Great citrus and fruit opening which turns ever so slightly soapy but never tips any balance too far. This is a good subtle scent I enjoyed it but it didn't blow me away. Diptyquesque (hahah) all over really! Some triumphs but in the main just consistently likable but not exceptional fragrances, across the board. I'd need to try it again to see if I could pick out more notes in this one.

Okay so I was expecting good things from this as the only other Kenneth Cole fragrance I've tried is Reaction and in my opinion it's excellent. My high hopes weren't dashed either, this is yet another fruity/musk combo which is fresh and smells really good as I'm a totally sucker for mandarin notes. I was expecting something darker, spicier, woodier maybe? and smokey too from a name like 'Black' and some of the reviews here but this is light and uplifting for me. I wish I got some incense or smoke but I just didn't. It's just a pleasant fruity/woody/musk scent and was actually very pleasing to my nose but even more fleeting than Reaction in that the longevity was poor on my skin. Maybe it requires another try to get more of the other qualities of this scent but all together a nice smelling scent.

This one is officially unisex but often touted as being more feminine and I can see that but don't let that put you off because despite this I think it's almost wearable for me. A very nice, Iris note opens a really clean, delicately spiced scent which then reveals a smooth leather quality. Another good composition from Penhaligon's the amber and tiny bit of vanilla in the base are subtle and make for a pleasant dry down... I really enjoyed this.

Well...I'm shocked that the town I live in has a Penhaligon's boutique and I must say it's one of the most beautiful shops I've ever been in, like a victorian chemists or something? Anyway...When I asked the lady at the counter how long it had been there she said "...around 12....(she paused as I thought she'd say months) she turned to her colleague and said "Is it 12? Yeah 12 YEARS we've been here!" It's very small and tucked away so easily missed but I still can't believe it's been there for 12 years and I've only just found it! So Elixir? I'd asked this question before of other Penhaligon suppliers "Do you have anything with incense in an eau de parfum?" and they always come up with Elixir. I've tried it a couple of times now and I must say I really enjoy it, like many from this house it's very well blended indeed. For me though although it has some smoke and spice to it the main player is rose and it's a very nice rose the spice is subtle, with a gentle incense running through it. This is actually one of my favourites and that's saying something too as I do like a lot of their creations. Difficult to pick apart the notes like penhaligon's Sartorial, Opus 1870 etc it's complex and well done. The main reason I was interested in this one was the concentration, as my main gripe with this house is the longevity. Elixir is better but still not good for the price and if you're looking for a powerhouse this isn't it. I really like this one though and may add it to my collection in future.

As far as citrus/fruity fragrances go...this ain't bad at all, actually quite pleasant! Sharp citrus at first then fruity and a little floral and a woody base it's a good fragrance and has much better longevity and projection than Ferrari black, so quite heavy and not really light at all. Pretty good stuff.

Okay so a Ferrari fragrance and this was actually the second one I tried and I preferred the first to be honest. I was expecting something less safe and frankly boring from Ferrari especially this black version maybe something deeper but no. A very nondescript and poor fragrance which has really bad longevity. Doesn't smell bad at first but disappears quickly.

DURO!!!! The HARD ON of male perfumery! I saw a video of some guy reviewing it on youtube and he claimed that the name had sexual connotations. I had to correct him at the time thinking 'Duro' just means 'Hard' in Italian and it was just his dirty mind and the marketing material talking about what a masculine statement this fragrance makes. That's the intended concept anyway...and as I said I was skeptical. That was...until I got my nose on it! Wild this one... make no mistake! If you like wood up the wazzoo this is the fragrance for you! Loud woodiness of dank strong Oud and a harder denser wood combined with it. Then there's the spice it's hard but not in a cooking spice type of way or even a hot chili kind of way, it's dry woody spice...almost like the natural spicey scent that would come from a piece of exotic wood. This fragrance for me is absolutely everything I look for in a masculine powerhouse. The spice perfectly tones down the unpleasant quality oud can have. You know? that bit when it takes a nosedive after the initial almost sweet strange amber quality. Anyway...the price of this juice is high, extortionately high some might say but I still felt Duro was a worthy purchase because of how bold and strong this juice is. Longevity and projection are massive as you'd expect from extrait de parfum. It's not especially unique smelling this one but what can I say? It has a certain appeal & I was charmed by it.

This scent has struck up a great balance, unlike the tennis pro it has been made for. Don't know if anyone has noticed but Rafa has one massively developed arm and one little, puny, skinny girl arm. To be fair he's evened things out a little since then. Lanvin impressed me greatly with Avant Garde but I still didn't know what to expect from this sport fragrance having never tried the original L'Homme. Well it's very nice indeed the opening is a little of what you've smelled before...citrus lemon CK One kind of vibe. Once the initial sharpness of the lemon dies down it becomes a mixture of fruit, can't quite place what though? The mixture of musk and herbs is perfectly executed in my humble opinion. Leave it to dry down for a while and it turns into a gorgeous scent which rivals any sport fragrance I've ever sniffed out for freshness.

Woah! Woah! I'd anticipated my meeting with Leather Oud with much trepidation not just after looking at the notes but seeing a few negative comments in the forum. I like Oud (genuinely, I know what it's smells like!) Leather, in principle is great and a favourite note but can be and often is... done badly. It's the animalistic element and beeswax to this that worried me. It just seemed to compound the other acquired tastes into a hellish mixture that could easily be awful...I was thinking Montale's cuir d'Arabie but with animal stink thrown in for good measure. Just for the record I like the bravery of the Montale it represents a different kind of leather and the dry down is fantastic it's just the opening and first couple of hours that are almost unbearably horrible! Anyway...To my surprise this fragrance is really good. It's inkeeping with the trend of this Dior range, notably being really well blended indeed. The Oud is great and not stifled or distorted by the leather the animal quality is actually really good in the context of this fragrance. The longevity is massive and the animal quality is manageable in the dry down. As one reviewer has mentioned it smells like sex...and that's a good description. Insanely raw and primal yet somehow finessed at the same time this is not for the faint of heart in terms of wearing it... I'm still not sure whether I would myself as I prefer something with spices. This perfume is bold and makes a real statement don't have any preconceptions or write this off without trying because like me, you might be pleasantly surprised.

Patchouli overdose!!! This thing is banging and green in a way that I haven't encountered before to be honest. It's not the sort of thing I'm used to. Even the patch dominance seems unfamiliar when accompanied by these other grassy and tobacco notes, it could be the concentration...I don't know? It's a weird one...but I do like it. Hindu Grass intrigues me and encourages me to get my nose on it again. I'm staggering my nasomatto reviews having tried everything(ex.Pardon) they have to offer and I was only compelled to purchase Duro at this high price. The jury is still out on Black Afgano. I'm not sure when or where I would wear Hindu Grass it's a daring scent and no mistake.

As I mentioned in my original review below the patchouli in this fragrance is more 'hippy' than a chocolatey 'Tom Ford type' but it's more than that. The green and earthy notes surrounding it create a kind of floral almost natural soft leathery feel especially in the dry down. What a dry down it is too...magical! This juice has a opulent quality that you only get from a very high end fragrance, it's stunning to be honest. It teeters between green freshness and an intoxicating patchouli that to me is unique. There's notes in the drydown too which are almost rough against the general smoothness...if that makes sense? I love it anyway and definitely more impressed a second time.