Basenotes - Reviews by Harry Drinkwater

Harry Drinkwater

United States

Showing 1 to 8 of 8.

Musc Ravageur by Editions de Parfums Frederic Malle

All I get on my skin is vanilla extract. I must have defective skin.

19th April, 2010.

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Metropolis by Estée Lauder

I agree with Connoisseur's review of Metropolis. I love how the leather and green notes complement each other so wonderfully at the top -- slightly medicinal, but that fades after about twenty minutes. Although the leather seems to remain on my skin from top to bottom, it doesn't dominate bombastically; it's subtle, mellow, and dark, always lurking in the background, graciously and selflessly allowing the various other notes to come forth and make their presence felt. A true gem of a fragrance that is, indeed, a rare find. Nothing short of magnificent.

10th August, 2009.

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Euphoria Men Intense by Calvin Klein

Of the twenty-four fragrances I recently blotter tested at a department store, this is the only one I didn't throw away. Three days later, it still smells absolutely intoxicating. I don't believe it's a scent that I would actually wear -- a bit too fruity and sweet for my tastes, but one I adore smelling on paper.

1st August, 2009.

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Dirty English by Juicy Couture

I simply can't move beyond the top notes, which are, in a word, putrid. "Ugh! Get this thing off me before I vomit!" Yeah, kinda like that. Perhaps my sense of smell just isn't sophisticated enough to enjoy this scentacular train-wreck. Maybe it does, indeed, get better later in the dry down, but I ain't stickin' around to find out. Yikes!

20th July, 2009.

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Derring-Do for Men by Ineke

Goes on relatively strong, the citrus top notes weighing in heavily, but then settles into a very pleasant, crisp, sweet (but not overly so), fruity, refreshing fragrance. Mellow and breezy.

20th July, 2009.

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Original Vetiver by Creed

Lemme start by saying how much I've really, really, really tried to like Creed. Anyway, this one starts out innocuously enough, but by the dry down, you're stuck in soapy/grassy hell for the next 24 hours -- kinda like a really bad acid trip or something. And go ahead and try to wash this thing off! Can't do it! Hey, if you dig vetiver to the extreme, this is the scent for you. Go easy, though. Too much of this bad boy and the sillage gets imprinted on your cerebral cortex, just like The Phone Company wanted to do in "The President's Analyst." Remember that movie? Great flick! I'm neutral on the scent because I just don't dig heavy vetiver, and that's not Creed's fault; it's my problem and I guess I'll just have to deal with it. But a big thumbs up on the movie! Check it out!

20th July, 2009.

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Bois du Portugal by Creed

Elegant yet masculine, BdP works on so many levels, it's frightening. It exudes class and, dare I say it, nostalgia? There are many complex elements at work here, allowing the fragrance to evolve so beautifully during the dry down, one's emotions can't help but change along with it. I'm addicted. It almost reminds me of walking into a news shoppe -- the way the smell of fresh newspapers and unsmoked tobacco sort of blend together, wafting throughout the place. And then the guy behind the counter yells at you because you're reading all the magazines, and those little postcards keep falling out onto the floor. "This isn't a library!" he shouts. "You gonna buy something or what???" And you silently leave the place, finding yourself out on the sidewalk of a busy downtown street.

Interestingly, I've experienced some unexpected reactions from women while wearing this fragrance. They hover more. Just an observation. I will not, for a moment, insinuate that this fragrance instantly transforms you into a babe magnet, but it may just boost your self-confidence, allowing you to feel as though you are.

Magnificent!

7th July, 2009.

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Happy for Men by Clinique

Very nice, fresh scent. It's zippy and tangy, I suppose. Whenever I wear it, I feel a bit like a giant tangerine. I wore this a couple of weeks ago, and toward the end of the day, after work, I went on a bit of a hike with my family. Having neglected to apply the necessary insect repellent, I was besieged by a healthy swarm of mosquitoes. I don't know if this scent is attractive to women, but I got a lot of bites that night. A bit fruity and very sweet. Mosquitoes might give it a big thumbs up, but I shall remain decidedly neutral. (Can you be decidedly neutral?)

6th July, 2009.

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