Fragrance Reviews by the_gabba_goul

A completely grown up and sophisticated scent...

It reminds me of walking into a spice shop, the perfume of exotic spices and perhaps some coffee or something meld together to create something that is distinct to that place. This scent seems to do the same thing, it smells exotic, foreign, absolutely out of this world...

It's warm, wearable, and deffinately smart...

This scent is an affirmation that there is still magic yet to be discovered in this world...

It's a trip to a strange place, to find new things you've never experianced before. It's calm, relaxing, and yet, there is a livelyness that sparkles just above the surface.

The initial spraying is a bit soapy or almost "fizzy"...it kind of reminded me of opening up a Sprite or something...but it quickly mellows out, and warms up just a bit...it takes on a powdery scent as the day progresses. Very clean and crisp...

This one will have to grow on me a bit...I can see myself liking this one, eventually, but it's just a bit "out there"...it smells a bit like warm cheap hairgel or something, but as time goes by it softens out a bit, then warms up a bit more, it almost smells "sticky" (if this makes any sence...)CDG are the masters of making the unusual beautiful, and this scent is no exception, if you're looking for somehting different, look no further...

"What happened to CDG?" the phrase that seemed to be echoing among many lovers of scents shortly after this new series hit the street...I didnt expect too much out of this scent after hearing everybody's chagrin, but my loyalty to CDG wouldnt allow me not to buy such a highly anticipated scent...

What happened to CDG? I'll tell you what...they shifted the paradigm of what a scent is...again...now that every mainstream design house is producing another one dimentional "smoky and mysterious" sleeping potion or a sickly "gourmand" yawn fest, CDG retaliates in true guerrilla fashion, ambushing us with something so completely unexpected that most dont even get it. To me G2 has a bit of a "tropical" smell, I dont really get all the spicyness or whatever. A bit more feminine, but that's what makes it so cool for us guys to wear...it's unexpected, just like (I suspect) the whole concept behind this new Guerrilla series (the element of surprize)...It's deffinately sweet, it reminds me of partying up on a beach somewhere the hot sun beating down, chilled fresh fruit, strong cocktails, and loud music. Some may disagree, but, I think that G2 is yet another home run from the company that is "Like the Boys"...

Next to Avignon, the best of the incense series...

Slightly less "smoky" than the others in the series, Zagorsk has a cool, almost chalky quality to it.

To me this scent is evocative of images of the renniasance, dark "bonfires of the vanities", give way to daylight filling bright studios where masters carve away at marble blocks to reveal beautiful statues which will endure for hundreds of years to come...

considered irresistable by many, considered generic by many more...Canali is a bit of a funny duck...fare more androgynous than the clothing label it's named after, yet at the same time, there is a definate continental sophistication that peeks through the "pleasant" exterrior...I recieve many compliments on this scent, yet, I must admit, if I wasnt such a fan of Canali clothing, I probably wouldnt have even considered buying this...kind of sweet and fruity upon the initial whiff, but then the masculine muski-ness gives it a strong jab and sends it spinning into something completely different...not bad for an initial offering, I think that Canali could follow in Zegna's footsteps and present some great scents in the future...deffinately worth picking up...

Everybody seems to think this scent is dark...I dont aggree...I think it might be a bit mysterious...but it knows that the best place to hide a secret is in braod daylight...

...the scent it's self is such a strange mixture...I get a bit of amber, a bit of smoke, but the two combine to a crescendo of a sickly sweet and spicy and almost fruity blast of in your face attitude...sexy, fresh, and a bit dirty, this scent compliments the cocktail in your hand and the cigarette in between your lips as you lounge in a hot night spot surrounded by danger and beauty...

"Pierce my heart again..."

The provocative first lines of a poem printed on the inside of the box that this perfume comes in...that sums it up...but instead of heartbreak which seems to be implied, I see it in more the literal sense...this scent hits you right in the heart, much like staring into the eyes of a beatuiful person for the first time...you almost have to step back, because you're so enveloped that you dont even realize the beauty that is before you...such is Kingdom...at first you dont know what this scent is...a bit of sweet, a bit of spice, all with that note of cumin...but as it mellows out the cumin integrates beautifully with the emerging vanilla note all combining into a very raw sexy fragerance...I'd almost say it's too masculine for a woman, it even out a bit more and a bit of floral finally peeks through, but this scent is in no way flowery...a marvel actually...as it wears on it takes on a note that to me is a dead ringer for odeur 71 by CDG only with a bit more floral mixed in...so unsuaual, so sexy, deffinately a classic...

This scent is a bit of a strange creature...It's been mentioned in the same breath as Avignon or Messe di Minuit...it's a curch scent, an incense scent...true, but there is much more below the surface, the incense is gentle, calming, this is a wake, white lillies surround a dark wood casket lined in velvet...the scent is sweet, smoky, and cool, tempting you closer and closer, untill finally you must succumb, to the passage d'enfer...

Ambiguity, and mystery...typical of what CDG has made us come to expect...this scent is absolutely intreaguing, CDG does it again, making us question our own perception of what a scent it, and who it's for, pushing us to the limit, and bringing us back masterfully...Burnt sugar smells so sweet, so unmistakibly feminine upon first application...but then the sweet segues perfectly into a spicy mysterious heatwave, which mellows out into something of a soothing, botanical scent, all the while spicy and sweet, but deffiantely not ordinary...this scent is saffron colored flags waving against a clear blue sky, as a wise old sage pours you tea in an enormous garden, and bends your mind with his contemplations of the universe...deffinately something special, not to be missed by any man or woman...

Sort of Avant guarde as far as marine scents go...crisp, citrusy, and very floral...like a black and white photo of a bouquet of flowers and a crisp white capitan's hat sprawled out on the teaque wood deck of a yacht...enchanting, but, not posessing the same complexity as other Bond scents, although still a masterpeice in it's own right...

A stroll through a rose garden...deffinately a bit more on the femenine side...a day in the court of a beautiful queen, admirers come from all around just to drop rose pedals at her feet, the intoxicating scent fills the fresh crisp breeze that seems to have come from another time...when the earth was young...relaxing, sexy, almost regal...CDG does it again!!!

Generic...but in a good way...if you can get past the inital smell which is hard to describe...almost a "soapy-bacon fat" smell, then you get, a typicak "perfume counter" men's scent...a pinch of floral, a bit of spice...eh...it is what it is...this scent is a cup of coffee at starbucks...safe, you always know what to expect, yet ho-hum...not a classic...but still very wearable...

CDG never ceases to amaze! For all intents and purposes, this scent should not be for a man...I mean, it's not particularly masculine, it's very synthetic, most of the notes are unplaceable...yet oddly, it works...and works beautifully...this scent kind of picks up where Odeur 71 left off, but truly takes the concept of finding beauty in the unusual to the next level...

This scent is a stroll through a dream, fying through the swirling mysts of an alien planet, not unlike our own, but still primal, and prehistoric...you pick a beautiful blossom, from the ground, it looks like no earthly flower has ever looked, an explosion of different shades of pink, green, yellow, white, and silver, the pedals thick and plasticky, sticky with a sweet nectar...you raise it to your nose, and just as you inhale and your senses are filled with this very scent, your body submits to it's raputre, and at that very moment, you awake...and as your senses greet the day, the sweet smell still lingers on your body...

Very generic...kind of a faux sporty scent...reminds me of how your gym clothes smelled on a friday afternoon...kind of sweaty, but saturated with some kind of cheap drugstore deoderant, and youthful green smelling cologne...deffinately not wearable by somebody over the age of 20...it is just fine for a HS football player or somehting, but will deffiantely smell strange on anybody other than an adolescent jock...

Sticky, sweet, hot...like melted sugar..not really sexy, or fun, doesnt even smell all that good...imagine being buried in cotton candy on a very hot day...

This fragerance is an embodyment of the fashion house who it is named for...sexy, stylish, uber-trendy, fashion forward, edgy, yet always comfortable...

Enticing, bold, glamorous, and provocative...like a penthouse furnished in purple velvet and black satin where supermodels and movie stars party with producers and buisness empressarios, streams of Cristal flowing, live music, and the most beautiful of the glitterati living it up...this scent teeters on the verge of being unisex, but is just feminine enough to be gracefully pulled back from the brink, and remains exclusive...a bit sweet, a bit spicy, a bit warm, a bit Oriental...but all Prada...

Mossy, funky, lively...this scent is so "viddy viddy English"...images of cruising around the English country side in a vintage Jag with well worn leather interrior come to mind...the scent seems to be both lively and relaxing, it would be just as comfortable in a study, reading leather bound editions of Charles Dickens and smoking a curved meerchaum pipe, as it would partying in a secret location with movie stars and beautiful women...the true deffinition of a classic...

Bond continues to get better and better with each new release...I was a bit unsure about Bleeker street at first, this one requires a bit of a drydown time, but the wait is well worth it...it's crisp and refreshing at first, and then mellows down to something warm and a bit spicy...like eating lunch at an outdoor cafe, starting out with a cool green salad, and ending with cinnamon gelato and a shot of espresso, all the while, beautiful scenery passes before you...deffinately a day time scent, so omforting and relaxing, and all the while very fashionable...those who wouldnt aggree that Bond is one of the greatest perfumeries ever obviously hasnt smelled this one yet...

Reminds me a bit of YSL Rive Gauche por homme, but toned down a bit...A sexy woodsy mystery...like a summer's night ride through the countryside on a twisty road, in a vintage convertable with the top down, each turn reveals something new, and yet strangely familiar. This is a mature scent, yet it doesnt take it's self too seriously...it's a sporty scent, yet not athletic...deffinately something to fall in love with...

Avignon...Avignon...the prettiest scent I've ever had on...

Absolutely enchanting, sexy, mysterious, and powerful...this fragerance enrobes you into a completely different world...smoky, perhaps, a white smoke...somewhat deceptive at first...it's warm, comforting, yet, oddly dark and mysterious at the same time...perhaps representing a religious awakening, and at the same time, shady background dealings, dark confessions...

...love...salvation...intrigue...mystery..power...

truly an awesome scent, much like other CDG fragerances, people may not think you are wearing cologne, but rather, you naturally smell like this...absolutely beautiful...it picks up where 2 MAN left off, and takes it to another level...deffinately one of my top 10 favorites of all time...

Youthful and energetic...a ride down a quiet streetin between the medeteranian and the cirtus orchards of Sorriento on a silver Ducati while cool see breezes brush your face and whip through your hair...crisp and citrusy with a slight hint of leather, this scent wakes the senses and then takes them for a joyride...very fast, sporty yet still, through it all, it remains elegant...

Sexy, sweet, almost magical...this scent is a mysterious hike through a forest at "the blue hour" just as day melts away into night...the smell is mysterious, night birds chirping, mythelogical creatures scampering through the forest...deffinately a storybook, sexy and youthful, this cool, fresh, woodsy scent will transport you to a different world whenever you spray it on...

Now I know what they mean when they call it an Anti-perfume, a very bold and daring blend...unplaceble and yet oddly familiar, it's deffinately a departure from the scent counter at your local department store...when I first sprayed it on...I really didnt like it...I was overwhelmed with the smell of ozone and somehting that smelled a bit like vacuum bands...but as it dried down, a sort of botanical scent began to creep through...not floral, but deffinately green...very refreshing...the ozone is still present, but much more subdued, and fresh smelling...there's a slight unplaceable sweetness mixed with a tinge of saltyness which seems to get a bit more prevalent as time goes by......you can deffinately smell a bit of "copy machine" but it comes through a just a whisp of something mysterious rather than easily identifiable as a copy machine.. as the day progresses, you'll pick up on different things...the lettuce juice really comes through about an hour or so after spraying it...very fresh smelling, but not so much like a fresh smelling cologne...more like fresh in the sense of a produce market early in the morning, or a rainforest after a storm...upon smelling this scent on you...nobody will say you stink...but I doubt they'll ask you what cologne you are wearing...perhaps they'll just think you smell like this naturally...it smells good, but deffinately not like your typical cologne (see what I mean??? Anti-perfume)...I'd deffinately recommend this for the avant guarde lover of non-traditional scents...

I'd lump this scent with Drakkar and Brut...Crisp and refreshing, although, very "tangy" and artificial...a very sporty scent, not bad for the value, but the fact that it is readily available at the local drug store, should be an indicator that it isn't exactly a super-high quality fragerance...a very youthful scent, and fittingly so, because a very young man (perhaps early teens) could get away with wearing this scent...but anybody older than that will look like a green-horn in the world of men's scents...

Floral, sweet, soft...deffinately not what you think of when you think "quality men's scent", but somehow, Burberry makes this work...The scent is cool and dignified, a true gentleman's fragerance...it harkens back to olden times, perhaps around the 1920's gents dressed to the nines with lovely ladies on their arms, ready to paint the town, with a nice rose in his lapels, and a slightly cedary cigar in his jacket pocket for later...in all truthfulness, though, this could just as easily be worn by a woman, but is still a great scent for a man...

Lively, energetic, daring, and oh yes...deffinately hot...this fragerance lives up to it's name, a combination that for all intents and purposes should not work...Bond is able to pull it off in a legendary way...the scent is strong and unappologetic, "you dont like me? Too Bad!" it screams in the faces of the paparazzi as they snap photos as it makes a grand entrance at the most exclusive and trendy night spot in manhattan...this scent is the epitome of star quality, it does it's own thing, and we shouldnt like it, but we're oddly drawn to it...just like your favorite "bad boy" or "bad girl" celebrity...they are controversial always, they are bold always, but above all others, they are H.O.T. always...

I could understand why some people wouldnt like this scent, but I personally think it's right on...it starts out as your typical aquatic scent, you dive in, just like you would any other Aqua, but just below the surface, you soon realize that you're swimming in uncharted waters...a slightly different almost turpentine like scent peeks through the freshness, adding a different dimension, but as it lingers longer, the scent becomes more green, almost piney...an ever changing scent with alot more complexity than it is given credit for...still waters run deep...

A little too fruity and floral to be considered uber-masculine...a bit too one dimensional...it is a scent that doesnt know what direction it's going...for what it is ...it's wearable, not bad...perhaps some would even think it smelled good...I really wanted to fall in love with this scent, but it's like an over hyped movie that just falls flat on it's face...it's good, but doesnt live up to expectation, and therefore somewhat of a dissapointment...

Masculine, deep, woody, smokey...this scent is dark, heavy, and yet serenly praceful, like sitting by a slowly dying camprife late at night when you're all alone, deep in the heart of the wilderness...the scent is out-doorsey, kind of dry and natural...All the while very seductive...deffinately a good evening fragerance...

The scent is fresh and sweet...notes of green mix with a sweet cirtus scent, like orange sherbert garnished with mint, served on a hot summer day...but just like orange sherbert on a hot day, this scent melts away almost instantly...the fact that it has no staying power at all is so dissapointing, but the smell is so beautiful while it lasts...

Reminds me of Armani clothing...it's nice...but doesnt live up to the legend...

Sweet, a bit spicy, kind of reminiscent of fresh air or somehting...reminds me a bit of a self-styled Gordon Gekko wanabe who has to flash his Rolex, and throw cash around in order to pick up women...

In it's day, this was probably a fantastic scent, but now, it smells a bit dated (albeit not bad)...sweet, energetic, and cool, but exceptionaly powdery, conjures up images of vacationing with new money stockbrokers in Aspen circa 1983, skiing along the fresh powder on your newly waxed rosignols, and at the end of the day, driving your Jag to a rustic cabin to enjoy a toddy and talk with your buddies about how much money you'll be making in the comming year...

Very sophisticated Oriental scent for women with a hint of vanilla...not overtly sexy...more, powerful, like a strong willed business-woman with a steely intelect...buying companies like your average woman buys clothes...her presence commands respect, yet all the while she remains very feminine...deffinately a classic female fragerance...

A potent concoction...A ride through the countryside on a starry night...smoky, sensual, mysterious...this fragerance seems like a glimpse into the bygone era of royalty; kings, queens, lords, and ladies...oppulent, rich, and spicy...this fragerance will draw compliments...

An aggreeable scent, kind of like the original version of Canali...this is a good scent to wear to work as it is very subtle, and everybody seems to like it...my one complaint is that it doesnt have any kind of lasting power, must be re applied often...the scent its self is very fresh, not an evening scent, it is what it is; a pleasant walk through the park in the morning, an ice cream cone on a saturday afternoon, deffiantely a simple pleasure...

Fresh green, summery, vibrant, and alive! The Good life is a scent that just loved to be adored...reminiscent of summer romances, long walks on the beach, and just lounging poolside with a good drink and fine company, this is a very versatile and delightful scent. Somewhat underappreciated, but deffinately worth purchasing, this scent is tuly for those who can enjoy "the good life"...

Mysteriously woodsy with a hint of spice...Rush is a fantastic scent...built somewhat along the same lines as YSL Rive Gauche for men, but not quite as bold...it is a scent for those who like something different, while it seems to be the least appreciated of all of the Gucci scents for men, it is deffinately not the worst, and quite possibly the best, perfect for those long summer afternoons that just melt away into romantic evenings on the town...Rush is as comfortable in LA as it is in NY, subtle, and liked by all, it must be experianced to be fully understood...

The quint-essential CK fragerance...CK one was like nothing else in it's time, but time waits for no one, and CK one has been relegated to the same drugstore and supermarket fate as other blockbuster scents that came before it...it's still a reletavely good smelling fragerance, but, conjures up images of the time when it was released...reminicent of partying in an old apartment building in an urban area, Seattle grunge rock or gangsta rap echiong down the hallway, people wearing baggy clothes, taking themselves far too seriously...much as this scent does, though it really doesnt deserve to...it's good for what it is, but is by no means the legendary scent that it was predicted to be...

woody and somewhat juvenille, another good scent, but in typical CK fashion, it just doesnt go anywhere...it smells good enough, probably the most unique CK fragerance of all...but still, nothing memorable. This scent could be worn all day long, but, it possesses no mystique, no luster...it's deffinately a good cologne, but not a great cologne...

Deffinately a classic scent. smelling, but a bit too basic. A good "starter scent" for those just venturing into the world of colognes, perfect for wearing on a summer afternoon to go to the movies with your girl or something like that...very playful, but deffinately lacking depth...

Typical dime-store scent...not terrible, but deffiantely not anyting to scream about...kind of artificial smelling (but not in a good way) sickly sweet, and deffinately something that will get boring over time. A one-dimensional scent...it is what it is...it's good for the youngsters because of the price and the fact that you only need a bit, but the scent sophisticate will not find this to be anything worth adding to the repertoire...

This scent was somewhat groundbreaking at it's debut...but is somewhat unable to withstand the test of time...somewhat generic, although still a very pleasing scent, it fails to stand out from the Polos and hugo Bosses that were also considered to be on another level when they first came out...the scent it's self is best described as "Cool Water" it's kind of an afternoon or evening scent...those who wore this scent as a kid will be riminded of splashing it on after gym class or something...not a bad scent, but, nothing really sexy or unique about it...

Very summery scent...mostly more of a daytime scent...evoccative of yachting off of the Amalfi coast then spending the afternoon drinking Limoncello in Sorriento while the medeteranian sun shines down on you, warming you, and making you glad to be alive...the scent is not what I'd call romantic, more friendly...this is a scent that doesnt take life too seriously, yet still, it enjoys every minute of it...

*The following is a review for the intense version of this scent* YSL Rive Gauche has to be one of the sexiest men's fragrances out there. A perfect blend of a classic scent and somehting very new and different. it conjures up mental images of partying untill dawn with the jet set...deffinately an evening scent, not really formal, this scent came to party with rockstars and models...then when you finally wake up at noon the next day, you're still smelling good because this scent has a great staying power...my personal favorite of all time...