Fragrance Reviews by Buzzlepuff

En Sens de Bois is a very cool and moody incense fragrance. It is a fascinating scent because the mood created is quite mysterious and thought provoking but also very solitary. This is an incense of cold isolation and a solitary struggle through the dark night of the soul. It sounds grim, but the fragrance is very cold but there is a purity about it that is intriguing.

What gives these notes of En Sens de Bois its cold earthiness? Very prominent are cedar, vetiver, patchouli, iris, and carrot. The carrot seed oil and iris are particularly noticeable with an icy coolness that lands on a patchouli and cedar chilled vetiver base. The cedar adds to the woodiness of carrot which is quite noticeable. I think this incense is built primarily around iris with carrot seed oil as an accent. Although amber, santal and ambrette seed are mentioned as notes, they are completely dominated by the colder, damp, grey and wood notes.

I give this one thumbs up because I do like it. However, this is not a fragrance that many people will want to wear on a regular basis. It is just too severe.

I like this incense quite a bit but find I can only wear it on rare days when introspection and solitary purity are my challenge.

Black Tourmaline is a fantastic smokey, warm, dark scent from Oliver Durbano. The opening is all smoke and a tar like darkness followed by a frankincense incense reminiscent of CdG Avignon Incense. The incense combined with the smoke + leather + moss (similar to Or Black by P. Morabito) creates a very dark and compelling fragrance. This is one of the really good fragrances around for winter. Highly recomended.

An atmosphere is created by C&S Cuba that is bold and a bit harsh, possibly dangerous, but definitely is very masculine. These fragrance note combinations aren't pleasant and they don't interact all that smoothely either - all angles and odd shapes - but they are definitely bold and strong characters. C&S Cuba is a jumbled mix of very different elements that transports you to Old Havanna and into the back of a cigar rolling room, bottle of rum at hand with a twist of lime and mint. The smells of Cuba are lime, mint, rum, incense, raw tobacco, some woods . . . more rum. The notes bounce around off each other blending with natural human body odors like old friends at night out on the town. This is machismo in a bottle. An acquired taste for sure. I think it's fantastic!

A great spice fragrance! Opening is a royal mix of warm spices that stay very assertive without stumbling over each other as in so many other spice fragrances. The warm spice is supported by a light green wood undercurrent that keeps the fragrance from getting too heavy. This base is probably vetiver with woods or a vetiver/ black tea note, but the spice is always sparkling above this green woody base.

I first bought this fragrance when I was younger and loved the warm spice blend but found it too bold to wear to work or around others in an enclosed office situation. But now, years later, I appreciate the luscious blend of exotic warmth. It is a very upflifting and radiating fragrance. The spices remind me of some others, although bold, they never get dark and steely like Spezie or Espices Noir. The scent is not as intensely spicey as Spiritus Land or Coze but is in the same category of fragrance as all of these great spice scents. It is similar to Nasomatto Absinthe - an aromatic cousin. One of the best Etro has created in my view. Very nice.

Zephyr is very light and clean. This could be called Gendarme light. It is very clean and steam pressed. I think it is a fine light fruity floral synthetically sanitized fragrance.

VAPOR or "Ozonic Vinyl". It opens with a light soft synthetic plastick air that is a light simulation of air. This syntetic air settles into a powdery light freshness. Vapor could be an alien fragrance brought back from a hidden outer world planet or secretly inhabited asteroid. Aldehydes + more Aldehydes, water Lilly, tonka, heliotrope for the puffy clouds feel, with a base of ambroxin, musk, incense for a similar generic base as used in Hologram. Vapor could easily fill the brief for fragrances such as Escentric Molecules, Kenzoair (less the anise) or Odeur 53. This scent brings to mind the lyrics and tempo from the ambient trance track "Little Fluffy Clouds" by the Orb - " the little fluffy clouds, da, da, da, da, little fluffy clouds . . . .the little fluffy clouds . . . . " Vapor. check it out

TAJ is inspired by the Taj Mahal at dawn and it smells like India most definitely. The fragrance opens with mandarin + green tea made soft with cinnamon and light rose. White tea also adds to the dryness of the opening. The middle notes have frankincense, cedar and patchouli for an oriental feel. The base is a quiet chocolate softness with patchouli. This is a very pleasant warm oriental spice fragrance. Full bottle worthy for me!

PROWL reminds me of a feline animal moving with stealth through exotic florals. The notes are Black Pepper, Honeysuckle green, sambac jasmine, tuberose, over a base of oakmoss, patchouli, amber and civet. A husky animal warmth that is very sexy. The indoles of the sambac jasmine and civet in the base keeps the animal alive in this one. After an hour or so, a warm powdery huskiness emerges through the florals into the warm civet base. It is feminine in allure but coupled with a very masculine aggressiveness - a cougar is on the prowl. . . Rowrrrrr!!

Tthe opening of Midnight Forest smells like redwood bark with a mysterious musk and green myrtle. Long after applied Midnight Forest, I still smell the crisp green of galbanum and myrtle while the woods have faded somewhat and there remains an airy transparency that does smell of cool moist night air in the deep woods. I like this one considerably.

LEATHER GARDEN is a curious mixture of green flowers and a synthetic leather scent. The opening florals are a wonderful blend of green flowers (narcissus, hyacinth, peony, rose, lily) that smells very earthy with the addition of vetiver. There is bit of blackberry that sweetens the mix but also some vetiver to keep it very green. Then a brilliant blending move with the addition of leather. This is an oud tinged leather that is strange but sharp leather, but this mixes nicely with the green floral main notes. This fragrance is all about leather, flowers and greens, but very little heaviness or sweetness to the scent. It smells like I just walked into the fresh cooler of flowers and greens at my favorite florist while wearing a new leather coat. All desirable smells that mix well together. I like this scent more the longer I have it on. Neil deserves extra style points for uniqueness of this fragrance.

HOLOGRAM is a synthetic light and translucent floral fragrance. This fragrance has a postmodern edge to it. It is a fast gesture that gets suspended in slow motion. When I deconstruct a whiff of Hologram I find the tartness of Yuzu along with juicy black currant that happens at the opening and is quickly muffled beneath a layer of violets and fig resulting in a languid suspended and thick mid note that feels like a frozen frame of crisp neutrality that is stretched out by the violet. The base adds translucency with a light synthetic musk warmed with amber. All together the notes are fresh but mellow, quick & sharp then neutral. It is similar to Mure et Musc from L'Artisan with the tart berries and light musk notes, but Hologram is slightly thicker and more suspended towards the end. Hologram is a good name for the effect of the notes. It is a curiosity of a scent that could easily hold great fascination for someone who needs this sort of thing.

A patchouli charged spicey incense fragrance. Reminds me of heady stick incense I've burned before. I find it a little too bold for my taste. Reminds me of Intragant Patchouli from Parfumerie Generale but not nearly as well balanced.

Polished woods, myrtle, myrrh, rose, leather and amber in the base. Warm and dark and very masculine.

GHANDARA opens with light mellow florals that have an earthy rotting vegetation smell in the background. Smells very much like India. The use of Mimosa, Lotus and Jasmine smells very pleasant at first but retains a rotting indole scent in the background. The indoles mix with fig and musks are very much like rural India. The flowers drifting on the wind, a rich green foilage mixed with a ripe vegetation smell. This is the world of nature in transformation! Beautiful but but mildly grotesque. I want to keep sniffing this over and over again. Very nice and quite a unique fragrance.

EARTH TONES #3: NORTH WOODS - Basil and heather opens this scent followed by fir, fig and cut grass middle notes. This North Woods opening is a lighter woods than many wooded scents, but it retains a very sparkling green essence. The base is cedar, oak, redwood, myrrh, labdanum, oakmoss, vetiver. This scent has a great green pine oil opening from basil mixed with myrrh and is quite a bit more green than Dark Season which is more resinous. It kind of smells like a cross between Hinoki and Knize Forest, in the opening and mid notes, but there is a dry grassy scent at the base that smells like old burlap bag or oiled canvas. The base goes more and more to this oakmoss dry finish as it wears and develops. Not bad!

EARTH TONES #2 or High Desert is a silvery cedar scent that reminds of the smell of Zest bath soap. It is clean and fresh, but not niche enough. It is missing something special in how the various ingredients actually work together.

DARK EARTH - Myrrh, Sandalwood, Musks, frankincense, patchouli, vetiver. This is a lighter myrrh, musk and frankincense scent. Sandalwood and earth notes and golden musk keep it light for something named Dark Earth. I can't detect patchouli at all in the fragrance. This Dark Earth is in the same direction as Dark Season and Earth Tones #3, but it has a lightness from vetiver that is not apparent in the notes. Something just doesn't work in this fragrance for me.

Opens with a rich cinnamon tinged darkness of frankincense, patchouli, Fir, and Myrrh. The dark vanilla base removes some density from this dark oriental opening and there is light at the end of the tunnel. As it wears on the heavy opening dies down to reveal more green fir + myrrh for a conifer wood darkness layered over warmth of dark vanilla and labdanum base. Less amber prominent that Ambre Fetische but similar . . . and very similar to Neil Morris EARTH TONES #3 NORTH WOODS but w/o the oakmoss. A deep warm resinous wooded scent that is very masculine and is definitely a mid winter fragrance.

An aldehyde light floral, musk with ozone fragrance. The inspiration for this fragrance is the air after it rains in the city and it kind of smells like this. But . . this really does not hit that mark nearly as well as Demeter's Thunderstorm or others like it. I give it 1 star out of 4. 1/4.

This fragrance is less like a Cathedral incense fragrance and more like the actual interior of a cathedral. It smells warmly of oak, cedar, smoke, leather, and labdanum. I like the fragrance quite a bit but more for its nicely polished wood and leather feel. But, it pales in comparison to Avignon, or Black Tourmaline for a smoke incense mood incense. I am conflicted on this fragrance. I like how it smells, but it doesn't go with the name.

An orange pekoe tea scent that seems watered down by whatever is in the base. The website says the base is musk, incense and oud but I can not find any of those notes in the fragrance. By the time it gets to a drydown it feels more like mango tea to me as well. Weak in projection. This fragrance is pleasant but it just does not stand up for anything. It is kind of muddled in its identity. Definitely a weak tea when compared to Tea for Two or CdG Tea.

An attar of rose, orange and silver frankincense. There are bound to be other ingredients but these are the stars of this show and they each have about equal weight in the overall results. A single dot of a drop of Homage will fill your personal space with this uplifting radiance. A couple drops and it will last most of the day. The frankincense is the most unusual part of the fragrance as it is a very shimmering pure frankincense with little heaviness. I receive a healing balm type of effect from this fragrance when I wear it. Unlike many other attars and oils this is very bright and radiant avoiding darkness altogether. It is simply a wonderful blend of three very vibrant essences: rose - orange - frankincense.

I like!

Lyric for Men is a gentle rose and frankincense scent that is a very refined and impeccably balanced fragrance. It is so tightly blended that I needed several wearings before I began to identify the possible notes here - and they are very hard to identify because it so seamless in its composition.

The opening smells like a light dusting of saffron over a very pure rose scent which might contain a bit of geranium to give it depth. But mostly this opening is very pure light rose. To connect the rose to the frankincense are some familiar incense mid tone notes that smoothe the contrasts or remove the sharp edges - possibly nutmeg and/or cardamom that leads to the almost mystical scent of the Omani silver frankincense. After the rose it is the frankincense that is the real star of this fragrance. The rose and silver frankincense blend wonderfully well before a light wood base emerges that smells of cedar + patchouli to me. If there is oud in this blend as I have read others claim, it is very lightly done and is a more ethereal oud like a light Indonesian agarwood that might add the woody dry lift that I smell trailing behind the silver frankincense note.

This is not a deep or dark rose scent and there are no big dramas or contrasts. It is a medium range tone poem of similar notes. Wearing Lyric is a very rewarding and wonderfully uplifiting rose, frankincense and wood perfume experience. Good stuff!

Like many others I miss Old Spice Fresh Lime as it was my favorite daily fragrance back in my teen years. OS Fresh Lime was my favorite from the Old Spice range and I have not gone back to the brand since they discontinued it. The balance of tart lime with spice aromatics of the original was the key to what made this lime fragrance so good. It was refreshing but had substance beyond the limes. Lime as a scent was the big trend back in the late 1960's mostly due to the success that Royall Lymes of Bermuda was having selling their pure lime fragrance on the men's clothing store fragrance counters back then. Most of the other common brands (Old Spice, English Leather, Pubman, Aqua Velva etc) felt compelled to offer up lime versions of the originals to grab some of that lime business. The most succussful of these trend riders was Old Spice Fresh Lime. Why it was discontinued is still a mystery . . . and a disappointment.

I picked up a bottle of Dana's modern day version of English Leather at my local pharmacy drugstore to compare it to the Mem Co. version that was so popular back in the late 1960's and early 70's. Well it smells very much the same as I remember English Leather from the original version with the major exception of its lack of strength of fragrance and the toning down of leather note. The new version takes away one of the objections of the older Mem version which was its harshness and overpowering bite of the dry leather note. That strength is what many loved and also what many hated about the original.

English Leather is a refreshing after shave splash version of bracing ingredients. It works well for what it is intended to do. It has mild strength, but is a sharp toned spice leather fragrance that is perfectly good for a wake up call splash in the morning. This newer Enlish Leather is masculine, bracing and very fresh for a leather scent. My only complaint is it is short lived but that's to be expected from an after shave strength fragrance. Nice for the price.

Regina Harris has created a bit of magic with this dark syrupy oil concentrated inside a jewel treasure of a bottle. The opening smells like rich coffee in the combination with myrrh, spices and rose. A slight enrichment of frankincense follows to add some serious weight to the light rose. Rose hides behind the myrrh, frankincense, sandalwood, and spices. Similar to Profumum Santalum and MPG Santal Noble, Regina Harris Frankincense-Myrrh-Rose Maroc is a warm myrrh heavy sandalwood warmed slightly by rose.

The bottle design as a tiny arabian treasure and the fragrance as a perfume oil instead of alcohol based scent are very nice marketing ideas that present this fragrance as a very special treasured oil. Expensive, yes, but it is worth the price to own this bit of magic in a bottle.

Bertrand Duchaufour applies the masters touch to this patchouli standout fragrance by adding soft but cool complimentary notes all around the patchouli to tame the beast. The result is a light gentle patchouli blend that exposes the feminine, earthy side of this normally aggressive fragrance for a peaceful patchouli blend that works nicely to satisfy the "inner hippie" for either gender.

The scent begins with a lightly sweet peachy floral osmanthus which opens the patchouli central note. Using osmanthus to tone down the patchouli with its subtle sweetness is a very original blending idea that I've not seen with patchouli before - Brilliant idea! The back side of this patchouli story is woven with cool tones of translucent white musk and a complimentary anise oil layer. The cool mint of patchouli is complimented and enhanced by this equally cool base of white musk and anise for a nice woody but starkly cold closing chord. Overall Patchouli Patch is a very simple story of a very few notes that work so well together. The peach floral osmanthus opens the patchouli scent, while the white musk and anise softly cools and closes it down. A perfectly put together patchouli story!

I keep giving thumbs up to patchouli blends and it appears I might rubber stamp approval for every patch fragrance around, but not true! I am routinely turned off by the over used patchouli standard formula that tames patchouli oil with vanilla and/or amber sweetness then calls it done. I am also really turned off by pure patchouli oil strength and blends that emphasize the masculine nature of patchouli when it is plenty too strong to begin with. My inner child craves a great patchouli scent and I can not ignore any original and really good patchouli creation - such as this L' Artisan beauty. Extra stars for a unique use of complimentary notes and the creation of a perfect simplicity- Patchouli Patch -far out!

What a great light and natural patchouli. This is what Hindu Grass might have been! Demeter's Vintage Natural Patchouli fulfills the promise of natural patchouli oil that includes the opening of orange and nutmeg with the green grass of its early years. The opening notes have orange oil with a warm grassy scent. Almost smells a bit like a tart citrus natural warm grass scent. Shadowing this orange/lime grassy scent is a very light natural patchouli oil fragrance. The citrus grassy smell continues but is slowly overtaken by the pure patchouli. This is not a strong scent but it is definitely a fine light patchouli centered fragrance.

CB Pathcouli Empire smells as a proper oriental wood might smell as it transitions to the British Empire from the wilds of Indonesia - tamed and civilized. This oil is a fine blend of patchouli's mixed with rich woods and a bit of pepper. Might the wood be rosewood? or mahogoney?, or a blend of woods + patchouli - whatever the combination of dark woods the result is a nicely finished, oil rubbed wood of the Empire. I prefer this version of finished patchouli to the vanilla / amber patchoulis that are so common now. A thumbs up for a good proper patchouli!

Very similar to Rive Gauche Pour Homme. The opening is more lavender dominant instead of the star anise/rosemary of Rive Gauche but otherwise the scent is clsoe to identical. The drydown is fantasitc. It has the dry vetiver, gaiac wood and patchouli finish - very nicely done. It is masculine with an old world feel to it. I like the scent and it is an excellent fragrance, but I would rather stick with the YSL Rive Gauche pour Homme - it's hard to improve on a classic like that.

A Quiet Morning by Miller Bertaux is a very gentle and dry incense spice scent that you might find wafting from deep inside a hidden cave full of the fine exotic spices. The opening is predominantly saffron and tumeric layered over a mentholated cedar wood base. Orange flower warmed by a bit of sandalwood gives a little life and sunshine to mid notes of this very dry Indian spice scent. I find it a very comforting scent and easy to wear and is definitely a compliment magnet. This light orange spice and woods scent resembles Baume au Doge by Eau d' Italie which is stronger in its spice notes; and also is close in feel to Bois du Turquie from MPG which has more emphasis on the sandalwood base. A Quiet Morning is a very soft subtle blend of saffron, tumeric and cedar over a sandalwood and orange blossom base. It is a very easy fragrance to enjoy.

This Guerlain lightweight spray is a sunny light eau de cologne of grapefruit, jasmine and anise. It is a light, watery but tart grapefruit spritzer with a hint of anise for a fresh uplfiting splash anytime you need a lift. It improves with frequent and/or heavier application. The anise adds a bit of herbal minty character to this otherwise simple grapefruit/floral EDC. Fresh and nice especially if you like anise - I do.

Continuing with their tradition of natural green scents, Sisley's Eau de Sisley 2 is an amazingly refreshing fragrance. It is a perky light green spring floral fragrance that has a natural wet, fresh cut flowers scent. The greenness comes from basil and vetiver mid notes which at first might qualify this scent as a green vetiver fragrance if the florals were less pronounced. This fragrance is all about highlighting the light spring floral notes of lilly, jasmine, rose and cyclamen. This light floral bouquet is kept green with basil / vetiver and is supported by a searing light patchouli drydown that only adds to the stark fresh cut feeling of the greens. The smell of Sisley 2 EDC reminds me of the rush of moist florals when entereing the huge fresh cut flower cooler of my favorite florist - a blast of most lillies and mixed flowers with fresh cut greens. My favorite fresh green floral fragrance.

Reminiscence Patchouli is the ultimate hippie patchouli scent crafted into a perfectly useable fragrance. The patchouli is very potent but of extremely high quality. This is the strongest patchouli of any I've tried and one spray judiciously applied over several spots is certainly enough juice to give you a powerful presence. The description states it is blended with cedar, sandalwood, tonka bean and amber and you do feel more than smell a slight sweet background to the patchouli that is more noticeable on the drydown than initially. The cedar pumps up the intensity a bit and sandalwood softens the mid notes. There is also a very green grassy note that weaves into the patchouli odor that may in fact be one of the types of patchouli used but it definitely has a raw grassy green patchouli feel. Other ultra strong patch fragrances often leave hard edges and sharp corners as part of the raw patchouli experience (Etro or SMN) but this fragrance has a very smoothe transition from beginning to end. A fine creation. Reminiscence is bold but ethereal and will undoubtedly be a holy grail fragrance for the devoted patchouli fan. In my opinion this is equal to Mazzolari Patchouli or Fragrancia Annunziata's Patchouly Indonesiano for pure patchouli perfection.

Great fragrances create an all new atmosphere and story around their wearers and Steam Aoud is all atmosphere. I feel like I walked into a steam filled sauna with rose and haunting oud floating up through the mist. So many Montales are heady, powerful examples of rose and oud + saffron, patchouli, frankincense, kumquat etc such as Black Aoud, Aoud Lime, Royal Aoud etc. Steam Aoud is the opposite of the heavy big hitting Montales. Steam Aoud is a subtle atmospheric, an ephemeral and light spirited aoud sandalwood. One of the best Montal has made!

This fragrance is a tapestry of rose, jasmine, peppercorn, ginger, vetiver - a thorny tangled weave of soft and hard elements from nature. It is essentially a pepper rose blend all the way through but it is a strange mix of crunchy pepper, woods and intoxicating florals. The rose tapestry fragrance is softened further by a chocolate/patchouli velvet border. A strange, but satisfying fragrance. This blend that could be the love child of two very strong rose fragrances: Rose Poivre and Voleur de Roses. You smell at different times woven into the blend of roses, pepper, ginger, the indoles of jasmine, soft chocolate and a bit of darkness of rose next to patchouli. There is a truckload of personality in this blend. This is a fragrance that is not for everyone, but very unique if you can wear it rather than it wearing you.

A fantastic dark leather scent. At first I smell real darkness like birch tar leather with a soft side and the similarity to Kolnisch Juchten is remarkable. Both have a nice sweet amber base to their dark tar leather notes. As it dries down it becomes smoothe and quite subtle. As the base opens a slight vetiver undernote gives the dark soft leather an earthy deep forest floor feel. Quite by accident, I happened to layer PM OR with a spritz of Outrageous and the most amazing deep leather scent with an irridescent wintergreen polish resulted - a wintergreen leather. Amazing! I will wear this Moribito OR / Outrageous combo more often. A happy accident. But, Pascal Moribito OR all by itself is magnificent.

Upon opening you are hit smack in the face with warm honey amber / vanilla used in Ambra Nera but this certainly dries out quickly. This warm sweet phase passes quickly with the blending of the green resinous dry aspects of cypress, eucalyptus, benzoin, patchouli and vetiver. Amber blended with these green woods and vetiver smells kind of like stacks of new paper in a bindery - a dry woodiness with a slight warmth. Overall this fragrance is what you would expect from a fragrance of amber mixed with these green and dry wood notes. A gentle sweet but resinous new wood scent built around amber. A very spare formula that is simple and works well.

I picked up a bottle of Geranium pour Monsieur just because it is refreshing in a green geranium potpourri kind of way.

The review Vibert wrote for Geranium pour Monsieur pretty much says it all - . . . so - what he said.

I have just tried the LesNez Turtle Vetiver Exercise No. 1 and was very surprised to find one of the best vetiver fragrances I have yet to smell. I had to order a bottle! I was surprised this was so good, because this is a limited offering of only 80 bottles. You would think they would make more of something that smells this good. I am sure there will be more editions and more exercises, but this one is definitely a winner. The smell is very cool almost cold below the ground, wet earthy roots and vetiver scent. There is no sweetness at all in this one, but also no iodine or harshness. It stays clear and light, but very damp and minerally. Along with Let Me Play the Lion, this is a winner from Isabelle Doyen and LesNez.

I like this summer spritzer better than most of the other sweet and sparkling summer fragrances that are on the market. At first blast it smells like wintergreen with a touch of guava tropical sweetness. The tropical mint is softened by a coffee/chocolate note that is an effective pillow to balance this tart opening. The base is dominated by patchouli that is very lightly done. The base is what I like best about Ice*Men with its patchouli that ends standing alone long after the sweet mint opening wears out. Patchouli is my favorite note when it is used with complimentary uplifting notes as it is here. A nice crisp minty summer fragrance that helps keep your cool. Ice*Men.

At first sniff you have to conclude that the Stetson perfumers decided we need another representative foray into the tropical fresh woody frag market that is dominated by Acqua di Gio and Polo Blue. Yep, this is the niche All American is trying for and after having dozens of others that have gone before to emulate, well they did a pretty good job with it. This fragrance works as well as any for this kind of thing. If you crave an ultra fresh spring and summer, sweet, soft yet silvery clean smelling synthetic sparkling spritzer - All American by Stetson certainly succeeds!

A bit of tropical guava and ginger covering light and sparkling woods softened with suede and musks - it works very well. Sparkling but also very soft. You feel good wearing this. Yes it is familiar idea in post 2000 fragrance ideas, but it works well as a quick fix for freshness. A great workout fragrance or summer refresher. It is hard to find anything to object to about this fragrance except that it just doesn't stand on its own much. It is very similar to and maybe not quite as interesting as Diamonds for Men, AdG, Fierce, Versace PH, Ice*Men, Bulgari Marine and so many others. But still it is hard to find offense with it too.

Fierce is a great choice for warmer weather with a synthetically ramped up cool mentolated citrus wood scent. Fierce is one of a small group of few newer and improved fragrances of this type (Bulgari Aq. Marine, Stetson All American, Versace PH, Ice*Men, Allure PH Sport) that are so much better than the earlier pioneer 90's scents of this type (Eternity, AdGio). Fierce is well balanced, very alluring, inoffensive, refreshing and has no sharp edges or heavy statements to its structure at all. A great generic summer fragrance. There is even a nice dry oakmoss wood drydown which stays very close to the skin and subtle.

The big problem with Fierce, for me, is the incredibly tacky bottle/image that shows the Abercrombie bare chested youth torso on the bottle front. Who wants that sitting on their shelf?? The bottle design probably drives off more customers than the scent attracts! Another example of destruction by art direction. Visable from either side, this image screams immaturity. But, with a careful peel and pull motion I was able to remove the clear plastic label that coats the front of the bottle leaving a clean, respectably minimal glass bottle that only betrays its contents with one word on the front - Fierce. A huge improvement! I should offer my services to Abercrombie to consult on how to create a wider audience for this pretty good summer fragrance by fixing this error in brand image design. A decent fragrance anyway.

China White is probably built around violet, iris, white musk, a bit of patchouli and some other bit of light green floral. But whatever goes into the mystery formula, it is clearly dry woody violet along with white musk that creates the dry chalky floral base. It has been presumed that this Nasomatto is named for street grade herioin; but, when I first smelled it I immediately had associations with dry white china - bone china. White, dry and very minimal, the dry chalky floral nature of China White would also describe the famous white dinnerware created from bone ash and china clay in Stoke on Trent. I prefer my associations with bone china dinnerware because it also describes the feel of the fragrance perfectly. It is very similar to Narcisso Rodrigeuz for him but much lighter and subtler use of violet, iris, and white musk. Along with the violets, maybe iris, there might be a touch of honeysuckle or angelica to add a bit of green floral gentleness to the familiar dry violets and musk. Chalky and white, clean and unsoiled, a very nice fragrance - China White.

Brooklyn is that quirky, gritty, creative and newly remade and rediscovered urban area that I would love to have found in this fragrance - But NO. The only part of Brooklyn in this creation is the artwork on the bottle. Nice artwork! The fragrance smells very clean and fresh, but it is less of Brooklyn and more like Shaker Heights, or North Dallas. As neighborhood character goes, this Bond is an ultra sanitized upscale neighborhood with nicely appointed wood and new car leather freshness. Definitely not Brooklyn! But, setting aside the clashing imagery for a moment, this is a nice fresh aquatic wood scent that will be great for spring or summer.

Brooklyn opens with grapefruit over cardamon with a juniper chaser for a fresh lightly aquatic wood feel. This freshness covers a light leather/wood base for a pretty good imitation of the smell of new car leather. The leather is a very light iris gaiac wood leather similar to the leather in Dior Homme but covered with the ctrus woods. Really there is not enough leather in here to claim leather, but you have to give a label to the dry softness in the middle of the citrus green and woods. A very clean fresh woodsy scent for summer. Give it one thumb up!

Fantastic peppery licorice woods fragrance. Bits of grapefruit, anise, juniper and pepper yields a substantial but simple fresh wood scent that stays clean and present for hours. This fragrance is a solid choice out of a group of similarly scented fragrances I've tried that includes L' Artisan Navegar, Kenzoair, and Bond No. 9 Brooklyn. Cereus No. ll is more substantial and less sythetic than Kenzoair, a bit greener than Navegar and not nearly as aquatic as Bond No. 9 Brooklyn. A great choice for spring or summer warm weather.

Very thin transparent fragrance of anise, cedar, vetiver and probably tons of iso e super - although I am not a fragrance chemist. Kenzoair is a pleasant licorice conifer woodsy fragrance that at times is so transparent it disappears from scent altogether. But have faith, KA is still very much at work even though you can't always smell it. The transparency of the fragrance is its interesting quality and also is its downfall. Is it really still there? It is just too subtle at times, but is hard to beat when the weather is hot and humid and most other fragrances will blossom and fume with intensity. Kenzoair is well named for its clear headed ability to offset any stuffy thick environment with fresh wooded air.

Oud Royale is a rich and deep oud oil that is deeply mesmerizing. These ouds are all aged with agarwood and there is reportedly quite a mix of precious oils and essences but it is hard to pick out particular notes because of the thorough blending. I think I smell rose oil, sandalwood, frankincense, musk and of course oud but it is all blended into this wonderful creation. It is a deep scent that kind of goes right through your entire body upon first smell. It is heavy yet penetrating and ethereal all at once. The predominant scent character Oud Royale is the musk. It is a deep, rich and quiet musk that has an ancient earthy organic patina to it. It is not foul smelling but distinctive and full of great heritage. Oud Royale reminds me a bit of Muscs Kubla Khan by Serge Lutens in the animalic musk basenote, but the oud, incense and woods blend in a smootheness that is unequaled.

A sweet incense and floral oud attar. The opening sparkles with a ginger spice scnet that is mixed into the fine sandalwood and oud mixture. It smells like a contemporary incense fragrance that might have come from CdG or Amouge but crafted with ingredients for a spice cookie dough recipe. Very yummy, but also deeply complex. The incense spice cookie opening merges with fine sandalwood, frankincense and oud in the base for an almost iridescent light leather scent that is unlike any other scent I've tried. There is a hypnotic quality to Borneo 3000 and I can almost not stop sniffing this aloeswood (oud) lively mix. It is an incense scent, a gourmand, also a leather, and sandalwood, and oud, and it all works really well together. Not a drop of heaviness nor animalic indoles sneak into this pure spirited oud oil. Borneo 3000 has an alive and pure quality that is well worth a sample wearing if you can ever find a drop of this now out of production and precious elixir. It is my favorite of the of the very good Oriscent ouds.

This is a great fragrance . . . as long as you are not expecting a rose scent you will probably really like this one. Paestum Rose is more of an incense wood fragrance with rose and black current added in. Very juicy and quite wearable but mostly incense and spices along with a bit of rose. The cinnamon, pink pepper, coriander and tea notes are very prominent in the opening coupled with a bit of rose. There is a berry scent along with rose that gives sort of a plummy almost edible note that adds depth to of it. The drydown retains hints of rose but the patchouli and other light woods are more noticeable. I like this fragrance quite a bit, but it is definitely not comparable to any of my favorite rose fragrances (Black Tie, No. 88, Black Aoud). It is a wonderful incense fragrance with a very complex blend of nice smelling woods and spice that compliments the rose.

Yep, "fruited suede" (Sir Slarty's review) fits Kiton Black like a glove. Very pleasant warm citrus, then cardamon and violet for a bit of soft zing, supported by powder soft tonka suede basenote. A Fruited Suede. There is a bit of leather in there too, but not enough to earn a leather designation and definitely not dark enough to earn "black" status. But a very nice, easy to wear, smoothe refined scent. Would be a good boardroom fragrance to wear with a Kiton suit. Or not.

An incense lavender. This is the worlds best lavender scent! I love it. Very medicinal fresh young green lavender in the opening that stays present throughout the progression of the scent. Following the fresh piney lavender is a smokey incense that is a cool grey stone smokey incense. A perfect combination of smokey old stone incense with bits of fresh green lavender sprounting up all around it. My highest recommendation.

There are different kinds of dirty sweaty funky smells. There is (1) sour, odorous stench that is bacterial rot from the retraction of life; and then there is (2) sweat soaked body odors hard mixed with miles of work - clean dirt. Muscs Koublai Khan is the second kind. It's good clean sweat dried with skin worn bodily musk. It smells bad, but its a good bad. Its a dirty smell but you know its hard won and is very magnetic. Civet, castoreum, patchouli, ambergris are all probably in there. The best scent comes through a little hardship, I guess. Muscs Koublai Khan is one of my favorites. It smells like a horse riding mongol days away from home. But, people of both sexes are magnetically drawn to it. I like it too.

Starts out with a strong note of iodine followed by the sharp rubber scent of brand new steel belted radial tires. No kidding! Smells like I'm in the tire store one minute and then in a hospital testing lab the next. Wafting up from behind this very clinical industrial odor is a sweet exotic floral. It's tuberose, a bit of orange blossom and jasmine with an unexpected friendly base note of soft vanilla. It's Nurse Rachet with a big "yes I know" grin. Tuberose Criminelle is exotic and sort of dangerous. I can see how someone would enjoy wearing this fragrance but it would be a guilty pleasure for sure.

A pleasant light citrus/woods fragrance that opens with crisp citrus then softens considerably with vanilla soft musk and then ends with an uplifting coriander finish. It's like Issey Miyake at first then finishes with a bit of Live Jazz by YSL. Great looking pop culture inspired bottle with an Ed Hardy tattoo on the side. Yeah, its not a groundbreaker, but it is a nice innocent feeling refreshing scent. Smells and feels youthful. A reluctant thumbs up!

It is easy to lump this new sparkling Armani in with the faceless, characterless and endless parade of fresh flavors of the month that roll out of the designer fragrance labs. But NO, that would be a mistake. Diamonds for Men is a very good new fragrance! It is a refreshingly different combination of bergamot, woods, ambroxen, vetiver and chocolate. The opening is juicy and sparkling bergamot and iso e super, then it softens with a touch of chocolate over cedar, vetiver and ambroxen that gives it a nutty wood middle and base. If you could pick and chose the best parts of Acqua di Parma Inensa + a bit of chocolate from A Men, + woods of HeWood over the familiar Armani Code drydown . . . you might end up with Diamonds for men.

Created by Jacques Cavallier of Firmenich, the effect of Diamonds is fresh and sparkling over warm, slightly powdery woods. The combination works very well.

Ambre Fetiche is a very warm stoic masculine fragrance that is very wearable and mesmerizing in the opening. Very dark strong birch tar leather opens with a touch of frankincense with a warm underbelly of amber. The sweetness of the amber is completely hidden by the dark birch tar "fetish" of this amber based scent. The only similar opening I have tired is Kolnisch Juchten by Rance which is very similar in its strong birch dark leather opening. As the scent wears down in 4 or 5 hours the amber starts to emerge as the last note standing with dry warmth that stays for remarkably long time. The evolution from dark birch tar leather to pure amber is a long one, but the difference in smells is dramatic from the opening to the drydown some 7 - 8 hours later.

Understanding that the inspiration for this perfume was clean skin helps to accept the opening scnet which does indeed smell of moist air rising from clean skin. There is a slight aldehyde scent which blends with body warmth odor that has a musty scent that adds an elder depth to the scent. But as the fragrance dries down the light florals mixed with delicate blend of sandalwood and patchouli enhances the clean almost soap like freshness. It smells very modern and fresh in the lineage of Gendarme but with more musty skin notes and is also similar to Puro Lino but with lighter florals and more clean soapiness. I think this might be my new favorite clean, fresh but neutral warm weather scent. This fragrance is not easy to love at first sniff, but as it dries it stays fresh and perky without losing its human touch. I like it for its subtlety and common freshness.

At first sniff I thought this was very close to an identical scent of the original Declaration. But the Essence of Declaration is a much superior fragrance. It smells as if someone reengineered all the ingredients of Declaration, keeping the same basic mix, but changing the strengths of various parts. All of the sharp and medicinal elements were decreased while the clear wood and transparent ozonic qualities of the scent have been increased. The earthiness is decreased while the akasha is more present. I notice artemsia is absent from the note list and this may be part of the rebalancing of the notes. The birchwood is less powerful in this one while the cedar is increased. Also, the sillage is hyped up probably with the addition of iso e super, or other chemicals that amplify the more transparent woody mix. I give Cartier Essence a 9.5 out of 10 for a review. A fantastic reinterpretation of Declaration. Declaration was an improvement on older swiss mountain fragrances similar to Magic Helvetica by La Base but Ellena took this birchwood bitter orange and herbal idea in a much more woody direction. The Essence improves on Declaration even further to go beyond the woods with hints of the original but more into the spirit and energy of the notes of Declaration - into L' Essence. Very nice.

I really like this fragrance. It is a light wood, herbal scent and has a transparent quality that reminds me of walking through the desert outside of Santa Fe immersed in the sun and sagebrush. There is a medicinal quality to one of the ingredients that I always thought might be the artemsia, but it might just be birchwood. This sharp ingredient along with the herbals make this scent borderline too medicinal to enjoy, but the clear light notes of cedar, vetiver and bitter orange keep it very enjoyable. I'd give this a 7 out of 10 and would be wearing regularly if it wasn't for the Essence version of Declaration which I think is a superior fragrance all around.

Mint Patchouli. Roadster utilizes one of those very rare "new" combination of notes that combine magically well and wears well too. It is a minty cool breeze through dry slightly sweet woods. The opening smells mostly of mint but as the woods come up it reminds me of a woody mint tea. The magic part of this fragrance is the drydown where patchouli and mint reinforce the cool lightness of each other and cover a warm slightly sweet wood finish. It could be slightly gourmand for some, but to me the charm is the light coolness of the patchouli as it is lightened by mint. Very nice.

Dark strength mixed with gentle soft edges . . . Kolnisch Juchten by Regence is a quintessential masculine fragrance of the strong silent type. You get a dark birch tar leather scent wafting through a warm boot polish darkness. The fragrance stays very dry and smokey leather in a bed of gentle light softtness. The soft sweetness in the base of KJ coming from a bit of amber or vanilla? Kolnish Juchten compares favoroubly to a group of very dark serious masculine scents - Lonestar Memories, Le Labo Patchouli 24, Bois d' Ombrie and even Armani Prive Bois d' Encens. The darkness of this group comes by way of frankincense, birch tar, or patchouli or some combination of the above. But, very unlike these dark masculines Kolnish Jucten has a light softness surrounding the dark center that causes it to feel soft and warm through its strength. Amber is undoubtedly the base that softens the birch leather. The softness is enhanced also by the controlled use of the birch tar elements - it is strong and soft at the same time. This one is a keeper!

The fragrance is reportedly a 300 year old formula that is now being produced by a company called Regence and is available from Jacqueline Parfumerie in San Francisco - 415-981-0858. A great review of this one is on Perfume Smellinthings at - http://perfumesmellinthings.blogspot.com/2006/02/perfume-review-parfums-regence.html.

A very pleasing mix of amber sandalwood and patchouli. A warm smoothe amber with a touch of spice woods that ends with a minty patchouli. A strange ghost note occurs with the combination of amber and patchouli that has a slight sharp wild smell to it - smells like cat fur or a light urine scent. A smoothe cuddly animal of a scent. Very enjoyable warm patchouli.

This is a great use of patchouli in a fragrance. The listed notes: Rum, Nutmeg, Brazilian Rosewood, Cedar, Patchouli are easy to pick out (accept for the cedar) and the fragrance smells like these notes in a simple mix. The bottom line of this fragrance is a nice fun patchouli but unlike the many straight patch fragrances, Straight To Heaven is mixed with a sweet nutmeg / rum party drink kind of scent. This initial rum blast gives the scent its party mood and the scent stays a little through the life of the fragrance. The rum loses its dominance quickly and settles into a blend of rosewood and patchouli. The drydown becomes more and more patchouli but is a warm version of patchouli. A very nice elevating fragrance that puts you in a happy frame of mind.

This fragrance just smells good. Refined, soft and snuggly. You mix vanilla, amber and tonka and you'd think it would be a sticky sweet mess, but it's not. Jaipur is very soft, a little sweet, a bit of spice and slight wood note. It is almost transparent in its simplicity. If an incense could be made of vanilla alone this is it. I like it but it is what it is - no questions or intrigue - and therefore I don't find myself wanting to wear it much. It needs a little more adventure or mystery in the mix. But no question vanilla with amber and tonka just smells good!

Deep deep vanilla warmth. So deep it almost goes below the register to fully comprehend the warmth of the vanilla note on first sniff. Hovering over the top is an aura of warm tobacco. The two scents work wonderfully together. Is it rich pipe tobacco surrounded by a vanilla blanket or a vanilla heart note with a tobacco personality all around? It is very nice either way.

Black Tie is a very refined masculine rose fragrance with bold saffron and an earthy wood undercurrent behind the geranium rose heart. You can also smell the green stems with the roses here as well with galbanum peaking through. Maybe the best overall rose fragrance mix for men I've tried. When it comes right down to selecting a rose fragrance I find myself reaching for this one most often due to its easy to enjoy attitude. It will never offend and it seduces with gentleness and well tended composition. It is warm and bold but doesn't push the boundaries like Black Aoud does. It maintains a rose presence without aggressive spicey incense notes of Rose 31. It is earthy but not too earthy like Paestum Rose can be. It is just right. Very proper and buttoned up masculine roses in a garden setting. Three thumbs up!

Simply a great red rose oud fragrance. The oud is pronounced at first with strong medicinal twang that is balanced nicely by rich red roses. The patchouli and frankincense becomes more noticeable in the drydown and adds to the boldness of the overall mix. There is a sexual richness to this formula that is undeniable. The rose/frankincense mix is so bold that it works great to layer this with other incense or earthy green scents because black aoud holds up so well with other notes. Reminds me of the Tom Petty refrain " won't back down. . . . I'll stand my ground". Black aoud is no shrinking violet. I would not wear this in a stuffy atmosphere where it might bloom and overtake the room because it has that kind of power. But, used sparingly under the shirt it is a very energizing dark rose presence that will last all day and into the night. It is almost hypnotic in its appeal. The best Montale aoud rose in my opninion. I give it three thumbs up.

A very nice oud rose scent. Unlike Black Aoud, Golden Aoud is a gentler rose fragrance balanced out by quite a variety of other notes with a result of making it rounder, softer, more balanced yet still very masculine. The mix of notes is saffron, bulgarian rose, geranium, oud, leather, patchouli and cedar. The blending is well balanced enough so that with the saffron there is indeed a congenial "golden" quality to the fragrance. The most prominent overall note is the medicinal oud with a slight leathery twinge to it. The patchouli is very lightly applied - almost unnoticeable, while the saffron and geranium are quite quite prominent. An excellent choice for warm geranium rose oud fragrance but to avoid the patchouli darkness of black aoud. An excelent fragrance of compromises. I give it one thumb up! Enjoyable.

What you get from Gucci by GPH is a bit of the best from Acqua di Gio & Bond No. 9 Bleeker St mixed into a hybrid fresh chypre that fills a void in the Gucci line. A soft light green menthol chypre that is refreshing and very clean in presentation. The opening is fresh and a light crisp green menthol layered over dry violet wood that later feels a bit like a light tobacco/chypre. The violet gives it lift and sophistication while the bergamot/cypress punctuates the opening with a tart green short clipped, well groomed appearance that stays throughout the scent. At drydown it's a soft green chypre from the cypress/violet and pathcouli wood that is light and green but very nicely dry. The only negative is that it smells very traditional and properly put together and reminds me of so many others that have not done this as well - which is also what I like about it. Very easy to wear.

This fragrance starts with a wonderfully light anise note balanced against absinthe which gives it a magical gypsy charm. Light and minty with a strange twist of licorice makes this a charming fresh herbal and mysterious scent. However, as the fragrance dries down it goes through a complete change of character by the emergence of sweet cocoa warmth that moves up in the mid notes to neutralize the contrast of absinthe and anise and replace it with warm chocolatey anise mint accord. Yes, it is very much a Lolita Lempicka wanna be fragrance at this point - but ends up being a more subtle and complete chocolate/anise charmer than Lolita ever was. This fragrance starts out with mystery and contrasts and ends up completely blended into a snuggly licorice dust /chocolate warm comforting scent. A very sexy and mostly feminine fragrance but would be enjoyed by many men as well. I am tempted to buy a bottle for the lady in my life.

Smells exactly like hot asphalt that just went down. On the skin it smells strangely refreshing after a while. Very similar scent to Le Labo Pathcouli 24 less the vanilla and Lonestar Memories less the leather. There is probably a little patchouli in there along with the birch tar. A little too industrial for my taste but it definitely is not offensive.

Smells like dry clean chemicals. I hope its not toxic. But assuming Dry Clean is safe for wearing, why would you want to smell like this? Other than for novelty I don't see the logic of owning this one.

Bright sparkly and fresh. 7-up or Sprite without the sticky mess you'd have if you dowsed in the real thing. There is a fresh ozone quality to this fragrance that is eye opening, along with a hint of lemon lime for proper soda scentedness. I don't know of many fragrances that can hold up to 2 hours of sweat drenching workout and still stand tall through the naturally emanating odors filling them with ozonic freshness. Stays put all day. You need a frag like this in your man-care kit.

Chembur smells like pungent smokey air outside a third world city in the far east somewhere. There is incense, burning woods, and a dark leather scent that keeps the fragrance mysterious. The opening is very captivating but as the middle notes evolve a strong scent of nutmeg and ginger mixed with the labdanum and musk evolves into a filbert nutty fragrance that undermines the dark leather incense notes. Softens and trivializes the dark brooding opening. It is a very compelling fragrance of contradictions. I find I love this during the first few hours but am less impressed with it the longer it wears down. Like all of the Byredo fragrances it is very unique.

I bought a bottle blind of this because of all the positive hype here on Basenotes. Big Mistake! I had heard that the opening is objectionable to some and the "magic" of GIT comes after the opening notes burn off. Well, yes the opening notes are really hard for me to take and it does smell better after about an hour and a half. Upon application it smells like ultra strong green apple/pinneapple syrup - somebody spilled the bottle. I guess this noxious green syrupy scent comes from the lemon + verbena + violet leaves - but wherever it comes from it is very unpleasant. After an hour or so the strong citrus tartness calms down a little and iris and violet become more prominent for a smoothe elevating scent combined with the green apple which is still there - smells sort of minty. Its OK after a couple hours, but not great. Actually it reminds me of other 1990's scents that area pinneapple tart and shallow. The ambergris basenote adds to the shimmering quality of the violet and iris and it is getting better. But I just can not get past the opening tartness - which by the way never really dies out. Actually, after the opening calms down this fragrance is sort of fresh and clean feeling - very similar to Irish Spring soap at this point. . . . ..

A dry woodland iris that is a very earthy violet flower scent with no powder to speak of. The iris leads to a soft animalic musk scent that blends to the skin of the wearer extremely well. Is it jasmine or cumin along with a touch of rose that gives the soft warm smell of hot skin just beneath the veil of iris flower. This is a sophisticated and very comfortable fragrance to wear. It comforts with warm dry yet very gentle aura of friendliness.

Reminds me of Old Spice or Barbasol with a resonant patchouli and gaiacwood background mixed in. Rive Gauche pour Homme is a successful recreation of that favored smell of the returning war veterans from 1950's post WW II era - only improving it somewhat. It is COMFORT FOOD for the soul by a direct link to the tribal scent memory for the baby boom generation. My dad smelled like this and probably everyone has a scent memory tucked away that includes this rosemary/lavender, clove, geranium, vetiver mix - its barber shop in a bottle. RGpH is well blended herbal spice brought up to date with the pathcouli and gaiacwood base. I think the allure of Rive Gauche is all about the woody incense base of vetiver, gaicwood and pathcouli. The combination is resinous and magical and when added to the spice opening has haunting nostalgic quality. Rive Gauche is such a strong scent that it holds up well to layering with other earthy vetiver fragrances or incense wood fragrances to enhance the drydown notes.

A truly wonderful incense fragrance. It is lively and fun - not dark or smoke incense but bright temple incense with lively florals mixed with the smoke. I am tempted to imagine that Jubilation XXV was a blending of the light spiritual qualities of Bertrand Duchaufour's CdG Kyoto and the floral tartness of his Timbuktu fragrances. But, I tried a blend of the two and no, JXXV has its own character for sure - more complex. When applied strongly the opening has a slightly erotic feel to it but this quickly leaves as a smokey wood, spcie and floral incense arises from the annointment. Complex but delightful. Another success story in a long series of great incense fragrances by Mr. Duchaufour. My only warning is it is quite light in its presentation. It's lack of strength is a mystery considering that most other incenses from this same perfumer are much longe lasting. But that said, highly recomended for quality of ingredients and development of notes.

I am a fan of the new Old Spice! I like it much more than the Old(er) Spice from past memory from Shulton. The new formulation was added by Procter & Gamble to make the classic fragrance a more balanced and subtle spicey oriental. The old fragrance that I remember from my younger days was similar but was totally dominated by the spices, especially cloves, through the drydown. I don't miss the old one at all! If I want that kind of heavy spice fragrance there are other better options, but this is really good now. The new OS is a delicate balance of citrus, florals, woods and aldehydes that minimizes the older spice notes. Still has the same recognizeable Old Spice smell, but is more balanced and more graceful. I like it quite a bit. My only complaint is that it stays innocently oriental instead of moving into more resinous territory towards the drydown like YSL Rive Gauche or Divines L'Homme Sage. But, OS is a very pleasant anytime daytime fragrance.

This fragrance is so subtle and seamless that its excellence is easy to overlook. In the face of so many ouotlandish fresh and fruity scents of the moment, a classic like this one glides along under the radar. It is a refined crisp fragrance woven of several notes that create a very pleasing chord of a distinctive woven chypre texture of lemon, warm spice and a sueded moss. The finish is the best part of Pour Monsieur Concentree. Has a formal, finished attitude. Very nice.

Querelle is a pungent green scent with some very masculine qualties. The formula is an unusual mix of verdancy, light spice and dark and powerful basenotes. Vetiver, oakmoss, and black caraway keep the resinous green sap like theme flowing all the way through the scent. The black caraway is unusual and a very powerful note that blends with vetiver well. I might smell juniper also in these green notes. Cinnamon spice livens up the opening adding a sparkling balance, while frankincense + oakmoss darkens down the basenotes. The clash of spice and the dark finish gives a slight metallic sheen to the scent. A leathery oakmoss + frankincense combines with black caraway oil for an aged green leather patina to this otherwise zesty herbal scent. Yes I like it quite a bit. Has a serious attitude to it but is also energetic.

I wore this scent for years as my go to summer fragrance and "office to not offend anyone" fragrance. It is very light and fresh providing the wearer with an instant burst of prana in the form of scent. Smells slightly green (verbena?) and slightly floral (jasmine) and very ozonic (iso e super?). As others have mentioned, Gendarme is the ultimate fresh out of the shower scent. I've weathered many well worn long days with a couple sprays of Gendarme delaying the need for a shower or change of clothes. You get instant freshness in a bottle. Several others supply this same freshness through fragrance idea (Creed OV, Mugler Cologne, Puro Lino, Gendarme 20 or V), but none do it any better than original Gendarme.

A sweet amber/vanilla leather fragrance that feels old fahioned and good intentioned from the start. The first sniff says very traditional men's cologne smell: bits of lavender, vanilla, amber and vetiver sweetness that smells like something from the old country. There is no darkness in this mix and it takes no chances either. I am always trying to remember where I've smelled this one before - it is familiar. It would be hard not to like this warm natured fragrance as it slowly reveals a light well worn caramel scented leather that peeks through the warm sweet spice. A spicey amber leather that they call Russian leather. It does smell of the Russian spiced black tea my grandmother used to mix, with sweeetener and then with a hint of leather added onto the back end. Elsha 1776 doesn't take many chances staying firmly in the middle of the road of likeability. Nothing too strong or too daring. An agreeable and possibly generic masculine Russian Leather fragrance. Ordered this from Carroll's in Beverly Hills. Elsha 1776 is that rare men's fragrance from a bygone era - a huge nice looking bottle, an honest no nonsense splash top, the price was dirt cheap and best of all it smells great!

Ok I sprung for a bottle of New York and have not regretted it a bit. I was drawn to it because of the favorable comparisons to another favorite - Bois du Portugal by Creed. I thought it would be hard to improve on BdP and since the Nicolai New York hit the shelves a short year and a half after Creed's best selling BdP was launched, I assumed it was a knock off. The notes are similar but it is different in a good way.

The opening is very smoothe lavender, orange and very woody. The midnotes pick up some wood and dryness from the cedar and sandalwood but the drydown is even better. New York improves on the similar opening to BdP most noticeably in the drydown when the oakmoss plays such a strong original role. The drydown has the same vetiver amber smoothe lightness as the Portugal but the oakmoss adds a dry raspy leather aspect that adds an entirely new dimension.

A great fragrance. Definitely in my top five scents of all time.

I did not give Bois du Portugal a fair try for years because I thought it was old and stuffy. The opening is a lavender spice that foretells an old man scent - warm and friendly but not too intersting. But after wearing it for full day I was shocked to find I really like the way it goes. It transforms and evolves marvelously. I am surprised to find a satisfying scent that is pretty much a perfectly adjusted composition of lavendar + sandalwood then vetiver + cedar and amber. The vetiver amber combination is particularly enjoyable for that very dry finish that is refreshing. I wouldn't change a thing! For a warm spice I am impressed by how light and dry the finish is. It is very elevating! BdP passes one old test for great design structure - "when you roll it down a hill nothing falls off"! BdP is intact. There is a lightness and dry woodiness at the finish that removes any thought of old lavender spice which you get at the opening. Very satsifying.

Green, herbal with a warm hay note that brings back memories of my grandfathers farm - walking through the barn and bringing the cows home. I really love this scent. It is especially moving in the spring and early summer. The blending is so well done that it has the ability to transport you to another place and time. The garden, the barn, grass, hay - yes - BUT - the drydown is very powdery. The powder is the only flaw in my opinion to an otherwise great scent. Warm weather increases and plays up the powder for some reason. The powder just doesn't go too well with the grass and hay. But, in the right situation this is a great comforting and inspirational fragrance. Also it is a very unique fragrance - what else comes close to Yerbamate in spring herbal grassy character?

Spice bomb at the opening. Whoa! Knock me back! But things change and the wall of spice and citrus start to cancel each other out allowing the emergence of tobacco and leather to warmly dominate the finish.

Smells of Cuba before the revolution - sunny and warm tobacco with a hint of spice in the background.

The original Sycomore fragrance was reportedly a reminder for Coco Chanel of the sycomore trees towering over her home garden. Yes, it reminds me of the deep verdant dampness and shadows beneath my own sycomore canopy that covers my front garden.
When I first smelled Chanel's new Sycomore I was immediately drawn in by its resinous, green incense nature. The opening notes resonate with a smokey woods and green earth - a rooty deep green vetiver. Along with the vetiver there is also a chypre effect that buzzes around the scent from the woody violet and woody vetier. This is clearly a vetiver centered fragrance that has all the positives of the best earthy damp vetivers but also with the warmth and mystery of uplifting smokey incense. Adding to the mix of vetiver and smoke woods is a light floral note - possibly honesuckle for sweetness and a woody violet note. This floral heart reminds me of the green floral of Creed's Chevrefuille, warm sunny and light flowers but still very green. What a magical mix of fragrance elements. Deep green vetiver with smokey light woods and uplifting florals are well blended for a chypre floral chord that resonates above and around the scent of the ingredients. With all these parts it still never loses its vetiver soul.

A fresh green citrus scent that is invigorating and renewing in its freshness. It includes some other notes that all blend well with the citrus and greenness. It has great longevity and as it wears down it becomes more piney and woody. Soft and light citrus that stays and stays. A very smoothe fragrance. Pleasing and very easy to enjoy. Great everyday fragrance - especially in spring/summer.

The noticeable opening of Navegar is the pepper. A couple kinds of pepper fill the nostrils followed by ginger, star anise, cedar and juniper, The mix of spice and woods smells oddly of filbert nuts. The warm nutty spice scent has a slight green base from lime/juniper. This is a great everyday fragrance that has a warm and spicey smile opening + the aura cleansing aspects of juniper oil in the base. One of the best all around daily wear fragrances I have found.

A very pleasant light wood fragrance. The opening lime and mandarin quickly blends with the pink pepper and cedar for a light woody fragrance dusted with nice smelling citrus. Dry and uplifting. There is no darkness or mystery here at all. A little like freshly sharpened pencils. Simple, straightforward, and possibly a little innocent in demeanor. It is very mild in its strength on me as well.

Bold, crisp and dry SPICE is the essence of this fragrance. Has an incense type of dryness but of warm spice. There is no heaviness as in some earthy spice perfumes or spice orientals, but the rose keeps it friendly and the cedar base keeps it light and woody. Comforting, mellow, but crisp spice is the theme all through. Comparisons have been made to Noir Epices from Frederic Malle, as are appropriate due to its nature, but this spice is so much better! Well done Ayala! One of my favorite warm masculine fragrances.

This may be "best in class" for the type of fragrance it is - like most Czech and Speake formulas are. Very fresh citrus opening that is balanced by animalic musk + civet that lets you know this is not another innocent eau de citrus. It is very French like the older Chanels and Guerlains that have body odor notes to give the freshness of the citrus a contrasting backdrop. It has character - it is real. I also like the dry coriander note that forms most of the very dry base along with the citrus that lasts throughout. The coriander adds a woody dryness that is a contemporary feel against the grapefruit opening that's a little like YSL Live Jazz but instead of the mint in L. Jazz you have the slightly odorous musk. This has to be one of the best citrus scents around. It is fresh, crisp, dry and woody, while it feels new and old at the same time. Highly recommended!

A fantastic green fragrance made of three basic components in balance and harmony. Juniper berry is the primary note and this intense green pine healing scent keeps from going into hospital disinfectant mode by the dry softness of cinnamon and the green earthy dry roots of vetiver. A wonderful interplay between juniper and cinnamon is the essence of why this green scent is so warm and lively. A dry vetiver base supports the green theme while keeping the fragrance dry and very green vetiver in the base. Thoroughly enjoyable green spicey fragrance.

Soaring patchouli opens this scent followed by a sour animalic musk note that is intriguing indeed. The effect is raw animalic patchouli that is a wonderful patchouli fragrance that is a character. But, the story continues to develop with middle notes remiscent of Indian spices of some type giving this a strong Indian temple incense feel to it. Sandalwood emerges in the drydown taking the fragrance more into mixed incense incense memories. You could be at a temple in Agra back in the U.S. at a commune in the Haight district during the 60's - sitar music in the background then swept away with smoke of nag champa, patchouli, sandalwood incense mixed in with some aromatic spices (ginger, saffron?) from the kitchen. A strong cultural mind shift comes with this fragrance. One of the more interesting incense patchouli fragrances that triggers lots of memories of the past - all good!

Wow have I changed my mind of this one. I had written off Habit Rouge EDT as a sweet citrus with little character or personality and hid my bottle in the recesses of obscurity. But was I wrong. Older and wiser I have brought out Habit Rouge and find where I thought it lacked character, there is hiding a great subtlety and extraordinary balance. Behind the citrus creamy opening is a chalky dryness that balances the opening notes. 2 keys to "getting" this fragrance are: 1) Give it time to develop (an hour or so) and 2) Use it to best results in colder weather. The dry chalky aspect comes out more in the cold. It is simple perfection.

Another very refined and delicate blend from Ellena. Smells very much like you would expect an Hermes scent to smell - subtle, warm and refined. In fact, the subtlety could be mistaken for blandness or weakness in this fragrance. But it does have character and a very specific attitude. I like it quite a lot.

Reminds me of Piper Nigrum in the pepper opening and also in how it moves to a nice warm masculine drydown that is a mix woods and moss. A slight leather aspect lingers in the drydown - a very Hermes light leather - probably from the oak and moss. An excellent scent.

Ambre Narguile is the most immediately likeable fragrance from the Hermessence series. Smells like warm pipe tobacco +raisen nut cake + old leather bound books + kitchen smells. Lots of great warm scent memories tied to this one. All the scents are mellow and in a low baritone kind of register with a warm masculine feel. No one notes stands alone and there is not too much sweetness. A warm tapestry of fragrance. The amber never takes over the scent, unlike almost every other amber scent that has amber in its name. In fact this could easily be named something else because I don't think amber is the primary story at all. . . A winning combination.

A very traditional smelling fragrance that cuts the barbasol spice opening of the original RGPH in half and increases the incense drydown by 30%. The spices from the opening quickly and the vetiver, gaiac wood, patchouli finish is more noticeable, right from the start. Otherwise, its very similar to RGPH. Fantastic! I like it more than RGPH!

Pure and fresh essential green vitality in a bottle. Light, airy and very greeeeeen - uplifting. It is fresh, but very short lived - 2 hours max. But is worth it anyway. You become the fresh green essence of growing plants when you put this on. It is a wonderful fragrance that is very unique. The nicest fresh green grassy fragrance I have ever smelled. Most green scents become very herbal or dry down into something else like hay or vetiver woods - but not Angelique. The Angelica is lifted by light cedar and stays full of vitality through to the end. A short life but a rich one.

A really unique fragrance whose strangeness will probably keep it a secret to most. I like it very much but it is different from anything else and hard to find.

The opening notes are familiar from many of the big scents of the 1980's. Bergamot, pine and jasmine have that strong lemony green blast that tends to push you back a little with its boldness. But this changes quickly as a wine alcohol scent wafts through the pine/lemony opening bringing in the geranium and jasmine as it mixes with the dampness of wormwood. There is a minty damp kind of mysterious green finish to this first part of the scent that was very pleasing. As the wormwood blends with the amber/tonka base it creates an aldahyde like finish that is cool and warm at the same time. Sort of mysterious and pleasing in the drydown. A great one!

A sweet floral musk scent that has interesting uplift from a nice rose floral that is offset with an mildly acrid civet scent. The rose emerges immediately and is sweetened by spices and vanilla while still balancing the civet. Not a bad boy scent at all, but pleasant and entertaining until the drydown takes it into old fashioned sweet powder territory. Through the middle notes this one smells like a lighter milder precursor of Musk Ravageur and it is very nice. The drydown loses the civet scent and the roses to become mostly a sweet vanilla musk scent - reminding of Lorenzo Villoresi Musk. Though this fragrance is very nice, it is not compelling enough for me to mourn its retirement. The UII is just a little too sweet and too bland for me.

A romantic scent that doesn't keep its raw intentions hidden at all. Musc Ravageur is a very flirtatious muse. I could not wear it at first - too carnal! and too flowery! Too bold, I thought. But the impression it left could not be forgotten easily so I came back. Surprise - no rose nor musk at all in this sexual drag queen of a frag!

The in-your-face deep floral kiss is actually a vanilla/gaiac wood blend dressed up as a rich rose oud. The sexy musk is a mix of earthy cumin oil plus equally smoky tonka which combine for a raw sexy musk powder. Both the faux flower and faux musk notes join nicely for a deep and lusty affect. This is a scent that makes me blush when I apply it - but I wear it anyway in the right situation.

Great fragrance for a formal night with it's soft gentle orange iris that coats a light leather scent. There is a mischevious lightly stinky note here too that balances the leather and orange - this is the unexpected star of the show in my opinion and makes this a good anytime fragrance. The oak moss and patchouli are a woody darkness that come about in the middle and leads to a breathtaking drydown. You want to cuddle up into the warmth of it all. Other than in the name, "leather" only makes itself known briefly in the mid notes then it is blended out by a melange of orange, stinky notes and oakmoss. But, I would not change a thing about it.

Bad boy? Gentleman? Dilletente? Might be all three - who cares when it smells this good.

A subtle but very enjoyable spice mix almost anyone would feel good about. A gentlile mix of spice with a green minty lightness from laurel, tomato leaves , rosemary and sage. A dose of spice from cardamon, coriander, nutmeg and Cumin add to the green incense base. Light and pleasant. A refined mix but possibly too polite and pleasant. Not as bold as YSL Rive Gauche or MB Spiritus/Land#2 and w/o the fruit spices of Arabie or Acier Aluminium. Does not make much of a statement even though it smells very nice.

What a warm and wonderful fragrance. It is a spice scent + orange citrus scent + deep leather scent all at once. The smells shift in and through combinations of leather/orange/spice like a merchant whose herd has wandered through an orange grove and the spices are being dusted up by the orange leaves. Up front is the orange peel and orange flower that is warmed up by the cinnamon, clove and nutmeg spices. Then drifting up from low places is the animal note that gives you a hint this spice trader is not so innocent. The leather is quite soft and very playful with all this madness going on around it. The three personalities go very well together and although it starts off as spice scent similar to Arabie, it ends a very fine leather with a hint of candied orange spices. A unique character. Very enjoyable.

In the face of several average reviews I am surprised to admit that I really like this fragrance. I have not seriously considered trying the Santal Blanc for a while because I normally do not prefer sandalwood fragrances, but this took me by surprise. It does not smell of sandalwood first - I guess the fenugreek seed is the winner here.

Fenugreek is a healing herb that always is a stabilizing soothing element and in this formula that is no exception. There apparently is pepper, funugreek, and a very nice woody sandalwood among other unknown elements of fragrance. It is dry, warm and sweetly scintillating and very comforting. What's not to like!

It reminds me of the CdG fragrance Kyoto, only in a totally different direction towards middle eastern spices and herbs. Like kyoto Santal Blanc is all background and does not step out with its own personality much. But what a great background! It is fresh, bright warm woods with sandalwood + warm vanillic fenugreek. Dry but warm and assuring. Has a dry far eastern essence but is very subtle. If you have ever had a hot cup of fenugreek seed tea you will have an idea of this scent but add some dry sandalwood (like Tam Dao) to support from inside. As with most Lutens scents it is extremely smoothe and well made - very understated like other Lutens scents (Daim Blonde, Gris Clair, and Chene come to mind). A great everyday scent and could also layer with others well but I am not sure I would want to complicate this one. Different, but very nice

A foresty opening that smells like a good peaty pipe tobacco has just been lit up. Deep and comforting scent. I don't think the name catches the essence of this one - its less rebellious and more well worn leather. The middle notes become very dry leather and the drydown continues further down that path that has a well worn essence. Much more masculine that Espionage, this leather fragrance is all western Marlboro man in its dry leathery quality without ever going into the dark tar notes. This one can be tolerated.

A warm round leather scent that reminds me greatly of Knize Ten, only with a more approachable opening notes. The opening has those warm notes that are a green and sweet bergamot rose with leatheriness. The jasmine and orris brings in that earthy leather fragrance and the vanilla softens up the drydown for a sweeter mellow leather. A very masculine scent with a slight green smokiness that reminds me of pinon campfire smoke. The leather is always there. As with all leather scents it is very particular in its attitude - so test it first. But, it's a good one.

This is what a great fragrance construction is all about. Gentle movement through various stages of fragrance. There is a deep equinine feel to this warm scent. The rosewood, lilly and carnation opening smells gentle but also deeply spicy like a soft leather spice - which is the carnation and jasmine. The pine peeks through now and then as a backdrop, but is almost unnocticeable before the drydown lands in soft tonkan musk + vetiver leaf - a pillow ending . These are all very soft notes used in a masculine and warm way. Very nice fragrance. Sort of young and naive in its attitude. But, very nice.

Vanilla and amber form the heart of this fragrance. The honey warm scent is quickened with a touch of myrrh and incense - with a light smoky musk finish. The fragrance stays warm and amberish throughout. I don't understand the dark reputation it has, but it is very deep and warm.

This is a bracing tonic of a vetiver. Very pure, light and simple vetiver splash. Not overly sweet or extremely earthy - just pure green vetiver. It feels good on the skin to splash this juice on and all over. Has a cleansing feeling. Vettiveru comes in a huge jug of a bottle and is made to pour it out and splash - it's a weaker concentration for the purpose of dispensing liberally. The drydown is light cedar that you feel more than smell. Green. Very refreshing!

A very refreshing and bracing grapefruit citrus fragrance. Opens tart and stays clean and fresh throughout its life - about 2 hours. It's great as a summer tonic but don't expect it to be there very long. The opening fresh notes do not change or progress much. After using an entire bottle I realized that other than the fresh blast at the opening, I was just kind of bored with it. A number of citrus frags are like this - sort of one note wonders - Floris Limes comes to mind as well, only in lime rather than grapefruit. For a much more interesting fragrance that opens freshly with grapefruit but progresses through very interesting and clean stages, try Live Jazz.

At first a wave of dry wine booze washes over you and is bracing and enveloping. Followed by a very stable and assuring spice/amber accord that is dry and very interesting. A beautiful spice and wood balance for the amber comes from the spiced russan tea reinforced by cinnamon, cumin, coriander and incense. At this point I really thought I had found that elusive warm incense spice fragrance that might be my signature fragrance - the middle is very good - but not so fastt. Tiny hints of leather peek through the mix. But, in the end this fragrance is mostly amber. As it wears on it becomes more and more amber dominating whatever incense and spice was once there. Nothing is so boring as a a singular amber note playing til the end. It's good if you are an amber lover. I am not. I'll pass on this one.

Knize 10 is really two different fragrances. The opening is kind of complicated as it mixes spices, citrus, herbs, and rose for a kind prelude to a leather scent but with lots of complication and is better to ignore this first hour. Or you could minimize the opening harshness by spraying very, very lightly. But the greatness of Knize 10 is the drydown which is a very soft vanilla/amber enhanced leather that is appealing and long lasting. It is really wonderful - but the opening smells of bad cosmetics or something - just let it go because it does get better - much better.

Had to review this because I just don't know what the other reviewers are smelling. Could there be a variety of samples out there?

A very gentle and soft leather - possibly the softest leather I have sampled. Very wearable. There are no animalic, stinky elements here, and no castoreum or tar - very warm and alluring. It's like Daim Blonde without the apricot opening. A suede leather - leather between an elevating iris opening and balsam finish with nice leather in the middle. An old leather club chair. Very Chanel in its gentle leathery quality. A nice one.

Definitely at the top of my list of citrus based summer scents. The lemon peel/grapefruit opening tartness provides a nice balance to the mint and rhubarb leaf mid notes. The wild reed and cedarwood give a dry lift to the middle notes while the vanilla ambergris mellow out the grapefruit by the ending. Contradictions provide interest. Tart and dry, tart and warm. A very refreshing and interesting citrus scent. Along with Eau de Rochas homme, Live Jazz is my favorite.

A very fantastic fragrance. Masculine and magnetic. The warm citrus neroli opens the door for deep and varied green scents that pull you up and down through a deep woodland. The vetiver/sandal/pathcouli and musk finish give an ethereal and incense like mystery to the green notes. The finish is magic. The best Villoresi so far. Like Czech and Speake's no. 88 this one has a classic men's aura about it (w/o the roses) - a great fragrance!

I didn't warm up to this fragrance easily, but have grown to really appreciate its subtlety and warmth. It's a good everyday fragrance that harmonizes with almost any situation and circumstance. All of the notes are of the same value - pale whispers in a conversation that is dominated by a gentle iris which dominates until the leather drydown happens. The iris, cardamon, vetiver and lavendar are all mild participants in a subtle blend. A comforting iris/leather fragrance.

A great summertime fragrance. Every note of the composition is light and uplifting. There is a fun aura about this one -smells kind of like the bottle design looks. Opening is a light green floral which has a tangy lime flavor that comes from the violet and thyme I guess. The cedar keeps it light and woody while the jasmine and cinnamon add playfulness. The patchouli and suede base are mellowed out by the amber and vanilla. This is not an amber fragrance though. It smells really herbal, elevating and playful. Reminds me of a summer night at the carnival - sparkling, colorful and fun. Definitely my favorite Bond No. 9 - an uplfting friend.

Vetiver is one of my favorite essential oils and I like this composition of vetiver and other greens - although it took me a while to accept it. It's not a fragrance for everyone. In fact, I would guess most people will not warm up to this "French Lover" at all.

French Lover is a cold and earthy fragrance that smells like a chunk of deep forest earth was pulled out of the ground with mossy edges and roots hanging. The scent is earthy, damp and humorless but it does have a note of mystery about it. The vetiver heart of this scent is kept green, watery and deep by the angelica and frankincense notes. Cedar wood lifts up the earthiness and adds an ethereal deep background. I like the smell of it, but there is a grim earthy reality about this that is hard to wear everyday.

I don't understand the name "French Lover" at all. A french fragrance house selects an english spelling, "French Lover", for a fragrance that is clearly not about love or romance at all. This fragrance is all about earthy realism. Is the name ironic? The significance of the title eludes me, but, I do enjoy the fragrance.

The most thoroughly satisfying "green" scent I know of. If natural organic had a scent this is it. The tone is totally pastoral and of growing green plants. No figs, no citrus nor vetiver or creamy plant milk that you encounter in other "green" fragrances - but just greens here. Tomato leaves and cut grass scent the opening while the drydown becomes more dried grasses and hay. When I think of green in fragrances this is the one that comes to mind. A refreshing encounter with the green earth.

This fragrance is a hot steaming mug of creamy dark chocolate with a dash of clove, nutmeg and red pepper. It's spicy and peppery while sweetly chocolate. Warms you up all over. I keep looking for a scoop of vanilla ice cream to cool it down a notch. A great gourmand scent - it's yummilicious!

Very nice green woody fougere that reminds me greatly of Patou pour Homme or Van Cleef & Arpels PH. Sort of the poor man's version of these two. The price is exceptional for a fragrance of this quality (available on the j peterman web site). Has that special drydown that is clean mossy woods that I swear is identical to these other two great ones from the 1980's. It is a little more playful at the opening and definitely less overbearing in strength, but smells really good. Don't see iris, patchouli or pepper in the frag note pyramid, but it smells the same on drydown anyway. Nice leather combination base note too.

Miller Bertaux #2 Spiritus/land is a very rich fragrance that I think has a magical seducing quality that seems to envelop you and immerse you in its world. Very elevating and warming. Deep spices open the scent and lead to a hypnotic incense and earthy vetiver/tobacco finish. There is probably all kinds of warm spice and incense ingredients in this mix that all lead to a very nice, quite masculine and spicy fragrance. Very similar to Parfum Generale Coze 2 in the great mix of spices and ethereal elevating quality, but instead of chocolate/sativa oil basenote as in the Coze 2, the Spiritus/land ends with tobacco/frankincense base. It has become one of my favorites.

I like this one quite a lot. If you favor gourmand scents or a strong pathcouli you will love this one. It is warm and honey caramel at the outset with a hint of dry frankincense in the background giving it depth and mystery. As it wears down a bit the caramel sweetness becomes a chocolate with a honey edge and the frankincense turns into a dry and forceful patchouli basenote. Similar to Serge Lutens Borneo 1834 but the chocolate is not nearly so dark and patchouli not quite so dry. Stays warm and inviting throughout, unlike SL Borneo which moves over to the dark side. A unisex fragrance, but it is definitely not for everyone or everyday.

Erolfa is a wonderful fragrance. Of the Creed fragrances that I've journeyed through over the past 10 years, Erolfa is the only one that I am still very seduced by. It's sort of a seaside mysterious aura that is haunting, clean and refreshing. It opens with a lemony citrus scent with a little spice in the background that is nice, but not that special. This hangs around for about an hour, but then a gradual evolution of receding citrus and emerging wood notes begins to happen. A third change happens shortly after the woods emerge when the ozone note drifts over the entire scent and creates this oceanic air that is a mysterious minty drydown. Lasts for at least 4-5 hours on me before starting to fade. It is one of the few fragrances that people consistently stop me and ask "what are you wearing?" To respond to another reviewers question about strength, I do think that the recent bottle I purchased is slightly weaker than what I remember from the bottles I got back in the 1990's - but the scent is still the same. A great one.

The opening of lemony mint is light and elevating - sort of refreshing. Then, an amazing evolution of fragrance occurs through a voyage of notes that goes from light to sweet spice warmth and into an ethereal forest of basenotes. The spicy carnation plus nutmeg and neroli make for a warm and enveloping middle that takes over and eliminates the light citrus opening. The base notes have an ethereal quality of sage + pine lifted by patchouli and iris. This is one of the most refined and complete fragrances I have smelled. It could be a masterpiece - I think it is. After the fragrance is settled it keeps a full range of scent profiles. When sniffed from a foot away it's a warm neroli, nutmeg, carnation. When leaning in for a closer experience you pick up the minty patchouli and iris lifting through the pine and sage - very green and ethereal. When up really close the a warm frankincense emerges through all of the other notes. A sparkling fragrance that is very satisfying.

The opening notes are upfligting with a rose, geranium and galbanum accord that is very warm and feels like old world fragrance magic. The initial impression is of Czech and Speake's No. 88. - Light. However, the C&S never leaves the rose patchouli note while the ruin of the LV Musk for me is the extremely sweet powdery drydown. It leaves the rose note behind and goes totally sweetness and amber. It is cloying and I really can not wear it. I don't know if its just my body chemistry or what, but whenever I encounter this combination of sandalwood, amber plus the powdery tonkan musk I become sort of allergic and can not wear it. Its sweet, strong, powdery - not really feminine - just not right for me at all. I suppose it could be worn at really light concentrations and the sweet powder would be less bother - but then its just the wrong smell. Oh well.

Great fragrance. One of the best I've ever tried. Your cup is full with this one. GPH is a deep, masculine but also ethereal fragrance with a very smoothe and easy to wear personality.

It opens warm with very lively and light spices of ginger and bay that seem to sparkle. The nose is opened up by the pepper to welcome the spice as well as all that follows. The opening is elevated and grounded at the same time by a balance of ethereal orris and earthy vetiver/frankincense. The bay spice+ethereal orris+earthy vetiver oliban accord layers gently over a warm amber/leather that keeps things very agreeable through the last notes. None of the parts dominate and all live very well together even though they have quite a few contrasts. I like to think that there is a touch of three of my favorites here - 1 pt. bay rum + 1 pt. Patou pour Home + 1 pt. Chergui. Bracing and comforting.

Had to try it because of the buzz, but ech! a spice overload with hints of incense around the edges - but couldn't tolerate it and could not understand the allure at all. Then on second try I used much less, and advise to test sniff only from a distance so you don't burn out the nose, and then . . . ok, I can see the spice + agarwood is an alluring and mysterious presence. Really can't compare to GPH as another review reported - the Gucci PH is on another level of excellence in my view as it is more accessible and the balance of woods, frankincense, warm spice is masterfully done. M7 is another fragance with an instruction manual for proper use - but if used correctly it defitely has drawing power. Good for a night out with lots of people around, but for intimate situatios I prefer GPH, Avignon, or even Coze by PG for this type of effect.

Patou pour homme - masculine, green, elusive, transcendent, soothing, ethereal, rare, subtle, comforting, stimulating, contemplative, profound and absorbing. I like it very much.

A green, minty, camphorous blend of lavender and other herbs that I find very refreshing and healing in nature. Lavender has that granny reputation from its use in sachets, make up and powders etc. But lavender has another side to its nature as one of the more healing fragrances in the aromatherapy world. The effect of lavender varies tremendously depending on the quality of the ingredients and type of lavender used. Spike lavender and green lavender leaves are much greener and have that healing quality that is quite different from lavender flowers which are sweet and lighter. The C&S Oxford & Cambridge uses the more medicinal lavendar to create a very refreshingly pure, slightly medicinal fragrance. I wear it when I want to heal the self a little. It is purity in a bottle. I like it very much.

Spicy and dark, like a heady Bay Rum spice that vibrates with mystery and fun. There is a Caribbean vibe here. Quickly became one of my favorites. Unlike other spice scents this one has a warm but raw herbal resonance that provides depth to the spice notes - possibly from the sativa oil base. The pepper opens the nose to the resinous spice and the chocolate/vanilla rounds out the body of this very pleasant scent. A magical spice potion that I don't want to stop smelling.

The easiest description of R de Capucci is a lighter and subtler and much more wearable version of Aramis. If you like the basic fragrance notes of Aramis you will really enjoy this one. It contains many of the same notes of the venerable 1960's favorite but is It's like a shy cousin that is a little more sensitive and interesting in the middle notes. The drydown is less glaring leaving out the sandalwood and with an addition of a small amount of leather/amber to soften the chypre effect. I find it very enjoyable, but I can't get past the similarity to the other one which I learned to avoid long ago.

The van cleef and arpels is a great one because of the very distinct progression through several scent stages that introduce each other with gentleness and pleasing harmonics. In other words, it just smells good!
The opening act is lemon/ green nots that remind us of so many other great 1980's scents . . does kind date itt. But, the opening greens are soft and deep with promises to keep of mist and mystery - foreshadowing the ethereal and elevating middle notes. Jasmine/patchouli/vetiver middle notes lift things into the next sphere as they are quickened by the orris and cedar to stir a "catch your breath mystery" that lasts through to the end. When you think you have the scent all figured out it finishes with a warm musk + leather basenote to connect back to the earthy green opening. In all stages of evoloution hints of the earlier notes are still woven through - a mesmerizing scent. If applied too strongly the subtle soft - cool jazz fragrance becomes a brass band blast really fast - so one spritz divided onto a few spots of the body keeps it enjoyable for those around you!

The no. 88 is a distinctive cologne with harmonious blend of separate fragrance paths that make for an uplifting and jazzy fragrance blend. The rose picks up the tone with warmth and pwer right off the bat. Along with the rose I am drawn into the bergamot/clove/geranium/sandalwood combination which is the type of traditional tolietries refrain you would expect from a small bespoke bath fittings company at no. 88 Jermyn St. in London. But the no.88 really departs from its safe traditional path when the jasmine+patchouli kicks in. Tradition becomes hot jazz with a big horn section - its in your face but very much in harmony. A real classic London fragrance that I can not wear everyday, but is very special when it is pulled into service.

I first encountered C&S 88 back in the late1980's in their small shop on Jermyn Street in London. I purchased both the no. 88 and Neroli because they had a similar C&S accord (probably the clove, geranium, sandalwood) that I found comforting and over time found I preferred the Neroli. But now, years later the rose of the 88 is drawing me back to it. I also really enjoyed their Frankincense and Myrrh too; however the shop told me a few years back that the F&M was being reformulated and from what I hear they took the gothic teeth out of that one - too bad.

The differences between the no. 88 and another rose heavy mix - Rose 31 (Le Labo) can be seen in the locations of their founding shop - a tale of two cities. Hundreds of years of tradition embue the mens furnishings shops on Jermyn St. in the most traditional neighbood in London while the Le Labo Rose 31 hales from the the scrappy but creatively energetic Nolita just outside of Soho in New York. The 88 is jazz combo with horns, very uptempo with nice harmony, while the rose 31 is more acid jazz but still with its own odd harmony working through some discordant back notes. I like them both quite a lot - but they are different.

The Bulgari PH is clean, ethereal and very contemporary in its composition and personality. It creates an upfligting, natural zen-like effect on the wearer. A calm in the midst of the storm kind of feel. This was my daily fragrance for several years and it never gets old or uninspiring.
The opening is a light floral that is expanded and lifted by a dry pepper opening of the beautiful green tea note which stays as the centerpiece in this fragrance throughout. The tea has a transcendent vibe from the uplifting of the strong but almost clear iris note that follows. The tea/iris middle notes are held up by a soft dry amber and wood finish. Bulgari is all about the dry uplifting green tea mixed with light floral and woods all lifted on the wings of the iris and pepper. It's a very unique mix that is subtle, but strong willed. I've not seen a similar scent anywhere else.
Other reviewers have pointed out that Bulgari can not compare to the greats from Caron, Balenciaga, Creed and Patou; BUT that is the point! Bulgari PH provides a gentle and perfect path away from those macho power play scents from the 80's. No piny lodges, horses or trumpets here! Bulgari has borrowed a secret from the great ones by utilizing pepper to open the nose for the primary note (tea) and then lifting the mix with iris for an ethereal middle. Patou Pour Homme uses this same pepper (even stronger) opening and then follows with cedar to lift its primary notes for a similar ethereal effect but with different surrounding notes. I am surprised more perfumers do not employ this open and lift quality of pepper + iris (or orris or cedar). Many that are considered masterpieces employ this harmonic twist.
Bulgari is a hidden tea ceremony set inside a magical wood. Unique. . . a classic of this century, in my opinion.

A very pure light leather scent. Smells exactly like a apricot, leather and iris. I agree with Elf in that I see this fragrance on a Scandinavian blonde. This one will not be for everyone - its a light headed niche scent for sure. Little earthiness here, but it is still very magnetic like most Lutens fragrances.

Borneo starts off like a carnival blast with warm caramel milky chocolate - a foody and fun delight. But, the second act turns to an entirely different mood with a cool blast of earthy mint patchouli. The fun and foody scent becomes a dark chocolate that is earthy, dark and mysterious. The big transformation from opening to drydown in this scent is from two very likeable extremes connected by the chocolate. Lots of character and strength in this fragrance. I like it very much. But its not worth booking a flight to Paris to acquire a bottle.

Chene starts off very woodsy and green that reminds me of the wonderful opening of Diptyque's L'Eua Trois. But it evolves quickly to a sweet warm undercurrent supporting the thyme sap that warms the room like a hunting lodge fire crackling with hard woods. As the fragrance progresses the piny scent goes away and a sweet waxy very light wood fragrance dominates. A very soothing and comforting scent of freshly cut oak logs - refreshing. This very light oak stays for the duration softening as it wears down and getting slightly sweeter. Very pure and clean.

Cologne is the best green, fresh, splash on fragrance there is. Close to perfection for what it is and it doesn't try too hard to be something else. Similar to Gendarme but a little grassier and sort of like Story by Paul Smith but with less of a vetiver finish. I can not take this one out of my cabinet because it fills the need to be fresh. It is a nice color too.

Such a smoothe transition of notes from spice, to patchouli + wood, jasmine, and finally to a very soft long lasting amber. It is mysterious and sort of a changling in the way the various fragrances drift in and out. At first it smells like an incense frag, but . . . the amber drydown is most of this fragrance personality. Not a strong amber at all. Just a hint of softness. Is one of the softest fragrances I have experienced, but it is not weak - go easy on the application. A masterpiece of fragrance note arrangement. Can't stop smelling the stuff.

Piper Nigrum is a great everyday background fragrance note. It doesn't shout its presence, but is very masculine and warm. The opening of is intriguing with mint followed by a wave of black peppery mint. But, the mint blends in and the pepper sort of recedes into the background offering strength and lift to the other notes. The finely blended drydown smells of tradition. An old world men's barbershop fragrance that recalls the best hard milled soaps. The anise, mint, nutmeg and myrrh are rounded out by a soft amber that is lifted by pepper. This one hits deep in the tribal memory as a soothing, men's comfort fragrance.

Le Labo Rose 31 is a synergy of fragrance bits where, like most great fragrances, the total evolves into much more that the sum of its parts. Yes there is rose up front but sometimes it is hard to find the rose, but it is always hiding around the corner - unlike Voleur de Roses where the rose disappears completely. The rest of the mix is spice and woods and incense and earthiness.Le Labo claims it has rose, cumin, oliban, cedar, oud (gaiac + cistus). But I also think I smell earthy vetiver root and slightest hint of patchouli. No one note really dominates. It is mysterious, very masculine, and gives a sense of inner strength. To me the opening is a beuatiful rose followed by warm spice & frankincense, and then wears down to an earthy vetiver/patchouli woood. A very special blend!

The name, "thief of roses" describes the transformation very well from a soft and innocent pure rose opening (geranium rose?) that quickly dissolves into a transcendant intoxicating and quite mysterious scent. Patchouli leads the middle and bottom notes, rounded slightly by the rose and plum. Also detect a hint of musk? The rose is stolen away by the patchouli, but the patchouli is improved by the association with rose. The scent that remains is an earthy, medicinal mint patchouli that is light gentler than most patch fragrances. Very plifting and quite unique.

Honeyed hay, leather, grass and herbs! A great fragrance combination, masterfully done and I could not stop admiring it. But its not the of the right century for me. Its a Romantic vision of the world that is not real for me. Its like admiring a great old artwork at the Met - the northern European renaissance painters who glorified the innocence of the hard rural life. The wheat gatherrs and oxen in the sunny fields - Hans Holbein or Albrecht Durer in bottle! I need more mystery, a little jazz, subtle counter beats etc in a fragrance. Many will admire this one, but few will be challenged enough to wear it everyday over time.

The opening spices reminded me of that old 1960's standby - Jade East. But the haunting dryness of cedar and vetiver behind the spices adds an otherworldly incense, a kind of dry spicy resinous wood with a hint of vanilla. A complex sent that is very unique caravan of spice, dry woods, and intrigue.

Opening note is all tannins and tar with a hint of chemical spill at the asphalt site. The drydown softens to a harsh dry leather. These Lonestar Memories are not best of memories in my opinion.

Very soft fragrance. The bergamot/neroli/vanilla notes start begin like fine milled french soap or crisp crisp freshly pressed linen. The middle notes add soft pepper and possibly Iris for a powdery dry finish that is similar to Divine's L'Homme d Couer. A softer and more refined relative to Armani's Mania - clean, smoothe but with much less spice. A sublte refinement.

Mystical deep frankincense like effect without being too smoky. A wonderful formula of transcendence and spirit in the aura. Bois d'Encens has less redwood but more deep resin than the incense of Avignon - evokes the same spirit of the classic CdG fragrance but in a quieter way. The soft middle notes of vetiver w/ slight mint + vanilla add subtlety and roundness that Avignon doesn't have. A very successful formula. Only negative is the weak life and brief staying power - especially considering the cost for a 1.8 oz. bottle!

Bitter orange mixed with a light ethereal wood note - a soft smile in the aura. It presents itself softly and warmly like a predawn sunsrise. Very unique cologne. It is a subtle wood like some of the CdG fragrances for men, but with soft bitter orange top note.

A classic fragrance with a nice balance of citrus, wood, patchouli and subtle ethereal complication thrown into the mix to avoid a simple definition. Smells like old money, crisp linen and polished silver - a genetlemen's fragrance. Similar to Erolfa from Creed, while not having the marine quality or ambergris ending of Erolfa. A great fragrance.

Very deep woody incense fragrance with bottom notes of spices that warm up this mysterious fragrance. Has a transformative power like the other CDG wood fragrances but is sweeter/spicier/warmer than Avignon and lighter and more middle eastern that Sequoia. Very nice.

Deep wood that reminds me of the fragrance of a hot sauna - very cleansing but is sweetened by the red rum bottom notes. Always has positive comments from others. This is one of the several CDG masterpiece fragrances and could have easily been included in the incense category because of its cleansing woods.

A light resinous wood fragrance with a fine fuzzy cinnamon top note. I find this scent is subtle and very cleansing to the aura - it almost disappears. I receive many compliments about it - almost no one guesses it is cinnamon. A great light day scent.

Tea is another in large group of fragrances from CDG that is a mystery and a challenge. I didn't like it at first, but found that as time progressed it improved and I do like it. It has character and is a fragrance of wood and tea that will reward with patience. From start to finish the fragrance is strong black tea, with a resinous woody background that is quite spartan - no light green or sweet spiced tea here. Tea presents an aura of character and strength that is assuring and provocative. It's not for everyone, but is powerful and strengthening.

There is nothing else like this fragrance. A transformational transcendant experience. You can almost remember a past life in the priesthood walking through the high mast incense. Deep mystifying frankincense with dry palisander wood - simple but powerful.

A warm and mysterious version of frankincense that has a strong tobacco/leather essence that crowds out and almost eliminates the frankincense altogether. The drydown is warm/sweet rose with a hint of honey vanilla. Not as woody and austere as CdG Avignon, but is a more congenial cousin. This is a masterful fragrance blend!