Reviews by JMang

    JMang's avatar
    JMang
    United States United States

    Showing 1 to 23 of 23.
    rating

    360 Degrees Red for Men by Perry Ellis

    Very pleasant, very fresh, very linear. I was tempted to describe Red as being "boring" but its too well composed to be described as so. While most aquatics go sour on my skin, Red has been very pleasant. Its not expensive either.

    For the money, this is a thumbs up.

    2nd April, 2010.

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    Rive Gauche pour Homme by Yves Saint Laurent

    Very clean, very balanced, very old school.

    Too old school for me.

    As others before me have put it, it smells like a nice barbasol or a nice barbershop. But not for someone me in my 20's. I'll stick to YSL's more urban and modern offerings. They may not be as "challenging", but they are more pleasant to wear on a daily basis.

    30th March, 2010.

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    Geir by Geir Ness

    Very smooth floral/citrus opening that blooms into a nice fresh and clean scent. Somewhat clean as well. I'd been searching for a nice clean scent for summer and this is close to my favorite. Its leaning more towards the unisex side than masculine, but very enjoyable to wear. Good sillage and longevity at the EDP concentration too. Thumbs up from me.

    30th March, 2010.

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    Essenza di Zegna by Ermenegildo Zegna

    One of the better aquatics citrus aquatics available. Overall, the fragrance isn't as synthetic as many others and the opening is rather unique. Many summer colognes have lemon/orange/bergamot in their topnotes but Essenza is different (I guess thats the mandarin speaking).

    Drydown adds a sweet/slightly powdery wood base. Nice impression overall, even though its not very exciting, I give it a positive because unlike many other summer colognes, it doesn't reek of calone and is more unique.

    23rd March, 2010.

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    Eau de Rochas Homme by Rochas

    Very green, very woody, very old school refreshing. Its very refined, the bottle is interesting; seems to be contoured roses engraved in glass. Opening is very lemon - citrusy, but with a hint of pine. You can tell its a quality fragrance and its very well balanced, very well made.

    Definitely for the 30's - 40's, though a 20 year old could pull it off. Very enjoyable if a green, earthy, fresh woods scent is what you're looking for

    23rd March, 2010. (Last Edited: 31st March, 2010.)

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    Banana Republic Classic by Banana Republic

    A very clean and fresh scent, but the green/citrus opening is a little too peppery for my taste. Good office wear,the drydown is much better. But overall, not something I want to keep.

    23rd March, 2010. (Last Edited: 30th March, 2010.)

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    Habit Rouge by Guerlain

    Definitely not for me. I can detect bergamot and lemon, plus the patchouli and vanilla (and the musk). It is also definitely out of my age range (20's). It is powdery sweet but the opening citrus is very fleeting at best. To be brash: it smells like a very very pleasant urinal cake.

    22nd March, 2010.

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    Corduroy by Zirh

    I have to give this a positive because its a warm and embracing pleasant woodsy comforting scent for the wintertime given its price (you can't get many 4.2oz bottles for this quality/price combo). Not particularly unique though but a fantastic buy, love the creamy/powdery soothing aroma.

    21st March, 2010.

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    Reaction for Men by Kenneth Cole

    Clean and fresh but the melon is very strong. A fruity and energetic scent perfect for summer but I'd like something a little more aquatic.

    21st March, 2010.

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    Mariah Carey Forever by Mariah Carey

    Not a bad scent at all, but not captivating either.

    Opening starts off sweet and warm, with florals (lotus) dominating the beginning. I cannot give a review on the drydown because I have not literally sprayed it on myself. As much as I appreciate fragrances; I'm not one to spray ladies' perfumes on myself.

    Moderate/average scent, its not as fresh, light or airy as most scents for summer, it'll do well for spring or fall, and for the evening.

    If my lady were wearing this, I wouldn't mind, but I wouldn't be captivated either

    19th March, 2010.

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    Echo by Davidoff

    A very appealing bottle design, and marketed on men's magazines, but a disappointment.

    Its not a terrible scent, but it is very blandly synthetic and synthetic; I regret buying the 3.4oz bottle of it. The top notes on the paper strip weren't bad, but on the skin, its much drier, and not a good aquatic (as compared to bvlgari or erolfa)

    17th March, 2010.

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    Hugo by Hugo Boss

    I don't understand why Hugo Boss is in the fragrance business, and I don't know why I ever bought them in my past.

    After going through (and never finishing)

    Element
    XY
    Hugo

    I want to repent of my sins. Actually, XY wasn't bad. But HUGO, very synthetic. Not as much calone as Element, but still...banal. Smells like a cheap, caustic, green aquatic. I honestly do think Axe is better (and far more affordable)

    17th March, 2010. (Last Edited: 30th March, 2010.)

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    Hugo Element by Hugo Boss

    I was actually given a trial .25oz bottle of this cologne months before the original release.

    Loved it. It wasn't as synthetic as the rest of the aquatics in the market and resembled a cleaner, less intense version of Z by Zegna.

    After the official release, I bought a 3.4oz bottle and was sorely disappointed. Between my testing and mass production, Hugo ramped up its synthetic calone overtures and the fresh mildly fruity aquatic that I sampled turned into a irritating low quality scent.

    Terrible.

    11th March, 2010.

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    Fuel For Life pour Homme by Diesel

    This cologne is aimed at my generation (21 year old males)

    And it is not appealing.

    At first application, its very very synthetic smelling. Imagine liquid raspberry licorice doused in alcohol and you have the opening terms of FFL. The drydown saves this scent from becoming wearable; its far more pleasant once the woods settle through. Not extremely manly, but the fruity sweet woods aren't bad.

    It would be a very appealing scent if not for the strong alcohol/kerosene/diesel fumes that make the first half hour or this cologne reek.

    For this price, you can do better.

    11th March, 2010.

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    Monsieur Balmain (new) by Pierre Balmain

    Incredible, incredible lemon. And thats really all you're going to get; its a very linear scent. Everything about its marketing, from the yellow gold box to the yellow glass bottle, reflects lemon and thats what you'll get from Monsieur Balmain. Its very economical; I received it for around $25 shipped and personally, its a good compliment for layering other sweeter scents.

    Admittedly, its very hard to make a citrus that isn't overly sweet, synthetic, and tart. MB is perfect for summer afternoons but longevity is a question; lasts less than two hours on my dry skin.

    A good buy if you love love love lemon, but its another good scent that I wouldn't wear on a regular basis.

    11th March, 2010.

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    Live Jazz by Yves Saint Laurent

    The cilantro (coriander) and mint really take this away. Its a very distinctive and unique scent perfect for summer; it really does give a cooling effect. However, someone my age (21) will probably be put off by its old school freshness. Its not a bad fragrance by all means, but just something I wouldn't wear.

    11th March, 2010.

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    Zegna Colonia by Ermenegildo Zegna

    A very linear but clean scent. Opens with a nice semi sweet burst of citrus and settles very quickly into a sandlewood base. Invokes the image of a nice, sunny and cool day spent by a beach. A nice scent but has lacks sillage and longevity

    8th March, 2010. (Last Edited: 11th March, 2010.)

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    L'Homme by Yves Saint Laurent

    Love it.

    Good fragrance, though I wish there was a hint of musk or tobacco to make it manlier, as this scent is borderline unisex (leaning on the manly side). Citrus peel and tonka bean are dominant; the drydown smells like a sweet, honey/vanilla concoction on my skin, but its not overwhelming so. Not distinctly unique, but a good choice nonetheless for spring/summer/fall

    8th March, 2010.

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    Z by Ermenegildo Zegna

    Its a nice scent, my ex purchased this for me in high school, and its definitely a frag for the younger crowd.

    In my opinion, its better than Acqua di Gio, though Z doesn't wander far from the aquatics aimed for the younger generation. Its also cleaner and not as chemical/synthetic as AdG. Opening notes are very citrusy, very clean, very fresh, similar to Chrome in that it can almost be harsh. The drydown is much better, and though the fragrance doesn't evolve very much, its still very sporty and fresh.

    A summertime fragrance thats definitely worth a try if you're tired of the Cool Waters/AdG. Whether or not you buy it is your choice.

    8th March, 2010.

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    The One for Men by Dolce & Gabbana

    Edit:

    After a couple days of testing, I gave this one a thumbs down.

    Given a couple weeks, I change it to a neutral, I might actually give it a thumbs up as well.

    Compared to the other gourmands out there, its very wearable, and almost edible. Ladies love it, but like all gourmands, don't overdo it. I do appreciate the vanilla/amber, tobacco and cedar.

    8th March, 2010. (Last Edited: 30th March, 2010.)

    rating

    Armani Code / Black Code by Giorgio Armani

    Immediate impression was that its projecting far too much citrus to be an evening scent, but the drydown redeems the fragrance.

    I can't detect much of the bergamot, olive, or wood nearly as much as the lemon and tonka bean.

    Either ways, a better than average selection for a night out with a special lady. For a special night out with a special lady, aim higher.

    8th March, 2010.

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    Adidas Moves by Adidas

    1. Its made by Adidas
    2. Its very economical

    That said, don't expect too much from this fragrance. I still think you'll be pleasantly surprised by its cost to scent ratio; its very decent smelling. Its citrusy and aquatic (fresh) and perfect if you need something to cover your own natural musk at the gym. Great for the younger crowd (high school, possibly college)

    8th March, 2010.

    rating

    Acqua di Giò pour Homme by Giorgio Armani

    Try it before you buy it.

    A friend of mine had it and it smells nice on him, when I bought it, I did not have nearly the same connection, even before it landed on my skin.

    Just by sniffing it, it strikes me as being synthetic and alcoholic, with the jasmine being more evident than elsewhere. The drydown was not as appealing; it was less aquatic and more...lightly caustic. Definitely doesn't work for me.

    On a uniqueness, or lack thereof, you'll be smelling like the great multitude of aquatic wearers out there. As with all fragrances, try before you buy. For me, it was overhyped, overpriced.

    8th March, 2010.

    Showing 1 to 23 of 23.

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