Reviews by Bartlebooth

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    Bartlebooth
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    rating

    Habanita by Molinard

    Habanita certainly deserves the mass genuflection that it seems to have received – but more for its survival through nine decades than any great production of quality. It has aged poorly, and in its present form and formulation it is very much the musty anachronism I hoped it would not be.

    The opening gathers you up and acquires significant momentum, but sadly topples over into an unacceptably harsh beginning. Although the floral element is noteworthy, it is never more than collaboration, a guiding hand through a difficult genesis. The unsullied vanilla note is evident early on, and the bittersweet accords it produces throughout are at best agreeable, but certainly nothing to delight in.

    It probably has a slightly more prominent Y chromosome, but at no stage would I classify it as being gender specific. In its favour, it is modestly priced and readily available, but Habanita is certainly no oil painting. A prolonged wearing has certainly stemmed any purple prose that I may have expended onto this page, and instead it leaves me dulled and disappointed

    14th January, 2012.

    rating

    Askett Absolute by Askett & English

    The classic cologne genre is a difficult one to excel in - the swelled numbers of also-rans are a clear indication of that. Although Absolute is unlikely to be added to my gold standard list (top of which are the Acquas of di Parma and Genova), it would be unfair of me to criticise something that is balanced, affable, and eminently wearable.

    The early notes are probably the least enjoyable phase for me, as the presence of mandarin in almost any accord is likely to sour my experience. That said, its influence is minimal, brief, and does not derail a decent citrus opening. Subsequent phases are nuanced, on occasions lightly herbal, and underscored by a pleasing blossom sweetness. Concluding with an ambient wood and musk base, the subtle shifts of emphasis to this point are satisfying if not compelling.

    Absolute is a largely inexpressive fragrance, but as a modern interpretation of a classic template it undoubtedly succeeds.

    11th January, 2012.

    rating

    Cuir Mauresque by Serge Lutens Les Salons du Palais Royal Shiseido


    This Lutens entrant into the land of the cuir is nicely polished and comes with an interesting evolution. However, given my preference for extravagant and expressive leathers, Mauresque's lack of charisma renders it something of an also-ran.

    It is an introduction of considerable promise, with an accord of unabashed leather and light floral sensibility. As it evolves, it softens, and an early introduction of amber is a temperate hand on the tiller. Despite the general trend towards comfort, there are a number of interesting flourishes along the way. It feels richer in the heart notes, and on occasions feels slightly dark, charred and sticky.

    Regrettably, as a whole, Mauresque is a little too reticent for me, and as long as I have Knize Ten within easy reach, owning a bottle of Cuir Mauresque would be a considerable indulgence

    7th January, 2012.

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    Vetiver by Lorenzo Villoresi

    Lorenzo Villoresi's Vetiver is probably one of the most intriguing vetivers I have ever experienced. I greatly admire its austerity, and beyond a slightly medicinal opening, it evolves into a hauntingly dry echo. The unsentimental theme is maintained throughout, and on occasions it seems to adopt an almost medicinal piety in its pursuit of ingredient and concept integrity. For those that enjoy their poison without prevarication, LVV will illuminate you; everyone else may find this a distinctly bitter pill to swallow. One might regard the four hours it lasted on my skin as a short lifespan, but it was certainly a life well lived.

    3rd January, 2012.

    rating

    Amouage Gold Men by Amouage

    My first sampling of Amouage Gold was in less than auspicious circumstances. During an especially tedious train journey, I decided to relieve my ennui with a perfumed daub of the wrists. What ensued was magnificent, epiphanous, and a treat for my rapidly atrophying brain. Not even the baleful stares of a small child opposite me - with two tusks of snot descending from his nose could detract from this wonderful experience. In my mind, I was somewhere else, somewhere in the lap of luxury, being pampered and preened.

    It does everything you would expect from a hyper-expensive niche fragrance with the soubriquet "Gold". Served up in a gold garnished bottle - it is opulent, bombastic and a celebration of excess. Although the extraordinarily dense rose dominant opening is a real breath catcher, it is a simple creation, highly polished, and exhibiting remarkable radiance. Although the evolution is minimal, Amouage Gold is that very rare beast - a male floral of outstanding quality, and not in the least apologetic.

    Gold is the consummate orator - you may not like what he says, but you have to admire the passion and the self belief

    3rd January, 2012.

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    Sel Marin by Heeley

    Heeley masterfully recreates the proximity of ocean water and beyond that a reminder of countless coastal excursions. To produce this effect without a bucket load of calone is admirable, and in living up to its title, it most certainly succeeds.

    The opening is a flat; zest free citrus experience, a shade sour, but at the same time fragile and slight. In time it does acquire density, and soon there is real warmth to enjoy, almost as if the sun were beating down on a freshly ebbed tide. As with Fleur de Sel by Miller Harris, I can admire the alchemy required to fulfil the brief, it's just that I am not exactly sure I want to smell this way. Although it interests me greatly, it does not move me. A thumbs up for the chemistry though.

    3rd January, 2012.

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    Chergui by Serge Lutens Les Salons du Palais Royal Shiseido

    Chergui feels surprisingly conformist and mainstream, and dare I say it, at times even a little anonymous. A veritable cavalcade of spices is hurled at me from the outset, but no single noteworthy accord is ever produced. Dry, spicy and even a little flat, it does soften and improve in time – but it’s more pleasing than enchanting. Even though it continues to improve well into the base, I find myself largely unmoved. It is a pleasant, tidily executed oriental, but in the end I will struggle to remember much of the experience

    3rd January, 2012.

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    Sport de Paco Rabanne by Paco Rabanne

    Sport de Paco Rabanne is by no means some trifle to be discarded into the deepest recesses of ones ottoman, but it is flawed on a number of crucial levels.

    The opening is undoubtedly an excellent creation, it's a zingy, refreshing citrus experience, complete with a comforting herbal accompaniment. Had the remaining phases of Sport been anywhere near as accomplished, I would have been in the presence of greatness - a true masterpiece.

    Although my skin is as arid and unforgiving as the Mojave desert, I do expect a fragrance to put up a little bit of a fight. Sadly SdPR has exhaled for the last time within about three hours, and by that time it has ceased to exhibit anything like the intriguing presence that the opening has suggested.It sits close to the skin, its lively attributes are all but decapitated, and the resulting blend is distantly herbal, lightly powdered, and dare I say it, a little monotonous.

    This has long since been discontinued, and I certainly am not sufficiently aroused to undertake an exhaustive search or pay the increasingly premium prices being demanded.

    16th November, 2011. (Last Edited: 27th November, 2011.)

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    Eau d'Ikar by Sisley

    A fragrance of undoubted interest, but perhaps a little clinical for my regular use. It begins with a lemon dominant accord,refreshing, peppery, and perhaps a touch oleaginous. For some inexplicable reason it brings Terre D'Hermes to mind, but perhaps more in sentiment than actual construction. Subsequent phases are a blend of piquant ingredients and occasional exotica, but it still makes me feel like an abluted laboratory assistant. It also vanishes with some haste after a couple of hours, and any base that has been constructed is simply bypassed.

    I will concede that there is something compelling about D'Ikar that bears further examination. Despite not finding the source of this intrigue on this occasion, I will undoubtedly revisit it again.

    11th November, 2011.

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    Patchouly by Etro

    Patchouli comes as a very welcome bump in the long road of Etro disappointments. The unsentimental nature of the whole experience is a real pleasure - it merely exists as a woody, dry and comforting treatment which performs particularly well when projected against a canvas of cooler weather. It's quite moorish, and gets close to recreating the slightly deviant relationship that I have with freshly creosoted fences. The patchouli is allowed to simply play off against a number of ingredients, most of which add a a little twist to the whole experience. It's an object lesson in simplicity and efficacy.

    10th November, 2011.

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    Le Petit Grain by Miller Harris

    According to the Miller Harris sales pitch, Le Petit Grain pays homage to the classic cologne. For about 95% of the time, it's a lavish tribute, a bold eulogy for the traditional and humble cologne. It is only in the last vestiges of my lengthy coupling with LPG that I become just a trifle irked at its naked form. By then it is shorn of accompaniment, and it does feel a little shrill and demanding.

    However, there is a great deal of pleasure to be derived from Le Petit Grain, and it is doing it more justice to focus on the very charming form that it adopts from the very moment it bedecks my skin. The sharp falsetto citrus feels clean, bracing and precise - and yet it still appears three dimensional.It is the subsequent conjoining of divergent orange notes that provide a bitter cable for this twisted citric flex. It is a presence that is discerned in all that is good from here on in.

    The sheer hutzpah and luminosity of the early development reminds me of Chanel's Pour Monsieur, and although it is no fragrant synonym, it is an indication of the company it is keeping. For all its potency and obvious use of quality ingredients, there remains a simplicity about LPG that ensures that the comparison with a venerable cologne can indeed be made. It takes a good hour before the background herbal elements can be properly detected, and even with that glorius citrus flex twisting through it, it adds a necessary roughness to the previously faultless sheen.

    It is rare to find a citrus fragrance having so much horsepower and stamina, and it continues to evolve, twist,and give until the very end.

    That it does finally run out of dancing partners in the last hour or so, is more of an observation than a criticism. More creations like this please Ms Harris.

    4th November, 2011. (Last Edited: 8th November, 2011.)

    rating

    Sutra Ylang by Bois 1920

    The Bois 1920 bottles have always been very easy on the eye - they look like they have been salvaged from some Edwardian apothecary. Sadly, the contents have barely lived up to the glass eye candy. Sutra Ylang has an enterprising top and middle phase, but the final stages are typically Bois 1920, and typically nondescript.

    The opening is a blend of verdant,citrus and sharp floral notes. In fact the rose and violet contributions are pleasingly vigorous, and Sutra Ylang feels delightfully amiable, spicy and sophisticated. It's a confident statement that really needs to be sustained and undoubtedly deserves a noteworthy conclusion. Instead, the blending feels at odds with the early entertainment. It's a breathless and powdery drydown, sweet and forgettable.

    1st November, 2011.

    rating

    Shaal Nur by Etro

    The journey through the house of Etro has been a largely frustrating one. There have been flashes of inspiration, but these have often been unfulfilled due to poor execution. I am happy to report that Shaal Nur bucks the trend, and is by a couple of galaxies their most engaging and satisfying pruduction to date. From the beginning it is a moving mass of notes, woody,dry and herbal, and awash with intimated ingredients awaiting arrival.I swiftly conceded defeat in trying to target individual notes, and simply enjoyed Shaal Nur's puissance and blending of diverse energies.

    As it dries down, it warms and sweetens considerably, losing the earlier tics and spasms. The sweet and happy ending is not quite as convincing as the previous divergence, but I remain delighted to have found an Etro I can embrace.

    31st October, 2011. (Last Edited: 7th November, 2011.)

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    Blanche by Byredo

    Often, I encounter a fragrance that has been designed with the express idea of coupling its wagon to the smell of freshly laundered clothing. Byredo have taken this route with Blanche, and although it at no times causes even a hint of repugnance in me, it is a rather contrived attempt to bring the essence of sun-kissed cotton to the niche market. For those that remember the original Cerruti Pour Homme, the dainty aldehydic floral accords will feel very familiar.

    It is genuinely gender neutral, though I find it difficult to imagine a suitable recipient for such a one dimensional fragrance. Perhaps a clean freak could wear it as a defence against an accusution of poor personal hygiene. This is the sort of fragrance I expect to emerge from the labs at Procter and Gamble and not from the often innovative chaps at Byredo.

    31st October, 2011. (Last Edited: 7th November, 2011.)

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    Guess by Marciano for Men by Guess

    A mall grade spice and dice fragrance that begins with a very dense and sour mandarin accord. In time it does improve significantly, with the roughly hewn notes becoming deeper and smoother. It is certainly lacking complexity and creativity, but it sticks to its task manfully. No earth moving composition here, but its probably worth the modest sum that its purchase demands. A decent autumnal skin charmer.

    31st October, 2011.

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    Bogart by Jacques Bogart

    Bogart's eponymous seventies offering is not the vigorous, stiff-necked and leather wearing hooligan that I was expecting.Instead, I encountered something constructed with care and an attention to restrained detail.

    The opening is of a vintage calibre, with a text book aged herbs and dusty lemon combination. The lemon presence, although brief is probably the only time that any note really stands up above the parapet. Bogart quickly pulls back upon the reins, and it never feels like it is ahead of the wearer in terms of potency or sillage. Beyond the opening there is a wonderful sense of blurred lines, and the notes, though subdued, feel blended and balanced. It develops a little extra bitterness beyond the top notes, and it begins to ratchet up the aridity - there is a distinctly parched feel about the entirity of Bogart.The much vaunted leather note in the drydown is tastefully introduced, it slides in under the radar, and is more of a presence than a declaration.

    All in all, I like Bogie's style, simple, traditional, and discretely executed.

    31st October, 2011.

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    Anne Klein by Anne Klein

    Anne Klein's classically composed floral marvel may speak from a familiar script, but its diction is pluperfect.

    The vertebrae that create the spine of virtually the entire experience is evident within minutes. Familiar floral components are enhanced by occasional but notable cameos. Initially it is the cassis in the opening bestowing AK with a faintly oleaginous quality, and latterly it is the almond-esque tuberose note accentuating the existing blossom sweetness. The drydown is a little more parched, but the narrative is maintained to the end.

    Anne Klein was one of the those rare occasions where my purchase became an instant investment.

    26th October, 2011.

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    Cinnabar by Estée Lauder

    The haughty Lauder ladies club countenance is swiftly discarded to display a distinctly wanton side. Cinnabar may well be the couture wearing executive from the top floor, but she is not averse to being pressed against a filing cabinet and manhandled by some clammy-handed salesman.

    Cinnabar takes a little time to slip the tether of the opening,but its classical seventies construction is certainly no chore to endure. With its clipped aldehydes and antique grade bergamot notes, it’s a high horse formality it quickly climbs down from. The conventional and indeed expected opening is supplanted by a world weariness, subtle cynicism and desire to be much more approachable. Latterly,Cinnabar is allowed to cascade into an accessible, perhaps simplistic, soft, buttery cinnamon experience.

    JHL, the male counterpart from Aramis is more anally retentive, and when I want the same sartorial formality, but with the odd casual flourish, Cinnabar is a viable alternative.

    22nd September, 2011.

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    Gucci by Gucci Sport Pour Homme by Gucci

    Gucci’s male fragrance offerings have been distinctly lacklustre in recent years, but perhaps Sport meanders closer to the winner’s enclosure than any of the current crop.

    As long as you can negotiate the rather acrid mandarin and grapefruit opening, Sport does develop into something approaching a fresh, fougeresque stridency. However, the lack of impetus and potency sees the early promise slither away. The rather predictable descent into an almost imperceptible and generic drydown fatally wounds it.





    18th September, 2011.

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    Bulgari Man by Bulgari

    Bulgari Man reminds me of a multitude of fragrances, none of which would grace my skin on a regular basis. The wafted violet note in the opening leaves give the illusion of a tea presence, but I discern little to connect it to recent Bulgari output.

    It is subtle to the point of being invisible, and is perhaps a cogent defence against fears of excessive application. Man operates within such narrow and safe parameters that accusations of mediocrity are all but impossible.

    An excessively safe, and ultimately superfluous addition to the Bulgari family.

    14th September, 2011.

    rating

    Boss Orange Man by Hugo Boss

    A predictably poor offering from Hugo Boss. Sweet, cloying, lightly spiced and ultimately unrewarding.

    The generic aura is maintained by some impressive longevity, but aside from the very easily pleased, this will impress very few.

    14th September, 2011.

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    Estée Super by Estée Lauder

    This is a review of the original Super Perfume. I was bequeathed a 15cc bottle of this earlier this year, and despite now having the consistency of motor oil, it has lasted the 42 years since its purchase remarkably well. The notes are consistent with the current EDP edition, just richer and obviously more potent. A single dab lasts a full day with virtually no diminishment of quality.

    The opening is typically Lauder, with the trademark aldehyde marker being strong, and heralding in an array of strident florals. Lily, carnation and rose notes attach a bitterness that remains throughout, but it’s not dominant, more of backdrop. I am often wary of tuberose because any excess leads to an awful cloying sensation, but here it emerges from the flora creating softness in a supremely serene drydown.

    It is easy to see Super as the template for many subsequent Lauder fragrances, but I don’t see that they have ever topped this. Simply stellar

    8th September, 2011. (Last Edited: 29th October, 2011.)

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    La Nuit De L'Homme by Yves Saint Laurent

    Reviews for fragrances like YSL La Nuit De L’Homme are the most beastly to compose. Any accurate description quickly exhausts the generous supply of synonyms for banality. Anyway, here goes.

    La Nuit is fragrant Mogadon, a vista of sweet laden accords completed with an off the peg oriental finish. Although it probably is not aimed at cynical, hoary old men like me, I am still surprised at the rope-a-dope mentality of YSL in creating something as superfluous as this. This beacon of mediocrity will clearly disappear within a short time, and I shall rue the day I wasted many minutes pecking out this eulogy to the useless.

    8th September, 2011.

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    Aventus by Creed

    Aventus lives up to the law of inverse substance. The greater the hyperbole and pretentious marketing, the less actual substance exists.

    Initially I was unsure whether it was a stream of intermittently nuanced accords, or a very safe concoction designed to appeal to the many and genuinely impress the few. Having sampled this at some length, I remain unimpressed, more so when I consider the premium being charged for such creative minimalism.

    Aventus is simply rafts of fragrant clichés lashed together to create a pontoon of banality.

    8th September, 2011.

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    Caractère by Daniel Hechter

    There is something very substantial beneath the surface of Caractere that is never brought into the open. Perhaps Hechter decided that at the end of a decade of excess, enough was enough. It’s a real shame as it is only a few clicks away from being something quite excellent. Instead, I find when I am wearing it that I am reminded of something else, and inevitably something better.

    Initially a flat citrus sheen is draped across a slightly dirty opening, but it’s quickly clear that it is obscuring a deep sonorous presence. The elongated cedarwood note that traverses the middle to late phases is likely to polarise opinion. Personally, I find it lends the fragrance a rather bland dry air for too long, and it is only when it recedes in the drydown that matters settle into a comforting leather and moss base.

    Hechter's Caractere mines the same fragrant seam as Antaeus, but without really producing the quality and output of Chanel.

    8th September, 2011.

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    Kouros Energizing Tonique by Yves Saint Laurent

    Energizing Tonique quickly breaks out of the orbit of the original, but lacks the character and quality to make a mark in its own right.

    It all begins promisingly enough, a crisp citrus opening, lightly composed and positively eager to please. However, it quickly becomes apparent that this is largely all that there is going to be. A skin dwelling fragrance that perhaps may be of use in climes featuring high temperatures and humidity. To anyone else, this variant of Kouros is largely superfluous.

    It's only likely to be purchased by relatives mistaking it for the original, or by collectors as yet unbowed by the seemingly inexhaustible supply of flankers.

    7th September, 2011.

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    Pierre Cardin Pour Monsieur by Pierre Cardin

    This is a largely classical composition, operating within fairly narrow creative parameters. The muted citrus opening is a sepia tinged antique, and it creates an air of impending dandyism. However, the general lack of potency ensures that this budding cavalier keeps his epee firmly sheathed. As it develops, it warms considerably, and the drydown is a hugely entertaining episode of soft powdery leather, and inferred sweetness.

    Pour Monsieur may be as unobtrusive as wearing a white shirt, but it also creates the same clean lines and is a modest backdrop for more ostentatious accessories. The latter stages are faintly reminiscent of a diminishing application of the original Gucci Pour Homme. It is by no means a doppelgänger, but it's still worthy of a pointed finger, and a furtive second glance.

    6th September, 2011.

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    Starwalker by Mont Blanc

    I am still not convinced that I haven't just tested a bottle of Evian. This is the ultimate placebo fragrance - you can pretend this is Jean Patou Pour Homme and boogie around the bedroom.

    28th April, 2011. (Last Edited: 13rd May, 2011.)

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    Diva by Ungaro

    For me, this in not even an extrovert let alone a diva. That said, it is a well constructed chypre exuding plenty of confidence, poise and assurance.

    It contains a prominent rose note, but not in the least bit indicative of a general floral theme. An underlying dirtiness ensures that Diva is no dainty feminine fragrance, but more a piece of individualism. The later stages see things become a little spicier, and incense adds significant depth. Despite being and EDP, it is shorn of any great potency and possesses average projection.

    This may not be one of Polge’s better creations, but it still deserves a bigger audience.

    25th April, 2011.

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    Guerlain Homme Intense by Guerlain

    Intense is probably the fragrance that the original should have been. It solves the problem of the longevity, and offers greater consistency and cohesion during the various phases of development.

    The top notes still evoke the interesting mojito note, but it is one of the few areas where the original is superior. Intense remains subdued as it develops a soft chocolate quality pre-empting the heavier wood phase to come. The dense wood presence could easily have swamped the whole fragrance, but it remains sufficiently tethered to offer an excellent finish. The bold tonka note also forces Intense to dry down with significant warmth.

    More of a true Guerlain than the original, but still some way short of the greats.

    25th April, 2011.

    Showing 1 to 30 of 405.

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