This is instantly different to the other rose in this collection and I mean, you'd hope so right? This is sweeter, perhaps a little more traditionally rosy, I get pink pepper for a moment but then it turns to that soapy, high end version of herbal essence shampoo. Actually has a nice 'dark' green, peppery note a it dries down. Not my taste or the best example of this genre but joins a host of competent and likable modern rose perfumes. I must say I do like it overall. It's certainly more suitable for raving than the other rose, but did it really do it for me in the way certain modern roses have? Not quite. Update 26/01/25 I’m trying this again today and have nothing to add to my above review. Honestly, I don’t mean to toot my own horn but I read it and was like… yeah… I said it then. Now sometimes I come back to these reviews and think… what the hell was I thinking writing that? But here…well… it’s spot on.
Errrrrrrm.... This is a bit lovely. It's earthy, slightly sweaty cumin and patchouli/vetiver with a metallic rose note. I've smelled similar perfumes to this but hey, I'm not unrealistic, nor am I looking for absolute innovation every time, I like it.
Date night approved!👌🏿. Even though this is listed as a womans frag. It can defo be pulled off by a guy.
This hers slapsssssssss! especially in the heat. Omg this is good!!. Longevity for me was wild!. Sprayed it at 6pm and still smelling it at 11.30am following morning. Projection is steong for firat hour and a half then becomes quite an intimate scent but Longevity is phenomenal.
Not feeling this one. Not what i was expecting at all!. This on my skin skells like violets with sugar. Then drydown smells a bit better with a passionfruit kind of accord. Unique fir sure but not for me and i would steongly advise against blind buying this one especially for men.
Very nice sweet fragrance. Has strong resemblance to Arabian oud - Aseel special edition/Les fleurs du golfe - Baccara Vanille. All in the same ball park. However i would say Ajwad is a weaker/more wearable version as some may find the other 2 too overpowering
I think Andrier is a fantastic perfumer, let's just get that out of the way. I think her aesthetic is as strong as Roundnitkas or Cellier, Jean Claude Ellena....any perfume who's style really is their own. Sometimes I think she's underated as being too modern, minimal and basically just making a billion Iris perfumes, which is sort of true but also sort of missing the point. This is a new line and a venture into perfumery outside of the first which was famously with Frederic Malle, and a fragrance I own because I think it's a curious art piece, complex and challenging but also a bit too challenging as I never feel compelled to wear it. So anyway, yes this is the first I tried from the new line and although I'm not one of those folks who genders fragrance and makes a big fuss about defying the marketing to 'wear what you want' (I think that's kinda implicit) However, I still have personal boundaries as to what I consider, too feminine for me personally, and Jardin de L'Orangerie falls into that category. Very pleasant creamy, lactonic opening with a very pretty orange blossom which descends into a musky, vanilla blah. It's very nice and well made, but not for me, I prefer my orange blossoms much more on the indolic, waxy side and surrounded by something interesting to set them off, or just fresh, cologne aspects. Sandalwood and orange blossom is not a misleading description, it delivers them, but in a way that is not really my scene. (This review is based on a first impression and I was only confident enough to write this review as I've tried zillions of perfumes at this point and I'm 85% sure my opinion won't shift too much upon giving it a proper wear. Having said all that, perfume still surprises me so stay tuned for a possible update)
So I'm wearing Dries Van Noten's Neon garden today and although it's actually a very competent, pleasant, cheat mode (I mean orris/iris who does like that?) fragrance from Fanny Bal, I'm just not quite feeling it. I think the expectation of 'Mint' as it's clearly listed in my little sample set, made me think 'hmmmm iris and mint? I don't think I've had that combo, could be something really special this!!!' I think that expectation coupled with the OTT packaging and the Bladerunner name, had me longing for something with a bit more oomph than I got. Like I said it's a nice 'niche' Orris perfume with the most subtle vegetal qualities, and greenery, and indeed mint top note but it's too fleeting to be considered something I'd really seek out and have the ability to stand out in the crowd. The Orris goes from fleshy and leathery/powdery to that dry, papery woody ionone/irone, as a modern, uncluttered Iris perfume, I like it, but unless you're some massive DVN fan then this is just another nice perfume. Up that mintiness, and give us some shock greenery of galbanum or geranium in a top/heart that was detectable for longer, then let it retreat to a very nice iris and I would've probably sang the praises of this perfume. Take more risks what I think.
Conquistador is a really elegant fragrance from start to finish, a nicely pitched opulent dusty, Labdanic sandalwood amber accord accented with a leathery iris, right from the start. It feels more like a L'air du dessert esque appeal for me. Defintely a touch of vanilla or benzoin and a syrupy boozy, oudish smell later (sometimes patchouli can do this) so yeah, that's quite a lot of things I know, but I got some good progression out of this, which I think speaks to the inherent quality of the stuff. To it's credit, Conquistador didn't feel like just another iris/orris perfume which let's face it are fairly commonplace in 'niche' perfume and if I'm honest even the worst ones are pretty good, because everyone loves orris materials whether natural or bases or whatever, it's a pretty safe bet. This feels safe but also very nicely done and as I mentioned not tropey, for me it's not 'Dior Homme plus xyz' I think that's a little reductive. I have to give credit where credit is due and although I wasn't blown away, Franck Muller have produced some consistently good products here.
I don't mean to slag off this collection because on the whole, they ain't too bad but this was very lack lustre to wear and yet again, forgettable, for me. I've nothing against a throwaway, fruity musk, mildly floral too, and that's what we have here, but it doesn't interest me or spark the fragrance enthusiast in me to want to find something I love about it. It didn't really make me feel much. However, and for those that don't know, The Crazy hours is an iconic watch from Franck Muller which has a sort of quirky but still seriously luxurious feel. This does for me represent the sort of rainbow colours of the disordered dial of a crazy hours timepiece so I think the brief has been met, and you can't ask for much more. The citrus and higher end qualities of this did remind me of a Creed or similar type fragrance, but again you'd have to really be a big fan of Franck Muller or a collector of branded niche perfume like this to be attracted to it, and I'm just not. That' not to say that I don't want one of the beautiful flacon from FM because they are very nice looking and not outrageously priced either compared to some brands. I think Muller have given some thought to the perfumes in this line, not just jizzed out a load of cynical, generics as a watch brand trying to move into another luxury market might do but as a result of this appeal to the masses, haven't taken any risks, and why would they? True blue, hardcore fragrance fans will probably have nothing to see/sniff here, but some might be snared by the luxury and association with quality, because I doubt anyone would say this perfume is innovative.
Double Mystery? It didn't even have a touch of single mystery for me. I actually didn't write any rough notes to later form a review of double mystery (as is normal practice), it's only been a few days since I wore it and I genuinely can't remember much about it. Other than it being a woody floral, ('white' flowers) perfume, competently made and quality enough to demand this Luxury aesthetic, price tag (just about) but my fundemental question (now having tried the whole line) why buy this as a perfume or smell, if not motivated by the luxury watch angle or the packaging? Because I don't think you necessarily would otherwise, and that's all fine. I thought the perfume was decent enough. But ultimately (and quite literally) forgettable.
This is most definitely my favourite rose fragrance this far!. More so that POAL, Toyboy, Atomic Rose etc...This fragrance is just pure and simply beautiful. So nice that i wear it as a man🤷🏾♂️.
Extremely close to PDM Percival👌🏿
Wake up world! Wake up and smell the 90's, quite literally. Such a bold global proclamation deserves a better fragrance than this surely? Go back to sleep world, is more like it. Yeah I simply don't like this and it's not because I don't like DHM or Ambroxan, both great materials but I don't think this is showcasing an innovative way of using them. It smells to me of a lemon/bergamot opener on this insipid, pile of stuff, the soapy, herbal, 'man goo', that is dihydromyrcenol and some diffusive ambroxan and a hint of sickly coumarin warmth. I think it's a bit of nightmare actually and reminds me of stuff like Nikos Sculpture, oddly misshapen and ugly to most but with a strange beauty to the few. It also sort of reminds me a touch of 00's Gucci or even something which I like possibly Armani Code or something? But that's a prime example of how this kind of stuff (let's call it modern fougere) can be done right. I'm not mad at it, just disappointed but how could I not be, it's clearly supposed to make a statement, the bottle is dark as apposed to all the other Parle Moi perfumes, and the name screams a message, literally at the whole stricken space bauble we live on. Wake up!!!! The same message that was daubed in graffiti throughout the UK during the pandemic, as a 'deep' message to the sheeple.... man! pfffft!!! So whether the name is poignant to you or not, it certainly built up my expectations to a fever pitch, only to be deflated rather rapidly. Also Michel Almeriac making a 90's type, masculine (ok it's unisex marketed) hommage sounds on paper like something right up my street. It just isn't, I found it quite unpleasant.
I've seen this going cheap a few times and been tempted to blind buy it. I've tried it now... and I'm somewhat less tempted, but not all the way entirely. There's something I like about it's trashy, knockabout themes, the main one being mandarin, and bergamot which it conveys instantly, in a sort of vague, chalky floral cloud a little like the vague peach or apricot hint you get with osmanthus, except here it's with a definite mandarin note, so far so good then. What is immediately apparent (and much moreso later) is a very creamy, sweetened, musk/sandalwood which is soft and likable and as the more volatile citrus and vague floralcy floats off into the air, you're left with something of a appealing skin/clothes sent of long gone fruit and tropical cocktail, and creamy aroma chemicals. What I like is that it doesn't get progressively sweeter until just annoying musk and vanillin remain, which is what I thought might happen at one point. Hey, as far as mandarin/sandalwood fragrances go, I'm struggling to think of a better one at this point (or any other one for that matter but there you go) and I was genuinely happy when I first smelled it but I would pay top whack for this, no way.
Bravo to Sultan Pasha for being one of those oil/attar makers and natural material gurus who actually has a respect and grasp of classic perfumery, clearly loves perfume, collects it, and knows it intimately. It shows in his attars which are not just fantastic, rare, high quality materials, unsupported by any compositional skill, they are like odes to classic French technique in oil form. The problem I have with attars is that I don't like the way they wear, give me an alcohol perfume any day, and my prayers have been answered, thanks Zoologist. Instantly, think big, rich, powdery, Mitsuoko chypre, meets aldehydic floral opening, that blue lotus accord (perhaps even the stuff itself, don't see why not it's Pasha afterall) and I detect a trace of jasmine and ylang or even osmanthus, it has a certain dry, summery, chalky freshness, then into downbeat drydown of resins and woods, ever detectable at the 'back' of the composition. It's fantastic, a real love letter to perfume, and a proper treat for perfume enthusiasts who love um' traditional. I thought it was great. Pretty spectacular actually.
A fantastic disgrace this one. Elements I like and some I really don't but what I will say is that it's incredibly well made, and balanced, much more so than many Zoologists, not being bitchy there, I like many of them and the opportunities brand owner Victor gives to indy perfumers but as soon as I smelled this I figured it had been done by one of the IFF crew he's brought in for recent releases. There's the signature ambroxan and woody amber as it's dried down something Rasquinet seems to be able to keep on doing without offending anyone. (Anyone being me) Of course it has those melon faceted calone, or marine molecule effects to it as well, something which you'd very much expect in a perfume named seahorse but you also get that salty, algae bloom, seaweed with a sickening creamy neroli and vetiver. This is that combination often found in these sorts of sea evoking perfumes and it's the reason I disliked many fragrances including vetiver dance by Andy Tauer but then ended up being convinced by. I can even smell the aromatic clary sage and a somewhat, 90's masculine lean to this perfume which is an aquatic with much more than meets the eye. It's actually very pleasurable to wear and has some sweet, almost fruity facets at the start, giving almost pink hues in and among all that aquamarine and teal. Reminded me in a fleeting seaside way of Pacific rock moss by G&B. Anyway, all in all I think it's accomplished what it sets out to do, evoke a seahorse. I can forgive the herbal, handcream/neroli/vetiver thing because it's me that needs to grow on that front and there's enough other stuff going on to keep me interested and actually enjoy this perfume.
Oh my sweet lord! This is absolutely gorgeous! I can't say that I've said that about a perfume in ages but there, I said it. I really like this brand, despite the prohibitive price tag and luxury veneer at first glance. In fairness though I think the natural materials used shine with a brilliance and clarity, and the cofferette presentation is very nice to be fair, so it's not like you're being cheated, I just can't afford them and I'm bitter hahah. Although another plus about this brand, they now offer smaller bottles, and this and the Ambergris one are so mind-alteringly good, that I will have to get them at some point when I'm flush. So this to me, smells much more like a creamy musky, sandalwood with gorgeous irone accents, rather than a straight up Iris or orris root perfume. It has a powdery, fruity top note and evokes DK Cashmere/Fuel for Men, Santal Carmin but it's frankly better than all of those. This is due to the fact it's soooooo thick and dense and voluminous as are everything in this basenote only line. The difference from a mere comforting sandalwood/musk type scent is the fact that it evokes leather quite bloody well, and avoids the usual cliches of known bases like Suederal (even though it's glorious) or the floral 'leather' of a cuir de Russie or the modern leathers with spiky IBQ, or even a really orris laden or cosmetic smelling leather, this seems to achieve something adjacent to these. It stays close to the skin but wears relentlessly and is so beautiful, it's an absolute delight, I'm as intrigued about this as I was with Musk Ambergris one, except this is less bizarro.
By The Fireplace clone. Great longevity. No burnt plastic, these peeps noses are broken.
I was disappointed by this, a pal sent me a sample and whenever I see 'Orris' in the title of a fragrance I mentally prepare for something lovely and frankly quite safe in terms of most peoples tastes, orris butter is divine, irones and ionones are divine (used correctly) and orris bases and materials like Orris givco are lovely, orris blends well with most stuff...basically how'd you fuck orris up? Well MCM manage it! hahah...no I'm kidding, it's not all bad but I think the name is a little misleading for me, despite some vague orris texture I can just about detect. I think? Opens lovely, complex, lightly floral and fresh but then to me this quickly becomes a salinated, cucumber, dill, papyrus-lite, fragrance which glimpses Santal 33 more than any orris perfume. Do not take from that, that this is a clone of Santal 33, I'm using it as a very loose reference. I'm not a huge fan, smells a bit cheap and lacklustre (yes I know snobby) it does progress throughout the day, and is not completely unrewarding, just not for me.
Le Labo is a funny brand really, I'm not one to dismiss them off hand because I feel little connection with what they're doing, so a new release always has me interested. Matcha seems to have been trendy in haute cuisine a few years ago and fragrance tends to follow suit. Le Labo are also notorious for not delivering the obvious from the name of their perfumes, another thing to bear in mind. First impression for me is a likable, but also slightly forgettable scent. It's like a slightly bland, rice dish to me. Apparently the opening is fig, I'll go along with that but it's not the classic fig accord in Philosykos or Armani if that's what you're expecting. I like the light infusion of the matcha accord/element, because does, just about, evoke that, but through a soapy, laundry filter. It's not wholly satisfying, nor is it disappointing. I'm always crying out for something different and when I get it I'm still not happy, I'm just a whiner. This might be the kind of thing that slips under the radar for a few years then all of sudden it's a new Santal 33. Inexplicably popular. Ya never know.
A top loaded perfume which has lots of excitement and crowd pleasing (for the more discerning crowd) stuff which really wowed me for the first few minutes but it's clearly a sweet perfume with quite a lot of vanilla which is my problem with it. The mixture of resinous, deep, woody incense and spices with an equally big proportion of vanillic traits, never seems to sit well with me. A detectable vanilla to round out the woody spiciness, or even overt incense, makes this kind of 'jelly' effect I often describe but this just kinda wears a bit relentlessly, sweet with vanillin, it's a bit sickly and something I find pointless after most of the excitement of the top and mid notes have gone. I don't hate this perfume it's well made and all that just not quite within my tastes.
Well not wanting to jump the gun or be sally come lately to this release, I'm gonna give my opinions after a brief encounter with it. This flanker is Nagel taking on the Terre d'Hermes backbone and stamping her own thing on it. Is that necessarily a good thing? The jury is out on this and H24. I don't hate them, in fact it's a style of perfume I quite like, this simplistic, freshness and white musky, mist and it's a smart move for Hermes keeping their aesthetic reasonably un tarnished while not having to resort to the kind of bubblegum, mega loud, crowd pleasing of many other designer brands. This opens with a lemony grapefruit and it's a turbo bitter accord at that, I like, and thought to myself lemony, grapefruit wouldn't be surprised if they list citron....they have. Then it's a mixture of TdH genetics and growing orange spiced woody accord but really a faint spectre in the presence of a much more dominant, misty, musky thing you get in H24. When the fragrance has settled on skin the Terre d'Hermes reference is much more apparent than the opening two hours which are extremely face puckering citrus and steam iron, possibly some floral accord. Then in the depths and I mean when it's reduced to a skin scent, it's not particularly soft, it's quite woody and masculine and I can still smell the remnants on my arm the following day. This isn't because it's a horribly loud, tenacious, spiky thing like a Sauvage, it's much quieter than that, it's almost metallic, skin like, mildly sweaty/spicy, wood remains, it really reminds me of something my dad used to wear, seriously. I can't hate it. It's a take on an absolute classic, I mean I think she did the parfum or whatever, which is fine (oh no was it the vetiver version?) and now there's this, I suppose it's the end of an era and things have to move on. I don't necessarily understand discontinuing Eau tres Fraiche which is a great flanker and in many ways an even bigger departure from the original even than this is, but something about that felt really right, and I'm just not as enamoured with this, right now that is. Like H24, It may need time and proper wear, I suspect it will.
This smells like a better version of Montale Chocolate Greedy. Same smell without the skanky dried fruits.
