Fragrance Reviews by Scenturio

There are so many similarities to the classical Aqua di Parma, that in my view it would be sufficent for a collector of italian scent classics to own just one of them. I would prefer Numero Uno, for its mellower, somehow a little darker basenotes. Anyway a very mediterranean scent, probably recommended for darker skin types, let's say 'latin lover'-models.

Just like Clinique's 'Happy' it is a perfume that is absolutely unfitting to my preferred lines of smells, that tend to the heavy, oriental way or, like some fragrances by Diptyque or Serge Lutens more floral scents, express exactly, what they are meant to be - a certain, distinctive note. Celine is vague, in some ways 'boyish' to my nose and not too remarkable. A kind of cuvee for the quick consumption, I feel.

It is the most 'proustian' perfume I ever owned. A very clear and distinctable smell of lilacs, but fortunately without the stickyness, the real blossoms often turn into. Though claimed to be unisex, it might appear to feminine to some of the tough guys out there, but being bathed into this scent, a man should feel uplifted enough to look down on these retentions with a smile in his misty eyes.

Dirrrrty... Like a wet dog in a candy store, sleeping on the leather jacket of a duchess. Anyway, it's alright with me.

A relative of mine - she always teases me a little bit about my perfume craze - asked me, when I had put rabie on: "How is this one called? Chicken tikka?" And yes, there is a strong note of curcuma, curry and saffron in this scent, that tends to overlap the more subtle notes like nuts and figs in it; but after a while, when Arabie has dried down a little bit and the smokey notes give way to the sweeter ones (opoponax e.g.?), it turns out to be an amazing elegant wear. But I do prefer Sables by Annick Goutal, which cover a quite similar spectre of notes, but to me seems the more virile one.

I would not recommend this perfume to anyone before 6 p.m., otherwise friends or co-workers might wonder, whether you have a problem about alcohol. To me this scent smells like Ouzo or Ricard.

At first quite nice a scent, especially the fascinating turn from the starting note, which is a little crispy, almost pine–like, to the perfectly authentic smell of heavy roses after some moments. But all in all it does not last too long and leaves a somehow morbid old lady–like smell at least on my skin. A perfume I would never recommend to a young man, at least if he does not feel like an impersonator of the late Judy Garland.

Acqua di Parma reminds me of a holiday at the sea. I feel like lying on an airbed, skin all pampered with a sun blocker, maybe eating a lemon ice. But I hate the smell of air beds, try to avoid sun blockers and lemon ice gives me heartburns. No, it's definitely not my all time favourite.

There is quite a hype rolling on with this perfume. Though I found the test probe attractive, I refrained from buying it, when an elderly married couple came into the perfume shop when I was in, and the lady, obviously used to take the more initiative part, asked quite demanding for that smell. Call me an elitarian, but like with Davidoff and Creed smells I prefer to have a smell quite of my own, or at least one who has gone through some seasons.

One of my favourite fragrances - accidentaly a lot of my favourite scents have a monochrome black bottle, like Czech & Speake's 88, Drakkar and the quite new John Varvatos perfume. What they all have in common, too, is in my opinion a very distinct smell of their own, quite on the other side of the light and often overblended designer scents, but extremely different to the heavy, oriental ones like Amouage Gold or Mazzolari, too, both of which I sometimes could die for, too. But everything in this world has its time...

At first I was so disappointed by this scent, that I placed in in the guest's toilet for occasions of room odorizing. But after more than one year I have gut used to it, especially to its resinous aspects and reestablished it to my all-day collection while Gaultier2 has taken its place in the loo.

I was a little disappointed when I tried Amouage Dia for the first time; compared to the extreme intense smell of the Gold edition it seemed quite, well 'harmless' to me. But first of all it develops in a most exciting way, leaving an even more detectable compositions of fragrances after a long while, and compared to Amouage Gold, that for a men's perfume really shoots a little over the mark it has a really lovable subtility with a tendency to the amber spectre.

I totally agree to Thomas and just want to add that a) one should never use this smell when tasting wine or having an opulent diner and b) thank goodness it lasts not too long, at least not on my skin.

Being no longer produced by Crown/Clive Christian, this classical scent is nowadays produced by the Anglia-Perfumery. Never having smelled the 'original' one, I dare not saying, whether this version is absolutely similar to the Crown perfume, but anyway, I like it. It has very fresh, Farina cologne water-like notes, ideal for refreshment in the warmer season but after a while it turns into a quite diffuse, but very pleasant heavier direction, which are quite more unique than the citrus notes in the beginning.

Being given the advice, that I should take every chance to get any remainders of this perfume, I bought a bottle at 'The english scent' in Berlin. Today it arrived and until now I am not too sure about it - do I like it? Does it fit me? Anyway, it is quite off the track from my favourite perfumes like Mazzolari Lui or 88 by Czech & Speake, though Eau de Russe tends to the direction of those heavy and long lasting scents. It reminds me of a certain type of JellyBeans (roasted marshmallow?), but mainly I do smell amber, which is ok. for me, but not an every day scent. Maybe a perfume worn on occasions with a seductive intention, but this could turn into the contrary effect.

I bought this scent for a friend of mine and she was overwhelmed by it - leaving aside the usual signs of gratitude. Personally I am not completely sure of it, though my 'hidden side' contains three or four perfumes for women like Dark Rose and Ysatis (the marvelous feeling of going to bed with a feminine scent and imagining yourself as a duchess from Proust's world). Yes, it is very floral, no, it is not too sweet, but there is a kind of vague density in it, which makes it hard to find an anchor point for the enchanted nostrils.

Though there are spicy notes in it, the bergamot seems overrepresented to me, which gives this perfume an almost sticky sweetness. Mingled with hints of cinnamon and cardamom, but in a quite diffuse way, it makes this perfume an ideal companion for baking the christmas cookies. But when it comes to christmas eve, I'd always prefer Frankincense & Myrrh by Czech & Speake.

There is one predominant note in this perfume which to me is most probably anise. Quite a lot of anise-based perfumes have become a great success, take Azzaro pour l'homme, for example. In the moment I am not too sure, whether my interest in this scent will last longer than the little tester bottle, but being mostly torn between heavy dark scents and the citrus scents that are often too fresh for me, this is an exciting new direction. But maybe I will give some other anise-based scents a try, before I'll surrender to this. Might have something to do with the canary bird I had, when I was a child: The sand we put into his cage had a hint of Arpege.

Ambra was recommended to me by a perfume seller, whom I told, that I wanted to get an impression of more or less pure amber. Well ok, so that is amber. Woody, spicy, sweet, with an intriguing smokey basenote, but all in all quite feminine at the first smell. But worth a try, especially in the colder season. Is it sensual? Sexualizing? I am not to sure, but anyway you feel like dressed in a quite eccentric shirt - even when you have forgotten this fact, other people will notice...

Everything started with it... When I bought this perfume as the first one of a higher price level, I soon found out, that the smell did not last very long. So a lady in the perfume shop gave me the advice, that because due to the conditions of the male skin men should always use a moisturizing creme before using a perfume, just to make it last longer. I took the advice and use skin care since then, but les nuits d'Hadrien did not develop much better and until now I am a little bored of the all in all quite overrepresented citrus notes of this smell. But you never forget a first love.

I am just wondering whether it was just by accident, that N°88 was designed on year before Drakkar Noir. Although quite different especially in the base notes, those two scents have more in common than just the black bottle. It sounds overexaggerating, but to me those are the first pre-punk perfumes ever made. Eager to rise controversities, but difficult to characterize it just into one direction. A somehow relaxed aggressivity.

L'eau trois might in fact reveal some sharp, almost animal–like notes, but the spicy aspects, especially oregano and thyme to me do not resemble to a pet's cage but to a kitchen in the Provence, where a delicious lamb shoulder is being prepared. You feel like coming out of the kitchen, not of the bathroom with it.

It would have just been an undifferenciated addendum to my collection, an blend of Creeds Vetiver and Penhaligon's Fern scent, if this fragrance had not this very seductive woody note in it, given by sesame and hazel wood. Oily, nutty, like something you buy at a candy shop, eat it up in a few minutes and cannot even remember its name. I really love it, but it turns out to become my bad hair day scent.