I honestly didn't even realise this was a new version of Spicebomb, I just thought it was a limited edition bottle or something. So I was excited to try it...then I kept forgetting to check it out and finally the otherday I remembered and made it a sampling priority. You know what? I'm really glad I did because Spicebomb eau fraishe is a really nice twist on the existing theme. I thought when I looked at the notes here we were dealing with a curious 'sport' type, anomalous fragrance which retained nothing of the original and might as well be a new scent in it's own right, as a flanker. However the Spicebomb accord is here, it just takes a moment to develop after lovely icy smooth citrus top notes. A stuning warm underbelly of sweet spices, tobacco, pink pepper, cinnamon and the like but on this calmer more subdued air of aquatics, vetiver and citrus. The modern tendency is to make fragrances 'extreme' or 'intense' I think V&R would have their work cut out doing that with Spicebomb. I'll be honest as much as I love the original after a few hours I find it sweet, cloying and a bit invasive but this fresh approach is precisely what it needs to calm everything down to a wearable hum. Good projection, longevity and all in all a good release.

This is a brilliant fragrance in my opinion. Quite linear and I'm not going to get carried away about it because it didn't wow me straight away. The opening is that of a beautifully soft oriental fragrance, being that the base is immediately obvious. It's a spicy, boozy, vanilla which is reminiscent of spiced rum so I get the cognac thing. This could've gone really wrong with the creaminess of the resins and vanilla but it's really wonderful. This is because of the benzoin, a major player in this fragrance and perhaps labdanum too which lend a balmy warmth and sharpness which compliment the warmth and sharpness of the booze with sweetness of vanilla. There is a hint of tobacco in there too very warm and elegant. Regardless of what you think about Roja Dove and the the price of the perfumes I have to admit the two I've tried have been excellent. Not earth shattering, not mind blowing but very good. Many people can't wait to bash this house over it's high prices and don't get me wrong I can't afford them. The price is an obvious factor and I have perfumes which I enjoy far more which are half or even a quarter of the price (maybe even 110 of the price!!!) but this is a luxury brand and that is what it trades under. Exclusivity, opulence, great packaging, the finest ingredients...so I don't complain about that stuff you know what you're trying. Is the price in proportion to how good the perfume is? Well if you believe so then good for you and if you don't even consider price then Roja Dove is probably the house for you anyway...as you obviously have a few quid! I like people with passion who talk about their products with enthusiasm and vigour and Roja comes across as someone who cares about fragrance, not just someone out to fleece the rich or stupid. Longevity and silage of Enigma are excellent but not at all loud. I love it and can't fault the smell.

Oh dear. The perfumer here has attempted to capture the essence of the brief, which could quite have easily been 'How can we ruin a nice jasmine note?' Well by surrounding it with totally uncomplimentary elements which instead of bringing out its inherent beauty just amplify the musky floral character and only hinting at its real nature. The way you do this is my enveloping it in a muggy, stagnant accord. I don't detect any rich or fresh tobacco at all. It's neither a full bodied, warm or even a smoky, cigarette tobacco, maybe perhaps the stale ashtray smell but that's it! Doesn't work for me at all this fragrance, I understand the juxtaposition and generally what ELdO fragrances are all about, some people may really enjoy it... I'm not convinced. I had my girlfriend try it on her skin and she concurred it was equally bad on her.

A very soft, elegant and beautiful fragrance. I've often thought how violets and iris are both powdery and similar but definitely distinguishable from one another. Iris ganache is where the line becomes blurred. The smell to me transforms from a characteristic iris (make up/pencil shavings) into a very powdery and delicate violet. This is only very subtle mind you it's not positively violet, more like an after thought. Anywway... The opening of Iris ganache is a rich creamy affair much like others in this collection expensive feminine vibes of iris/violet, chocolate, patchouli, vanilla and amber. The drydown becomes more amber and vanilla business it's a lovely thing. Lasts okay but is very mellow after the opening which is fine with me. It's not unwearable for a man but not exactly my first choice. IG is the last one I tried in the collection and I believe it's discontinued now but If you can get your hands on it ladies I'd recommend it.

This juice is a blast from the past and you don't see it very often these days. Although it would appear to smell the same I think it may have been reformulated because this modern version (I assume) that I tried recently had DIRE longevity...I mean abysmal! This juice is no joke either, starts out strong with a 80's vibe of classic aromatics but my preference lies here for sure over Aramis and the like. To me this has a fresh bergamot and very spicy top notes, a breeze of nutmeg and pepper, sandalwood, carnation etc... over a sensual and complex herbal, woody, musk. Changes quite a bit too, very multifaceted scent and highly masculine and enjoyable to wear. Then it was gone...I mean lasted a couple of hours sure...maybe the tester I tried was old and had degraded the juice slightly? I don't know? I'm aware Cacharel pour homme predates one of these but for me is more toward Versace L'Homme than Aramis in my opinion. Update: I was given a sample of this the otherday and I stick to my review here, the longevity is poor. The general smell of Homme is wonderful and I would definitely get it, if it performed better.

Ahhhh the sinner. To say I'm not a fan of Police fragrances in general is a bit of an understatement but never let it be said that I neglect my duties as an intrepid reviewer. So I took the bullet for you guys...you're welcome! Well, honestly it isn't that bad. Sure it's a generic, synthetic, aromachemical soup but it does have a degree of cohesion. Amber & spices is a bit of a tricky description because although that's (sort of) what you have here it translates more as a powdered, soapy affair for the majority, and this juice opens quite harshly and doesn't get better for an hour or so. When settled though it's a inoffensive, gently spiced ambroxan type vibe quite minimal and cheap. At it's best points very vaguely reminscent of Dior Higher and JHaG Anyway. Much later on into the drydown (several hours because longevity is very good) as it becomes a skin scent warms up to something quite passable. I don't find it provocative, dangerous or remotely sinful. I have to say the bottle looks pretty cool but when I saw it in the flesh it was a bit disappointing. So Sinner is pretty much the usual thing we are subjected to but I don't hate it.

Let's face it not many 'Leather' fragrances actually smell like real leather. Some have leather notes which are fleeting or androgynous, changing all the while. Even some of the best that I'd class as brilliant leather scents like Tuscan leather smell as much like resins, fruit, class A drugs etc...as they do of leather. This is another type again...the type that doesn't smell of leather much at all. Now I got my sample of Royal English leather from 'The perfumed court' and I've heard horror stories that they sometimes label scents incorrectly and I'm thinking they may have done that here. My sample smells very similar to Tauer's Eau d'epices, the second I smelled it I knew that I was familiar with this scent but couldn't think what it was. I scanned my olfactory databanks and thought I'd never get it...took me about 20 mins to realise what it was. This is just from memory here... because unfortunately I've warn all my Tauer sample to do a direct comparison. I seem to recall the opening of the tauer to be more aggressive and sharper, also the drydown much more gradual...this feels a bit mellow in comparison but essentially they are the same thing. Cloves, orange, hint of white florals, ambergris and sandalwood...and probably much more. I really like the smell of this I have to say but I was expecting something monumental. I thought some of these lesser known Creed's might just be hidden gems, I hoped for a knockout leather but instead I got a very complex and interesting fragrance. Not that I think Andy Tauer copied this or anything but it still makes Eau d'epices seem less innovative to me now.

Well what do you know this is actually a great scent!!! I remember this coming out but I never bothered with. Moschino was just a brand that I sneered at for no specific reason, just maybe that it was all over the place at one time...I dunno? The opening is watery, kinda citrus and fruity but with a distinctly translucent feel of tomato or fig which I'm guessing is the kumquat??? This is all very well but you can sense there's a bit of spice behind it which comes to the forefront after about an hour. The heart of this fragrance is star anise and wow does it come on into the drydown, giving Forever a really really lovely oriental flavour. The drydown is a soft spicy musk. I have to say I love it...it's a really good fragrance and the performance is not bad at all. It's like something CDG would do, quite bold and modern but no too crazy and utterly wearable. So glad I picked up the tester from the bargain basement shelf...might even pick up a bottle too.

Rose cut is a very happy, luminous rose scent. I didn't know what to expect to be honest and I was really pleasantly surprised by this one, not as deep or darkly invasive as some high quality roses but not as throwaway and lightweight as others. It's quite unique as far as rose goes and has a wonderful boozy and fruity quality which is sweet and almost raspberry jam like which I really enjoyed and some gentle patchouli in the drydown. Nothing dominating anything else, bright and upbeat I have to say I loved it and couldn't stop smelling myself when wearing it. Don't get me wrong I found this too feminine for my tastes and couldn't pull it off myself, still the sample came in handy to give to my friend who loves rose. Ladies if you like roses you can't go wrong here.

A very sweet oud scent that I instantly recognized but wasn't quite sure why? A bizarre and complex mixture of fruity top notes, orris root hint of cinnamon, then loads of amber, vanilla, and an unmistakable but utterly lost Oud accord. Took me all of about 10 seconds to realize where I had smelled this one before...Scent story 24 Gold! Oh course it is and practically identical too. This is a touch more refined than 24 Gold in truth, and so it should be for the price. It doesn't cloy so much in the opening and is less Full blooded when you try them together. The drydown is more woody and the Oud save the king has a sandalwood throughout which 24 does too but this smells a little better quality to my nose. (again for the price it ought to be) Basically, the gist I'm getting at is this fragrance has more oud and sandalwood and less vanilla as it settles. However, 24 Gold has more notes and great performance and is remarkably cheap. Oud save the king performed very well as expected and has altogether less silage than 24 but still very good longevity, dying down and becoming more manageable. I love this smell, it's wonderful but if you like it save yourselves a few quid and get 24 Gold.