Fragrance Reviews by CJ

This is one of the first men's fragrances I ever encountered, although the name of the elderly relative who wore it seems to escape me now. I started visiting Basenotes the same year this first won "Best Fragrance" and I bought a bottle. The 2000 version is not as good imho as the original, and smells more like a cross between chewing tobacco and a citronella candle; not my style. That said, it did inspire some very good vetiver-based fragrances, such as Frederic Malle's Vetiver Extraordinaire and Creed's Original Vetiver. For me, this is very much a summer fragrance, and was one of the few scents I took with me to serve overseas in a hot climate (the others were GIT and D&G pour homme); Guerlain makes great stuff, but this one is very much an acquired taste.

Absolutely stunning fragrance. Bold, woody, spicy, warm, and long-lasting. What more could a gentleman ask for in his fragrance? The EDP is a bit more floral than the EDT, and so I prefer the EDT myself. But either way, you cannot go wrong with Heritage! Definitely the signature of a refined gentleman.

WHile I find Jicky to be a very unique and intriguing scent, I have the same problem with it that I would have with a mink coat: very glamorous, but where would I wear it? It also has a bit of an identity crisis, because it comes off as a feminine scent at certain parts of its drydown, and then a more masculine facet shines through. Nevertheless, it is extremely well-made and, whether worn by feminine or masculine, a joy to smell.

This is actually my wife's signature scent. Very light floral with some fruity top-notes. Although very light, this fragrance seems to last. Not extremely muti-dimensional, but a very good, basic fragrance.

While not the most pwerful or overwhelming fragrance on the market, L'Instant certainly is the most refined and pleasant offering in years. I wish it had a bit more sillage to it, but I am impressed with the overall quality, not to mention it's effect on those who smell it. A compliment every hour is a reward I'm willing to accept. Smooth, warm, and inviting...a gentleman doesn't doesn't require much more than that.

The House of Creed strikes again! A wonderfully warm, rich, elegant fragrance that simply screams "classy" to anyone lucky enough to be downwind of you. No wonder this is the choice of the "power elite!" The combination of fresh, clean, sparkling notes along with deep, woody and spicy notes makes Tabarome a very versatile masterpiece. This one is tied for First Place with Green Irish Tweed in my book: although I'll probably use GIT more in the warmer months, Tabarome will definitely be my heavy-hitter for Fall/Winter.

Warm, spicy, sweet...a masterful blend of rich, woody notes that make one think of the forest, where the big, bad wolf makes his home. It brings to mind memories of autumn here in America: the smells of burning leaves, smoke from the chimney, and Dear Ol' Dad's pipe tobacco all mingled together while sipping warm cider. A very comforting scent, and I think a very masculine one as well. Masterfully made, and a pleasure to wear. I might add that my wife is VERY picky about the scents she likes on me, and this one earned unsolicited positive reviews and affection ;-)

If you could just have one fragrance to last you the rest of your life, what would it be? This question is asked many times on the forum, and Green Irish Tweed is always mention many times. Once you try it, you will understand why. It is perhaps the most versatile fragrance I own, being equally well suited for elegant dinner parties, interviews and conferences, and just sitting in front of the fire with a martini in one hand, and my wife in the other. The scent tends to cling loosely to the wearer, leaving a hint of a trail, causing those you pass to wonder what you're wearing. The scent itself is a combination of woody notes mingled with floral and herbacious green notes. It is extremely well-balanced, and like all Creed fragrances, expertly made of the highest quality ingredients. The Creed family has been producing perfumes for the rich and famous for over 240 years, and Green Irish Tweed is one of their most popular fragrances.

This is one of those fragrances that I was really sorry to see discontinued. It was perhaps one of the manliest fragrances to come out that year, and was just off-trend enough to scare away the most fashion concious fragrance buyers. Every man in my family owns a bottle of this (we're all avid cigar enthusiasts...go figure!)and this fragrance has a practical application for smokers; it blends with the smoke smell and doesn't turn rancid smelling. It smells a bit like Tuscany Uomo, but woodier. Incidentally, my father, brother, and friends all keep their bottles of fragrances out on their dressing tables and washroom counter so that others may use them...but we all keep our bottles of Cigar Afficionado safely zipped into our dopp kits, knowing that our next bottle may be our last!

Great scent, but if you already own a bottle of Platinum Egoiste, save your money.

Full marks to Boucheron again for producing a fine, manly scent! And like Jaipur Homme, it comes in an incredibly long-lasting EDP. This scent has a lemon topnote that gives way to an almost herbal heartnote. It smells classy, and has been the source of many compliments.

First let me 'fess up and cop to the fact that I was one of the pink-shirt-docksiders-sans-socks preppies that Nadeem mentioned in his post. And he's right, EVERYONE (in the US anyway)was wearing this stuff. But the reason they wore it was because they saw well-groomed preps like us get all the girls while the rest of the losers sat around with their mullets and their dirty, faded rock concert t-shirts. For a teen in the 80's, Polo was the smell of success, and man was it sweet! I can't smell it now without being carried back to a time long gone, but never forgotten...

Very nice spice scent, but fades fairly quickly. At first it is exhilarating and very pleasant, but a half an hour later you can't even tell you're wearing anything. It's a shame too, because if it lasted longer I'd buy more of it.

Classic bay rum from the land of bay rum. My father used to wear this all the time, and it is really nice smelling as well as versatile; it's not an eau de toilette, and so it can be used as a cologne, aftershave, and sometimes the natives put some on a compress to bring down a fever. Amazing, fresh, spicy scent.

I defy anyone to smell this and not think "Barbershop." Back of the bottle features what is meant to be a musk deer, but looks like a donkey with a tragic Freddy Mercuryesque overbite.

Old-fashioned spice fragrance...think "SPeed Stick SPice Scented deodorant" and you'll have the basic idea. High quality stuff (lasts forever!)and GREAT bottles (cast from centuries-old originals, with lead crown caps)but very heavy and old smelling.

Sprayed this one on and at first thought it was too piney, as in Christmas tree air freshener. It became a little spicier on the drydown, but not enough for me. It's a nice scent, but one of those that takes too long to transform into something nice. Also, like other Bulgari fragrances for men, just too faint to justify the price. Nice bottle, though.

When I first sprayed this on, it was cloyingly sweet, and I walked out of the store, thankful I didn't purchase a bottle. I drove around, running errands, and near the end of the day I got back into the car, and was enveloped in a delightful musky scent. I guess it had a chance to dry down a bit, and the candy-like sweetness was replaced with an almost oriental scent. I decided to run one more errand back to the mall and picked up that bottle after all.

A simply amazing fragrance! It's truly unique, and never fails to get compliments. Often people ask what I'm wearing, and sometimes I'll tell them. The notes tend towards the fresh, but there is a definite woodiness that blends well with the white musk without weighing it down. This was available for a brief while at Sephora as an eau de parfum, and I hope it returns soon, because I'd love another bottle!

I love Guerlain's Vetiver and believe it is a classic in men's fragrances. But it is a little weak in some areas, and Vetiver Extraodinaire corrects those flaws, making it the ultimate Vetiver fragrance. Whereas Guerlains is almost dominated by citrus notes, Vetiver Extraordinaire leans more to the woody and spicy notes, making this almost more of a fougere than a chypre scent. The quality is excellent as with all of Frederic Malle's perfumes, and my only complaint is that it is exorbitantly expensive($150 for 100 ml bottle.)and the scented cards they send you don't do it justice.

This is one of those fragrances that I really wanted to like. My first time smelling it out of the bottle had my sinuses cleared instantly. I then put some on, and noticed that wherever I put this stuff, my skin started itching instantly. My wife came home and asked why the house smelled like someone was cooking gingerbread. To make a long story short, my wife promised to buy me a bottle of anything I wanted, but only if I dumped the contents of this bottle down the sink. I asked her if I could just give it to a friend, and she said "Not if you want him to remain your friend." I poured it out as she watched, and was rewarded with a bottle of Green Irish Tweed, and I've never regretted it.

Woody and spicy. Oddly enough, this fragrance has (at least on me) the exact same dry-down smell as Platinum Egoiste! A peppery note seems to spring from out of nowhere, and sticks to you for hours.

This stuff smells EXACTLY like the original Polo by Ralph Lauren. Small wonder when you look at the fragrance notes of each. It doesn't last quite as long as Polo, though.

This really is a green fragrance: it smells like bamboo and mint. I had to choose between this and Sandringham, and opted for Sandringham, but if I had it to do all over again, I would definitely take the Marquis.

Wet grass...it smells exactly like a grass-stain on your jeans, or like lawn-clippings. It brings back childhood memories of playing in the grass, and later when I low-crawled through the stuff as a soldier. I know that vetiver is an essence of a certain grass, and it really comes through in this scent. It doesn't get more earthy than this.

A fresh, spicy topnote dries down to a classic woody fougere...in other words: "Safari for Men" by Ralph Lauren. I don't believe this is an accident either, when you consider that "Garrigue" means "Scrubland", which conjures up a picture of the Serengetti plains upon which most safaris take place. Perhaps I'm reaching a bit with the allusion, but nonetheless the scents are remarkably similar

Brilliant in every way. It has a sharp, citron top note that bursts into a musky, spicy drydown. It is extremely versatile, and one could wear it in either tux and tails or in jeans and tee-shirt. The ladies love it, and you just feel good wearing it. Also, you don't have to suffer the indignity of sounding like some foppish dandy when people ask (and they will ask!)what you're wearing: instead of doing linguistic somersaults trying to pronounce some French nom du parfum, you can give 'em a look as cool as this fragrance and simply say Chrome.

I have to agree with my bud Rob...especially the bit about the genitals.

Frederic Malle has brought the art of perfumery back into the world! The new compositions of true perfumers are astounding. Noir Epices is perhaps the best of the fragrances I've come across recently. It smells like Giorgio for Men (which was sadly discontinued years ago) with more spicy and woody notes. It seems like it would work best in autumn and winter, but sparingly it could be used for any evening or romantic setting. Michel Roudnitska, a perfume genius who was born and raised in the industry, created this gem.

My signature scent. It is one of the classiest, most luxurious scents imaginable. It is the definitive oriental perfume: sweet, woody, and spicy. The Eau de Parfum is well worth the cost as it lasts forever, and also comes in a refillable metal case which holds the bottle. I have yet to meet someone who doesn't love the smell of Jaipur.