Reviews by shamu1

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    shamu1
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    Realities for Men by Realities Cosmetics

    Realities For Men really does smell almost exactly like Dolce & Gabbana Pour Homme - a powdery green citrus and spice scent for men. The only difference I can smell is that it's drier, a little bit lighter and less powdery, and less sweet than D&G, meaning therefore that I like Realities better. Realities smells like a powdery version of Irish Spring soap, and I like that.

    If you like powdery spicy scents that have a touch of freshness as well, then you should consider Realities For Men. It projects well without being offensive and you can smell it all day. It's a real bargain.

    MY RATING: 7.5/10

    6th February, 2012.

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    Sandalwood by Art of Shaving

    AOS' fragrance is a warm, rich and smooth treatment of the sandalwood note. I usually prefer sharp and dry wood fragrance, so I'm surprised at how much I like this. In fact, this is so warm and smooth, it smells like it's entirely made up of base notes. I get zero medicinal or eucalyptus smell from this, so maybe I'm anosmic to it. I also don't smell any pine, jasmine or anything other than sandalwood here.

    Though it's rich and warm, this is not a sweet or heavy fragrance at all, thankfully. Best of all, there's no vanilla! No, this is dark and dreamy sandalwood 100%, and nothing else, just the way I like it. Sandalwood this good doesn't need any fillers. It can stand on its own.

    Spray this on liberally, all over your body, and let it take you away on its luxurious cloud of scent.

    MY RATING: 9/10

    3rd February, 2012. (Last Edited: 5th February, 2012.)

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    Chevalier d'Orsay by D'Orsay

    Chevalier d'Orsay is an insanely complex fragrance, and that makes it really hard to describe what it smells like. I think Swanky's comparison to YSL our Homme is apt, except Chevalier has an overriding lemony smell, and it has stronger, longer lasting lavender. A huge pile of various herbs, citrus notes and woody notes contribute little sparkles of scent, popping in and out throughout its duration.

    The drydown is the best part - dry, bitter and slightly powdery, sort of like bitter orange peel blended with talc and moss. I smell no pine in this whatsoever, and I have a hard time imagining pine fitting in with a sunny, lemony scent like this.

    Chevalier d'Orsay has a reputation of being a "dandified" fragrance, but I don't quite look at it that way. Granted, it does have a little bit of a prim and proper smell to it, but it's not a sweet scent, it not overly powder, and it's not as stuffy or fussy smelling as some other dandy fragrances like Floris No. 89 or Jicky. I think this is a great scent to wear in hot weather, as it has a Mediterranean flair with its citrusy, herbal smell.

    MY RATING: 8/10

    30th January, 2012.

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    Bigelow Barber Cologne Elixir Green No. 1582 by C.O. Bigelow Apothecary

    I love green herbal scents, so I was dying to sample this. I had a chance to try this a second time recently, and my impressions of it are even worse than before.

    There is NOTHING green about the smell; the word "Green" is there simply to describe the color of the bottle as if you needed to be told that. This is a poorly composed fragrance with little coherence or sense of balance. It smells like bergamot-scented vinegar. It just smells sour and harsh, and that's it. This is an alarmingly bad fragrance. Truth be told: this is in reality a copy of Polo Blue, only even more one-dimensional than Polo Blue.

    Unless you like collecting bad knockoffs of bad fragrances, there is nothing good I can say about this.

    MY RATING: 1/10

    22nd January, 2012. (Last Edited: 23rd January, 2012.)

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    Baïme by Maître Parfumeur et Gantier

    Wow, Baime is a basil and green fragrance fan's dream come true! I can certainly understand why some people hate this because this is a no-bullshit, dry, intensely green scent that brooks no nonsense. Put me on the list of those who love it.

    This is an uncompromising fragrance. It takes no prisoners with its wall of green. It goes on sharp, green and earthy, with all of the facets you get when you smell fresh basil. If you don't like the smell of basil (and a lot of people don't), then there's no way you're going to like Baime. MPG had real balls to release this, because it contains no sweet or warm ambery notes to damper the green vegetation assault. This was meant for fans of green herbal scents only.

    I don't smell salad or salad dressing from this at all. I get fresh green, woody and bitter smells throughout Baime's long life on my skin. The drydown is superb, with plenty of dry, crisp and bitter vetiver keeping up the freshness.

    What a delightful scent this is!

    MY RATING: 9/10

    22nd January, 2012.

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    Claiborne Sport by Liz Claiborne

    Amazingly, this is a very masculine, almost macho, smelling scent! Underlying the standard sport fragrance lavender/citrus/green freshness is this weird warm leathery smell that cranks up the testosterone level and separates Claiborne Sport from all the other sport colognes I've ever smelled. I don't know what notes create the smell, since leather isn't listed, but it smells like leather and sweat. Combined with the strong green herbal notes, it smells great and super masculine.

    There's nothing even remotely refined about Claiborne Sport, and people surely aren't going to confuse it for some niche fragrance. However, you don't have to like sport fragrances to enjoy and wear this. It's a very good inexpensive scent that will satisfy both fans of leathery and green fragrances.

    I can't complain one bit about the sillage or staying power, as I find it to be quite strong. I can easily still smell the base notes 12 hours after first applying it, with good sillage.

    MY RATING: 8/10

    22nd January, 2012.

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    Sandalwood by Demeter Fragrance Library

    EugeniaLOL's review below is spot on, because this is an excellent sandalwood! Sure, it may be mostly or all synthetic, but it sure smells pretty damn close to real sandalwood if it is.

    This leans more towards the dry end of the sandalwood spectrum, which I prefer. There's no vanilla, amber or other silliness added to this, yet it has the complexity that is inherent in the best quality sandalwood oils. There are prickly, sharp, dry wood apsects, along with a slightly sweet note in the base (which is usually augmented with heavy doses of vanilla and amber in most sandalwoods) that remains dry. The overall effect of this scent is one of balance, woodiness and sweetness, and I find it an extremely calming and comfortable fragrance to wear.

    The sweetness doesn't really have the "creamy" quality that so many people swoon over with sandalwood, so some people might not dig this frag. But for fans of dry scents who also like sandalwood, this is a low cost option that smells great and is hard to resist. I love it!

    MY RATING: 8.5/10

    16th January, 2012.

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    Elite by Floris

    I can understand why some don't like this, but why the angry reviews? This isn't exactly a radical, groundbreaking scent.

    I agree 100% with odysseusm - this is a great herbal green fragrance. It's got the big oakmossy style of 80s powerhouse fragrances, but without the crazy sillage. To me, Elite smells like a toned down Sung Homme.

    The dominant notes are oakmoss and laurel. The laurel acts like this big warm, pale green blanket on which the fragrance lies, and when it mixes with the patchouli, amber and oakmoss, it casts a kind of rich but dry leathery pall across the entire fragrance, and that's what gives it an 80s-type smell. I do have to admit that it does have that old-cigarettes-in-an-ashtray smell that others described, and I love it.

    On the other hand, being a Floris scent, Elite has a certain stodgy, serious feel to it that counteracts the macho elements. All the herbal notes are prominent but restrained at the same time, and the whole fragrance is very well balanced. It's not powdery as most "dandified" fragrances usually are, but I could easily see Elite being in a dandy's wardrobe.

    This is one of the better green fragrances I've worn, and is a class act for sure.

    MY RATING: 8.5/10

    4th January, 2012.

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    English Leather Black by Dana

    The reviews below are correct: the fruity top notes are appealing, promising a nice fruity wood scent. However, after about a half hour, those nice top notes disappear to uncover a flaccid, characterless "scent" that I can only describe as the smell of your skin after you just showered with a shower gel and rinsed it off. Basically it's the smell of the memory of soap, if that makes any sense. This fragrance's existence makes no sense, so I suppose that's an appropriate description.

    MY RATING: 2/10

    30th December, 2011.

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    Feuilles de Tabac by Miller Harris

    I like this, but not as a tobacco fragrance. This smells like a cedar fragrance primarily, and one which focuses on the coniferous aspects of the cedar tree (i.e., the needles). I like that.

    The tobacco is only prominent for the first few minutes, when you get a blast of very sweet, wet-smelling tobacco. Very quickly the tobacco smell fades to the background, and the cedar takes over. This is one of the better cedar scents I've tried, mainly because it's more of the smell of pine/cedar needles than the dry smell of cedar wood. In the drydown, the tobacco and cedar balance out a little better, but Feuilles de Tabac remains a wood scent for the most part. It reminds me a lot of Agua Brava in that respect.

    Don't buy this blindly if you're looking for a hardcore tobacco fragrance, because this isn't it and you'll be disappointed. Fans of woody scents, however, should check it out.

    MY RATING: 7.5/10

    21st October, 2011.

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    12 by Jean Couturier

    This is a soapy, leathery aromatic fougere that starts off smelling like the drydown in Polo, but ends up smelling like a leathery Irish Spring Soap. Very leathery, very strong, and very macho, but not particularly original. If you layered Polo with Paco Rabanne, I think it would smell a lot like 12, which is not a bad thing at all.

    I like this scent a lot, but considering the relatively high price for a pretty unoriginal fragrance, it's probably not worth seeking this out, as others have said. If you can find it for like twenty or thirty bucks, it might be worth it, since it is a good powerhouse fragrance.

    MY RATING: 7.5/10

    13rd October, 2011. (Last Edited: 21st October, 2011.)

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    Dark Season by Neil Morris Fragrances

    I don't like this scent at all. I do detect a piney, Christmas tree-like note in this, but it's buried under a choking, sweet cinnamon and vanilla accord. I like dry, transparent coniferous scents, not something heavy and syrupy like this. I was expecting something so much better, considering how excellent Neil Morris' Gandhara is.

    Perhaps if this were named differently I wouldn't be as averse to it. With a name like "Dark Season", I thought this would smell like a walk through the forest. Instead, this is smells like I'm walking into a Yankee Candle store in a mall.

    MY RATING: 3/10

    2nd October, 2011.

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    Patchouli by Santa Maria Novella

    Yep, the other reviewers are right: SMN are not screwing around here. What, you don't love patchouli? Then get the hell out of here! We're not making this for you!! Even the dark brown color of the juice is scary, and this is a scary fragrance if you don't like patchouli.

    Dark, raw, damp and aggressive are the words that best describe this scent. I find it more versatile than most people, though. You can dab it on with the splash bottle, and it provides a nice, relatively discreet, aromatic patchouli scent that smells pretty classy. I'm a lawyer, and I wear this scent to Court and business meetings often. On the other hand, if you want to be macho man or smell like a hippie, you can douse yourself in this and blast everyone off the map. It projects very well and the scent lasts all day.

    This is my favorite patchouli, and I own a lot of patchouli fragrances. I love it mainly for its versatility and purity.

    MY RATING: 9/10

    27th September, 2011.

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    Connect for Men by Jivago

    Awesome 80s styled powerhouse that smells dirty, like Drakkar Noir blended with sweat and rotting fruit. Imagine if you added a little Kouros, Moustache and Zizanie to Drakkar Noir, and you get this.

    Though Jivago is an American company, I can't imagine a lot of Americans wanting to wear something this daring, retro and strong. The raunchiness reminds me of the smell of overly ripe fruit or "stinky" cheeses like Limberger or Camembert. This could be a big hit in Europe, where guys have more guts when it comes to wearing fragrances.

    This was a great blind purchase for me, A+.

    MY RATING: 8.5/10

    24th September, 2011.

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    Ferrari Uomo by Ferrari

    This is a woody leather fragrance that smells a bit generic at first sniff, but gets better as time goes on. I like my leathers heavy and rich, but unfortunately Ferrari Uomo is not that kind of leather.. Here, it's blended with cedar, making the leather smell thin and sharp. The drydown is great, with cedar and patchouli turning Ferrari Uomo into a spicy aromatic scent.

    Although this treatment of leather - sharp and dry - isn't really my style, I can't deny what a classy scent this is, and that's why I like it. It's a quiet, close-to-the-vest fragrance, with fantastic all-day staying power. It just oozes quality and refinement, and it's obvious that Ferrari spared no expense in creating this fragrance. The packaging is equally impressive, with the most beautiful bottle I've ever seen for a man's fragrance. Great work here.

    MY RATING: 8/10

    18th September, 2011.

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    Jovan Black Musk for Men by Jovan

    Now here's a fragrance I just bought and know I'll never wear again. Whoop-di-do, another grape bubblegum-scented "Black" fragrance, this time from Jovan. This smells like a much lighter version of the horrendous Stetson Black. It's synthetic, weak and has Kool Aid level sweetness. The grayish purple color of the juice is totally appropriate for this scent.

    The only musk I smell in this is a sugary, clean laundry musk in the base. These types of musks belong in laundry detergents and dish washing liquids, and they should stay there. This is why I don't like most musk fragrances. The musk in this smells terrible.

    I can't say this is completely vile, but it's so unoriginal and painfully boring, I just have to give this a thumbs down. I bought my bottle on super clearance for only $5 for the 4 oz. splash bottle, and I still feel like I was gypped.

    Jovan's Musk For Men is so much better than this.

    MY RATING: 4/10

    1st September, 2011.

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    Beverly Hills Polo Club by Beverly Hills Polo Club

    Now called "Classic", this is tied with Wings For Men as the worst masculine fragrance ever. It literally smells like a hairspray my wife uses, with natural ingredients nowhere in sight. I don't know what to call this, except a chemical woody aquatic disaster.

    More of a biohazard than a fragrance. Who buys this shit?

    MY RATING: 0/10

    25th August, 2011.

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    Patchouli by Melvita

    This is actually called "Vrai Patchouli" ("Real Patchouli" in French) on the bottle. They're not kidding, because that's exactly what this is: patchouli straight up. Because there is no amber or vanilla to sweeten this up and water it down, it smells very dry and woody, not heavy. Basically this smells like raw patchouli oil cut with a lot of perfumer's alcohol, so you can spray it on yourself without dying.

    If you prefer oriental patchoulis like those by Mazzolari, Bois 1920 or Montale, you might not like this. There's no sweetness at all in Melvita's offering, and it's not a sillage machine like those heavy syrupy patchoulis. Melvita has created a simple and discreet patchouli for people who aren't afraid of patchouli's inherent earthiness. My only complaint is its extreme simplicity, which makes it a little dull.

    Though listed here as a feminine, due to its stark dryness I think this smells more like a masculine scent than a feminine. However, women should not hesitate to check this out. The price sure can't be beat.

    MY RATING: 7.5 /10

    25th August, 2011.

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    Patchouli Leaves by Montale

    Wow, this is totally overrated. No, it doesn't smell bad, but I have smelled so many niche patchouli fragrances that smell like this - you know, the typical heavy patchouli oriental that is weighed down by sweet amber.

    Bois 1920's Real Patchouly, Mazzolari's Patchouli, Kolnisch Juchten... and on and on - you've smelled this before. There is nothing even remotely unique or inspired about Patchouli Leaves. Sure, you can smell the patchouli note loud and clear, but it doesn't take long for the leaden caramellic amber to hijack the whole fragrance. I'm getting tired of all these sugary patchouli scents that seem to cater to people who are afraid of patchouli.

    Although this is not a bad fragrance, I don't like it because it's too sweet and too boring. I like a rip roaring patchouli frag, not this wimpy stuff. This is like the perfume equivalent of a box of Sugar Corn Pops.

    MY RATING: 5/10

    23rd August, 2011.

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    Norell by Norell

    If you've never smelled vintage Norell before, then just ignore people who try to rain on your parade by telling you that the current version of it is "a shadow of its former self". What's the loss? Just smell it and enjoy it. That's what perfume is all about, isn't it?

    I've only smelled the Five Star Fragrances version of Norell (i.e., current, reformulated, "unwearable", "shadow of its former self", etc. version), and I think it's wonderful. It's a very classic French styled floral chypre - dry and bitter like Chanel No. 5, and with the depth and underlying green notes of a great chypre like Mitsouko or Givenchy III. One of the other reviewers described it as "gold and green", and I think that describes Norell perfectly. Think of Catherine Deneuve wearing Mitsouko, and you've got an idea of the kind of aura Norell projects.

    Not a perfume for teeny boppers, this is class in a bottle, for a mature, sophisticated woman who doesn't take her perfume or her image lightly.

    MY RATING: 8.5/10

    26th June, 2011.

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    Aqua Quorum by Antonio Puig

    This smells almost exactly like Polo Sport, one of the few sport fragrances I actually like. This is a fresh aromatic fougere - a sport fragrance - and not really an aquatic scent. Though Aqua Quorum doesn't smell like Cool Water to me, it's clearly in the same family of fresh fougeres that Cool Water spawned. This is a total Nineties scent all the way.

    There's nothing even remotely unique or daring about Aqua Quorum, but it does smell pretty good nonetheless. Big sharp lavender blast with citrus in the opening, drying down to a smell that is mossy, spicy and aromatic, while still retaining the opening's freshness. I like how the lavender, which is usually a fleeting note, sustains its smell for many hours. Also, thankfully, Aqua Quorum's freshness doesn't smell synthetic, and I believe the natural herbal and wood notes are what give this fragrance its zing.

    This smells nothing like Quorum. Aqua Quorum is a good purchase if you don't own any sport fragrances and are looking to add a good one to your collection without breaking the bank. It's good value for your money because it's strong, reliable, well made, lasts a long time (longer than Polo Sport), and smells good, even if its scent is generic. I like this fragrance.

    MY RATING: 7/10

    23rd June, 2011. (Last Edited: 24th June, 2011.)

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    YSL pour Homme by Yves Saint Laurent

    Big time lavender and lemon scent, with an awesome bitter, skanky herbal heart and woody drydown. The note pyramid above is ludicrous - only lemon, thyme and vetiver?! I smell lavender, sage, basil, carnation, amber, coumarin, and a lot more things in this. This is a dry scent in the classic French and Mediterranean style, and I love it. If you dig fragrances like Signoricci, Ho Hang, Monsieur de Givenchy, Chanel Pour Monsieur, etc., you're going to love this.

    This can be worn in any occasion by guys of any age, though I must say that it does project a classy, mature feel. This is perfect for a guy who wants to stand out in that "I have good taste" sort of way.

    YSL Pour Homme is for men who are serious about their fragrances. Not for wimps or guys who start every sentence with "Dude!"

    MY RATING: 8.5/10

    23rd June, 2011.

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    Chanel Pour Monsieur Concentrée by Chanel

    I have to disagree with those who say this is not a concentrated version of Chanel Pour Monsieur. This smells to me like a very concentrated version of the original, a chypre, with nutmeg added. I just don't like it very much.

    I'm skeptical of any "Intense" or "Concentree" version of any fragrance in the first place. Why mess with a classic? And so it goes with this scent: why screw with one of the greatest masculine fragrances ever made? I see no point whatsoever in making an intense version of Chanel Pour Monsieur. One of the best qualities of the original CPM was how lithe, transparent and discreet it was - like little wisps of green scent floating in the air around you. By comparison, Concentree smells like a lead balloon. It doesn't smell green either.

    Concentree is not a terrible scent. In fact, I wore this a lot in the early 90's and loved it, though even back then I still preferred the regular CPM. Over a period of about two years, however, wearing it became tiresome - mainly due to the brutal nutmeg note in it - and I never replenished my bottle. I don't expect to replenish it any time soon.

    I would still dislike this scent even if it weren't associated with Chanel Pour Monsieur. Even though I make mention of the regular CPM, my review is of Concentree purely on its own merits.

    MY RATING: 5/10

    21st June, 2011.

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    Kanøn by Kanon

    Kanon smells dated (i.e., 1960's all the way), but not outdated. It's a musky, wood fragrance that is very discreet and quiet. Like many fragrances of its era, it's a scent that you detect up close or when someone wearing it walks by you, and you get a little hint of it. This is not Aramis or Brut.

    Fans of classics like Zizanie, Ho Hang Club or Royal Copenhagen are sure to enjoy Kanon, because it shares the same musky powderiness, but Kanon is quieter and woodier than those. It's a great scent to wear if you're looking to project quiet elegance.

    MY RATING: 8/10

    15th June, 2011.

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    Rive Gauche pour Homme by Yves Saint Laurent

    Do you like Brut? Do you like patchouli? Do you like masculine fragrances that smell really masculine? Then you're sure to like Rive Gauche Pour Homme.

    I applaud any designer that has the balls to release a fragrance like this today. Rive Gauche is a total throwback to the 1970s, when big fat spicy aromatic fougeres were all the rage. If you've never smelled this, imagine what Brut would smell like if you added a lot more patchouli to it, as well as a little bit of clove to give it more teeth. That's basically what Rive Gauche smells like to me.

    The drydown is incredible: dusky patchouli with a touch of talc and musk to give it a bit of sweetness and a barbershop edge. This is YSL''s concept of an aromatic fougere updated for the 2000's.

    This is an outstanding fragrance. There is nothing even remotely trendy about it. It's all man, and it's all classic. It is one of the greatest aromatic fougeres ever, and should be a staple in every man's fragrance wardrobe.

    MY RATING: 9/10

    13rd June, 2011.

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    Cabaret Homme by Grès

    I love this! I agree that it starts off smelling a lot like Drakkar Noir, but after a few minutes it evolves into something different. It's certainly an aromatic fougere, that's for sure, but it's spicier, woodier and not as dark as Drakkar Noir. Cabaret PH smells very much like Tribute by Mary Kay, only much better blended and a lot less synthetic smelling. Or maybe Drakkar Noir with much less leather and more sandalwood?

    I am amazed that this is a 2004 release, because I'd swear this was from the Eighties. It smells like there's moss and a little leather in this, but they are not listed as ingredients; the sandalwood and patchouli give this a very old-school Eighties style. If wearing stuff like Sung Homme, Drakkar Noir or Giorgio For Men is your thing, you'll feel right at home wearing this.

    This is a substantial and very masculine scent, almost reaching powerhouse strength. It projects well and lasts all day, yet it isn't heavy and it won't take your head off.

    Cabaret Pour Homme may not be anything unique, but it smells awesome and has the added bonus of costing very little. Fans of 80's styled masculine colognes are sure to like this. I sure do.

    MY RATING: 8.5/10

    7th June, 2011.

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    Open by Roger & Gallet

    I've quickly gotten to like this fragrance, now that I've worn it a couple of times. I like it because it's so spicy and aromatic, and it projects well and lasts all day. I wouldn't call this a powerhouse scent because it's not heavy at all, even though it does make its presence known.

    Open is dry and stark, to the point where if you oversprayed it you'd feel like someone was scraping your sinuses with a cheese grater. It smells like a sage and clove-scented bar of soap. It reminds me a lot of fragrances like Equipage, Jacomo de Jacomo and Palais Jamais in its arid feel.

    The drydown is excellent. The soap smell is gone by then, and what you get is a nice spicy woody finish, with tobacco and patchouli being the most prominent notes. There's vetiver in the drydown too, but it smells more like clove to me. I like this part of the scent very much.

    Don't buy Open if you're looking for an 80s powerhouse, but if you want a dry, peppery aromatic fragrance that is well blended, has good sillage and lasts all day, Open is worth a try.

    MY RATING: 8/10

    3rd June, 2011. (Last Edited: 7th June, 2011.)

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    Mesmerize by Avon

    This is a good solid sweet, powdery oriental scent that's appropriate for any occasion. I think it smells a lot like Le Male, only much quieter. It's a powdery woody oriental with an overall creamy smell to it. The woody notes do smell quite synthetic, but that fact doesn't hurt the fragrance.

    Considering the price of this and the fact that it just smells plain good, Mesmerize is good value, especially if you are looking for a light, inexpensive oriental you can wear any time.

    MY RATING: 7/10

    3rd June, 2011.

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    Cabochard by Grès

    I have good news and bad news about the new formulation of Cabochard. First, here's the bad news. Much ado has been made about Cabochard's formula having been changed, and the consensus it that it's for the worse. I have never smelled any earlier versions of this, but based on what I'm smelling now, I can understand the disappointment. Cabochard was legendary, and was apparently a very rich, luxurious and complex scent. What I'm smelling now is anything but. It's simply a bare, stripped-down light leather scent, with no complexity at all. It's not terrible by any stretch, but certainly not the stuff of legends. It's boring.

    The good news is that Cabochard now is an excellent fragrance for any man or woman looking to explore what leather fragrances are like for the first time. This is a pure leather scent, and nothing else. It's a light, buttery smelling leather, and it will give any newcomer a good taste for the leather genre. It smells good too. I wouldn't wear it because it's just too simple and linear for my taste, but this does smell good, and you may get a lot of compliments wearing this. Cabochard is totally wearable by either a woman or a man.

    MY RATING: 6/10

    30th May, 2011.

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    Red for Men by Giorgio Beverly Hills

    It's no coincidence that none of the reviews on Red For Men can adequately describe what it smells like. There are allegedly over 600 ingredients in this, making it just about impossible to point out individual notes. I don't find any of the traditional fragrance categories apply here - fougere, oriental, chypre, leather, floral, etc..

    What I can say is that the two most prominent notes I smell are leather and moss, and everything else is just all spice, herbs and wood notes, many of which are obviously synthetic. Two fragrances which are very similar to it are Preferred Stock and Trussardi Uomo. It's an 80s styled heavy power scent, with concrete-like transparency.

    I like Red For Men, but it's lacking something. I guess I'd say it doesn't have the charisma of a powerhouse like Quorum or Lapidus Pour Homme - sure it's loud, unrefined and crude, but it feels like it's a strong scent simply for the sake of being a strong scent, and that's it. I think it's the heavily synthetic smell and the sheer volume of notes that blur Red's identity and make it a fragrance with an identity crisis. It lacks the darkness of most 80s powerhouse scents, plus it was released at a time when that style of fragrance was beginning to be out of style. It's trying to be part of the Fendi Uomo and Kouros gang, but it came too late to the party, and it shows in the way it smells.

    All in all, however, Red For Men is a good fragrance that every power fan should check out.

    MY RATING: 7.5/10

    29th May, 2011.

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