Reviews by odysseusm

Eau Chic by Astier de Villatte

Mild thumbs up. Starts as a gorgeous EdC in the classic style of citrus and herbs. Beautiful petitgrain note in the middle. This continues for a while. Then, the tuberose makes things a bit heavy, and the ylang-ylang makes this a bit rich, sweet and heady.
Nothing wrong with this, just not my style. But a lovely scent.

Byerley by Parfums de Marly

The cardamom registers as clove on my skin, and thus this scent delivers a perfect rendition of a pink carnation! Not at all what I was expecting. I found the wood notes to be quite weak, and likewise the vetiver.

Neroli 36 by Le Labo

Not neroli or orange blossom or anything in that vicinity. Bergamot? Whatever it is, it is sweet, unpleasant and a real scrubber.

Oud Essentiel by Guerlain

This is an amazing, beautiful scent! Rose, leather and oud are in absolutely perfect combination. All the notes are gentle and attractive. It is a joy to wear.

Vetiver 46 by Le Labo

Spicy pepper and incense dominate, with some grassy vetiver in the dry-down. Good depth.

Mojave Ghost by Byredo

This is a ghostly scent indeed -- there is hardly anything here! Extremely faint, somewhat sweet, no distinguishing notes. The little scent that wasn't there.

A*Men Pure Wood by Thierry Mugler

Woody, dense, sweet. Unremarkable scent, rather generic. Coconut-like note in the dry-down. Cheap looking moulded plastic on the bottle.

Epic Man by Amouage

A pleasant scent but not amazing. Good, peppery spices and herbal notes. Geranium rose is evident. Not heavy.

Replica Soul of the Forest by Martin Margiela

This is an interesting scent. Starts with a rather fruity blast from the blackcurrant buds. Something like a crisp green pear here as well. On the dry side. Hints of incense and forest floor.
It claims to be a "fruity chypre" and it is exactly that. Mild thumbs up, not bottle worthy for me but it is interesting and I am glad to see things in the "forest" style.

Bottega Veneta pour Homme Parfum by Bottega Profumiera

Too sweet and rich for me, but otherwise OK.
Creamy texture with sweet, languid spices. The creamy texture is like the most luxurious soap imaginable. Hint of fir in the dry-down.

Armani Code Colonia by Giorgio Armani

This is TERRIBLE! I was expecting a classy restrained Colonia (cologne) style scent -- lemon and herbs.
This is a god-awful melange of sugar and vanilla and very brash, loud synthetic notes.
Absolutely NO redeeming features.

Platinum Collection : Bergamot by Commodity

Quite a bright, citrusy bergamot. Clean and refreshing note. Hint of tea leaves. The patchouli and vetiver are very restrained. A pleasant scent, inoffensive and kind of sunny.

Platinum Collection : Vetiver by Commodity

Smoky, somewhat leathery vetiver. Hints of incense. A bit too sweet for my taste. A bit thin in construction. But, approachable and will appeal to a mainstream market.

Acqua di Parma Colonia Ebano by Acqua di Parma

Bergamot - check.
Elemi (green incense) - check.
Pepper - check.
Could be worse, but not my style.
Honey is a bit strong and sweet. Seems somewhat loud and brash. For an exclusive AdP I would expect something classier.
The dry-down is very in your face and would be unpleasant for more than 5 minutes.

Acqua di Parma Colonia Mirra by Acqua di Parma

WHAT a disappointment! Not an incense scent at all. A warm cookie gourmand scent, just the sort of thing I detest.
Very amber at the outset. Sweet and foody, with a warm bakery spice rack on display.
Smells a bit shrill and unpleasant.
Where is the citrus? Where is the myrrh?
After a raucous and discordant opening, it settles into a tamer spice aquatic blend that is quite uninspired.

Tsar Cologne by Van Cleef & Arpels

Not to be confused with versions earlier or later in dark green bottles. Apparently this was a limited edition and it is a bit different from the basic Tsar. I like it better.
This has an aromatic dry opening of lavender and pepper. It is quite peppery! The florals are definitely in the background. The scent has great longevity, and conveys a mood of casual elegance. Fir? Not a lot in this formulation, just hints from time to time. The dry-down is airy, dry, salty -- a well-balanced, old-school blend of moss and patchouli with a hint of leather. The moss note is commendable. It is green, aromatic, slightly soapy and coniferous -- not briny, rubbery or brackish (as some moss can be). The scent has great longevity on my skin. I enjoy its beginning and I like every aspect of it as it develops. It is crisp and formal enough to be a good daytime and work fragrance, projecting a quietly assertive confidence.

A*Men Kryptomint by Thierry Mugler

No surprise but a disappointment. A*Men fragrances are all hyper-sweet and rich. Why did I think that mint could redeem that basic style? It does not.
The mint is very feeble, not bracing or icy. There are some vague herbal notes.
The scent doggedly settles into a dreadful synth musk that is quite headache-inducing. The tonka bean here has a vanilla tinge, to add to the torture.
Scrubber unless this sounds like your idea of fun.

Armani Eau de Cèdre by Giorgio Armani

Too sweet, a bit of a jumble of linear notes.
Very sweet opening of brash bergamot and heavy spice. So sweet, it is almost candied. An odd foody-gourmand note emerges, like a cookie. This develops into an OK synthetic suede note and a vague wood note. Cold tea... Bulgari does it better. Finally the violet leaf emerges, it is OK but not exceptional. The dry-down is a melange of foody suede with a hint of violet.

Cologne Intense Collection : Oud & Bergamot by Jo Malone

I had not expected to particularly like this, but I do.
Restraint and class are the key words here.
The bergamot is well done: crisp, citrusy, not plummy nor brash.
I don't often like bergamot but it is very well done here.
There is something crisp, white-paper in style. Reminds me a bit of Encre Noir.
Then the oud appears. Understated, yet warm and intriguing.
A simple scent, JM's usually are in that style. But, a good combination and well executed.

Mahon Leather by Floris

I am pleasantly surprised, and happy with this scent. The reason being is that it is a close replica of the sadly discontinued Floris Vetiver. Rich, resinous, spicy with a pronounced vetiver note. The leather adds a bit more to the mix. But if you have been searching for the Floris Vetiver, give this a try.

Uomo by Salvatore Ferragamo

Very sweet, freshly-baked sugar cookies on a warm wooden plate. Not a suitable scent for a gent.

Laine de Verre by Serge Lutens

Sweet-ish. Fresh cool mint. With the citrus, it suggests a tall tumbler of 7-Up, ice cubes, and a sprig of mint. OK, I have smelled worse. Settles into a minty musk and light wool notes. More of a concept than a scent I would enjoy wearing.

Merry Maker by Pinrose

Surprisingly good, given all the fruit notes (which I normal don't like). A light fruit punch, not sweet. The fruit notes are subtle, not cloying, quite pleasant. The florals are discreet -- indeed, the scent overall is subdued and sits close to the skin.

Pinrose by Pinrose

Not at all what I expected. Not really a rose-centric scent.
Quite alcohol-y at first. Then substantial clove/spice. A sharp, strong note, with a very faint hint of licorice/anise in the background.
The rose is slow to appear and is only a minor note for a while. Initially the scent is a dark green, somewhat rich and sweet spice fragrance.
Then, the rose asserts itself more. Rich and heady. Feminine market.

Wild Child by Pinrose

Not at all my style but nothing wrong with it.
Floral, sweet, young-feminine market.
A bit metallic in moments.
Could not pick out individual flowers.
Hint of buttery amber in the dry-down, but thankfully no vanilla cookie in sight.

Tambourine Dreamer by Pinrose

Fresh and springlike. Pretty and innocent. Young but not juvenile. Orange blossom and lily of the valley are well done. Not sweet though certainly floral. Very attractive. Female market.

Garden Gangster by Pinrose

This is an odd scent. It starts with a very strong green citrus and bergamot opening. Brash, almost harsh in its delivery. Reminds me of a sour lime hard candy. That moderates somewhat but not entirely, as some springtime florals emerge. The white musk is predictably sweet, soapy and generic. Kind of an odd hodgepodge of elements.

Treehouse Royal by Pinrose

I had not expected to like this. It is pretty good.
Starts with a very accurate and pleasant pear note. That combines well with a green fig note. The cassis may be cassis leaf -- I don't get a berry note. Slight florals and a mere hint of vanilla develop, but they are sidelights to the prominent and persistent fig note, which is green and crisp. Base settles into fig with a hint of grassy vetiver and moss. Admirably dry and not heavy.

Blackpepper by Comme des Garçons

This is a nice scent. I don't think it is amazing but it is pleasant. Has a dry, peppery opening. Wood notes develop, and it gets very smoky. Then, the oud asserts itself for an "old sneakers in the sun" flourish. Settles into a very safe, crowd-pleasing wood and light musk scent.

Essences Insensées by Diptyque

Sweet, floral, powdery. Spring-like, feminine market. The violet adds an interesting note to the sweeter flowers. There is a note sometimes like rubber, other times like freshly-cut grass. At times a vaguely metallic note. Not my style, but it is OK.