Poorly reviewed fragrance that you like?

[dagawami]

I'm sure you all have encountered fragrances that are very well-reviewed but that you just didn't like. What about the reverse - fragrances that you like a lot but just can't understand why they are so poorly reviewed?

*As a general guideline, poorly reviewed means either fewer than 50% of the total reviews are positive, or the public is so indifferent to it that it has very few reviews.

[Rüssel]

Fahrenheit 32. Slightly more than 50% positive.

Bvlgari Aqva Marine
23 Positive Reviews • neutral 20 Neutral Reviews • negative 18 Negative Reviews

[frostyicy]

Bond no.9 Hamptons comes to mind.

16+
17-
7 neutral

[Ken_Russell]

Another vote for Fahrenheit 32, also, On El- yes, it is vapid and with poor longevity, but even this adds little setbacks to the actual pleasantness of this scent's notes.

[tonghpafu]

Exceptional for Men

Kidding!

[DuNezDeBuzier]

http://www.basenotes.net/ID26129620.html

Serge Noire - at 22/11/11. It's really not the numbers as much as the reviewers that found it less than positive and their reasons. Surprising. Regardless of the lukewarm reception, I went ahead and bought after sampling and am glad I did. Sometime, I can't shake the feeling that I'm experiencing a very different scent than the picture that is painted in some reviews... and this is one of them.

[Diamondflame]

http://www.basenotes.net/ID26129620.html

Serge Noire - at 22/11/11. It's really not the numbers as much as the reviewers that found it less than positive and their reasons. Surprising. Regardless of the lukewarm reception, I went ahead and bought after sampling and am glad I did. Sometime, I can't shake the feeling that I'm experiencing a very different scent than the picture that is painted in some reviews... and this is one of them.

A HUGE +1 on Serge Noire. I'd wear it even if mine was the only positive review.

[foetidus]

+2 on Serge Noire. My review was a luke-warm thumbs up, but I bought SN anyway and in wearing it, it has become one of my top five of all time!

[renperd]

FCUK HIM (original)

[drseid]

Coeur de Vetiver Sacre by L'Artisan (2/7/1). I think a lot of folks were expecting a more pronounced vetiver heart and less spiced Earl Grey Tea... I love Earl Grey, and I love Coeur de Vetiver Sacre too.

[hednic]

Original Aoud

[mlsweeney]

Cefiro by Floris and Joop! Homme by Joop!

I won't defend Joop! Homme, I think it deserves to be slightly negatively reviewed just because it's so risky but I like it.

I don't get why Cefiro was so negatively reviewed. People complained about it being too feminine or too generic. It is a very feminine fragrance but of all of the fragrances I've worn, this has received the most compliments. I don't think it's generic at all, if you were to ask me what a generic citrus scent would be I'd have to go with LIDG. I've only wore it once though so it's an early "no" for me right now.

[Richaki]

Beyond Paradise Men

Not a 5 star scent however I do like this one.

[dougczar]

Exceptional for Men

Kidding!

+ 1. I would never buy it since it is really not my cup of tea, but the sample I tried really wasn't bad. Most negative reviews are probably due to where it came from. A solid neutral IMO.

[jeightseven]

Bleu de Chanel.

One of my favorite cool weather daytime scents.

[Renaissance_Man]

Roberto Cavalli man
Lemon, ginger, lavender, myrrh, leather, musk.

[Bartlebooth]

Crave by Calvin Klein. This is normally the type of fragrance I just know I will hate, but for some inexplicable reason I just smile when I encounter it. The fragrant equivalent of an ohrwurm.....a nasenwurm?

[Sylver]

JPG Kokorico -> i actually find the combo of green notes + cocoa quite unique.
T. Mugler Pure Shot -> i am one of the lucky ones that get very good longevity and projection out of it. I like its smell and received quite some number of compliments.

[Miket]

I'm sure you all have encountered fragrances that are very well-reviewed but that you just didn't like. What about the reverse - fragrances that you like a lot but just can't understand why they are so poorly reviewed? *As a general guideline, poorly reviewed means either fewer than 50% of the total reviews are positive, or the public is so indifferent to it that it has very few reviews.

Setting vintages aside that would be maybe half of the fragrances I own.

Off the top of my head: Lanvin's Avant Garde gets awful reviews and I'm quite fond of it, while their reformulated Vetyver was so widely poo-poo'd it was discontinued and I dig that too, Mandarina Duck Pure Black is one of my favourite modern designer scents and has less than ten reviews here, Cologne du 68 is another and it has maybe one review, D&G la Roue de la Fortune which I'm currently in love with gets poo-poo'd a lot as well, Chopard's Noble Cedar (divine!) is pretty much universally ignored and Noble Vetiver fares little better, while the Montale's I most love: Sandflowers and Wild Pears don't get much attention or love.

A lot of niche stuff I like doesn't get big love, but above two fragrances I paid $750 (shipping included) for namely Shaik no.77 and no.33, and which my wife and I were married wearing have only a single negative review between them, and an incredibly negative review at that. Though they get a bit more love on Fragrantica. However I see these are being about as good as perfume gets and mean to buy the rest of the range when I can.

The only time reviews annoy me though (although unfortunately this happens quite a lot) is when someone will say exactly the same about two fragrances yet in one review it's a good thing and in another it's a bad thing. For example I see quite a few negative reviews on BN which conclude that 'it's clean, fresh and inoffensive and thus boring stupid and worthless.' but then flip to something popular, say Mugler Cologne, and suddenly, 'it's clean, fresh and inoffensive and that's why it's a work of genius!' gotta love the group-think.

[MapOfTheWoods]

Roberto Cavalli man
Lemon, ginger, lavender, myrrh, leather, musk.

Yes. This one surprised me. I read a lot of negativity on it, but when I tried it, I was hooked. I can see how it would not be somebody's cup of tea, Cavalli Man (and Cavalli for Women) really do have something special going for them. You wear it, and it's virtually impossible to smell bad.

- - - Updated - - -

Azzaro Decibel.
I fought it and fought it. My girlfriend won in the end. I bought a bottle. I whined about the hype, and the fact that it just felt wrong... I wore it a few times. I now really enjoy this smoky, spicy, sweet gourmand fragrance, and it works very well in the winter. It's not as youthful as it's being made out to be, since I would personally find it hilarious to smell Decibel on a teen.

[THEREALJWIL]

JPG Kokorico -> i actually find the combo of green notes + cocoa quite unique.
T. Mugler Pure Shot -> i am one of the lucky ones that get very good longevity and projection out of it. I like its smell and received quite some number of compliments.

+ a BIG #1 to PURE SHOT
it has been hated ever since it came out.....it is a good good quality like most if not all of the Mugler for men scents
Bad reputation but it is VERY underrated

[AntonPan]

Fahrenheit 32
Davidoff Hot Water

[bigsteve]

This one gets a bad rap, but my wife and I really like it. Just wish the longevity was a bit better

[dougczar]

I just thought of another that I like quite a bit and seem to be alone on -- Dolce & Gabbana The One Sport. A wonderful sport fragrance (yes, a little soft, but the scent is quite good IMO).

[Jridgen]

Reflection Man by Amouage

[Dane77]

Chanel Jersey... gets 3/2/5 here and dismal reviews on most blogs. I like it a lot - not the best Exclusif, sure, but a rewarding intricate lavender, nonetheless...

[Odorloader]

Pure Shot
Fahrenheit 32

[Bossa Nova]

Legend/Mont Blanc

[silentrich]

I Am King. Ridiculous name, horrid longevity, poor projection, celebrity scent, zero complexity, and sold in drugstores. Should hate it, but I don't.

[mrcologneguy]

Serge Lutens L'Eau. Usually written off as "boring, fresh," it's actually high quality, subtle and complex.

[senore01]

Bleu de Chanel.

One of my favorite cool weather daytime scents.

Completely agree with you. I read so many reviews indicating that this was a boring scent not worthy of the Chanel brand. It turns out that Bleu is a complex, sophisticated scent which many people enjoy. Glad I followed my instincts.

[fragnifiscent]

couldnt agree more

- - - Updated - - -

This one gets a bad rap, but my wife and I really like it. Just wish the longevity was a bit better

couldnt agree more

[lovingthealien]

Tricorn by Caswell-Massey. An amazing amber fragrance.

[staticx]

+1 Bvlgari Man
+1 Bleu De Chanel
Unforgivable by SJ
Bang by MJ......&...



Paul Smith MAN

[The Smelly Scientist]

Bond No. 9 Andy Warhol

[Tonyprince]

I still love Bang! despite what anyone says. I also agree with the fans of Serge Noire.

[jeightseven]

Legend/Mont Blanc

Legend is poorly reviewed? From what i've seen its one of the most liked newer scents out...

[Ete]

Fleur du Male
Pi Neo

[dagawami]

Legend is poorly reviewed? From what i've seen its one of the most liked newer scents out...

Yeah, I wouldn't consider Legend poorly reviewed. It has few reviews on BN, but that's only because it's quite new. It has more reviews on Fragrantica and is quite well-reviewed there.

[ScottyDuzntKno]

Diesel Green

[jasonx]

Interesting spicy aquatic. However, I do admit that the quality of the ingredients are very low and it is synthetic to the max. I do not have my nose in all aquatic but this one is one of the most interesting smell I've encountered in the the genre.

If someone know a fragrance that smell like this but with much better ingredient quality please let me know

[fit&frag'd]

This one gets a bad rap, but my wife and I really like it. Just wish the longevity was a bit better

Huh, my skin chews up & spits out fragrances quickly, but this one actually hangs on quite a while for me.

[VanAllan]

Love them all:
Van Cleef & Arpels Zanzibar
Lancome Miracle Homme
Pal Zileri Sartoriale
Aigner Black for Men
A*Men Sunessence Orage d'Ete

[NewHaarlem]

Dolce & Gabbana The One -- I just love its grapefruit, ginger, and a little bit musky and sweet amber combination. On my skin, it projects moderately and lasts 8+ hours in the warm weather. Though, it performs weaker in the colder seasons.

[Alain27]

Definitely Fahrenheit 32 - it's just soo delicious , so pure and innocent yet so sexy and provocative. I'd rate it at 8/10.
Reformulated D&G PH - Although it may not be as good as the first formulation , I think it's still a decent scent , easy to wear , very versatile , great workhorse frag , can be worn in any season .

[Zgb]

Hugo Boss Hugo Dark Blue

23 Positive Reviews • 8 Neutral Reviews • 14 Negative Reviews - ok, I can ALMOST understand that as it does have that synth problems that occur on me from time to time, but sometimes it reminds me never to discard it or not to have in my collection.

Dolce & Gabbana The One Gentleman

17 Positive Reviews • 11 Neutral Reviews • 11 Negative Reviews - I don't think at all that this is bad + many start "The One" threads, everyone seldom mention The One Gentleman which actually IS stronger and more potent version of the original.

[Chasing the Dragon]

Encounter by Calvin Klein.

Not much love for this one at 3 positive, 9 neutral, and 7 negative reviews. But I think it's pretty great, easily one of the best designer releases of 2012, IMO.

[Darjeeling]

Guerlain Homme - 38 Positive Reviews • 36 Neutral Reviews • 20 Negative Reviews

Like Bleu de Chanel I think this was handicapped by the weight of expectation and history.

[MarkStar]

212 Sexy Man

[staticx]

[dagawami]

Dolce & Gabbana The One -- I just love its grapefruit, ginger, and a little bit musky and sweet amber combination. On my skin, it projects moderately and lasts 8+ hours in the warm weather. Though, it performs weaker in the colder seasons.

How is The One poorly reviewed? It has 70 positive reviews to 18 negative reviews.

[amw9490]

Two would be Le Male and Joop! Homme. Both are sweet and can be cloying, but I love them.

[Profumo Saggio]

In addition to both Bleu de Chanel and Bvgari Man I also like Christian Audigier for Him. This has been out for three years and has generated all of one neutral review here on bn. Sure, it's pretty synthetic but it does get quite a surprising amount of compliments when I do pull it out of the collection every now and then.

[The_Cologneist]

Polo Black:
36 Positive
39 Neutral
30 Negative

Nautica Sunset Voyage:
1 Positive
3 Neutral
4 negative

Banderas: Seduction in Black:
0 Positive
1 Neutral
1 Negative

McGraw:
5 Positive
5 Neutral
7 Negative

Estee Lauder: Pleasures for Men:
12 Positive
12 Neutral
18 Negative

Nickel: Enemy / Ennemi:
0 Positive
0 Neutral
3 Negative

Paul Smith Man:
6 Positive
1 Neutral
6 Negative

[sjg3839]

Beckham Signature

[lupo]

Actually a number of them.
Hypnose Lancome does not have a massive follow-up, so is Kenzo Homme Boisee, and L'Homme Libre, the latter being badly bashed around here
Oh, and L'Air de Rien was negatively reviewed by one of the greatest signature of this forum, Mouchoir de Monsieur. I enjoyed the review immensely, but the way... but I enjoyed the perfume too!

[Bigtruck260]

Gucci by Gucci Pour Homme

[ToughCool]

I'll say what I have everytime one of these goes up

Armani Mania. the reviews here are actually slanted on the positive numbers but it has a bad rep here..as does many Armani's these days. Cedar is a favorite note of mine and the cedar and musk in this is pretty linear. It doesn't project greatly and won't knock your socks off but overall I find it kind of sexy and easy to wear.

Versace Jeans Couture--The bottle is incredibly tacky. It is synthetic. But there is something about this stuff that is green and intriguing and sexy to me. Everyone I knew that smelled it said the same thing....sexy is the word I hear most and see in reviews that are positive. Again, the minimal reviews here are positive but over the years when the Versace line has been mentioned in posts it has been panned pretty badly.

[döfä91]

For me it's Kouros. It's special for me from the 80's . I'm confused about the dislike, because it is afaik the most sold men's fragrance in the world and i remember in the 80's it was really widely liked fragrance.

In 80's i think it was mostly young men's fragrance, typically it was not liked by the middle aged - old men back then.

Also, Narciso Rodriguez for Him

Again, Bleu de Chanel

[FullCollapse]

Another one for Cavalli Man. My dad was wearing it and I eventually stole his bottle, and when I finished that I received another one for Christmas. Its not ground breaking or unique in any way but it is still a great frag. especially for the price. I like to mix it into my rotation just to change things up a bit. Perfect for the office or school and gets a lot of compliments from the ladies as well, not that it matters. I think Ill wear it today as a matter of fact!

I like the Idea of this thread. It just goes to show that you shouldnt follow too closely what other people TELL you to like and just go with what YOU like. Keep following your noses and tune everyone else out!