Fragrance Reviews by odysseusm

In the 1980’s Paco Rabanne, Eau Sauvage, and Jules were the scents in my youthful repertoire. Here we are almost thirty years later, and how do things stand up? Well Eau Sauvage is a timeless classic, and I wear it with enjoyment. But curiosity got the best of me, and I decided it was time to ride the old war-horse Paco. And you know what? It is not as bad as I feared. Micro-doses of this suit today’s scentsibility. Given that, I find much to appreciate. The opening is bracing, crisp and aromatic. It has minty, pine and green notes. Then woods and spices (clove-cinnamon) emerge. The result is a soapy, barbershop vibe. The base notes are rich but not oppressive or deadly sweet… again this will be true if this has been applied in tiny spritzes. The tobacco is restrained and effective, with a brown tangy twang. In my young days I wouldn’t have recognized myrrh but I do now – it is complex, perfumed; and it gives a slightly moody and contemplative air. The dry-down is mossy and soapy; charming and close to the skin. In conclusion, this is certainly worth a try. For me it is no longer a go-to scent. But it is a pleasant blast from my past.

Gentlemen, I have called this meeting to discuss the overlooked element in Royall Bay Rhum. That, dear colleagues, is C-L-O-V-E-S! I am not talking about a little bit of a spicy note. I am talking about a great big guy banging a huge brass gong labeled ‘cloves’ until my head hurts. I am more than a little surprised that no one has mentioned this 800-pound gorilla. One reviewer’s phrase “medicinal harshness” hints at it. Think of the infamous scene in the movie “Marathon Man” where the Laurence Oliver character (a dentist) is torturing the Dustin Hoffman character. He alternately probes an exposed tooth nerve and then applies oil of cloves, which soothes the pain. Well, here the cloves IS the pain and the torture, and it is a medicinal harshness indeed. I don’t get green bay-leaf notes, nor menthol/mint ones, nor coniferous or pine notes. Any of those would be nice. Oh, did I mention that I do get clove notes? Now, a little clove can add a charming barbershop aura to a scent, and I like some fragrances with that hint. But this is relentless, over-the-top, and a scrubber. Peace be unto those who like it, I am not among that select crew. If, as one reviewer suggests, there are worse ones than this… I shudder to contemplate such a thing.

This has a lovely opening, which reminds me a bit of Mugler Cologne. It’s the fresh notes and the white musk. The drydown is a bit like Worth pour Homme. That’s the sandalwood and light spices. Mildly rich, comforting and comfortable. A quiet performer, quite pleasing.

Fragrance notes: Kashmir saffron, coriander, cedar, leather
I like woody scents and this is indeed woody. The aromatic cedarwood is complimented by the spice notes. I’m a bit surprised at how woody this is – no complaints, but this definitely registers on the Richter scale of wood-dominated scents. Cedar can sometimes ‘go south’ and get obnoxious… it stays civilized here. The spices give it a bit of an old-school barbershop vibe. There is a faint hint of leather. I’m hyper-sensitive to vanilla, and I don’t get ANY of that here. I don’t find the saffron problematic, indeed on me it is just part of the spice mix. (For those interested in more prominent saffron scents, I recommend Safranier and Palisander. Zafferano… each person needs to try it.) Back to JBB, it is a cool-weather scent – not heavy or sweet, but I find it to be substantial.

Fragrance notes: juniper, ginger, herbaceous thyme and vetiver
This is a crisp, invigorating scent, in the breezy summer splash mode. Minty juniper and a very light green/woody notes are its essence. Thankfully, there are no artificial-smelling ‘fresh’ notes here – all seems natural and is satisfying. I don’t really get any ginger (mind you, I have yet to find a ginger scent that actually smells anything at all like fresh ginger). This is not a complex scent, but who cares? The price is moderate, and it is well done. If you need a nice summer splash, check it out.

This is a powerful scent – I wouldn’t want it to be any more assertive! It presents itself as very clean and airy, and yet also bold. Definitely masculine, since it is aromatic and dry. The opening salvo has pungent lavender, peppery spices and some green herbal notes. These move into a light wood chord. If cypress is done well, it has a pleasingly haunting quality; and that is true here. My reservation is with the patchouli. It is not sweet or heavy (thankfully), but it is pungent and creates a kind of ‘fresh’ edgy quality that sometimes is a bit tiresome to my nose. I’ll give this thumbs up, but I’m not crazy about it. Actually, now that I think about it, the spices and patchouli remind me of Rive Gauche for Men. This is very much like that, I think. They both have bollocks.

I agree with Renato: Parfum d'Adventure is a great scent, and clearly a masculine one. This is a soft cushion of gentle spice and musk -- very satisfying! Geo. F. Trumper specializes in this sort of thing but in this, Piver gives a worthy contender. This is powerful, assertive; but it has a certain suave barbershop charm. The spices are very well done, and there are hints of good wood. Now entering the comfort zone....

Alleged fragrance elements: bamboo leaves, Japanese green tea, 3 types of cedarwood, incense.
Well I have to say I’m extremely disappointed in Just Breathe. The elements sound great! But where are they? Missing in action. This starts with a sour-sweet green note that bears no resemblance to any leaf I know. The scent gets sweet, fruity and odd; like a car freshener in peach or melon scent. This has the usual CB style: slightly sweet, synthetic and freshly tangy. Something like powdered laundry detergent. No cedarwood, no incense. Don’t like. Just avoid.

Fragrance elements: narcissus, clean running water over mossy stones, wind blowing through green leaves…
M#1 Narcissus is a nice scent, the first CB I’ve tried that I like. It has attractive green-leaf notes that remind me of Bond No. 9 Gramercy Park, but are not as subtle. There are some lovely flowers. I don’t know what narcissus smells like but there is a combination of lily of the valley, iris, and sweet pea. This is interesting, not sweet, somewhat haunting in style. Because it is so floral it is not quite my style, but I can appreciate it.

I tried Canali Black Diamond this morning. I was underwhelmed. It has a real "kitchen sink" list of ingredients... yet hardly any are distinguishable. This is a very smooth, slightly sweet fragrance. It's so smooth that -- in my opinion -- it has nothing interesting to offer. Kinda ho-hum and innocuous, and vaguely synthetic. Everything is so mellow, it is putting me to sleep… zzzzzz. The spices are not spicy, the citrus is not citrusy, woods are not woody, the leather is nothing more than a vague impression. The sweet-musk drydown gets irritating and more synthetic, and I eventually washed it off.

Italian saffron, raspberry flowers, wild rose petals, Moroccan jasmine, lily of the valley, rosewood, golden oriental amber… (and oud?)
Zafferano was quite a surprise. I was expecting a dusky-woody scent, from the combination of saffron and woods. What I got was an oud-like blast of considerable proportions! Oud is not listed as an element, and some have speculated that the saffron has been done in an “iodized” style. Perhaps. Or perhaps oud is a mystery element. Whatever the explanation – be ready for the quirky, tangy-pungent, bug-spray qualities of oud. The opening is spicy and earthy, with a bit of sweet hay (from the saffron). But quickly there are perky, rubbery notes hovering in the background. These almost seem like a green fern-moss note. As far as florals go, jasmine seems to dominate, rather than rose. The cedar is done in a bright, medicinal style (rather than woody). This is a very bright, almost astringent scent. At times it reminds me of Arlington by Harris. A lean sort of oriental scent – if that classification is appropriate. The amber is very light, like a tangy yet restrained patchouli. The drydown is acidic and unusual. Bottom line: this is such a different sort of scent that each person should try it and see how it works on his/her own skin. On me, something like oud was the major element.

Limes! That’s it, just limes. They are green, zesty-fresh, natural. This is a wonderful, refreshing tonic splash. It is very short-lived, and that is to be expected. Citrus oils are (by nature) volatile and brief, and this scent doesn’t have any base notes which would prolong or develop. In other words, it is what it is. Splash it on and enjoy the brief experience. Half an hour later do it again, or put something else on – it will layer with anything. Indeed, ‘layer’ is an over-statement. In a half-hour, you just have your skin (but nice-smelling).

Neroli, lemon, bergamot, rosemary.
This is a lovely scent, in the typical and classic Cologne style (namely fresh citrus). The distinctive feature here is a gorgeous neroli note which gives depth. No surprises here – if you know R&G’s Extra Vielle or Dior’s Eau Sauvage then you get the picture. This sort of scent is suave, classy, and has rightfully been popular for centuries. The longevity is good for a citrus scent.

Top: lemon, bergamot, cardamom, laurel
Mid: rose, jasmine, violet, lily of the valley, carnation
Base: sandalwood, cedarwood, moss, benzoin.
Sutra Ylang is a distinctive scent! I find that violet dominates (leaves + blossoms). This combination is brisk and piercing, yet also flowery and powdery. In my opinion violet is an acquired taste. I find that I now can appreciate it; formerly I didn’t understand it nor like it. Sutra Ylang has a good opening. There is citrus, spice, and a fine green note from the laurel. I appreciate the latter. Lovely florals (rose, jasmine, lily of the valley) are set against the restrained yet powerful violet. The effect is haunting and memorable. In the dry-down; the citrus persists (unusual!), the wood gets tangy, and eventually the violet and benzoin combine in a powdery-sweet sustained note. I lose interest in the later stages of the dry-down, but up ‘til then I enjoyed this.

Top: bergamot, lemon, petitgrain, cloves, geranium, artemesia
Mid: patchouli, lavender, vetiver, sandalwood, cedarwood
Base: tobacco leaves, musk, amber, vanilla, benzoin, labdanum, galbanum
The citrus is absolutely invisible in the opening. I get rich and spicy cloves, and a bit of green artemesia. Then appear some good smoky and tangy notes of vetiver and lavender. I find this phase to be excellent. Then the vetiver reaches down and shakes hands with the amber. I’m not a fan of vanilla, amber or tobacco leaf. However, they are well done here, not excessive or cloying. This one is not my style, but I can appreciate it. Perhaps it is more suitable for a woman, in fact I think it would be quite attractive on the right woman. The dry-down is excellent, I appreciate the hint of dry and dusky-green galbanum.

The lemon-spice opening is pretty good. Lovely rich florals give this depth. The sandalwood starts off woody and tangy, and with the other ingredients it intially makes a dignified statement. But then the heavies (amber, leather, patchouli and particularly vanilla) kick in and highjack the scent. Where did the sandalwood go? This winds up creamy and luxurious, quite sweet and perfumed. Loads and loads of vanilla give this a foody sort of profile. Not my style at all. For the complete opposite – a lean, woody, austere sandalwood – try Santal by Melvita in its Soliflore line. That can be hard to find but is is worth the effort, I never grow tired of it. Whereas this Trumpers is a scrubber for me. A shame, because I love pretty much all of the ‘historical’ Trumper scents. But the modern ones don’t have the same character: perhaps in an attempt to have a unisex scent some of the masculine assertive flair has been lost.

This is gorgeous. Honeyed vanilla notes with tobacco are not my style, and yet I find much to appreciate here. The opening notes, although sweet, are not cloying. The impression is of a sweetly-scented tin of pipe tobacco that has just been opened. This is a very attractive, even sexy scent. The tobacco leaves are restrained and give a beautiful brown-leaf tang. Moving into its development, the scent displays luxurious incense and jasmine. The incense reminds me of myrrh, another sweet and perfumed aspect. Vetiver is mellow rather than grassy. So I have to say this is one of the best scents in the tobacco family that I’ve ever encountered. It is classy and compelling. My problem is that vanilla and tobacco just get sweeter and more opulent on my skin, and after an hour I grow weary of them. But this is truly a lovely scent, and I’d enjoy a romp with a lovely woman wearing it. So, a neutral vote but still appreciative.

Fragrance elements: snow, woolen mittens, frozen forest.
Winter 1972. Fresh, entirely synthetic. Not attractive to me at all. Odd, frosty, no ‘warmth’. Like smelling blasts of air from a freezer. I understand this is a wintery scent... but sheesh. At times a whiff of something like coriander – the only interesting thing there but a bit too sweet. It has poor longevity, in this case a blessing. I’m sorry to be so negative, but I find this to be vacuous and irritating. It makes my nose sore.

Fragrance elements: grape leaves, weathered wood, green moss, cool earth.
Under the Arbor – a lovely name, memory, concept. I’d love to sit in a pergola or arbor on a hot summer day and smell the above wonderful things. However, I’m underwhelmed by this scent. It is slightly green (sappy, vinous) and has a somewhat innocent mood. Fairly sweet and floral; young flowers I’d say. There is a fresh and cool note, mint-like. But the latter becomes another example of the irritating fresh notes in many of today’s scents. Whatever the grape leaves are supposed to be, to me they smell like grape Kool-Aid powder, or a tin of grape soda-pop with a mint lifesaver dissolved in it. Moss? Pretty subdued. Wood? Can’t find any.

Fragrance elements: marine, salty breeze, driftwood, rocks covered in seaweed, old leather suitcases.
Mr. Hulot’s Holiday – a charming French movie, full of wry observations of human nature and great physical comedy, all conveyed wordlessly. I guess this scent is an homage to the movie, but I too am not a fan of this family of scents. It is an airy, breezy, fresh scent. What I find in many scents of this family is certainly what I find here: a synthetic, detergent-like note that gets colder and more irritating as time goes on. This is an OK scent, but in my opinion nothing special. Its chief virtue is that it is somewhat less irritating than others. Don’t get any green seaweed, old wood, or leather notes here. Just fresh, fresh, fresh. My nose is getting weary of all the freshness.

Well, I’m disappointed in Gli Odori. I love herbal scents, and the product descriptions of little pots of herbs in the sunny streets of Florence sounded so nice. The opening is great: herbal, fresh and green, even a bit piquant. There is also a bit of peppery nutmeg spice, and woody pencil shavings from the cedar. The cedar and sandalwood bring out a citrus note that is also pleasing. Then, the whole thing goes south on me! The celery seed combines aggressively with the cedarwood and I get a STRONG cumin pong that just gets bigger and more obnoxious as time goes on. I’m not against cumin-like scents, Trumper’s Eucris for example has a nice little pinch of it. But it is just way too much here. Out of interest, I compared Gli Odori with MPG’s Grain de Plaisir – what a difference. Admittedly, celery seed is the ‘point’ of Grain (whereas it should only be a background element in Gli Odori); yet in Grain it stays as celery seed (slightly sweet, aromatic, nutty and celery-like). Grain is much finer scent in my opinion. Can’t register a positive for Gli, unfortunately. I'll be interested if others have the same impression.

Top: celery, mandarin orange, thyme, davana, cedarwood
Mid: patchouli, sandalwood, eucalyptus, incense
Base: tobacco leaves, musk, vanilla, benzoin, labdanum
The first half of Real Patchouly is excellent. It has a wonderfully dry resin-incense note, freshened by a bit of eucalyptus. The woods are woody and well done. So far this ranks with Bois d’Encens or Bois d’Orage. Then the sweet and rich notes of tobacco leaves, amber and vanilla kick in. The scent gets bigger, browner and heavier and I like it less and less. The final dry-down is quite ambery and vanilla-laden; a true oriental style of fragrance. I guess if you like amber and vanilla you’ll like this; but I don’t. I vote 'neutral' because of the fine first half.

Top: bergamot, pepper, nutmeg, basil, juniper
Mid: rose, jasmine, osmanthus, cedar, apricot, lavender, black pepper
Base: amber, vetiver, musk, tobacco leaves, thyme
Classic 1920 has a marvelous opening. It is spicy-green, aromatic, invigorating and quite charming. This is the best part of the scent, in my opinion. The scent then opens up and mellows with the appearance of the floral notes and light woods. The base is where I lose interest. I’ve never been a fan of tobacco-leaf scents. I understand the rich, sweet brown note but it doesn't work on me. The amber-musk notes add other rich and sweet notes. I don’t get any of the vetiver or thyme notes. So I’ll be neutral on this one, but I admit it is a classy and lovely scent that will appeal to many.

Top: tea leaves, cumin, lemon, orange, rosemary, lavender
Mid: rose, jasmine, hyacinth, geranium, cedar wood, sandalwood, patchouli
Base: myrrh, tobacco leaves
Sandalo e The is a complex, difficult-to-categorize scent… indeed an “odd duck.” I think part of the issue is how it reacts on male skin (judging from the reviews so far). On me, the particularly ‘male’ fragrance notes are accentuated (cumin, wood, and tobacco leaf). I wonder how this scent would be on a woman? The opening is very aromatic and quite interesting. The first time I tried this I got cumin, cumin, more cumin. That is the sweaty spice mentioned in the review below. The cumin circles around and reappears in every phase of this scent. Smoky lavender adds to the forceful entry. Then there is a woody middle phase. I got more cedar than sandalwood, and I enjoyed it. I didn’t get any florals the first time I tried it. The second time, my nose was accustomed to the barrage and I could detect nice floral notes, which are brief and frankly overwhelmed by the more powerful notes. In the base, myrrh is dominant. It is heady-sweet, perfumed and rich. The tobacco leaves are sweet, brown and tangy. The myrrh-tobacco chord grows and grows, and finally moves into a languidly sweet drydown. This is an interesting scent, but where’s the tea leaves and sandalwood? I like the aromatic, bold qualities, but in the end find it too sweet to suit me. But give it a try, it is different!

Detailed fragrance note list –
Top: grapefruit, lemon, orange, mandarin, petitgrain, cumin
Mid: jasmine, patchouli, lime, lavender, sandalwood, cassis
Base: musk
I am of mixed mind about Agrumi Amaria di Sicilia. I like the concept of a Mediterranean hesperidium-inspired scent. I like its particular citrus notes; they are fresh, persistent (for such notes) and natural smelling. So what’s the problem? Namely that this is an expensive, exclusive scent that merely (and mildly) delivers the same sort of lemony EDC vibe that R&G’s Extra Vielle, or even good old 4711, have been doing for centuries at a lower price and with more oomph and character. For this price, I expect either an outstandingly vibrant rendition of the basics, or a distinctive twist on that. Neither is in view here. AAdS has a lovely citrus opening, in particular the grapefruit is really appealing and evident. There is a hint of green (lime, lavender leaves) and the merest spice note. The scent has a slightly cool, airy quality; and it pretty much stays that way. I don’t get the cassis berries. The patchouli is light (thankfully), so is the musk and sandalwood. This is a subtle, refreshing scent… nothing wrong with it. But is it worth the price? In my opinion, no.

“Ambergris itself is one of the few natural animalic fragrance ingredients that has no connotations of cruelty because it is produced and excreted by the sperm whale. It can float on the ocean for years evolving under the influence of sun and salt water. Then it is collected when it washes up on shore, by which stage its distinctive nutty, warm scent is a symphony of boronal, ambrinol, dihydro ionone gamma - and its best-smelling aromatic part, ambroxan.”
This techie note is from the Luckyscent site and gives very interesting insight into the mysterious allure of beach-harvested ambergris. What a rare and fascinating ingredient!
Razala has a rich, spicy opening. It is not very orangey on my skin. The scent is soft, floral, and substantial. I think the oud combines very well with the myrrh: it gives a bracing edge to the aromatic and perfumey myrrh. The oud and myrrh combine to create a sensual, languid, almost narcotic feeling. The drydown is spicy and complex. The scent is intended to evoke a “love-potion” mystique, and in my opinion it succeeds! It doesn’t suit my skin type, but is an exceptionally beautiful scent which I would enjoy smelling on someone lovely.

Top: citrus (bergamot, mandarin, lemon)
Heart: spices (pepper, nutmeg, cinnamon) and jasmine, rose, anise
Base: vanilla and woody notes (sandalwood, patchouli, vetiver, tonka beans)
I got this expanded list off the Net and it jibes with what I’m smellin’.
First I’ll have a mild grumble about the name. I can imagine a scent that actually might evoke a sushi-like vibe: it could have a marine note, a wasabi kick, some dark soy… and that would be an interesting sort of thing. Sushi Imperiale has absolutely nothing to do with sushi. So why the name? I suppose because it is an oriental style of scent. But Japanese minimalism and focus (seen for example in some of the Comme des Garçons line) is the antithesis of the rich, spicy, luxurious oriental style of fragrance. Giving this scent the name ‘sushi’ suggests a simplistic marketing attitude of “hey, let’s pick an oriental-sounding name that no one has used yet.”
Enough of that line, what about the scent? It is a beautiful oriental, to be sure. That style is not my cup of tea but I can note what’s here. The citrus opening is so brief as to be undetectable, at least on my skin. I immediately get interesting spices, which are peppery and warm. These are softened by floral notes. Vanilla and patchouli emerge and the scent gets sweet, soft, opulent, slightly foody. So it is a nice scent, some may enjoy it.

“Zohar” in Hebrew means enlightenment, brilliance or glamour. “May Zohar,” “Zohar Water,” or “Glittering Water” are common names for orange blossom water in the Middle East, which is used in refreshing drinks and fancy confections.
Well, I think the above is so interesting that I pasted it in from Ayala’s site. I’ll add that The Zohar is a beautiful series of books of Jewish mysticism, part of the Kabbalah tradition. In part, they speak of humanity in productive harmony with nature – a fitting connection for such a lovely fragrance.
Zohar by Ayala is a gorgeous soliflore scent. That means that it emphasizes a single note, usually floral. It has other fragrance elements but these serve to frame and accentuate that note. So what we have here is a love letter to the orange blossom. The neroli scent, from flowers of the bitter orange tree, has been described as spicy, dry yet floral, fresh but with depth. That is exactly what we have here. Those expecting an orange fruit scent will only find a faint hint of it. I love the smell of neroli, and this is a delightful rendition. Tuberose adds an ethereal, expansive air to the dense orange blossom and jasmine florals. There is also a note that I struggle to identify… ‘brown’ comes to mind. At times it seems like toasted nuts, or earth. It may be the honey absolute, or the type of amber, or it may be an indolic component which is a languid and somewhat pungent background factor typical of these florals. Zohar is a complex soliflore, and well worth trying.

I tried Eau de Cartier in both its regular and concentrated versions. I like each to a certain extent, but can’t endorse either whole-heartedly. Eau de Cartier Concentrée reduces the problematically powdery-amber drydown of the regular version, so that’s a good thing. It is a sharper and more acidic fragrance, and a simpler one. Sadly, it has lost the haunting and elusive herbal-wood note that I enjoy so much in the regular version. This is a bigger scent than the regular: it has more green-acidic notes, more violet leaves, more musk. It is an OK aromatic-green scent. A bit sour, and slightly synthetic in character… not very interesting in my opinion.

I tried Eau de Cartier in both its regular and concentrated versions. I like each to a certain extent, but can’t endorse either whole-heartedly.
Eau de Cartier has a fruity and crisp green opening. It is quite citrus-fruity, but the yuzu (a Japanese citrus) is not the usual lemon. The middle starts as a very translucent light green herbal chord. It has hints of metal (not something I usually like) but here it is pleasantly cool. The cool herbal notes come from the violet leaves and lavender. This is excellent, and if it stayed there this would be a favorite. At this point there is haunting, elusive quality that draws me in. The dry-down starts off subtle and initially continues the light herbal-woods note from the middle. Cedar adds a woody note which complements the herbs. Unfortunately from my perspective, the amber and patchouli grow and grow and drown out that great middle section. There is a powdery, perfumed profile which just turns me off. Where’s my axe? I’ll cut off the base, and then I’ll be happy. Out of appreciation for the first two phases I’ll just be neutral on this.

Top: incense, bergamot, blackcurrant buds
Mid: terra cotta
Base: amber, lichen (moss?), cedar, patchouli, honey, yellow sweet clover, musk
If you read about the hotel on the Eau d’Italie site you find these fragrance notes – they are not listed elsewhere.
Well, I think this is fantastic. It gets top marks for all three phases. First, it has incense as a top note (rather than the base) – how unusual and creative! I love dry, resinous incense scents so I don’t have to wait on this one. The incense combines with the blackcurrant buds for a sappy-green and zippy opening. Second, the clay or terra-cotta note in the middle is brilliant and quite distinctive. How they achieve it I can’t imagine, but it is very realistic. Third, the dry-down is mellow, suave, not sweet or heavy but very satisfying. It is really lovely, a restrained but completely effective blend. In particular there is something (lichen-moss perhaps) that gives a hint of a salty-green note that is just great!

“Knize Forest – a hint of simplicity (ein Hauch Ursprünglichkeit… I’d translate this as ‘primordial’) – nature’s declaration of love for the modern man – a fresh, green and balsamic fragrance.” Knize brochure
Knize Forest is intriguing and complex. It is very herbal and green, so it won’t be to everyone’s taste. I like it, and find it to be a classier and less piney scent than Pino Silvestre. I’ve revised my review, since I had been working off a sample and had to guesstimate the fragrance notes which are a bit different from the BN pyramid. Now I have a bottle, and that came with a little brochure that 'officially' lists the following:
TOP: lavender, bergamot, lemon, juniper, clary sage, verbena
MID: oregano, spruce, carnation, rose, geranium
BASE: cedarwood, musk, labdanum, amber, tonka, sandalwood.
In addition to these elements, I am convinced that there are mint and violet leaves; and certainly there must be some oakmoss since this is clearly a fougère type of scent.
It opens with a green-citrus blast from the lemon and verbena. The juniper and lavender add a very brisk, even perky quality. This phase is excellent. The mid notes are primarily herbal, as I said in my earlier review this is not a pine or spruce-dominated scent at all. In this phase I get a very strong minty note. I used to think it was rosemary but it is less resinous and more creamy, like mint leaf. Here the scent is quirky but pleasant. The drydown has cedarwood and sandalwood, these are done in a fresh/sharp style rather than a woody style. Light musk adds some grace notes, and tonka gives a grassy flair due to its coumarin. I think that all the perkiness must be due not only to the juniper, mint and woods but also some violet leaves. Certainly Knize Two has lots of violet leaves and I get a whiff of them here too. If you like herbal scents, then Forest is worth a try. As I said earlier, what we have here is a quiet walk in woods which border on grassy meadows: everything is aromatic, restful, and cool (but not piney).

Who could resist such a cute line, including scent, bubble bath, soap… all at really inexpensive prices when it appeared at a local remaindered shop? Not me! It is true that it would take a genius designer to capture the whimsical, poignant, innocent, sadly wise qualities of the novella Le Petit Prince. And it is true that this scent does not fully do that story justice. However, it is an acceptable scent and it you can find it at a low, low price then you might give it a try. It has a very good lemon-verbena opening. In my opinion the verbena is really quite good, lots of citrusy-green leaf notes. These last a satisfying amount of time for volatile citrus top notes. Later there are very light touches of moss and tiny bits of translucent wood which – if you use your imagination, as the little Prince suggests we all should – give a somewhat thoughtful air to this light-hearted lemony splash. Apply liberally and repeatedly. The joys of life are beautiful but transitory. We can’t hold on to them, we just enjoy the moments.

I wear some R&G scents: Vetyver, Extra Vielle, Bouquet Imperiale, Ginger. To my masculine taste, those are dry enough that I enjoy them. Lotus Bleu is a beautiful scent but – no surprise – I find it to be feminine and thus outside my style. Thus, I can report that it is quite sweet, floral, pretty. The floral notes are big, even rich. The patchouli is sweet. Not much wood here. I think this is one of the ‘bigger’ R&Gs in terms of fragrance presence. Since I have to position the thumb I'll put it sideways, but this is an attractive scent for women.

Spezie puzzles me. There are different versions of the fragrance notes. Here is what I got off a LV brochure: “pure herbs from the Tuscan garden” (laurel, origanum, sage, thyme, rosemary, lavender, fennel, tomato leaves), juniper, cut grass, fir, bergamot, coriander.
Well, that should be exactly the sort of herbal-grassy scent I like! And many reviewers describe it as a green herbal concoction. I’ve sampled it twice, but on me it is an odd sort of powdery scent. The image I get is of a hand that has worked in the garden but more recently was in a rubber glove sprinkled with baby powder. Needless to say this does not thrill me. The opening is very pungent, sharp and spicy. But even at this stage, and developing further, is a sweetish-aromatic tone that I suppose might be from juniper… it is a bit boozy-gin in style. Once in a while I get hints of herbal notes, and also a sweet-nutty coriander note. But basically the powder remains front-and-centre. The dry-down has a vanilla-balsamic note that also doesn’t thrill me. This should be like a super-charged Sisley Eau de Campagne, on me it is something very different. I like herbal scents -- for me this is not one.

Additional fragrance notes (from sample brochure): mastic tree, red cedar
I like Un Jardin en Méditerranée. It is the first fig-oriented scent I’ve tried that I can endorse. This is a citrus/green leaf/light wood scent. It is light, translucent and very refreshing. It opens with a crisp citrus and green leaf note. Woods quickly appear. They stay close to the skin but are very well done. By that I mean they are ‘true’ to type, in particular the cedar smells very natural. The mastic tree note is a gum which has a leafy-resinous character. The fig elements start in a low-key way and get bigger (but never out of control). I think this is the ‘biggest’ of the three Hermès Jardin scents, the one with the largest presence. If you are a fan of fig scents, you’ll probably like this. I’m still neutral on them but I have to admit this one is pretty good.

Un Jardin Après la Mousson: a lovely name, a beautiful bottle, an excellent concept… a failed product. This was a disappointment for me. I like its sibling scent, Un Jardin sur le Nil, very much and I looked forward to trying Mousson. The opening of peppery spices and a brief blast of melon was attractive. That lasted for about ten seconds. Then things turned unpleasant. There was a salty-stale marine chord which evoked the image of a salt-encrusted pier with barnacles and seaweed. Also, there was an odd kind of toasty note, like rancid sesame oil and dodgy old melon rinds. And that is where it stayed until I washed it off. This is a unisex scent that can be disliked by either gender.

It is interesting to note how Megumi performs on my (male) skin. The fruity notes are not prominent. Similarly, the florals are lovely yet not too sweet. For me, the peppery spice notes lead, supported and softened by florals and light fruit. I call the opening phase “green aromatic,” and it is very attractive and dynamic. Then, mysterious oud starts to blossom, and it provides a very intriguing segue into the lower notes. At first it gives a bracing edge to the fuzzy moss. Then it combines with vetiver to give a smoky wood/grass chord. Finally the oud itself takes centre stage, but now it is supported and modulated by all the previous notes. I think this is another brilliantly designed green scent by Ayala. I also think it would be an excellent introduction to oud for the uninitiated. Sometimes oud can be overpowering or highly distinctive; here it is marvelous and very attractive. This can be a unisex scent, I like it a lot.

I’ve tried Polo Black four times, and I like it less each time. Enough! It has some elements (sage, armoise, aka. artemesia) that have the potential to be appealing. But all these “green effervescent accords” and “lush liquid accords” and hedione translate into an overly-synthetic and irritating scent. It is a shallow scent: airy-fresh with no redeeming depth or character, something like smelling cool air blasting out of a freezer full of frozen green things.

Additional fragrance notes: (top) apple, lemon, bergamot; (mid) mimosa, pepper; (base) opopanax, sandalwood. From the Villoresi site.
Incensi is interesting. It has resinous incense notes at each level, yet it is not an incense-heavy or dryly resinous scent. Its final effect is cool, contemplative, slightly detached or even melancholy. In other words, you are not in a daytime church service experiencing chanting, colorful vestments and smoky incense. Rather, you have wandered into a cool and silent cathedral in the evening. Ghosts of prayers and incense linger and outside, there is silvery-cool moonlight.
With that impressionistic image, I’ll analyze the scent. It has a great galbanum opening. There are those spicy-green celery leaf and dusty stones notes which I associate with galbanum. To me this is a very attractive stage. Then it changes to a gentle spice accord, with a bit of powder. I find the spices to be subtle, a seamless mélange rather than clearly identifiable cinnamon or pepper. The dry-down becomes cool and powdery. The myrrh adds a slightly sweet, softly aromatic and perfumed note. Normally I don’t like powder but this has a haunting restraint that works for me. Wearing this on a warm day gives a cool sensation. I like it, it is different.

D. R. Harris’s Sandalwood has some attractive elements but it is BIG and spicy. It is woody, somewhat dry but also a bit cloying and heavy. It smells like an old wooden chest that has had spices stored in it for a few decades. It evokes the glory days of the original Old Spice sort of scents… definitely old-school. Powdery dry-down, with amber, clovey spice and sweet musk. Not my style but certainly a classic.

Romane’s Chancellor is irritatingly fresh. It is VERY minty and a brash, budget-frag sort of green scent. A severe blast of spearmint, like toothpaste or a Lifesaver mint! We can do better than this sort of thing.

Fragrance notes: aromatic herbs (laurel, bay leaf, coriander/cilantro), sap of fruit wood, “garrigue,” white jasmine, “assertive woods” (cedar, vetiver), verbena, musk.
Miller & Bertaux’s Green-4 is very distinctive. It simultaneously offers fresh green and woody notes. It opens with a verbena blast (lemon/basil/freshly-baked bread) and then segues into a dry yet fruity wood. Aromatic, green, very refreshing; all is excellent.
A note on “garrigue” – it is a Provençal French term for the smells of wild resinous herbs (e.g., thyme, lavender, rosemary) as they grow in the hot baked earth. Many wines from this region, are described as having a garigue aroma and flavor. Garigue literally means a thicket or bunch of low bushes. So whatever the garigue is in G-4 it is certainly green, lively and intriguing.
The wood in G-4 changes from fruity to cedary, and it intensifies. In fact, for me this becomes a woody scent with green supporting notes. It is distinctive, as I’ve said, and oddly satisfying. If I were to compare to a Hermés scent it would be Le Jardin sur le Nil. Jardin is more lemony and has an interesting ethereal paper/reed note; whereas G-4 is woody and earthy. However, the two seem like cousins to me.

Foetidus said somewhere that one sign of an exceptional fragrance is the way it evokes polarized opinions. That seems to be the case here! I like this scent very much, and don’t get any of the so-called synthetic, metallic or problematic elements. To me, it is a luxurious and beautiful scent. It is not heavy nor sweet, there is no vanilla (thankfully) and its powdery elements are restrained. I find it to be masculine and suave. I think it would work well as a date scent: it has exceptional sillage (as some have noted) and women love it! I think one reason that women like it is that it does project a ‘masculine’ aura. Having just read the excellent article “What Makes a Scent Masculine?” by Ayala Sender [ayalasmellyblog.blogspot.com/2007/06/what-makes-fragrance-musculine.html] I agree with her point that the natural smell of a man’s body includes elements which have a similarity (inter alia) to cumin, wood and vetiver… precisely what we have in this scent. This starts with a brilliant overture of all its elements: there is smoke and incense, spice, a creamy power/leather note, and very good dry wood. The scent settles into a dry spicy-wood vibe that is very enjoyable. The cumin is noticeable but IMO well-modulated, restrained, and combines well with the wood. I find the incense to be a minor note, lovely but not as mysterious and evocative as that in the CdG Incense line. Excellent!

Thierry Mugler Cologne is one of my favorite scents. It has an aromatherapeutic effect for me, always evoking a happy childhood springtime vibe. I’ve thought about why this is the case, and concluded that the lovely orange blossom and musk scent is similar to spring bulb flowers such as hyacinth and lily. Some reviewers below find TM Cologne to be citrusy, I don’t. The orange blossoms are much more floral and delicate than any straightforward lemon or orange scent. There is also a slightly sharp green scent (especially at the beginning), and there is a fresh aspect throughout the development. What could be giving that aspect? Ladies and gentlemen, I submit that the mystery ingredient ‘S’ is spearmint leaves, delicately rendered as a freshening element. The bar soap in this fragrance has a noticeable minty aspect which led me to this conclusion. This is an absolutely beautiful scent: light green floral, fresh, lively. It really is the best of this sort of thing on the market. The lightly spicy musk drydown is excellent.
Additional note -- my latest theory on the so-called "mystery element" S is fresh sage leaf. I had a meal in a restaurant which was garnished with this leaf. Its scent exactly matches TM Cologne. Fresh sage seems to me a bit minty and green-leafy (totally different from dried sage!), so my original guesstimate wasn't so far off.

Bulgari Blu is wretched stuff. Like some others below, I find it to be simplistic, powdery-sweet and cloying. It is powerful, excessively "fresh" in a synthetic manner, and quite obnoxiously headache-inducing in a budget-frag sort of way. Ughh, a total scrubber.

I sampled this in a hat store (a logical, if unexpected place to find it) and was unimpressed. Cloyingly sweet, floral and musky, simple. Not classy like Borsalino hats.

“…inspired by the exhilarating crispness of mountain air and the purity of cascading alpine streams…” (Creed site). I find this to be a cool, even frosty scent. Citrus and green tea in the opening, lots of green tea. The blackcurrant buds give another green note. For me this scent is all surface, showing glittering sparkles but having no depth. Indeed, I find it tiresome after a while...like breathing air from a freezer. Much nicer cool-frosty scents are Blenheim Bouquet and Fath's Green Water.

This is a very interesting and distinctive scent. It is perky, quirky, minty citrus-green. The opening is very citrus-y, then it settles into an earthy-green chord. A peppery mint, or peppermint, whatever you please, is evident. This is a very GREEN scent which gets more substantial as time goes by. It develops sappy, juicy notes. I am a big fan of green scents – and yet I’m of mixed mind about this one. Perhaps it is just so distinctive that I need to become accustomed to it. A sweet floral note emerges, the so-called “sweet pea”. I’ll try this again sometime, and I urge all greenies out there to give it a try… see what you think!

Well, for me this was a disappointment. I love "churchy" incense scents; ones that are resinous, dry, and woody. They evoke a haunting, mysterious quality. The fact that this scent was revived for the occasion of Pope Benedict's visit to the USA led me to think AA might be something along the lines I've described above. But, as many have noted, this is a very sweet, musky, vanillan and floral scent. It has only a passing acquaintance with incense. Creed's Cypres-Musc is the sort of thing I had been expecting, and certainly Comme des Garcons' Incense line delivers the goods. This is another pot of incense, and not my style. Doesn't smell masculine to me at all. Thumbs down because what the promotion suggests, and what the product delivers, are two different things.

Palisander is a complex scent. It has a lovely woody opening, with a fresh green note. Some heady hints of myrrh and saffron start to emerge. The aromatic incense notes dance with the cedar wood notes. The myrrh continues to develop. It is a bit sweet and powdery, but that just adds an elegant note to the wood. The dry-down is lovely. I like this a lot.

I have substantially revised my earlier review. In order to understand Sequoia, you need to understand and appreciate the contribution of agarwood (aka oud). Oud is a tricky, complex scent: it can be tangy, medicinal, earthy, sharply pungent. Sequoia is a really interesting combination of sweet booze, cedar, and oud. These three elements appear and reappear throughout the scent’s duration. The red rum gives a tipple-y note. The cedar is excellent: it is very woody and true to type. Cedar chests and old forests come to mind. Oud gives a bracing, heady, at times other-worldly quality that is unique. Other sites say that opopanax also is an ingredient. That is a resin with musky, juniper-like tones. All in all, this is a fascinating scent!

Corps et Ames is a scent in Parfumerie General’s Private Collection. The rose is dominant, and thus the scent is more floral than I usually like in a man’s fragrance. But this is not overly sweet. It is fresh, invigorating, and attractive. There are interesting light wood notes. This settles into a pleasant peppery-floral-wood scent that is light and breezy. I’d say it is good, but not essential.

As many have noted, Mark Birley is a lovely, delicate scent, as light as a feather. On me, it had a dominant orange note. I thought it might be like Hermes’ Eau d’Orange Verte – nope! EOV is positively bold in comparison, and of course is much greener and zippier. MS is a citrus and light musk scent. It is fresh and perky, and stays very close to the skin. One has to get quite close to appreciate its subdued beauty. This scent would be best in intimate encounters. It is of the “one’s own skin, but better” variety... and thus advantageous for such episodes. I’d say it is OK but not a wowser.

Querelle is a scent in Parfumerie General’s Private Collection. I’ve revised my review, and given it a slight downgrade. It is pretty good, but I’m not as keen on it as I was at first. Qurelle has two phases. The first is dark and spicy. It is deep, complex, quite tangy and intriguing. The dark spices and incense are a bit sweet but not problematic. Ambergris gives a balsam-vanilla note. All these rich ingredients are balanced by the tangy note from vetiver. In phase two much of the complexity burns off and what is left is a vetiver-centered scent that gets even tangier and more than a little soapy. This is in the Guerlain mode but better. I don’t like vetiver done that way, I find it too heavy and soapy. But if you like vetiver, then by all means give this a try and see what you think.

Top – mint, lemon, orange, lavender
Mid – floral, blackcurrant, cedar, wood tones
Base – tobacco, vetiver, oakmoss
The opening is aromatic and herbal, with a hint of grass. I’ve tried this several times and only get a tiny bit of mint and lavender. The wood tones are fairly faint. Mostly what I get is a somewhat fusty tobacco leaf note, followed by a mossy and musky drydown. Grass is the dominant theme, a fairly sweet one due to the tobacco and supported by the vetiver. This is an OK scent, not brilliant in my opinion.

This is a boozy, leathery scent. It has old-school style: it is rich, smoky, powerful. There are lovely notes here. Normally I’m not a fan of leather scents but this has clubby charm. Likewise with the tobacco leaf. The incense notes are intriguing and dusky. Apply in small doses and wear in cool weather, this generates its own heat. Lovely dry-down.

This has an excellent cedar up front: piney, even a bit minty, almost like eucalyptus. A good wood note, though unfortunately it is brief. The honey is like lovely beeswax, making this a very rich scent (in my opinion). The spices are a tight blend, I couldn't pick out the individual elements. The opopanax gives some musky green notes. The florals make this rich too. In short, this is opulent. It is not my style, but I think it is beautiful.

Your love is more delightful than wine.
Pleasing is the fragrance of your anointing oils,
your name is perfume poured out.
Song of Songs 1:2-3
In Jewish tradition, the Biblical book 'Song of Songs' is classified as wisdom literature. And there is wisdom in this scent, the evocation of love in its various kinds. We have the beauty and sensuality of love, in the lovely deep rose notes. We have the quiet contemplative (even yearning) aspect of love, in the introspective incense notes. The incense has an interesting treatment here. It is not rich and sweet (as in a typical oriental) nor is it dry and turpentine-like (as in some Mediterranean men's fragrances). This takes a third path, one I struggle to describe: something like steeped herbal tea. We sense the smells and the thoughts associated with a cooled cup of tea as one waits for one's beloved...
This fragrance is very interesting since it uses fragrance elements known since Egyptian times, many of them mentioned in the great love-poem of the Bible, Song of Songs.

Lemongrass is the centre of this scent, exerting its strong lemony – grassy presence. Hay absolute combines with the lemongrass to create a sweet, “hay field in the sun” chord. Some aromatic notes from the clove bud, lavender and juniper berry add interest at the beginning, but they quickly make way for the lemongrass.

Top: dew drop green, orange blossom, green lime, carrot seed
Mid: white peach, freesia, waterlily, rose, jasmine, davana
Base: cedar, vetiver, sandalwood, basmati, musk, amber, moss
This is a lovely scent, full of peach fruit and richly sweet flowers. It is not unisex, it is a feminine scent; and it would suit a lovely young lady.

L'Écume des Jours is an exceptional fragrance. I urge those interested to go to Ayala's website & read her comments about the link between this fragrance and the novel of the same title. Her intent was to create a slightly "melancholy" scent. Without knowing that, I had already characterized this as having a haunting, contemplative character. The opening is very interesting, aromatic and spicy-green. I find the florals to be subtle, they slightly soften the dry elements but are not foreground. The salty-briny note from seaweed is really interesting. The elements here, and the mood they create, are first-rate. This must be tried to be understood; words fail to capture its effect. Ayala has a real understanding of green scents. Speaking as a fan of green scents, I never fail to be pleased with her creations. This is listed in Basenotes as a feminine scent but I can assure you that many men will love it, this one does!

I have revised my review. In the earlier note, I was working off a sample, and talked impressionistically of "burnished gold tones." Now I have a bottle, and a different take. Chevalier has a beautiful citrus-spice-herb opening. It is a complex scent, with so many ingredients. The middle is a dusty sort of spice, light and airy. The middle is not sweet, but there are florals and a restrained sort of powdery aspect. The base has pine and a dry incense note. The base is very dry and airy: cool, aloof, very intriguing. This is dry and light enough to wear during the day. It is interesting and complex with character, so it is also suitable for evening wear.

Absinthe (wormwood), “African stone tincture,” angelica, bergamot, broom (genet), deer’s tongue (liatrix), galbanum, “green cognac,” guiacwood, hay absolute, jasmine, neroli, rosemary absolute, yerba maté
What a fascinating list of ingredients! On her site, Ayala says, “coumarin is the soul of Gaucho” and I certainly agree. This is a very grassy scent, meant to evoke warm breezes coming off the pampas plains of Argentina. It is intense, amazingly tangy, dry... a grassy green rather than a leafy green or a forest green. It is so dry and bold that I think any man could wear it. I find the floral elements (jasmine, neroli and guiacwood which has rose qualities) are very background. There are many grassy or hay-like elements here and they dominate: broom, hay absolute, and of course the coumarin from the deer’s tongue. My research reveals that deer’s tongue was commonly used to scent tobacco, which is why this fragrance very much reminds me of my father’s tins of pipe tobacco. This is a completely unique sort of scent, nothing at all like the amber powdery fluff-ball of Yerbamate by Villoresi! Try it!

I find Egon Oelkers (eo 02) to be a spicy-woody-ambery sort of scent. It starts with good spices and brief citrus notes, and a bit of aromatic galbanum. I searched for the very interesting heart notes but they eluded me. This very quickly settles into alternating notes of cedar (excellent) and rich amber (well done but not to my taste). If you like buttery amber you’ll probably like this. I feel it could have been so much more. I’m neutral on it, a bit disappointed given the great potential of its ingredients.

This has an excellent aromatic green-citrus opening. It is very lemony and invigorating. Grassy-hay notes emerge, contributed by the vetiver and coumarin (from the tonka bean). I think Ayala is an expert on coumarin, she can always get excellent cut-grass notes when she wants. The blond tobacco leaf adds an intriguing variation on this grassy theme. It reminds me of my father’s old pipe tobacco tins. This is a lovely daytime scent. I don’t find Sabotage to be ‘macho’ or ‘stinky.’ The grassy notes are quite distinctive, but that is part of this scent’s charm. Ayala’s site says that she created Sabotage to be “a parody of classic masculine scents.” I like it.

Allspice (pimento berry), balsam tolu, bitter orange, fir absolute, frankincense, jasmine, juniper berry, myrrh, orange blossom, absolute rose maroc, virginia cedarwood
I am revising my earlier review. I have compared this scent to its earlier version (Fete d’Hiver) and also have a greater understanding of scent issues, in particular frankincense and pine.
Bois d’Hiver is striking! The opening is very aromatic, green and bold. I think it is fabulous. Orange and other citrus notes are in the background, as are florals and peppery spice. The pine note is brief. The frankincense quickly assumes centre stage, with a bit of myrrh. These incense notes give the scent a round, rich, exotic quality. It is slightly sweeter, more dramatic and luxurious than its earlier version. This is a complex scent. Ayala has upped the ante here, not only adding more elements but in some cases increasing their quality (e.g., using absolutes). Thus we have a very memorable, special scent. I am growing in my appreciation of incense-oriented scents, and this is excellent.

This is a lovely scent. Ayala has discontinued this and developed a slightly different scent called Bois d’Hiver. I have a sample of FdH and I can compare it to the newer BdH. I find FdH to be sharper, a bit drier. It is a slightly simpler scent, and that gives it an airy, somewhat translucent quality in comparison to the more complex and dense BdH. The pine is a bit more noticeable here, and I can also pick out the florals more. Nutmeg and allspice combine with the orange to give a very pleasant “Christmas spice” chord. This seems a bit woodsier, with a very nice sandalwood note. The incense has a lower profile than in BdH. The drydown of the two scents is similar.

This is a take-no-prisoners fougere, and frankly too much for my taste. Azzaro starts off strong and becomes overbearing. It is deep, dark and rich; and for me the pungent and musty smell of patchouli gradually took over and overwhelmed all other elements. Perhaps in micro-doses this could work, but I won't attempt that. I find Armani to be a brighter and much more enjoyable example of this type of scent. Gucci Nobile is another wonderful 70's/80's scent.

Equipage by Hermes is an airy, dry aromatic scent of spice and wood. I find the dominant and persistent notes to be patchouli and vetiver: at times a bit leathery, at times grassy and slightly musty but always pleasant. Jasmine and rosewood notes soften, and carnation and pine provide a crisp balance to the rich base notes. I think that the spices (not listed) are clove and black pepper. This is really dry and aromatic, I like it a lot. It is a masculine, assertive, classy scent.

Le 3ème Homme is the ‘third fragrance’ of Caron for men, and is situated between the pretty, powdery Pour un Homme and the hyper-masculine Yatagan. The opening is dry and aromatic, with hits of lavender, herbs, anise. There are good woody spices in the middle, clove and coriander. Clove gives this an old-school, confident barbershop vibe; and as it grows it puts this next door to Rive Gauche pour Homme. I think this OK but I’m not enthusiastic about it.

The opening has a sadly brief aromatic lavender-rosemary chord which gets overtaken by powdery notes. Then I find a really weird chocolate-rubber thing happening... like the smell of a rubber glove with talcum powder in it! Hmmm, don’t like it. The vanilla may be reaching up into the early stages. There’s a hay-like middle, probably from clary sage but this is not green or dusky enough to interest me. The dry-down is somewhat better, with bits of cedar and an airy amber-musk quality. But that doggone powdery note persists throughout. Vanilla and moss give this an old-school fern scent. I’d say get rid of the vanilla and powder but they are the essence of this scent and without them there’s not much left. A scrubber for me, I’m sorry to report.

A lovely, lovely scent. A lot like Eau Sauvage, perhaps a little for floral/sweet. Also a lot like Jean-Marie Farina, more lemony. In other words, a classy aromatic citrus. A feel-good fragrance with an elegant, white-shirt formal vibe balanced with sensuality. Invigorating lemon opening. Light herbal notes are softened by florals, likely rose. The base is also attractive, with well-done sandalwood and mossy musk. Excellent!

This is a marvelous scent in the aromatic, spicy-wood line. It starts with citrus and warm spices, with hints of smoky incense. The elements are well blended, so it is a bit of a challenge to pick them out. However, I can say that the jasmine softerns the resinous incense and enriches the woody spices. Hints of patchouli add tangy complexity. Dry woods emerge, along with some grassy vetiver. Hey – no vanilla at all here! Excellent! I like this sort of scent and this is very, very well done. Much better than Corolian, and not as barber-shop/clovey as Rive Gauche. And I find Virgilo to be SO green and basil-y that I don't see the resemblance.

Acqua Mirabile Odorosa di Firenze is the full title I have. This is a lovely sort of scent. Though it is a bit more floral than is my usual preference, it is neither sweet nor heavy. I don’t think the green notes are *very* green, they fill in the spaces around the two floral notes, iris and honeysuckle. Iris is the emblem of Renaissance-era Florence so it an appropriate element in this signature fragrance. Here the violet-like qualities of iris root convey the fresh and transparent aspects noted by many. Honeysuckle gives a warm, rich quality, suggesting to me jasmine with a hint of vanilla. I find this to be pleasant, but I’m not wowed by it.

This has a nice aromatic opening of lavender, green herbs and fern notes. Then there is a tiny whiff of pine. Sandalwood emerges as the dominant element here: it gives soapy, brisk woody notes. In the drydown, the wood is supported by vetiver. This is a dry scent, competent but not distinctive. Just OK.

This is very good for many reasons, and here is an important one: it is distinctive! If the character was obnoxious or problematic that wouldn’t be a good thing, but that is certainly not the case here. Jardin is very attractive. The opening is freshly-tart, with citrus and green fruit. This moves into an interesting floral heart that is aromatic, green, with a green-straw quality. I attribute that to the calamus, a reedy plant : this is what papyrus might smell like in a perfume. Then – very cleverly – the scent develops its sycamore note. This compliments the calamus so well! Sycamore seems birch-like to me, with a clean woodsy aspect. Together the calamus and sycamore give a quiet, haunting aspect to the green tones. This combination is striking and so might seem ‘synthetic’ to some, but I find it utterly natural and quite appealing. A minor quibble: the frankincense is very light, not a distinct element at all though perhaps a supporting one. But perhaps the strongly green and resinous notes of too much frankincense would overpower the excellent notes above. Jardin is interesting! It is not an oriental at all, as one might assume from its Egyptian connotation. It is a lovely fresh chypre, an airy green scent. Great stuff! Quite suitable for a man to wear.

I like this a lot. Herbal-pine scents are a favorite style for me, and this is a good treatment of that. There is an excellent aromatic opening of pine and artemesia (here spicy and tarragon-like) with other herbaceous notes. Very green, dry, and full-bodied with real appeal and vitality. A hint of cloves gives spicy-wood depth and a tangy quality. Lingering in the background is the whiff of burnt wood and ashes... the traitor is burning his bridges behind him. Then another tangy note emerges, a chord of patchouli and leather. Not excessive but certainly assertive. At times this chord reminds me of Christmas spices or an orange with spices stuck in it. This has good longevity and a very satisfying dry-down. It is similar to Yatagan. I’d characterize the two as follows. Eloge du Traitre has more pine and greener notes in the opening. The dusky and ashy notes are distinctive. The patchouli-leather notes are more pronounced. It is a more outdoorsy scent, a bit drier and more austere. Yatagan is beautiful in its 80’s old-school way. A smoother, richer green. More aromatic and darker, richer and more suave. Each scent is fantastic.

I’m new to the world of oud so I’m exploring my reactions to this new sensation. This is intriguing. It has a haunting, elusive quality that appeals to me. It is piercingly ‘clean’ but not synthetic or ‘fresh’ in the current style. It is bright and yet dark at the same time. Bug spray... band-aids... rubber... medicinal... I sort of agree and yet I find this appealing. It is not an industrial nouveau, edgy sort of scent. It is in the old Arabian tradition of rare perfume, a world of scents perhaps unfamiliar to modern sensibilities. Many have said that this is not a big powerhouse scent, and I agree. Applied lightly, this has restraint, artistry, a quiet sort of power. I find it to be coolish rather than warm. It is not woody (except for a sharp sandalwood sort of tone), not very spicy, not very leathery. I agree with Vibert’s profile, particularly the powdery-sweet and vanilla aspect. And the fact that I like this amazes me, normally I detest such elements! At times there is the hint of something like chocolate liqueur or creme brulée. Certainly there are ambery notes. I can only account for my approval in the sheer artistry and subtle panache of this. The drydown is a very subtle, second-skin scent.

This has a lovely and all-too-brief neroli opening. The middle dominates for a long time. It certainly is intriguing. It is fresh, tangy, metallic, a bit medicinal-minty, and conveys (in my opinion) a cool, stylishly distinctive and slightly aloof tone. I attribute the green and minty note to the cedar leaves, and the sharp tang to sandalwood which can be rendered in that style. This is not a warm wood nor a particularly spicy scent, at least as I find it. I agree that cedar notes are not evident. Latterly, the musk warms it up a bit and gives a bit of romance. At times, the freshness reminds me of Erfola, at other times the coolness conveys a mood like Blenheim Bouquet (although the scent itself is quite different).

Fragrance notes: citrus, ginger, “oriental flowers”, musk
This is an attractive eau de cologne, very much in the R&G style. In my opinion, that means a somewhat under-rated performer, quite competent if not brilliant. R&G’s in my experience don’t have a lot of initial flash but with a couple of sturdy applications they quietly maintain well all day. The florals here are lovely and so is the musk dry-down. There is nothing so pretty or sweet here that keeps me from wearing it. My one caveat is that there is nothing “gingery” about this scent. No spice, no crisply acidic tones or tangy wood notes that are found in freshly-sliced ginger. I think that is a hard note to render in a scent but it would be great to find.

Top: bergamot, lemon, lavender, tarragon
Mid: cinnamon, geranium, sage
Base: oak moss, sandalwood, musk
The Galimard site gives these additional fragrance notes. This is a very good woody fougère. I really like this sort of scent and this is good value and quality. There is a lovely opening of lemon, with aromatic lavender and herbal notes. Spice and herbal aromatic notes continue and develop. Excellent “ferny” notes are here, very well done. And then it settles into an attractive light wood. I find that the longevity is not great, but this is inexpensive enough to have reapplications without guilt.

Lem... odd name, vaguely sci-fi in tone. Lem is a competently rendered fresh aromatic green scent. It is big, smells a bit budget. Fresh and green, fresh and green, on and on. Hello, I am a green creature from the planet Lem. It is hard to pick out individual elements, in particular I searched for pine (my obsession) but couldn't find it. This is a lot like Grafton by Truefitt and Hill, perhaps not quite as good.

Forest Rain by Scentsational of Huntington
“Lush and green like a tropical forest.” (from Scentsational website)
I’m sampling an oil-based fragrance, so it is mellow and persistent. Forest Rain has an exceptionally lovely opening: very green, somewhat spicy. What do we have here: galbanum, clary sage, basil? It is round, no harsh edges, rich without being heavy. The drydown is dusky, slightly sweet. Clary sage may be combining with blond tobacco leaf or some other hay note (perhaps vetiver). The drydown continues to get more mellow and sits close to the skin. This is a chypre, it reminds me quite a bit of Sous les Vent, a limited edition scent by Guerlain. Quite nice.

Top: Mediterranean citrus fruits, melon, watermelon
Mid: ginger, nutmeg, sea breeze, jasmine, lily of the valley, lavender, geranium
Base: leather, iris wood, ambergris, musk (from Rancé website)
This is an attractive, modern-style scent with a hint of history. Like others, I doubt that this is what Napoleon would have worn. The summery-fresh-marine note is very contemporary. The opening has citrus and melon fruit notes which are pleasant, not sweet, classy, and well blended. The melon adds quite an interesting aspect. Then some woody spices emerge and combine effectively with various floral notes. At this point the scent is complex, and it is difficult to pick out individual elements. The drydown has a restrained and sophisticated treatment of potentially rich ingredients (leather, ambergris, musk). These gradually deepen and have a lovely, even haunting quality. It is this last phase that has the best claim to historical roots. What we have here is an intriguing combination of new and old. I like it.