Fragrance Reviews by PigeonMurderer

My first experience with Obsession for Men was when I smelled the sample which was placed in between the pages of one British music magazine (Q). I was at the library then, and although I wasn`t into perfumes that time at all, I remember the situation very well and consider it perhaps the breakthrough beginnig of my intrest in fragrances.

I am always stunned if someone says this is cheap smelling or boring. I think it`s ridicilous, although it could be that it has been re-formulated. I haven`t smelled this anywhere else but from my bottles which are quite old.

Astonishing drydown where vanillic benzoin melts in with cinnamon, engaged together with healthy amount of civet and insence-y amber.

Intoxicating Oriental in a most beautiful bottle.

It`s no secret or suprise that Fahrenheit has been re-formulated. I have worn both versions, and although they have some differences, they are one and the same scent. It`s like the old one was EDP and the new one is EDT. Hats off to the one behind the modification, it worked out very well indeed.

The old formulation is a bit stronger, more leathery with lots of dirty musk. It`s also smoother, denser comparing to the new one. The famous "petroleum" isn`t any weaker in the new one, to my nose it has remained the same.

That new formulation is much more nuanced with great amount of undertones to it. It is more fresh with very prominent orange / mandarin note at the top which lingers on skin for a long time. Still, very leathery too.
Both formulations are forever lasting.

Fahrenheit, old and new, is a wonderful leathery floral with animalic charachter. Captivating and strikingly unique. One of the best ever made.

I like fragrances that are eccentric and different, but only if they actually smell good. SM doesn`t - it smells horrible. Interesting experience in a way, yes, but fragrances are meant to be worn after all.

Is there anybody out there who actually wears this?!?? And if so, then go to the doctor immediately because I suspect you have a brain tumor or something.

Aoud Lime is one of the most satisfying scents I have ever worn, it`s absolutely amazing gift from Montale.
It doesn`t actually have lime in it, no, but it smells like a "soul" of lime. (if you know what I mean) It is poisonous green, tart and sour, crispy. It`s also very warm and spicy, and it actually reminds me of the smell of pizza place or some other spicy food restaurant.

This ultra strong, forever lasting creations is one of the very perfumes which has a tendency to make my mouth water. I will never be without a bottle for the rest of my life.

It smells interesting in a way, but eventually this is a horrendous nightmare in a bottle. I used it for a while in the past just to get more into the history of perfume making, but nowdays I couldn`t stand this even on others, not to mention myself.

Gag worthy animalic leather with huge doze of musty, almost rotten oak moss.
Not suprised at all that this was originally created for women (it really was), it has that "old granny" smell too like no other.

By far the most bothering thing to me in original Aramis is that it smells actually strikingly similar to old people, mainly women but also men, who wear clothes from centurys behind and don`t assumably shower that often either. And of course they don`t use Aramis, they just smell that way. I meet these people many times at the local bus, for instance, and so many times the smell of them has brought Aramis to mind.

Aramis smells to me non vital and vintage in a bad way. It`s almost capable to make me sick even thinking about it.

Picture it : A sixteen year old girl, out-of-bed hairstyle, red cheeks and big eyes with long lashes, lots of strawberry flavoured lip gloss....She has mini dress of the color of vanilla pudding, long chocolate brown leather boots....

Pink sugar is almost just as edible.

Unisex?? Well, yes, in the way that knickers and mascara are.

This one could be in Lutens line for sure, and at least it chould/probably should be labelled as in unisex. Really, women should get into this as well.
Amazing, luscious mandarin note at the top of the smoky, thick benzoin-patchouli base. Has some ginger too, also something a bit minty in this. Intoxicating, stong fragrance.

The only thing I miss about Eau de Toilette version, is more pronounced blackcurrant note. In EdT, it comes out amazing.

Absolutely mouthwatering blend of ginger and oud, accented by ripe grapefruits and vetiver. Almost as good as the original, if not even better. Smells alot like Soda by Comme des Garcons without that soft, melting vinyl note. This isn`t nearly as strong either, but they are close cousins without a doubt.

M7 Fresh is a pleasant wear, and it can be sprayed very liberally. It`s totally unoffensive even in overloaded amounts.

I`m very happy to own large bottle of this, it`s five stars all the way allthough it could have slightly better lasting power.

Of course this is wonderful, who could claim otherwise?

A shocking start reminds me of train toilet, but it isn`t at all that offputting but more interesting smell to start with.
Civet loaded musky drydown with a drop of honey is pure heaven, it`s addictive as he*ll. This scent if anything behaves like a drug. Sametime fresh, clean and animalic; it`s amazing achievement.
Kouros was reformulated few years ago, but luckyly the change was very minimal : Coriander at the top was replaced by wild mint. Otherwise the fragrance has stayed the same from the beginng.

Almost unreal fragrance which should be used very moderatly.

Very different than the regular. To me not as loud, stays closer to skin with minimal sillage, but is also definitely much richer. Carnation and geranium with sandalwood and tobacco, dries down for animalic base. Something here reminds me of Havana, this is more floral though and not as spicy.
Very masculine, interesting release from YSL.

To me much more eccentric scent than anyone else seem to think. Camphor wood mixed with eaucalyptus, benzoin and smoky insence smells absolutely delicious, in a wicked way! Small touch of anise and of course, big load of synthetic musk. Smells cool, edible and a bit dark and mysterious too. I find the whole blend suprisingly animalic.

Flawless lasting power and sillage.

My favourite Annick Menardo fragrance.

Another great mass market fragrance which now sadly is discontinued. Understandable though, it`s definitely aquired taste.

Extrely earthy, top notes smell almost like a beatroot that was just picked off the ground. Drydown is a warm (almost hot) blend of insence, benzoin, cinnamon and cedarwood. Wonderfully deep earthiness remains.

Long lasting fragrance that is totally uncompearable. Unbelievably unique.

Perfumer : Christophe Raynaud

Extremely nice mass market fragrance, which is very hard to find these day, I guess. Deliciously sugary, fresh white musk that isn`t too sweet and is suprisingly masculine. I swear I smell a hint of cardamon there.

Not a complex scent by any means, but very well made and completely irresistible smelling. One of the very few scents which has been complimented, and I really wonder if there`s a single woman on this planet who didn`t find this scent attractive.
Funny looking plastic case feels very good in hand, nice plentiful spray too.
Very recommended, a steal for the price.

Perfumer : Henri Bergia

A semi-gourmand scent heavy on synthetic ambergris. Other notes include musk, vanilla, sandalwood and coumarin.
Very harsh and raw, Satan Instinct smells like Gaultier2 that has lost its track completely.
Awfully strong and cheap smelling, but the the rough and cold (toffee in freezer like cold) edge makes it sort of interesting.

A harsh, rough take on Or Black by Pascal Morabito. The basic smell is nearly the same, but Or Black is more polished, more rich.
Chypre with obvious fougere elements to it, this very dark insencey fragrance is outclassed by too many fragrances.

The vintage bottle of TU is marvelous.

This one takes it time before it starts to shine, Serge Noire is all about the drydown.
To me at least the top notes are very boring, and for awhile it seems like this one hasn`t got any volume to it....
...but the rich and long lasting insence drydown with a dash of cinnamon and gun powder is quite delicious and addictive. Very dry woody, it reminds me of the chinese insence sticks that I have a huge bunch at my home.

This isn`t that dramatic fragrance to me though, and for sure not the most interesting or original Lutens creation.

Am I the only one who was expecting a bit more??

What a weird, interesting smell this is. One of the biggest oddballs in a whole Lutens line. To me it is very near to being just a cozy, almost dull woody fragrance....but then, that foody (almost bread-, flour-like) nuance makes it very twisted, and although I basically admire this and it`s bold originality, I always seem to end up gagging when I smell this one. Can`t help it, it`s really offputting in the end.

Neutral just because it`s that impressive.

Btw, like with all fragrances, by any means do not judge this by the first sniff.

If someone would ask me what is that one fragrance which every serious male frag-head should own, my answer would be this, Muscs Koublai Khan. (In full-size that is, just because this juice if anything should be admired from that wonderful, classical bell jar bottle)

A true work of perfurmery art. Stays close to the skin, this is the ultimate essence of man. Actually, in a way, most masculine fragrance ever created. Primitive, sensual, erotic and extremely natural.

Magical Sheldrake composition for men, it is ridicilous for me even think about this on a woman.

Very cheap and synthetic smelling Lutens, but I don`t complain simply because I like that aroma. You know, "synthetic" and "cheap" isn`t always a bad thing.

Anyway, the smell in MM is strikingly similar to one soap that is in favour of many here in Finland, especially children : It is a teddybear shaped mandarin-honey soap bar, almost transparently orange in color. Really, comparing especially to the top notes of MM, the smell is stunningly similar.

Funny how we sometimes take these things so differently : I don`t find Mandarine Mandarin complex nor smoky in a slightest bit.

If someone is intriguied by this, I suggest you to try Opium PH Eau de Parfum, because while it doesn`t actually smell alike, it certainly shares a similarities in charachter; they both are mandarin-heavy orientals.

The structure in volume wise in MM can be confusing : It is shockingly strong at first, but the drydown is quite subtle and it doesn`t last that long after all.

For the people who hate Arabie and Santal de Mysore, this shouldn`t be nothing but a bad dream to be avoid.

I like it, although it is ridicilously Lutens like without any groundbraking aspects. Very safe, very pleasant fragrance. Has a bold curry/cumin note to create that special controversial edge. Apricotty, honeyed boozy with a gentle and refreshing floral note. Not suprisingly this one is very sweet and rich.

No complaints in the lasting power department, and the sillage must satisfy even the numbest nose.

Very compelling balsamic leather with great doze of cinnamon to my nose. It starts off by smelling really great, but unfortunetly it doesn`t behave well in the drydown : It soon releases it`s strengh, becomes sweet and very flat leather, and then it fades away completely. After this I am able to get it out only by sweatting my ass off.

So, it`s a nice fragrance with unsatisfying sillage and lasting power.

Nice arabian vibe to this one, overall. Only Lutens fragrance to this date which has some agarwood blended in.

I`m about to finish my decant of this, and that does it for me. Not FBW.

Honeyed pencil shavings with few drops of sweet sap, this is a nice woody fragrance. However, from the first time I tested this, it felt just "nice", and it has been unable to rock my world ever since. I`ve sampled and woren this quite a few times, and the result has always been the same : "Nice".

It`s just not enough.

One of those fragrances which my brain tells me to be in love, but the heart knows better than that.

If you think this is unisex, then anything must go. Extremely feminine to my nose, bright straighforward jasmine. Very fresh with animalic undertones. In colors, this is a pink fragrance with white backround. One of the worst scents ever to be smelled when you have a hangover - believe me.

Men, stay away. This is a nice romantic scent for women. For evening wear, and remember to be careful on the trigger.

A spicy woody citrus, quite similar to Le Roi Soleil Homme by Dali. Has a sharp badly balanced metallic edge which makes it hopelessly cheap smelling.

Try to avoid.

Totally wonderful, but kind of hard to wear fragrance. (I only wear this scent in the time I spent in solitary)

Simply put, this smells exactly like Zino that has been set on fire and burnt to ashes.
Another point : It transportes me to this giant, completely dark warehouse that has a cool concrete floor. Im standing there wondering what that warehouse holds inside, but I could swear there is some rubber (perhaps tires), some oily metal objects and few barrels of petroleum....Something else there too for sure, but it`s too strange for me to figure out.
Then when I shout, the cold haunting echo travels through the space and never ends.

Wonderful, subtle animalic leather with aquatic twist. The opening is in a way very similar to Dzing!, having that wet cardboard like smell. I`m not sure where that comes from, but may well be that castoreum has something to do with it.

Wears extremy close to skin - along with Lutens`s MKK this is the ultimate skin scent in my opinion.
Very sensual and compelling fragrance with amazing packaging; the simple and goodlooking bottle is presented in a toiletpaper roll like box! Also, the bottle has exceptonally high quality spray mechanism, it works like magic. If you have a chance to try it, you`ll probably see what I mean.

The subtle drydown is malty sweet, with a gentle sea salty bit. Still that wet cardboard smell there too, leathery in a odd way. Perhaps luckily, no strawberries in a sight.

A must try to see what creative, strange yet very wearable and sensual fragrances are all about.

Wonderful, non expensive woody spicy fragrance. It smells very red, almost fiery. Quite sweet and feminine but not too much so. Is capable to gain alots of compliments, it is simply irresistible smelling. Worth to try.

Notes : Bergamot, Lemon, Apple, Sage, Lavender, Ginger, Cedar, Sandal, Patchouli

Excellent, well made scent which starts of smelling very much like a classic leathery chypre, but it soon dries down for a lovely, insency fougere. Very dark scent with rich aromatic presence. Benzoin and tonkian musk adds a nice sweet touch to it. Very masculine old school but not dated by any means.

If you find this intriguing, but find it too expensive or hard to find, then you probably should want to try Tabac Man. It shares alot similarities with this one, even the bottle of that one is colored in black and red.

The best amber ever, one of my all time favourite fragrances, no words can do justice when talking about this one. Magic, just magic.

Hot mixture of sweet and salty. Impressive sillage with strong lasting power. This is like a contemporary, rich and respectfull take on Yatagan. It has that same kind of "hot sand meets the forest line" vibe.

Unisex, if not even more masculine.

Pi is all about those benzoin crystals, and to be honest, I can`t smell those supporting notes very well at all. Perhaps a slight touch of citrus and herbs at the top, but then it`s just the sweet smell of benzoin with only a gentle touch of woods. Smells like a mixture of vanilla, burnt sugar and bitter almond. I find drydown to be very airy, luminous, mysterious(!) and certainly intoxicating.
So I`m a great fan, although I can see why some people find it too sweet and simple. I have also used EdP version of this, but surprisingly that didn`t satisfy me as well as the EdT….As EdP is a bit richer and woodier, it isn`t that much fun or delicious, and to me that`s what Pi is all about : Yumminess with great room for imagination as well.

Luca Turin said this is a “ sweet nothing “. I say “ space vanilla “, and I suppose if I did use some sort of hallucination drugs, then Pi would be a great companion.

Btw, if you like this, try to get some Pi shower gel as well. It`s quite amazing

All I can say that this takes me to some sort of trance every time I wear it. Hypnotizing, dangerous juice in a marvelous bottle. Extremely unique dark soapy chypre - there is nothing like it. Wonderful during the Fall.

Has been recently reformulated, be careful in purchase.

I would like to shake Mr.Montale`s hand bringing these wonderful oud creation for us to enjoy. I really love few of them, and there`s nothing else quite like it.

Steam Aoud smells absolutely intoxicating and wonderful. The most medicinal/anticeptic smelling of all Montale Aoud`s, it smells like a blond sandalwood chips were mixed with fresh, transparent glue. Has only slightly herbal vibe to it, very smooth and wears close to skin, but it actually lasts for ages. Smels wonderful on clothes too, give it a try!

Can be sprayed very liberally due the gentle and unprovocative nature. Highly recommended even considering the mad price.

Steam Aoud was formely known as "Aoud Hoggar Motta".

Beautiful, nice fragrance for women with awful price tag. Oud on this doesn`t last that long, that medicinal tinge hits you gently at the beginning but then it`s gone almost completely, although it is able to create that smooth, silky like structure to this fragrance all way through.
Drydown is very smooth indeed, candied rosey, with a hint of white chocolate like creaminess. Very feminine to my nose, shares some similaries to Montale`s Red Aoud.

From the manufacturer :

"This scent was made for the kind of woman, who wants to feel the dream of "Thousand and one Night" with the whole magic of the Orient, but at the same time stands with both feet on the floor.

In the upbeat of the olfactory sensation stand delicate rose notes and the lovely aroma of young fruits. In the heart-note you can find the scents of the precious essences of the oudbaumer and the base note consists of Rose Aoud with white chocolate, a hint of ambergris in combination with delicate vanilla and a touch of Gaiäc wood."

Very balsamic, almost lotion like structure. Fruity, slightly boozy with dark dry wood undertones. Something like a smooth, quiet take on Michael Kors for Men.
There`s definitely some smoke and suede on this one, this is not a fresh type of fragrance the one would expect.

This would actually be quite good if it had some more edge to it plus some lasting power.

An oddball since it hasn`t got that much of attention, not that I thought it deserves it, but it`s kinda weird because this is basically a MPG fragrance. (I even received my sample of this from MPG)

A masculine herbal fougere in a purple bottle. Sort of traditional stuff, thinking of releases after this. L`Artisans Fou d`Absinthe comes to mind. Doesn`t last too long one me.

Notes : citrus, cypress, cedar, jasmine, iris, basil, fig and rhubarb

EdT.

I recently read a fresh interview, where Jacques Polge told that Cuir de Russie was his inspiration when he created Egoiste, and for me that is very easy to see. I`m suprised no one hasn`t compare the two in anyways. (btw, in that same interview Polge reveiled that he actually never uses any scent as a personal fragrance, but he likes to scent his car with Egoiste)

Of course the top notes in these two are very different, but to me the basenotes resembles each other quite obviously. Still not the same for sure, but they both share that rich balsamic floral note (carnation), smoky styrax and vanilla base with full bodied amber and a fruity ylang-ylang accent.

Go ahead, make a side by side test and wait until the drydown comes alive.

Wonderful, unisex fragrance.

Not a stinker this one on me at all! No, it is a beautiful rich floral blend that smells absolutely woderful, from start to finish.
Heavy mint note at the top, and soon after wonderful gerenium joins along. And I swear there must be a good doze of blackberry in the mix as well, because that`s what I very much smell here. I also smell very much tomato ketchup here, of course it must be the result of geranium playing with some other wonderful notes. (ylang-ylang, fruity aldehydes etc.)

Stunning perfume without a single problem!

This is Ambre Précieux with well aged, animalic oud. The first impression is very leathery and animalic oud with sweet amber and vanillic base in the distance.
In my experence the oud is very much engaged to the top notes, and while that starts to settle down and perhaps even fade away, for the one it is very easy to detect that this fragrance indeed was composed from the Ambre Precieux.

While the oud lasts, this smells truly wonderful, it`s unique and quite much intoxicating too. Hot, leathery and animalic.

But when that "scam" is reveiling, when the AP is coming to play, then you could see my smile getting freezed, and finally; nothing but the tears are real.

Animalic?? Well, not to me atleast. Just pure, fresh synthetic rose with few dabs of cumin thrown along. Sharp but well balanced, long lasting unisex floral.

Something like if you removed the civet from Rose Poivree and add some cumin instead. Very pleasant, and I admit it stinks just a bit, but still...animalic animalic ?? (like TS put it)

A bit better than another rose for men by this company, Rose d'Homme, but I definitely don`t need this one either. There are SO much better masculine/unisex roses available.

Very nice 80`s leathery chypre. Very hard to find healthy bottles from anywhere these days.
A big spicy herbaceous thing going on in the beginning. Thyme, Marjoram, Basil....
In the heart of Leonard, there is a wonderful vegetal thing going on, with carrot seed oil, Orris, Patchouli, Vetiver, Carnation....Very earthy, vegetal heart indeed.

The base ifs full of darkness, insence smoke lingering through the leathers and mosses.....

Sweet, dark smokiness at the beginning in simply intoxicating. Like Fumerie Turque on steroids. There is also something very saucy in it that brings Shalimar to mind, although the actual smell is totally different. Something quite animalic on this definitely; could there even be a small dash of civet lurking in the backround..?

Smoky, leathery, sweet and rubbery fragrance, which on me looses quite soon (after couple of hours) those intoxicating elements, as it turns very sweet powdery and vanillic scent with a distant smoky accord (bleh). I still like it, though I could never buy me a full bottle because of the price. I simply don`t think there is enough value for the money, especially considering my lack of intrest for the drydown.

Very Menardo like fragrance, btw.

Price winning fragrance from Laura Tonatto. ("Les Descouvert 2002" award)

I had high hopes for this one mainly bacause of the interesting reviews I read from here, but it was little bit disapointing to finally get a sniff of this. I was waiting for something very capturing oceanic note as the iodine in Goutal`s Vetiver, for instance, but instead this was just like a more full bodied, smoother version of Mare by CU. (I hate that scent)
Very natural smelling, well made, but also quite boring after all. More femine too.

Overall quite harmless, pretty oceanic floral fragrance with a shy salty bite. Good lasting power.

Something in between Salvador Dali Pour Homme and Zino. Mazzolari Lui comes to mind, too. Non-camphorous dark patchouli mixed with oils from sandal and cedarwoods. Simple but rich smelling composion. Quite strong yet refined, can be quite a challenge to wear. I don`t consider this as animalic as the other reviewers, although it has that certain dirty edge due the patch for sure.

Re is of course italian, meaning "king" in english.

One of those fragrances which, I dare to say, are even better after it was reformulated. Now it`s a bit more nuanced, subtle and complex, while I remember the old one being heavier especially on talcum. It was more linear to my nose, and perhaps even too strong.

Good stuff. I agree it could even be in the Lutens line, and I find it very suprisingly unisex. (although women should be particularly gentle with application)
Even my girfriend once asked if I was wearing a women`s perfume when she smelled this one on me.

Wonderful mixture of opoponax, tobacco, ambergris and musk. Has some herbs and spices too, everything in its place.

Timeless classic for evening wear preferably. I`ve had compliments with this one more that with any other fragrance. Generally, it seems to appeal women very much.
3 sprays does it.

I`m not very sure, but I believe this might be discontinued and that isn`t a great loss by any means. Boringly ordinary woody fougere, nothing original nor interesting here.
Quite sweet, little bit fruity with green fresh vibe. Something like Eternity for Men, although this isn`t quite that fresh or strong, but a bit darker and even more harsh.

Top : Mandarin, Lemon, Lavender, Thyme
Middle : Coriander, Nutmeg
Base : Patchouli, Sandalwood, Oak Moss

Not definitely wearable by men, but a great catch for any woman who likes sweet stuff. This is ultra sweet Oriental, like a Pink Sugar for grownups, perhaps..?
Very sugary and "pretty", vanilla - tonka overload. Tuberose is detectible, making this quite pink in color when its mixed with those sweet notes.
The smoky, bitter almondy pipe tobacco accord was much more quiet than I was expecting after reading some reviews.

EdT.

Nice unisex musk for everyday use, more suitable for women. A bit alsamic florals back up the musk very good, quite similar to the legendery unisex musk by Alyssa Ashley. This is slightly more animalic though, and a tad more complex creation. Great bottle, nice lasting power, and atleast the EdT has nothing to do with (the marvelous) Muscs Koublai Khan.

Especially recommended for women, great choice for the office etc. when moderately applied.

I ordered a sample of this from TPC, and I could swear, the top notes were turned off a bit. It really did smell very unhealthy indeed, so guys, be aware if you`re going to buy a full bottle. We know it isn`t cheap, so it could be a disasterful suprise.
I presume this was discontinued a long time ago, and naturally the bottle should have been at least well stored, otherwise the time could have done some damage.

Judging by note sample I have, this is to me one of those, should I say, "overrated fragrances" which has been getting it`s status mainly because it is so rare.
OK, it is rich and highly aromatic Oriental, but is it really that special after all..??
No, if you ask me.

Some kind of cult classic which does nothing to me, nothing at all. I love the bottle and the notes, but the scent is just utterly boring with no impact whatsoever. Just a soft woody leather with the hint of fruit. Extremely mediocore in everyway. Average lasting power.

But the things are often by the skin of the teeth : Oscar for Men which I find suprisingly similar to Cuiron, is one of my favourites, I`m deeply in love with that. It has same kind of leather note as in Cuiron, but it also has some soft black pepper to make it edgier, as well as the fir balsam and marine like freshness to give it some deeply mysterious charachter. It smells like Cuiron which has been taken to the shore of the lake near by, early in the morning, showing it all the things its hollow soul has been missing.

Delicious gourmand fragrance which for some reason I find very feminine. That`s why I gave it to my girlfriend, and she enjoys it very much. Actually, it is her all time favourite.

Heavy on cardamon, this actually manages to smell like some sort of spicy bread or arabian spice cake at he begin. Very tasty and edible.

The spicy notes doesn`t last that long, and the base is quite boring story of soft woods and musk with a hint of cocoa powder thrown along.

Funny looking bottle, which I actually like very much. This limeted edition fragrance was a long time ago discontinued, and so very hard to find these days.

I have only smelled that reissue version, and for sure it`s a nice fragrance, although I was perhaps expecting even something more magical.
Balsamic, smoky leather in the vein of Knize Ten, vintage Cuir de Russie (Chanel), Cuir Mauresque etc.

Very deep and mysterious, long lasting and quite satisfying experience. However, not worth the insane price tag, at least not to me.

My all time favourite fragrance for women. Absolutely intoxicating balsamic floral, gentle and unbelievably beautiful. Almost surreal experience, this brings my late mother to mind : She didn`t use this no, but the smell is strkingly similar as in one face cream (Vitalis) which she always use to rub my face, when I was a small boy, against the cold weather and wind when I was about to go skating and play some hockey with my long lost childhood friends.

Unfortunetly quite awful. As a great fan of super dry sauvignonne wine I was kind of hoping otherwise.

This is very tart, thin scent which smells like a raw grapefruit in a new wooden box.

It could have been tart indeed, please, but it should have been richer, better balanced with preferably some ripe lime-like bite to it.

Like all Gineste products, this is very nicely packed.

Toughy. Sometimes is smells absolutely wonderful, well balanced rich green and natural. Sometimes it strikes me as a harsh and awfully acric, with the definite dated elements.

Solution is very simple though, and highly recommended to anyone : Easy on the trigger, 4 sprays is an absolute max. (and only 2 of those for the open skin, while the other two belong under your shirt)

The high quality green-soap-like drydown with the hint of almond is absolutely unique and wonderful.

Nice spicy apple accord in the opening, (smells like a proper Calvados) and then more fruits will follow, candied and dried. Serge Lutens, anyone?
Heart of this fragrance smells very plummy to me, make it with the flower, pulp, prune pit and all....drenched in sugar.
Unisex, but by the sweet exotic floral-fruity charachter more suitable for women.

Ouch. I hate to put anything down, I really do, but sometimes I don`t have any choice....

a) Horrible bottle to start with
b) Absolutely terrible, run of the mill woody citrus fragrance which is dead boring
c) Those notes are a hoax, as they actually sound very interesting

Top : Tuberose, Jasmin, Ylang-Ylang, Mimosa, Violet, Mandarin

Middle : Sandalwood, Vetiver, Musk

Base : Leather, Tobacco, Oakmoss, Vetiver, Civet

(www.parfyym.pri.ee)

A marvelous, green woody fragrance with crisp citrus accents. Absolutely a great pleasure to wear during the summertime. Poetic blend of warmth and freshness. Smells very natural, could be used by men or women. Definitely unisex.
This scent reminds me of the way fresh and waxy birch leaves smell; bitter and sweet, slightly smoky and medicinal. Can be both soothing and vitalisizing depending on your will, this scent of contrasts deserves thumbs way way up.

I used this many many years ago, went through a 100ml bottle quite quickly. Btw, this one has a wicked, fun looking bottle : a torso of a man with a tuxedo on, top hat as a cap.
Don`t stare at the notes, this one is quite strickly a copycat of a designer frag, just like everything else from this company. This one succesfully follows the formula of Live Jazz by YSL.

Thumbs up in the name of nostalgia.

Best of the ELdO bunch, this bittersweet animalic leather has an interesting herbal/spicy twist to it. Quite original, smells weird and slightly offputting. The smoky, burnt styrax note is wonderful. The scent lingers on skin forever and ever.

Dark, brooding and provocative, this is not your everyday fragrance for sure.

I don`t like it at all, in any part of the duration. Sharp, aldehydic top notes are just a big bleh to me, and the drydown doesn`t take this anywhere interesting. Smells a lot more like a classic Chypre with a clove-cinnamon shot, than a distinguished, spicy Oriental. It`s also more feminine than masculine to my nose, although it classifies easily as in unisex category.

Could have some groundbraking qualities as in tension to marry the vintage chypre along with traditional oriental spices, but it smells artificial and boring.

My favourite from the line. I`m not a fan of iris, but in this I can handle it because it is so well blended with other notes. This is very subtle and nice vegetal, earthy fragrance with a distant smoke accord. And the most suprising thing here is that black olive note is definitely not just a gimmick; I am actually able to smell it!

Suitable for men or women, in a wonderful baby blue bottle.

I believe this is discontinued, and my prediction is that this will be a cult classic in a few years time, desperately hunted by many.

To me this is VERY unique, and VERY well made. High quality fragrance, really, and I really would like to know the name of the perfumer who made this.

I get very much soft peppery lemon at the beginng, and it smells amazing. Almost the best part of this wonderful fragrance.
Drydown reveils some well blended fougere elements, and finally there is a wonderful leather accord in the base. It`s absolutely wonderful.

To me it is a suprise that this haven`t got more general apprecition. Like I said, it is very well made and unique, and very impressive with subtle animalic charachter. Stays close to skin for a long long time.

The striking zebra bottle is perhaps my all time favoutite.

This is a great scent, and to me could be even FBW in the future. Almost as good as Intense, but not quite.
Creamy, quite mysterious blend of saffron, caraway and soft woods. Drydown developes an accord which reminds me of the smell of sweet pipe tobacco. Quite complex as it keeps changing on my skin in regular basis.
I was hoping to sense that oud (listed officially elsewhere) a bit more strongly.
I didn`t any problems with the lasting power.

Wonderful soft Oriental in a beautiful bottle. Recommended for sure.

One of my all time favourites, this is such a delicious fragrance. The smell reminds me of one Jamaican ginger soda which I do love very much, as it is so tasty and it tickles my throat with that spicy ginger.

Soda is all about sweet ginger and lemon with marvelous soft vinyl accents. Can come quite air-freshner like to some, but I always feels so good wearing this. It makes me feel really good, very much alive.

Of course the bottle is amazing, and the lasting power plus sillage are both insane.

My second best CdG favourite right after SKAI. (Harissa would be third on the list, I guess)

Oh boy, this is SO CLOSE to being something exceptionally good. So close.
But unfortunetly I end up thinking that this is again just another "very nice" fragrance - and that`s about it.
I love the notes and the concept, but like I said, to my nose it fails for being anything special at the end. I guess I would have liked to see heavier agarwood note in this to give it some edge. More that oomph! overall.
Now this is just a nice, sweet and red smelling blend of woods and rum; a bit too bland and boring for my tastes. It doesn`t that long either.

If this were produced in EdP form with higher agarwood concentration, I would probably be all into it.

Hardcore, and like they say, not for the faint of heart.
Quite brutal, animalic opening is very impressive. Love at firts sniff, but the drydown is place where the magic actually happens : Wonderful blend of stiff tar, cedarwood, rose and shiny, hard plastic. Can be quite hard to handle, and I`m not suprised by the negative comments at all.
I love this very much though, but I don`t reach that bottle very often, and when I do, I cannot allow myself to use more than 3 sprays.

Amazing bottle with wonderful spray mechanism. High quality performance.

Oh my god I love this! Delicious!!

I tested this for the first time few years ago, and I immedietaly liked it.
However, it took few years actually to get me a full bottle, mainly because of the lousy money situation.
Anyway, I got it now and I am so happy! I love it, love love love it!!!

I am a huge fan of tomato : I reach for anything which has this wonderful, my all time favourite vegetable. I love chili too - a lot!!!

But you know what? To me this doesn`s smell like tomato or chili, as much as I would have liked it to be that way.

No. Harissa smells quite exactly like English wine gum candies, which I have always loved - have loved them for number of years.
Okey, there`s a bit of that tomato smell too, but mainly this is all about those English wine gum candies. Those red ones that are sweet and bitter.

Harissa smells red, juicy, fresh and aromatic. I feel so damn healthy evytime I wear this fragrance. I feel alive, powerful and quite much ready for anything that destiny brings ahead.

Harissa makes me smile, but do notice, it also has some gloomy, mysterious corners.

Harissa, one of my all time favourites.

Not a bad scent at all, and actually it is one of the best CdG releases in years.
It`s very woody of course, saw dusty, piney, and little bit medicinal.
Insence plays along as well.

That hinoki note with pine and insence brings to my mind Zagorsk, although this is eventually quite different. (perhaps a bit Gucci Rush for Men there, too?)

Lasting power and sillage were quite average on my skin.

Hinoki reminded me of some old shed, filled up with old and dry pine logs, a bit of gentle fumes of gasoline and petrol. Floor covered with dry sawdust.
This is one linear woody scent with the great lack of depth.

Nice, but not full bottle worthy at all.

Not my biggest CdG favourite. It`s not bad, it`s quite interesting as well, but after few full wearings I just noticed a big *blah from my side*. It`s sharp, very spicy, and eventually little bit boring. Cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, styrax and pepper - something which reminds me of Piper Nigrum by L.Villoresi.
Quite christmassy scent, and I like that, but after all this smells something that is unable to rock my world. Somethings wrong, personally speaking, but at the same time I must say that I would love to smell this one on some woman. I presume it would work in wonderful ways.

A great bottle!

One of my biggest favourites on women, this one is absolutely irresistible. Extremely Annick Menardo like fragrance, her signarture accords are so easy to detect here. Holds very much similarities to some of her other fragrances indeed.

Vanillic, almondy, a bit of a coconutty with floral accents, on a right person this is capable to make me weak in the knees.

A honeyed, balsamic Oriental which almost could be considered as unisex, but falls a bit short on that after all. Must be the civet mixed with flowers that keeps this definitely on feminine side. Guys, don`t even think about wearing this, hand it to your lady instead. It should be wonderful to smell it.

I absolutely love this fragrance. The best one from Ellena of which I have tried atleast, and I never seem to be bored wearing this. Perhaps because its smell brings my home country to my mind more than any other fragrance I know. Really, it smells just like me sitting under a lush and fresh birch tree during a warm summer day, shirt open and a bit sweaty, eating fresh from the oven pulla! (pulla is a famous Finnish cinnamon bun with lots of cardamom)

Pleasant fragrance which has just that right amount of cumin to it. It`s a borderline case, though. Suprisingly complex and it lasts forever. Semi-gourmand leaning towards feminine side. Arabie is a close cousin (candied dried fruits and spices) is this one is definitely lighter. Has some similaries with Lagerfeld Jako as well, although that one does skip the cumin completely.

Delicious creation that is a must-have for the lovers of Gourmands.
Basically same ingridients as in Rochas Man (shame on you, Maurice!) but way more concentrated.
It seems almost too sweet at first, but the drydown is such a pleasant wear. Suprisingly masculine!

My gf likes to use this one too, although she is generally not a fan of perfume at all.

Lacoste Booster on stereoids? Anyhow, this one is only for the lovers of mint/menthol, because this one is all about that. Top notes are a mouthwash in your face!
Nice woody undertones smooth things up, making this smeling like a super strong mint tea. No sugar.
Lasts forever and can be extremely uplifting if you`re into it.

Perfumer : Karoline Vieth

Oud / Agarwood is my favourite note, but this is quite horrible in use : One of the very few fragrances which has cause me a terrible physical reaction. Not headache, but awfully dry and sore throat that lasted even after showering the scent off my skin. And I didn`t even use much!

This is interesting experience, and if you`re a fan of oud; I say get a sample or small decant of this...
But remember I told you so : Harsh, rude, raw, suffocating, extremely dry and resinous, and most definitely too much for even someone like me who likes oud and heavy scents liberally sprayed.

Haha. Indeed the one would expect an interesting and complex fragrance (just look at those notes!) but no; very very linear, almost single note, thin yet quite creamy suede leather scent. Somewhat similar to Donna Karan Fuel and Daim Blond, but not as rich.

Just thought I could put my short, informative note on this one : This is extremely similar to the original, so if you know that one then you know exactly how this one smells. Would be very hard to tell any differences, for many.

Aromatic and masculine are the first two things which comes to mind. I really do like the tartness in this one, that crispy tobacco, sweet woods and delicious take on bay rum. Drydown is to me quite much on the animalic side.
I basically wear this only due the summertime, and it`s one of those scents which keeps getting better and better as it gets hotter and hotter....
Like many of you know, this is still exclusively in production and actually very widely available in South Africa. Strange.

MMM said this is not that original to him (S.Tacchini Uomo is a fine example!) and I must agree. Good scent though, not as good to me as many of the guys seem to think.

To be honest, technically speaking, this fragrance is a disaster : It is so badly balanced that it makes me want to cry. Two different kind of ouds (from Cambodia, Java) are drenched in huge overload of honey. Probably the sweetest fragrance I have ever tried, it can make me sick and nauseous.
Reminds me very much of M.Micallef`s Aoud for Men, but that is way much more better composed.
I guess Arabian Oud is not used to make these EdP`s, and perhaps they should stick to making oils only. Even the bottle is horrendous with plastic details and awful spray mechanism.

But hey, what I do like about this fragrance, is that it is so exotic and completely different from anything else I own. (for instance, this has nothing to do with Montale Aouds)
And like this scent, I`m not that polished myself, either. :)

It has Duchaufour written all over it : That signarture insence accord with fruity accent that is so dark and solar at the same time. Also, very BD-like is the structure in powerwise : It stays very close to skin with only average longevity to it.

Quite nice and composed by the great talent, but afterall, the value for the money here is just a sad joke.
With the pyramid like that, this should have been much more interesting with greater impact. Way too quiet and conservative for my tastes.

If I want an interesting Amouage experience, I find my sample of Gold Men....

I must admit I love the bottle. I think it`s ridicilously good looking in a playful way, and I almost would like to buy me a full bottle because of that.
The juice itself is like so many other Cool Water copycats are : A pleasant, aromatic marine blend of different kind of synthetic ingridients : Herbs, citruses and ambergris.
Comparing to many of its soul companions, AQ is a bit spicier and perhaps a bit darker, but it`s still utterly boring.

If only the scent would have matched the spirit of that bottle, then it would have been something fun and different.

Absolutely wonderful smell way ahead of its time. Smells amazingly timeless and original. Iodine note is absolutely delicious and it makes the vetiver mouthwateringly salty in structure. Intoxicating stuff for an hour.

I would buy a bottle in a heartbeat if it would last longer plus the drydown wouldn`t turn so awful on my skin. (Sadly I find the drydown very sharp and unbalanced)

Indeed, the opening is very hars and even offputting, but the drydown is truly exceptional. Sweet, thick and warm, smells a lot like maple syrup. (it`s damn true, I have even made a side by side test!)
Groundbraking stuff because of the gourmand qualities. Could also be seen as a prototype for many Lutens`s creation.

Lasts longer than any other scent I know, it`s quite unisex too, and it definitely deserves every single bit of my apprecition.

Quite delicious, actually. Synthetic in a pleasant way. Fruity, sweet and vanillic-musky fragrance in lovely bottle. If you are looking for compliments, then this is a "can`t go wrong". Just don`t overload, 2-4 sprays will be fine.
I find the lasting power to be quite flawless.

My girlfriend told me it reminded her the way some specific My Little Pony toy use to smell. Ouch.

One of those fragrances for which I just have to put my thumb down because of a very simple reason : I felt absolutely uncomfortable wearing this, and I really wouldn`t want to smell this on a woman either.
Interesting in a way, no doubt, but quite horrible in action.

Can we agree that this is the best celeb fragrance of all times??

The top notes can be quite harsh and synthetic, but the drydown soon reveils a marvelous, bold composion of rose, moss, vetiver and musk (civet). Very green with red accents. Of course, could easily be used by women too. Lasting power is stunning and the sillage is quite outrageous, so be carefull on the trigger.

Provocative, eccentric juice in a most beautiful bottle.

Oh wow. Most compelling mixture of saffron, florals (mainly jasmine), vetiver and musk. Fresh and clean yet quite animalic juice. In colors, it smells like green was mixtured with pink. Would love to smell this one on a woman, but personally as a guy, I wear this with full comfort and I don`t think no guy should be afraid to give this one a chance.

Very nice, very red wine like. Sweet and woody, definitely red in color. Quite sharp but well blended and balanced. The thing that strikes me most is that the one is actually able to smell every single note that has been listed : Sandalwood, frankincense, musk, rose, geranium, vetiver and oud wood - it is all there to be noticed!
Very natural smelling overall, and most definitely unisex.

The very minimal olfactory pyramid already gives you a clue for this not being especially complex fragrance, and it certainly is very true : This is indeed quite simple and linear composition. However, the aroma itself is so addictive and pleasant, that it makes the complexity totally pointless.
I can`t say that I get the orange notes at all, but the star fruit in the middle certainly adds that certain fruity twist to it. Also, vanilla is quite obvious all the way, but to me these supporting notes of star fruit and vanilla pods only underlines the fact of this being just a simple cocoa bean scent - perhaps in some of it`s different variations.
Things I get to my mind : Milk Chocolate, Cocoa Powder, White Chocolate and slightly, some darker undertones of Dark Chocolate and freshly roasted Coffee with Milk. Despite the sweetness, this is no sugar overdozed fragrance by any means.

I`m quite suprised that this hasn`t gain more popularity among guys. OK, this may lean towards feminine side a bit, but c`mon....this is completely unisex fragrance.

Probably my second best gourmand favourite ever (nothing can beat good old A*men), and more than that, to me this might well be the coziest fragrance in existance. It creates a warm, soft edible aura that I have found totally calming. Wonderful fragrance to bed, too.

I really do like the simple nature of AdC, and I wear it with more pleasure comparing to some more complex gourmands, such as Eau Noire, New Haarlem and Il Profumo`s.

Sillage is very gentle yet reasonably impressive. To me, a fragrace which could/should be quite liberally used; even 6-8 sprays is advisable.
Lasting power is flawless, don`t worry about it.

Now, all you have to do is prepare yourself for getting some compliments.

Oh God I love this fragrance. I`m not here to review this scent in any technical ways . I`m not to describe the ingridients or notes in it.

I just tell you that TO ME this is without a doubt one of the most soothing scents I have ever discovered, if not the most. Like a breathtakingly beautiful landscape seen through teary eyes or, mirage of angels in the middle of the cool wilderness.

This fragrance really takes me away to somewhere better.

Touch of something surreal.

Touch of something unreal.

Extremely impressive start in this: Most likely those sweet animal notes mixed with herbs and fruits make even the most experienced nose to have a little recoil experience. It`s quite amazing, promising beginning.

Unfortunetly, and most definitely to my suprise, the drydown doesn`t treat this scent so good. That Kouros like animalic richness disappers soon after couple of hours, and it turns to be very tart blend of patchouli-honey-civet. Similar to the drydown of Givenchy Gentleman, but more thin and sour.

For everyone who enjoys particularly animalic scents, this is a must try, mainly because of those first couple of hours. However, the sample or perhaps decant will easily do, since that drydown isn`t that compelling nor wearable.

My favourite Lutens, and one of my favourite scents ever.

A shocking, sharp start of tart honey esther. Pure and somewhat quite raw. To me, love at first sniff.
Dries down for lovely and intoxicating blend of deliciously sticky beeswax, crisp honey, with deep and medicinal Oudish woods. Lasts forever with excellent and tasty drydown.

Miel de Bois is also one of the most evocative fragrances I know. I don`t need to tell exactly what it brings to my mind, but these echoes from the childhood is after all probably the most precious thing that any fragrance could ever produce.

Not bad. The oud is simply irresistible note; I love that warm, sticky medicinal aroma. It`s intoxicating and somehow, spiritual. Very mysterious.

On me, Royal Aoud is very pure on oud - can`t see very much more going on after it settles down after application.
Some charachter it still certainly has : I think this is the most leatheriest oud blend in series. Indeed, sometime during the drydown I thought very much of nicely kept rugged leather, perhaps polished horse saddle or something that kind. Later on, these leather associations disappear, and it turns more woody.

I has come as a big suprise to me that my biggest favourite in the series is Aoud Lime. Didn`t expect that to happen, really. (but I do like that one alot, it`s one of my biggest favourites among "fresh" scents)

Thumbs up here, but to be honest, I really don`t think any Aoud is worth for the 118 euros a bottle. For that price, I can get something even much more captivating and overall better.

Yuzu Rouge is to me perhaps the most shampoo-ish fragrance that I have ever tried. Not kidding; and actually I`d claim that it`s almost exact smell with one specific Finnish shampoo that I have used several years of time.
This is not a bad thing if you want to smell like shampoo; fresh and clean with natural vs. synthetic nuances.
For me, a hundred euro niche fragrance will have to offer way much more than this. Way much more.

Little credit for nice green/woody undertones plus for decent longevity.

One of the best packings ever made! It`s absolutely gorgeous!

Sadly, the scent is quite disapointing : Very linear and simple blend of cedarwood and light musk, with slight touch of white pepper and insence. Reminds me very much of Gucci Rush, although Le Boise is more quiet and refined.

Le Boise`s biggest hurdle is serious lasting power issue. It sucks.

Amazing packing for sure (and great name), but unfortunetly the scent itself doesn`t offer anything that special. Well balanced soft and gentle scent with prominent ylang-ylang note. Quite feminine, but could still easily be woren by men who are not afraid prominent floral accords.
I`d say this is well made scent. However, for me Kisu is not worth for the high price. Not even close, actually. IMO it would have needed a bit more Oopmh!, and also more (insence?) woods to give more depth to it.
Lasting power could be much, much better.

I love this! Amazing bottle to start with, and the juice is even better. Odd in a way for sure, but also oh-so-easy-to-wear. Very pleasant smell, actually.

This is perhaps the most childish scent there is, besides the actual baby/child perfumes. (such as Petit Guerlain)
Evocative, pure and somehow very innocent smelling. Like a breath of a little baby.

Extremely fresh and clean, but also very mysterious. Spacey scent too, and I actually see David Bowman wearing this in A Space Odyssey 2001 as he silently travels in his capsule, towards the birth of a Star Child.

Along with Sables, this is the only Annick Goutal scent which I find interesting.

Very good. I love the smell of smoke, and this one delivers that in big time.
The smoke of Eau du Fier is kind of sweet and sticky. Like if you took a cupful of smoky tea and add spoonful of flowery honey and another one of some kind of jam, cherry or maybe apricot...

Highly interesting blend, and very sadly now discontinued. Shame, indeed. We need more bold scents like this.

Not a great fan of this one. I do appreciate the status of it as well as the unique character, but I simply find it very unwearable.
The connection to Tabac Blond is obvious. They both are filled up with castoreum, having that extremely rugged leather aroma. And, I can`t help myself to see some resemblance to some sort of chemichals; glue or perhaps paint thinner. Really, smells like some stiff and old leather jacket wasdipped into a bucket full of turpentine!
Drydown softens this quite a bit, developing even some (herbal) soapy accords. Lasting power is good, no doubt.

Admirable in way yes, but for me not even close to be wearable.

I do love this one, although the drydown seems to me slightly disapointing.

First hour with this scent is pure brilliance : Like Daim Blond (S. Lutens) but more toned down and more mysterious.

After that happy-hour, this dries down to a berrish musky type of a fragrance - Very pleasant although it wears very close to the skin.

Artistic, but also quite modest.

Very very nice scent. Gentle and beautiful
blend of berries, light musk and something which gives me an impression of a fresh from the oven, buttery buns. Very nice. In someways, very melancholic scent. Evocative, too.

The downside is insufficient longevity and overall impression of weakness in the drydown.
Ah, it`s that fading beauty!!

OK, I bought this basically only for the reason that Luca Turin said so delicious things about it in his blog, which is sadly now closed.
As you may know, his thoughts were like "this is probably the most animalic parfum ever made..." and "there is something so wrong with this frag that it`s truly amazing" etc.

Got to have it, indeed.

So, I sprayed it on my hand, and guess what happend??
Exactly: I was disapointed again, like I have been before with these high expectations. (especially with Dzing!)
I thought "what is this..?" "This, the most animalic scent..?" "This, something so wrong..?"
To me only wrongness seemed to be that it smelled like some usual, even cheap women`s perfume. Flowery, feminine, not that complex at all. I wanted to cry - this had to be my holy grail of getting dirty, getting really weird. I wanted to shock some people with some style wearing this, not with this plain women`s cocktail.


Then I fell asleep. (Zzzzz...2hours)

I woke up from my nap, and I have hardly dried my tears of disapointment, as I smell my upper palm...
What happens??
I start to grin, I start to roll my eyes and mumble to myself..."Mmmm...so this is what the man was talking about...So it`s all about the drydown, all about letting it develope and heat up on the skin...WOW!!"

But hey, leather??!! Are you serious??? What kind of leder hosen have you`ve been smelling then???

Nichts leather for me, but...how shall I put it...lovely crotch???

I don`t know what to think about this.

It is very confusing to me that most of the people consider this as an Gourmand scent.
I don`t think so at all: To me this is subtle, refined Fougere scent.

It has some tasty notes in it, and it has some edible notes mixed...But still; This is just sweet, aromatic Fougere. Not a Gourmand scent, imo.

Starts out like toned down sugared Jazz, continues to create this refined, smooth woody scent. Just a slight touch of anis, coffee and soft leather.

Rhum?? I really don`t think so.

I don`t honesty undertand people who compare this to Lolita Lempicka, A*Men or Rochas Man...I really don`t understand that.
Still, a wonderful and unique Fougere blend - very refined and classy aroma.

But but but...Yes, it`s a bit too weak. Sensual for sure, but still too weak.
It doesn`t last long either, and I suppose these problems with strenght/longevity could be part of the discontinuance. I wouldn`t wonder.

Great scent, made with high talent, but...