Black Suede by Avon

I have been a tiny bit of a perfume snob, so I've often pushed aside many Avon fragrances thinking they were cheap and nasty. However, after receiving an Avon catalogue on my doorstep with some Avon perfume samples, I retract my previous comments. Black Suede could easily be unisex in my opinion. It has a beautiful powdery-like quality that is rather classic in a sense and soothing. For some reason I feel leather in this fragrance, but only a very slight hint of it. This fragrance is mostly musk, woodsy notes, sweet nutmeg and clove. The scent reminds me of crisp, white pressed shirts that my Father wore to work each day. It has a very clean and fresh feel that is lovely on both sexes. On me, this fragrance is soft, powdery nutmeg and leather, however on a man's skin Black Suede is far more masculine and warmer. I agree that this does have an almost baby powder type smell, however I'm a big fan of scents like that and sometimes wished more men smelt like this. A man wearing Black Suede would be a man that I could trust and feel comfortable around. It's not a scent meant to drive women wild, it's a comforting fragrance designed make a lady feel safe and secure around her man. I highly recommend.

Am I the only person here who sees this as a floral scent? For the first hour, the florals smell very prominent to my nose, which isn't a bad thing at all. Black Suede seems to put have all the best features of Stetson, Royal Copenhagen and PS Paul Sebastian, wrapped up into one excellent fragrance.

"Black Suede" is a misnomer because there is nothing black or dark about it whatsoever, nor are there any leathery notes that I can smell. Instead what you have here is a superb floral oriental fragrance that dries down to a warm amber and wood base. Black Suede has an overall powdery smell to it, but it never overwhelms (unlike Avon's Wild Country, which is a storm of talcum powder). It is extremely old school in overall feel.

The whole fragrance is just beautifully balanced, with the florals never becoming heady or overwhelming, and the oriental amber base never becoming heavy or overly sweet. The drydown is a marvelous combination of sweet and dry, with the amber providing an almost nutty scent and cedar notes giving it a dryness that counteracts the sweetness beautifully. Everything smells just right in Black Suede, which is a huge accomplishment in its own right for any perfumer.

I am a newcomer to Avon fragrances, and Black Suede is my first introduction to Avon's men's line. Apparently this is an Avon classic, and I can see why. Two thumbs all the way up.

MY RATING: 8.5/10