I'm not going to criticize Tom Ford (or Fraud) for this this creation due to it's name. I'm no Arab but I don't think it's takes one to tell that the note breakdown at least is not evocative enough of Arabian purfume...one would think. Yes we all think of Oud and Incense but are they really such authentic Arabic ingredients? What's wrong or not authentic about Oakmoss, Rose, sandalwood? I really don't know? Like I said I'm no expert so I will give Tom Ford the benefit of the doubt on this one. Anybody else who's not an expert should too! The more pertinent problem I have with Arabian Wood is that I simply don't like it all that much. I get Cedar, oakmoss a hint of rose and just lots of masculine woods. This fragrance is nothing special at all and to me is very ordinary male oriented and a real let down for the private blend.

Reading my review below...What an idiotic boob I was some 5 years ago. I've dug out an old sample of this and I'm wearing it today, maybe (definitely) my tastes have changed over that time. I still kinda see what I meant but I'm probably more nostalgic about Arabian wood because it's discontinued in a forbidden fruit kinda way? That is a bit of a stupid reason because I think it's due to the sheer quality of this fragrance. As for my criticism of exactly how Arabic is AW, Well what could be more middle eastern than roses, jasmine, precious woods and resin? That's what this is, a primarily floral perfume with a healthy dose of oakmoss and woods to keep it honest. I think it's clean & beautiful but at the same time has that velvety smooth and sexy, Turkish delight darkness of TF Noir de Noir. Sometimes you have to stand back to appreciate great art and that's what I've done here. It's strong and projecting like mad. Rose and floral perfumes, however nice initially, usually start to get on my nerves after a while and this hasn't. AW is decent and makes me feel a bit special wearing it too, because of the perfect mixture of care free flamboyance and masculinity. I think what I expected in my original review was more sandalwood or oud because of the name but this has a much more refined and subtle edge than many arabic perfumes.

I've tried this about 3 times on my skin, over a number of months and I've got a feeling Eau Duelle could grow on me through further investigation. It's very unique I can't think of anything I've smelled that resembles this, almost like a combination of notes that shouldn't work but somehow just do. Resinous spice, tea, juniper, cardamom, ambergris, musk and then vanilla! It sounds like a 'shitmix' as I affectionately called a plastic bottle mixture of whatever booze I could steal from my parents spirit cabinet when I was a kid. Needless to say these concoctions (usually a dark brownish hue) were not a smooth carefully blended cocktail, more of a burning firewater with no discernible genus. Anyway...that's exactly what I'd expect from this especially with the vanilla being so integral in its make up but its not at all confused. Eau Duelle has a lightness of touch which really lets the spices play around without being able to pick out the notes as such. The frankincense and elemi are present and surprisingly work well with the vanilla. Without further testing I'm at a bit of loss. I know I like it or I wouldn't keep returning to it and this could potentially be one of my favourites from this house.

I'm not surprised the notes in this rhyme... Lavender, Lemon and Lime, Pepper, Musk and Pine. It strikes a great balance similar to all the Penhaligon's I've sniffed out. Perfectly natural sharp citrus of Lemon and Lime(you can really smell both) with calming Lavender. The drydown yields a little pepper and gentle musk. My only criticism is that the combination of top notes give this a cleaning product type of vibe and I'm not one who usually says that about overly lemony or lavender fragrances because it's too easy to go there. At the end of the day I like and accurate citrus also love lavender and I like the subtle pinch of pepper, just works. This still has an elegance about it, Penhaligon's just pulls it off and Blenheim Bouquet has a clean feel but it's not the best offering from them although inoffensive and wearable.

At last!!! I finally have '...the Butt Plug of male perfume' as Mark (Robes08) called it on one of his videos. I blind bought it as it's one of those ones that comes up again and again and I figured it sounded like a safe bet. Firstly, the comparisons with Givenchy play intense alone made me want this juice as if it's anything remotely like it then it's in very good territory. As soon as I sprayed Rochas man I realised how soft it was the smell really takes time to settle and I actually get a great deal of fresh citrus in those first few seconds, then it becomes more apparent what this fragrance is all about. A very subtle vanilla, milky coffee and lavender comes through and to me it seems iced and refreshing not warm and decadent. Without referencing Givenchy Play Intense I was immediately reminded of it as this dries down and understandably so. If you then try Givenchy Play Intense side by side with this you realise there's big differences in notes. To me this is less sweet and more coffee like, it also is softer and stays closer to the skin. Anyone who has this and doesn't have Play Intense don't make the mistake of thinking you don't need it. My personal taste dictates that if you like this (which I do) you will love The Givenchy as it's an amped up, more gourmand, sexier, sweeter, stronger, more complex and longer lasting fragrance than this one. That's my view... but Rochas man has it's merits as a close skin scent which I must say, I really enjoy. Talk of the sweetness here is not that accurate, sure its sweet but the coffee (although really subtle) gives it a bitterness and reminds me of Lolita Lempicka Au Masculin as much as it does of Play intense. Anyway...my verdict is that It's worth a go for a blind buy and the kind of scent I will wear pretty regularly. My inital thoughts were it's a winter scent but actually that soft, cooling, calming vibe might be more suited to a summer evening in hindsight. This is a great juice and right up my street.

From a fragrance collectors point of view I want one of these He Wood bottles so bad just to have in my collection. I love woody fragrances but there's just something really wrong with the opening of these fragrances. To be fair they're all about the base notes and how they dry down but if the opening and first hour or two is awful then it just puts me off. This one is a real offender in this department, an astringently harsh paint thinner, turpentine type of a vibe in the opening. I love violet accords in various guises but this is all wrong! My girlfriend said it reminded her of ..."a damp wood working tool shed." and I thought...I wish it reminded me of that! I'd take that over what I got from it...I surpose you keep turps in your shed so maybe that was it? Anyway...gets woodier and better in the dry down and I get the wetness of wood that it's supposed to have but it's not sexy or weird like an Encre Noire. Don't like it...such a shame.

Okay....So I've revised my opinion on the He Wood range of fragrances especially this one as the others didn't irk me as much as Ocean wet wood. I just generally had a problem with the harsh, unnatural opening which to me went against what I considered to be the aim of the brand, I mean what could be more natural than wood? I don't like the misuse of the word 'synthetic' particularly as it displays a lack of understanding about modern perfumery but when used convey a 'cheapness' I understand the sentiment and to me this used to apply to this fragrance. However, I've changed my mind somewhat and the drydown and base notes of these woody fragrances are what they're all about. Wet wood is the most mellow and aquatic of the lot in actual fact with a milder violet accord from the original. I've taken it off my hate list anyway can't believe I was so offended by it in the first place? I put it down to olfactory fatigue and a badnoseday!

I have to reflect the sentiment of other reviews on this, truth is I'm not sure what the notes listed here are all about...dried fruit etc? Granted some notes are just evoked by others without actually containing those ingredients. I get a tobacco type accord with honey and Iris but this is not one of the better more distinctive Diptyques for me...and if you like these notes there's probably stronger choices out there. Having said that it really ain't bad either and will require more investigation to make a final decision.

My oh my oh my!!! I'd read and watched every review I could on this one before I got it as a blind buy. The amount of respected reviewers I'd listened to saying how amazing this fragrance was and how it surpassed expectations at this price point etc... I still had reservations until I got my nose on it. To be honest all those glowing reviews don't even come close to doing it justice this is a phenomenal fragrance and I don't say it lightly... a true MASTERPIECE. It's blown me away...I couldn't wait to unbox it and when I sprayed it on my hand I waited for a few moments before smelling it, all the while my mind racing at this exciting prospect. Before I could get my nose on it I was treated to a sneak peek, a waft emanating from my hand at about waist height...It was instant love at first sniff! The moment it entered my nostrils my first thoughts were disbelief at how expensive and opulent this smells, although the reviews I'd seen had warned me of exactly that, nothing prepared me for it. 24 Gold is such a magnificent blend of notes that you get everything in the opening a very, sweet amber, jasmine, ylang ylang and anise which create a kind of spicy, middle eastern incense vibe with the sandalwood in there too. This must be contributing to the sweetness and it's almost edibile sweet. The opening is so hardhitting... an epic bombardment, it reminds me of something from Amouage. The Oud is very evident to my nose it the first hour or so it has exactly the strange quality that lots of 'Oud based' fragrances lack (It actual smells of oud!)and that's not even what this scent is all about. It has a vanilla through it too which keeps it creamy and rounds off any sharp edges the vanilla gets more and more apparent into the drydown. It's a strange reminder of elements from lots of high quality niche fragrances I love...Clive Christian C, Amouage Interlude man, Armani Prive Royal Oud/Myrrhe Imperiale and MFK Oud...without being like any of them! So fairly complex you would think? Not really. It's because when a scent is this good you can just take it at face value and you don't dissect the notes just sit back and enjoy the experience. As for the image... a sweet scent with strong branding and massive projection and silage in a gold bottle...sounds familiar huh? Don't get me wrong and no offense to 1 million but this is in another galaxy. Finally, I've been aware of this line of frags for sometime and heard people mention the Jack Bauer connection I thought jokingly...even when I saw the digitally displayed letters on the box I never thought it was actually a concept based on the hit TV series. I never really watched 24 to be honest but if Jack Bauer smelled like this no wonder he was so effective at counter terrorism. The terrorists must've been mesmerized by his princely aroma, like a deer in the headlights. I'd have told him whatever he wanted to know, with no torture necessary. This fragrance has everything going for it and is an instant favourite.

Wearing this today and it's really good, fresh but not too fly away and with a definite masculine edge. The citrus opening is all too familiar to the majority of the ADP's I've tried. It's a very natural fruity smell that is sharp and bracing then becomes slightly spiced. I think this is a really well put together fragrance and oozes easy going sophistication without being anything special. After the initial citrus, there's a touch of soapy blossomy neroli but not too much. Then the ginger, benzoin and myrrh become apparent and I for one am happy with the way this fragrance is going. The drydown is amazing frankly...I love how that freshness and citrus beginning can mask all those subtle base notes underneath. I never imagined it would drydown with a deep spicy, leathery, warm skin type aroma that's incredibly masculine. This is the complete opposite of Essenza di Colonia which has a even more pleasant fruity/citrus opening then the base is totally aloof! Intensa is really good juice and the ideal gift for a man who likes to smell good but doesn't want to make a huge statement.

So...Zen at last I found you and I was not at all disappointed. A great fragrance, has a fresh sparkling feel with a fruity musk vibe. Definite nashi pear note in the top, vague florals (which is a good thing) and a soft musky suede drydown. What's great about this scent is it seems familiar but is actually quite unique as it goes and I'd rather wear this than some of the fresh designer scents out there. I have to say I really love the white heat edition version but I suspect this will have better performance in projection terms as it is a bit stronger and less subtle. Shiseido Zen is a casual scent that could be worn everyday and has a clean non intrusive vibe...great contemporary bottle design too! I enjoy it.

Been looking for somewhere that stocked this and the original Zen for a long long time. I've even tracked down rarer niche fragrances faster than this one but I was determined not to blind buy it even though I kind of knew what to expect. Was I right though? Absolutely! I'd have been happy with this as a blind buy. What a great smell! It opens with angel chorus, flourishing harps and birdsong! Nah... not really but it might as well do. It opens with a freshly squeezed, sweet, juicy tangerine and citrus note(well hassaku anyway) and a slightly floral vibe but very very soft with a minimal sandalwood. It's only the creamy element of the sandalwood and as I mentioned, very subtle indeed. I don't get much mint but I do get an Ice cold, refreshing vibe that for me makes Zen white heat edition a great achievement. If you can find it (I had to go to a Shiseido make up counter) get it! You won't find many better fresh fragrances, really the smell of this is excellent and a welcome alternative to the usual designer fodder. It's very soft, I only tried it on my hand but I could imagine the longevity to be avaerage and the scent will stay close to the skin. So soft in fact it could be considered feminine but not at all to me I'm definitely going to get this one.