 | 28 La Pausa by ChanelMaybe its just me, but this does nothing for me whatsoever. I've never been particularly of iris on its own as, well, I find it rather boring and its just too grey and flat. However, when added to a composition, it can add a powdery lushness like putting a chinchilla fur coat over a twinset and pearls. This however is as thin and boring as iris gets. This is iris for the sake of it and it has a depressingly flat cardboard like note which I cannot get my head round. If you like iris, Serge Lutens's marvellous balls to the wall Iris Silver Mist is probably the best example. This is a wan and expensive excuse for a fragrance, like an unfinished idea that was bottled in a hope that nobody would notice. It is also ridiculously timid and fleeting especially considering how much this stuff costs. "Emperor's New Clothes" springs to mind......... 20th April, 2011. |
| | Samsara by GuerlainSmelling Samsara gives you the same feeling as trying to eat a whole wedding cake in one sitting. It is a thunderously loud and sickly sweet confection that signalled the beginning of the end for Guerlain with its layer upon layer of shapeless and suffocating syrup and flat florals. It was totally unpredentable on its release and that may go some way to explain why I haven't smelled this on anyone for quite a while now. Hideous. 9th April, 2011. |
 | Green Irish Tweed by CreedThis is basically Cool Water with a bit more cash spent on it. However, whilst it smells a bit plusher than the aforementioned, it doesn't really improve on it and at the price it is hard to see the point. It is still excellent. 9th February, 2011. |
| | Eau d'Hermès by HermèsThis is rather an unusual one. Jean Cleaude Ellena's marvellous Declaration and to some extent Voyage share the same sweaty cumin and borderline unwashed note as in this Routnitska classic. This exudes quality from start to finish and gives the slightly alarming impression of soiled male underpants sprayed with eau de cologne. That sounds like a criticism but it isnt as this gives it a rather touching and somewhat human feel. When i wear this alone in bed, I cant help but feel as though I have company. Beautiful. 8th February, 2011. |
| | Tom of Finland by Etat Libre d'OrangeLeather, rubber and tar counterbalanced by a slug of sparkling aldehydes. I keep getting visions of Marilyn Monroe singing Happy Birthday Mr. President in a gay leather bar. Absolutely delicious. 7th February, 2011. |
| | Champaca Absolute by Tom FordI have no idea what champaca smells like, but what I can tell is that this smells chemical and thin from the get go. Total shite. 7th February, 2011. |
| | White Diamonds by Elizabeth TaylorYes, it does smell rather cheap but this perky little number isn't weighted down with anything more than is strictly necessary to make it fly. Aldehydes combined with tropical white flowers and soft powdery musks all add up to good cheap fun. If you find this stuff, its likely to be discounted but don't let that put you off. Recommended. 7th February, 2011. |
 | Paris by Yves Saint LaurentI must admit that I have a slight problem with Sophia Grojsman's work. Whilst her compositions ofter work rather well, they all seem to share a rather chemical and strident nature. Paris is no exception starting off with a blast of violets and a rose that is so sweet and cloying that i feel like i need to step out for air. Even when she is allowed a much larger budget than usual, as she probably had for frederic Malle, she produced Outrageous!, as chemical and cheap as any of her previous offerings. Sorry, no can do. 25th January, 2011. |
| | Cool Water by DavidoffThe epitome of slick efficient design, this missile is locked on from the get go and takes off with a mighty whoosh. It is vulgar, slightly rude but absolutely delicious.A masterpiece of cheap and effective perfumery that smells as good as it ever did and costs next to nothing. What's not to like? 19th January, 2011. |
| | Tuscan Leather by Tom FordOk, now it doesnt smell much like leather to me, but it does smell alot like cocaine. In fact, when I tested this, I blushed and looked in shock to see if anyone had noticed. It even induces paranoia. 3rd January, 2011. |
| | Tom Ford for Men by Tom FordSo, what does Tom Ford bring to the world of fragrance? In this case, suprisingly little. Maybe its just me, maybe I was expecting more but this is just so boring. It smells like a generic masculine deodorant and there is no way I'm going to pay over £30 for the priviledge. 3rd January, 2011. |
| | Love in Black by CreedThere are very few fragrances which make me recoil in horror. Love in Black is one of them. It is a confused and cocaphonous mix of bizarre notes which have no place in a fine fragrance whatsoever, linseed oil and methylated spirit being two of them. This olfactory hallucination is both alarming and disturbing. Not much else I need to say here. An absolute disaster. 3rd January, 2011. |
| | 1881 by CerrutiCerruti 1881 opens with a blast of juniper, pine and citrus and initially veers a little close to what could be yet another trite "fresh" masculine. From then on, the angular chypre nature of this delightful fragrance begins to emerge, growing stronger and slightly more animalic. This animalic edge never leaves extending to the beautiful radiant and powdery drydown which lasts and lasts. If like me, you find Chanel Pour Monsier a little too sweet and timid, this is basically the aforementioned without the sweetness stripped slightly barer but more legible. This has been described as vulgar by many, and to some extent it is, but that is in no way a bad thing as it sets it apart from the anonymous, washed "sport" fragrances that have plagued the last 20 years. It is also suprisingly inexpensive. Wonderful. 31st December, 2010. |
| | Sunflowers by Elizabeth ArdenOnce innovative and inspiring, now tired and overdone. The Calone/Helional overdose was very much of its time and made this memorable. However, this can me smelled miles away and is totally unpresentable. I'm totally over the 90's. 18th September, 2009. |
| | Vera Wang by Vera WangThoroughly cheap, nasty and hideous from every angle. I felt insulted whilst smelling this.Total garbage. 19th July, 2009. |
| | Clean Provence by CleanIf soap smelled like this I would dispense with bathing altogether. Harsh, cheap and barely fit for a room spray. 4th July, 2009. |
| | J'Adore by Christian DiorThis is an acceptable quality fresh floral but nothing particularly interesting. The Absolu version boosts the florals so much more beautifully, that this version seems oddly redundant. 11th June, 2009. |
| | Infusion de Fleur d'Oranger by PradaYes, I smell the expected neroli but the dominant tuberose in this fragrance forces it to veer uncomfortably close to the dismal Amarige. After that unfortunate association, it was all downhill and I abandoned any hope of liking this. 8th June, 2009. |
| | Amarige by GivenchyTuberose's reputation has been damaged almost irrepairably by this most horrid affair. If I were her I would sue. 1st June, 2009. |
| | Nina (new) by Nina RicciFruity, fun and fizzy, this sparkling carefree sugar-pop should have been a load of crap. But it isn't. This is cutesy perfumery at its best and is a million times better than it had to be. The mixture of vanilla and fruit conjures up ice cream, tangy sorbets and Soda Stream. Achingly delicious from every angle. 17th May, 2009. |
| | Fahrenheit by Christian DiorSomething is missing from this. What I smelled today is at first, quite like the original I remember from my youth. However, the reformulation of this once great fragrance has robbed it of its originality and has aged it a decade, placing its banal, woody drydown firmly in the late 70's with a million other forgettable fougeres. 17th May, 2009. |
| | L'Instant de Guerlain pour Homme by GuerlainWhilst this is unquestionably made of quality ingredients, this Guerlain release leaves me feeling somewhat unfulfilled. I smell the rose, the bergamot and the anise, but the overall effect seems dated and stuffy. If you like Habit Rouge and want something flatter and less impressive, this one is for you. 12nd May, 2009. |
| | Safari for Men by Ralph LaurenAn uninteresting and somewhat cheap smelling composition which does little to hold my attention. 11th May, 2009. |
| | Eau du Coq by GuerlainTrue to its name and one of the best genuine colognes that money can but. Orange blossom, bergamot and petitgrain. Elegant and uncomplicated, simplicity at its best. 11th May, 2009. |
| | Aramis by AramisThis still smells just as good as it ever did. Aramis is one of the finest leather chypres around and is shockingly inexpensive. It is bold and lush without the almost borderline vulgarity of Azzaro PH. Delicious. 11th May, 2009. |
| | Guess Men (original) by GuessThe shokingly repulsive smell of hot vinyl and overheated electronics. Now, let's bottle it and sell it! Nice work! 3rd May, 2009. |
| | Acqua di Parma Colonia Intensa by Acqua di ParmaA beautifully constructed fragrance but less so than the original and also lacks its luxurious feel. It is an elegant woody floral of decent quality but is somewhat non descript and lacking in originality. You could do alot worse. 24th April, 2009. |
| | Sa Majesté la Rose by Serge Lutens Les Salons du Palais Royal ShiseidoA drop dead gorgeous soapy lemony rose of fuschia and red, young, pretty and sexy. The Lolita of roses. 24th April, 2009. |
| | Le Baiser by LaliqueSweet, cheap, nasty and flat as a fart. This wouldn't even be acceptable as a room fragrance, as it actually stinks. 24th April, 2009. |
| | Reflection Man by AmouageA total disaster from the house of Amouage. This is the only fragrance in the men's lineup which seems totally lacking in quality. It is as if the budget was blown on all the others and there was only a pittance left. It also seems particularly shapeless, much like the hideous Gucci II. In a word, horrific. 22nd April, 2009. |
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