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Bang! Kinda like it!

post #1 of 42
9/11/10 at 4:37pm
Thread Starter 
I got to try Bang, the new Marc Jacobs, yesterday in London, and I was pleasantly surprised by it. It's definitely a heavi-ish vetiver scent with hints of pepper. I like that the pepper makes it slightly dirty, but not really animalic, which makes it more interesting than Guerlain's Vetiver.

However, I feel that there's something rather artificial about it; is that the Super E Iso? Even from one spritz to my forearm, the fragrance is rather strong and I imagine might be overwhelming if sprayed on the neck.

I've only given it a small spritz, so I need to test it further, but my initial impression is that it is a worthy vetiver to have for vetiver fans. What do you think?
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post #2 of 42
9/11/10 at 6:02pm
To me, it's a different beast on me than out of the bottle. I saw that it got largely panned in the existing Marc Jacob's BANG thread (that I can't locate for some reason)...

True, it's pepper + pepper + ISO E + pepper with some vetiver in there somewhere; however on me, it goes straight to a skin scent that's rather spicy and somehow worked on me (compliments alone helped me come to that conclusion).

I also like it. Bought a small bottle of it.
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post #3 of 42
9/11/10 at 6:22pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by gerbick View Post

True, it's pepper + pepper + ISO E + pepper with some vetiver in there somewhere...

Yeah, that's it for me! I do like it - definitely on my watch list. It's almost TOO woody and peppery for me - very nice.
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post #4 of 42
9/11/10 at 7:44pm
I'm waiting for it to show up at online discount stores. I am definitely getting a bottle of it.
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post #5 of 42
9/11/10 at 9:26pm
I really like it too - that opening blast of hot pepper is almost literally mouthwatering to me - but get what you say about a vague "artificial" buzz somewhere in there as well. I don't find it offensive, though, and it dries down to a really warm and comfortable skin scent on me. Now if only I can make that bottle stop tipping over on my shelf ...
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post #6 of 42
9/12/10 at 2:22am
I really like it too. Bought a bottle.

I'm a big fan of Cacharel Pour Homme, and Bang is like a not so distant relative to that so it was a no brainer that I'd like it really. Lasts very well on me too.
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post #7 of 42
9/12/10 at 3:10am
hated it. just smelled like pepper to me
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post #8 of 42
9/12/10 at 3:16am
  • dnc
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I bought 50 mls, like it rather than love it. As said it is a pepper lovers heaven with a bit of vetiver and a lot of iso E, and I sometimes get a resinous note. Found it very quiet on first sampling but just multiplied the no. of sprays.

Made me look again at my MB Black Pepper......................so close to being a thing of real beauty and would definitely prefer it to Bang if they could prolong the pepper note.
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post #9 of 42
9/12/10 at 11:14am
I am wearing this right now and i really like it but i have noticed that my co-worker is tearing up and his nose is running and i am afraid its the BANG!
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post #10 of 42
9/12/10 at 12:54pm
The comments that state there is a heavy dose of pepper make me wonder if this is scent is similar to Iceberg The Fragrance (2009). That scent also has a strong pepper/cedar note for the first 1-2hrs. Any thoughts?
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post #11 of 42
9/12/10 at 12:58pm
One word, Sharp....eww
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post #12 of 42
9/12/10 at 2:09pm
Too much of a skin scent for my liking -

I could only smell it if I buried my nose into my skin - I even wore a sample to the gym to see if my body heat increased the scent would awaken .... it didn't happen on my skin.

I have to say the bottle is very seductive and almost lured into making a purchase.
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post #13 of 42
9/12/10 at 2:31pm
It was a bit boring for me - reminded me a bit of Dirty English
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post #14 of 42
9/12/10 at 8:51pm
I wouldn't say hints of pepper, more like freshly ground black pepper by a handful, in any case, i think it has been heavily inspired by Caron's Poivre.
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post #15 of 42
9/12/10 at 8:58pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by castorpollux View Post

I wouldn't say hints of pepper, more like freshly ground black pepper by a handful, in any case, i think it has been heavily inspired by Caron's Poivre.

Right on the nose.(No pun intended) lol
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post #16 of 42
10/1/10 at 5:44am
Love this!!Man, I've worn 3 new fragrances in 3 days...Bulgari Man, Halston Man Amber and Bang and love them all. I will say its only been 2 hours but I don't get the "close to the skin feel" that everyone waas talking about yet. It isn't overwhelming but the sillage is still pretty good where I'm catching whiffs. I love the drydown with the pepper and feels liek a mild cedar to me.Really nice stuff.
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post #17 of 42
10/1/10 at 8:54am
I bought Bang! the first day it was available in my area and I love it, plus I got a free schmedium jacket with it.
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post #18 of 42
10/1/10 at 8:56am
how does Bang compare to LV's Piper Nigrum? is it more peppery than PN?
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post #19 of 42
10/1/10 at 10:24am
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Where Piper Nigrum is the smell of spice rack and some mint Bang is black pepper and woods. In Athesns there is a street where all the spice and herbs shops gather. The air outside the shops smells exactly like PN. Bang is a more clear pepper note. To me Bang is one of the best designer scent releases in ages!
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post #20 of 42
10/1/10 at 12:41pm
I like it, don't love it. It disappears on me, and it's not olfactory fatigue.
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post #21 of 42
10/1/10 at 12:47pm
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I think there is a balance to it: the pepper note is very strong and if it had a stong projection as well it would be too much. It tickles but only if you get really close and that's nice because it is a very sensual scent. Sensual in a way completely opposite to what the ad campain might suggest...
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post #22 of 42
10/5/10 at 7:02am
This is some sexy stuff. I keep updating because I keep getting to wear this more and more. I went on a trip to Boston this weekend with my wife and kids and only sprayed under my shirt/sweater. 2 blasts. ALL DAY I kept getting this beautiful, sexy peppery yet smooth drydown that would come up from my shirt. It was a case where I kept trying to find the guy who smelled good who walked by and it was me. Walking around helped in the cold because then the heat under my clothes helped it get stronger. I will be buying this soon.
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post #23 of 42
10/5/10 at 8:23am
I tested it and found it to be okay. It's nice, but I already have my pepper scent in Burberry The Beat, which kills Bang anyway.
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post #24 of 42
10/5/10 at 11:32am
They were handing this out at Macy's the other day on satin strips (they look like ribbon bookmarks). Anyway, I liked the smell very much.

I will be curious to test on my skin and see how the drydown goes.
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post #25 of 42
10/5/10 at 10:29pm
Bang's alright. My thought was that a drop of CdG 2 Man got spilled into our pepper shaker. Even though I really liked it, when or where would I use it?

So it stayed on Nordstrom's shelf.

BTW, Bang is under lock and key at Macy's in Washington Square. Odd.
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post #26 of 42
10/12/10 at 1:59am
I bought a bottle of this today.

My first reaction was that it reminded me of Comme des Garçons Ourzazate. I didn't need it, but the bottle is without a doubt one of the ten coolest I've ever seen. I'm a fool for a good bottle, and this one is it.

I went from "wow" to "meh" then later to "wow" again. Kind of a deceptive scent. Sometimes the iso e super is exposed a little too much, but there are some cool things going on in this scent that I didn't even detect until after I'd worn it to work and then sprayed on a little after I got home.

I'm going to do a thorough review of this soon.
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post #27 of 42
10/12/10 at 4:09am
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Bang really didn't impress me at all. It's all pepper with tad bit something moisty green (garden?). I wouldn't throw it away if got it as a gift and wouldn't waste time or money to own it.
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post #28 of 42
10/12/10 at 12:06pm
There should be a bottle waiting for me when I get home today. I'll give it a full wearing tomorrow. This will be my last bottle of cologne until Christmas. I have drawn a line in the sand!
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post #29 of 42
10/14/10 at 4:12am
I wore 6 sprays yesterday and by the end of the day I could just barely detect it, but my wife raved about it when she got home.

I like it better than Bvlgari Man and Chanel Bleu. And just behind Aventus among recent releases.
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post #30 of 42
10/14/10 at 6:32am
I smelled it at Macy's the other day. I was really excited because Marc Jacobs is super hot. Then I got really sad because it smelled a nuclear pepper explosion. Icky Not really my thing. Nice if you love pepper though!
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post #31 of 42
10/14/10 at 7:40am
I asked the Nordies SA how Bang was selling last night. As expected, she said it was a hard sell, with all the stark pepper and woods. When I walked up, she didn't even acknowledge its existence, and steered me right to The One Gentleman and some new Issey Miyake flanker. I also asked if maybe Mugler might re-release Pure Coffee to go along with Pure Malt, and she said she hoped so because Coffee sold more than Malt ever did. So hopefully the big retailers are breathing down Mugler's neck about this, and we'll see Pure Coffee again! Anyway, I think she was impressed that I'd even ask such questions, and I walked out with several samples!
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post #32 of 42
10/14/10 at 7:41am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kinok View Post

....Then I got really sad because it smelled a nuclear pepper explosion....

SotD yesterday. Beautiful fragrance. A drier Terre d'Hermes and an understated Declaration. The initial pepper onslaught makes me wonder if "Ka-Pow!" wont have been a better name, except it does not sound as bankable as "Bang". The pepper is so strong it makes me sneeze It brings to my mind the explosive sound effects of Frankie Goes to Hollywood's 1984 hit "Welcome to the Pleasuredome". The middle and base notes are understated but distinct. I still smelt whiffs of bang at the end of the work-day.

A thought: if pepper is used to desensitize dogs from following a scent trail, could the authentic pepper aroma-chemicals of Bang (and other pepper-laden frags) cause a certain level of anosmia in humans? Could this be responsible for variations in perception of longevity in reviews?
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post #33 of 42
10/14/10 at 9:42am
I went to Nord's yesterday and grabbed myself a sample of Pure Malt.

So I'm in there and have no scent on so I decide to give Bang another shot. Give myself a shot to each arm and one to the chest and go on my merry way a happy puppy about my PM sample.

I meet up with one of my female friends and I ask her what she thinks of the cologne I have on and she says she likes it but she'll say that about anything I'm wearing. So I explain that I'm testing this one out and not sure if I like it yet to give me her honest opinion. She gives me a good smell and says it's masculine but it smells like I was in the kitchen, like pepper. She says it's not her favorite but it doesn't smell bad.

All throughout the day I'm craving steak every time I get a pepper whiff. It's not all that bad but really there isn't anything about this cologne that makes me want to wear it. So Bang is still a bust for me.
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post #34 of 42
10/16/10 at 6:24pm
Finally tried it today. Pepper. Bitter lemon. A tiny, insignificant wisp of patchouli and cedar? And then more pepper. Finally, pepper. And a bit of musk. Musky pepper, bordering on armpit odor. More wood, thankfully. And then it's all over.

It's okay, but one-dimensional. I love black pepper and put it on practically everything I eat, but does that mean I want to wear it? If it were backed by something a little richer, muskier, and woodier, perhaps. Bang is distinctive, but thin. Great bottle, though.
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post #35 of 42
10/16/10 at 8:08pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by perfaddict View Post


A thought: if pepper is used to desensitize dogs from following a scent trail, could the authentic pepper aroma-chemicals of Bang (and other pepper-laden frags) cause a certain level of anosmia in humans? Could this be responsible for variations in perception of longevity in reviews?

You may be onto something there.
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post #36 of 42
10/28/10 at 8:55pm
Not bad. Lasts a while, though does not develop into anything more interesting. Pepper, very sharp, almost making you sneeze type of pepper, thats about all I get. Id probably get a small bottle if it was around $25, but it sure as hell aint worth its $60 price tag.
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post #37 of 42
8/13/12 at 7:37am
Nearly two years later, I will say that it is a very good scent. I once wore 6 sprays...WOW, 4 today is too much!

I think it's a 3 shot deal for me. Very clean and professional, and nichey in presentation. I think the components do make the wearer a little oblivious to it, but iso-E does that, I suppose.
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post #38 of 42
8/13/12 at 8:02am
Quote:
Originally Posted by JonnyLeMale View Post

hated it. just smelled like pepper to me

Didn't care for it either.
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post #39 of 42
8/13/12 at 10:55am
This is my favorite designer fragrance of the last few years. You do have to like black pepper, though!
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post #40 of 42
8/13/12 at 11:34am
My wife really likes it on me, more than I do to be honest. I overdid it today with the 4 sprays! But she'll like it this evening.

A guy in my church really liked it when he smelled it on me, so I bought him a bottle as a get-well present after some recent surgery he went through. He and his wife just had their first child recently, so he is progressing nicely.
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post #41 of 42
8/13/12 at 4:58pm
I love BANG and am still waiting to try BANG Blue. Coty seems to always get rid of the few things of theirs that I like. CK One Shock is gone and now this. I hear Encounter is similar, but the Coty rep says it's like a watered down version of Bang.. I should get it this week and we will see.
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post #42 of 42
8/13/12 at 5:22pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by gerbick View Post

True, it's pepper + pepper + ISO E + pepper with some vetiver in there somewhere;

This is not for me.
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