The notes sound great! I’m hugely nostalgic about the original Tommy so news of this release is welcome in this camp.

When this opened I thought to myself...oh no! It's a hugely generic, messy modern blob of designer crap! My attitude has mellowed slightly because it is indeed a quality perfume but still not entirely to my tastes. Comparisons to oud minerale and Armani BT are fair enough, you get that salty sea vibe which I equate to an ambergris smell, kinda warm but with salty undertones. The clary sage is very obvious and the usual juxtapostion you get in Piguet fragrances of dumping a load of tonka, orris and vanilla in for good measure adds to the designerish versace eros maybe even a little Invictus type vibe this has. Basically many cooks conspiring to spoil the broth...but that's the fashion. The drydown is a lot more of that hand cream, fresh but off putting smell that you get in these sea breeze fragrances, but clearly some people love this vibe. I've got to say that this stuff is strong and long lasting I had one of those feeble cardboard sample things which dispensed a meagre 0.3 of a ml of fragrance and it's enough for me. I don't want to blast it too much because it does have complexity, and depth and somethings which I like about it...but it's not a keeper.

I didn't know what to expect from this fragrance, I'd seen it and it stood out due to the fact it's not in the usual FM label format. I've always been limited to trying FM fragrances as I have to order samples because no stores near me stock them. Thankfully that has changed now so I got to finally try this and I have to say it's very nice. The style is similar to both Musc Ravegeur and the custard like vanilla of Guerlain's L'Art a Matiere line. However this has a sensual and slightly brutal floral kick in the form of strong musk (at least in the beginning) and saffron. When this earthy, slightly rough, musky nature is curdled into a soft creamy, gourmand, milk with touches of nutmeg and tonka on a sandalwood base, it becomes something very special indeed. In the same way I feel about Musc Ravageur, as much as I enjoyed it, Dries van Noten is one of those 'when do I wear it?' type of fragrances. I own Musc Rav but it doesn't get worn very much, I suspect this is slightly more versatile and I am genuinely considering adding it to my wardrobe because I really liked it.

So 'Chasing the dragon' (or 'smoking heroin' as it's less colloquially known) has a feminine side and it's just as intoxicating as the name would suggest. The opening is very nice indeed and you get more of the subtle warmth and nuance before it becomes a combination of white and yellow flowers. Ylang ylang can be a really lovely thing and there's a jasmine note in here but it's not typical. I'll be honest I don't know what Muguet or Narcissus are, but I get a nearly tuberose smell from this, it's basically a very heady floral scent. There's a smooth vanilla type feel super creamy and nice. I'm not one to complain about price but I believe these are right up there in price, but I think value will very much be in the eye of the beholder. I liked it, and I like the way Euphoric tied in with Hypnotic which I felt had similar floral notes in as well. I think the quality is good but it wasn't the super strong and lasting scent I thought it would be from the opening. Don't get me wrong performance is very good, just not atomic like some white/yellow florals of this calibre.

So this was the last one I tried from Michel Almairac's brand and probably had the most lasting impression. He's somebody I recently wrote about as not really a one hit wonder but someone who hasn't been as prolific as some perfumers. Maybe this is just because he's done lots of stuff that I wouldn't neccesarily gravitate towards. (most scents marketed for women) If you look at his back catalog he's been consistantly working but considering the fact he created one of the most seminal fragrances of the last 30 years, maybe I wrongly expected to have had more hits from him? However, Parle Moi de Parfum is a really eclectic showcase of his talent. This being a prime example. Now I'm a sucker for a tropical, fruity notes in perfume but it's rare that they don't end up smelling like cheap shampoo, Chypre Mojo just about manages it though. The mango note is MASSIVE and grows from the initial spritz of bergamot and lighter weight citrus into a full grown, fleshy tropicana juice of a fragrance. I was really excited when the SA told me that it was mango and carnation but although clearly floral I didn't get a typical carnation experience from Chypre mojo. Carnation is pretty complex though and The overriding quality smell in here is almost one of resins, maybe labdanum? something in there driving it anyway. I absolutely loved it though, maybe more feminine leaning and totally bonkers really but if you enjoy a cocktail or a fruity smelling fun fragrance but with serious quality this could be for you?

A darkly spiced, dry vetiver, the oud is a cleaner base for the potent earthy, herbal scent to sit upon. This is another surprising Papyrus (a note I thought I didn't like incidentally) along with Clive Christian E I've tried recently. This has much more of a traditional origin in things like GPH1 and CdG 2 Man and more pariferally Wonderoud and Encre Noire. To be fair to this it actually transitions further than any of the ones mentioned above, changing from an obvious masculine oud opening to spicy smoked woods and then earthy drydown. There's clearly incense and maybe hints of patchouli with papyrus and vetiver looming large. This stuff is great. I really enjoyed it.

A massively sharp citrus and cedar fragrance in the opening, really unrelenting and woody as hell. The cedar starts to turn a trifle pissy for me but it's no where to the extent of some other intense cedars I've tried. Woodpecker seems to just about keep it in check before drying down further to a lovely but slightly lacking, warm woody drydown. On skin it was a nice transition but at no point was I wowed, the card I sprayed and put in my car actually still smells superb. I couldn't really get the iris but the card one, doesn't smell entirely of cedar so I've no reason to doubt it's there. I could see why some might rave about this, I'm less enthusiastic but I liked it somewhat.

Now could it just be the fact I saw name before I sampled it but I reckon this perfume does a very good job of evoking Christmas vibes. Although it's through a means I wouldn't necessarily associate with the festive season, ie: Orange blossom. The custard like feel of vanilla and orange blossom's smoothness do work extremely well together and give an almost eggnog vibe. There's a hint of fruitiness at the back of Guimauve de Noel and a caramel/toffee gourmand nature throughout, and then deep into the base. I'll be honest I never thought I would be but I'm actually quite taken with this. Simple composition but executed with clarity, I'm guessing gourmand fans would like it and white floral lovers wouldn't kick it out of bed either. If Francis Kurkdjian did a gourmand, I think it would probably come out like this.

Hmmmm...there’s no way these are the only notes. I got the promotional material with them and I don’t recall it listing notes but I should double check really. I think both the male and female versions of this release have incredibly opulent openings, complex floral and sensual in the extreme. I get why people are slightly against them, due to price and performance etc...but I think this is a brand where if price is an issue you really ought not to be considering them. The opening to me is a kind of intense, boozy, gourmand, definite warm spices in there and the cherry element does come through backed with a heart of florals. I’d say jasmine or tuberose or something, definitely more feminine leaning to my nose. The drydown is a soft vanillary, smell with more of that cherry edged vibe, but it’s definitely not what I was expecting. Hypnotic is broadly speaking more woody and masculine In the base than Euphoric. I’d say both the perfumes in this release fulfill the promise of an intoxicating, narcotic experience if only limited to the opening 30 mins or so because although I only applied a tiny amount and am still yet to wear properly, Hypnotic was fairly short lived. On the whole I really liked the mixture of gourmand and floral spices it was certainly like nothing I’ve tried before and that to me at least counts for something.

I absolutely loved it. Every note shines. I need to eat some humble pie about this brand, not that I’ve ever slagged them off and I’ve only really tried Burning Barbershop which I thought was a good concept but I wasn’t that fond of it. The name is probably a reference to the pixies song, considering the kind of hipsterish origins of the brand, I think it’s likely. I love the way it opens, uncompromisingly green, slightly tinged with fruit and citrus but evolving into a positive fig smell. The note starts to become more creamy, a milky fig with a hint of coconut. The soft woods and iris in the base finish it off perfectly travelling from a sharp, leafy, green fragrance, to a natural fig that’s a little mouth watering and philisykos like, into milky summery coconut woods and then a kind of grown up quality base which smells great after several hours. I thought debaser was smooth and a superb concept, vividly realised. I don’t have many fragrances like this so I reckon this is going on my list.