Any Frankincense heavy scent will naturally evoke the main reference perfumes like CDG Avignon, Mark Birley etc... depending on which direction they go in. To me this is reminiscent of Reve d'Ossian by Oriza Legrand and that's praise indeed because despite what I see as disparate vibes (which could be prone to clashing) coming together, it works. In fact it makes for a really interesting creamy effect to a highly resinous perfume. I'd say the resins are green, sharp, translucent, fizzy, and citrus tinged. It smells of very high quality olibanum, and elemi or mastique backed by some heavier stuff, even benzoin perhaps linking into what is to me a vanilla type base. There's a really fine line when adding milky/creamy to sharp & angular you've gotta watch it doesn't become curdled and gross like a Cedrat boisee (Puke!) or something. I really like the effect of this and although I can draw comparisons and say this isn't unique, it's not a case of a stock. forgettable incense release which shows no flare at all. It's good, from a good brand which offers some excellent fragrances at a reasonable price.

Oh Natalie. Be still my heart, this is absolutely gorgeous. My first outing from this brand and I was a bit sceptical about them at first, didn't really know if they were legit or just some gimmicky crap but through trying a few and hearing opinions from trusted friends, I get that this is a really cool brand with something to say, beautiful, anti-cliched perfume with nice quality packaging and reasonable pricing, all the tick boxes really. I'm usually rushing past the 'freshie' to get to the leather and iris, or incense perfumes and as good and not just rehashing as they are Electro Limonade stood out to me as a potential early favourite from L'Orchestre. It reminds me of something from childhood it has that fizzy, sweets quality, but definitely the refreshment of a long drink on the veranda, ice cubes bobbing about, me in a thong yada yada... you get the imagery. The hue of this perfume is pink! Right away, I wanted to say pink grapefruit but it's not sharp or bitter enough for that, definitely pink though, and lemonade does feature but not necessarily everything. So it says rhubarb here and I'd have to sniff again but the interplay of a rhubarb material could be giving this citrus a twist more ferocious that the fruits squeezed into Electro Limonade or the one at the end of Usual Suspects. (bit of pop culture humour for you there. What? fuck off! I'm a dad, we do dad jokes) The base is a very well put together light woody feel, giving a teenie, tiny bit of oceanic vibes but nowhere near trying too hard to evoke the seaside, this is a cocktail to be consumed anywhere. So fresh, so lovely and fairly long lasting too, combining a modern citrus vibe that I'm not familiar with, so yeah big success with me and coming into summer might be just the thing I need. Great start L'Orchestre.

Well, it's only fitting that I should bust yet another Fragrantica cherry and nothing gives me more satisfaction than doing it with Boys. (I think that came out right?) Anyway, Boys is an extremely fun fragrance. It's a bit of fun! I get too wrapped up in the seriousness and minutia of fragrances and Boys is one that I just let wash over me, metaphorically speaking of course. The opening is bonkers, and it's seriously like a floral/musk deluge a kind of fragrant avalanche. Boys brassily exclaims, “Right I've begun. It's your problem now! Deal with it!” Conversely, it's not vulgar or rude, it's hilarious in fact. It's cheeky, scampish and quite charming really. Put a smile on my face anyway, and I think it's important that all fragrance do different things and don't just live in a relentlessly stuffy and strait-laced world. I don't mean the daring and edgy stuff we are told about in marketing from companies who wouldn't know an original idea if it slapped them in the face. I'm talking about real statements and real olfactory stories, told by real people, not voted on by committees in marketing offices. I'm talking about the purity of concept, the idea and inspiration followed through in a logical manner to a fruitful conclusion. The fact that I know ahead of time, Boys intended to be a sort of tongue in cheek, highly kitsch, Technicolor data dump, is no less impactful when you experience it for yourself. What I'm saying is, I think I'd have known that intent was there just from the smell alone. I feel it almost shooting out vertically into the air with a cheesy, white musk accord (which I actually quite like non ironically anyway) but the fact that it's seemingly not juxtaposed with the indolic or earthy or 'lived in' gives the sense of a turbo air freshener, all the while though you can tell something more complex is lurking. That chintzy effect fades into the background almost as quickly as it arrived and you are greeted with a creaminess (which persists throughout), a kind of ionone dryness, and mild rubbery, medicinal mixture of jasmine/banana medicine and cucumber facets. Before then morphing into what I would consider the main accord (and purple hue of the label) starts to build and that's the violet accord. It's a wonderful, sweet, powdery, classic violet in the sense of something like Violetta from Penhaligons, that kind of similar vibe but the confectionery aspect of Boys just feels as though you are wearing one of those edible sets of beads or something? Just gingerly nibbling one off Freddie's description of 'Parma violet dust' is spectacularly accurate, because despite its prominence in the composition, it does feel like a dusting of powder. The thickness and extra confection is supplied by a more custard like vanilla (more ethyl vanillin that vanillin) and transparent wood/musk base. It’s great because it fits in with the whole theme of flumps and unicorns and rainbow carpet shampooing machines and all that shit, but it’s still not too sweet and somehow retains an air of sophistication. A real accomplishment. Don’t get me wrong I’d have to well and truly be in the mood for Boys, it’s not an everyday perfume (I mean that’s a stupid statement because I never wear something two days in a row anyway but I’m referring to ‘normal’ people), unless you are pretty eccentric, and like to rock lilac shell-suits and/or have rainbow dreadlocks or something? It’s fun, but it’s not silly. I think in terms of this in the context of the collection, they all have a floral nature to them, despite not one being an actual floral perfume per se, and that seems to be Freddie’s happy place, his jump off point. The clean, musky, floral blast in the opening & violets almost throughout being Boys florality. Many musicians and producers start with a high energy beat or the bass or a hook or artists start with a basic principle or framework or a sketch or maquette. I’m not even saying that it has to be a starting point necessarily but it’s a way of getting into working and creating in a similar sort of way. It’s rare for an artisan perfumer to have such style. I usually say it in a negative sense in that they have ‘bad habits’ or crutches to lean on like Orris butter (who the fuck doesn’t like that?) but every now and again there’s someone who has real vision and creates something uniquely ‘them’. I’m not saying Freddie is there yet, but there’s shades of it in this excellent opening trio and I’m interested to see how his works develop from here on out because I feel his seminal piece is yet to come.

So this immediately appealed to me because of the name. A smell with 'tooth' in the name conjures the dark and decayed rather than a pristine, titanium white, wall of enamel. I suspect Mabel's teeth are pretty fucked up. So this fragrance is quite the intriguing blend, to say it's a gourmand is a little reductive and far too simplistic. If I said 'Pissy treacle toffee' to you...what would you think? I know, I know, but in a GOOD way! I don't know if there's myrrh in this but if you wanted to replicate the effects of myrrh, (I don't know perhaps there's other resins in here and everything else making them lean in a myrrh direction?) this is what you'd probably do. Create a kind of nutty toffee accord (with god knows what materials?) and somehow not have it be oppressive or the crude caramel accords of many overly sweet and in my opinion, gross perfumes. This has that blackest, black of treacle, such it's sweet but it's not cloying, there's a depth to it. The mild pissiness is like a trace of shangrilide musk or something natural perhaps in here giving me that impression but it's so subtle, it just adds more animal warmth, doesn't detract from the overall cosiness. It has a kind of arid, witches broom, sweeping leathery immortelle into the mix, which again ties in with Freddie's language of florals, a thread which ties together even the most disparate and far from traditionally floral themed perfume in this collection, Mabel's tooth being the least 'floral' I'd say. I recall saying before (on IG) that Boys pushes out and is much more about your trail or aura, while the other two (Mabel's tooth being one) nuzzle in and become much more skin oriented scents. I really like it. It's complex original, it's not light and doesn't feel too finessed (although it probably was over a long time) that's not a criticism either, rawness is a virtue. Mabel's tooth is all about bass hum, although it does have some spikiness when initially sprayed, which I assume is from the aldehydes mentioned.

Preface: Freddie very kindly sent me these pre-release samples to review, which I am very grateful for and hopefully by now you know that I speak my mind and I know Freddie appreciates the honest feedback and constructive critique, but when I say all three from this initial launch are excellent, then please believe it's not soft soaping because we are mates (well online acquaintances at least) or something. These are objectively good given the criteria that these are made by a self taught, artisan perfume, debutante. Freddie will be known to fans of Bogue for his collaboration on Douleur, an abrasive and out there composition, be sure to expect a more serene trio from his own brand, but no less innovative in it's approach. Sooo, I'm wearing Bernadette, Evelyn, Margaret, Theresa today and I'm really impressed with it. To me the floral accord in here is massively impressive. At first I wasn't really sure what the floral accord was emulating but as it dries down I get the creamy, lightly spiced aspect of carnation. It's very clever. My carnation accords tend to be very matter of fact and loaded with clove, methyl diantilis, bourbon geranium, this seems less literal and that is precisely the reason I like carnation (particularly in men's perfume) is that it's not overt. I think that's due to Freddie's process, being don't make a carnation accord and then try to shoehorn it in, finesse it in gradually to the entire composition. It's like I love labdanum but I feel it's a catalyst material, a modifier, most blends benefit from it, but when an amber accord or even a perfume, smells too much of it, I get switched off by it. (too much of a good thing I guess?) I think Carnation (albeit a collection of materials) is the same way, it belongs in a perfume but needs to be surrounded. Anyway... The fruity aspect of BEMT is a peachy/apricot is integral and it feels thick and textured, not the light peach fuzz you might expect in a classic chypre. The overall feel is one of spice to be honest and it reminds me still from the first impressions, to wearing it properly today, of Jamaican ginger cake washed down with that thick apricot pulp. I guess the spice of the clove in the carnation is giving a gingery roughness or by association when often used together. This gingery feel is so interesting because it's complex, it's like a hearty stem ginger, complete with the fibrous texture you get, but also a little crystalline but not too fiery. The florality has that quintessential natural smell like dried petals and a woody/floral smell of un-burned incense sticks, that's only very lightly in the background though. I was immediately drawn to this and I still am to be honest, but I need to wear the others properly to better contextualise the collection as a trio. BEMT is lovely perfume, it's just so pleasant to wear and smells like nothing else I can think of. Great first outing.

Okay so I'm not being needlessly hyperbolas here because it's Jeremy but Date for Men is horrendous!!!! I saw someone say it's like Ultramale, compared to Date, Ultramale is the expression of Beethoven's Third symphony or the majesty in the brushstokes of Matisse or some shit like that? DATE IS ABSOLUTE CRAP! Offensive. Overly strong. Messy composition with a lack of focus. Too sweet and simultaneously not. It's appealing to the moronic in my opinion. There are deodorants that smell similar to this, (but better) and I'm not being snobby because deodorants smell good, it's not a diss, but if you took that vibe and turned it up to eleventy stoopid!!!! and stripped away any appeal it might've had to apply to an armpit, an armpit which you can't really smell unless you go out of your way to do so. Also strip it of any irony or self awareness and charge top dollar for it as a luxury perfume. I just simply cannot abide it. It's awful in every respect. I was nice about Office, I really was, I even sort of quite liked it for a moment, but it was too loud, noisy and annoying to wear, which rendered it a bad perfume, being strong and mental and all that stuff but it wasn't as cynical and bereft of any redeemable features like this one. Date is a hateful perfume. This perfume, hates perfumery and actively rages against (not in a good way or the way Jeremy thinks it is) It's the uniformally conventional, lone wolf. Date just doesn't get it. I think it might even be misogynist (I sound like a tedious liberal here) not the concept, or it's commander in chief, (which by no small coincidence, inherently are) the actual SMELL itself! lol which I suppose is an achievement, of sorts. No, but I kinda think if this is supposed to be a Hetro Date (which despite Jeremy's protests let's say for the sake of argument it is) then you'd probably have to have contempt for all womankind to rock this on a Date. I mean that's unfair to gays as well, because why should any men have suffer this perfume either? or anyone for that matter. If you can't tell already, I really didn't like it.

I get if you don’t like Sauvage you might sniff this and think it has a rudimentarily similar structure and you’d probably be right but this is no clone. No way, no how. It’s bark (or should I say screech?) is worse than it’s bite because it’s all over after some initial fireworks. To me it’s more of a violet/cedar with dry, peppery woody elements and modern Fougere artefacts. Very disinterested in it, not a pleasure to wear no hidden depth as you get with Sauvage. I’m just not a fan of this.

I like it. It’s a really gorgeous interpretation of the iconic Fougere, Le Male. If you like any of the edge and brutality of the older versions of Le Male (to anyone who owned a bottle in the 90’s) then you will probably think this is a sanitised sweetheart iteration of even the current formula. It’s softer, sweeter, vanillic coumarin and the musks are really beautiful with a light vaguely fruity top note I mean it’s a modern Fougere accord of powdery sweetness and barely there lavender, what’s not to like. Safety first from Bisch and Garcia-Cetto but it’s just a pleasant fragrance, much in the way those ones with the angular bottles were, but this is much closer to the origins of this classic. Dull opinion but I’d wear this perfume, it’s nice. I might even buy it.

I usually write much more detailed reviews on here than I do elsewhere but today I'm not sure I can be bothered saying much about this, and that kinda speaks volumes about the fragrance generally, not that I've completely made my mind up on it, let's see how we get on shall we? So I'll start with somewhat of a conclusion I've reached regarding H24. That is the answer to...'does it stand up to Hermes' usually pretty stellar output?' and the answer is... not really. Then I thought about it and really I'm comparing masculine output like for like, 'is this the new Terre d'Hermes' basically? Because I was never very keen on Voyage and then the other masculine Hermes fragrances are thin on the ground Equipage and then Rocabar I think is not specifically masculine (could be wrong?) anyway they are knocking on in years, not like they aren't great. (wow this was supposed to be short!) I guess I'm saying that I've heard much talk of how innovative this is and how it's not just another boring 'freshie' but only from Hermes themselves, marketeers and mouthpieces who all have a vested interest in shifting units for the man. But I'll give it to you straight! The top notes are a kind of greenish, vague citrus and I get cassis base. Then the 'hot iron' accord really does become prominent, making for a polarising effect. I'm not saying I recognise materials or I know how this is achieved, just that I definitely get hot iron. Furthermore I do know that Habanolide (a musk material I'm very familiar with) which to me is the woodier end of the soft, clean musk spectrum, and gives this effect. It's noted by the authors of scent and chemistry that Alberto Morillas pioneered this 'hot iron' accord in the late 90's early 00's combining habanolide, helvetolide and galaxolide (probably a host of others too) and probably in overdose, to achieve this steamy effect. I think in H24 the steam has a strange dry quality and is a bit more woody and harder, bostered perhaps with cashmeran, woody ambers etc... and while there's a rouhness or edge, it's stylistic because the blending is clearly, seemless. There's a 'modern' base to it giving clean, fixation and an occasional suggestion of fougere qualities of the new wave, Sauvage variety. (Again style wise this smells nothing like the Dior to me) So there's good and bad. I mean while I don't 'like' it, there's nothing particularly likeable about it. H24 doesn't bring me joy or revulsion the way a perfume should, it doesn't really illicit much of a response. It's not even in the sense of Dior Homme (2020 version) which this is being compared to because it's a major houses, designer release, which no one asked for. However, despite not extensively sampling it I quite liked it and all the vitriol about it was a little unnecessary all because Dior made the huge faux pas of sticking it inside the same bottle as their beloved classic Dior Homme. This Hermes is slightly more challenging because no one is doing a vaguely green opening, musky hot iron perfume, at the moment so technically it is 'a bit different' and they've opted for a new aesthetic release instead of insulting our intelligence with yet another limp and lifeless flanker. So I guess there's that. The wannabe perfumer in my finds something technically interesting (but still not really) and the artisanal loving, overly emotional perfume fan in me is left unsatisfied by a slightly souless release. I'm not sure what to make of it basically??? I think enjoyment of a perfume can grow but this would have to grow at an unprecedented rate to become a Terre d'Hermes or whatever? Jury is still out. I'm going to wear it more and see.

For anyone that really studies fragrances, some comparisons seem reductive or inaccurate, it's often the subtle differences and not the similarities in a fragrance, (especially your favourite fragrances) which make it what it is. So having said all this Angel's share is slightly derivative of the fragrances it's compared to here, but it's those little differences I just mentioned like it's top notes for example I get a good dose of a sweet orange and oakwood (a particularly good material for boozy effects) it's also more gourmand, with a caramel note. However the ultimate effect of Angel's share renders it redundant because I own Oajan and a refined version of this vibe in Ambre Narguile. Because it does go to that spiced, tobacco, mild cherry which could also be Herod or Tobacco vanille and also the honeyed character of Back to black, the dirty vanilla dried right down even starts to yield licorice facets, maybe Lempika? Again referential, it's a bit this or a bit that....but perhaps that is what makes this so wildly popular or to use a popular 'Fragcomm' term....'HYPEBEAST'!!! I'm so down with the kids. ( I utter as my son walks 10ft in front of me, pretending not to know me) The only reason I'm not on board with this is probably the gourmand focus of the formula & probably the price, the fact that Oajan is a massively louder, more spicy and bombastic, slightly less sickly version of this. I really loved the opening of Angel's share and despite being boozy I don't think it captures what I assume is the brief of recreating the Angel's share (Something Sarah McCartney has done recently) and it's objectively quite a nice perfume but I was bored with it after 10 mins to be honest not because it's unpleasant just that large portions of this formula are extremely familiar, not in a bad way...just nah!