplained refinement in it. The fascination for this scent was love at many, almost countless sights, which didn't start right away for me, but rather it took time, re-testing and reapplying on repeated occasions. And suddenly, I was smitten by the animalic background, which has both a dirty, bad-boy side as well as dose of intoxicating, wasteful, indulgent luxuriousness about it. Strangely, both ( and apprently conflicting ) opinions i frequently read about this scent in other reviews seem to be confirmed to me- without any dissonance, I can smell in it both the clean-cut, even slightly overdressed Wall-Street millionaire as well as the rebellious hippie with a greater passion for incense and exotic essences rather than hygiene, by the plain means of soap and water ( I know both statements sound a bit like prejudice, but I guess this scent takes the liberty to play around a bit with our most common misconceptions, without however being too experimental, but rather remaining a conservative above these controversies ). I guess i was at first put off by the base notes of this scent, which at firts bothered me not as much trough their harsheness, by their in-your-face display of almost juggernautish manhood, but a first impression of- yes, it was a superficial opinion, which I revisited, I radically changed in the meantime- a quite generic impression, generic meaning in this scent erathy, neutral, slightly choking and powdery, opposite to the subtelties of a multilayered fragrance, but not exclusive or focused enough to be a " soliflore " either- just a few " dirty " herbs ( characterization which I found more accurate here then in YSL PH Concentree, often accused for this reason ) and an either too yuppie or too psychedelic, to earth-bound finale. How wrong I was - and in this process, I also undesrstood Boateng's ( whom i deeply respect ) fascination
for this fragrance. Yes, while the overtly leathery and animalic base might be loud, offputting, long-lasting in a disturbing way, even stuffy and unidimensional, it's the very same source that fully justifies the genius and stylish simplicity of this scent. Take your time, don't overapply, take more time and then... all or most unclean, unsavoury associations this strong-willed base, not for the weak-hearted generated, are turned ( at least on my skin ) in while a while not groundbreaking or bedazzling, still very sober, distinguished, slighly reserved and formal but nontheless warm, self-confident and genuinely elegant old-school chypre male beauty. This very chypre impression is what i like most about it, as it becomes so richly fulfilling, so poetic without being falshy or artificial, if I not only wear it, but I also take enough passion. I would almost call it slightly, quite remotely, reminescent of two other French classics- Eau Sauvage and Chanel PM- plus the extra edge. And this very edge is actually that very opposite of the genericness that i first sensed- in fact, it has a certain very slow ( even as developement on the skin ), but very smooth and steady way of reviving associations rather with the old-world, with a certain ancien regime nostalgia, way before both yuppies and hippies were an issue, it takes one ( or at least in my associations ) back to a time of opulent aristocratic residences and musty, slightly decaying fortress walls, dramatic, almost theatrical landscapes, collectible old books, a fondness for masculine pursuit, for cigars and brandy, and a certain taste for formal wear ( arguably including leather, in the form of various costly accessories ). And all these associations can hardly be forgotten by me- this is why I actually, altough terribly late learned to discover and love this underrated gem, whose strenghts and deligths are not so easily acessible as it seems, nor as linear and unsurprising, as this scent's simplicity is just an apparent pretext for many hidden and passionate lurking behind an appearantly uninspiring, equal and unilateral first impression.

The most commonplace, atough not bad or unplesant incarnation of a "green" scent. That it is plesant and wearable goes without saying, but towards the end of the nineties it was so overused and overhyped that i think that it got an excessively good press, even ( or especially ) compared even to other Addas scents, which altough equally affordable, are much more creative and complex, e.g. Adidas Classic. Otherwise i can appreciate the citrusy and slightly aromatic opening, leading towards a woody base. Nice and quite good value ( for little ) money, but not quite my cup of tea.

Yet another female scent by Yves Rocher that smells very exclusively and will not age. For all the fans of classic florals outhere, this one is surely worth at least considering, even to become a long-term investment at an affordable rate. Three keywords come to my mind when i think about this one: clean, white and distinguished.

Subtle, yet energetic with herbal and aromatic notes. There is a certain old-school refinement about this scent, which actually combines both a clean, puristic high-quality timelessness with that certain touch of dandy eccentricity. The drydown is crisp, with discreet minty touches later to be found also in Envy, refined cedar and an unlikely, but superb mix of almost neutral, colder, green notes and the warmth, magnetism, mysterious, exotic and spicy warmth of leathery notes. Still, the allround impression reminds all in all of very high-class, high-end eau de cologne and citrus scents( or both ), only with a more woody, cooler- almost neutral, marginally aquatic too-, almost antiseptic, but also slightly smoky, yet not incense and tobacco notes.
Reminescent both of the iconic chypre smelling couture scents of the 80's, especially from Italian and even Spanish brands as they all, including this one, smell more or less Mediterranean, but also typical for the 80's, powerhouse and business-class, yet like the fully suitable and suggestive title says, also following and continuing a much older aristocrartic and conservative tradition of gentleman's scents, as it manages, inspite of the similarities with the 80's scents to transcend the materialistic, even if luxurious and powerful style of this decade and evolve to a more exclusive dimension, towards frail, suave, discreet notes embodying both the elusive, vapid vanity and the unattainable, distant, almost fairytale-like mood of the old world still dominated by nobility( and not yet by Wall Street ).

Refined vanilla, citrus and fruity notes. Both aquatic and solar fragrance, reminding of the two essential elements in any usual depiction of summer- sun and sea. Interesting balance between cool and hot, between fiery and watery, tough more inclined towards a northern depiction of a summer day: moderathe warmth while the more cooling notes tend to exceed, reminding far more of a pale sun with an elusive, almost mysteriously dim glitter. Also a sweet unisex quality making it quite similar to today's aquatic teenager scents, yet the drydown, the longer lasting impression is slightly more luxurious, as more classic and less synthetic ingredients of the woody and spicy kind are more obvious.

Picked this up at a ridiculously low cost and was pleased... Aromatic and powerfull, but less of an old men's scent than Marbert Man, this one being darker, leaning towards a more Oriental and gothic side, with several notes so strong and oily almost on the verge of being unberable. However, applied sparingly ( cause even two drops of it can almost outlast a day and be felt from a long distance), the smell surprises with musky sweetness and rich, deep woody notes. Long and almost difficult drydown, but bearing unexpected delights after a firstly almost painfull encounter with harsh, heavy and stuffy notes.

It would be a good fragrance, if it were not for two huge minus points- after a truly extravagant, smooth and multilayered aromatic opening which does not smell neither sporty nor synthetic at all, it descends into a sweaty, fleshy, ill-smelling, nauseating and hideous choking aftertaste- same problem as with Meditarraneo by Antonio Banderas, another low-cost scent which begins stylish like a second Roma Uomo, but ends up in the same schorching, choking rotten flesh way. The second problem- it does not last more than 1-2 hours in the best case.

Powerful, but a little too generic woody fragrance. Long lasting, sweet notes towards the end- the least masculine part about this otherwise overtly, energetically virile potion, spicy notes but also a rather questionable woody quality. As it is not a classic, nor very precious, expensive or elaborate, it can get almost any rating between vile and good ( but not perfect) depending on the wearer's skin, time of the day, season, accessorizing with personal wardrobe and so on...

At first, I expected a commonplace scent like many designer houses developed just for the sake of profit during the past years, something that doesn't change much about a market segment already owerflown with teeny creations of amss-market appeal ( even in the designer sector ) and a serious deficiency for exclusive, artistic or schock-value creation. So, the fact that Attitude stands out a bit- but not at a spectacular or ground-breaking level - from current genericness came as a surprise to me. On my skin at least it smells above average good and above average long lasting, yet I miss that certain ineffable extra to turn it into a pure masterpiece. I guess the closest definition of this fragrance would be a contemporary gourmand scent with dark Mediterranean notes as an undertone to the vast majority of edible ones, targeted at young urban adults and with an wearability somewhere halfway trough designer, high-class casual and relaxed, "classic with a twist formal wear". I actually love about this scent some outstanding notes, but the combination/overall impression make me give a neutral rating only. That dark Mediterranean style is one of this fragrances achievements- it's like the usual herbal recipe was reshaped, restyled in a more bad-boy, a more edgy and mysterious way, with more depth and strenght. Unfortuntely, there is also a fugdy, coffe-like bitter sweetness that counterbalances this otherwise flawless spicyness ( which would otherwise remind me of two of my favourites: Versace l'Homme and Esencia Loewe, if this one was less powdery and more classic, aromatic and resinous like these two ). This very coffee note makes it all a bit too powdery for my taste, but maybe a new reapplication ( and subsequent reevalution ) would take out the scorching dryness- which is by no means warm or sensual- of this one and leave me more romm to concentrate on the very notes which, taken separately, would have generated an indisputable milestone of perfection. At least the bottle has "attitude" rather than mass-market appeal
( because ironically today's fashion, whcih also applies to perfume equates attitude not with creativity, indvidual freedom, uniqueness, strong personality but rather conformism, unpretentiousness, familiarity inadequately, but smilingly and cunnigly sold as the former values ), reminding marginally of some hints of Art Deco in combination with some limited edition of a Zippo.

For an ardent fan of classic perfumes like me, this scent was close to a revelation, as i loved it more than i loved many of my personal favourites.
It's the right fragrance for all the ones who got tired of the overrating of boutique and niche perfumes and want to buy high quality, get it for less money and without being snobbish but at the same time having a designer scent. Very concetrated, can be overapplied very easily and can be percieved as offensive and rude if one truly does so. I know this from a female friend, who is neither a girly, childish, nor a bone-dry tomboy, in fact a tasteful, stylish, mature and intellectual and sophisticated woman who always enjoys a high quality scent and knows to tell the difference between something like that and the rest. Still, small quantities were enough and she already found it too strong, too musty, almost to the point of nausea. But that still does not affect my liking towards this scent, as tastes are something personal and men usually have slightly different tastes. I guess it was both the acidity and the very, very strong woody drydown that might get close to an unplesant experience, but still this is where this scent's quality lies. It has attitude, overlong persistence - in a good way, that is- and that touch of originality, of classic and indestructible value, that uniqueness and conforting feeling of dignified, self-assured classiness which never fails nor ages. Truly an uncommonly beautiful scent, on of the least typical and stereotypical for a decade that generated so many artworks of masculine fragrance.

A nice and fresh scent, but nothing more than this. Indecisive, just a combination of very neutral and unspectacular tones that lead to nowhere. After the daring and powerfull Caractere, this one is supposedly more modern yet misunderstandig modernity as inexpressive and synthetically artificial. Slightly aquatic and a touch too sweet to be seen as masculine.
Still not necessarily a bad scent.

Stylish female classic, I rember my mom using it once and I can recall how she applied only very little and yet it lasted for more than a day. Oriental musky notes with a floral and deliciously lush fruity touch. Very long lasting sensations. I mostly like if women wear it, with the condition that it matches the outfit, their age, the season and the time of day. Good especially for mature women, it would rether seem bizarre if a teenage girl used it, maybe beginning with the age 25+ onward.

Too macho, too offensively dark. They overdone the balsamic notes towards the end, so that the most lasting impression left is that of heavy and rather oily, intoxicating excessive use of vetyver-or some cheap, synthetic surrogate.

Altough i would like to disagree with previous reviewers, to me this scent has only a moderate/limited lasting power, while its sweetness is slightly overdone and unilateral. Without being a fan of macho scents, i miss a slight bit more edge and that certain manly something here, this one being rather underdeveloped even by the standards of the mostly ( but not mandatory, not necessarily ) affordable male scents by Avon.

For some odd reson, i guess this one smjells like the late nineties to me. It's amazing how many costly and not at all mass-market woody notes went into this one. The main recipe used here- a cocktail of rich, sensual, exotic woods- seems to have worked perfectly here, creating a virile, energetic, warm, lush creation that doesn't reveal how affordable it is.

Safe, uncomplicated mass-market ozonic-watery in a clean and easygoing style. This one would be much more liked by me if, aside from being mass-market, would not smell like most 16-18 year old male ( and not just male ) teens would smell- to be more precise, if it were less sweet, soft and generic.

I loved Ungaro III from the very first try. It is a very rich and sophisticated fragrance, but not necessarily as dark as other users described it- it certailny has obviously "dark" oriental, spicy, leathery-wooden tones but wisely counterbalanced and completed by citrus and fruity tones- somewhat like Fahrenheit with a lighter, fruitier and warmer finish. But maybe even the lighter notes harmonize perfectly with the slightly "gothic" touch of this scent- rather than suggesting fresh fruit and citrus, they rather resemble the scents a Baroque still life with fruits, autumn leaves and wine might remind of - overripe, almost slighly decaying rich grapes, leaves bearing a slightly wooden and smoky undertone, heayily scented desert wines, expensive Oriental incense... I associate with rich golden-brown, slightly melancholic landsacpes, textures and colours somewhat like in a Rembrandt painting. The bottle matches this sensation perfectly, its touches of old gold, the purple-violet glass and bottle-cap reminding of red marble is in perfect harmony with the content. A very balsamic and warm, sensual and luxurious version of a Mediterranenan-chypre scent.

Alongside Declaration, this one is one of the best masculine scents by Cartier. It is named after Santos Dumont a dandy and aviator who lived at the turn of the 19th to the 20th century and truly smells like conservative elegance. Stylish chypre scent with citrus and green notes. Starts floral and herbal, especially with a touch of lavender including all the chracteristic sweetness and warmth of this note, then it tends to end in a very leathery way, but inspite of the drydown, the citrus( almost lemony, Mediterranean note) is still very powerful, but mixes perfectly with the more potent, woodyand chypre ingredients. Literaly an old-school and old-world scent, luxurious and discreet, designed as if someone had the refined and elaborate pleasures of the Parisian dandy or the high-end resorts of the French Riviera in mind. Being a fan of citrus and chypre scents- as it is easy to notice- i truly was impressed by this one.

Yes, yes, definately yes! Can a scent get better than that? Sensual but understated, elegant but not excessively formal, distingished yet virile, divinely soft yet still robust and full of personality. It's hard to think that this was made in 1934, as it anticipates some masterworks in the style of the 1990's/2000's- and i'm only meaning the exceptional perfume creations of these two decades, setting themselves apart from perfume history, not the inflation of run of the mill products also typical of these decades. It's not only a timeless scent, i guess it came much ahead of it's time. The first impression slightly sweet, overtly floral, with a creamy and vanillic touch, but if this description might be suitable for a feminine scent, well, it's entire the opposite, as the second and more lasting impression, particularly during the drydown it becomes masculine, but with moderation and an immense velvet glove or cover surrounding a rich, energetic, robust and hyper-virile conservative chypre-woody touch. If Caron is the quintessence of French distinction, then Pour un Homme is one of the best examples for that, as it represent everything that French haute-couture, savoir-vivre, dandysm, luxury and indisputable, established reputation of good taste stands for. It comes pretty close to my own perception of the ideal scent, as it has everything that stands for an olfactory masterpice: a history to back it's reputation, a high-class yet not snobbish appeal, a certain niche ( almost shock ) value, since, altough a designer scent, it's a rather uncommon and unpredictable choice, the mixture of elitism and subtle ( not commonplace simplicity ), a fascinating harmony of inoffensive, warm florals and also some old-school ( yet not dated ) undertones, harmoniusly included in a suprisingly avant-garde mixture. I might just have found one of my latest favorites!

It might not have the distinction or the high price-high quality ratio of a leather scent by Creed, Trumper or Knize, but guess it's still good value for money for a postmodern allrounder, with more experimenatl rather than old-school macho leathery style. Suprisngly enough, it's far less synthetic than most mass-market scents and has a discreet opening of edible notes, completed by a spicy drydown, reminding more of sweeet woody notes rather than just the typical leather scent. And it' s in this very drydown, where this scent developes an edgy, partly soapy, partly exotic edge.

While being first appalled during the first try, perceiving it as far too sweet and powdery, up to the point of being repulsive and sickening, the more it interacted with my skin, the more i loved it. Yes, it is sweet, beyond any doubt, but it exhales that refined, moderate, extremely lightful, sparking, blissfull, cutting-edge sweetness, like few other male scents- among whom Roma Uomo, Uomo by Moschino, Escada, Ungaro III, JPG Le Male or Dali's Roy Soleil- were capable to capture. Needless to say, it's beyond any doubt a few degrees more exquisite and high-class than most or all of these scents. <br>Iconic for the notion of winter and/or evening scent- its complex aromatic drydown reminding of the olfactory joys various winter spices can bring. The name stands for British high-end sophistication, reminescent of Keats's literary work about a strangely, innaccessibly beautiful youth. While Blenheim Bouquet stands for the robust, middle-aged, socially, intellectually, personally fulfilled, almost age-and timeless dandy which already has achieved an unquestionable perfection, Endymion is the far younger, more androgynous, effeminate, ever changing and unpredictable dandy. It really smells effeminate like a glam rock superstar, but so stylish and little common, that, while it sparingly reminds of goth or metrosexual elemets, it's so many steps and classes beyond these to youth cultures, that it renders them primitive like parasites compared to an exotic, nearly extinct noble species, or a simple, average Joe-human compared to the Superhuman. It embodies both the British cult for effeminate manhood, dating back to the Elizabethan age, reaching it's peak during romanticism, decadentism and sybolism, and still being carried on by mods, glam-rockers or even today, but also in the showy yet exquisite display of rich and above all costly essences, seasoning, fragrant and edible ingredients dating back to the age when Britain was the flagship of colonial power, importing only the best of the best of the world's riches in order to suit the tastes of a continously eccentric and pleasure-seeking upper class. So, daring in its off-beat, revolutionary ( or rather evolutionare towards the supreme flagship and superhuman of the fragrance world) avant-garde but, for at least two reasons, deeply rooted in British tradition. Tradition and modernity at their best, perfectly combined: tradition opened to modern elements, modernity dwelling on the most worthy traditional values. <br>Endymion is a combination of all contrasts: carnal and provocative like a permanently aroused pubescent, yet more distant than an unnatainable star or diva, elusive and restrained not due to shyness but to a cunning and manipulative way, delicate but domieering and undoutedly superior and impossible to grasp or predict, yet never bossy or arrogant, it exhales the cold, dim yet hauting light of diamonds, demons, stars and the wintertime sun- it sparkles in a cold, distant, yet truogh it's mystery, also challenging, provocative way( the unique, cool but glittering spark of genius and immortality). A youth more mysterious than a Romantic poet, more cruel than Cesare Borgia, more outlandish than Ziggy Stardust, more seductive than Valmont or Sade, more ambitious than Julien Sorel and, above all this, more abstract and idealized than the most non-figurative religion, work of art or philosophical concept. After disscussing the - apperantly redundant, but extremely versatile and relevant- cultural, aesthetic, immaterial subtexts, i feel that the actual fragrance notes only confirm these statements. Uncommon, never too cheap or offensive sweetness, powdery drydown that never smells musty, dirty dusty, stuffy or cluttered. Refined spicy warmth, tough a moderate, armotaic touch of rare essences, exhaling that cold, wintery sparkle of demonic beauty and brilliant intellect mentioned above. These aromatic notes have a subtle, almost ozonic, oothing drydown, reminding of vanilla and other traditional winter spices, also slight touch of wood, but also a moderately bitter and dry edible note- coffee and cocoa combined, yet nothing nearto many mass market scents capitalizing on edible notes: here i never actually smelled a faithfull, 100% percent imitation of coffee, cocoa or vanilla deserts, i just guessed a very discreet hint of raw, unprocessed essence of the most expensive, precious, luxurious vanilla, cocoa or coffee. Also, a certain touch, yet only marginally edible-style of toffee, combined or increased by musky tones, and, as uncommon it might seem ( for this is a usually overtly masculine, sometimes rugged and potent ingredient), touches of leather, but, from the leathery note, only a mild, mellow, full-bodied sweetness and an effusive, but never too strong or heavy, just distant, unnatainable sensation of warmth being kept. The spicy notes also include woody and almost incense-like notes of pepper and other winter spices, which, however, are never too pungent or excessively aromatic, as their are combined into a softer, more balanced background correcting, neutralizing every excessive or overspiced note- it all seems to melt down into a bath of aloe vera, Neroli or lavender, adding a certain aquatic softness to the otherwise to harsh display of too spicy notes- indeed some cooling, watery, airy and almost neutral base. <br>Basically, this scent is also a more modern, more daring, yet never watered down-version( unlike many "eau" or "acqua" versions of established scents, chiefly extremely watered down and synthetic parodies, distorsions of exquisite classics) of Hammam Bouquet or Opus 1870- while it's never a cheap copy of these two, not even a lighter, more casual re-enactement. The similarities don't go further that all the three scents include, in different combinations and differently concentrated sveral sweet, leathery and aromatic notes, but , in my opinion, in Endymion they are at their best and show fragrance notes beyond the most daring, but also beyond the most elitist achievements of perfume-making.

If i was puzzled and neutral about Jazz, Live Jazz, altough it gets the same rating from me, seems to attract and to impress me more. There is much less of this way to simple woodyness found in Jazz, completed with a sweetness that just fails to be out of place. It is a rich, complex and quite less ordinary scent and while i'm not one of his most avid fans, i certainly respect and somehow, for some odd reson, even admire it, however not knowing if i would also wear it.

Unique and creative.. a thing of beauty wrapped in an outer shell which is almost unsavoury and harsh. And yet...after the initial blast of dark, almost rude and intrusive notes, the very incarnation of distinction unfolds on my skin. Something reminding of the grand old Drakkar Noir plus an extra Versace L'Homme botanical touch, the formal and somewhat authoritarian manhood of Aramis and Givenchy Gentleman too, while Smalto is a darker, but also more suave, elaborate and smooth cousin of these two.
It's clearly a scent i would wear in winter or during formal occasions, maybe in cold weather, anyway it gives me the sensation of a glamorous party while it's snowing outside, of impressionistic landscpae, of a certain herbaceous residual leathery note, mingled with hints of tobacco and moss.

A high quality fragrance and not as commercial and uninspiring as mosr\t CK scents, unfortunately way too heavy and slightly campy and dated. It's apity that the very scent who gets so much credit leaves one - without fulfilling its promise - waiting for more. The night version is much more smooth, complex and wearable. This one however, while not being bad, reeks of a dirty and slightly kinky alpha male. A powerfull and beyond any doubt walthy and successfull man who's refinement did not increase gradually with his rise. It smells of potency, yes, maybe a campy tastye for poweer and luxury, but it has also a backward dad-like element in it, something of an authoritarian family father with a darker and more closeted side. Nevertheless, i resent more the outcome rather tahn the combination as, just like i mentioned before, i can detect not few high quality ingredients, however crushed under a tasteless conglomerate of blunt brutishness.

When i first tested this i expected a cheap, unstylish mass market smell. I also expected something casual, sporty, soapy, maybe also sweet and unmanly, a teenage boy rather than a men's cologne. Well, u was wrong on both occasions. This one sells as if it's cvreator had two different, totally different scents in mind mingled into one. The first scent, also the first impression is taht of an 80's male scent, complete with luxury, the finesse yet also streght of chypre and lots of macho attitude. The second one is, just like the drydown more 90's or 2000's, more gourmand, fruity yet not too boyish or cold-heartedly post-modern.Oddly, these two entirely different concepts seem to dwell organically into each other, to melt into each other yet without ever rejecting each other. The only minor flaw is the unwilling misnomer - this is one of the scents that don't seem to be made by Everlast, as it reminds too much of a designer fragrance, to be more precise, of a well-made, classy one.

This i can truly call Fahreheit with a human face - a very deifferent scent compared to the initial Fahrenheit. Mostly, updated or lighter or summery versions of a clasic scent - the exceptions onkly confirm the rule- tend to be such a far cry from the original so that one of the few initial notes left are being brutalized and watered down in the worst way. But not in the case of this one. Tough it has a certain Hugo&Ck element of genericness in it, i'd rate it's genericness with style and balance, if it ever exists. All in all the composition is unpredictable and daring, with a note of playfull sensuality. A watermelon note is here provocative and delightfull, unlike the vile use of this note in AdG and Royal Water. Also, it stands out trough a solar, uncommonly beautiful combination of something that suggests both white flowers ( well, at least this is what i can detect ) and a certain clean laundry sort of freshness. And even if a masculine scent is apperantly the last place where to find such fragrance notes, yes it is masculine in a vibrant and constantly surprsing manner.

One of the truly fascinating scents but with a major problem - not masculine enough. Otherwise it would have gotten the perfect 10 from me. Anyway, the combination is smashing, altough the supreme icon of poweriness, it has a certain spicy appeal and a true vocation for being creative and untypical, hard to picture on any kind of wearer. It is one of the scents that start out brilliantly, but leave you nowhere. Anyway, it does however stand out clearly from the current scent market and it's also not necessarily typical burberry's.

Multilayered wood, puzzling wood, neutral wood... and some equally strange, tough not bad, cheap or unpleasant, spices. A cold and intellectually rather than emotionally structured scent. Oddly, i could never define the cathegory of this scent's typical wearer, and even more unlikely, to define it positevely or negatively. Bone dry and ice cold woods. Many puzzling detail that lead to absolutely no conclusion but a neutral impression, at least in my opinion.

I like this one more than Boucheron pour Homme, the latter being recommended to me if like classic chypre scents in the style of Eau Sauvage, Chanel pour Monsieur, Aramis or YSL pour Homme - whom i all love. Tough Boucheron pour Homme is a high quality scent, it impressed me less than the four basics listed above, as in my opiion does not really compete with their refinement as has something flat and too heavy in the drydown. Things were totally different with Jaipur homme. Strangely, i had less higher expectations from this one than with Boucheron pour Homme, but ended up loving it. It is one of the most unusual and almost niche-targeted Orientals still to be purchased today ( tough Boucheron is not a niche fragrance house ). It is artistic, evades any genericness and suitable for any kind of uncommon target with a more artstic side. Smells like Opium por Homme, with a touch of Gourmand Orientals, Santos and Must by Cartier and Zino Davidoff, but with a plus of that special extra something and an even greater amount of lush spicyness, maybe even at a higher degree than these already extremely powerfull and overindulgent scents. Still, inspite of its lasting power, it never plunges into vulgarity or loud, in your face, notes that even if used moderately seem to overapply. While it makes no secret of its warmth, opulence and seductive aura, it retains a smoothness and discretion of rare proportions.

Not as vile as it is usually percived as, but nothing special either. I'm just puzzled ho wso many classic and exquisite ingredients can amount to a result that is barely above average.
Now don't dislike this scent by any means, but i'm not impressed either. It has a certain gourmand twist combined with extremely havy and intoxicating Oriental notes. One might first say: " Wow, this must have been daring ( or not ) for 1994 " and move on to something else. As for me, while i respect all the fans this scent could possibly have, i'm sure i wouldn't wear this, as i need more subtelty and originality in a masculine fragrance.

Refined fruity-floral with some chypre touches. Inspite of its affordable price, i love to feel it on my female friends. Oddly, i don't percieve it as much as i girly scent, in fact, inspite of some sweet notes, it also has a more sober and mature side, with rich and extravagant powderiness with an almost masculine twist: reminding of the masculine scents of a floral and spicy nature, which are anything but girly yet have a soft and discreetly sensual side.

I never tought i'd change my rating towards Pur Monsieur, but reapplying it over and over again, giving it new chances to interact with my body chemistry i came to the conclusion this is one of the most distinguished and discreet masculine scents one can still buy today. I would compare it to Aramis, but with a few plus points- it is lighter , but in a good, not vapid way, subtler, less musty and stuffy and more complex than the latter; anyway both scents have a lot in common, they both stand for timless, yet not dated, old-school elegance, they both stand for that kind of refined yet firm masculinity seldomly to be found today, they both seem more formal rather than casual ( but both of them with a tender, twist ), they both have a tasteless and - paradoxically- sophisticated simplicity. I'd just gravitate more towards Pour Monsieur, as it has that certain extra. There are good scents, some of them also deserving thumbs up, and there are sheer masterpieces, standing for a trancendental beauty that is almost impossible to sum up verbally. While aware of this scent's value, i was still hestitating in which of these two groups it would fit best. My problem and my neutral rating came mostly from factors like excessively floral opening, to sweet citrus ( while this very ingredient could be more pungent and fresh ) and perhaps the most unplesant- the too dusty drydown, however my innaccurate perceptions should not influence, especially because after giving it a second, a third try, i realized how innacurate it was. Two choices- i might have smelled these notes as a simple olfactory illusion that rendered me to distort things and to become paranoid about ingredients which are not there, or , while these notes i hated were truly present, the combination did compensate totally, taken isolated they might be unplesant, but the mix exceeds in much more brilliant and captivating ways these displeasures. In other words, i might disagree with some of the components, but as soon as i percieve it as a whole, it's flawless and without any unbalanced edges.
I think this one smells like pure luxury without being showy or offensive, ever. The opening, in which i identify a faint touch of florals has the quality of not being either gothic floral, as in Ungaro III, nor fleshy, carnal, impudent as in 1881 Amber- two scents that i love and own, yet have this tiny minus point compared to Pour Monsieur, at least for the ones who are not fans of these particular kind of florals. As for the drydown i only identified a touch of dusty and musty roses first, reminescent of Ungaro II. I was wrong again after i got to know it better, while the similarities, but rather marginal, with Ungaro II remain, it is neither stuffy nor offensive is i smelled at frst. Besides, it's way more complex than dusty florals, which, oddly, i can barely smell now, but have been replaced in my olfactory perception as a wide range of perfectly matched chypre notes. If Blenheim Bouquet is aqn exhilariation of pine, this one must be THE exaltation of the finest and least offensive, at the same time most multilayered herbal and woody touches, especially during the drydown. While being elegant and meaninfulyy opulent, yes gentleman, this scent works with opposite sex, but it's not just the strictly physical attraction, probably induced by some timid beginning of edible notes ( but way less edible, sweet and androgynous as today's horrind metrosexual girly boy stenches ) combined with a grassy, energtic, fully masculine yet never brutish, still very decent subtext. I would rate that, while the ladies would first think of bedding and devouring its wearer, they would later also percieve an intellectual and deeper affinity with its lucky waerer, which would not erase, but only magnify and compensate more the initial attraction. That dfoes however not imply that this scent is overtly sexual, animalic, not even that much of a playboy scent- still i guess it is very likely to seduce because all its quality are implicit and never need to show off, therefore suitable for the man that is so self-assured that he can display his charm discreetly and marginally and it still goes without saying that he is the undisputed, yet never too obvious leader both in social and in personal life. It's actually a basic scent and
while it can spark passions, it makes and overall good, serious and decent impression of maturity and style whatever the occasions to wear it might be - either on a business meeting or the most formal and glasmorous ball among the richest of the super-rich or the most conservative of the last aristocrats, the wearer can never go wrong, as it priojects solid, ultra manly yet ultra gentlemanly values, a true self awareness and self-esteem doubled by gracious yet never false, prudish or submissive modesty, an access to the highest spheres in life yet appering ass the most natural thing in the world, designed for perfection yet never intimidating trough it. Speaking of perfection, this scent has a minor flaw that makes it stop just millimeters short of achieving it, the moderate lasting power, as it survives at most 2-3 hours on my skin, but then again this is not necessarily the scent's fault ( body chemistry and so on )- wihtout this, Pour Monsieur would get from me the perfect Ten, or rather the perfect Eleven plus.

One of the most puzzling olfactory presents i ever got: smells at the same time nice and vile, therefore the definition of the neutal scent. Like an improved andf more nightlife oriented version of the poor lasting power synthteic Pro Sport. It has a certain edible note and if it were not for the cheap character of this very note, it would certainly smell more credible and refined. Clearly youthful, but not only fresh, i'd rather say it has a certain note of dark exoticism, but strangely crafted in a generic teenybopper way. It makes me feel younger than my real age and i guess this is truly the best for those hitting puberty without much knowledge of scent ( either i'm well over that or never was like that in the first place ). Actually, it starts off very spicy and almost virile in a stylish way, but devolves and sinks into a hopeless, unilateral accord of showergel, cocoa beans and caramelized sugar, only sweeter and more synthetic, more flat and boring than these indgredients could ever smell. Younger buyers would congratulate me for owning this, telling me that girls will truly like to eat me up like a candy or take over me violently- but never be fooled: the lasting power is so low that it is barely smelled by its wearer after only few minutes, not to mention anyone else so the girl will not even have the opportunity to know him and even less to seduce him.
The other great cathegory of fragrance fans, the conservative wearers of niche, boutique and independent, the faithful customers of Creed, Lutens and AdP ( to whom i feel closer than to the first ), will most lkely advice me the opposite, to avoid this one swiftly and mercilessly: tough even they might suprisingly have a very short and intense revelation ( but no lasting relationship ) with this one, as completely new and uncommen experience, as deliberate cross-dreessing and unaccessorizing, as memory from a different and never truly lived life of preteen and teen trendiness.
Basically, it's just like the many
" black ", " dark" or " night " versions of most 15-20 year old wearer's scents but without the quality, lasting power and more expensive ingredients some of this fairly good fragrance houses ( Boss, Paco Rabanne, CK, Emporio Armani and so on ... ) are using. But it also has the potential to create a cult following as it is not entirely vile and badly crafted, as it also has some plesant sides.

Generic? Indeed, beyond any doubt. I guess this scent revolves exclusively around the famous " Boss sweetness " which can range from atrocious to pure genius from scent to scent. This one seemed to have landed right in the middle, yet slightly less effeminate and mainstream like the other mass produced Boss scents appearing almost every second and which are spposed to be masculine. While suitable for teenagers, i would associate this scent with 20 something, at most 30 something young executives, officials or members of the vast suburban middle class, maybe as their office wear, but i think it's a little to casual for that, but most likely in their spare time or during their night out downtown, clubbing.

Even tough i usually cannot stand CK fragrances with the exception of the superb all-time classic Eternity for men, being more a fan of much more classical, basic or dandystic scents, there is something about Obsession Night that fascinates me. It has style, smoothness and a certain combination between mainstream appeal and sophistication- something highly unlikely like someone trying to be original and still fitting into contemporary fashion trends. Besides the notes listed before i seem to sense even a slight note of blue cedar in this one, quite similar to Eau de cedre bleu by Yves Rocher, which is more afforbadle than this, but shares the same unusual and exquisite woody note. Of course, the suede element is also plesant as there are watery notes, the latter exhaling a crisp and mellow smell which suits almost any age group and even both genders of wearers. Besides Eau de cedre bleu, i'd compare this one to Joop Nightflight, even the more precious Endymion or some aquatic Boss scents, in particular Elements Aqua, for reasons which i feel very intensely yet cannot express very logically and properly a this moment, as the memory and the associations of scents are often very nondescript.

Very different from the classic must, tough launched during the same year. I would rather compare it to Santos, say, its less elaborate, more down-to-earth, less aristocratic, more raw and extroverted relative. The first impression is herbal yet not grassy or green- herbal in a medical sense of the word, somwhere in between thereapeutic tea, cough syrup and cooling mint-scented ointment. For the ones who find this note unimressive and offputting, once this rather hard and blunt outer core is gone, a woody-aromtaic note near to perfection is awaiting, reserved yet firm under layers which would, at first, leave one to suspect very little of this fragrance's potential. Tough not as refined as in Bois de Portugal, Z-14, Rocabar or , again, Santos, the woody note in here is harmonious and adding that certain something just when the scent was about to turn generic. Luckily, this never happens, as this aromatic accord is a more human and enjoyable take on e.g. Amen's vile sandalwood-incence stick flavoured metrosexual syrup or a few gourmand Orientals like Le Male who seem not to make up their mind between being a girly boy clubbing scent or a decadently French-made niche Oriental quivering with bare and costly essence of prohibitive rarity. Must Esssence seems to have both outdone these fragrances and solved their dilemma: while a slight note of partly edible partly androgynous experimentation is present in the drydown, it is so discreet and so much appesed and even dettered by more aristocratic and conservative ingredients ( tough equally gourmand , but in a very different, more old-style slow-food, expensive cigars and grand cru wines' style ) they are hardly worth mentioning. What remains is the opulent woody drydown plesant in almost all Cartier masculine scents, however less Oriental than in Pasha, less mysteriously goth-dandy of untypical and highly refined extravagance, also less powdery and winter spices scented than Declaration.

Not as vile as the ultra-vile Hugo, but nothing spectacular either. And another thing i don't get : why on earth is mr. Jonathan Rhys-Meyers this secnt's official image, as the decadently stylish actor would be hard to imagine wearing such a scent, when he's in fact made for classics of dandyfied British masterpices by Creed or Penhaligon. Mismatched image, completely synthtetic and post-postmodern.

Heavy and uber-masculine in a classic, safe yet somehow uninspiring way. Far from being generic, vile, cheap-smelling or low quality, while it gives me the impression of undoubtable quality and costly ingredients, the citrus formula- tough i'm the most ardent fan of citrus scents- is rather plain and harsh in this case. For really outstanding citrus there is, in my opinion: Eau Sauvage, Armani PH, Grey Flannel, even Pour Monsieur, for the ones who like a more powdery twist, YSL pour homme, Acqua di Parma and a few Penhaligon scents- to name only the best known ( and, most likely, best loved). This one has a rather harsh, slightly sharp and too in-your-face herbal note as well as a too smoky, overly virile, blunt and stuffy drydown, bnut without these two minus points it would be one of the most refined chypres around and possibly the perfect masculine fragrance.

Not bad, not bad at all- tough a bit too sweet for my personal taste, it is a good quality and less conventional youth-oriented casual scent. Partly, i find it better than most Bosses, Emporios and Davidoffs for the same target, age group and dress code, tough financially speaking for much less. More, unlike many of these scents, it has an extra touch of
non-synthetic aromatics with a more manly, artistic and exotic touch. Somewhere in between the low- cost
( but often high-quality) Orientals by the Body Shop, chiefly Javari and all these iconic french Gourmand Orientals by Thierry mugler, Guerlain, YSL, Cartier, JPG that continuosly fascinate experienced and high standard perfume lovers. Inspite of the name, the commercial, the affordable price, it is only marginally triggered at energetic, easygoing, low-maintenance and horny young people, as it has a more outlandish, bohemian, dandyfied, conoisseur and mysterious twist. Not my favourite, but pretty close to being so.

This scent has not aged a bit- so different from today's genderless wuss-waters. Compared to Pour Monsieur, i even like it more than the also outstanding Chanel creation, i percieve this one simpler, a bit more crisp and zesty, but also belongiong into the same league: understated gentlemanly distinction at its best. It also has that soapy sensation later to be found in Rive Gauche, but unlike in the latter YSL scent the citrus note is more puristic, bettwer defined and less mellow, plus something of the Rive Gauche creamy, cool and slightly smoky drydown is also present. The difference to Rive Gauche is, while it retains the " fine shaving cream " -note, this one is more focused on citrus in more upfront embodiement, rather than the properties of a grooming product, the ones of this appearantly unspectacular ingredients are perecetible in an infinite number of variations and associations
( citrus can be fresh, juicy, relaxing, antiseptic, even sometimes provocative, both youthful and mature, both spontaneous and refined...). And just like other reviewers correctly noticed, it really has very little 70's style in it, as in my opinion it could easily pass for a ( multi-) secular citrus creation of traditional status as good as for a 80's scent, howvever not the hyper-macho scents, but the sober, puristic and straightforward achievements of that age.

This was in the grim, prerevolutionary Romania and all troughout the 90's a scent which embodied western lifestyle and at the same time the most generic aftershave, yet in a good way. However, i can't understand today's fashion to detract it in the very same country as worst scent ever- in fact, i guess i can understand this reaction as an opposition of sons and nephews
( not yet grandsons, but it will come soon) against a scent which, inspite of existing only from 1988 onwards seems to have a long history dating from the forefathers, being already an elderly statemesman / grand old dad fragrance. While i can fully understand the radical for or against reaction, most of its detractors must bear in mind on tiny thing: most of them condemn it even without smellling it, or only because it is conservative ( which does not equal necessarily dated, unfashionable or plain) or because, one of the most important bias, snobbery is sadly a well established norm these days, because it is extremely low cost. Still, it fails to smelll cheap and to a fan of classics and basics than me, it is a fr better buy then the tens of times ore costly Hugos and Waters and Acquas of no individuality. Besides the fact that it spoils my skin with clean-cut citrus and makes me literally smell like fresh out of the best barbershop in the world , like good quality shaving cream ( sensation whch is also present, both to me and others, due to the more exclusive Rive Gauche) and that comfortable feeling of staring the day revitalized and uplifted, bear also in mind that the aftershave from hattrick classic is one of the few which makes my quite sensitive and highly irritable skin not to loook like a bloodbank or a battlefield after shaving, which says a lot about this product's real value. Apart from that, it might not be the dermatological qualities that should be discussed here and believe me, i don't confuse the plesant aftershave sensation and their important part in my life with a good fragrance. Irrespective of that, Hattrick is a good fragrance and for an almost invisible amount of bucks/ euros..., a true investement. while the west was still giving the world one of the last true macho, yuppiefied and dandified powerhouse 80's masterworks, most based on the well-known citrus-chypre-leather recipe, this one follows in the footssteps of this formula, partly rubbing of, partly being taken to an anterior and more subtle interpretation- the serene yet mature and overtly masculine beauty of timeless partly cologne-type, partly herbal -aromatic, lighter yet equally virile and structured citrus, which shines at equally...understated yet formal and recognizable intensity in both quarter-of-millenium-old basics
and in some delightfully anochronistic present day creations which oppose to fading trends the certainty of a never misplaced or obsoloete vintage-style formula. How can i describe the scent? Besides the citrus, which altough very present and of great antseptic/ astringent quality does not truly stand out in your face but reminds of its presence discreet yet difficult not to notice, the drydown is a mellow yet rich and spicy note.
In my humble opinion it smells like
no-noonsense and exquisite manhood with both tender and extrovertedly energetic ( yet not coarse or tyrannic, blunt or banal) shades. It
was probably a good thing that the most affordable European aftershave ever got such exposure in my country, bacause ven if it's image value and esteem are quite low these days, it still was for many consumers who eiter lacked the cash or, worse, had the cash but never the taste or tradition in this sense, a good staring point of how a male fragrance shouls smell like, especially as a starter scent which was not so different from many designer or even boutique citrus classics. And tough i never belonged to the cathegory mentioned before, even in my mind hattrick classic was always percieved like to most simple and available definition of if not the ideal, han at least the " never-can-go-wrong" inoffensive, never obvious fragrance suitable for almost any occasion.

Retested this again and, while i will not change my rating, i must say that i found much more notes during my second try than just clean citrus and Mediterranean freshness. Now i also discover the warmth of Roma Uomo, Minotaure and Carlo Colucci and possibly even 1881 Amber. It has a serious touch of ambery sensuality and adds a distinguished, not overreacted note of discreet yet charm. So, fresh opening, still lighter than the obviously leathery Fendi, yet also the powerdy touch i tended to overlook once, but at second glance and sniff i discovered as a balanced and logical conclusion to its initial freshness.

Other reviewers compared it to most Boss and Calvin Klein scents i think they were right. It has the same generic quality like most perfume by these houses. It starts of fruity and floral and ends quite powdery and tough i am by no means a fan of macho scents, rasther their outspoken critic, this one seems to go way too far in the opposite direction.
However, being so andrgynous, i can understand why women love it- don't know how many women like to smell this on a man, but i've known quite a few who used it for themselves. It's actually fresh, but just as fresh as a usual showergel or affordable deodorant, which is not necessarily bad, but nothing extraordinary either.

One of the warmest and most sensual male fregrances known by me. And tough most Chanel fragraces, irrespective if female, male or unisex are timeless, this one is capable, while staying true to that famous atemporal " Chanel note" to also be truthful and not dissimilar to its launch year: 1999.
I mean, it has all this year stands for- the late nineties taste for a shift from hypermacho 80's and even eraly nineties to either more girly or simply more complex and avantgarde male scents ( this one is rather second cathegory), the cult for edible notes, gourmand scents and sweetness ( luckily in this one only with moderation), the interest for darker, night-time, slightly goth inspired scents. I discovered it all in Allure Homme- a faint, discreet sweet drydown and, call me mad, a slight memory of fellow 1999 Hugo Dark Blue, cause tough in Allure these ingredients go trough a more costly, haute couture, less casual, more formal interpretation, they both havge the same beeswax/honey on one hand, but also nightlife, slightly, but only remotely dark association, also with some ozonic touch. Interesting enough and quite trendy, but, just like other Basenotes users, i prefer- tough i'm definately not against this one- Antaeus instead.

Oranges, a taste ( or more accurately, a smell) of orange peel and some mandarin. I think this fragrance is all about Sicilian oranges- their olfactory intesity stronger than the one of regular oranges, the intensely red pulp and juice, their zesty, pungent and marginally powdery flavour. However, as it happens with many scents with edible notes, i would much more appreciate the Sicilian orange note in food and drinks rather than in a fragrance. This note is still very natural and quite raw, being at the same time the strenght and weakness of this scent: quite raw, even primitive, tough natural orange and mandarin notes are found even in aromatherapy oils or scented candles without being more artificial or less intense than in this costly perfume, there, the unilateral, simple character of this note is not an impediment as it is merely designed to relax and smell decent. However, this very same orange note is also a strenght: it leaves no dioubt about the use of good quality ingredients and natural essences. The fans of truly elaborate, conservative and smooth citrus will be much better served by the original Colonia from 1916. The fans of orange will find a probably equally natural orange note in Eau d'Orange Verte and even the mass-market Jaguar for man, the latter adding to the pungent orange note even an aromatic background of sweet and
spiced woods and moss.

To be used not only with moderation but also after seriously considering if this composition is truly what the wearer is looking for. Therefore i understand why so many people either love or hate this one- both attitudes are quite logical to me. After i tried it first, it smelled literally expensive, that kind of artisanal niche scent which seems to cry out loud : " i am not only costlier but also better than mainstream designer scents". Indeed, it does stand out from the mainstream, yet expresses also a somewhat strained situation how to combine Acqua di Parma's elitist appeal with ways to attract young consumers, who search daily digitally, interactively and virtually the newest, hyper-experimental, post-structural and post-postmodern synthetic lab scent?
Because this one smells clearly 2006 and has a faint memory of all mainstream ( and even mass market) fashion, fragrance trends of that year. What struck me first about this scent was, easy to guess, the sweetness and fruityness, however not as pronounced as in Mandorlo di Sicilia, but not that good to be seen by me as one of the notable ( and wearable ) exceptions that make fruity and sweet scents transcend beyond the quite profit-oriented limitations of this type of fragrance and smell that unique, distinguished, long-lasting or simply challenging almost up to the point of puzzling that none of their youthfulness, fruityness, commonplace appeal or avant-garde are an impediment. However this is not Fico di Amalfi's case, and either i can't value the certain warm, dry sweetness of fig or i have not just found the scent to make me reconsider the potential and achievements of this note. Still, this scent is legitimate and quite easygoing and inoffensive, without being, at least, as bad as Mandorlo ( a point where i totally agree with other reviewers dislike).

Distinguished, gentlemanly scent of great discretion. Classic and understated without being extravagant.
Crisp and clean herbal opening, mossy chypre formula as lasting impression.
Just like Theorema uomo, inspite of various structural differences, the sheer expression of both invigorating yet classy Mediterranean freshness.

Inocorrectly listed as a female scent, i looked up the company's website and several perfume shops and the unanimous opinion was that this scent is masculine. Reportedly created for Napoleon, i actually rediscovered this in a German perfume store, however i first tried it in a quite uncommon way: during highschool i read an article in National Geographic about perfumes designed for famous historical figures ( among whom Napoleon) was acccompanied by slightly perfumed pages and one of the featured perfume was this. Both in the article and in the perfume stores, much later, left me under the very same impression-smooth yet martial and sober, Mediterranean( what else?), with a very discreet citrus and fruit opening and a dignified and robust aromatic drydown. One major question remains- which was, undisputedly and beyond legend and controversy Napoleon's signature scent? His relationship to
4711 is said to be a historically inaccurate hoax, with Farina Gegenuber's eau de cologne the case is different from 4711 and even a few Creeds, tough only recently launched yet supposed to have existed in Napoleon's time but reorchestrated after a long period of oblivion, like Millesime Imperiale or Bois de Portugal which ancient and "napoleonic" formulas.
Irrespective of the historical context i consider this scent a well- guarded,
exclusive secret tip for the seekers of individuality.

Altough the rose note is slightly overdione, the mix is stylish and discreet. Smells not necessarily like a female version, but a more smooth, less synthetic and more filigrane version of the ( rightfully) hated Joop Homme. The both have the same " pink" feeling, the same gourmand caramel touch, but while Joop Homme degrades and dcays into notes of suger, burned incese and even burned paper, some even worse version of Kouros plus some synthetic illusion of plastic, Le Bain has a comforting moderately soapy, refined creamy note creating the sensation of familiar yet distinguished suede association and even high quality, slightly yet costly aromatic relaxing oils used by and and associated with high-end apothecary, batrbershops or bath-houses ( latter thing suggested even by the name).
I guess it makes way from another stylish creation yet to come ages after this one from Joop: the exquisite female Roccoco. And tough the latter is even more subtle, complex and much more groundbreaking, they both have several features in common: a frail, lightful, vibrant uplifting yet discreet quality.

What first appealed to me was the low cost, as i never expected to find a designer scent so affordable- but the value was at least inferior to the cost. I mean, i got the very same day, slightly more expensive, but in a far superior cathegory, Worth pour Homme, which, considering that it was reworked and cheapened ( not as price, but as quality) is still ages above this one. On one hand there are factors that attract me directly to enjoy and value a masculine scent- manhood, yet not too macho and with quietly confident discretion, elegance, puristic timelessness, lasting power, the capacity of being evocative and versatile and then there is Curve- quite the opposite of what i advocated before. While belonging to the " not bad" cathegory, it is still not good enough to be truly good. Abedazzling, even bewildering mix of various notes heading nowhere, maybe batter if taken and used apart.
In my opinion, too fruity and, i'm not the only one to notice, substandard lasting power. Drydown is, in my opinion, more feminine and/or unisex and while the first impression might still be promising, even if confusing, the drydown states clearly this scent's rather limited potential.

Way too casual and too mass-market as to please even the average perfume user.
Underdeveloped, unilateral aquatic, adding nothing to a market section already crowded and cluttered. Very usual teenage- argeted scent, tough teens can do themselves a treat and smell much better for much less. Maybe my dissapointement partly comes from the fact that i once went to an upscale perfume shop and asked the vendor for something truly unique, capable to change one's image instantly. In return, i got to test this, but obviously the salesperson's taste and mine did not match, as i always percieved this, as other users have already correctly noticed, as far too sweet.

Memories of 1999 in a redundantly casual, misplaced youthful way. Clearly belongs to the " scents that should have never been made" category.
Drakkar Noir is stylish, mysterious and long-lasting, tough heavy for some wearers, a more discreet version of it being probably welcomed ( however not overdone light and/ or casual). Well, this is the very mistake of this, it has so little of the original Drakkar left and becomes an utmost fruity scent like the most generic Boss or Davidoff. It has that sickening sweetness in between Hugo and Good Life- to stick both to the aforementioned fragrance houses and to a quite contemporary chronological context. And like in this two scents overdone vanillic and beeswax touches, even if this potential can be well-placed in other scents ( and even sweetness, with creativity and moderation for that matter) plus some synthetic fruity notes, again reminescent of that entire Boss youth culture and the most hideous fashion trends of the nineties. Sports and clubbing in the tasteless way, unispiringly ready for an undesrved success( it was, oddly, quite popular around its release date). Ah, the memories of the mass-market fragrance, irreswpective of price because afrfordable scents can be much more distinguished and longer lasting than expected or, the opposite phenomenon, designer scents can smell way too common.

Simil;ar to most Creed scents- i don't know why exactly i am constantly followed by this association, but it happens everytime i come across Duc de Vervins. Besides Drakkar Noir, it's also another Guy Laroche scenjt to whom i find this similar: the largely overlooked and today almost forgotten Horizon. Alongside with this wastly underrated scent, Duc de Vervins has the same smooth green opening, but not that agressive, repulsive herbal e.g in the style of Eau de Campagne, but the most elusive finely crafted aromatic note with a berly perceptible but still omnipresent backing of discreet chypre and refined, persistent and precious woody notes. So maybe a crossover between Horizon's elaborate "green" style and Drakkar's rich and almost spritualized tobacco, plus quite a few masculine Creeds.
Oddly, not neccessarily a minus point, more of a puzzling and bewildering detail, which i don't want or have to see as a minus point- the bottle and especially the monogram on it remind me rather of of a jet-set new money, even Texas-style millionare than an old-money aristocrat due to a strange mixture of showy megalomania and minimalism of the two letters. This, however did not affect the rating i attributed to this scent.

Cross-section of many affordable, moderately lasting and unsurprising scents, that still would be good everyday allrounders-that is for the ones without much concern for fragrance and/ or not a big budget for it either, that still want to smell a few degrees better than the cheapest mass-market aftershave and still not stand out- " classics" of this mainstream genere being among others, Transat by Yves Rocher or Glacier by Oriflame. Smells light, clean, casual and that's all, some might even find the medically intepreted( medicine- smelling, that is) ozonic- watery quality annoying. For the ones who need to stand out or wear something more lasting or just favour the classic, puristic elegance should probably skip this woithout having to go necessarily to the haute-couture, designer or even artisanal or niche fragrance as equally inexpensive original Old Spice is, at least me, ages more masculine, conservative, stylish and longer lasting.

Long lasting power, great presence, discreet floral notes- that is, before the Oriental burst in the end, still something missing... I think Antaeus has that certain extra, more originality, more complexity, a more mysteriously extravagant note, but egoiste, for the fans of Chanel and the classic style, is surely a good and no-nosense investement, tough not universally and daily wearable, having that sort of french-made panache more fitting the opulent and highly elaborate salon rather than casual outdoor sporty or recreative activites.

The name sound extremely promising, but the outcome is, in my opinion, only a moderate success. A certain herbal quality with medical minty notes, followed by a gourmand, even slightly liquorice-smelling spicyness. Smells, in my opinion, as a more casual, more odern and youthfully reworked version of a Mediterranean scent( Teorema Uomo?, 1881?...) made to appeal to a more mainstream and less mature and conservative target.

Rich, stylish and long lasting. Smells like a fresh Oriental, like a very traditional formula reworked in order to be less cluttered and lighter. The opening is marine, yet not a synthetic watery, the drydown has an ambery, almost leathery warmth, reminescent of Tuscany or Sienna plus the advantageous cost factor- being both moderately priced and long lasting, theregfore twice a bargain.

One of the smoothtest, unfamiliar and rich ( yet also discreet) florals i ever knew. Unfortunately discontinued, it would have still been capable to serve the distinguished, fashion- conscious female population in a way that would have left the male population breathless with admiration.

Almost too good to be a designer scent and not a niche, boutique, artisanal and limited edition fragrance - all in one.Alongside very few masterpieces, one of the fragrances that, even if all the other fragrances were wiped out, it would the truthful and credible image of how an odeal masculine fragrace should be and smell. The opening is clean- cut, enjoyable and lightful, it still does nnot compare itsself to the depths and richly fulfilling sensations yet to come. It's a slight lemon sherbet known i know from Versace Blue Jeans, however less casual and sweet, oddly one of the few cases where the almost edible hints of citrus, more prcisely citrus tea,, sweeets, or even syrup is not plain, blunt, unimaginnatibve or repulsive, but bears a certain solar playfullness even with a hint of ( tough not listed among the ingredients) invigorating neroli essence. To sum it up- that rare, almost unlekely turning point when citrus scented sweets are not artificial or ill-smelling, but lush and making the most of the balanced and pungent acidity of this note. The mixture between citrus and a chypre, spicy and woody drydown is nothing new and if placed close to Chanel pour monsieur, Givenchy Gentleman, Armani PH, Hugh Parsons yellow edition,
Roberto Capucci, Eau Sauvage and even a few Creeds, the resemblance would be quite obvious- a fine, carefully used citrus notes, creating the perfect introduction for a conservatively elegant, stylishly crafted combination of florals, wood, piney and leathery notes. Also, the resemblance to Acqua di Parma and Colonia Assoluta struck me- it has a variety of interpretation of the citrus ingredient- mellow, sharp, crisp; however, longar lasting than Acqua di Parma and less heavy and more subtle than Colonia Assoluta.
The middle notes are powdery- aromatic discreet floral found also in Pour Monsieur, as well as
Ungaro II and III.
After this extended introduction, i still think that the drydown is the focal point. It is one of the few spiritualized Orientals or tobacco smells around, stimulating and appealing not only to the senses but even the mind. Just before it would end as Oriental and sensual, as warm and smoky as Antaeus, Opium or Drakkar Noir, it adds an extra, more fragile and also complex, more versatile and elusive note of exotic spice, even forest fruits- especially berries-
and balsamic mossy notes. And if Drakkar already counterbalces and lightens up that tobacco note with that enthralling intellectally stimulating effusiveness, Rive Gauche goes a step further- the very citrus note mentioned above adds to the tobacco drydown, the classic robust manlyness, a both costly yet also familiar soapy touch. It's that barbershop feeling also noticed in other rewievs, that nostalgically remembered feeling of how yesterday's barbershops used to smell, of corse soapy, drenched in eau de cologne, high quality and very natural( therefore quite costly) shaving and haircare products, of resiouos, conipherous and camphorous essences.
So, a long-lasting classic with a sparkling, solar, uplifting soapy citrus quality, a scent worthy of
luxurious, exclusive yet comfortable and inviting barbershop, dignified and tastefully opulent longes. A scent made for both daywear as it suggest maturity and unquestionable speriority and seriousness yet without being stereotypical, prudish, snobbish, generic, annoyimg or pushy, yet mysterious, creative, even artistically accomplished to be suitale for the evening, having both the sophistication fit for the most formal occasions yet enough charme and originality in order to be the highlight of the most bohemian uncommonly undeground artictic and intellectual sorroundings ( usually reserved for insiders only).
A true insider of the fragrance world, witty, mannered and one of the happy few accomplished scents.

Great for a summer day, but Carlo Colucci is almost too well-made in order to need a lighter, revorked, more watery and more casual version. Still, good to be worn on a frequent basis and discreet not to be either too heavy, but without showing to much personality or sophistication either. Tough the fragrance house that bred this scent created both enduringly stylish and at the same time moderately priced creations- just to mention Tabac...
Easy-to-wear and light enough to refresh troughout a torrid climate, maybe targeted at a very young age group ( one that hasn't much appetite for more conservative scents). Maybe, it's the same problem as with Roma- with whom the original Carlo Colucii resembles- tough Acqua di Roma is a good scent too, Roma was so flawless that it left no room for subsequent versions. The same thing might apply for Carlo Colucci Mare, or, again, as it happened with Agua Brava Sea Power, once you got the sheer, unmistaken real chypre, a reworked watery-youthful-casual version of it only adds an unremarkable note of commonplace, unmanly sweetness ( notable exception Boss Elements Aqua which equals and almost surpasses the elegance, distinction and originality of Elements) without any real extra but a few notes which might as well have lacked completely.

Smells like a more virile and long lasting version of the follow up Altika ( or rather the latter is a lighter, sweeter and less lasting version of this ) with good lasting power too. A burst of gentlemanly yet boldly natural crisp herbal essences, with a more complex woody and slightly musky drydown which might have sinned truogh excessive sweetness if it were not for both an icy cooling note but also a more subtle, creamy, rich and lush aloe/ body milk/ " fresh out of the shower" note.

Fresh up to the point of being a very likely accepted everyday scent, a correct, but on the down side with sweet ( with vanillic and fruity) touches unspectacular scent.

That's what i call distinction, sumptous and untypical. ( Over-) long lasting power and a stunning variety of deep, truly classy and high quality fragrance notes. The perfect choice- tough it's almost needless to mention- for the truly distinguished evening fragrance.

This scent is very recent only by its strictly chronological lauch year, but it captures, somewhere in the very essence, the very basic idea of its fragrance notes, unseen yet constantly present memories and influences of Brithish traditional Brithish art of fragrance and British old-school distinction. The right scent for a dandy walking up and down the most elegant boulevards of Europe( not just regent street) with no other care than showing his off-beat, extravagant elegance, yet mature, sober and discreet enough for office wear or formal social calls. A dignified but at the same time lavish mix opf refined spices and persistent, well-structured yet inoffensive woods. A very creative use of wonderfully rich and fulfilling fragrance notes, adding to flawless class also notes of applealing yet dingnified courteousness, a certain flair for the intellectual and artistic delights, and a touch of well-bred, elaborate hedonism. As there are a few gourmand Orientals i would define this as one of the first gourmand woody ( or rather artistic, gourmet, niche, even ultra-luxury woody fragrances), and while other scents are often listed and percieved as powerhouse, this one is defintely art-house.

I don't like this one as much as the yellow version. While the latter is one of the most equisite citrus- herbal scents i know, exhaling the very essence of unquestionable style, this one is just clean-cut, almost aquatic fresh, but was defintaly topped by its follower. I would expect- but maybe its just a bias encouraged by conventional ( fragrance) wisdom- even a "fresh", "crispy clean" British scent to be much more classically and less casually smelling.

While definately not an exclusive niche scent, it has all the qualities of a wearable and affordable Oriental with an extra plus of spice, which, considering the price, is surprsingly natural and good quality. More than enough lasting power too, so in this case it's just the mix, a little too different from my perfume tastes ( which wouldn't be in Javari's defense irrespective of price and perfumer, it could be as well by Creed and cost at least 100 $ and still would not impress me more) so i guess it's one or more of the spicy ingredients that works pretty fine, yet not perfect with my skin's chemistry.

Tough distinguished and natural, smelling expensive and exclusive, it does just not work( maybe due to its refinement) to be worn, enjoyed and understood by many people, including me. Very powerfull and somewhat offputting opening, the spicyness, aromatic quality of this scents being both enthralling and quizzical. To be more precise, a burst of few single soliflore style explosions of juniper berries, cinammon, tonka and, of course, sandalwood, without much balance or connection. The sweetness , due to the sandalwood note, while not being unappealing, is surely uncommon, without being sickly sweet either in Kouros style or in a synthetic post-postmodern androgyny, has both " soft" suede leathery notes, restyled to be lighter, creamier and more gentle, but also an almost sulphurous, phosphorous incense- smelling not just warmt (almost nostril burning) explosive heat, thus making it rather difficult to capture my entire admiration.

This one bears that clean, out of the shower sporty note which i already found in John Player pour Homme ( one of the scents i own), with an almost unisex CK , especially CK-one style quality. The drydown however is much sweeter, but also more masculine, with touches of amber and sandalwood, adding a certain lasting power and a certain energetic finess to this scent.

One of the most discreet yet distinguished citrus chypres to ever have been created. It shares the same league with Grey Flannel, Eau Sauvage, Armani pour homme, Chanel pour Monsieur or Roberto Capucci and has some notes in common with all of these scents too- it's the essence of the timlessly elegant scent, fit for the privileged yet never tasteless or showy gentleman. It embodies the true definition of solid, flawless class. Clean-cut cirus, herbal and aromatic opening, woody and chypre drydown. Starts of very delicately yet still masculine in a distinguished way, but developes a great, yet never brutal or choking lasting power ( unlike the more sensual, potent, carnal Amber version, whih, much more than this one, is easily overapplied if not handled with care and moderation). Personally, i like both the bottle and the name, as both stand, in my opinion, for indestructible conservative values, the rugged, energetic yet stylish puristic simplicity of the bottle being an example of how a true high-end masculine scent should be marketed. The drydown is close to sheer perfection, as it is summing up many of the sensory delights of a Mediterranean surrounding if a few notes- the marine, the mossy touches, moderate floral hints, the antiseptic piney touch, the both relaxing and invigorating touches of aromatic herbs, all of them leading to a very elaborate, but also wearable and fully functional, while still being luxurious and elitist creation which is timeless enough to smell natural and gentlemanly enough to have been made in 1881(and not in 1990) but with the security that, like the most solid investment, will never be dated, not even in our contemporary neoliberal postmodern brave new world, from who's mainly so uninspired, nondescript post-structural scents this one definately stands out.

An ok scent and not too common either, with very little missing for a positive ratting. Tough i expected this to be yet another mass-market celebrity scent with high profit ambition and disregard for the customer, it smelled less commercial than i expected. The opening is fresh, almost aquatic, slightly ozonic, the drydown is, almost inadvertently, dark, leathery, woody. The only question remains- what does this scent have in common with James Dean? Apperantly nothing, but actually, while the opening smells like a teen idol, yet not in a girlyu or androginous way, the closing is very manly, powerhouse-style elegant, conservatively mature. This is maybe the fusion between the innocently good-looking, almost serene, yothful James Dean and his darker, leather- clad, even sporty( but an exclusive, extreme, not reguklar or pointless body cult kind of sport)ego, tough there's nothing rebellious in this scent's notes.

Sensual and long-lasting, yet far too generic, especially( so most of the male perfume users) who know Roma Uomo or, to stay alongside the Boss label, Boss Bottled. The similarity with the latter is so striking that one might ask why another scent was created, considering that its notes add simply nothing new. Still, fairly interesting and captivating- especially for someone who never knew Bottled- bearing a stylish and balanced sweetness reminding of pineapple, vanilla and caramel. Of course, very ambery drydown too, but that kind of amber with woody, almosty earthy, powdery and creamy shades. Very fruity and obviously apple-smelling, even without knowing the ingredients the apple note is strikingly evident, fortunately not a synthetic room spray apple smell but( and remeber this come from a person who usually dislikes both the taste and the smell of apple)a lush gourmand, ripe and warm apple note.

The resemblance with Roma( and at a lesser extent Minotaure and Tuscany) is striking. This is also the reason for my neutral rating- it could have been more original. Still, the lasting power is very good, the price more than fair- considering it's one of the most affordable scents in Germany and Austria, yet being a mass-market scent only by the price, never by quality. A fine, slightly Oriental powdery drydown, carefully balanced sweetness, easygoing, summery Mediterranean elegance.

Trendy, but leaves me expecting and hoping for more. It's very discreet and i wonder if this is just discretion or poor lasting power- anyway, the separation between these two is dangerously blured. For me, it starts in a very creamy, almost sweet way, slightly floral, almost with no clue of the citrus- herbal ingredients as listed above. The drydown reminds of scented candles- even with a slight honey and beeswax association, berries, winter fruits and spices, and a certain smoky quality without the usual animalic-leathery-macho touch often associated with smoky male scents, it's more a dim and highly spritualised hint of gentle, subtly fragrant, incense smoke. Tough a discreet, elaborate and youthfully appealing scent, compared to Opium, it lacks the latters lasting power, intensity and high-end timeless stylishness( this one belonging to and triggering a more younger, more flexible, less formal age group). Speaking of Opium it bears resemblance both to Opium- a much lighter and more modern Opium, but also to Kouros, yet without that vile, repulsive unclean stuffiness- as if the few nice notes of Kouros were isolated from the ill-smelling conglomerate and mingled into a more sophisticated and less recognizable broader variety of notes.
Maybe is have to try this scent during a warmer season- in winter, it seems to be dulled and smell neutral, to wear off soon, but i guess the effect is far more noticeable in summer- i guess, mingled with the right amount of body temperature( just enough to highlight a scent without smelling sweaty or sleazy) and hot air, it might show off its true potential.

Relaxing yet almost too generic scent- however it does smell clean and not too sporty. The sensation of British leisure and outdoor- culture recreated is still a slightly too ambitious, too pretentious promise, as it hardly( and if yes, only a bit) stand out from that specific 90's aquatic sweetness. Average, decent casual scent, good enough to be a light everyday scent.

Discovered this one back in 1998 when it used to be one of the most trendy scents around. Now, after several years, it still smells both modern and elegant- most of the scents being an either or choice: either brand new next generation vant- garde, yet completely bewildering and synthetic, or so elaborate and high end, tough natural, that it woulsd suit only the most formal wear and surroundings. Envy belongs to the happy few which could easily suit for instance office wear, as it is powerfull and attractive without being offensive. A burst of green, cooling notes, followed by not only an Oriental, but gourmand and gourmet, i'd almost say conoisseur, hedonistic Oriental drydown. Some notes similar to the dark aromatic, conservatively exquistite Gucci Nobile too, tough less old- school.

Almost no room for additional information- often discussed, often valued, even worshiped, extremely best-selling. The embodiement of the hedonistic old world of priviledge and luxury is not an empty promise- being dignified and mature up to a certain bulkyness , a certain overwhelming heavy note due to its lasting power, yet discreetly, gentlemanly pacified. Citrus, of course pine, but also powdery notes, adding both the aformentioned slightly overdone maturity but also its ultimate touch of class. I almost think that if most f the other ralph lauren scents or any other merchandise by this brand would
not exist, this one would still outlast many scents, would maintain RL's reputation for ages due to Polo's timeless and conservative quality.

True, back in the 90's everyone in Romania smelled like this. Even if this scent has become too mass-market and unfortunately ( sometimes)abused by completely misplaced wearers, it still has an above average refinement for its price range. It burts in a very fresh way, oozes grassy notes and some woody- aromatic touches. Also, resinous and slightly conipherous notes which actually cause this scent's mixed reputation- while they smell half mature, virile, classy and appealing, it also has a too sleazy note, something far too fleshy, dirty animalic and something of a push- over. Maybe due to this association my rating is just neutral.

Discovered this one purely by chance, in a completely random, incidental manner. From the first minutes onwards it smelled to me like one of the scents i already owned and i was right: this one smells almost identical to Boss Bottled. The drydown does not change this resemblance- it is like that and stays so, for many hours even, maybe the second day too, as it has a very good lasting power. Tough this scents has so many positive sides, for some reson i am unimpressed- maybe it's just the perception of time: if Mustang would have created this before Boss i might have considered it cutting-edge...

This is one of the scents that has made me more openmineded about mass- market scents. Not only that it smells good, it can also be affordable and outlast even moderately and costly priced eau de cologne and even vapid eaux de toilette. But what i liked most about it was the scent- like the Original, it combines above average scent strenght with something almost too classic and stylish to be smelled in a supermarket aftershave. One female friend told me it would smell of mint and truly the opening is minty fresh and icy. After this opening, mossy notes which also builds up the link, the transition towards the drydown. This one is is also mossy, woody and slightly leathery, the earthy note of musk adding class and persistence. I always thought Denim ( with all its variations) and othetr mass market scents are dated- yet not timeless or conservative, just old- fashioned- , suitable for dirty, senile, tasteless old men trying to believe that they can be thrifty(when buying scents) and still pick up the girls like in their lost youth. But this fascinating variation of Denim proved that i was soooo wrong.

Stylish and masculine, raw and seductive ambery notes exhaling a solid, magnetic, energetic image of manhhod. Affordable too and knowing it was discontinued, i just missed a great buy.

Compared to Penhaligon's Endymion, a scent which i totally admire, i tried this one hoping that i might get the cance of smelling similarly at a lower cost. But Endymion is far more complex, less synthetic and much classier than Body Kouros. Oner good part about this one is that the typical restroom- drydown of Kouros is not present here, but that's just about the good part of this scent. As a bad part, it bears a very strong resemblance to the equally synthetic smelling Amen, too a lesser extent, even Dior Homme, bearing the same outrageously toxic sweetness, combing notes of sugar, fudge, caramel, syrup and some bad coffee surrogate.

I can only confirm what many other reviewers have said abot this scent, yet without being influenced by them. It's just that from the very start i felt the same restroom quality, the same filthy, rancid, unclean note. And by dirty i don't mean raunchy or sexualy provocative, i just mean unhygienic. As a common drydown with Boss Number One, Marbert Man and Givenchy Gentleman, but even if these ones have the same carnal, almost ill-smelling leathery note, this one smells far filthier, far more pungent. The final note is, unlike in many good leathery scents, besides fleshy in a sweaty sense, almost gasoline- smelling like Farenheit( tough far better than Kouros) and even a remote touch of dark 80's macho scents- tough much more scents from the decade were much more subtle, less dated , far more elegant. Cluttered, pretentious and ill-smelling. Besides, bewildering mixture unbalanced from the very first notes: the opening is sweet in androgynous way, smelling far more feminine trough an appearantly omnipresent spicy nausea, it unexpectedly shifts into a very wannabe- macho smell, reminding rather of a gathering of unwashed hippies( with no disrespect towards this community intended) or a very dated, hulking, coarse and definately " not-too-clean" old brute, dressed up in musty clothes and decaying, dusty leather. Transition from extreme softie to ( maybe already dead and decomposing) macho at maximum speed...
The name is also mismatched- it has nothing Greek, antique ( except maybe the musty notes) or timeless and the reference to Greek Antiquity is not to be taken seriously.

Discreet and distinguished reinterpretation of Opium and , being slightly lighter than the original formula, good initiation to the ones too sensitive to wear an almost too heavy Oriental or during days when a less overpowering scent is suitable. Not a cheaper, more watered-down version, rather a different concept, ephasizing even more on spices, luxuriant spices with a certain gourmet and gourmand connotation- resembling some masculine creations by Cartier due to the elaborate and creative use of spice. For everyone enjoyng Oriental classics with some( yet not hypermodern, futuristic) edible twist, this one is the right choice.

A certain soapy and fruity opening, followed by a powdery, ambery, vanillic and spiced piney drydown. A certain resemblance to fellow Spanish scent Esencia Loewe, tough the latter is more formal and puristic, they both have the same conipherous, slightly dark, powdery resinous touch towards the end. A " hot" Mediterranean, that is, a warm, balsamic interpretation of a fresh Mediterranean scent, quite close to the warmth and slightly heavy drydown of Roma Uomo and Minotaure, excellent for a hot summer day. A casual fruity quality to be a daytime scent, yet warm and powerfully persisten and classy to be worn more formally during cold weather. Oddly, most of its many notes don't render it too cluttered or eclectic, i can actually feel only some of them, but each of them being well combined, creating a versatile easygoing nonconformistic all purpose scent. A fairly priced and slightly more complex alternative to usual " youthful " scents like the many Boss or Armani variations on similar themes.

I got this one as a present, but most likely i would have bought it anyway considering that i recieved it in summer, as this one is very fitting as a summer scent. Rather to be defined as a masculine than a unisex creation, because, while suitable for both genders, it has a certain crisp, energetic sporty note much more appropriate for the masculine side- especially the very active, outdoor- living, extreme sports-oriented masculine side. However, correct and discreet citrus notes can also make this scent suitable for more conservative wearers too, up to a certain extent this one being an ageless almost generless, easygoing, lightful scent. The fragrance notes are quite pungent and acid, with some strong astringent and antiseptic quality, the most easy recognizable ingredients- and just about all of them- being grapefruit, lavender and maybe some herbs, also a slightly powdery, yet not too different from the lighter opening, drydown. Thus it reminds of the twins Paco And Paco Energy by fellow Spanish designer Paco Rabanne- same grapefruit note, tough differently used in this one, but also of another famous unisex scent Eau d'Orange Verte by Hermes, due to the same balance between total acidity and partial sweetnesss, while the powdery drydown is just a bit like Minotaure, yet by far not that Oriental, persistent and heavy.

If you like not only Eau Sauvage, but also Armani pour homme, it's most for you likely to enjoy this one. Clean, inoffensive and refined chypre, with a long-lasting yet discreet woody and leathery drydown. Sometimes powerful enough to be worn even in winter, during the evening or formally, yet also light, aromatic and herbal enough to be a perfect companion during the summer and with more casual wear. The proper definition of a classic, having in it the power of being elegant without ever overstepping the limits of good taste.

Herbal and spicy opening, addictive, moderately bitter-sweet, almost beeswax- smelling, yet warm, intoxicatingly drydown. Still, overall one of the most classy scents around, especially among those who come at a more affordable cost. Old world luxury promised fulfilled- this is most likely the way truly Sienna or any other powerfull Renaissance city from Italy must have smelled during its economic and cultural heyday, or at least its most respected aristocratic citizens- not concealing luxury with discretion, but overtly and majestically displaying it yet failing to look tasteless or offensive with that. Almost similar to Bois de Portughal and Halston Z-14, tough less multilayered than BDP and with a sweeter and less leathery drydown and far less citrus and its refined acidity too, less spices as in Z-14, much more restrained in its display of fragrance notes. Nevertheless, an outstanding high-profile creation.

Stronger than the original Acqua di Parma, with a plus of woody drydown. Both very conservative and very dynamic, energizing yet not casual. Better lasting power than usual Acqua di Parma, which also lasts extremely long, it can actually outlast many apperantly stronger scents and still smell discreetely.

I never was a fan of CK scents and even less of unisex creation which are marketed as yothful, but often lack imagination, distinction, or even lasting power...But i almost accidentally stumbled upon this one and was, if not impressed, still somehow relieved and almost pleasantly influenced. I mean, this one truly smelled cleaner and less unisex, less experimental than i expected. It has a rather cheap smelling, but clean allround impression and its notes are fruity, powdery, yet not overdone, intelligently balanced by citrus. Actually, quite close to Acqua di Gio, Creed's Royal Water, Quasar or some Kenzo creation( i just mentioned a very uneven range of scents, but they truly have all something in common), the citrus note is here not zesty or chypre, but rather restrained, mellow, sweeter than usuallly and drawn- never to stand out- in a cocktail of watery( both aquatic and watered down) " clean" smells- youthful, rather light and uncomplicated never capable to turn dark or leathery. A certain relaxing fresh quality, combined with a slightly powdery, yet still not heavy background. Would most likely not be worn by me, but not a bad( but not outstanding, radically exquisite) scent either.

I first viewed this scent as an artwork, but also a novelty, even if percieved it too feminine. True, it really smellled like lipstick on my skin, but that peculiar kind of lipstick mixed with syrup and synthetic strawberry flavour. But just as i grew increasingly dissapointed, it agian turned into something different, woody and powdery, tough with a woody note reminescent of dated scents and cheap deodorant sprays made ages ago, when they didn't protect against sweating, but just smelled intoxicating and alcoholic. Memories of sleazy yesterday's scents, combined with the utmost ( not only synthetic, but cruelly, banally vile) futuristic frenzy of artificial- and truly smelling so- of plastic, girl-boy scents and ven something sulphurous or phosphorous, reminding of the smell of matches or firecrackers before and after burning. Still, daring, but failed combination, considering that one might expect more from Dior. Some notes are truly good tough, but only isolated from the entire combination they might have been worth something, because in the mixture, they are somewhere lost between the most creepy or unimpressive chemicals.

Basically, a scent which is ,made to puzzle, fascinate and intrigue. First, it begins like some synthetic( pinkie, oversexed, but at the same time androgynous, fairy, almost queer style) creation, just with a burst of sporty and fruity( and I mean by that a real big "queer as a bedbug"- style
"fruit"), but just as the expectations of any "true" perfume lover reach the utmost low point, surprise strikes again. Because the drydown is ( maybe only as strictly subjective experience) sooo different from the first impression, taking its wearer trough the high and lows, " do's" and
" don't-s", authetic high class and purest camp, style and kitsch of fragrance. A truly mulilayered and psychedelic trip trough paradise and inferno of the perfume world, both " retro" and deeply retrosexual, but also soo metrosexual and essentially 2003...It ends in a feeling which, far from evading the metrosexual, almost synthetic dominant note, childishly( or yothfully) evades into something far more... puristic and conservative. Truly, the drydown is remiding somewhere in between the ( unusually) cool, icy, almost intellectual of tobacco and leather found in Very Valentino and the compelling, both magnetic and elusivally untochable powdery, almost feminine drydown of Roma Uomo or Endymion( and the list might go on...). Strange, but bedazling combination and/ or unity of two gloriously mismatched,
inadvertend, interptretation
extremes. I wish-therefore only neutral rating- the perfume maker, maybe Tom Ford...- would have made up his mind, or maybe, to be more precise, this is where this scent's charm lies: controversial, overtly postmodern and idiosyncratic, daring yet partly usual and clean, unsurprising. The perfect recipe towards an almost- masterpiece...

There is a certain sharp, crisp quality about this scent, flavours with a rather cooling than warm or sweet touch, but also with a slight antiseptic, almost medicine- like quality, but also woody and green. Like mixing the most cooling and the most potent herbs in someone's kitchen or laboratory and obtaining a both long lasting, spicy but also very cold, icy fresh smelling effect. Therefore, ozonic and almost watery( but rather water as ice, not as liquid too) making it both suitable for wearing it at the seaside, but even better somewhere in a mountain resort, as, in my opinion, it has all the smells and the poetic meanings of a winter's day- a pale, moderate warmth, rich wintery aromatic notes, even a certain grassy( but rather the dry and restitant grasses that last troughout the winter), humid moss partly or totally covered in snow and ice, conipherous, piney woods and resins.

Dark, overdone spicy and peppery, yet not truly aromatic. Just a combination of way too heavy, but also mismatched spices thrown around in a combination of almost choking, but paradoxically, at the same time, far too vapid notes. After a while tough, it becomes more tolerable, but adds nothing to the bulk of usual Oriental fragrances.

Fresh, but rather plain scent, not bad but clean and innofenssive in a neutral, nondescript, almost shallow way. The strong, green herbs are very easily recognizable, tarragon especially, giving this scent a very sporty, almost casual( in an unrefined, unstylish way) style. Rather ozonic and windy than watery. The ones( including me) who don't want to smell too casual, too generic should rather avoid this and move on to more refined creations.

Warm, spicy but overall very generic scent. It has a certain 70's attitude, it is definately more potent and even a bit over the top rather than restrained, on the good side long lasting, but also fiery in a slightly overdone way. Even the drydown is so 70's- animalic, sensual, almost intoxicating. It should have either had a very exotic/ Oriental name, one hinting at its heavy ingredients or one marketing party mood, glam, excess and funk or disco feeling. Tough made in the 80's and named after one of this materlistic decade's most widespread obsession and status symbol, it smell like it should have been launched one decade earlier.

I percieve this scent as warm, rich and deep. Almost too little casual or sporty if compared to the name, far more stylish than one would expect knowing it only by the name, while it still is suitable for casual wear, it has the complexity, the long lasting power and the refined drydown even in order to be an evening scent. On my skin it starts of with a citrus-fuity note with some herbal, "green" touches , but dries down extremely long-lasting, partly sweet, with a cocktail of notes reminding of winter spices, sandalwood, musky warmth and even Oriental touches. Inspite of its sophistication and lasting power, it is also discreet and delightfully wearble. One of the most simple choices to smell outstanding in a both easygoing yet timlessly elegant way - as several notes clearly exceed its launch year and age. I would rate it not too different from two fairly contemporary scents: JPG le Male and Ungaro III( or, even Bulgari Black and Extreme and both Roma Uomo and Acqua di Roma), even if these scents are either "darker", more evening-wear scents( with the exception of Acqua di Roma), spicier and maybe less youth-oriented, they all have somthing in common: they all manage to be sweet scents and still smell not overdone, sickening sweet, they all smell pleasantly, and, above all( great achievement for a sweet smell) so masculine in a neither too androgynous nor too cowboy-esque, brutal, overblown way.

This one is more than a fragrance, a non-verbal language and artform, an olfactory delight which makes words seem useless. Compared to Guerlain's Vetiver( which i also love), the latter creation seems less masculine, more eclectic and sophisticated compared to Creed's Original Vetiver. This one is just potent, simple yet undisputedly elegant in its simplicity. Almost a " soliflore", excluding the fact that vetyver is not a floral ingredient, but his scent almost smells only of vetiver- and this is good, unlike other scents in which one or a few notes render it far too onedimensional, in this scent vetiver is suffieciently powerfull and complex in itsself, in its pure, simple form without anything added( or if it were, i couldn't have smelled them)- a statement per se.
First, it smelled just a little too antiseptic, bearing a medicine-like quality, hinting at toothpaste, "fresh out of the shower" and, of course, medicine( somewhere in between mint-scented ointment, cough syrup, night cream and spritous tincture: all these multilayered associations suggested my only one perceptible note, and it's only the beginning). The drydown was much more surprising and spectacular, even tough it didn't derail from the strong vetiver notes.
It included something extremely martial and masculine( yet neither agressively macho nor dark, " gothic"), just sheer, crisp energy and elegance- a both spicy and cooling, both warm and still crisp note of earth, moss and fragrant roots( ginger, ginseng?- yet sitill smelling much closer to vetiver than these tweo ingredients) . Raw, yet understatedly but also energetically masculine style. It is still a mystery to me how sduch a simple, puristic indgredient can be that elaborate at the same time, as it also never fails to smell so natural and authentic. This must be the true art of perfumery at its best- recreate nature's most simple and most accomplished sensations without ever being artficial or overblown, as this scent will out last many of today's trends with it's sheer, no-nonsense timlessness.

Unisex in my opinion too, because even the femninine , floral, feminine notes are a touch more masculine due to their restrained beauty, their moderate warmth, a certain refined spicy quality. Very old-school, but also optmistic and uplifting scent, reminding me of a day at the seaside, as it has a certain ozonic and marine quality, followed by a warmer drydown, but also exhaling a certain coolness( both in the sense of clean, icy touches, but also in the metaphorical sense, meaning calm, elegance, sobriety and self-confidence).

Masculine scent with unisex quality, because even if some notes are powerfully spicy, energetic and masculine, the combination as whole lacks a certain masculinity. Androgynous, warm and extremely powdery during its drydown. Interesting marzipan note, a certain shower gel style cleanliness. It eventually developes in something far to floral, sweat, creamy to be masculine, overdone aldehyde( or similarly smelling notes), musky and winter spices ( the ones found in candy, pastries, cookies) notes. Besides, it smells quite different from the original 1881- but most "eau", "light", summer, winter versions of famous scents are, if not failures, still just usual, unimpressive reinterpretation, of course, with some exceptions when the revisited creation may be significantly better than the first one.
However, the name black is fully mismatched, Cerutti 1881 Amber should have been called "black" as it has a certain rough, power-house, lavishly sensual, magnetic and "dark", mysterious side, due to animalic, leathery and almost fleshy, carnal note. This is one too sweet, floral to be "dark", definately not a "black"
scent, but good if aimed at a younger generation due to both light and heavy floral notes, a slightly synthetic( but not necessarily cheap or trivial, just experimental) edge and edible notes- nut just marzipan or pepper, i also smelled, even if more restrained, the sweetness, almost woody and fatty
consistence of nut and almond oil. Tough very recent and futuristic, it also has( lietarly) a certain flower power quality- floral, hallucinogenic, musky and exotic, but minus the more macho-oriented quality of that age's male scents, with a metrosexual, sweeter and a more unisex twist, especially in its playfully sweet drydown.

Exquisite trough its subtlety and that kind of modernity that is never too futuristic. As mentioned before, it is a summer scent, suitable for daytime and casual/sporty wear, tough it would be good for a night out, provided the circumstances are not too formal. It smells icy, clean( so there is a certain suggestion of metal), subtle and sweet in a balanced, round way, but i also love its watery notes, bearing also that certain icy quality but also a gourmand-edible note. Daring, easy to wear and unexpectedly trendy and classy for a casual scent, a bit different from the generic Hugo, Acqua di Gio, CK and Cool Water popular culture and mass-market phenomenon.

Quite an unimpressive grassy scent, awfully green, but nothing more. A bit like Sisley's Eau de Campagne due to the same overdone herbal note, yet much more woodier drydown and, in Marbert Gentleman's defense, a little longer lasting, a more woody and masculine finnish. More classy notes, maybe a hint of not so " green" aromatic touches would have made this scent significantly better, a scent that actually starts of nice( yet not exquisite, perfect or groundbreaking) and is so little structured that it ends up unfinnished( or at least giving the impression of being so).

Dark, but not as subtle as the classy chypre Tabac original. The heavy, "dark" notes are so powerful, so that others are almost impossible to smell. Long, but rather stuffy drydown, exhaling a too powerful notion of old-days macho. And yes, like stated before, it is hard to believe that it contains any tobacco. Strange combination that would gain from its lasting power differently would it be differently abled- more complex and more refined, that is.
A certain indecesive mix of too strong, yet too limited range of fragrance notes.

First, i used to like this- the interaction with testers of this perfume was at least satisfactory. But it's just like its follower, Paco Energy, far too powdery up to the point of not recognizing any particular notes. Yet, when i was younger, when it first appered and well into 1998-1999, it was fashionable and even elegant to wear this, adding to its wearer a both casual, sporty allure but also a touch of goth( tough by that time the term goth was neither popular nor so fashionable), at least according to conventional wisdom. The grapefruit note is just like in Paco Energy misplaced, synthetic and not bringing in crisp, clean freshness, nor pungent or mellow acidity but just a sickening sweetness. Maybe a cheap copy not only of several Ck unisex scents as scented before( tough crafted around the same unisex, postmodern casual pattern ,only worse) but also of Eau d'Orange Verte by Hermes, because even if Paco does not have the same quality, even Eau d'Orange Verte starts of nice( but better than Paco) truly refined, but ends up in a stuffy, vile sweetness of rather synthetic rather than natural, raw, puristc quality.

Kind of poor man's Hugo Men, the first of the range, before Dark Blue, Woman or Energise were introduced, but Hugo is itself a sporty and rather affordable scent, so this one might smell even more synthetic. Oddly, I loved this scent at first, as I wasn't aware of its excessive sweet drydown and i first percieved it at Hugo...just much more affordable, maybe even better. But there is a certain caramel note in the end that even exceeds the tonka note specific for Hugo's drydown. All this and a feeble, synthetic aquatic note, yet not matched with the scent's sweetness, much more these two notes anachronistically and almost interesting, challenging fighting each other- I hardly figured which one would outlast the other. Synthetic tonka-smelling notes, evolving into the purest smell of candy and syrup.

Sun ad air of the Mediterranean, slightly earthy, also sweet musky drydown. Often compared to Roma and I totally agree about the resemblance. Some chemical undertones too, yet just not synthetic enough to make it smell cheap. Otherwise, an excess of sweet spices, maybe not masculine enough, but making up for the lack of masculinity or even of logical structure( as they are a bit too chaotic and too many), has also some good parts, as it adds an overly rich bouquet of aromatic, Oriental, almost edible notes. Exotic like some Creation of Chopard or Boucheron( yet maybe without all of the refinement of these two houses), ardent and fruity like other creations coming out of the world of art, namely Salvador Dali( like a Dali creation this one can be fruity-edible, partly goth, experimental up to being abstract, baroque, glamorous but also thought-provoking, intelligently playfull). The powdery drydown is also fairly close to Eau d'Orange Verte by Hermesor some scents by Paco Rabanne( Paco, Paco Energy...) - though they all, including Minotaure, and even Roma Uomo, start off either citrus or fruity, they all develope into a more powdery, dusty, spicy finnish.

Quite generic-after all it's Adidas- but also not bad. And yes, very metrosexual. Truly urban, modern, maybe a little too daring for my taste, partly appealing, but up to a certain point intoxicating sweet, fairly good lasting power for its price. Interesting combination, maybe a spinoff inspired by rather experimental and much more unisex scents by CK, partly of the male fragrances from the Hugo range or even the newer Boss scents besides Hugo.

There is a certain timeless note about this scent, the brand, the name, but above all the image of Adidas might be misleading in this case, just because this one is not synthetic and smells good. Or maybe it's more truthful to the Adidas image as one might think. It actually represents high quality and almost vintage, slightly nostalgic sports-or casual wear( and the older Adidas logo on box and bottle supports this) and even if recently made, it smells like one of the first casual scents. Comfortable to wear and discreet, almost a classic among its price cathegory and casual creations.

Crisp and literaly quivering with energy and warmth yet clean-cut scent, exhaling the qualities of one of the most well-known ingredients in perfume industry. Powerfull woody and resinous drydown, long-lasting, refreshing and strong.

Fairly priced, but at the same time innovative scent. Frech-made subtlety and refinement at an affordable price. Allrounder which i'd compare to everyone's good friend, however not particularly close to anyone. Maybe not sophisticated, multi-layered, formal, timeless, iconic or even expensive( and maybe a little snobish) enough to be anybody's signature scent, but a good, tolerable spare in anyone's wardrobe among more high-end scents. Suprisingly( or not) this one actually smells pleasant and has good lasting power. Misleaded by the name, expected something more casual and ran into an underrated creation. Woody notes with aromatic herbal undertones and a hint of vetyver, reminding of Rocher's brilliant previous creation: the refined, inoffensive and uplifting eau de vetyver. Green touches all the way and a powerfull drydown of mild, balanced notes- quizzical but possible with this one. Much more complex than one would expect and, as stated before, the bottle is also a masterpiece, just like the puristic, very clean-cut box, making this scent truly above average and distinguished, partly even exceeding and surpassing costlier fragrances.

Generic, but quite good aquatic scent, with that specific, cooling and smooth note of aloe to be found in most ozonic-watery creations. More unisex than masculine, but fitting in today's fashion for rather sporty, youthfull and less conservative notes well. Also, some interesting fruity and exotic features. Better lasting power and more masculinity- in the elegant, classy sense of the word- required! Acceptable as casual scent, especially during hot summer days, due to a cooling, refreshing, energizing effect.

There is some iconic spicy, aromatic quality about this scent that reminds of both an old-fashioned, high-maintenance luxury barbershop and some gourmet templet filled with exotic scents. The scent is vgery warm and has a certain vanilla and/or caramel quality about it, yet not too sweet. Even a little daring, as the exotic notes are almost too little masculine, besides difficult to accessorize with almost any kind of masculine( or else) of clothing, formal and informal wear and so further. Nevertheless, the scent is still, after the drydown is complete, inspite of its sweetness and some less masculine notes, very conservatively, robustly manly- paradoxically, tough some notes, taken by themselves, are not, the overall impression is still extremely virile( even a bit macho style, however very little, counterbalanced by its sophistication). It has a certain magnetic quality in it and a showy display of luxury, not only concerning the bottle, even the ingredients are lavish, baroque, rather than the restrained, inoffensive, barely perceptible class of many no-nonsense classics of male fragrance. The bottle-well, both gaudy and a masterpiece both opinions heard before are extremely right; while the display of luxury( crocodile pattern, crystal, crest...) are essentially American, revealing a newly rich taste for opulence at the verge of campy, without always being so, it matches the content, either the style of high-end barber-shops or gourmet temples mentioned above, or, some either newly rich American businessman or some old-money, old -school European Aristocrat taking part in a safari around 1900, an opulent occasion done less for the adventure and the discovery of nature( or nature's beauty) and mor just in order to drink champagne and display pomp in an off-beat setting...

I love about this scent the aquatic tones, but i'm dissappointed by it's lasting power- but I heard that Kenzo intended it to be very vapid( or is it just an excuse, conventional wisdom or marketing gag?). Anyway, the fresh, slightly salty, marine and ozonic is grand, but i also love the discreet, refined and warm floral touches. The drydown is extremely pleasant, inoffensive and cool, however it would be better if it would last longer. Shame that the actual fragrance notes come short and are way to underused.

Ridiculosly expensive yet justfified up to the last cent. Timeless chypre classic, maybe a little heavy but certainly a symbol of sophistication and exclusive lifestyle.

A bit too outlandish spicy fragrance, too much wood and too many winter spices. But i guess this it what its creators intended- a yothfull, yet off-beat scent with uncommon and even problematic notes. It is just not my kind of fragrance.

Another Creed scent that doesn't impress me. Far too ozonic, but, even worse, too modern and metrosexual for Creed. Truly, as if a high-end house like Creed is trying to penetrate synthetic, affordable mainstream, too attract younger and more regular wearers. The notes remind me of mint, watermelon and a touch of green tea. Cold and neutral without being fresh or soothing, watered-down and a rather vile fruity sweetness.

The only reason why i don't rate it negative instead of neutral is the respect or serious perfume lovers that enjoy it, for its illustrious wearers. But i expected a more complex and less unilaterally heavy scent, I thought that kings had much higher standards. Well, this one is just leathery and smoky all the way, with no drydown, no evolution, no surprises. It smells quite similar to KLnize Ten, but while Knize is only at the beginning far too leathery and dark, but gradually and discreetly evolves into finer, more elusive balsamic, spicy, floral and chypre touches, this one is far too oily and soapy, and, to be more accurate, like oil or soap with an excessive( and actually only, single) note of maybe not cheap but too strong smelling tobacco or incence- no matter how high quality it might be, it is far too raw, too direct to be truly pleasant or balanced. Dark, heavy, stodgy and that's about it.

A both yummy and distinguished scent combining youthful ease and energy with mature, clean-cut, high-end, conservative cult for sophistication and refined, understated but also slightly dandystic elegance. A true aromatic rush of herbal anjd spicy notes and a very puristic, flawless chypre ending. Complex, a collection of very different and very well assorted notes, precious, lavish and classy without seeming artificial. Rich, charismatic and masculine in a tasteful way, cypress notes with outlandish Oriental and exotic hints. Good lasting power as well; while the bottle reminds a bit of Dali's daring creatiopns that shrouded his exquisite fragrances, yet slightly more puristic and functional, energetically and elegantly mascul;ine, capable to adorn both a very conservative marble bath or a budoir filled with antique furniture, but also a very minimalistic, excessively technical and functional contemporary form of housing and inner architecture.

Starts of very Britsh, with notes of herb and citrus.Nothing suprprising by now, but the drydown was much more complex and even a little unexpected- it suddenly turned into a rather French-made note of moderate sweetness, leather and spice. Rich, almosdt gruondbreaking daring yet discreet, understated sweetness, partly woody, partly spicy, partly even fruity. An interesting answer to today's male fragrances where sweetness is far to overdone, not added sparingly, like an extra touch of class and individuality like in this one.

A conservative, aristocratic scent designed not for tuxedo-wareing newly rich middle class but for the inner circle of the most traditional and historically relevant nobility- that particular kind of nobility from the days when the pound was still a pound, suits had to be custom-tailored on Bond street and the high society circled around Ascot and fashionable country clubs. It might also have been named Hampton Court or Buckhingam Bouquet or else, as it captures the essence and the mood of typical British royal or aristocratic residences.
And of course, there is the strong association with Churchill- I could almost not picture him wearing anything else. in it i see not Churchill the popular guy, the mass-market figure but rather the dandy, the art-collector, the conoisseur, the artist, dominating Chartwell and London's most opulent drawing rooms with his wit and charm. The first olfactory impression is that of citrus, but a citrus note seldomly to ber found in other scent( maybe only in very expensive and conservative ones) so different from usual cheap citrus smels like two very different species from different planets. But there is much more to this fragrance than just citrus. The drydown is not only piney, like the official website states, it is also herbal and moderately acid( "dry" like a fine wine who's acidity is present, but never too offensive or too pungent). The herbal notes remind of almost edible, Mediterranean spices, with not only acid but also earthy, slightly musty- yet not powdery- almost carnal touches, but not that kind of carnal touches created trough animal ingredients like musk, amber or civet, rather a more mossy and tarragon or oregano-smelling. , fragile and subtle carnal note brought on by both long-lasting, vibrantly green and frash, fragrant yet delicate herbs- this aromatic drydown adds not only lasting power but also hedonistic touch to this scent, reminding of Churchill's bulky self-indulgence. Nevertheless it's classy and even authoritarian( as it gets the wearer noticed and valued instantly due to it's refinement) reminding partly of the finst cigars in Churchill's humidor, his favourite wines and also the landscapes and scents of Chartwell or any park or garden sourrounding a British mansion or life at a British mansion itsself: exclusive and luxurious, yet never offensive, plain, blunt or gaudy, discplined and perfectly crafted, exhaling distinction and an idyllic British calm, coolness and tranquility.

I never smelled a more alcoholic scent. truly, thefirst impression is awfully spiritous, smelling of whisky and brandy, not even a mellow whisky but a rather strong, cheap and literaly nostril-burning and heartburn and nausea causing sprit. It's highly unlikely that merely the alcoholic content of this scent is like this, as this note lingers long during the drydown- and this is not warm anymore, it is schorching and choking heat, overheated tar... Only after a generous amount of hours this scent became slightly more bearable, revealing( whisky again?) a touch of overripe and almost fermenting malt or corn, besides a leathery animalictouchof civet or amber. The name is also redundant or at least partly or totally misplaced as alchohol is a tabu in the Muslim world and highly unlikely to be found in a hammam or harem, a steam bath or sauna-even the turkish way- must smell much more aromatic and herbal, besides it lacks a certain spicy quality to be truly Oriental.

Unsurprising unisex scent, too little different from many today's unisex creations. The musky note is high quality tough andextremely discreet, stylish and natural, but the rest about this scent, the mere combination with other notes renders it rather excessilvely vanilla-smelling, extremely sweeyt and much more freminding of edible notes, for instance vanilla icecream, capuccino or milk, instead of smelling like perfume.

It was difficult for me to be impressed by this fragrance for two reasons: first I don't like Mugler scents too much, especially, the male products, completely disliking Amen and being neutral about Bmen. Secondly a thought that most unisex scents are cheap, much too experimental, too light, with little lasting power and little individuality. But both problems were admirably anulled by this one- it's truly a refined creation, crisp with fruity touches and vibrant with lightfull, solar citrus notes. An eau de cologne style creation that even comes close to the classics of this cathegory.

Refined, and, to make it even better, inexpensive( yet high quality) citrus- leathery female fragrance, quite similar to 4711 but with a more feminine touch. Refined chypre drydown and not sweet at all, feminine without avoiding a certain crisp, elegant, almost masculine-but in the superior sense of the word, the sophisticated, sober and refined image of manhood- as impeccably crafted as Puccini's timeless opera, a true artwork.

A very unimmaginative of a herbsl scent- tough it's neither green nor herbal, just grassy, moist and almost odourlesss grass and a herd of grazing cows. Offensive, much too pungent, much too direct, brutal burst of green.

This one can be effortlessly compared to the most subtle and inoffensive citrus fragrances around. A solid, unduobtable sensation of conservative class, refined chypre and herbal notes, but, quite similar to Acqua di Parma and Eau Sauvage, the omnipresent high-end citrus note. The bottle is also classicaly elegant being perfectly matched with the sophisticated and costly ( tough less costly if compared to its lasting power) content. A worthy, but less known example of high-end classic style.

Starts like a typical citrus eau de cologne, but the finnish is a slight bit different- much more British, depicting the British style interpretation of spicy scents, besides this, it's also woodier and almosdt slightly( very discreetly) woody-armotatic, almost smoky, bitter-sweetness. Exquistite, but rather uncommon, tough conservative, very British-made scent.

First, this scent smelld ghastly and repulsive on my skin, somewhat musty, fleshy, unberably heavy, simply " dirty" and far too unilateral. But the drydown changed my perspectives and turned it gradually into one of the most exquisite olfactory experiences i ever knew- the impression of leather not as a cheap fetish but as an exclusive accessory, of old Cordoba leather, tobacco and old, expensive collector's edition books bound in leather and dull gold remained. The drydown was...leathery, with moderate spicy touches, and, on a more abstract level, hints&memories of aristocratic luxury.

Smells cheap and not sexy at all. There much more to musk than this- musky scents can be much more complex. This one is only animalic, overdone sweet, with a touch of babypowder and sweat, cheap sweets and all sorts of synthetic touches. Maybe this is the way cheap supermarket deodorants must have smelled back then.

Not only dark, but, up to a certain point and before an overlong, almost interminable drydown, unberable. The Oriental notes are too strong and offensive at first and, while they don't become weaker, they develope their full potential and versatility only after a substantial investement of time and patience on the weares's side. But i guess it embodies an age where powerful and intoxicating scents were a norm- the wild, decadent seventies when the air must have been heavy with strong, animalic, lusty and exotic essences.

Strange and inconstant scent, halfways trough two very different concepts- half of this scent semms to smell like the most exuisite, puristic, innoffensive, stylish high-end citrus, but the drydown is rather a synthetic, extremely sweet and powdery unisex, reminding of many of rather vile, chemical, unstylish mass-market products for the young, campy, inexperienced and simple-minded.

Interesting experimental scent but slightly unilateral. I would have expected a more complex drydown, tough the concept and its potential are good. But probabnly Tusacny's traditional flavours and essences are the perfect scent in itsself, much too complex to be captured in one sigle- even exclusive and daring- scent.

Much more Oriental than Tuscan an/or Mediterranean. Mindblowing, addictive musky and ambery notes.

This classic put nowadays tendencies in male fragrance to shame because it represents not only a different age but also different( and much better) class.Exquistely leathery, with a luxurious touch of civet, but also very fresh opening notes and refined drydown. In this scent , like in only few others, one can still smell precious essences in their most puristic, raw, lavishly expensive version, long before synthetic notes took over. An unusual and exclusive experience, preferably suitable for( extremely) formal wear.

I knew eau de cologne was a subtle, stylish and puristically timeless fragrance, but I never knew the real potential until i discvovered Acqua di Parma. This is one of the most high-end interpretations of this classic formula and, if not the most exclusive, than at least one of the most exclusive ones still available today. This scent is one of the most discreet and luxurious around, reminding of the perfect aristocrat- the innate winner and natural-born leader not due to agressiveness, finacial or physical super-powers, but due to sheer class, flawless manners, taste and unquestionable elegance. Similarly, this scent definately makes a bold and iconical statement, yet without any effort: it's the most natural thing to be noticed and loved instantly for its non plus ultra standards and its discretion. And tough I knew their potential, I never could have dreamt that ingrediens like lemon, vervain,Neroli and Bulgarian rose can be that exquisite.
All in all, this scent, up to its
nostalgic, conservative and luxurious packaging reminding of Italy while it was still a monarchy- up the crest depicted on the bottle- make it an undisputed symbol of aristocratic, dandystic, old-scholl art of living.

I like Sandalwood because it's classic and conservative. Worth wearing as an evening or wintertime scent, it has an unexpectedly rich, long and powerful drydown. First, i couldn't smell anything else but sandalwood, tough pure and costly, too unilateral, reminding of incence and syrup. But afterwards, a the leathery, peppery and almost carnal notes rendered the scent more subtle and versatile, reminding of good old high-end bath-houses and barbershops( more precisely, that smell of high quality essences and balms lingering there).
Precious Oriental touches way above latest trends in the contemporary fragrance scene, almost an old-class cologne.

More intense testing and assesing this scent made me add a few other thoughts. Maybe i'm biased because I analyze the effect strictly on my very own skin, but it struck me that on me Old Spice is one of the most complex scents ever. It's one of the few, if not the only one... Oriental-aquatic.I know it sounds strange but this unlikely combination, being mostly either/or( even commercials on Basenotes rate Oriental or tobacco-smelling, spicy or leathery creations as an alternative to ozonic-watery, without even assuming that a scent might have both). Inspite of the clean-cut, puristic, no-nonsense ingredients, the scent is way ahead of its time, daring an achievement hard to match even today. After a first spicy note, like the name eloquently says, the finnish is, oddly, first Oriental, but with an even more persistent cool, almost neutral, fresh note. Even if the Oriental notes are supposed to last longer, the lighter ones are getting more powerfull, tough the Oriental ones don't dissapear, just discreetly fade into the background. However, the aquatic notes are not just simple watered-down shower gel or roomfreshener antiseptic and pleasant, but unilateral and barely asting. They evlove into a camphrous, slightly leathery, woody, slightly cedar-smelling marine scent, being much more than ozonic-watery, smelling also of moist sand, salty breeze, resins,seaweed and even moss growing in humid environement. A unique and multiayered classic.

All in all affordable yet equisite leathery. Quite similar too Azzaro pur homme- of course cheaper and without its lasting power. However being quite contemporary they have similar notes of lavender, amber and cedar, in quite similar combination. Powdery and woody drydown, and, inspite of the name, not quite casual, rather a classic.

Apprealing if a desert- chocolates or icecream for instance- smelled like this, but for a perfume, especilly a male one, inspite of todat's interest for increasingly sweet, unisex, light and experimental scents, it is far to edible. More precisely, after the vapid first impressions of floral and fruity tones are gone, the on;ly impression that remains is of hazelnut spread or chocolate filled with hazelnut spread, maybe a bit of cinammon flavoured coffee or milk-shake. Would work much better in a kitchen, a pastry or sweets-shop. Very irresistible- maybe as an edible, not olfactory flavour. Anything else than the contemporay masculinity, both rugged and sedutive it promotes, even if not a bad or shallow scent, just a hint too weird, daring, off-beat and unmanly.

Good casual stuff, easy to wear fragrance. A soapy, clean, almost puristic start, reminding- as in many fine aquatic and ozonic scents of good quality cream, soap or shower gel, all over the same pleasant but not spectacular hints of Aloe, mint and cocoa butter. Antispeptic quality too, yet without smelling quite like medicine, rather like green tea and even tarragon, also listed as an ingredient is quite easy to recognize among its notes. The final touch is powdery, slightly grassy and herbal- maybe vetyver and also woody, however a rather light than overtly masculine, dark, heavy woody touch.

Often compared to Armani pour Homme, i would rather see it even more similar to Drakkar Noir, Salvador Dali- two very 80's style dark, leathery creations and even a hint of Le Male - minus the edible, more experimental and contemporary notes. Even more, this scent is like a male version of the female scent Ispahan by Yves Rocher which is a good thing for me, as i was dissapointed that it wasn't a male scent- as it smelled almost masculine and i craved to find something quite similar.
But enough comparing...What struck me most about this scent was the exquisite touch of Tobacco, literally semelling expensive and luxurious, faintly resionous and smoky towrds the end. Oriental touches and a generic influence of the 80's preference for leathery and chypre notes.
Dark, sophisticated , not dissimilar to the woody-spicy-yet more casual- underrated Black Jeans and even anticipating the lush, rich yet clean( subtle, powdery, balsamic-watery, not overdone) sweetness of Metal Jeans.
Make way for a true classic!

First, a touch of edible notes- smelling like caramel, toffee, fudge, dried fruit, ginger and vanilla. Afterwards, these first impressions fade, leaving a pleasant, Orientally lavish, exquisite smoky, dark, ambery-resinous touch. Playfull, appearantly slightly immature at first, luxuroius, sophistcated and robust, almost rugged, charisma towards the end.

The similarity to Cool Water, often stressed upon, is more a roumour than a certainty, a prejudice without much real basis. While the first impression is almost identical to Cool Water, the two bearing the same, antiseptic, minty, medicine note, Green Irish Tweed developes into something much more elaborate and less vile than the mundane, synthetic and unimpressive Cool Water. The middle notes and the finishing touch of Irish Tweed are developing into something herbal, mossy, woody, reaching depths and subtleties Cool Water is not capable to achieve.
The lasting power on my skin is above average, better than many other high-class scent, yet without being offensive- tough it lingers for a long time, it's never due to offensive and heavy notes, a very discreet, very light, but persistent touch of slightly ozonic, slightly marine, slightly chypre notes.
An overtly aristocratic scent, not only due to the price, rather the entire mood encapsulated in this scent is one of the few recreating the feeling of classic British opulence, of country club lifestyle- as the name partly suggests; therefore the scent that a true aristocrat or even a member of the Royal Family would wear.

One one hand ;longer lasting than Agua Brava, tough centered around the same fougere, bay leaf and aquatic notes, one the other hand, the most vile notes of this one last. Excessively powdery, like a 40+, more precisely, a 40+ women's scent. Dated, unsophisticated, flat.

Much more than a goth- a true dandy. If i enjoyed the Mediterranean notes of the original XS, this version adds something more- a leathery chypre finnish mstronger than in the orignal. I doubt if this is aimed at a younger gruop, as it smells fairly outlandish and complicated, somewhat like a Salvador Dali creation, definately not a casual, easy-going scent. It's made for the dandy, the seducer, the big spender, lover of both art and nightlife, of both luxury and mystery.
One minor flaw: the far too powedery and sweet drydown, without it, it'll be close to perfection.

Heavy, dated, yet not conservatively timeless old masn scent. Long lasting power, small quantities needed. But these all the advantages-nothing more to it than that.

Partly exquisite, partly campy as a row of tents. An usual combination between the most exclusive, ridiculously expensive fragrance notes and some very cheap ones, reminding me of the afforedable candy i ate during my childhood: a pink-coloured combination of liqurice and cinnamon, made out of lots of suugar plus a hint of artificial, synthtic spice...
A typical postmodern scent- one of the few both suitable for formal wear and a night out in a flashy, bling-style clubbing. Half a conservative, French-Made Oriental, half a post-post modern, destructural, outlandishly modern synthetic.

Not bad, but certainly less Mediterranean as i expected and the name is promising and far more cheap-smelling. Odd crossing between the subtle, discreetely elegant Elements Aqua and the underable Hugo Dark Blue. If Baldessarini is almost failing to convince with his mature men targeting due to extremely youthfull, metrosexual notes, but finally rescues himself with some overtly heavy, spicy, almost old-men's ingredients, this one is definately way too ozonic, aquatic, postmodern, androgynious to appeall to other tha boyish audiences. They definately misplaced depicting an old man in the commercial- i would even rate it as a generic, impersonal but cute teeeny scent, even its mediocre lasting power being an obvious proof for my theory.

One of the most distinguished female scents ever, the one i would gladly recommend to any woman seeking stylishness and any woman trying to impress me... i mean it, i love to smell it on female skin.
Besides, quite unique: one of the few female scents with a leathery note. Sounds weird, but it starts of with a fresh burst of lemon notes and continues in a typical chypre style a Mediterreanean, herbal middle note, and a woody leathery ending, almost masculine. Compared to Chanel No.5 but unfortuntately vastely underrated if compared to the more popular Chanel/ this classic would have deserved far more the cult status of No. 5, as it is less common and more refined that Chanel's creation: less powdery, less floral, less aldehydic, more subtle, no-nonsense and complex.

Better than the failure called A men, B men starts from the same sweet point, but with a more complex and versatile drydown. Androginously and almost synthetic at first, extremely spicy towards the finnish. Oriental, resinous, addictively intoxticatig drydown, extremely pungent, heavy, persistent notes of amber and vetyver, evolving towards touches of tobacco, opiate and bitter sweet spices( maybe cinnamon, vanilla, pepper, ginger, juniper berries, liquorice ?). Smells quite wintery, persistent and exotic and is therefore better as en evening scent. It reminds me of other spicy, ambery, balsamic and provocatively sensual cutting-edge creations like Rochas Man, Opium opur homme and especially JPG Le Male.

One of the scents i consider neutral, both as rating and as actual scent and lasting power. Not bad, with bearable green and vetyer notes, still, after a while i seem to smell only the tarragon among the listed ingredients and its herbal coolness, but that's about it. Plus it developes a very indecisive, tough not unplesant, sweetness of an almost unperceptible and very apid sort. I would compare this to Jil Sander for men, both in smell and extremely short-lived lasting power. Visually, the box and the bottle almost seem to compensate, if not its flaws, that its overdone simplicity.

The bottle is the most creative and artistic part about this.
The actul content is not bad, but it doesn't live up to the name of Armani. The first impression that i got was a very powdery feeling, closely resembling Roma Uomo and a verious range of Emporio male scents- strangely, even closer to Roma Uomo than to the Emporio scents, yet without Roma's lasting power, luxurious, conspicuously extravagant texture. The drydown brought a very easy to wear everyday scent, making it lighter than i first thought, even if, especially in male scents, the more powerful and heavy notes seem to last and to be remebered. However, as the powdery notes drew to a close, a very aquatic and clean smell lingered, not very exclusive, i might even say too casual to wear the name of Armani, much more similar to a pleasantly, yet commonly smelling cream based on Aloe Vera. At least it is not vile and synthetic, not as uselessly sweet, sporty and fruity like other easy-to-wear, casual underage wearer-type, "young" colognes like Aqua di Gio or Hugo. This one is a little more discreet and mature, less offensive, yet poor lasting power and far too neutral to have an attitude.

I had many doubts about this scent, due to its huge fame, thinking: not another cheap smell sold under an expensive name. At first, i didn't smell anything- it reminded me of a very neural scent and almost of an ouourless substance. Before i ended thinking about this aspect, it became even worse- i had the feeling of smelling like overheated tea, with lots of honey in it, very little weak herbal essences used for tea and much more honey. But even this impression flew away fast and what remained was a pleasant aquatic drydown, which was comfortable to wear, yet was not much more specia tha the aquatic scents by fellow Japanese label Kenzo( to whom this one strinkingly resembles) or the equally well-known Boss Elements Aqua.

First i avoided this scent due to its agressive marketig, speculating a gay connotation for commercial reasons, even more campy, vulgar and unrestrained like the Calvin Klein adverts full of provocative sexuality and androginous gender. I'm not much into the idea of a sailor or an old fashioned bathing suit as a sexual fetish, especially not when it comes to scents.
Besides, the association with a sailor or a bathing suit made me believe i had to expect an aquatic fragrance, light and refreshing, exahling a watery, ozonic, unpredictable sensuality( changing like the waves and tides of the sea). I couldn't have been more wrong, as this one is so extremely macho and dry,up to the point that it reeks. However there is one thing reminding of the sea, i always had the sensation of being on a ship full of spices, exotic fruits, strange essences, raw materials, all genuine, bot most of them in a very brute, bare staste, that is before the refinement and experience of a skilled hand turs them into exquisite perfumes, meals or objects, even slightly daying, towards a hint of moist wood.
One the down side, this perfume is heavy with vile, synthetic smelling notes, alfway between cheap sandalwood incense sticks frankincense( which make the air in very stuffy and suffocating curch intoxicating) and the swaety tones of many hyper-cheap sythteic sweet surrogates trying to smell like tobacco( just check out Cuba, Cigar etc. and you'll find out)- oddly even this disturbing part seems to be harmonious, as cheap incense and cheap, sweat tobacco imitation are fit for each other.
However as i waited i discovered its good half too, inspite of the initial deterrance, i also identified very equisite, yet quite onedimensional notes of spice, it felt like all of the loads of exotic merchandise were transferred to a very high-end kitchen belonging to a wealthy old-school residence. Raw, powerful notes with an almost edible feel- vanilla, cocoa, even a hint of cappucino, coffee or other hot drink spiced with cinnamon, generic wintery essences used to enhance punch, caramel and toffee. All of these in a very puristic and surprisingly masculine interpretation, the sweetness being counterbalanced by a pungent, dark bitter note of berries, wood and pepper, slightly resembling the overtly Oriental Opium PH launched in the same year. It still got better towrds the end, the notes of Tonka and Amber giving adding to it partly a hint of old cognac like Escada for men, partly an ambery, leathery, very carnal, very smoky-powdery, almost tobacco like gothic ending, reminding me of powerful, excessively, addictively masculine creations like Tabac, Old Spice, Aramis Azzaro,Caractere, Drakkar, Heritage and Rocabar. I defintaely have to try it out again and judge it more carefully, it is not a confortable, nor a predictable scent for me and further analysis might keep lots of pleasant and unsavoury surprises waiting, changing my rating towards significantly higher or lowers values.

As i said before i am not a fan of sporty scents, but this one is very good for its cathegory and price. Plain, but decent, warm and sweet, discreet and comfortable to wear.

Sporty and casual scent at that's about everytinhg. I tried this in the hope of finding a scent which would change all my previous knowledge of scents, but there was nothing special or innovative about this one. Maybe better for younger users.

Stylish subtle scent reminding a bit of a male version of Laura. Tranquil aquatic notes, a restrained, balanced and well placed sweetness, a fruity opening, a very fresh and clean middle part, clean and cooling, followed by a refined woody ending. Still, i'm deterred by its lasting power on my skin, inacceptably poor for this price cathegory. On the other hand, i am fascinated by the artistic box and bottle, hinting both at the allmighty, irreversible mechanism of time and timeless values- thus matched perfectly with the name. One of the best creation of 1999, standing for the spirit of that year and that decade in an innovative way, emodying tasteful and well interpreted modernity and unforgetable distinction.

While the female version is an exquisite, but slightly heavy Oriental, this one is surprisingly fresh and more one the aquatic side. Airy and discreet citrus notes, even a touch of salty, humid air. Pungent and astringent up to the point of being antiseptic yet much lighter than Roma Uomo, a scent which i also love, but which may not be as light and easy to wear like Venezia Uomo.

Back to my school days and the dancing classes when all my teeage female classmates wore this one, not only because it was ridiculously affordablde, but also because it was considered high-fashion due to a regretable herd instinct. What can i say, extremely sweet, as if it was soaked in cheap vanilla and caramel essence, essentially girly. After a while it smells only of unidimensional sweetness and thus becomes unbearable, with an unfortunately long lasting vile aftertaste.

Tough not my taste when i first smelled it, i remember its notes- which by the way smell genuinely oriental and not like some cheap by-product- with great delight. It reminds me of the days when i didn't use any perfume at all( partly because i was to small, partly because i wouldn't have fancied , especially Oriental , scents, irrespective of age)but now this strictly platonical reminder of a chance never taken makes me a little nostalgic, especially since this one was discontinued.

Much more pleasant to me than other sporty fragrances, i genarally avoid this cathegory, yet this one smells more than nice and has a good lasting power. Fine sweet notes, very ozonic and cooling, tough a little neutral towards the middle, and very precious spicy, almost Oriental touches towards the end- which, to my surprise, don't smell synthetic, but even more expensive than its actual price cathegory. Even the bottle is innovative, practical and handy.

The only fragrance by Calvin Klein i truly enjoy. I just love the mandarine and other citrus notes which create a very serene, pure and stylish atmosphere. Clean-cut tour de force, before Klein started creating many disturbing " modern" fragrances which led the concept of modernity on unbearable experimental ( or rather failed experiments) levels.

Extremely sweet, not a discreet and barely perceptible sweetness but a heavy touch of caramel. Not incidentally a pink bottle...pink like box of very synthetic and completely unilateral candy. Overdown sandalwood, extremely powdery and extremely strong in the bad sense of the word, like Amen or Lagerfeld classic, all of these reminding of very stuffy and very repulsively sweet sandalwood incense with a hint of extremely sugary, otherwise almost tasteless soft-drink with excessive artificial sweetener. Besides, in larger quanities, it becomes even more unbearable.

Very grassy and citrus smelling, somewhat woody- especially cedar and leathery. Nothing unusual but comfortable, mild and so-so lasting scent, calm and relaxing due to its predictable developement.

This is one of the few female scents i resent not being masculine or at least created also in a masculine version. Exqusite, preciously refined Oriental notes, also the illusion of space the name promotes. And of course i love to see and feel it worn by women.

Usual aquatic scent, neither synthetic sweetness nor mediocre lasting power like in other more expensive ones, yet lacking originality. Affordable daytime wear.

Stylish innofensive and very puristic experience, both the name and the price reminding of Gillette cool wave, but mouch more complex and subtle. Ozonic, minty and slightly tobacoo smdelling freshness, almost with a hint old English essence of coolness and elegance , something in the style of English Blazer, but even comparable to Davidoff Cool Water tough not that plain, but also dark masculinity in the style of Drakkar Noir yet less offensive and more discreet.

Ambery and warm leathery scent, so 80's but catching and sensual after it was first launch. I would still war it todat, but again i'm biased ecause i love ambery scents.

Don't be fooled by the name, as it is much more formal than i could ever imagine, almost that refined and multilayered as Joint.

This one is the highest rating i'll ever give to a male scent by Avon and the reason is simple- tough even here the synthetic notes correspond to ist inexpensive cost, it still reminds of many more upscale classics of chypre scent like Chevignon, Boss Elements and Agua Brava. Decisive and puristc, however somewhat unilateral woody notes, joined with a volatile hint of green, vetyver and spice. Slightly powdery and unimaginnative, excessively woody finish, but allround not bad.

Instead of classic with a twist... a modern fragrance with a classic twist. Inexpensive, but clean and somewhat formal, even heavy towards the end, due to very powerful woody notes. If it weren't that synthetic it would be pure bliss for the lovers of no-nonsense male scents. And one more thing, shouln't be confused with the androgynous Uomo by Moschino which is pretty much the opposite of this one.

While the female version is an unusual masterpiece of lightful, ozonic high-quality elegance, the male version is unispiring monotnous. I could barely recognize ny notes and to make matters worse it was highly vapid and short-lived. Forgetable experience, bearing in mind that not all male scents as a reworking of female versions are bad- even spectacular if i think about Opium pour Homme.

Inspite of very frequent criticism, this one does not smell bad at all. On my skin it seemed very masculine, maybe a bit overpowering, but impressive, potent and dignified. I guess the heavy touches makes this scent so unpopular, touches which on most skin types might become intoxicating and suffocating. But one must understand that it is the generic 80' s leathery style, very dark and somewhat macho, yet not lacking class and originality. Maybe an unfamiliar Boss scent, considering- with the exception of the chypre notes of Elements- its usual cutting-edge, slighly unisex sweetness.

Generic commonplace citrus fragrance. Not bad, but the fairly similar Eau Sauvage is more masculine, complex and long lasting. A good choice for the fans of neutral daytime wear, inoffensive and very business-class, very professional, therefore also a little unsurprising, official and cold scent. But the variety of existing, classical and conservative citrus male scent, i think that Armani, Gucci, Faconnable, Paco Rabanne, Dior and others brought a much more creative and complex contribution to this fairly simple formula.

Lush, modern yet indecisive. Armani is brilliant even due to his original eau pour homme. This hypermodern creation shows a certain feeling of inflation, of inspiration crisis by Armani. But actually, inspite its lack of personality, the scent is not bad, yet a little overdone on the feminine, sweet, playful side and a little too fruity-floral extravagance. Pleasant soapy, aquatic and clean touches, which i enjoy, but fail to impress me because you don't have to spend your money on Armani, cause you find them in a better, more value for money and more subtlety and class in 90% of most contemporary male scents.

Exquisite, but no difference whatsoever to Roma Uomo. The same powdery grapefruit- fruity sweetness.

Very Mediterranean, i can alost smell an eau de cologne- style mix of lavender sweetness and citrus acidity.

Another failure of the Banderas- Puig collaboration. First i loved this scent, as the first impressions reminded me of Roma Uomo and Boss Bottled due to the strange, understated, powdery, almost baroque sweetness, the fruity spicy, rich warmth, but once these elusive notes faded away, another, more nasty and intoxicating sweetness remained. Like in Diavolo, overdone synthtetic vetyver imitation with and excessive piney touch, however that dissimillar to piney smell, that a pine-smelling
car-freshner seems more natural. Among the Mediterranean notes there is nothing reminding of the Meditteranean, no aquatic, chypre or citrus notes, reminding at best of the sandy beaches on a day of undearable heat and sweat, sand, so much sand and such hot air, that one might choke on it- the same happpens if one uses
this scent. The commercial starring Banderas in person is equally a failure full of empty promises.

Nothing diabolic about that, i expected a goth scent and got a cheap synthetic essence rminding rather of a bunch of crazed, ill-smelling monkeys throwing around with coconuts rather than the prince of darkness. Affordable, but worthless imitation of exotic fruit, poor, overwhelmig replacement of vetyver- and bear in mind that i am a fan of vetyver scents and the sensation of forest and herbal notes they create, provided they are high quality, this resinous, warm touch- which, by the way, is completely sweetened and overdone here, reminding of old macho types and their tons of low-quality tobacco and hair oil exhaling from their dated clothes and greasy hair. Besides this, the feeling, wich one unfortunately gets in even more upscale "tropical" scents like Kenzo Jungle, of being drowned in a bath of sweeeeet coconut oil by an army of monkeys. This
one is the last way i would picture a " satanic" smell, which would have to be, in my opinion, more sophisticated and multidimensional, and a good proof that Banderas( even if he just borrowed his name in order to cash in) should stick to movies.

Great package, predictable scent, given the name of the designer. Not bad, it is good value for money and interacts well on my skin, however i can't distinguish it from other typically Spanish and Mediterranean scents: in it you find the mixture of grapefruit and powdery notes from most Paco Rabanne scents, mingled with a hint of spaghetti- or pizza flavoruing herbs from Agua Brava, especially laurel. Even if neither grapefruit with a powdery drydown nor laurel ar listed as ingredient, the impression of both remained in my memory.

Pure Cartier luxury! Fine bitter- yet not an overdone bitterness- reminding of cigars, dark chocolate and orange zest. Unique spicy toches bearing the same slight bitterness, reminding of fine woods with a mossy, powdery, resinous and incense twist. Yet much more than bitter notes and very refreshing citrus touches and many other complex, elaborate notes. Not for everybody as luxury goods as dark Swiss chocolate, cigars and Cartier jewelry are not for everybody, even not for evrybody who affords it- to appreciate its high-end and sophisticated twist is a matter of individual taste. A genuine declaration of indivdual, at the same time impeccable, taste. Wondrous surprise for 1998, when most male scents and male fashion took a far too feminine twist anticipating mileenaristic& minimalistic metrosexuality- this one being the exception: the trip back in time towards a hint of good old days of opulence, however also with light, refreshing, solar daytime quality.

In the beginning manly and subtle, afterwards a little synthetic and cheap. Too many artificial notes imitating goog leathery-tobacco smell. Maybe too swee and powdery- but it might work on my skin if a keep on trying and testing this one.

I didn't expect much of this one, but if it was not for the dissatisfying lasting power, it would be excellent. A reminder of other aquatic scents like Kenzo pour Homme or Boss Elements Aqua. Fine, refreshing, relaxing fruity touches and, of course, aquatic features, with a partly woody, partly balsamic drydown, maybe even a touch of white lilies, lavender and lychees- apperantly strange for a male scent, yet oddly fitted into this one. If it would last longer, it would score higher among my favorites.

While the original from 1955 is plesant, this one alters a fairly good classic into an unbearable, ill-smelling parody. It's so typical for 1998- extremely sweet, awfully synthetic and somewhat soapy. The piney notes from the original have become bearably recognizable in this one. Pathetic and useless revisitation of a classic.

Tobacco fragrance, somewhat similar to Drakkar Noir and Very Valentino. Extremely sensual and passionate, it resembles many typical 80's male scents by Armani, Gucci, Chanel, Worth, Van Cleef&Arpels, Daniel Hechter,Boss,Loewe,Fendi, Guy Laroche- all of them having a fine leathery touch. A bit better, in my opinion, than Drakkar, because it has an extra leathery quality in it and genuine, costly, lavish Oriental notes. Certainly spectacular as a formal, overtly old-school scent. I don't just love it, i'm enthralled, puzzled by this one. Sheer divine decadence!

Today it might be little weaker and with a changed formula compared to the 1964 original. Nevertheless, if you find the classic Brut, not other modern altered visions of it, it's at least worth a try, if not even more. I love about it the Woody and Mediterranean touches, with a harsh, uncompromising, tobacco ending. Pure and stylish creation!

Surprsed to see so many good ingredients listed here, as i don't feel almost none of them in this one. Cold, not just plesantly cooling, up to the point of being boring and neutral. I can't believe that men actually still buy this today, it smells like the generic WASP All-American male. Maybe comparable to the cheap disaster Bleu Marine by Pierre Cardin.

Critized by many for being dated, i pulls off a decent job on my skin. Maybe i'm a little biased because i'm mostly into classics, but i love piney fragrances and i feel that this one was underrated because it was affordable and also quite old. Besides piney notes, it smells mossy, green and also with an oily, bitter touch of resins. One major disadvantage in my opinion: the substandard lasting power.

Generic leather scent. Melancholic and dark, yet much better than the usual bad press of an affordable scent. On my skin it developes an Oriental touch. Stylish evenening fragrance.

Enthralling box and bottle of superb touches of classy, many elegance, uncomplicated, yet pleasant content. Chypre style classic with a twist- the modern part about is that i could smell all the four elements in an interesting, challenging way: fiery tones of spice, airy notes of fresh grassy toches, earthy feeling of vetyver, cedar and other woods, amber and moss, aquatic touches of citrus and even light, clear floral touches. A true poem dedicated to the senses, not dissimilar to th already modern classic coming from the same period called Chevignon Brand for men and even to Eau Sauvage and 4711( tough less old school than these two).

I already felt that Agua Brava classic had substandard lasting power, but this one is even more vapid and short-lived on my skin. The scent is not bad, however it adds nothing to the alredy saturated range of aquatic scents. Even if the price is tempting i rather refrain from it and spend more for more sophisticated aquatic scents, if i truly feel like buying one, like the ones by Kenzo or Boss.

I'm not so much into Rochas scents, but this one is pleasant to smell, even if not to be worn; at least not by me. A little too much sweet, honey and winter-spice notes for my taste, but otherwise a nice combination. Another scent reminding of incese sticks made of sandalwood, yet not as offensive like A Men, with whom i would compare this one due to the same powdery, syrup quality, even if i like this a little better. Mixture of sweetness and dark notes also resembling of Allure Homme and Hugo Dark Blue, even a little fruity pineapple, apple touches in Boss Bottled style. Just can't decide if I should start using this one or avoiding it completely.

Even if it is a feminine scent, this one haunted me when i first came in touch with a tester. It stands up to its name, being the quintessence of Roccoco style in a bottle. I would certainly like my female date/ partner to wear this one. It has a certain pink feeling, but not that girly pink of Barbie dolls, rather more vintage, pale restrained touches of pink to be found in the paintings of Boucher and Watteau, vibrant with casual elegance, careless living, arisocratic characters, innocent and playful sensuality- even if created in 1999, this fragrance takes you back into the mild-mannered, hedonistic yet cheerful 18-th centrury. The fruity, citrus and floral touches are lush, multidimensional and addictive and, if it wasn't for a typically feminine, generous, fragile warmth it could be almost of unisex style. Almost edible, yet very elusive at the same time. Luxury and easygoing optimism in a strange, but flwless alchemy. Pity that the male version is not that good, as it seems to take the same femnine notes( without anything masculine about it) on a much more onedimensional level, smelling like most of mass-market male fragrances.

A finer version of any an aquatic scent. Relaxing yet deep and magnetic, like listening to some addictive, repetitive tune bey Somke City- especially " Underwater Love" or to the song by Blank&Jones bearing the same name while being stoned and then trying to find an olfactive equivalent to these musical masterpieces and the sinful perfection of stepping out of reality. It smells also a little like the herbal, ozonic Horizon, creating the same sensation of wide open space, of fresh yet pleasantly perfumed air. This one stands for the inspiring, innovative style of the 90's scent( many of whom went wrong, while this one turned out just balanced and right, bearing that partly avantgarde extravagance, partly the return to basics that makes some nineties' male perfumes stand out). Might be compared as a mixture between Horizon, Cool Water( still much better than the Davidoff scent), XXL by Daniel Hechter, Gillete Cool Wave, Insense and Kenzo pour Homme- bearing a certain likeness to all of these unequally abled( some of them brilliant, others just plain) msculine marine scents.

Much too sporty for my taste, even if actually smells plesant. Plesant, that means nice, fresh but uninspired. I'm quite familiar with the Boss scents and this one bears almost not difference to the fruity, almost feminine, sporty-casual style Boss is displaying in most of its recent scents- so it's pretty much the same if I use this or Hugo, Bottled or Hugo Dark Blue instead. Only one difference, Hugo is far more woody and spicy, while this one could make a nice aftershave or foambath , but not much more than this.

Named like the most seductive and womaniying of the three musketeers, this scent is the iconic symbol of romantic wear. Maybe little dated due to the bay leaf-smelling notes against a musky-ambery background( even if the finish is mossy containing also vetyver and apperantly no amber or musk at all, these two ingredients tend to be very powerful on my skin), but not totally due to the smell of Aramis, rather the way it was copied all over in wide variety of more recent-and ofter cheaper and more offensive scents- in eau de cologne-style perfumes, in dark, in leatheary creations. The drydown is somewhat onedimensional and even a little too goth and instinctual on my skin, nevertheless, even the most intoxicating tones are high quality and very sensual and masculine, provided that the wearer tolerates them. But there is also a pleasant, astringent crisp hint of citrus, giving it the leathery style the mix of green and yesty notes are mixed with more fleshy and spicy warmth of wood, moss, ambery, musky tones.
Maybe its dated features should not be juged too strictly, as the combination must have
been a revolution for 1965 due to its novelty. It made way for other groundbreaking creations of leathery and mossy male fragrance, remaining something of a basic( and therefore risking, like most basics, to become no-nonsense
and puristic up to the point
of being dated). Nevertheless, a good choice for the fans of old-school romantic wear and dandy style, almost certainly too heavy, too non-negotiably, fundametalistcally conservative for younger users.

Oh...they say don't imitate innovate: this truly was an innovation of bad taste reinvented. The "dude" among scents, far too superficial and easygoing in order to be taken serious. Horrid colour, unpleasant smell with overdone tones of apple and artficial, ill-smelling apple pie. The only good thing about it is the bottle, quite an interesting concept for that time. But ever since it appeared it has become even more shallow due to its undeserved succes. Unless you want to film a sequel or spinoff to " Dude where is my car?", avoid it. Feels like if Miss Sixty suddenly started to mass-produce male scents.

first i was dazzled by the commercial, the box and the bottle, especially because, when it first came out, it was considered one of the most high-end, sophisicated and trendy male scents. However its allround value for money is fairly poor, as it smells too synthetic at a cost that would have led me to expect only the best of the best. Luckily, as time went by after it was first launched, the craze and obsession around it calmed down. Strangely, it is not allround a bad scent, but far too abstract and too little masculine, being quite indecisive, not knowing what the designer had in mind creating this.

Lush fruity-spicy combination which clearly stands out from most female scents. Fruit and spice, appearantly nothing could be more unusual, yet this one creates the feeling of space and light. At the same time addictive, quzzial and multi-layered like Fellini's timeless film bearing the same title. A siren like Anita Ekberg luring men into the theatrical, elaborate, magnificent universe like barouque Rome- the perfect scent to wear for a midnight swim in the Fontana di Trevi.

A timeless basic in a wardrobe like...grey flannel, especially a grey flannel suit. Slightly green notes, the powdery notes being counterbalanced by zesty, juicy citrus before becoming too overwhelming. Plesant cedar and mossy touches towards the end- the carefully rounded, almost iconic expression of flawless manhood and exquisite fashion consciousness. Let's hope they won't discontinue this one, like they did unrightfully to many classics.

Legedary almost like No.5 by Chanel launched two years earlier. Exhales timless class and excessive, conspicous roaring twenties extravagance at the same time. First, it gave me the impression of sitting in a chruch, as the notes of incense were too powerful and spicy. But once these notes evaporated it left the most long-lasting, unforgetable impression of precious leather and citrus notes- which is pretty much what i love and crave for in every male scent, and also slight toches of very refined tobacco and cedar. It smells like Belle Epoque Vienna, a both conservative and bohemian capital of fashion, culture and lavish lifestyle, a city which combines the riches and sophistication of both West and Orient. So get your formal wear ready and head for the annual ball held in the Viennese Opera wearing this one-you can't go wrong. Easy recongizable yet no-nonsense multilayered artwork. Even the bottle is a masterpiece.

The very name is unsuitable, because it made me believe that this one is a scent reminding of conservative, comfortable, even luxurious and slightly extravagant country-club, old money lifestyle, like Polo, many scents by Burberry's, Old Spice, Eau Sauvage, Knize Ten and other basics, yet comparing all these masterpieces to Good Life is a blasphemy and completely out of place. And i'm not biased against Davidoff scents, even if i hate Cool Water with the same devotion, i truly enjoy Relax and Zino. But this one is so esentially 1998, the year in which it was launched- a time when metrosexuality was not yet a mass pehnomenon, yet all the male scents had to be fruity and flowery in an obscene way and all the males had to be blonde, feminine, long-haired, vapid, childlishly cute sunnyboys and exhaling a half trashy, half corny Lolita-esque sexiness. It is for them, not for the males over 35 which return to the essential, basic values in life, inspite of what the ad and the concept are stating, that this perfume is for. Davidoff should be ashamed of tricking young and often immature generartion into buying pure exploitation, pure camp and supermarket quality scents. This one is obscenely sweet, that it nauseates- and i don't dislike sweet male scents for instance, Boss Bottled is sweet yet an artwork. Too many misplaced notes of fruit, of vanilla, of a huge lack of freshness and coolness essential for a male scent. It doesn't smell clean either, but overblown with heavy, unbearable intoxication. Maybe syrup or a desert should smell like this, yet in a male fragrance it is the worst idea.

Ridiculously cheap yet very exquisite, you woldn't guess that it was affordable. Leathery, ambery, woody notes, somewhat reminding of Farenheit. Very masculine, yet discreet, clean, even a little conservative, the essence of both timeless and effortless elegance at an almost too good to be true cost.

Pleasant, slighly lighter and more playful interpretation of a classic. Even if i mostly avoid modern versions of classics, this one is the true exception. It manages to smell modern and quite provocative, yet not excluding a very classy, lush old-school attitude.

Much too mass-markt and unimaginative. Tough i usually enjoy marine scents, this one rather alludes to very watered-down herbal tea, to antiseptic medicine. Besides the lasting power is very substandard and the allround impression is that of a neutral scent with nothing special about it- 99% of cheap supermarket smells are similar to this, only much better and more valu for money. Typical teenager scent, trying to be hip and conformistic at the expense of good taste and high quality. Besides, it tends to become, alongside with a few others, a cologne that so many people wear, that it becomes far too commonplace. Snobbish failure with agressive, but tastless marketing and undeserved succes.

Straightforward, no-nonsense style. Extremely classy minty-herbal cocktail, neroli oil and cooling cedar notes. Conservative marine scent.

Sophisticated and a little showy, like Bulgar jewels and luxury watches. When tried on paper it seems nice, but very mainstream. On the other hand, the interaction with my skin much better, especially after a while. On me it smells like a strange combination between the fruity sweetness of the newer scents by Boss and the more high-end elegance of a masculine classic by Gucci or Armani. Essentially Italian, tough lacking citrus notes- powdery and almost honey and vanilla notes at first, followed by balsamic, vetyver and piney/ woody drydown. Starts very unisex and fruity/aqatic/ozonic,
at least on my skin,becomes very conservative and very masculine towards the end. Unlikely combination? Unlikely but perfectly combined.

This classic is to some dated, to others still a flawless masterpiece impossible to match by anything else. To me I guess it's the wearer who makes a difference- I've known women and girls on whom it smelled dated and plain, on others on whom it performed miracles of style and attraction. Like all luxury objects, like all status symbols it should be used with taste and moderation, as it is far too elaborate, formal and conservative to match the everyday outfit, even an elegant everyday outfit. If used in the proper way, No.5 improves its iconic, legendary status along with the age.
A truly refined balance of very French floral notes asnd timlessly elegant Neroli, musky sweetness and the sparkling, lightful warmth of vetyver. A classic to be handled with care and constanly reassesed, rediscovered.

Not bad at all for an affordable scent. Very masculine, very energetic, with a darker twist towards the finish. Uncomplicated, direct yet magnetic self-confidence. Like most Adidas scent it starts with a sporty, fruity-citrus combination, yet this one is completed by an unexpectedly classic woody
almost Oriental and leathery touch due to some both dark and lush spicy notes.

Not as elegant as the classic 1881 and not as sensual as 1881 Amber, still smelling like some odd combination between these two. Watered-down and rather vapid but not necessarily a lighter version of 1881, it lacks the clean freshness of a summer fragrance due to way too powdery, soapy sweet notes. Good idea/conceot, decent yet unipressive result. Stick to the conservative chypre-Mediterranean high-end 1881 if you want to avoid the postmodern eclectism of this one.

Opulence in a bottle. One male scent different from the frequent leathery-citrus recipe, it includes notes wich seem more appealing to the taste rather than to the smell. Floral and fruity notes, subtle sweetness almost up to the point of being feminine yet remaining masculine down the line. After these lightful, solar notes folllws a hint of Orient and spice, something like vanilla without being vanilla, however a very soft, very subtle version of the otherwise mostly heavy notes of Orient and vanilla-centered spice. The name matches the scent perfectly, as this one exhales luxury, giving the sensation of ending up at an elaborate formal gathering in the palace of Versailles during the time of The Sun King at the peak of his absolute power and brilliance. This extravagant masterpiece is certainly the center of attraction at very elaborate social calls if combined with evening/romantic/vintage wear.
Vibrant fruity and solar fragrance not dissimilar to some lush, sweet-spicy creations by Hugo Boss like Bottled and Baldessarini( both exhaling refined touches of exotic fruits, vanilla, tonka and bitter-sweet spices).

When i first tried this one, it smelled quite elegant and inviting. Little did i know that later on it will leave a dissapointing memory on my skin. Tough i am fan of classic, almost dated leathery male fragrances, this one is in my opinion clearly for (very) old men. A rather unfortunate version of the 80's woody-lathery cologne, which usually led to numerous masterpieces in one single decade. Sharp notes of mint and herbs which are failing to be fresh and cooling, rather being overpowered instantly by far too powdery and oily, almost cheap-smelling, almost dusty base notes. After the very sparse marine notes have dried down, an excess of seemingly synthetic touches of very unilateral and unimaginatively used wood, overdone, inotixcating vetyver and pine( like pine-smelling household cleaner. Why a netral instead of a down rating? Well out of respect for the original Worth pour Homme, as i don't own a bottle like seen in the basenotes main page of this scent, but a restyled( and look what they did to Vetyver by Guerlain after updating it) version, which might be nothing but a cheap, watered down, synthetic interpretation of a flawless classic. I also vote neutral because it initially smelled promising when i first tested it and therefore the interaction with my skin might be the reason for my later dissapointement.

A classic scent, somewhere in the middle of citrus and Oriental notes. It reminds a little of Chanel Pour Monsieur, maybe a little less conservative and more floral. Speaking of floral notes, besides citrus and oriental ones, the lavender and even the rose notes are quite easy to recognize. Fairly good scent yet dated due to its stuffy and unilateral floral notes- sometimes it smells like a strange combination between powdery notes and cheap rose-water or watered-down lavender essence. Quite inferior to the more complex, more poetically sophisticated and more charismatically masculine follow-up Ungaro III.

Strange and powerful fragrance. My dad used to own it before it was discontinued. I remember it was very sweet and almost intoxicating and very musky, somewhere in between caramel, tobacco, smoke and leather. Dark and strong, a somewhat indecisive mix of many owerpovering notes. I don't know if the king would wear something like that, as it was created after Elvis's death.

Nothing special abou this one, yet not bad either. The typical "neutral" scent, it is inconspicous and evaporates extremely quick. Cooling, refreshing, clean yet rather plain.

Herbal, minty cutting-edge creation. Crisp notes of grapefruit, refreshing and light.

This scent lives up to its name. Slightly aquatic, almost herbal spicy notes, marine freshness with a darker, woody-ambery touch towards the end. Even if i'm not a fan of Davidoff, I definately appreciate and enjoy this one.

Affordable yet pleasant. Too bad they discontinued this one.

Inspite of the cheap, affordable price, this one truly smells unforgettably unique and creative. From the fisrt moment i was enthralled by this one. Fine woody notes with a balanced touch of vetyver and tonka. Finally a scent with the proper quantity of tonka bean, this indgredient being properly highlighted without excessive sweetness.

Inotxicating up to the point of a headache. Much too heavy, unbearably agressive and one dimensional. Powder and syrup in a bottle, dated and unimmaginative.Photo is much better.

Slightly sweet, slightly bitter- but that's about it. Still a nice try, good concept, maybe if properly refined and improved in a few years this currently quite unusual idea might bring plesant surprises.

Romantic and light, but maybe a little too floral and too short lasting. Fresh and uncomplicated.

Monaco and the entire Riviera in a bottle. Fine citrus acidity, yet not offensive, only a slightly sharp and crisp touch. Gentlemanlike to the last drop, smells elegant without excessive, agressive notes.

Teenage sexiness?Hm...the scent is extremely 2002, very teeny and extremely metrosexual. Immature, excessively avant-garde(but way to off-beat), and strangely it reminds me of cherries, in
various ways. Cherry syrup, cherry essence,cherry
candy- not even genuine cherry, but some cheap, watered-down synthetic substitute.Maybe its because of the tonka beans, Hugo by Hugo Boss already showed how this essence can be misused.
All the other notes, so various as they might seem, are impercetible.

Tough blamed by many as sweet, unidimensional,far too intoxicating, it actually interacts well with my skin. It not only lasts but it also developes pleasant notes once applied. Partly herbal and minty, partly smelling like pine and dry leaves, patrly dark and leathery towards the end. Slightly old fashioned yet not dated, tough maybe a little too formal to be worn on a daily basis.

Wow!!!!Truly a scent that stands out from the bulk of today's fragrances. While the name lists cedar as main ingredient, i seldomly found scents wich are using the potential of cedar with such elegance, subtlety and class. Besides cedar, it includes several other flawlessly crafted notes, yet so subtle and complex that I can't identify them easily. The essence of modern elegance and taste- tough very trendy, it does not necessarily follow the mainstream ,though light and subtle, it lasts too, tough stylishly woody, it never turns out too heavy, tough refreshing, it doesn't lack mystery. An unlikely union of all paradoxes of perfume, a both technically and creatively crafted masterpice. Pure timeless genius!

Much better than the watered-down sweetness of XXL. A fairly good daytime scent, clean, uncomplicated,yet its particular woody-spicy warmth is a little underdeveloped.

Inspite of its name, not quite a casual everyday fragrance, rather a dark evening scent.
I can't understand why his unusual scent was so often underrated as cheap, mainstream and predictably shallow. It actually oozes mysterious warmth, yet without being sweet. It starts of as a very Italian scent with chypre notes, but gradually developes into something dry, slightly camphorous accumulation of darker woody, musky and powdery notes.
The finish is very sophisticated and dark, half-goth, half-dandy style with notes that almost remind of incense and incense sticks, aged whisky, cigar smoke and black tea.

This scent is the very statement of sporty, uncomplicated yet essentialy masculine elegance, just like the timelessly famous Lacoste poloshirt itsself. Crisp, uplifting freshness wich is perfectly matches with-what else-genuine Lacoste sportswear.
A true modern classic, ideal as a summertime fragrance.

Unusual interpretation af an Oriental scent, just a touch lighter, more floral, fresher than the
usual Oriental mixture. Very mascline, a vibrant, plesantly subtle cologne in a very artistic bottle wich reminds of exclusive Cartier jewelry.

Unlike the chillingly, neutrally antiseptic watered-down Cool Water or the much too sweet balsamic notes of Good Life, Zino Davidoff is truly a fascinating male scent.
Dark leathery notes, a hint of tobacco, a proper quantity of musk, vanillla and wood mingled with lighter touches of citrus and herbs. Carefully crafted robust evening scent, slightly heavy but well balanced after a few minutes. Exclusive partly chypre, partly Oriental mix of timlessly masculine notes somewhat reminding of lavishly costly Davidoff cigar. A true indulgence, especially if combined with an equally indulgent formal evening wear.

Classic yet daring and somewhat(in the good sense of the word) eccentric evening wear-scent.
Classy and pricy exclusive Oriental notes mingled with warm woody and spicy features.

Fresh, yet somewhat effiminate aquatic fragrance. Yet not bad for the fans of the genre.

Reminds me of a slightly cheaper version of Boss Bottled. Not bad, but too much of a teeager scent, much too casual and far too sweet for my taste.

First a little too floral yet gradually more masculine after several minutes.

Stylish creation smelling like a crossover of half Chevignon Brand and the classic 4711. Very aromatic, loads of Mediterranean herbs, chypre, sandal-and cedarwood,lavender and lemon notes. A groundbreaking revival of old school luxuriant scnts, exhaling a definitive, yet sophistcatedly subtle and classy masculinity.

Like it was said before: luxurious. Luxurious like the brand it stands for. The perfect choice to wear while driving a Jaguar. Very British, very exclusive.

Sweet, so called exotic scent that lives up to its name. Loads of sugar, some notes of tea with lots of honey, but above all an intoxicating smell of coconut. Like coconut-flavoured chocolate bars melted down into a cologne.

Smells like classier and more subtle version of well-known aquatic scents like Boss Elements Aqua(which is in my opinion very good too). Sparkling refreshing "green" notes, not only watery, but also slightly
ozonic, lightful,gentle and pleasantly inconspicous on te wearer's skin. Perfect casual wear, day- and summertime scent.

Very puristic classic scent yet not easy to define. A little earthy scent almost reminding of stones(tough most stones are odourless). Cooling, discreet, rather intellectual and conservative than playful and eccentric. Rather different and clearly a touch more classy if compared to nowadays trends in male fragrance.

Like other 80's male fragrances(Tsar, Fendi uomo, Anateus, Salvador Dali, Drakkar Noir, Farenheit) this one is very leathery and rather heavy, suggesting also a dark and powerful masculinity. Rather for formal and evening wear, complimenting perfectly the autumn and winter wardrobe. The box with its ambery, slightly melancholic touches of colour remining a little of an Ungaro III box, yet not that elaborately luxurious, while the dark brown minimalistic bottle of almost impenetrable glass is harmoniusly fitting the content- like wine or perfume bottle from yesterday, containing very old and precious essences.
While the first notes might seem agressively smokey, powdery and both too sharp and too sweet, it gradually developes a much more cooling, subtle woody, mossy, sligtly green-citrus leathery touch.

A very opulent scent, just like its name and designer. Smells expensive, reminding of a very distinguished sort of gentlemanly elegance.

Dark and lush like an unexplored exotic territory. I don't know why so many people don't like it, i suppose it's the too heavy tobacco note. Actually it's a quite good scent, it's ingredients being high quality and well combined.
When i first got a bottle of it was so enthusiastic about it and almost instantly i felt much more sensual and attractive than ever before. But i also discovered another quality of Drakkar- for me it worked extremely well as an aid for oncentration and intellectual work. Its heavy, smoky tones must have an almost spiritual, mystical aura. Besides it's not only dark notes- as i smelled more carefully, i discovered a very
subtle, cool and soothing touch of the finest lavender.
Today i'm
still aware of its true value, even if my tastes evolved significantly.

I rember this one as very cheap scent that smelled good..and quite expensive. The typical chypre pattern- beginning with citrus and ending with notes of amber, musk, patchouli and cedar. This one smelled very little synthetic and even developed a partly tobacco-like, partly woody, partly-incense like leathery touch after a while.

This scent named like tha sailboat from Daphe de Maurier's novel "Rebecca" is just sheer perfection on female skin. I love this smell on women due to its timeless perfection and accomplished balance between light floral notes and heavier Oriental ones.

A more rustic and earthy scent by the conservative house of Knize. The good old Knize leathery style with en extra dose of mossy, fougere and balsamic notes.

Pleasantly cool and not overreacting with sweetness like other aquatic scents, but not to offensively, too acid, green herbal freshness either- more like a balanced combination between these two. Modern, very lightfull with only a barely perceptible and therefore refined touch of musky warmth. Simple, clean yet sensual freshness, remindg of sea and sand and perfect for summertime, casual and everyday wear.

First rather sweet and dark for my tastes but actually more bearable than the original Hugo which seems to have overreacted with notes of tonka and vanilla up to the point of candy sweetness. This one however is slightly more aquatic, a touch more fresh and cooling, and even the sweeter notes are more subtle and more elaborate.

A fine and unpretentious everyday scent, rather cool and icy with stylish woody tones. Much better than its actual-very affordable price-discreet, soothing and strangely refined for its low cost and allround casual low-maintenance.

My first encounter with Esencia Loewe was rather unsavoury in during the first seconds its drops touched my skin. At first i felt something far too oily, alchoholic and suffocating, even more than with other scents-considering that almost every scent produces such reactions at first.
But after it interacted with my skin for a while i fell in love with the chypre notes evolving towards an almost smokey woody-leather background, with a touch of conipherous resins, vetiver and pine and all the green-camphorous warnth broght about by these three ingredients. The classical citrus-cedar combination is here almost as accomplished as in the case of Eau Sauvage and some timeless masterpieces of chypre by Armani, Gucci and Paco Rabanne.
So typically Spanish and Mediterranean...

Chypre, slightly Oriental, heavy with spicy and ambery notes. Very masculine beginning with the unusually massive and puristic bottle. Warm, balsamic masculinity overtly opulent and sensual up to the point of becoming romantic and extravagant. Therefore suitable and almost craving for dandy-style, flashy and slightly vintage evening wear. Strong and lightful, sparkling and glowing with lush yet not intoxicating balsamic and spicy notes. Underlines simple, straightforwardly energetic masculinity as well as elaborate stylishness- there's just something for everyone in this aromatic scent.
A bit like Aramis, Heritage or Azzaro pour Homme due to the chypre notes.

Understated elegance almost bearing a touch of intellectual restraint and discretion. A scent which is not powerful and overwhelming, rather exhales a mysterious and sophisticated yet confident masculinity- the one that rather being macho, is discovered gradually.
Unusual, not commonplace, combination of tobacco with cooling notes that remind of fougere and mint. Sober, unpretentious, calm elegance like a timelessly stylish suit. Cool, almost icy, yet impeccable understatement.

The adversisement promises that this one separates the men from the boys. To be a little ironic, I rather think that it separates luxury, elegance, pomp from the daily grind.
Pleasantly extravagant for a mature scent supposedly for mature men. A Mediterranean chypre fragrance with a more fruity and playful side towards the beginning and a slightly powdery ending. Somewhat like the equally Baroque, lush and elaorate Roma Uomo. A must for pleasure seekers, aesthetes, artists and art collectors, dandies and bonvivants.

Syrup like sweetness reeking far too synthetic for a presumably expensive designer fragrance. Somewhere in between sandalwood incense sticks combined with cinammon and ginger spiced candy. Some call it bold and trendy, but it smells immaturely playful and juvenile.

I liked this unisex scent its very strong grapefruit notes against a powdery background.
Now I percieve it as an odd combination between something to volatile, and something too strong.
A shame that the pungent grapefruit notes fade to fast, while a too intoxicating, almost choking, scorching sweetness remains.

It smells like an improved version of Acqua di Gio. Oddly, even if i don't like Acqua di Gio i just love Quasar. The fresh fruity-aquatic notes are carefully and pleasantly balanced without degenerating into excessive un-manly sweetness. The other ingredients are not so obvious, but balance perfectly this light, vibrant fragrance.

I love the herbal tones of this scent created by the mixture of laurel, vetiver and piney notes. However there's a big dissapointement: being affordable, not to say cheap, it cleary doesn't last. I can't understand
why a scent which combines chypre notes in a pleasant way is so volatile.

Toothpaste rather than aquatic freshness besides far too sweet. To make matters worse it will not last even after applying loads of it. Cheap, worse than supermarket-quality scent. With a little luck neither its wearer nor anyone else might feel it.

Somewhat resembling Boss Elements Aqua. Nice smell, fascinating freshness yet doesn't last enough as it tends to wear thin after minutes or, in the best case, half an hour.

Smells like a more feminine interpretation of the classic 4711. Very confidently crafted citrus notes, a chypre scent for the ladies, with aquatic freshness. Perfect for the summertime by the Mediterranean seaside.

Uncomplicated, pleasant cedar chypre notes. A great everyday scent,an understated, decent, effortless to be and smell elegantly.

Nice but a little too sweet. Aquatic and tropical doen't necessarily mean sweet.

The name is simple, powerful, catchy, the scent is a good interpretation of modernity- very trendy and still very uncompromising, very original, never too predictable or common.
It starts with notes like a tasty cocktail of apple, pineapple and vanilla, but embraces gradually more powdery, woody notes, very spicy and dry, almost camphorous shades of untypically pepped up sandalwood and cedar, with a warm and herbal touch of vetiver.
At first this sensory rush puzzled me and seemed way to modern, but once the notes took on a more masculine and dry touch it became clear that it doesn't lack style and attitude. One minus is the fact that it tends to act a little too dry and warm on my skin, like the scorching heat of a summer in the desert. Still, it makes up in originality and lush masculinity trough its quite unusual, partly fruity, partly vetyver-spiced-woody, splashes of freshness.

This fragrance is here to stay!So essentially vintage yet not dated-it's an almost iconic collector's item.
The bottle is elegantly spared of redundant detaills, while the perfume is so different from timely and vain trends. Rich, slightly heavy, very gentleman-like, just like i would imagine the smell of expensive and rare tobacco. It is a trip back in time almost like the conservative
creations by Muehlens or Yardley, it also resembles some creations of these two famous houses.

One of the few fragrances which i don't like subjectively, yet i recognize its value. Even if it's not my style, i can still appreciate its extremely high-end ingredients leading to a compelling, even if a little too
intoxicating woody-balsamic symphony. Pretty good if used by someone else, maybe it isn't suitable for my skin type. A lighter version of it might still be worth a try.
Still, excellent for the fans of typical 80's scents, rather dark, slightly leathery, not a "nice" but definately a sensual, almost provocative experience.
Another quality is that it lasts quite long and pleasantly, it might even linger on one's pillow after a night out wearing this.

A little sweeter than Rebel, a little more vanilla yet based roughly on the same Mediterranean notes. Very sensual, very trendy all in an artistic assymetrical, geometric bottle.

Oriflame had its ups and downs, but Rebel is truly a masterpiece.
It is a classic , almost acid chypre-citrus-leathery scent, almost comparable to the couture classics of the genre. The name doesn't promote antisocial oranarchistic values, it rather reminds me of the classic 50's silver screen rebells like James Dean or Marlon Brando, whith their leather jackets, clean-cut denim, half mod half rocker attitude and impossibly to imagine without a Harley motorcycle or a sporty vintage roadster.
It smells leathery and reminds me of leather. First dry ,sparkling lemon and herbal notes after a while richer wooden, musky, cedar notes leave an almost Baroque, solar feeling on my skin.
The classic citrus-cedar-chypre-leather combination brilliantly revisited. Even the bottle is classic, puristic and highly decorative due to a slightly vintage design, making me want to keep it long after the fragrance was used.

Great concept, dissapointing result. This scent is supposed to be a somewhat lighter and cheaper version of Acqua di Gio, it should be young, aquatic and bearing an almost unisex fresh cleanliness. It does smell good but it lasts way too short. Neverstheless the box and bottle are very young , modern and minimalistic, the price is very affordable so one might be easily tricked into buying it. On the other hand, even if the sensations are either vapid and short or far too sweet, it has very pleasant notes too: aquatic and citrus-fruity tones which make it suitable for hot weather. Suitable only to refresh, nor to truly smell good and for a long time. Maybe good only for the ones who want to smell that discreetly, that their fragrance is an entirely private thing, never to be sensed by anyone but the wearer.

Great bottle, great scent. Very refreshing, juicy and relaxing citrus notes, notes of mint and herb, finished by a touch of wood and leather.
An classic allround fragrance, an uncomplicated idea for smelling fresh and good effortlessly.

The female version is considered by some women repulsive, while very few daring ones actually use it. But the male version is better than i expected- truly an Oriental classic , intoxicating, addictive like its name. Interesting spicy and woody notes, besides this unique fruity touch reminding of berries also to be found in the female version.
Inimitable French style, sesuality and romance.

Not as special as its classical version,
yet slightly lighter and more modern. Maybe an interesting change if one is fed up with the original, still i'd rather stick to the old Eau Sauvage for a more puristc, straightforward, conservative even if more dated sensation.

Strange yet not unpleasant challenge of traditional male gender roles. Rather a concept fragrance, an unusual experiment than the classic formal-wear cologne. How do they manage to render rather sweet, smoky, powdery, creamy tones of chocolate, scented exotic tobacco, caramel and toffe, with a touch of incense and brandy so masculine?
A revolutionary scent that will render your everyday life(if you decide to wear it regularly) into anything else but daily grind, into a sweet-spicy adventure or joyride.

Like in the case of Horizon Spazio Krizia creates a sensation of wide open, unlimited space
both through content and name.
The refreshing citrus-chypre tones are young, natural, dynamic but also elegant and stylishly discreet. Shame, pity they have discontinued that.
Why do they do it to all brilliant scents?It's so unfair.

Fascinating female scent, almost suitable for a man. Oriental essence in bottle of sober, subtle simplicity almost reminding of Drakkar- both the bottle and the content. I would certainly like to see a woman wear it.

A true all time classic. Superbly crafted lemon and grass tones, slighlty woody and mossy. Even the box and the bottle exhale an impeccable, somewhat nostalgic, opulence. The typical conservative mature gentleman's cologne.

It smells like a true artist and genius, everything from the botttle to the content itsself being as unusual, controversial and fascinating as Dali himself.
It was the first brand brand scent i ever got and i was only fourteen by that time- needless to say a little too dark and sophisticated for that age, nevertheless i enjoyed it because it was an unusual and challenging debute in the world of perfume for me. It definately sparked attention how a fourteen-year-old can smell so strangely dark and mature. It was very good value for money too because the quantities i had to use were very scarce in order to smell quite strong.
It is more than just "dark", "satanic" or "goth", it has also very subtle chypre, wood and spicy notes, though clearly exotic it tends to be partly compelling like an Oriental fair full of strange, almost mystical fragrances, partly abstract like modern painting.I could effortlessly picture the bottle among Dali's canvases with melting watches and burning giraffes.

I was fascinated by this one from the very first tim i tried it on my skin and afterwards i remebered the sensation for years.
Truly a modern classic, a simple and clean delight, making the best out of he classic, appearantly unspectacular wood-citrus combination. Fresh, bold yet very elegant, oozing effortless refinement. Almost reminding of conservative country-club, partly casual, partly luxurious old America or Britain, somewhat like Polo or Burberry's, complete with the mood of tennis or golf players, polo matches, oldtimer cars, classy leather jacktes and accesories, navy blazers, garden parties.
Smells also slighly aquatic, an almost Mediterranean touch of sea and sand, while wearing it a few people even told me that i smell of a cool and a little salty sea breeze.

This scent is both dark as a goth and stylish like a dandy. Solid, conservative elegance with a touch of Drakkar style warm sensuality, yet without smelling cheap or provocative.
Besides Drakkar it reminds me of Salvador Dali pour homme, that wonderfully mysterious and complex chypre scent.
A true highlight in a gentlemen's wardrobe, maybe not suitable for casual clearly different from far more expensive scents wich often fail to be that stylish, as this one easily manages to be.

I received this scent as a gift from a female friend and i must say my expectations from Fendi were a little higher. Too much leather and musk but a very narrow and uniaginnative variation on these two major themes. On the other hand slight, yet far too underdeveloped hints of spice, herb and bergamot seem to stop thfar too heavy, dark notes to become too nauseating.
It is very long lasting, but strangely it's not an advatage, as everyone aound you can smell it, bot mostly only the too heavy notes which they all associate with rather too sweaty, too smoky, too old-fashioned male scents(and subsequently think it would only suit a macho).Worn with a dark suit, it would render almost anyone far too conservative and far older than the biological age-the unspectacular, prude combination of neutral colours seems just made for this fragrance.
Yet the bottle is a masterpiece, if not the content, at least the outer presentation reminding of a stylish designer bottles of an Armani or Ungaro scent.
The content..well, on can see esily that all the ingredients are high quality and even smell expensive, yet are completelyunusualy combined into something bewildering and far to unsophisticated.
They should have conterbalanced its heavy parts with lighter, more juicy and herbal notes.

The cognac note is just brilliant, making this Oriental scent far more subtle than other quite similar fragrances. Besides cognac, it also seems to have a slight touch of cigars, but cigars before being smoked- all the variety of scents high quality tobacco is exhaling.
Being classic, it is certainly suitable for an evening with a glass of cognac and an expensive Cuban cigar!

A gurantee of qualty as old/timeless and as decisive like Napoleon, one of its most famous wearers, himself. Other famous clients included Beethoven, Wagner, Goethe and Liberace. This truly timeless scent is still fascinating. Simply, yet elegantly tailored, the few basic ingredients show what an immense potential plain ingredients like citrus fruits, lavender and Neroli can reveal if used properly and in right proportions. This scent was, i think, the first masculine fragrance ever i almost involuntarily connected(like Proust's memories of scents) with tasteful elegance and luxury. It's simple and yet so perfect in its century old formula. Like a literary or artistic masterpiece it exceeds time and space due to the genius of its soothing and stylish freshness. Extremely versatile, suitable for all genders, ages, seasons or dress-codes due to its light, inconspicous stylishness. So discreet that it may be almost worn by those who are completely intolerant to fragrance yet want something so light that they might still smell good without being incommodated by their scent.
A perfect gift for any age group, any occasion, this historical document adds a touch of eternally fashionable elegance to the most common moments of everyday life.
Its easy recognizable yet innimitable notes are as crisp and sharp as in 1792- the magic and the high quality
remain unaltered in the face of time. While other scents failed, this veteran, this old gentleman is here to stay.

As good or even better than the more famous Drakkar Noir. So different from Drakkar, it seems to illustrate the saying that a scent is not made to weaken the morals
of the opposite sex but to streghten one's own. Though it's not vapid, though it lasts, it is so discreet that it seldomly transcends the privacy of its user. A very uncommon herbal scent, extremely light yet with a slightly sweet, almost woody-balsamic note towards the end. But before that a very ozonic and refreshing succesion
of both mint-herbal notes,clean and soothing, at the same time masculine due to their watery-earthy energy. An almost indefinable mix of energetic citrus and complex(oily, acid, sharp etc.) aromatic notes.

Powdery, almost candy-like at first but gradually developing into an ultimate extravaganza of warm, slightly bitter-weeet tones. A very remote hint of Mediterranean fruits and spices. This scent promises to render its wearer elegant and sophistcated like a Roman aristiocrat or a puzzling masterpiece by Fellini. While these promises are somewhat diffucult to relate to, they are at least partly true- this scent captures the sensation of a hot day in Rome, with all its rich colours and fragrances, with exotic merchandise from all over the world, with the theatrical grandeur of its old buildings. A tribute to Rome, dramatic, lush, the powdery touch almost reenacting
the sensation of old walls and ruins in a dusty, overheated climate- like these old buildings it bears both a sensation of indefinable frailty and timeless persistence of old imperial luxury . Both fragile and monumental...

Classic, yet not dated.This is one of the scents i was first very reluctant about, yet ended up by liking it more than i ever expected to. Overtly powerful and lush the first impresson is rather heavy, but refined lavender and "green" notes turn it into a high-class experience. A true conservative
French classsic, thus almost exclusively for formal wear(either the office or the cocktail-party wear) great for men with rather old-school tastes but also a great alternative for the younger ones who want to try out something more of a basic. Not an allrounder, but a faithful,suitable companion during
distinguished social calls. Rich, dignified yet always subtle, as being constantly aware of its immense yet discreeten, non-violent force.

An amber fragrance may certainly not suit everyone's taste but 1881 Amber will almost instantly spark admiration, contoversy and attention around its wearer. It clerly stands out from other fragrances and even from other amber-based ones, but it is also almost classic due to its impeccable high-end sophistication.
The rose and pepper notes make this scent rather heavy, creating an almost oily sensation, but just
before becoming too sweet or feminine, the amber notes and very refreshing ones(which i wouldn't describe as fruity, citrus or herbal like most male scent "freshners") rescue this compostion in the last minute, making it only as sharp and icy in orther to uphold its masculinity.
Sharp, icy an amber scent- yes, though very remotely, but this one has a very long finish similar to a very old exquisite wine which needs long and careful tasting in orther to reveal all its richness of flavours. This fragrance needs time, a generous interaction with warm portions of skins,maybe minutes, maybe hours before the user discoveres its wide variety of different shades of amber. But once used at its full potential this scent will be as full of ambery, musky and other exotic delights like an Oriental garden from a fairytale. Simply addictive during hot summer evenings and adding mystery and sophisticated(never sleezy, never raunchy)
sensuality and (never vulgar,overdone) extravagance to almost everything from naked skin to the most high-end custom-made suit.
One big prcaution- never wear excessive quantities, already infinitesimal ones will turn its wearer into a center of attention and..attraction; yet a slight drop to much will shroud anyone in heavy cloud of amber recognizable(and rather overwhelming and overdone) within meters away.

A real surprice at low cost. When i first bought it the price almost deterred me, thinking it's too cheap too be high quality. Yet it is both very refined and persistent, unlike probably anything else in it's rather low-price cathegory.
It's very aquatic, the first impression being very antiseptic and relaxing somewhat like a good-quality soap or showergel. But after a few minutes it evolves way beyond the sensations of a
refreshing shower into more musky, slightly sweeter and spicier notes yet without losing its essentially masculine elegance. A very inspiring and simple, yet anything else than commonplace male fragrance.

A very pleasant surprise, it actually smells so classy and with such understated elegance that i would associate it with an elderly, impeccably dressed, polite and maybe aristocratic British gentleman rather than David Beckham-it certainly reminds me of generation slightly older than his.
Very robustly crafted clean astringent lemon notes against a warmer, slightly woody-mossy background. An almost "green" scent reminding a bit of peaceful, harmonious English parks and gardens

I can understand perfectly all the ones who can't stand this fragrance and i can't see while is still is such a magnet for females. Unlike most of the Armani scents, most of them being innovative and spectacular just like their creator's unique personality, this definetly reeks like cheap supermarket aftershave. It is far too sweet, to feminine for being a male fragrance, too many misplaced fruity-floral tones.
Strangely enough it has become sort of a trademark scent of snobbish and expensive, yet not necessarily tasteful social gatherings- the perfect scent if yoy don't want to stand out in a
hypermodern club or disco full of young people who all dress and smell identically.
Maybe good for teenagers who like to dress very casual and even a little too sporty tastes. A good companion for esentially teenage popular culture- a little too casual, "sweet", "cute", "sexy" yet soooo conformistic and at the same time bearing the hollow pretense of high class yet giving the illusion of easy, informal living.

Jacques Polge is a true-blue genius. It is one of the "better half" of Chanel scents- while quite a few Chanel failed to impress me, this one is undoutedly brilliant! It has this smooth tobacco notes which are never too heavy or sweet and in comparison to other tobacco-leather
scents it exhales so much more than tobacco. Fresh and herbal tones are perfectly matched with the heavier ones. Sophisticated and very concentrated. I wore only few drops of it one winter evening and my entire appearance changed, adding a touch of elegance and high class to my appearence and a state of pure bliss and wellness to my state of mind, my mood. These few drops lingered afterwards pleasantly for a long time both on my skin and in my mind. It is a typical French-made scent so utterly opulent, dashing, witty,
hedonistic like French couture(especially by Chanel) will always be.

The best male fragrance ever!!!

Eau pour Homme, along with Ungaro 3 by Emmanuel Ungaro, is my absolute favourite scent.
It's the ultimate stymbol of timeless elegance, simple stylish and just perfectly crafed. Suitable for every male seeking effortless and flawless class. Its rich citrus flavors combined with a hint of Mediterranen herbs,chypre notes and cedarwood remind me of an Italian Seaside
or French Riviera landscape from the first olfactive contact. It's exactly the scent i would picture a dandy aristocrat like Don Fabrizio from Lampedusa's novel "The Leopard" would wear- it reminds of a lavish reception in a Baroque palace or a summer in Monte Carlo. That doesn't imply though that this scent is exclusively for old, very sophistcated or wealthy, very formal or eccentric men. It's suitable for almost every man which wants to smell refined and discreet- the rich variety of tones makes almost everyone find something pleasant and inspiring in it, irrespective of age, walk of life or geographical area. You probably can't
wear it with jeans and t-shirt, but it certainly matches everything from business wear to the most glamurous tuxedo or white tie.
While the deeper, more woody and spicy(yet never to heavy)tones make it ideal for
evening wear and colder seasons, the refreshing citrus tones in the beginning also match it perfectly with daytime wear and summer.
The right scent for somebody who wants a clean and conservative cologne, even for somebody who just started to experience with scents and wants to find the right thing from the first time.
Armani Eau pour Homme is the ultimate and unquestionable statement of tasteful luxury and circumstance, just like Rolls-Royce cars, Dom Perignon champagne, Swiss watches and chocolates, Cartier jewels(and is almost surrounded by the same mystique and influence in popular culture like the status symbols just mentioned). The unconspicous everyday companion and the perfect company for very rare and special moments and occasions.