Fragrance Reviews by francois

My nicest recent discovery!
I fell in love immediately!
Soapy-green is what comes to mind, but I'm in total love with this scent, who may become my signature scent!
(never thought I'd find it someday)

Reminds me of Pi fraicheur.
Not bad, but nothing new under the sun...

I love it too!
Very nice blend of woods and spices.
There may be some fruit note in, and I'm usually not fond of fruity scents, but I love this one!

The most similar scent I know is Sung Homme.
Dark, spicy woody leathery chypre.
Even better than Sung Homme, IMHO.
We don't make this kind of scent anymore, unfortunately!

To my nose, this is the model upon which Jaïpur pour homme has been created.
Jaïpur is spicier and habanita fruitier, but I feel they share a lot of similarities, and the same structure and feeling.
Kudos!

For those concerned, the comparison has been made with YSL pour homme (original, red packaging), not the newer L'homme YSL, which is indeed very different.

There's some Annick Goutal flavor in this scent, to my nose.
Excellent!

This is a real beauty, and a complete rediscovery for me!
Indeed, the start is heavy with the rubbery note, but it quicky settles into a very warm woody spicy aura which remains close to the wearer.
Deeply masculine and comforting, it could be my ultimate cold season scent.
Two thumbs up!

Boring.
Simply a watered down version of the original Samouraï, and with added citrus.
I was hoping for a woodier, more chypre rendering, but not this time!

To my nose, Léonard pour Homme is identical to Van Cleef & Arpels, so if you can't find the Léonard, give a try to VC&A!

A very nice oriental scent.
To my nose, very similar to Yohji Homme (the original one), but without the rhum note.
One of my favorite smooth orientals!

Wow!
I was looking for such a revelation since a long time! Five stars!
Beautiful masterpiece, this scent is rich, masculine, refined and elegant.
The mix of florals, dark woods and vanilla is outstanding.
The initial smokeyness doesn't last long and the true beauty evolves gradually.
If you like this but want citrus notes on top, look at Lalique lion. (it also has more cedar in the base)

A very nice fougere oriental, fresh, a bit fruity, spices.
Hard to describe, although I don't see the similarity with D&G which smells very fruity and tobacco on me.
BalMan is spicier and woodier.

The best comparison for this scent is Dior's Fahrenheit.
They smell virtually the same.

This is the same thing as Galimard's Pour Lui.
They label it "Offrez-lui" (Offer him) when you buy it as a gift.

Let me give another review, two years later.
The best comparison for this scent is Hermès Équipage.
They smell virtually the same, although Monsieur Galimard is fresher, soapier.
Équipage is thicker, woodier and a little smoky.

The best comparison for this scent is Opium pour homme.
They smell quite similar.
I prefer Flibustier, whis is less fruity, more tobacco and less vanilla.

The best comparison for this scent is the original Kenzo pour homme.
They smell virtually the same.

TL pour lui is a very nice and fresh ambery oriental.
The best description I can give is: take Jacomo Rouge, and remove the praline and incense notes, and there you go!
TL pour lui is more luminous, longer lasting, but shares the mint, neroli and vanilla of Rouge.

Indeed.
The ingredients list is impressive, but in fact, it smells flat, cheap and boring.
:-(

This one is a recent addition to my collection. Got it in a swap on MUA.
The scent is fantastic; bitter citrus, anis, smooth spices (ginger, cinnamon bark) and a warm base with tonka and tobacco.
Stays close to the skin, but that's fine with me.

KL Homme is definitely the best men's Lagerfeld, IMHO. A complex oriental bouquet, with some of the powdery components of Lagerfeld classic and the orangey spiciness of women's Opium.
An excellent alternative to Obsession for men.

I just got a bottle of this from my friend Martin.
It reminds me of ST Dupont Signature; sweet woody ambery scent, with some spices and florals.
Very nice!

Wow!
What a great lavender woody scent this one is!
You can think of it as Burberry Touch light, to give you an idea.
But Eau de l'Occitan is less musky, and features lavender instead of violet. It's also spicier, with a nice pepper touch.
Stays close to the wearer, but smells so good, if you like lavender, of course!
Smells very natural too.

My new favorite in the Jazz/Tsar/Drakkar Noir line!
Manly, subtle, refined, the perfect blend of florals, spices and mossy woods.
A real winner.

My favorite citrus herbal summer scent!
When I discovered it, I got rid of every other scent of the same category I had. (I'm thinking mostly of Eau sauvage here)
Well, except Loewe pour homme, which I got later, and which is dryer, more chypre.
This scent is a masterpiece!

I was able to test that one today.
I found it very sharp, very powdery/ambery!
It reminded me of Fragonard's Zizanie.
Someone wrote about the increased concentration and I agree it may be much better if it was smoother.
Nice but too strong for me so the neutral vote.

This is a great citrus chypre scent.
Reminds me mostly of Homme de Grès and a bit of Boucheron.
The base is better than both however and I think this is because it contains tonka beans.
It's rich, classy, formal, manly yet fresh.
A great discovery, thanks to Marlen!

Wow!
I finally found a great green tea scent!
This one really smells like green tea.
Very natural, yet fresh.
Ok, the scent remains close to the skin, but that's fine like that.
Will get a bottle tomorrow!
:-)

At last a Vetiver scent that I like!
I'm not a fan of Guerlain's or Carven's, but this one is darker, warmer, stays close to the skin.
Great scent!

Although I hate the commercial concept behind the fragrance, I find it is nevertheless a very nice scent!
Made by the same people who make Sung Homme, it has a very similar spicyness, with an oriental base (tonka bean) instead of chypre.
Strong, masculine spicy scent.
Try it if you like Sung Homme!
(and forget about the hummer thing...)

This Delon has many similarities with SamouraÔ.
The heart and base notes are almost identical, but SamouraÔ is spicier and sharper. This one is smoother and woodier.

This scent is indeed similar to Paco Rabanne original. However it's smoother, more introvert.
De Charlus' description is amazing, and even more interesting when you know the Rabanne olfactive connection!

Another vote for Pour Lui!
This is a fantastic scent!

A very nice fresh woody mossy scent.
The blend is quite complex.
There's a pine note there, but not too sharp.
The base is dark amber and leather.
Overall the scent reminds me of scents like Borsalino and even Xeryus to some point, but it's smoother.
Very nice scent!

Yes, like Christian said, there is a citrus note lingering around throughout.
Although there are similarities with Armani eau pour homme, Homme de Grès is darker, woodier, while Armani is brighter and has a strong spicy clove note.
H&R classified Homme de Grès in the same family as Halston Z-14, but I never tried Z-14 so I can't judge.
However, Perfumeworld writes:
Halston Z-14 (Men):
1976 Halston(Elizabeth Arden) Unilever USA
Olfactive family:Chypre Tobbaco
Olfactive description:Green Floral Spicy Chypre Leathery Mossy Tobbaco Woody
Homme de Gres (Men):
1996 Parfums Gres(Silvio Denz) France
Olfactive family:Aromatic Woody
Olfactive description:Aromatic Citrus Aldehydic Chypre Woody
All in all, Homme de Grès is a very refined, manly fresh chypre with dry woods, with a surprisingly long-lasting citrus top.

Very good floral spicy mossy scent.
Very masculine use of florals.
Sad it's discontinued!

This is a very nice woody citrus fragrance, quite different from the usual citrus we have today.
This one is very refined, with a powdery edge.
It shares some of Boucheron qualities, without the razor sharp verbena citrus note.
The scent is rounded with the vanilla and musk.
It starts very strong, but mellows within 45 minutes to a superb balance, with good longevity.
Very nice!

First let me remind the use of sole natural essential oils in Galimard products.
This one is quite similar to Caron's "Pour un homme".
Prominent lavender note, sweet woody base, although milder, more subtle.
A gentleman's scent, very refined.

A very nice green scent.
Warm, soft, comfortable, with a dominant minty note, but subtle, not annoying.
The base is woody/musky but soft too.
Ideal for the spring and summer.

This is what Fahrenheit should have been!
In the same line as Fahrenheit, but *much* better!
Less rubbery, more leathery.
Less floral, more spicy.
A very nice scent! (had to find though!)

This is the perfect example of a timeless, classic, oriental floral scent.
Soft, very warm, baby-powder-like fragrance that makes you feel comfortable and confident in the cold seasons.

This is a great fougere scent! The coniferous notes are there but not too sharp, and the balsamic vanilla woody base is great! I'm in love with Hermès scents! Give a try to Équipage too! :-)
I have a bottle of Eau d'Orange Verte coming in the mail too! :-)

Wow! What a nice floral spicy oriental! Perfect for the gentleman, and more subtle than Jaïpur, which was my favorite in that category before I discovered Équipage...

A very nice scent! Very rich and fresh, with a green start, floral heart and sweet leathery base. A must have!

Yep, Jako is indeed a superb scent! Extremely well balanced, smooth and classy. Fresh, woody, musky, this great fragrance is a pleasure to wear!

Like Paul, I rediscovered it recently! I got two bottle of it during the past year, both of which had turned bad I think. The bottle I got this week has the new packaging, so it must be fresh. The fresh green top, floral heart and leathery base is simply superb! A must-have!

A very good fresh fougere indeed!Ideal for the summer, while I use original Jazz for the spring and fall. (even in winter! :-)I have a lot of citrus scents for the summer, so Live Jazz is a nice addition in the Fougere category.

Beurk! That stuff is awful! Glad I didn't buy it!

This is a clone of Allure pour homme... Better get Allure instead, if you want that kind of scent. Or look at Lalique pour homme (original)!

The best of the Lalique line, IMHO! Very masculine and classy. It has a great, subtle floral component and an ambery patchouli base, very long-lasting and warm-feeling.

A fresh aromatic fougere, great for the fall and summer. It has a crisp floral burst at the beginning (lavender, grapefruit), then dries down to a great aromatic (laurel, coriander) leathery, mossy scent.

Well said, Mark! Samourai is indeed unique.A fresh floral oriental. Some will think it's a bit feminine, but the special spice blend counterbalances this.

This is a simple, but great aromatic fougere scent, great for the spring and fall. Warm and kind of fruity, the tobacco/amber note is very nice and gives it depth.

BLV is a great spicy woody scent. The ginger-tobacco accord is superb and very fresh. Too bad the base isn't very long-lasting on my skin! The after-shave emulsion is also amazing!

The very best oriental scent for men, IMHO! Very rich, sweet floral and delicately spicy and creamy. An ideal scent for the cold season. Simply fantastic!

A very nice masculine classic scent. Mossy and spicy but not too sharp. To quote Scentimus: "A bright floral mossy chypre. The scent is never over powering but very long lasting."

My very first fragrance, and my favorite oriental!
Warm yet fresh, with its orangy top notes and sweet basenotes.
Still love it!

I tried this EDT today for the first time. I love it! Truly fantastic! This is a very classic EDT (launched in 1966) but it's still excellent today. This is the perfect balance of lemon with vetyver. I'm going to buy it!

I like it very much! It's my summer fragrance of choice. It replaced the Givenchy Insensé Ultramarine I was wearing before. L'eau d'Issey has a beautiful dark woods base, with a fresh citrus top, with spices in-between.

Although I like it, I think there is too much vanilla (at least it smells like vanilla to me) for Black to be a men's fragrance, although they say it's unisex. Particularly when time passes and the top notes are gone away. The vanilla (?) in the base notes are too strong. (for a man)