I enjoy this fragrance for what it is, an east does west, not quite fresh, I'd say more trying to be 'fresh' but with a heavy core. The notes are blended into obscurity but in a good way, a definite opening of citrus which becomes more orange like as the fragrance settles. I'm not sure what pepper smells like in Madagascar but it certainly isn't what I'm used to and there's no sharp spice in here, Chastity is smooth and rounded out. Not quite sure what it reminds me of? I wanted to say more balsamic brews like Scent Story 24 or Loewe Solo...but it's better and more appealing to me than either of those. There probably is patchouli in here bulking up the base and a definite musk, I have to say I really like it and I'm impressed with the few Arabic houses I've sampled recently. Rasasi probably making the most westernized, mainstream type scents but they still have an eastern grandeur to them. The longevity is good and the projection light but meaningful.

Well I feel privileged to be the first reviewer of this scent because it exudes a confident charm. The fact that Francis Kurkdjian is a collaborator is not surprising at all because this has the mark of MFK style perfumes like APOM or Amyris. I'm very suprised there's no white florals listed in the notes here because after a gorgeously fresh opening of citruses and a hint of ginger there's a core of pure orange blossom/neroli. These elements are tempered very well indeed because usually not my cup of tea I find them elegant and respectfully handled. I can see how the soapy spice of cardamom could be a big player in the overall sensation the fragrance gives. Additionally the boost of that waxy floral core serves to prolong the bitter citrus top note of grapefruit making the freshness not a brief flirtation but a more lasting affair. The drydown is warmer too, compared to something in a similar vein...let's say Mugler Cologne and that is perhaps some of that amber coming through? I really can't say for sure but it definitely behaves better on my skin that many seemingly similar fragrances. I'm wearing it today and find it massively enjoyable even more so than the occasional dip into MFK samples. Carven L'eau Intense strikes up a really good balance and that to me is what makes a good fragrance, even when it contains less of my favourite notes. Longevity I can tell already is going to be fairly good for such a delicate scent, especially when it gets on clothes. (I suppose that's not really saying much as most things last on clothing but you know what I mean.) I'm singing L'eau Intense's praises then and about time because I wasn't that keen on the last two revamped releases. This one is a must try and (I'm assuming?) a cheaper alternative for MFK fans.

Hard to pick out the notes in this one, but sandalwood is definitely the basis for this very pleasant creamy fragrance. The opening is a modern smell citrus which does have a hint of pepper but that's more spice from the sandalwood rather than being anything like the original bang. Another noticable difference is that BB lasts quite a while if retreating to a mellow skin scent quickly, I can still smell it a good 6 hours later. I actually really like this as I do with the original but I'm always reluctant to buy because of the poor longevity but in terms of creativity this one is just as innovative and likeable as the pepper bomb. I might well add this to my collection.

A very soft floral vanilla, which in my opinion is just a little too feminine for me to wear and I reckon I have a pretty high tolerance for the soft, sweet and even at times peachy. The opening is a lucious Amber and hints of exotic flowers and some clean white florals, it settles to more of a caramel, vanilla a kind of gourmand Amber. To my nose a very lovely fragrance and in keeping with the excellent releases from this house if you are looking for a vanilla fragrance with very soft edges and great performance then it's worth checking out, just not for method one.

Wow! Posting this review now and looking at Endymions comment I thought exactly the same...surely the original Issey is as fresh as it gets and to some just as irritating. Yeah so my thoughts on a fresh version are...is it going to be one of those watery, cucumber and kiwi summer editions all packaged up in yet another tired new flanker. I was pleasantly surprised though when I smelled it, discovering a nicely nuanced, fresh but masculine addition to the range. Opens with bitter citruses and it almost has something rough of vetiver or oakmoss to it and a peppery twang which rules it out of being just another boring aquatic or really smelling like the Original L'eau d'Issey. It undoubtedly has that DNA but not in anywhere near as full effect as you'd expect. So 'Fraiche' is not the most suitable name for this one it dries down quite earthy on my skin but still with a long lived citrus. In fact the longevity was very very good indeed and is still clinging to clothes days later. I like this outing from IM it's not bad at all and worth consideration among many mundane fresh fragrances like this around.

I definitely tried this perfume before I'm sure of it, there's so many 212 Flankers now it's a little hard to keep track. If you wanted to create a Sexy version of 212 this would certainly be how you'd go about it, much warmer than the original and a generally sweeter, more cozy, oriental feel to the whole thing. Upon re-sampling recently, It reminded me of fragrance flankers like Hot Water, or the older Xeryus Rouge but still with those synthetic and green tones of the original poking through. The overall feel though is one of creamy vanilla, musk, amber and spiced woods which oddly retains quite a masculine demeanor throughout. It's quite a throw away flanker and truly nothing special but I really like it, the same way I did the original in the late 90's. I didn't really pay much attention to the performance but that tells me it can't have been anything remarkable. If I see it marked down in price I'd buy 212 Sexy Men as it's typical of something I might reach for when I'm not sure what to wear.

I have to give it a 'like' because it's not bad...but what is Parisian break? I'd say uber generic piffle. It's mainly Ambroxan to my nose, there's a ton of citrus and sage and its minty too, which reminds me of Invictus/Eros/some Gucci blah...and the recent Sauvage. For all its powdered, homogeneousness (yeah yeah you won't find that in any dictionaries.) it does have something slightly masculine in there could be some vetiver? Not that it's very evident, certainly not worthy of being the top of the vote notes...bizarre. Like I said it's not bad but really doesn't excite me and is even a touch incipid after a while but hey it lasts very well, not that it matters.

Opens with a lushious, sharp, green texture which is fresh and definitely smells of poppy, a floral smell I'm actually familiar with. It's not particularly pleasant or sweet but very naturally, sappy and slightly metallic I also detect a hint of resin in here perhaps galbanum seeing as it's a lasting fresh, greenness. Throughout Piment Brulant there's a strength from that pimento at the back, peppered heat in all its glory and a definite hint of that earthy, bitter-sweet Cocoa which works as perfectly in this perfume as it does in a chocolate & chili dessert. As it dries down this becomes stronger and more and more what the fragrance is all about, really feels like it might burn your nose if you sniff it for too long. I think the desired effect is similar to others from this perfumer, a real challenge to the senses, coupled with something I actually enjoy wearing, like Timbuktu. I think Bertrand Duchaufour great and although this isn't my favourite of his work I can't help but appreciate the craft. I think if you like green openings coupled with very spicy drydowns but at the same time quite weak, translucent, skin scents....then I'd recommend this one. Not a big projector and with average lasting power Piment Brulent was an enjoyable fragrance for me.

I took the name as a literal description of the ingredients and was ready to comment that the orris root has a very violet like quality...well turns out judging by the notes here there's violet in there too, not a surprise. I have to say it opens with more of the sandalwood oddly, I got a very nice smooth milky quality with iris and a hint of earth. As Orris & sandalwood settles and drys down becomes much more floral powder than spicy woods, delivering everything I expected from this fragrance. So it's good but not mind blowing, I like the simple compositions Jo Malone has released of late, especially when the notes complement each other so well, and even if it's something I don't particularly like. Suffers slightly from the old Jo Malone longevity issues, even in its Cologne Intense concentration...but it's not bad, lasts several hours but sits low due to the nature of this scent. Worth a sniff I think.

I reserved my predictions for this fragrance because I really hated the original Ideal and I didn't want that to be the case for this flanker. Thank heavens Ideal cologne is much better to my nose, citrus bite and creamy almond could go so wrong but here it is absolutely perfectly handled. My main gripe with the first ideal was that it was so synthetically sweet and uber strong that there was no nuance, nothing to cut through what I deemed a sickly, unfocused mess of a fragrance. No problems with that here, citrus fruits fresh and long lasting in the opening, light musky woods and a very light but vanilla/almond which is sweet and light more like a hint of sweet Marzipan than a heavy dose of almonds or heliotrope or that over done tonka bean in many new fragrances, which I just can't abide. This lasts nicely but is very close to the skin and I even bought myself a heavily reduced gift set right there on the spot...Guerlian have redeemed what I unpopularly thought was a real dud release with this decent flanker which is more toward one of my favourite citrus and almond combo's mandorlo di Sicilia. I'm happy with my purchase.