Basenotes - Reviews by scentsitivity

United States

Showing 1 to 30 of 347.

Golden Aoud by Montale

This reminds me more of Black Aoud, relative to other Montale Aouds. Aoud and rose are present, but the aoud is less medicinal. Also I detect some patchouli and pepper. Perhaps a little austere.

8th February, 2012.

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Oud Cuir D'Arabie by Montale

A dry and very smoky leather with a measure of oud. Not as medicinal as some of other Montale ouds. I wouldn’t say this is easy to wear, but I do like it.

7th February, 2012.

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At first I am surprised by how little aoud I detect; it strikes me as rather gourmandish and sweet with a definite saffron presence. Soon, the aoud comes through in typical medicinal manner, while the sweetness continues. I don’t really get a sense of cumin here, at least not any of its dirtiness. Red Aoud comes across as gourmandish fragrance. I really don’t like it very much at all.

5th February, 2012.

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Mayer Lemon by Demeter Fragrance Library

First off, what is a Meyer Lemon? It is a citrus fruit native to China thought to be a cross between a lemon and a mandarin or common orange. Imported to the USA in 1908, in recent years they have become popularized by chefs, as they are sweeter and less acidic than the common lemon.

I never heard of a Meyer Lemon until I came across the Demeter Fragrance of the same name (and yes, it is spelled “meyer”, not “mayer” as in the basenotes directory). The fragrance is a semi-sweet lemon, with a significant medicinal overtone. The actual fruit (which I discovered in a produce market after finding the fragrance) looks like a lemon, is less acidic as advertised and thankfully devoid of a medicinal character.

4th February, 2012.

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Yuzu Fou by Parfum d'Empire

I get a lot of sourness, but to be a good citrus, a fragrance must be more than sour. I don’t like the pairing with mint either. Disappointing.

4th February, 2012.

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Eau Suave by Parfum d'Empire

Eau Suave means “sweet water”. If you know French, you say, “why are you telling me this?” And if you don’t know French, you just learned something (just like me!). Eau Suave is a fruity rose chypre. The rose is very bright and loud. I generally don’t like fruity notes with roses – they cheapen the rose to me and it is no exception here. There are some delicate spices in the background, but they get lost in the noise. I don’t like this one.

3rd February, 2012.

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Eucris by Geo F Trumper

Eucris starts out spicy and mossy and feels very dark. With time a honeyed accord, much like Givenchy Gentlemen’s emerges. In fact, I think of Eucris as a heavier, darker version of Givenchy Gentlemen. At first I had my doubts, but I am impressed.

29th January, 2012.

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O'Pomelo / Pamplemousse by Comptoir Sud Pacifique

I found this to be a rather pale grapefruit. Unremarkable.

28th January, 2012.

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Hermèssence Rose Ikebana by Hermès

Rose and rhubarb. Hermes has another scent with rose and rhubarb, Eau de Pamplemousse Rose. If I understand correctly, the rhubarb note either enhances the grapefruit in EdPR, or it acts as the grapefruit if amped up enough. In Rose Ikebana we see rose and rhubarb again, but the proportions are completely different. The rose is turned up much stronger, the rhubarb/grapefruit is turned down significantly. Some people see grapefruit here instead of rhubarb, and I think that is understandable. To me, the rose is nice, but I am not really sure the rhubarb integration does anything for me; it drags it down a notch in my mind.

27th January, 2012.

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Hermèssence Osmanthe Yunnan by Hermès

So I am sitting here in a deep funk and I decide to test Osmanthe Yunnan. One whiff, and my funk melts away. I get a bright, cheerful floral, coupled with fruit and tea notes. I think this would smell wonderful on a lady.

27th January, 2012.

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Hermèssence Brin de Réglisse by Hermès

Starts with a blast of licorice. Then I detect lavender with herbal accents. The licorice fades and what remains feels rather austere. Nothing I would wear myself, but may merit consideration for licorice-lavender lovers.

26th January, 2012.

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White Aoud by Montale

Starts out with medicinal aoud, but this is quickly overcome by a sweet powdery vanillic accord touched with saffron and florals. Regrettably, it is much too sweet for my liking.

22nd January, 2012.

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Hermèssence Vétiver Tonka by Hermès

I get a brief blast of vetiver, followed by tonka. For a while, I think the vetiver is all gone, but to my surprise it returns, albeit in subtler form, mingled with the tonka. Perhaps a touch of nuttiness and grain. I certainly don’t find it offensive, but not especially interesting either. And a bit pricey too.

16th January, 2012.

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Borneo 1834 by Serge Lutens Les Salons du Palais Royal Shiseido

The idea of a cocoa/patchouli accord appeals to me and thinking how Lutens are generally sweet, I wrongly presumed that Borneo 1834 would be so. It is not. I should have read the reviews first to adjust my expectations. The scent comes across as bitter and dry with camphorous undertones. The cocoa is there, as is the patchouli. Regrettably, I do not like Borneo 1834.

15th January, 2012.

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Oranges and Lemons say the bells of St Clement's by Heeley

I love the name. I get tart citrus and soapy bergamot on top, but this stays much too close to the skin on me.

22nd December, 2011.

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No. 88 by Czech & Speake

To me a very soapy (doubtless from bergamot) rose. Dark, but not musty. I find it pleasant, but I would not wear it often enough to justify a purchase.

18th December, 2011.

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Roadster by Cartier

Cartier Roadster attempts to combine mint and fougere accords. The mint is fresh and pleasant. The fougere accord is a herbaceous and a bit weak. My problem with Roadster is that they don’t feel well integrated; as if the mint were thrown on top of the fougere without them being linked.

14th April, 2011.

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Rive Gauche pour Homme by Yves Saint Laurent

A soapy, woody fougere. Decent, but I get bored with it quickly.

30th January, 2011.

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Oud 27 by Le Labo

I get a medicinal and somewhat dirty oud on top. I actually like this. Not something I would buy a bottle of, but it has the magical qualities that my favorite Montale oud fragrances have.

30th January, 2011.

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Rose 31 by Le Labo

This is a caricature of a rose. I find it to be loud and unrealistic.

29th January, 2011.

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Hammam Bouquet by Penhaligon's

A spicy rose with great warmth. A nice choice for cold winter days. A touch of dirtiness, I suspect from jasmine. But this is really about a rose. I probably would only wear this 2-3 times a year, so I doubt I will buy a bottle, but I still would recommend it.

23rd January, 2011.

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Jasmin Full by Montale

Montale lists jasmine, honeysuckle and orange blossom as the notes. I get mostly orange blossom and jasmine. I think it is a pleasant feminine..

23rd January, 2011.

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Bois Rouge by Tom Ford

Bois Rouge reminds me of Creed’s Bois du Portugal. Both have a similar wood accord, which is the central theme. The differences are that Bois du Portugal is highlighted with a sharp lavender and has better projection. Bois Rouge has a smokiness not found in Bois du Portugal. I think this Tom Ford is quite pleasant and deserves more than it has received to date.

16th January, 2011.

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Aoud Leather by Montale

I enjoy this one. It is far more a leather scent than an aoud fragrance (actually, I didn’t really get much aoud here, but I didn’t care), being similar to Tom Ford’s Tuscan Leather, but without the harsh impression that Tuscan Leather (particularly the opening) has to me. It also reminds me of Clive Christian’s ‘c’ for Men, but not as complex (and certainly more affordable). I like it. However, I will state I received negative comments when I wore it to work: something that doesn’t happen too often.

15th January, 2011.

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Aoud Lime by Montale

I really don’t like Montale’s take on lime. Neither Aoud Lime, nor Aromatic Lime does much for me, but I think Aromatic Lime is the worse of the two.

It is interesting that lime is not listed as a note. And to me, it doesn’t smell much like a lime. Citrus? Certainly. A tart, non-distinctive citrus, coupled with a blast of aoud. To me, the citrus clashes with the aoud. The citric character diminishes somewhat and rose emerges. It is better than the opening, but I still don’t think this works.

14th January, 2011.

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Aventus by Creed

Two main themes strike me in Aventus: a pineapple accord that is fruity, but not especially sweet and a smoky birch that is pleasant but a bit faint. I don’t find Aventus to be particularly satisfying. To characterize it in a word: timid. I would need it to be bolder to enjoy it on myself. Not worth the price. I am surprised that it has generated as much hype as it has.

As to the bottle, I find the design on the 2.5 oz and 4.0 oz bottle to be particularly lame. It looks out of date and amateur: as if it were designed by a middle school student in the 1970s. Embarrassing.

6th January, 2011.

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Bond No.9 Perfume Oud by Bond No. 9

This has oud??? I cannot find it. Smells like a screechy synthetic rose. Loud and cheap.

1st January, 2011.

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Andy Warhol Lexington Avenue by Bond No. 9

The notes listed are blue cypress, fennel, roasted almonds, pink peony, crème brulée, and sandalwood. Looks incoherent and smells incoherent too. Clashing notes and themes (sorry, I don’t want fennel in my crème brulée floral!) and too sweet as well.

30th December, 2010.

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"Vintage" Tabaróme by Creed

I tend not to be fond of tobacco or tobacco notes (the one exception being the smell of pipe tobacco), but "Vintage" Tabarome is well done. It may not feel modern, but must it? It feels classy and refined with a better than average drydown for a Creed. Not for me, but certainly a must try for the tobacco lover (if you can find it).

30th December, 2010.

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Himalaya by Creed

Starts with an ambiguous citrus and slight gunpowder note. Becomes peppery in the middle. This settles out with time. The base centers on woods and musk, with heavy emphasis on the latter. Also, some soapiness throughout.

I find this to be rather uninteresting and mainstream. Nothing special or exotic here.

28th December, 2010.

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