Encre Noire opens with a heavy hitting cypress note backed up with a load of sharp, earthy Vetiver. As the heart develops the scent is softened slightly by the cashmere and musk, however these are soft and sparkly as opposed to animalic. In the dry down these softer notes dissipate and the cypress/vetiver combination leads the way. It’s dark, mysterious, earthy and damp - it really transports you to something reminiscent of walking through a rainy forest at dusk. Encre Noire has exceptional quality for the price that it can be found at and is a truly unique take on vetiver with a lot of character. It has great performance and smells a lot higher quality than you would think. Overall a very unique scent profile and a must have for rainy days.
A difficult opening with a lot to think about. I'm thinking gourmand, soil, spicey, minty, sour port or heavy wine, liquorice, peach, headache coming on, familiar dirty patchouli, possibly a bit of cherry, oh yeah, there are the aldehydes, headache getting worse, glad I didn't spray this on my skin and I only bought 10ml. Undeniably a quality perfume, but one that belongs in a different era, perhaps even a different world. After half an hour the dry down starts to get delicious and warm, but it's too much for me during those 30 mins. It's like the single, 50s aunt at a wedding who wears a screaming-loud ensemble with an attention-seeking hat, before mellowing out as the day, and the drinking, goes on. I'm glad I have a little bit now it's finished but I can't see myself wearing it.
Smells like a sour patchouli to me, and not in a good way. I guess it must be the vetiver. It's a hard dislike.
Black Orchid opens with a juicy burst of blackcurrant and orange accompanied by intense florals such as orchid and ylang-ylang. The patchouli and truffle add an almost minty bitterness to the composition which offsets the sweetness. In the dry down the patchouli and orchid continue to dominate the senses as the brighter notes dissipate, with the added smooth darkness coming from the chocolate accord. Incense and spicy notes add to the complexity and darkness of the fragrance, overall leaving the wearer with a mysteriously sweet and alluring scent bubble. The materials used here are of a good quality and the performance is great, however the scent can be challenging and overbearing for some. While personally I find Black Orchid too feminine for my taste, I can appreciate the creativity and uniqueness of this fragrance.
Dark Rose - not as dark as you would think. This fragrance opens with a very bright and feminine rose, may chang and lily - soft and smooth florals which compliment each other well, with not much detection of anything darker than this. In the heart you are greeted with a sour sharpness from the musk and cedar wood, however this combination with the florals results in a slightly synthetic outcome. As it dries down, a sweet saffron and earthy patchouli present themselves and mix with the florals. Unfortunately to me this seems to create something very reminiscent of a bathroom cleaner, very soapy and slightly sharp. With the sample I have here, I cannot detect any oud or even oud accord which is disappointing. Overall this is a pleasant soapy floral autumn scent for women, however it does not live up to the price tag attached.
B683 Extrait explodes with a spicy, juicy burst of cumin, green apple and violet leaf. The opening has such addicting depth with this dry, fruity combination. As the heart begins to shine, pink pepper and patchouli become noticeable which compliment the previous notes beautifully. As this dries down the original B683 composure begins to shine - the safraleine, violet leaf and sandalwood are perfectly complimented by a dry, dusty oud which elevates the entire scent profile to something incredible. This is by far one of the strongest fragrances I have sampled and receives great reactions from those around you, the quality of ingredients is simply stunning. Overall this is a masterful expression of what perfumery should be. It’s bold, high quality and artistic, and beautifully builds upon the DNA of the original as an extrait flanker should. While the price unfortunately is very high, Quentin Bisch has really outdone himself with this release. Utter perfection.
Oud for Greatness opens with a sharp and sweet saffron bomb, darkened around the edges with an oud accord and patchouli. The lavender and nutmeg quickly present themselves in the heart of the fragrance to give it an aromatic and spicy kick which is blended very well with the other notes. As it hits the dry down you’re greeted with an intensely sweet yet smooth saffron and oud combination which is undeniably alluring and captivating. The nutmeg lingers in the background to create a warm spicy bubble while the patchouli starts to dwindle and this fragrance becomes more sweet than dark. This is a head turning and addictive fragrance, perfect for classy nights out when you’re looking to impress - and the performance won’t let you down. This is one of my favourite saffron based scents, however if you’re looking for an oud scent specifically then this one is not it. Unfortunately it does not smell like real oud has been used which is disappointing for the price, however it still smells incredible nonetheless.
Stunning aldehydes and a big powdery blast to begin with. Dries down into something really really stunning and quite unisex. Fans of powdery fragrances and orris should make a note of this. Quality is fab! Follow me on Instagram: @TheScentiest
A beautiful almost gourmand milky sandalwood, with references to DVN Malle. Gentler and less abrasive and not so biscuity, this is really what I wanted from both the aforementioned fragrance and Kilian’s Sacred Wood. A much better representation of Mysore and a must try for fans of sandalwood. Not sure where the first reviewer gets all the salt, but her friend seems closer with “cheerios”! Follow me on Instagram: @TheScentiest
Animalistic beauty. Layton Exclusif opens with an explosive dose of oud, guaiac wood, patchouli and vanilla - these dark notes are then balanced with a hint of orange and almond. This dark scent profile lingers as the original Layton begins to gently shine with its classic trio of sweet vanilla, almond and creamy sandalwood. After some time the DNA of the original Layton becomes even more prominent, yet with a dusky, animalic twist. The oud and patchouli in the dry down give the fragrance a dark and earthy backbone, while the coffee and civet add an intoxicating bitterness. Layton Exclusif builds upon the undeniable success of its predecessor, but tailored for an even more niche market. This fragrance is noticeably more challenging and mature with so much more depth than the original, and yet is just as alluring. With fantastic projection and longevity, this scent is objectively perfect and receives great feedback from those who smell it on you.
Jubilation XXV by Amouage is a fantastically regal experience. It opens very bright and sharp with orange, blackberry and olibanum before the aromatics of tarragon and bay leaf catch up. It then develops a sweet and spicy heart with honey, cinnamon and clove to create a warming and inviting scent bubble. The dry down however is where this fragrance shines, when the oud and patchouli become noticeable with the consistent olibanum, myrrh and opoponax running throughout (not forgetting the powerful blackberry and honey notes) - you’re left with a deliciously sweet, smokey and resinous scent trail that will have you feeling like a Saudi Prince. I have not tried the original formulations of Jubilation XXV so I cannot compare, however current batches unfortunately don’t have the best performance. Despite this, it smells outstanding and will definitely get you noticed. A true masterful expression of luxury Middle Eastern perfumery.
Dior Sauvage Elixir initially opens with a burst of sharp grapefruit, lavender and liquorice before quickly developing a deeper heart adding cinnamon, nutmeg and cardamom to the mix to create a truly enigmatic cloud of aromatic warm spices. As it dries down the sandalwood, patchouli and vetiver begin to shine, giving the fragrance an earthy darkness. The lavender, liquorice and nutmeg remain a powerful constant throughout the life of this scent and the liquorice in particular gives it a sticky, almost resinous facet. This is everything Sauvage should have been and an absolute modern masterpiece by Francois Demachy, a fantastic creation to leave us with before his departure from Dior. The performance is nuclear and it garners endless compliments from those around you, one of the best men’s designer fragrances on the market and a beastly addition to any winter collection.
This is not exactly the review yet but just information which is quite relevant. People seem to mix all the information what comes to these Guerlain’s classics and different concentrations, the launching years and all information here is not true. Mitsouko Eau de Parfum wasn’t launched on 1919, they only launched Eau de Toilette and Extrait de Parfum which is same as Parfum and Eau de Cologne. Eau de parfum as a term of concentration didn’t exist before 1990 and even if Mitsouko’s EDP doesn’t differ so much from EDT the case is different for example with Shalimar. Shalimar Eau de Parfum launched in 1990 is significantly different from Eau de Toilette and Parfum.
TRADITIONAL CHYPRES 🍁 Amouage Jubilation XXV 2007 There is missing some main elements of Chypre scent here but it performs very similarly like Chypre anyway. This is soft and Ambery, very refined. The warmest of these all. 🍁 Guerlain Mitsouko 1919 Mossy and earthy, new epd is a little bit sharp while my new extrait is soft and more round, polished. I used to layer them to get the best from both. This new epd is the most dry of these ones. An extrait version of Mitsouko, even if it’s the most recent one, is mesmerizing, rich and intoxicating blend. It’s very different than edp where the beautiful sweetness from Peach is very faint and a deep, mellow, mossy base is just earthy and very dry. Extrait is so amazing and evocative definitely one of the best Chypres. I highly recommend that one, there is a huge difference between those concentrations. 🍁 Rochas Femme 1944 A little bit more fruity than others, beautiful Plum, Peach and Apricot brings a gentle sweetness. Feels smoky/earthy after the opening but not for long time. Performs darker on my husband’s skin than on mine. 🍁 Roja Parfums Diaghilev 2010 Very strong and majestic dark blend, a challenging to wear for many. This one definitely needs the right kind of clothes, otherwise you look and smell totally ridiculous. Sharp and spicy, leathery and musky, the most masculine of these ones, actually there is nothing feminine in this. Thank you for reading and if you want to follow me on IG: @ninamariah_perfumes
Opening is a no. Drydown is a major yes
Unapologetic elegance. Dior Homme Parfum opens with a slightly animalic leather and sandalwood sharpened by a hint of orange. A heart of cedar and ambrette then join the party as the leather and iris begin to take over. As this dries down you’re blasted with beautifully smooth Iris and leather with a touch of rose. The combination of sandalwood, oud and cedar running through this scent from start to finish is undeniably masculine, perfect for a classy night out when you’re dressed to impress. This is the epitome of men’s designer fragrances, a fantastic release from Dior and a master stroke by Francois Demachy. It’s rich, sophisticated and powerful, and will stick to your skin all day making a lasting impression on those around you. A must have for any fragrance collector and a true modern classic.
To me Force evokes the feeling of beautiful artists studios, empty spaces full of the potential for creativity. The sense of clay work happening recently and dried paint. Or of a forest clearing blanketed in mist. It’s the stillness of these pictures, yet they somehow manifest a certain life energy. It begins with a wintery air of delicate mint then a distant flicker of church incense. There’s smoke amidst evergreens. The orris is earthy and barely perceptible. I must say the quality of the juice is really high across the range, but this is my standout. Follow me on Instagram: @TheScentiest
The negative comments on here are often focused on something I love about it, such as the way it evokes fresh laundry or soap. It's not any old laundry or soap, it's that breathtakingly fresh waft you get for a split second that you wish could last, and now it can, all day in fact. Or the strong blast of aldehydes in the opening... it's spellbinding, albeit not unique (MFK has several variations on this theme with negligible differences). It's a paradox, as it's the least challenging fragrance in my collection, but manages to be magical to my nose, and is more than the sum of its notes. It is very, very strong, which I itself can be a challenge. I find it charming, effervescent and flirtatious, but with a sharp edge, an ever so subtle metallic sheen that makes all the difference. The drydown is the best part by far and away. Update - wait for super hot weather, then let it thrive ;) Another update - I've worn this hundreds of times now, and it's truly underrated in my opinion. The only difficulty is the strength. It's nuclear and you have to be careful. But in the summer it becomes my signature for days on end whenever the heat and humidity stop me wearing my usual heavy, oudy, ambery cloaks. There is a woody amber scratch underneath, as with most MFK freshies, but it's only perceptible when you shove your nose right in, and it doesn't stop me loving it. The jasmine is just indolic enough to make it smelling, and this with the exquisite bergamot note puts this in a league of its own for the genre.
Ombré Leather by Tom Ford opens with a burst of clean black leather and jasmine, before quickly developing a heart of leathery cardamom. The jasmine dances with these darker notes to brighten the scent profile and smooth it out. I find the dry down develops quite quickly into an amber-patchouli base, with the black leather and jasmine remaining a reliable constant. It takes me to a place reminiscent of sitting in the rich leather seats of a brand new Jaguar, and will have you feeling powerful and confident all day long with fantastic projection and longevity. I’m not sure why this is marketed as unisex as this is pure masculinity in a bottle. Overall this is a fantastic leather fragrance that takes a fresher, cleaner approach than your typical leather scent. I cannot stand Tuscan Leather and for me this is the more refined and mass appealing option.
Listen everyone!!!, don't believe the other bullst reviews on here. This sh*t is 🤢🤢🤢🤢🤢🤢🤢🤢🤢. Fecal, animalic animal poop is what this smells like. All the talk about warm, creamy, sensual, nutty etc etc....GET THE FK OUTTA HERE KMT!!. Y'all need to get your nostrils examined. Worst blInd buy EVER!!!!
Once you smell the cat piss, you can never unsmell the cat piss. Specifically it's fresh cat piss on cat litter, plus some old forgotten cat piss behind the sofa. It's like sipping warm Ribena in a childhood friend's home where they have stopped noticing the stench of cat piss... very evocative of my 80s childhood. This is a ghastly mistake, I never want to smell it again. Kudos to the balls of the person who decided to call this "on a date", I've had a good ten minutes laughing at that.
This is the final one of the extraits I've tried and I kinda knew what to expect given how the other ones played out. I think Amaouge have been clever in the fact that they've basically given the people what they want, more of the same, but 'stronger' (whatever that means to you?) I was skeptical about these, I felt it represented something of a lack of ideas from Amouage, but I think Salmon has done this for the fans, (and the board ;) of which Reflection Man has many. This was one of the oldskool Amouages in those really middle eastern looking flacons, it's come a long way to this iteration and been wildly popular on the way. I always considered Reflection Man (the edp concentration) to be a beautiful and well executed fougere type fragrance, with smatterings of stuff which made it superior to things with which it was often compared, Le Male, Versace Dreamer, Sartorial etc....etc... Reflection Man was in more of an elite category with Invasion Barbare, Fougere Royale and later the Tom Ford Fougeres. However, I felt as though they all offered something of a standout quality aside from the basic fougere structure, be it the herbal aspects of Invasion barbare and the big patchouli element in both the TF and Houbigant. I think I know what the unique aspects of Reflection are now, especially in this version, this is more tonka/coumarin, vanillic warmth, some extra magic of resin white florals and iris, Iris features in this perfume more than I remember and it's a very modern, smooth iris in the vein of Prada/Andrier giving it a subtlety and chicness. This heavier concentration takes that to the pinnacle, making for a bolder, even warmer experience and probably magnifying the things which where a bit too subtle in the original. I'm wearing it today and I suspected all that coumarin warmth would start to drag and if I wear this on my arm and keep stiffing it's majestic opening soon retreats to something I find a bit cloying and then after a few hours go back to loving again. However, when I actually wear it on skin, during the day, it doesn't do that, it's just an inherently wearable and beautiful experience, to be honest it's been that long since I tried the original, I don't know whether the same could be said of that, for about half the money. That's the toss up though isn't it? I'd say from memory though this 45 version is almost certainly better and more appealing to me, as the other three I've tried have been I don't see why this one wouldn't be, so if you can splash the big bucks on this I can pretty much guarantee you won't be disappointed.
This gives me the same delicious, rich lavender fougère vibes as TF Beau de Jour, and on other days I get more of a Costa Azzurra Parfum vibe without the strong lemon. I'm not getting a lot of oud or grapefruit, and I do think it's misnamed, but so are 99% of the other perfumes I have, in my opinion. I love this, and it's amazingly cheap. Update: this is not oud, it's spicy lavender and sandlewood, in the same vein as Hayat and Papilefiko. It's a banging scent for very very cheap (40 euros from discounters) so save your money and get this instead, it doesn't disappoint!
Stunningly beautiful, powerful yet restrained and elegant, simple notes create an air (pun intended) of intrigue. It's more oudy than Silk Mood, although I suspect it's more benzoin than oud, which is fine by me. I ordered this because the Silk Mood Extrait was unavailable in the smaller formats, but I'm gobsmacked by how much I love this, I'm addicted already!
An obnoxiously strong perfume which screams at everyone "smell how opulent I am, I need you to smell how opulent I am". I've owned it for a while, and although initially I was bowled over by its beauty, I have come to find it unwearable and quite repellant. I'm all for strong, challenging fragrances, but I think what bothers me so much about this is precisely that the scent isn't challenging at all, it's just so frigging strong it's impossible to manage it, and it's not pleasant at all. It's OK like 24 hours later but what good is that? Needless to say there's no oud here, just some vague woody, sweet, slightly resinous base notes. At best it's a saffron rose combo and at worst a cloying, sickly spicy rose vanilla fug. The more perfumes I experience, the more I can't help seeing MFK as an expensive brand for show-offs who know nothing about perfumery, although I feel it remiss not to say that Kurkdjian himself is a great perfumer, but within the umbrella of his own brand there's not a lot to love. The best offerings in my opinion are 724 and Grand Soir, but that's at a push, and they're certainly not worth the extortionate price with so many alternatives available for less.
Oud for greatness and Baccarat 540 mix with an HEAVY ANIMALIC presence up top. First 20mins was disgusting to me then after a while the animalicness started to fade and it became very nice. Very ofg/br540 scent. Longevity is phenomenal so DO NOT overspray!!. Well past the 12 hour mark!!. Huge sillage. Can be headache inducing.
