Here's another review, of Baldessarini. This one is special; it was the first one that I tried, and the first one that I bought... but we can't let that get in the way of a fair review, so here goes!
===
Hugo Boss is a very well-known name in the German fashion industry, and Werner Baldessarini was his right-hand man. In honor of him, the fragrance Baldessarini was launched in 2000 -- and launched very well. Just by examining the pyramid, we see that tangerine, bitter orange, and green mint are our top notes, while patchouli, clove buds, and cumin seeds make up the heart, followed by more patchouli, sandalwood, fir balsam, tobacco, amber, and musk as the base notes.
With this setup on paper, it's hard not to get giddy -- the layout is absolutely marvelous, it's the perfect combination for a cologne that has the potential of being one of the best scents in the world. The notation is simply gorgeous and seemingly infinite in range; from the tropical, juicy tangerines that are succulent and sweet, bursting with lively warmth, to the bitter, harsh notes of the tobacco leaf set us up for a majestic fragrance. However, right off the bat we have a problem... with such a wide range of notes, Baldessarini will inevitably run into some problems. The tangerine and mint are going to be rubbish in the cold weather, which leaves the scent smelling like dirt and cigarettes when the weather is nippy; and, for your warm summer-time days, the tobacco notes from this cologne are alone going to be responsible for your mother's lung cancer. We're already going down a bad road...
Baldessarini could have saved itself by not having such an absurd range of potent scents. The tangerine and bitter orange are unbelievable, they literally make you hungry, and the tobacco is so masculine, that manly scents like Grey Flannel and K10 become prepubescent in its midst. But having such an uncontrolled range is deadly, and a huge letdown for the scent. If you wear it during the summer or winter, you're going to be very disappointed to find that there's no real cohesion in the scent, it seriously is a vast multitude of ingredients that don't tie in together to make a single scent. There is no flirting between top and heart and base notes, and the mixture remains separated into just that -- your minty, tangy top, proceeded by a brand-new earthy heart, proceeded by a brand-new musky, tobacco base. It's too choppy, and split up; you wonder if Baldessarini is three separate colognes. Well then, bah for Baldessarini; it appears to be somewhat disappointing...
Until we wear it during the fall or early spring, when conditions are just right for the ingredients to shine -- and the effect is mindblowing. It's such a rarity to be able to wear Baldessarini in the right conditions, that it's worthless unless it's JUST the right time of year. Each ingredient works in harmony with the next to create a chain of scent that is so remarkable, that it's almost too much to handle. The initial burst of sweet tangerine is subsided by a strikingly smooth hint of mint leaf; both of which are guided to the heart by a soft bitter orange note, which opens the door to an herbal heaven. Here, the warmth of the patchouli fuses with the tangerine and projects a sweet, mossy scent, while the mint and bitter orange fade in with bitter clove buds and cumin seeds, striking out their extremities; ultimately resulting in one of the greatest transitions ever. It doesn't stop there, though, because the heart-to-base transition is even greater. The shift from a slightly fruity/herbal/lightly woodsy heart to a tobacco/dark wood base is extremely hard, just because such strong bases carry their own dominant scents, and the mixture of powerful hearts and powerful bases results in a nauseating scent most of the time, that smells like nothing recognizable. However, in Baldessarini, the extra bed of patchouli serves as a median, allowing the heart notes to fade away without interfering with the scent of the base notes. The crucial difference that it makes is what literally makes the fragrance wearable; tobacco is such a harsh note, that when you mix it with tangerines and mint (of all things, those are the two worst) they become rotten, and the entire scent smells of week-old, half-smoked cigarette stubs that are rubbed in your nose against your will. But, somehow, the patchouli resists the mixture and allows a clash-free drydown, with proper diffusion of heart/top notes before the strong, woodsy base begins to release it's own scent.
Taking chances is always a great thing, because it allows for a range of concoctions to be produced, that deviate from typical boundaries, and push the limit s of what ingredients can and cannot be used. Baldessarini's ingredients are completely independent of each other -- consider Baldessarini to be a puzzle, and each note is a piece that aligns with the next, but they constantly spin in different speeds and directions, so the alignment is never quite right... one day it's too tangy and almost like a woman's perfume, and the next you find yourself smelling like a smoker's convention hut, but rarities do occur, and when the pieces fit together, the result is sheer bliss; Baldessarini becomes one of the classiest, well-done, diverse fragrances ever known.
Strengths:
Jaw-dropping range of ingredients
Extremely smooth transitions
Unbelievable use of patchouli
Fresh, non-clotting bitter orange
Weaknesses:
Not easily worn
Lung-cancer inducing tobacco
---
Sillage: 8/10 -- very noticeable due to its setup
Longevity: 6/10 -- for how majestic Baldessarini can be, the longevity is too short. It kills the nirvana too quickly.
Complexity: 10/10 -- the pyramid says it all
Development: 5/5 -- Baldessarini is like a poem, with it's twist and turns, ups and downs, climaxes and resolutions.
Raw scent: 5/10 -- there's a tangy, tarty twist that Baldessarini just seems to be lacking.
Overall rating: 7/10 -- Baldessarini needs some tart to counter the tang; the oranges and mint are present right down to the tobacco note. A dash of pomegranate would be perfect.
===
Hugo Boss is a very well-known name in the German fashion industry, and Werner Baldessarini was his right-hand man. In honor of him, the fragrance Baldessarini was launched in 2000 -- and launched very well. Just by examining the pyramid, we see that tangerine, bitter orange, and green mint are our top notes, while patchouli, clove buds, and cumin seeds make up the heart, followed by more patchouli, sandalwood, fir balsam, tobacco, amber, and musk as the base notes.
With this setup on paper, it's hard not to get giddy -- the layout is absolutely marvelous, it's the perfect combination for a cologne that has the potential of being one of the best scents in the world. The notation is simply gorgeous and seemingly infinite in range; from the tropical, juicy tangerines that are succulent and sweet, bursting with lively warmth, to the bitter, harsh notes of the tobacco leaf set us up for a majestic fragrance. However, right off the bat we have a problem... with such a wide range of notes, Baldessarini will inevitably run into some problems. The tangerine and mint are going to be rubbish in the cold weather, which leaves the scent smelling like dirt and cigarettes when the weather is nippy; and, for your warm summer-time days, the tobacco notes from this cologne are alone going to be responsible for your mother's lung cancer. We're already going down a bad road...
Baldessarini could have saved itself by not having such an absurd range of potent scents. The tangerine and bitter orange are unbelievable, they literally make you hungry, and the tobacco is so masculine, that manly scents like Grey Flannel and K10 become prepubescent in its midst. But having such an uncontrolled range is deadly, and a huge letdown for the scent. If you wear it during the summer or winter, you're going to be very disappointed to find that there's no real cohesion in the scent, it seriously is a vast multitude of ingredients that don't tie in together to make a single scent. There is no flirting between top and heart and base notes, and the mixture remains separated into just that -- your minty, tangy top, proceeded by a brand-new earthy heart, proceeded by a brand-new musky, tobacco base. It's too choppy, and split up; you wonder if Baldessarini is three separate colognes. Well then, bah for Baldessarini; it appears to be somewhat disappointing...
Until we wear it during the fall or early spring, when conditions are just right for the ingredients to shine -- and the effect is mindblowing. It's such a rarity to be able to wear Baldessarini in the right conditions, that it's worthless unless it's JUST the right time of year. Each ingredient works in harmony with the next to create a chain of scent that is so remarkable, that it's almost too much to handle. The initial burst of sweet tangerine is subsided by a strikingly smooth hint of mint leaf; both of which are guided to the heart by a soft bitter orange note, which opens the door to an herbal heaven. Here, the warmth of the patchouli fuses with the tangerine and projects a sweet, mossy scent, while the mint and bitter orange fade in with bitter clove buds and cumin seeds, striking out their extremities; ultimately resulting in one of the greatest transitions ever. It doesn't stop there, though, because the heart-to-base transition is even greater. The shift from a slightly fruity/herbal/lightly woodsy heart to a tobacco/dark wood base is extremely hard, just because such strong bases carry their own dominant scents, and the mixture of powerful hearts and powerful bases results in a nauseating scent most of the time, that smells like nothing recognizable. However, in Baldessarini, the extra bed of patchouli serves as a median, allowing the heart notes to fade away without interfering with the scent of the base notes. The crucial difference that it makes is what literally makes the fragrance wearable; tobacco is such a harsh note, that when you mix it with tangerines and mint (of all things, those are the two worst) they become rotten, and the entire scent smells of week-old, half-smoked cigarette stubs that are rubbed in your nose against your will. But, somehow, the patchouli resists the mixture and allows a clash-free drydown, with proper diffusion of heart/top notes before the strong, woodsy base begins to release it's own scent.
Taking chances is always a great thing, because it allows for a range of concoctions to be produced, that deviate from typical boundaries, and push the limit s of what ingredients can and cannot be used. Baldessarini's ingredients are completely independent of each other -- consider Baldessarini to be a puzzle, and each note is a piece that aligns with the next, but they constantly spin in different speeds and directions, so the alignment is never quite right... one day it's too tangy and almost like a woman's perfume, and the next you find yourself smelling like a smoker's convention hut, but rarities do occur, and when the pieces fit together, the result is sheer bliss; Baldessarini becomes one of the classiest, well-done, diverse fragrances ever known.
Strengths:
Jaw-dropping range of ingredients
Extremely smooth transitions
Unbelievable use of patchouli
Fresh, non-clotting bitter orange
Weaknesses:
Not easily worn
Lung-cancer inducing tobacco
---
Sillage: 8/10 -- very noticeable due to its setup
Longevity: 6/10 -- for how majestic Baldessarini can be, the longevity is too short. It kills the nirvana too quickly.
Complexity: 10/10 -- the pyramid says it all
Development: 5/5 -- Baldessarini is like a poem, with it's twist and turns, ups and downs, climaxes and resolutions.
Raw scent: 5/10 -- there's a tangy, tarty twist that Baldessarini just seems to be lacking.
Overall rating: 7/10 -- Baldessarini needs some tart to counter the tang; the oranges and mint are present right down to the tobacco note. A dash of pomegranate would be perfect.
