Finally received this in the post after being intrigued for some time and yes at first sniff it does resemble NdN but that's not quite the whole story. Tom Ford's Noir de Noir was a scent that was never a big deal to me and I genuinely couldn't see what the fuss was all about at first...It was just a very nice rose based perfume. However, after several wears over the years and a mini I occasionally dip into, I grew to understand that it was a pretty special fragrance, not too rosey but enjoyable and uplifting even. So the prospect of a cheaper alternative became very appealing and Club de Nuit Intense smells a hell of a lot like it. Crucial difference being after it settles the patchouli is more prominent, more quickly. Some would argue that's not much of a difference but try them side by side and you will notice what I mean. Other than that the opening is pretty much Identical, I'd say NdN seems a little jammier and sweeter in general but it really is slitting hairs. Also the choclately element a little cacao puff in both is present but as I mentioned the CdNI seems to be a little earthier patch. They both evoke Turkish delight and velvety, purple evening wear. I'm really glad I got this, because although I have rose fragrances I've nothing quite like this. Now I've never found NdN to be a big performer and this seems to sit low in exactly the same way, which I'm happy with to be honest because there's nothing worse than being choked out by your own rose perfume. A brilliant blind buy thanks to the reliable folks in the fragrance community bigging this one up now for some time.

When I read the notes for this I was thinking what will an Arabic take on a fruity scent be? It's pretty much what I expected in some respects but I'm also glad there's not a hint of rose or oud or the usual stuff that despite not being listed, can loom large. The opening is a turbo charged explosion of fruits, mainly plum, dark berries and blackcurrant but some exotic smell too, perhaps coming from the ylang ylang and jasmine. Layali is a upbeat and uplifting scent which instantly reminded me of my childhood and specifically a leisure centre where I used to do martial arts. It wasn't the sweat, rubber mats and chlorine though but maybe some sweets I had in the foyer or the slush puppy machines and canteen area...I don't actually know? but it's always fascinating when fragrance can transport you back to a time you'd buried deep in your subconscious. Anyway...the thing which makes this fragrance is the olfactory nosedive it takes as it settles down, very clever and totally needed to counteract the heady nature of the oriental flowers and strong fruity notes. The element I'm talking about is cumin or a curry spice note which just pokes it's head out, deep into the composition and frankly without it this scent would be nice but nothing to get excited about. It's the same way a fecal or animal note adds to a perfume just giving some shade to all that brightness. Hugely strong to begin with but I actually found it not too strong in the end and performance was good. Layali put me slightly in mind of Enchanted forest and Byredo Pulp due to the blackcurrant and plum notes respectively. Very good stuff though and a excellent flacon, an interesting blind buy that I thankfully don't regret because to me it's not a perfume taking itself too seriously. Layali is a bit of fun.

So many reviews to do, so little time. It's tragic that I've only just gotten around to pen my thoughts about this stuff. I don't know whether I'm just having a Eau de cologne renaissance but I really am in love with this kind of fragrance at the moment and it's not even the weather for it. Maybe that's the beauty of this sort of classic perfume...it's versatile and timeless. In any case my respect for Guerlain couldn't be higher and this really is a gem, despite the obvious comparisons with a million other similar fragrances. The opening is like a cool breeze of luscious, bright citruses and lemon verbena which often gives a little fizz to proceedings and although in broad terms, not a long lived perfume, the citrus does last throughout. This might be due to how Cologne Imperiale, superbly transitions into white florals but they are very light and delicate. The drydown has a hint of creaminess like a woody vanilla but so subtle and barely registering as such. It's brilliant! I really like it. This type of perfume can be quite boring but this has something about it an air of class and robust heritage. I have tried it through the years and this latest formula doesn't seem to have lost anything. I didn't expect decent performance and as such was pleasantly surprised when the longevity was okay, low lying but perfectly acceptable.

I’m disappointed with myself for not posting my review of this scent when it came out because I really liked it then and nothing has changed really. The citrus opening is lovely and with the edition of a positive and superb lemongrass note, is kinda herbal and zingy. Then it does become this thing we imagine old shave products to be like when they possibly were much harsher and full on as other reviews have mentioned. I get a classic cologne type mix but also a manly, herb Fougere, I’ve no doubt lavender is playing a part but it’s not pronounced to me. What I do think is I’m there is a vetiver like, earthy clean note, sometimes causing Bayolea to lean toward a kinda lemongrass Terred’Hermes. This could also be due to a zest of the tangerine note in here, especially in the opening. The drydown is lovely, clean, clear, concise...(maybe another C word I can’t think of right now?) and absolutely satisfying. I don’t think it’s groundbreaking, but Bayolea gets a thumbs up because performance was agreeable at 6+ hours so one of these days I might just get a bottle.

Whenever I see the word Bourbon I automatically think whiskey rather than vanilla, strange really as I’m clearly a fragrance fan but I’m obviously more of a whiskey fan so there you go. Well, who knew I would’ve been eerily accurate in that assumption, the opening is boozy and not in a good way, the base alcohol in this seems to take an age to disperse, which can happen with some (even the best) vanillas because they are so subtle and take time to develop. Then you get the other type which are just poorly executed and sadly that’s what E&J Nirvana Bourbon is, a meek, woody perfume which is an oak note, again subtlety conveyed and a vague booziness which is quite nice and then barely a flicker of the main player vanilla. It’s a shame because I can tell there the basis of a good perfume in here but it’s so patheticly mild it comes over like an anosmic, single woody molecule that quite honestly....bearly registers. I like the bottle and the branding though...they look pretty cool.

I really wanted to love this fragrance, I was extremely excited at the prospect of another AdP Colonia and one based on Ebony wood sounded delightful, unfortunately Ebano misses the mark. It starts very well, the opening is really superb, the red pepper note hits upfront, both fresh and spicy and then the unmistakable ebony note is among the best I’ve smelled, owing to the fact that it is the true focus but with touches of vetiver and other cleaner woods. Totally masculine, on the darker side with a dusty, dry feel and a hint of patch earth too. The thing which lets this perfume down is the drydown, it dries down, to creamy woods quickly and Is just a bit flat. Ebano is something which could’ve been so good and even glimpses greatness briefly but I’ve come across this before with this kind of woody scent. The drydown is passable but very boring and like something bog standard from the designer realm, I feel a bit bad giving it a hard time because it’s okay but could’ve been so much better. I’m not too bothered about the performance but it is a low lying hum as can be expected from an ebony/woods fragrance with little silage but still unusual for this line as they are usually strong. In conclusion then, I loved the opening and thought I may have hit on a holy grail of old skool, peppery, masculinity but that excitement was too short lived. I’d recommend anyone to try it but Ebano didn’t meet my high expectations.

I tried this in Birmingham a few years ago and all the way home (stuck in traffic for hours!) I was totally intrigued and intoxicated. (I don't mean I was drunk) It was one of those where I knew EXACTLY what this reminded me of almost immediately. I say 'almost' because the opening is such a strong, chaotic, swirling of notes that it's really difficult to discern what's going on. Then when it's settled sufficiently it's basically Tom Ford's glorious Black Orchid. Again...I say 'glorious' but I gave my bottle of Black Orchid away to a friend of mine as I thought she'd appreciate it more than I did. That's the main problem, although dark, exotic and with gourmand facets which one could argue are the epitome of unisex, I still find it too feminine. Because of the glaring comparison this is the case for Oud 24 I'm afraid. It has a sweet but a little smokey oud opening, then chocolate, cacao, patchouli incense and exotic florals pour out from what is a BIG fragrance. I don't go in for this being an exact clone of BO, put it this way I think I could tell them apart from the opening in anycase. This has more of a middle eastern feel, it's woodier and more raw, becoming even more complex. Yes I know than Black Orchid a massively complex perfume in itself, a statement that shouldn't be possible, but Oud 24 Hours manages it somehow. I still found the floral aspect way too much for me and it grated in the same way as Black Orchid. So is this a cheap and viable alternative? I'd say so, the performance was very good but I also remember that being the case for the TF too. If you like BO it's worth knowing this stuff is out there.

I'm always fair to Beckhams fragrances but this one is not great. Not only is it behind the times stylistically (not always a bad thing) but Respect's tired and synthetic opening doesn't excite. It then settles a bit to a really sad, melon/ cheap aquatic, mildly derivative of loads of scents but exceeding non of them. Sorry Dave...I'm not a fan of this one.

I quite enjoyed the original and I'd even sniffed out CR7 (the release that came out after this one) before I got my nose on this and I gotta say, I'm a little disappointed. Private edition is a bit like I imagine the man himself to smell, brash, over the top and sickly sweet. I don't mind a sweet fragrance at all and the thought of maple notes gets me really excited but this don't do it for me I'm afraid. The opening is an intoxicating cloud, a kind of dirty vanilla blob, which put me in mind of that tonka bean craze of a few years back. There's an amber warmth but it's very cheap smelling and I've not idea what other notes are there because frankly it's a bit of a mess. One thing I will say for it, Private edition is in keeping with the line and does have a certain unique quality (maybe it's that maple? I'll have to wear it again) which will be striking to some and is what I liked about the original. However, It's not unique in a good way, it's more a 'who can make the ickiest, gourmand chemical bomb on the market?' kinda way and that's not big or clever. Sorry Cristiano, I don't hate this and I will try it again but my gut says thumbs down and I don't think that's gonna change.

Usually marketing blurbs annoy me but 'sophisticated' and 'easy to wear' are incredibly apt descriptors in the case of Essence Aromatique. I've worn it once and sampled it a couple of times since and I'm still arriving at the same conclusion...this is a very decent effort. I like the original, the Intense, and have only recently tried the parfum and don't feel equipped to comment on that one but generally I enjoy them all, so it wasn't a surprise that this one was good. What was a surprise however was the seemingly different vibe of this compared to the original and subsequent flankers, it really is a totally different animal. A modern and clean, citrus and almost fougere opening which gives way to a more earthy, spiced and moss and wood heart, finally finishing on a deep but mellow bed of patchouli and cedar. I'm so glad that Bottega Venetta didn't phone in a weak aquatic which I feared when looking at the name and packaging. Now apparently this is an EDC concentration and while it isn't stong, I think considering that, Essence Aromatique lasted okay. This is well executed and it's just really nice to see that there's still care being taken and respect to tradition observed, when making new releases. Although this isn't earth shattering stuff it ticks boxes for me, overall originality? tick. Great opening? Tick. Enjoyable wearing experience? tick. Nice drydown? Tick. Not one dimensional? tick....and Is performance acceptable? Tick. Despite never owning it, I have had about 25 (not exaggerating) carded samples of the Pour Homme and worn it loads because I find it highly original and this isn't bad either. Maybe I should get some Bottega Venetas because I like them.