Woah! What to say of this? A new exclusive house from the UK and worth a sniff let me tell you because Electimuss have some tricks up their sleeve with this range. I'm due to get a sample of this in the post imminently but have tried in store and was compelled to write a review. If you like incense and freakishly strong industrial solvent type smells then the opening of this will knock your socks off! I was quite taken aback by it, I think this is due to the extrait concentration but even still Incitatus feels like its so concentrated it might eat into your skin, like strong acid. The opening is the sharpest imaginable citrus and frankincense bubbly and effervescent but you know has a serious base behind and even hints of smoke. The bay note is quite prominent too but then as it starts to settle becomes a lot more manageable, revealing a leather (type) accord and more synthetic, nostril burning resinous fun. For the first ten minutes it's a bit like like sniffing a permanent marker or something? You know it's probably not good for you and it's getting you slightly high but you do it anyway. Atomic longevity and just gets better as it dries down revealing more ambery qualities of oppononax but never soft. If you don't like your resin medicinal then this is perhaps not the scent for you but Incitatus also has unmistakable fresh qualities for the frankincense devotee too. Very special fragrance and unlike anything I've come across before on my travels...do give it a chance to charm you after that whirlwind opening.

Generally impressive, Micallef as a house have been on my radar for sometime now and I managed to get my hands on a comprehensive set of samples. This one had been recommended by a fellow fragrantican who afterwards proceeded to send me, foul and abusive messages direct to my email when I didn't respond quickly enough for his liking. This psycho behavior aside and although perhaps slightly tainting the scent before I'd even tried it. Thankfully, Emir's reputation proceeded it and I was actually really looking forward to trying it. This is a fairly dark, herbal, oud scent but I just wasn't inspired by the composition. The opening is a peppery orange, which retreats into a woody, dirt of patch and woods. It's not bad, not bad at all and certainly quality juice but left me very nonplussed. My reaction was muted when I was expecting to be blown away. Maybe I'm not getting it? but I desperately want to geranium, oud, pepper and patchouli sounds great but didn't translate for me on first inspection. Longevity was excellent and the more it dried down the better it got...one to revisit in a few months I think?

Undoubtably a spice lovers fragrance. This is briming with spices from the opening to its last breath. The opening to my nose is a bizarre combo of sharp citrus, petitgrain, incense resins Peru balsam, olibanum and thick green notes almost to the point of patchouli and a TONNE of mint. The settling transition is so interesting as it gets drier and more peppery then reveals unmistakable pepper, aniseed and the main player in my opinion cloves. It's a very traditional scent to me, quite bold and almost medicinal in its approach. It's something I'd imagine a rich Parisian putting on a handkerchief and using it to block out the stench of the streets. It mellows slightly and the base seems resinous and call me crazy but when it sits very close smells a bit like cola. All in all...spicy, incense like...very interesting opening that second by second I could pinpoint all the notes I mentioned but it's over to soon and then the fragrance is dominated by those strong cooking spices. Good longevity but surprisingly subdued after no time at all.

Oh Regarding the hanky comment I didn't feel it necessary to specify 'like a couple of hundred years ago' I thought that was obvious.

Great use of Wikipedia but I think you're being a little pedantic about this. I don't wish to perpetuate any myths about the French. The facts are that big cities smell bad even today and I wasn't aiming criticism specifically at Parisians.(or any criticism actually?) I used it as an example because the city of Paris is undoubtedly the apotheosis of Perfume. Now lets not clog up the reviews section with this kind of beef...save it for the forum.

For me this fragrance is a fairly late discovery and had my habit of lovely, warm, sweet orientals not been on a bit of a hiatus at the minute I would of no doubt purchased it. (That being said I did get Oajan) The reason being it opens like something vaguely familiar but in no way a doppelganger of anything. Spicebomb? nah not really...it's a sweet spicy fragrance with a heart of tobacco and vanilla. Ah ha so it's Tom Ford Tobacco Vanille then? Well no actually it isn't. It's more mellow and refined, and to my nose smells much better than the sledgehammer that is TV. I judge it on how quickly I perceive a similarity and if it takes several hours then it can't be that noteworthy. The opening is more like incense, labdanum and soft spices of cinnamon and cloves to he point it smells quite different to how it eventually ends up. I have to admit the dry down becomes more vanilla like and soft tobacco and vaguely reminiscent of TV, but I like the Tom Ford once it's dried right down but with this you get that effect and more for a lot longer. I'm not talking longevity terms because I found it very good but average for a strong niche brand. Herod is more edible and the vanilla is sweeter, custard like and all together more playful. The spicing is subdued but quality and lasts throughout the life of the scent...truth is I vastly prefer this to tobacco vanille and would happily swap it for a bottle of Herod any day.

I haven't done a gushing review for a while so it's long over due but this is a sublime fragrance. I haven't had the pleasure of seeing the MDCI bottles complete with their bust stoppers in the flesh before. I'd always got little sample vial of the ones I've tried so far so actually spraying one from the bottle was nice. I'd avoided this one for testing purposes due to the name 'Chypre' not that I have anything against that classification but I've far more olfactory priorities like 'orientals' 'balsamics' etc... Woah was I wrong? This is a masterpiece from Duchaufour opens with a wonderful warm but sharp floral, balsamic, slightly green aroma which then gets sweeter and is joined by a sweetness of vanilla and animal notes of musk. It's an absolute knockout! The drydown has a lovely quality of resin with my favourite labdanum in there and a complex woody floral base. I Can't really say much about the composition because it is so complex that it becomes simplistic and all I would say is try it for yourself. I had almost written of MDCI as a niche house which under delivered, although I like Invasion barbare and adored Cuir Garamande I couldn't justify the price. This one however is magic! I'm mystified as to why I didn't buy it? I think I was so stunned and over whelmed by it and it wasn't until I let it drydown and release more secrets hours later when I got home that I was fully convinced.

I've sampled a few times now and gushed out a review (see below) already so I'll keep this short. I got another sample to make sure that I'm definitely in love with this fragrance as its a big commitment (because you've got to get the bust one) from a financial point of view. Anyway, I neglected to mention how much of that clementine note comes through in the opening its splendid, then the Labdanum and an almost ginger beer sharpness and fullness of tolu balm/benzoin and styrax. This fragrance is a knockout...so so good.

Noooooo! Say it ain't so emjayen84??? I've delayed buying it for too long and it's been reformulated. I'll have to try it again and see if what it has lost.

I blind bought the modern version of this, I'm not familiar with the original and can't comment of the mossiness or lack thereof. I will say this though it's satisfied my recent desire to put some masculine powerhouses back in my wardrobe, as I realised this was an area I'm sadly lacking. Sure I've own polo/kouros/pacorabanne etc...in the past but I was hoping this might be a bit like VC&A Tsar or something but it isn't really. Neither is it like Azzuro pour homme or Quorum which was a relief. I find it softer and more manageable than any of the aforementioned fragrances but don't be fooled this is no slouch and I think can still quite easily be referred to as a powerhouse. I'd say it's a sharp and pungent opening of lemon and aldehydes which settles to fern and pine with a heart of spiced powdery geranium and carnation, not too musky but with facets of oakmoss and animal qualities. I like the way it dries down too, changing all the while and settling (after several hours) to a quiet skin scent. For me this is a good example of the aromatic fougere and more wearable and toned down than it's counterparts. Good longevity too even from this new formula, so all in all a pretty good blind buy.

I'm having a YSL reformulation appreciation week and Rive Gauche is a fragrance which I've always had love for. It is quite simply one of the greatest aromatic/fougere fragrances ever created, and I don't say that lightly. My only minor criticism of the original formula was the oakmoss coming on a little strong when first applied. However, there's no such problem here with the modern version as you'd expect but this does make it somehow a paler brew, longevity is definitely effected. Other than that, this is every bit as good in terms of the soft lavender, powdery geranium and woods with a hint of star anise it's pretty special stuff. Progressing well you get a few stages as it dries down revealing some hidden depth, problem is the few times I tried it I found the longevity okay but certainly and notably not as good as the original. Still brilliant and well worth getting if you want to glimpse the spirit of the original. I'm in the market for Rive Gauche (Intense/Extreme?) partly because I've never tried it and I think a spicier hit would be welcome.

Either this reformulation is off the mark or or my memory is because this seems different to the original. When I say 'different' I don't mean vastly but after a couple of wears I'm starting to perceive those differences. I did have Jazz many years ago and enjoyed it but this new version is amazing. Well maybe that's going a bit OTT or perhaps just appealing to a fickle taste fad I have at the moment for masculine aromatics? Anyway... I love this! The corriander and geranium are obvious but I don't get any of that minty vibe from the original formula. (I'm not getting confused with Live Jazz honest.) It's a herbal, refreshing brew of patchouli and cypress but surely with some citrus top notes...No? Never sharp and very classy stuff kinda reminds of RL Safari (another thing the original didn't do!) but less obvious. This is a top scent and good lasting power too, can't fault it I'd rather smell like this than many newer releases.

Interesting review below. I'm saying something similar but perhaps a touch more gung ho! I think this new version is very similar to the original to the point I wouldn't waste money on a vintage bottle for the mistake of rose tinted nostalgia. Not a criticism of anyone that does mind you, I'm guilty of it all the time. I too owned this during the 90's (perhaps not the original formula anyway) but I'd say it's pretty much as I remember. I think the references to Pasha and Tsar, Safari or New west etc... are valid in the drydown especially, it's a kind of open, light, resinous, 'leather' if you like. However, key differences in the opening is the cooling, soapy effects of geranium and the quite pungent, obvious spice hit of coriander, which persists as a top note for the first hour or so. Making it completely valid as a different option to the ones I mentioned above and not redundant next to them in a wardrobe. (I have all tjose perfumes and still revisit this with glee!) Is it as powerful? Well I genuinely recall all those perfumes of that era as being stronger but this... I'm not sure? It's mellow. I'm wearing plenty of sprays on skin and clothes today and the volume is pitch perfect. I think it's underrated in the scheme of vintage men's perfumes, it smells fantastic and something I wish to wear.

I blind bought this very cheaply, purely out of curiosity as I heard it smelled like D&G's The One. Well, it does and it doesn't? When I first sprayed it didn't think it opened the same but then sure enough a similarly sweet warm vibe starts to develop. For this reason Villain might just be a little more complex as the opening is bergamot freshness and an almost green quality (like galbanum) which The One doesn't have. Villain hints at a warmer amber and vanilla base much like Rochas man but with that citrus and greens to trick you a bit. Which actually has the effect of making it smell a bit cheaper (which it is) and less 'sexy'. (as The One is often labelled) Again all this was from memory so I tried them against each other when I got home and The One is so much warmer sweeter and more vanilla like right off the bat and in actual fact superior to my nose. They do dry down pretty similar though and I certainly enjoyed the experience, maybe this is what The One Sport should been like? Anyway lasting power is a similar story to D&G not great but passable really. There's been a bit of a backlash against the Ed Hardy brand especially among tattoo enthusiasts who perhaps don't the sell out, commercial aspect to what used to be quite an exclusive group, fast becoming mainstream. Unashamedly, What I really do like about this scent is the packaging. The tattoo design on the bottle is a bit of fun and there's not quite enough of it around for my liking.

A strange enigma for me this one. It's somehow very classic and also blazing a new trail. I can't quite work it out? The opening is citrus and an aloof violet accord leading you into a herbal heart which apparently is sage?...something I'm quite familiar with and I can't say it's immediately evident just what it is. Herbal is about the best description I can give. The base and main theme of this scent is a creamy sandalwood and clean vetiver with a spicy hint of nutmeg. It's such a well blended concoction that is the best I can do to pick out the notes aided by having the notes in front of me. The flacon is superb and very striking what with the reintroduction of the vetiver in the same style bottle, I really liked that. So all in all not a bad scent, just not for me, I can imagine wearing this would get on my nerves slightly. You might think that is a bold statement considering my review is largely positive. However, this is purely based on a first impression of the aroma, I'm going to have to revisit it but I just have a hunch, anymore than an hour with this scent and I'd be sick of it.