What is THE best review of---

Nice idea, Mario - I'll play.

Penhaligon's Blenheim Bouquet (1902)

Winner - Naed_Nitram

"The Baron de Charlus once told me: 'I recall the time when I was a houseguest at Chartwell, the country estate of Sir Winston Churchill (or "Vesuvius" as we used to call him on account of his volcanic eruptions). He gave us each a bottle of Blenheim Bouquet.
"Tell me, de Charlus," said Sir Winston in that celebrated slurred growl of his, "as a connoissheur of schent, what is your opinion of Blenheim Bouquet? Shum shay it is one of the finest schents in creation - and I concur!" "Then we are of one mind, my dear Vesuvius," I responded. "An opening of clean pure citrus with a truly divine development of warm woods. It has hardly been bettered before or since." Sir Winston looked surprised. "Sho," he said, "you do not intend, then, to asshail me with one of your shelebrated inshults?" "Merely to remark, my dear Vesuvius, given your capacity to engage in some of the fiercest and foulest eruptions known to man, that it is most gracious of you to counteract these assaults on your fellow creatures by bathing yourself in the fragrant ambience of Blenheim Bouquet. It leaves us all wondering whether we are surrounded by citrus or shitrus."
At this, much to my admiration, the famous statesman and bon viveur growled, scowled, guffawed, and threw a steak and kidney pudding at my head.'"

Excellent idea, Mario!
I enjoy the following review as it is not only informative, but also includes comparisons to other well loved scents from the same genre and coincidentally describes my own experience with this classic EDT.

CUIR DE RUSSIE by CHANEL

Reviewer: zztopp

**This is a review of the EDT**

Notes: orange blossom, bergamot, mandarin, clary sage, iris, jasmine, rose, ylang-ylang, cedarwood, vetiver, styrax, leather, amber, vanilla

"An ashtray doing a flower vase"

Ernest Beaux's 1924 classic, Cuir de Russie (CdR) is widely regarded as one of the finest Chanel fragrances as well as one of the best leather fragrances ever created. Created to paint an image of an elegant snobby woman rummaging through her fine leather bag to look for change to tip an escort for a night of much fun, CdR displays all the hallmarks of Beaux's expertise, alongwith a few eccentricities introduced by Polge.

CdR opens with a burst of citrus melange with a sage note inserting enough bitterness to offset the smooth orange blossom and bergamot. Hints of leather (due to isobutyl quinoline) are perceptible from the beginning. Soon, CdR transitions to its most feminine phase - Beaux's signature trifecta of ylangylang-jasmine-rose infuses a dose of floral sweetness with an element of coolness due to a shy iris note; the florals threaten to drown out the gradually increasing intensity of the leather. CdR was reorchestrated in 1983 by Polge and the floral heart was increased in strength while the leather note was decreased in potency .. can't say I like this "tune up" but it makes it more approachable to women I guess. Another smooth movement of accords takes place a few hours later and CdR enters the drydown phase which is more masculine due to smoky styrax and vetiver which are prevented from rampaging the composition with their supposed tenacity by gendarme like notes of vanilla and amber. Unlike some of the other reviewers, I dont smell a lot of civet, if at all. Longevity is good at around 7-8 hours, and sillage is medium.

CdR presents a well behaved leather note interjected with a good dose of florals to result in a smooth and slightly floral leather fragrance. The ambery styrax+vetiver drydown is the highlight. Those of us looking for a wild no-holds-barred "look ma I am wearing a cow-hide" leather might be disappointed with CdR's cultured and metrosexual approach to a leather romp. With that said, this is arguably the best leather for women...its flirty yet classy, confident yet sensual.

A quick comparison to some of other notable leathers:

Caron Tabac Blond: its leather is more smoky, its vanilla base more unrestrained and naughty. Marilyn Monroe vs. Elizabeth Taylor.

Creed Cuir de Russie: loads of birch tar with ambergris. A very unusual leather. More manly.

Creed Royal English Leather: Resembles the first 2 minutes of Chanel CdR with its mandarin+leather mix. The leather note is more raw and substantial.

Serge Lutens Daim Blond: No. I want a sexy sensual leather on my woman, not decorate her with a fruit bowl.


Rating: 8.7/10

Neroli EDP, L'occitane..Now sadly reformulated....



Reviewer:Scentemental

One of the great pleasures of my recent vacation in Australia was the time I had to visit various fragrances retailers and try a number of fragrances I wouldn’t otherwise, normally, get to try. One of the stand-out “finds” of this trip was L’Occitane’s *Neroli EDP*. Here are some of my thoughts on it:

L’Occitane *Neroli EDP* is the least L’Occitane of the L’Occitane fragrances, which are pleasant, competently-made, quality scents that use a high level of natural ingredients--nothing to set the world on fire. They’re well-crafted scents but definitely not what you’d call edgy. L’Occitane’s *Neroli EDP*, however, is edgy; it’s very edgy. It begins with a very sensuous, decidedly floral, and feminine neroli note. What is the difference--you might well ask--between a feminine and masculine neroli note? I see the difference as follows: a masculine neroli note is one you find in the “barbershop” renditions of neroli such as Penhaligon’s *Castile*, or Czech & Speake’s *Neroli*. In these two fragrances, the neroli note has the freshness and lightness of orange flower water and a syrupy thick viscous “nosefeel”. It’s always a buoyant, happy, and clarion note, uplifting and refreshing. A feminine neroli note is decidedly more dense, without being syrupy and has an exotic, even otherworldly feel to it. It’s has a more piercing and more complex, even prickly, nose-feel than its masculine counterpart; it has a more ether-like, elevated floral component, which is dense and heady and which approximates the heavy, floral, ether-like, headache producing quality of some higher grades of ylang ylang essential oil.

The neroli in L’Occitane’s *Neroli EDP* is edgy in the sense that it pushes one’s olfactory responses to the edge with an oriental-like sharp, bitter exoticness which is accentuated by a very thin, dry, cedar/wood kind of note with which it is interlaced and which persists well into the drydown, as does the neroli note, which is clearly discernible in drydown when its edgy, ether-like qualities abate and are subsumed into a coumarin prominent, quieter, powdery, and dry tonka bean and cedar finish. It’s really beautiful and intoxicating in an impressively weighty, sensual way, like a true EDP should be, and it has incredible sillage and longevity. In this sense, it begins to approximate perfume. As I said earlier, it’s very un-L’Occitane like, and it’s quite spectacular. When you’ve reached this level of art, questions about whether it’s actually a women’s fragrance or a man’s fragrance fail to apply. It’s both. Like all true works of art, it’s universal.

this one by Nthny will always be my #1 review. + i like almost all reviews by Pigeon Murderer.

Comme des Garcons Odeur 71

Well, it *is* different, we can give it that. My question always about Comme des Garcons is, if I didn't know what was going on here would my opinion of it change? There is something detatched and oddly lonely about this. It's like walking in an industrial landscape or a sterile corporate megaplex in the middle of nowhere, picking up some of the grass coming from the riding lawnmower that is making the only sound in the pristinely vacant scene.

Odeur 71 is the sweetness we all smell when we smell things we feel silly about smelling. The inside of a glossy brochure, the funny sweet smell of duct tape, the smell of a hot computer or TV and their warm plastic and whirring inner parts. This is funny... I was thinking pen ink and looked up to see, and sure enough, it was in the listed ingredients! If I could try to "get in there" and figure out what natural ingredients are creating this effect, I'd assume something grassy, something rubbery, something lightly smokey (especially in the opening moments), something like light clean soil. But the end result really is "office" or "vacant modern space", totally gray, clean, like the standard plastics used to cover office equipment, and I don't even want to aesthetically strip it of its vision by trying to figure that out.

A lot of things that aren't typically fragrant have a smell, and we know those smells are there, and Comme des Garcons has bottled many of them into a fascinating fragrance that seems more appropriate for study than for wear. Of course that's up to the individual as it is certainly far less repellent than many of the more standard fragrance offerings available today from large designer houses in department stores. Thumbs up for uniqueness and artistic integrity.

I'll give it a try

again, the praise goes to Naed_Nitram, this time for the best review of: Preferred Stock

just check this out:

"The Baron de Charlus once told me: 'I recall the time when I was a guest on the luxury yacht of Sir Alan Sugar, the celebrated entrepreneur and TV personality (or Sid as we used to call him for obvious reasons). He sold us each a bottle of Coty's Preferred Stock.
"Look, de Charlus," snapped the Grandmaster of Commerce, "I don't like shmoozers and I don't like losers. I don't like posers and I don't like dozers. I don't like tossers and I don't like dossers. Personally I think you're all of those things but they tell me that when it comes to scent maybe you know your arse from your elbow. I need some business advice. I'm thinking of buying up Preferred Stock from Coty and re-marketing it under my brand. But should I call it 'Sugar Homme', 'Bottom Line Uomo', 'No Bullshit', 'Eau de Barrow Boy', 'President of the Board' or 'Lord Blimey'? Tell me, which one? Look sharp now or you're fired!"
"My dear Sidney," I responded with a sigh, "you seem to forget that I am a guest on your yacht and not one of your apprentices or employees. You also forget that, as well as being Baron de Charlus, I am also Duc des Dunes, Prince de Laumes, Damoiseau de Meringuez and Seigneur de Savigney - the owner of vast estates who has little need of your employ. Nevertheless, I confirm that Preferred Stock might indeed constitute a signature scent for you and your ilk: it possesses just the right blending of crassness and gravitas, the elegant boardroom and the sharp street corner, masculine charm and mercenary over-emphasis. However, since the public at large mainly tolerate you on account of your uncanny resemblance to the much loved comic Sid James, my advice to you is that the ideal name for your fragrance should be 'Carry On, Chairman', 'Monsieur Sid', 'Lecher's Cackle' or possibly even 'PHWAAUGH!'. I require no consultancy fee."'

So witty, so accurate, so entertaining and also, quite critical, nothing generic, always surprising even when I re-read it

Caron Impact Pour un Homme reviewed by Wicozani

"Sir, have you by chance layered your Mark Birley over the top of Caron's classic Eau de Toilette for men?", my trusted valet asked me, once again betraying his exceptional nose, perhaps better even than mine.

Impact opens softer than PuH with respect to the sour lavender note, but with an airy, ozone-like nature not unlike Mark Birley for Men. Ironically, however, Impact holds the lavender note longer into the evolution, until it is gradually replaced by vanilla and late entrees by both amber and musk. The airy, ozone-like character rapidly diminishes about 30 minutes after application. Impact is less complicated than PuH, with none of the citrus topnotes of the classic EDT, nor any sage or rose that I can perceive. While this is certainly unoffensive and likable, it stays very close to the body and does not have very good longevity for an EDP strength scent. For these reasons, I must assign this a rather rare neutral mark.

This is a wonderful idea for a thread! I decided to check the reviews for my SotD of yesterday, En Passant. There are several excellent reviews of this very special fragrance. Often, for me, it's the concise reviews the ones that say a lot in just a few words, that are my favorites. This is a great example!

Frederick Malle En Passant
Reviewed by ComDiva

En Passant, created by Olivia Giacobetti, is light and clear -- white lilacs smelled outdoors just after a rain, in a small town somewhere in Europe. I adore this fragrance. It's gentle without being weak in any way, and smells like promise and hope.

My favorite review:
Halston Z-14
Reviewer: Hillaire

"I must admit that I have always harbored a secret fondness of too-much-cologne guy. He is the man whose grooming is immaculate, but wears a cheap suit. He aspires to gentility. And he IS, invariably, a gentlemen -- not of the well-heeled, schooled-in-etiquette variety, but because he naturally considers others. Too-much-cologne guy dresses up each morning to be his personal best, and too much cologne is an integral part of his ritual. He may not know that less is more; he may love the way he smells. Either way, it has always struck me as endearing.

For me, too-much-cologne guy was Mr. Del Rio, the kind, perfectly-combed children's shoe store owner;
He was the white-suit-wearing Italian gentleman on a very full train trip when I was eight, who let me rest my feet on his lap so that I could nap;
He was the Swiss hotel concierge with the golden jewelry, who lowered me in the dumb waiter each night into the hotel kitchen, for a slice of chocolate cake;
Sometimes, he was my father.

Too-much-cologne guy, you prefer Halston Z-14, don't you?"

I love Hillaire for this review - but I still don't like Z-14...

Mario, I like your Quorum review. Crotch in a bottle, lol.

Looked up the reviews for another favorite fragrance, Sienne l'Hiver. Again, my favorite is quite brief. And it doesn't hurt that the author has the same viewpoint I have. :-)

Eau d'Italie Sienne l'Hiver
Reviewed by Aznavour

Sienne l'Hiver is the unlikeliest perfume I've ever tried: cool without being fresh, earthy without being heavy, and manages a light touch that lasts all day. A stunning fragrance -- cerebral and casual at the same time.

Here is one on Erolfa by Vibert that is a special favorite of mine:

Erolfa fascinates me. For all of its ostensible simplicity, it shifts moods and intensity in unpredictable ways. Like the ocean it endeavors to conjure, it manages to be at once fresh and mysterious, successfully avoiding a certain well-fashioned blandness I have found in some other modern Creed scents. At the same time, it dodges the suntan lotion banality of so many "beach" scents.

It's not Erolfa's brine that I encounter first, but a sharp, tart citrus, one that is more lemon juice than orange rind. The salt, ozone, and iodine reveal themselves over the first fifteen to thirty minutes, while the citrus smooths out and mellows. (Though without ever becoming sweet.) This is where the much-discussed ocean pier/seaside impression solidifies, if "solidifies" applies to a scent as elusive and evanescent as Erolfa. I sense no kelp or dune grass here. Oddly, for an "oceanic" scent, I find nothing moist at all about Erolfa. This is salt-soaked, sun-drenched driftwood blending with dry citrus and the faintest hint of the creosote used to waterproof pilings beneath a dock.

Erolfa stays quite close to my skin, drying down toward the same enjoyable, if slightly over-familiar "millésime" base I know from Silver Mountain Water, Millésime Imperial, and other green/aquatic modern Creeds. In this case though, the drydown is distinguished by a lasting hint of iodine and sea salt, which keeps Erolfa's late stages drier and a touch sharper than its cousins'. The scent stays close to my skin throughout its 4-6 hour lifespan, but I don't mind the modest projection or sillage. Erolfa is angular enough in profile that it might abrade passersby if it extended too far out. Bearing the citrus and aquatic curse of short duration, Erolfa requires liberal application or frequent refreshing. I suppose that's why they sell those four ounce "tanks" of this stuff.

Erolfa is far craggier and decidedly more "masculine" than Silver Mountain Water or Millésime Imperial, and I understand why Creed's not marketing it as unisex. This is an austere, perhaps even slightly forbidding, fragrance: the ghost of some old sailor that flickers in and out of view against a background of ocean spray and gray surf. How remarkable that over a millésime base not too far removed from the congenial Green Irish Tweed, Erolfa can make such a contrasting impression. It's taken me a long time to decide how I feel about Erolfa, and that in itself helped me decide that there really is something to it. Silver Mountain Water and Millésime Imperial are both very beautiful, but it's the far less pretty Erolfa that holds my attention.

Creed's modern products may be legitimate objects of contention, but the company does do at least some things right. I think Erolfa is one of them.
15 February 2010

I like so many of the reviews here, but without a doubt my favorite review is Vibert's review of Mazzolari Lui (which of course I also think is the best review of ML!):

"“Blockbuster” doesn’t do this scent justice. “Ballbuster” is more like it. Mazzolari Lui is a sock in the jaw, delivered effortlessly by a guy sporting dark sunglasses and two days’ worth of carefully cultivated stubble. It’s muscular leather, bold woods, tobacco, and a hint of smoke, all swirling around a core of blazing, animalic patchouli strong enough to put hair on Fabio’s chest. Even the powdery woods in the drydown have external genitalia. A healthy dose of sharp, aromatic lavender contributes a touch of the barbershop (which is where the house of Mazzolari started), but this barber’s place is full of hulking Mafiosi with 45s in their ankle holsters and stilettos up their sleeves. These aren’t the loutish guys with heavy Brooklyn accents – no, they’re well dressed and elegant, with all of their brutality concealed beneath their custom tailored suits.

With all of its steroids and testosterone, Mazzolari Lui out-Antaeuses Antaeus, knees Bois du Portugal in the nuts, and eats Parfum d’Habit for breakfast. It’s not the animalic brew of civet, castoreum, and costus root you’ll find in Muscs Koublaï Khän either: it’s nowhere near that “pretty” or seductive. Nor is it as stark and dry as Yatagan, even if it’s just as bold. No, this one is very much its own animal, and that animal is male. Mazzolari Lui is a masterpiece, no doubt, but I haven’t found the circumstances under which I’d wear it. If you do, just make sure to use it very sparingly. The sillage and projection are both nuclear, and though the stuff smells great, two full sprays of it are probably enough to empty the room."

Secretions Magnifiques:



There's clearly a formidable intelligence at work behind this stuff. Unfortunately, it's at work in the service of evil. This odor is like a well-managed concentration camp.

The first few seconds seemed like a fairly innocuous floral and cilantro composition, and my first thought was, "What's the big deal?" It didn't take long, however, for that cilantro to turn toxic and metallic. Not only did it smell awful, it made everything I smelled after it that day smell awful. I found myself growing anxious and even a bit depressed. My dreams that night were dark, troubled dreams.

If this actually smelled like the semen depicted on the bottle it would smell raunchy, but at least it would smell like Life. This smells like Death. If someone sat next to me on the subway wearing this and I didn't know what it was, I would assume they were terminally ill and, whether I could manage to do it subtly or not, would quickly try to move away. If that's the effect you want to have on others, and assuming you can stand it yourself, then by all means wear this thing.

Innovation in the art of perfumery is certainly welcome, but there's a not insignificant difference between innovation and facile provocation. Incorporating unpleasant elements into a composition while retaining beauty and interest is one thing, but offensiveness for its own sake is another. The only thing I appreciate about this atrocious olfactory experiment is that, by crossing that line, it has clarified my own sense of where the line resides. Feral, animalic, even fecal notes can be made to work in perfumery, but anything suggestive of illness and/or toxicity makes aesthetic contemplation difficult as the instinct for self-preservation kicks in. Any perfume that asks me to suspend that (rather essential) instinct in order for me to get its "point" is asking far too much--especially if I'm paying for the privilege.

I generally try to allow a wide berth for differences in taste, but in the case of SM (the initials are telling), I have trouble imagining that anybody would wear it except as an act of willful perversity or to make some kind of pretentious statement--one that will fall on deaf ears, as its intended recipients will be too busy inching away and wondering why the wearer isn't in a hospice yet.
© Floatingpoint

Pluran's review of Yohji Homme

Yohji Homme by Yohji Yamamoto

Yohji Homme is an amazing balancing act between the comfort of light and easy abstract gourmand notes and the silvery soapy effervescence of an energetic fougere (fougeres are generally masculine and are based on the interplay between an accord of lavender, coumarin and oakmoss). The immediate vetiver-coffee-rum accord with some fresh bergamot and lavender is still one of the best things I’ve ever smelled, but it’s only one of the integral parts of the overall fragrance. It’s a serious fragrance that’s much darker, pricklier and more mono-maniacally focused than first impressions might lead you to believe. The accords are rich, natural and complex on a level with Patou pour Homme, and while they feel comfortable and smell outrageously good, the fragrance wears relatively deep, dark, grey and aloof like the good fougere that it is. References to gourmand are misleading in many ways, but primarily due to the fact that there are no heavy oriental features in Yohji Homme. Once you’re into the genius middle whose spices and florals are such a paragon of blending, the fragrance also begins to recall an anisic-salty accord similar to Rive Gauche pour Homme. It then morphs into a woody-earthy-leathery base of rosewood, cedar, sandalwood (probably Mysore), oakmoss, grassy vetiver, light amber, castoreum (to keep it fleshy), and soft leather, all of it as smooth and compelling as the most perfect feminine bottom after a day at the spa. The fragrance is intensely rich and durable but wears easy enough to take damn near anywhere. The longevity is a good seven or eight hours, never loud or bothersome, and with sillage radiating at an appropriate masculine range of no more than three or four feet. There are few to compare with its quality and character, and there is no better example of masterful blending, especially when you know that it was years in the making and created by Jean-Michel Duriez while working under Jean Kerleo at Patou. For all practical purposes it was actually a joint creation, and while it’s a different structure than Patou pour Homme, Yohji’s heart reveals a whiff of Patou pour Homme’s most compelling accord involving Tonka, cinnamon, vetiver, sandalwood, cedar, oakmoss, castoreum and who knows what else.

Most of the comparisons to Yohji Homme are tedious and of little interest. This thing inspires greatness, and I would put it on a level above Patou pour Homme (and most anything else) regarding its standing in the long history of perfumery. Once you really know it, there is nothing even remotely like it, and hopefully there will be another creation of its magnitude in the coming years. I’m sure some perfumer is carrying around a great accord in his head right now and he or she just needs to find the rest to go with it. That’s the way the great ones usually get created.

For what it's worth, my girlfriend likes scents like Yatagan, Rive Gauche pour Homme, Loewe pour Homme, and a few others, and Yohji Homme is usually included in that list. On the other hand, she dislikes intensely things like Lolita Lempicka au Masculin, Rochas Man, and some of the others that have been mentioned in comparison to YH. I also have relatively zero connection to most of those fragrances (most of them are exceedingly soft, sweet, and generally just heavily f*cking repulsive) and I ultimately find no similarities in the overall feel to Yohji Homme in any of them.

Here's a big, slick thumb coming at you for this luxurious masterstroke fragrance.

This is my favorite review of Michael Storer's Winter Star...by Divatologist:

I am actually wearing Winter Star as I type this and I just had to do my review today. I must say that this is one of the best spicy/woodsy/oriental type fragrances I have smelled thus far. I absolutely love Winter Star. Michael Storer "put his big toe in this one". That's what us country folks like to say when something taste good. I didn't taste it, but Honey it smells that damn good. It is definitely a unisex fragrance. Winter Star reminds me alot of the hankey perfumes from India. It lasts until you wash it off and you might still have a little trace after that even. You only need a couple of sprays of this, but "Diva" has a tendency to be a bit heavy handed with it cause I just love it so. If you want longevity and sillage, then Winter Star is definitely what you want.

Now it does have a bit of "skanky" business going on. It's skanky in a good way though if that's possible...*giggle*. It's skanky like you're in a night club and the hottest sexiest song comes on. You've already danced about 3 songs with this hot & sexy guy and you're both wet with sweat. The sexual tension mounts and your attraction becomes magnetic. This song draws you closer to the point you're almost in his shirt and your bodies move in one sexy synonymous motion. The smell of sweat and cologne, and perfume, and pheromones, and you can feel his heart beat in his....Oh Child!! Diva needs a moment. Oh Yeah Honey! Winter Star is skanky like that. You just smell Winter Star and it evokes 'sex'iness instantly.

Believe me when I say that Michael Storer is the man!! Winter Star is definitely a "STAR"! It's like no other fragrance you have ever smelled before. If you love spicy/woodsy/oriental/incense/hankey perfume type fragrances, then you definitely have to try Michael Storer's Winter Star.

This is one from hermeneus of Hammam Bouquet:

For a fragrance so heavy on the flowers, it’s surprisingly un-floral if you take women’s perfumes of the same family as a standard. You cannot mistake this for such a one; it’s unequovically a man’s scent. This dandy isn’t even confused about his sexual orientation. He’s just come from the Turkish baths, where he’s been frolicking with the proprietor’s daughter, and as he leaves the barber’s shop he casts a lascivious glance at the newly-wed countess across the street. But his mind quickly wanders to other promises of the heart of the British Empire, and as he swings his priapic walking-stick and heads home to change for the evening, the sunset takes on the smell of roses and the moon rises into clouds of jasmin and lavender.

What really makes this scent so fascinating is that it turns an English meadow into an exotic jungle, each soft flower having the shade of soil, sweat and danger. It’s as musky as it is floral, as daring and provocative as it is stylish and classic, as animalic as it is gentlemanly, but above all it is natural and naturally classy. A social lion indeed!

08 August 2006

I love the imagery!

(P.S. A true aristocratic dandy woud bathe in his own home and shave himself with his own set of ivory straight razors, then douse himself with his perfume. Hammams/bath houses and barber shops were for the less well-heeled.)

Our esteemed OP might appreciate this classic. Naed_Nitram (again) gets tops marks for this review of Domenico Carecini 1913.

"The Baron de Charlus once told me: "According to the estimable Mario Justiniani, I should love this scent. Sadly, no. Certainly, this is a decadent, hothouse, highly androgynous fragrance, but not in any intriguing way, or so my nose and imagination inform me. Instead, we are treated to a fairly relentless assault of sickly, sweet roses with a definitively cloying and synthetic feel to them. It put me in mind of certain of the scents of Frederic Malle (not many of which I admire).
The association with vampires, mentioned by one reviewer, was unfortunately lost on me. Indeed, I am positive that not one of the vampires of my acquaintance would be seen dead or undead in this fragrance. On the other hand, it did put me in mind of certain overheated salons which my position in society obliges me to endure -- invariably filled with pampered, elderly ladies whose conversation is as suffocating and tedious as their fragrance.
In the domain of decadent dandy's scents, there are far more interesting choices: Anucci Man, Sybaris by Puig, possibly even Frederic Malle's own Musc Ravageur. In the realm of roses, there are also far more intriguing creations: for instance, Alain Delon's Iquitos or, even better, Parfums de Rosine's Rose d'Homme.
Much as I admire certain reviews of the admirable Mario, I am afraid I have nothing good to say of Domenico."

The best review of Varvatos Vintage (Mario Justiniani)

" Pray continue your most interesting narrative, Watson "

" But Holmes! How on earth am I to make sense of a fragrance that is launched two years after its namesake, and yet has the audacity to call itself 'vintage'? "

At this the great detective judicioulsy applied a small amount of Oliver Creed's Vintage Tabarome, lit his pipe, injected cocaine, and began to play his violin.

" Elementary, my dear fellow. These Americans have released this brown bottle for the benefit of young puppies who have hitherto applied the somewhat brash--not to say vulgar-- original J.V. with devastating effect upon the fairer sex, luring many an innocent serving girl to her ruin. "

I rose to my feet in horror. " But Holmes, this is monstrous! If they have, as you claim, practiced such villainies by way of the intoxicating nature of J.V. then what possible motive could they have by introducing a 'vintage' variant? "

My friend cut me of with a wave of the hand. " They have grown greedier, Watson. They are no longer content with mere seduction. They have added tobacco and toned down some of the more obvious puerile notes. Their motive is to regard themselves as sophisticated, well to do, mature and respectable whilst pursuing their sordid affairs."

Holmes exhaled a weary sigh. " Watson, they wish to regard themselves as gentlemen. "

OH, MAN - LMAO!

These reviews are all awesome, but that last one nearly knocked me out of my chair!

Caron Third Man (1985) Winner - Foetidus.

"One of my favorite movies—I should have taken it as an omen and blind-purchased this one before I purchased Yatagan, Pour Un Homme, and La Anarchiste. Le 3me Homme is so much better than those others.
The opening sparkles with aromatics led by a softened lavender and supported by bergamot and sweet fruit notes. This is a brilliant accord and immediately it reminded me of a tamed down DK Men. (I had forgotten that Milamber mentioned the similarities in his excellent review of DK Men, but I remembered his comment as soon as I smelled the opening notes of 3me Homme.) I find this accord captivating and, for a while, I had hoped that this would be a linear fragrance so that it would keep on pumping out those invigorating aromatics. But it doesn’t. Maybe even fragrances have to grow up.
The middle tones present a little different story: The mid notes carry the same motif as the opening, but the florals join with the more mature and mellowed aromatics and create a softer, rounder, less frantic picture. In spite of the understated drama of the opening, this is also a mellow fragrance. By the mid notes it is breathing an ease wrapped up in a translucent and exciting tension.
The final scenes of this fragrance are apt and fitting. A very muted aromatic / sweet ambiance is maintained while significant woodnotes—cedar, fir, vetiver, and patchouli—are added. For sweetness there are the discreet tonka and vanilla taking second and third place to an excellent amber. As in most men’s fragrances of the era, there is an identifiable musk note, too. The cedar and fir not only add woodnotes, but also continue the wonderful aromatic precedence. The base notes last for hours and hours.
Le 3me Homme is a near flawless fragrance in its design and its output. It carries with it an energy and an ease that are unique and precious for those willing to experience its message. What a treasure!."