 | Bois de Cédrat by CreedA dreamy, beautiful, rich citrus. Not much cedar in the house, but who cares, when the overall citrus concoction is this perfect? Sparkling top notes, rich middle, smooth drydown, all wrapped up in a sophisticated, richly historic setting. Highly recommended. A short-lived scent, but you'll happily and lavishly reapply. By far one of Creed's best. 8th August, 2011. |
| | Green Valley by CreedI get strong, vivid images of fresh cut grass, wildflowers, a sunny day on a hillside pasture. What's not to love? It's an amazing spring/summer scent. Works well at other times of the year too, when you want a flashback to a beautiful spring day. Rumored to be discontinued, I can only say pounce on it immediately. It's a very good investment, even if you just want to use it all up in the next few months. Easily one of my all time favorite spring/summer scents. 7th May, 2011. |
| | L'Eau Serge Lutens by Serge Lutens Les Salons du Palais Royal ShiseidoIt's easy to understand why Serge Lutens fans have a tendency to be disappointed in L'eau. It's not another of his spicy baroque fantasies, to begin with. Complicating matters: it is rich, subtle, and complex, but it takes several wearings before its finer qualities come to the forefront. Yes, L'eau does seem like a high-quality laundry scent at first - and that is very welcome by some fragrance fans, no doubt. But interesting and subtle effects emerge with repeated wearings. There's a clever "burnt starch" element, some pleasant and pungent florals, various fresh effects, and the whole thing is delivered with amazing clarity and longevity. L'eau has been disparaged for linearity, but the linearity strikes me more as a loop than a straight line. Various elements take turns at the forefront all day long. I find it very entertaining, a perfect scent for office wear, or whenever I want something subtle, sophisticated, and versatile. Hard to imagine a situation in which this superior clean and fresh scent would not be welcome. If you casually dismissed it after only one or two samplings, give it another try. Needs to be sprayed, not modestly dabbed. 20th April, 2011. |
| | Chêne by Serge Lutens Les Salons du Palais Royal ShiseidoA beautiful and unexpectedly perfect rendition of the scent of fresh-milled oak wood. That's not a scent I ordinarily would have coveted, but once I sniffed this beautiful and unusual masterpiece I was immediately hooked, as in "Where have you been all my life?!?" Sampled via the encouragement of Basenoters, who were right yet again. It is easily one of the best of the Lutens line. A clever masterpiece. Sold as unisex, but it seems way more on the masculine side to me. So glad I shelled out the cash for this one. It's one of my best buys in a long time. 6th April, 2011. |
| | English Fern by Penhaligon'sHappy 100th anniversary for this beautiful fragrance! It was love at first sniff for me. Basenoters' descriptions nailed it perfectly. I knew I had to have it after reading the BN reviews, and have not been the least bit disappointed. It's a superb British dandy fragrance. The packaging is beautiful, the juice itself bespeaks history, culture, good manners, and every time I wear it I feel so witty and charming and well-dressed. Few fragrances affect such a deep and instantaneous level of satisfaction with me. Modestly priced for such a classic. Highly recommended to any discerning fragrance fanatic. A touchstone in any well-rounded collection. 6th April, 2011. |
| | Sartorial by Penhaligon'sIt's supposed to tell a story via intricate layers of fragrance. Well, here's the story: once there was a cute, flirty salesgirl behind a fragrance counter. A guy said, "Hi, what's new?" Later, he woke up with an $80 credit card bill, and a tiny bottle of Sartorial. 15th March, 2011. |
| | Woodhue for Men by FabergéI bought a bottle of the new version, and it reminds me a lot of the vintage ladies version circa 1966. My mom wore it a lot. I like it. It's pretty short-lived. Maybe not quite as rich and long-lasting as the vintage ladies scent. 18th September, 2010. (Last Edited: 26th August, 2011.) |
| | Héritage by GuerlainBlind buy of the EdP version, and it's so fine, so rich and complex, a perfect balance of sweet and spice - I'm afraid to try the EdT, since it could only be a letdown after this. Apply sparingly, but don't worry about longevity or sillage. You'll have plenty, and then some. IMO it's a bit too pronounced for formal business situations, unless you use only a microscopic amount. Otherwise, it's a fine one for a night by the fireplace. Warm, rich, spicy - an extemely high-mileage fragrance. Superb bang for the buck. Highly unlikely you'll smell it on others, either - though I could imagine the women in your life stealing a quick spray now and then. It would smell ravishing on beautiful, confident woman. 5th September, 2010. |
| | Dior Homme Cologne by Christian DiorHighly recommended. I get lots of compliments on this one - more than the EdT and Intense versions even. As others have noted, it's close to the EdT, but a bit more citrus and fresh. It's very, very good stuff. The relatively short longevity (I get about an hour of decent top and middle notes) is both its charm and curse. You will be compelled to re-apply, guaranteed. If you're a fan of layering, it makes a good first course - skip the EdT and dive straight into Intense for your second layer. So rich and inviting for an EdC. It's among my most-recommended fragrances. 25th June, 2010. |
| | Dior Homme Intense by Christian DiorSuperb. The best of Dior Homme, all knobs turned up to 11. It's a lingering, haunting, gourmand version of Dior Homme. The vanilla is turned way up, and it's very, very pleasant. Makes a good late evening fragrance, perfect for a quiet night at home. My wife loves this one on me. I love it for just about any occasion, though I keep the application on the discreet side for office wear. Dior Homme Cologne [not the same thing as Dior Homme] is highly recommended, too. I even like the deodorant. Not so fond of the bland, citrus-y sport flanker. Overall, though, a home run. Wish they made a bar soap to go with it all. 29th May, 2010. |
 | Escape for Men by Calvin KleinEscape . . . more like "Flee" as in move away from this as quickly as possible. I wore this early on, when it was new and I didn't know better. It might be the sort of allergic reaction I get to this one. Hits me like bug spray - red, watery eyes, acrid chemical smell that burns a little. Can't imagine what I was thinking when I first purchased it. Maybe the fruity-chemically thing struck me as new and trendy and hip at the time. Now it strikes me as atrocious chemical meltdown. Can't do it. 21st March, 2010. |
| | Aqua Velva Ice Blue by WilliamsIf you're looking for the "good" version of Aqua Velva, try Alfred Sung Hei. Love it. Seems very similar to me, only higher quality, and a bit more smooth. Pleasantly short-lived, too. Just enough to get the classic "daddy" effect, not so much that you're gagging on it four hours later. Apply wiht caution, though. Even though longevity is short, the initial blast is strong. 1st March, 2010. |
| | Chergui by Serge Lutens Les Salons du Palais Royal ShiseidoAn extraordinary sensual treat. If you like warm, spicy, sexy, dark sugar sweet -- don't think, just buy. I am completely knocked out by this brilliant composition. Rich and complex - those two words don't even begin to describe. . . 19th February, 2010. |
| | Acier Aluminium by CreedIt's beautifully complex. Sweet and a bit spicy. I don't get the metallic note at all. Instead I get the fruity/warm/spicy accord, and it lasts for many hours. Lots of compliments on this one. It took some getting used to, but now I can't imagine not having it in my wardrobe. Should work best in cold weather, but strangely, I fell in love with Acier Aluminum by cadging a quick sample or two at the Neiman Marcus in Honolulu. Love it so much I know it's really a no-no for warm weather wear, but I can't help myself. Just tone it down on the application. This one is a silage monster. 5th February, 2010. |
| | 212 Men by Carolina HerreraWinner of the "Smelled Good In The Store, Smells Horrible On Me" award. Turns into a hideous chemical hazard zone. Must stay away. This one, and Armani Mania, are the two most abrasively chemical scents I own. Both seemed like reasonable choices for office/business wear when I was purchasing them at a department store. Both remain in my wardrobe as shining examples of "don't do that again." On the plus side, 212 and Mania started me on the road to better quality fragrances. I now know to stay away from this year's mass-produced molecules. For a particularly horrid experience, try 212 deodorant stick, featuring a fragrance highly reminiscent of airplane glue. I'm sure all this works for somebody, somewhere. For me, it's red, watery eyes, and wash it off as quickly as possible. Beware if you're sentistive to highly synthetic fragrances. 30th January, 2010. |
| | Pasha by CartierOne of my top "ready for business" fragrances. Beautifully balanced, slightly spicy, a bit green/fresh, a touch of mint. The "fresh" summer version of Pasha plays up the mint even more, and it is indeed a treat for warm weather wear. I have had many, many compliments for wearing both original and summer-version Pasha. Highly recommended for anyone who wants a sophisticated, masculine, clean scent. A consistent go-to fragrance for day and evening when the dress code is business or dressy. 29th January, 2010. |
| | Windsor by CreedReceived today, initial thoughts: subtle, could be construed as linear if you aren't paying close attention, good longevity, silage OK. Top pine-lime-gin accord (in that order) seems more interesting and complex with repeated sprays; at first, it can strike you as kind of flat, and nearly synthetic. The evolution to middle rose notes is subtle, and very welcome. Upon initial sampling, I was not blown out of my socks (as one might hope to be at this level of price and presentation), but it grows on you. Packaging is top-notch. Deduct the price of the luxe atomizer (refillable, I believe) and the cost is more in-line with Creed's upper-end offerings. If you're a Creed collector, high-end scent fanatic, or just insanely curious - well yes, go ahead and buy it. Most likely a good investment if you buy/sell/trade, but chances are you won't be able to part with it once you give it a couple of wearings. 24th November, 2009. (Last Edited: 5th March, 2010.) |
| | Néroli Sauvage by CreedIt's true - varies substantially by batch. The sampler I tried in a store had a big citrus blast, with a woody drydown. Raves from people who smelled it on me. The bottle I received online has very litte citrus, and it's heavy on a woody/grassy middle. Not entirely unpleasant, but not what I really wanted. I have a feeling that the bottle I received online is old. I'd recommend buying only in a store, and only if you can test the actual bottle you're buying. 2nd January, 2009. (Last Edited: 18th January, 2011.) |
| | Cologne by Roger & GalletA bright, atomic, synthetic-smelling orange topnote. It dries down in a somewhat linear manner, though green herbal notes come up, along with a bit of musk. Surprisingly complex in the end, given the comes-on-strong top notes; maybe a touch of ambergris? Approximately four hours from beginning to end of middle notes; basenotes hang around for up to six hours. Very attractive packaging. Beautiful bottle. Apply sparingly; one of the only colognes my wife told me I was wearing too much of, and I generally limit application to two squirts at most. Most likely formulated as a spring and early summer fragrance, I find it works OK on chilly winter days, too. Avoid on sultry summer nights. It's unisex, but I'm guessing it's a little on the sweet side for a lot of men. It's a good mood-lifting fragrance for occasional use only. 2nd January, 2009. |
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