Fresh, fruity, aquatic. Very close to Creed SMW.
Shocked and stunned how beautiful this is. Comes back to perfume being about feeling and emotion which doesn't sit right with my scientist, Vulcan, got to dissect and understand everything brain. Sometimes you just gotta accept something for what it is. And this is a resplendent cologne type scent. The top notes of citrus permeate and last right through I get a twist of lime more than anything else, oh of course bergamot. Not surprised at the mention of galbanum and herbs, there's subtle greenery. Then it's a gentle breezy heart of nondescript muguet. Sounds a bit neggy but I mean it in a... switch off spock brain and stop relentlessly trying to 'KNOW' everything & just let it happen...kinda way. Clearly jasmine in here but perfectly low key. (Edit: just spritzed it again and the opening actually has a banana/cheese smell of florals and real civet almost, but tropical exotic ylang/jasmine which dies back) The Pat finishes you off with a little clump of moss, and her signature off-ness, bitter effect making it superior to most other citrus fragrances that don't seem to understand you need that element to make it even remotely interesting. So it's not really strong or hugely long lived but who cares? the citrus does bleed downwards and remain (somewhat) so it's great in that respect too. I LOVED weekend in Normandy. I sampled it twice and couldn't stop thinking about it over many other Nicolai's I love. It's just one of those lovely things I had to have.
Citrus cologne, little clump of moss. It's very Nicolai, very French but I think it's not the neroli form the name. People have different expectations of what a neroli (named) perfume is and I think people might tend toward thinking of soapy, waxy, white florals, (Tom Ford or Mugler cologne) or a edc type deal, I mean clearly this leans towards the latter and it is nice to see a departure from the former but neroli is a strange and wonderful material. Not least because it varies quite a bit but because it's usually combined with more orange, petitgrain, orange flower materials, all of which themselves are changeable and all from the same place ultimately, an orange tree. This is lovely and all that but it's just not very exciting and I say that as a lover of the brand and a fan of some of the other lighter weight citrus offerings in the line. Doesn't quite do it for me but Cap Neroli is fine. It's a fine perfume.
Fresh rhubarb and nothing else. Good longevity and projection. Cannabis? You need words with your dealer. lol. Definitely not.
Loud citrus/green opening that ultimately dries down to Acqua di Gio. Great longevity.
Clone of Tom Ford Noir. Smells nothing like Dior Homme.
Okay, so I'm a musk guy, especially the cozy, the dainty, the powdery. All of which this is. The pear note in the opening is Soooo pronounced it kinda throws me a little coupled with the 'whiteness' and clean nature of the musk and ethereal whisp of rose. However, as soon as it starts warming up an regressing into it's powder state it's a gorgeous, snuggley, apricot powder puff and very subtly spiced carnation, with warm tones underneath, it's basically a million classic perfumes but with the musky, pillowiness turned up to eleven, with very creamy, sandalwood development too. There's a few modern takes on these soft, musk themes out there but this is not one of them, (well apart from the fruity melon/pear top I suppose) it's classic, classic, classic as you'd expect from PdN. I mean I like it, I like it a lot, it feels like a real bedrock of perfumery, but does it stimulate me on a deeper level? does it compel me to buy? I have to be picky and say no, the opening doesn't appeal to me, which is nickpicking at this point because a good 90% of the wearing does. The truth of the matter is it's almost a given that these perfumes are going to well made and smell good, but how many from this brand do you really need in your collection? I would answer only the ones which speak to/and/or/Spellbind you.
Very interesting fougere, kinda on the darker side but not the sweet, annoying, tobacco cliche the name might suggest and of course it wasn't going to be from Nicolai. It's got lavender in it, and a kind of chunky, licorice smell, with a tobacco character and heaviness no doubt but a definite cleaner, Barbershop, urinal cake sort of vibe. I sort of like it, but I'm kinda passing on it. Unless wearing this perfume properly (instead of on my wrist a couple of times) yields any different results I will be sure to update this review below, but I can see my mind changing from ....meh...next! Update: 01/12/23 Undoubtedly there's stuff I like about this fragrance, the 'soft spicy' being the top of the accords on this fragrantica page being one element of that, and it's clearly continuing Patricia's traditional yet also unique approach to fragrance, I get an impression of way more complexity to her formulas than the end result conveys on first sniff. The bit I can't get away from with this fragrance is the smell of baby wipe factory. Yes, specific I know, but also not because I work in this area and the wipes and various surfactants, detergents, compounds and fragrances used in these places are pretty varied but when amassed they have this ubiquitous hyper soapy smell, which at first not unpleasant, starts to knock you sick shy of the hour mark, then you become somewhat accustomed to after a few hours (if you can stand it) That's the bad bit though, close to the skin you do get this less diffuse, blonde, TABAC smell, I like it, it sort of flips for me and that be kinda intresting but also a bit demanding of the wearer and I find some Nicolai's to be hard work and I don't always want that.
Okay so I got an eighties sample of this recently and I remember this perfume being around and obviously it’s cool because it’s Patrick Bateman’s choice of man pong. I like it. It’s a good masculine aromatic, Chypre whatever... clearly quality, they don’t make um like that anymore etc... but it’s not one I would hold up as one of the better old skool masculines. I think it’s the combination of a very sugary, citrus, a kind of lemony lift a la Eau Sauvage or Chanel pour Monsieur and a creamy odd sandalwood. It manifests in the heart possibly with some florals and feels a bit...well... wrong. Then it subsides and becomes a really beautiful, manly, complex thing of beauty. I guess my point is I have other masculines from the 80’s and such and I find them a bit more satisfying, because they don’t have a ‘weird’ phase in the middle somewhere.
Wow!!! Magnificent opening, I mean like it's almost too much for me to bear. It's clearly a cashmere soft effect of fruity notes, sandalwood, musk and warm, fuzzy, creamy, aroma chemicals all swirling around but where will the dust settle? I had my money on a kind of strawberry shortcake, dolls head, with a ambrette musk cosiness and it's sort of that but changes quite significantly again. It settles down after that initial storm of 'stuff' and it actually more citrusy in fact it smells almost EXACTLY like a Twister ice lolly (UK peeps will be down with that description I'm sure) flanked by synthetic orris and ambrettolide type musks, it's pretty fucking gorgeous. Stick these lovely materials in less competent hands and you might have a fairly pedestrian perfume on your hands whereas this is interesting, and really throws a curveball with that opening. I'm still not sure I want a bottle though. This is the thing about Nicolai's work it's so wonderfully crafted that everything chimes on a similar, kind of classical frequency, making it hard for your favourites to stand out. I'm yet to find a Nicolai I find exceptional but they are generally speaking very, very, good.
Such an effortless piece despite it's potential to have scratchy themes. The incense accord in this is perfection, not a cliche in sight the olibanum is present but not blended into a kind of woody, boozy, oud accord. It has a note of whisky steeped casks betwixt, white oud and oakwood with some smoky cypriol greens, and a developing a lightly chocolatey, benzoin character, but it's not ambery, perhaps more earthy, Forresty, rooty, nutty. If there's no real oud in here, this is a really clever representation of it, with more of a vetiver leaning quality but something slightly bordering animal too. It's really good. I remember the last time I tried it I was in Amsterdam, and recall thinking I needed more time with it before making a rash purchase decision. I still feel the same way because it's quite a moody piece, I'm not sure how often I would reach for it? Good stuff though.
When I see a new brand from Paris (allegedly) with OUD so proudly displayed on the label and a certain feel to bottle and packaging...I sigh a massive sigh and jog it on. However, I’m glad I sniffed this, I got a carded sample of this and actually read the perfumers notes and upon first sniff I was enamoured. Truly. I love saffron, Oud (real or a fantasy accord whatever) and Rose of course, but how are they going to be combined here to give us an experience we’ve never had? It’s a tough ask for Emilie Bouge, but she’s only gone and bloody done it! I’ve only tried it briefly but it has that specialty of pleasant, spicy top, deep but still transparent, controlled dirtiness. It’s very good from what I can tell. Safran Oud is a balanced, but quite raw and animalic, castoreum driven, saffron leather, which smells quite animal, and is likely the Oud material, which smells pretty damn real to me. It’s got shades of Leather Oud by Dior, softened saffron Rose perfumes, and legit ouds. UPDATE: Okay so wearing this is definitely an interesting one. It's a woody animalic sensation reminiscent of animalis base, carefully toned down by honied notes, big twang of saffron and spiced sweet almost gourmand resin. So this effect gives the feeling of Antaeus or Kouros for a moment but this is not even in the same league in terms of complexity. It's very, very good though.
Aspects of this are good. The opening conveys the pleasant citrus fruits, it’s got sharp citrus, ya limes, yer bergamots, but quite muted allowing for a nice translucent veil you can see the rest of the fragrance through, as it were. I get a slight facet of like grapes or pear or something, but immediately levied against dry GnT Sparkle, which continues the dehydrated theme into vetiver territory. Then it goes off the reservation for me, souring down on skin to a dry boring, papery, base which to me is predominantly Iso E Super or Timbersilk. Sure I’ll give you that there’s ambroxan and sandalwood molecules too if you insist but it mainly smells of arid, bready, 🥖 wood, with only shades of the top and heart left after a relatively short period. I’ve kinda been tempted by Morillas’ own line because from memory and although in his ‘style’ I found some of them to be just fantastic. However, this is always my worry that they won’t deliver on the full perfume experience and leave me wanting, like this one does. Sorry Albert lad! I mean it’s okay, but it’s top loaded to make you think it might be good and justify buying, but I’d be disappointed if I bought that fancy bottle and this was lurking in the drydown. UPDATE: okay so I was a little hasty and I found it odd that it went so dry, paper woody and boring, now the musks, woody amber, Ambroxan and stuff is chiming and it smells like a high end designer fragrance. Which is what it is. I actually had a shower and washed it off but the remnant is really nice, uninspired but nice and I can’t deny I do like commercial accords like this, it’s a weakness of mine.
On a huge re visitation of Malle at the moment and this was one which I immediately passed on when I smelled it years ago and it's still very much NOT for me. However, like a great piece of art I can appreciate it for what others get from it, and as a perfume it has all the hallmarks of something great. L'eau d'Hiver is very original, it has Ellena's trademark transparency, yet multidimensional complexity. (very hard to achieve both) But as I stare at this piece of art, I'm not compelled to ponder it for long, maybe just saunter off, complimentary champagne in hand, across the gallery to gawp at the next work or scoff some vol au vents? The reviewer below me here says this is a 'winter watercolour' (my rudimentary French got 'Winter water') which is actually a fantastic way to view L'eau d'Hiver. It's a collection of wintery, grey/blue washes on a textured, woody, paper. So yeah it's a watercolour, of frigid, dry tundra, Ice that sublimes into gas, never in a liquid state, which is peculiar because it's literally called water and JCE's aesthetic is pretty watery business. It's a chilly fragrance too, yet it has warm elements like heliotrope, iris, honey, all things I'd say were fairly warm. I'm confused and somewhat alienated by the combo of light almond tinged musk, the dryness and oddity of this composition, it smells like very dehydrated, floral, powder of ionones and driftwood, It's strange because it's barely in the realms of existence, a spectre, but a present one, and what is there, is a bit disturbing to me. Some might think, wow...how did you get so much challenge from such a seemingly simple scent? That's just me though. I get that this is a good fragrance, I can feel it, I know it. I just don't like it (that's always subject to change) and wouldn't buy it. (also subject to change)
So.... Parfooooms D. Ziggy Marley Seee? I'm over them. I actively don't like the brand, and haven't for a few years now. I thought the racehorse ones when they first came out had some interesting themes but, desperately trying to capture this luxury aesthetic, and I plain fell for Oajan (the only one I own) as a kind of cruder and more ballsy Ambre Narguille, and the fact it was a new brand in Fortnum and Mason & the flacons could be used as a serviceable club to batter a would-be assailant or burglar or something? Always a bonus. The reality is though, I grown to hate the brand, the more I try of the insipid and the 'borrowed' I just can't hack them! I just don't like the ubiquitous Yani popping up everywhere, the airdrop of 'care packages' onto any Youtube channel with a pulse and few thousand subs. Sorry to be the tedious naysayer but all this adds up to make an icky brand that I don't want to touch with a ten foot pole to be fair. I was in a shop last week and the SA asked me if I'd tried this and after I spewed a bit of a diatribe about the brand, she looked shocked when I said I still wanted to try the newest release, Greenley. I'll save you sometime, It's rubbish. Sorry to disappoint, I usually create that build up of hate tension to then say "dya know what? It's not bad." or "it's great!! who'd have thunk it?" and don't get me wrong they are capable of making some fragrances I like and have. However, when they are not cloning on jumping on the bandwagon of trends (the fairest I can be) they show us their true heart & soul, with stuff like this and Layton which have this signature apple thing. I struggled with Layton for a good few wears I swear I wanted to like it, but there's few perfumes that I cannot abide, and that stuff is horrendous, both in smell and spirit. This is basically a completely stripped back, fruity musk, with a pleasant apple accord, but it's not doing anything for me. It doesn't move me or even attempt to shift the heavy weight of bias I have against this brand. (Come on at least I'm admitting it) As fair as I can be and believe me or not, I always at least try to go in with an open mind but it's not easy with these guys. Seriously though I don't expect the most intellectual, soulful, genius artpiece from this brand, but those last few releases say to me... we've found our banal, sub designer (but way more expensive) groove and we are going to stay in it. To which part of me thinks....good that's where you belong PdM, people might see the lack of passion and if they don't well more fool them and that's the kind of customer they want. Is this really all that bad? No, probably not as always NEVER listen to me or be discouraged from trying something because you don't like a brand or whatever, but perfume is about more than smell, for me anyway, I wish I could detach and just appreciate a smell for what it is, but its the context of the smell, all the peripheral shit that is also important and Greenley could be a twinkling gem but it would still be a twinkling gem in a septic tank. ya' get me?
This is a lovely amber. I don't really see the point in this line, but this is a lovely amber.
While I get where you are coming from Dorjee (comment/review below) the general critique of musk perfumes (which really could be extended to other forms of non creative perfume) another part of me thinks....you don't know what the hell you're talking about LOL. Minimal and musky perfumes like this are actually really hard to get right, because there's nowhere to hide, it's hard to stamp your mark on a 'musk blend' this is why the good ones are sublime and the okay ones are just okay and the bad ones don't really exist as such because you'd have to really fuck it up to make a 'bad' one. This falls into the okay set so I guess ya man Dorjee has a point here? (from 6 years ago, jesus maybe I should've just let Boss musk lie without review?) Anywho, this is not your warm ambrette, angelica musk, at least not at first. It's quite a clean, laundered smell which I don't find very interesting, it doesn't really have the twinkling facets that should appear out of the musk to dazzle and make you go....ahhh this is a bit of a composition. If I had to compare to another musk I do like I'd say Essential parfums The Musc, but that is many orders of magnitude better and more interesting. This is not a bad perfume, in fact it's very nice and gets better as it dries down (as expected) because the musks warm up and it's cozy with your skin, and stylistically it's right in the midst of my taste, but it's a BOSS. It's from a line that just doesn't need to exist, I don't mean that in a harsh way and these actually came out around the time many other well known designers thought, I know we'll have an 'EXCLUSIVE/PRIVATE' line too! No they didn't.
Cresp should be praised for this creation. I have only tried this once, but I can’t say I got rhubarb straight away, and I’m a rhubarb fanatic both making my own rhubarb accords and vetiver rhubarb compositions (like this is meant to be) I’m pretty obsessed to be fair. But I do really like this fragrance, so it probably makes sense that it’s in there. I can see how this has the bitter and tart energy in the opening but I wouldn’t say it’s overly fruity, it’s a very, very green opening which I got from it and that’s what is missing from the mainstream in my opinion, unabashed green perfumes for men. It smells a little like the greener tones of Dior Fahrenheit and really good citrus notes from good bergamot oils and herbs. It’s complex, wonderful, I had a feeling it might’ve turned a little violety, or something because it does have an aloof, floral quality. The drydown though to me is herbaceous, with a lasting citrus freshness and some earthy, mossy tones. It’s kinda a Chypre sort of, but it’s so herbal I’d say it’s an ‘aromatic’ maybe an aromatic chypre, I suppose what to call it matters not, but it’s distinctly a men’s designer release, so there’s enough of the usual, fixative agents to make it broadly familiar to some, look at the details though and it’s a fine perfume. I will be trawling TK MAXX and the like for a reduced bottle at some point. So decent! Mercedes Benz hey??? Who knew??? I’ve not tried any of these yet.
So I actually quite like VIW and immediately if you (meaning me) must do that tedious thing of comparing everything to something else, then yeah this is similar to the Creed. Like I said my mind went there immediately. It's supposed to be modelled on a daiquiri and if I'm being entirely fair, it does resemble one more than the coconut, sun lotion of VIW, but this still has a mild coconut aspect to it. The rum, sugar, and lime citrus is a pleasant combo and it's tenacious base and woozier, boozier feel overall, give it more life and probably longevity. (can't say I noticed) I mean it is what it is, I think it's pleasant enough, but didn't move me or interest me all that much I have to say.
So musk fragrances like this are often overlooked or dismissed as being 'nice' code for boring or at the least uninteresting, but I love them! So my review is skewed through the filter of this bias for subtle musky scents...bear that in mind. I really enjoyed musk therapy, I did it's beautiful but it has off steps which don't allow it into the upper echelons of my personal musk elite, for two reasons mainly. 1) The opening. The top notes are 'blackcurrant' which always excites me when I hear that, but rarely does it deliver, this has a smell of the classic cassis base used in lots of perfumes but whereas it's usually support to citrus and other materials (which probably are here too) it's very much out in the open, sort of exposed in such a minimal fragrance, and that's why musks of this type are so hard, because there really is nowhere to hide. It's funny because I like the smell of cassis base but I don't like it's effects when it's too noticeable, just a personal preference. 2) The musks do have that clean, touch of aldehdydic soap to them, and a floral, muguet touch that's also fine really, it's a minor gripe and one of a kind of neo-musk, purist. By that I mean the likes of Mugler's Over the musk somehow has the ability not to have to worry about entertaining you with a floral heart or anything, it's just a relentless pillow of musk, with occasional twinkles of notes popping out and playing peekaboo, like blissed out figures staggering out of the mist a rave or something? Stupefied and wanting to hug you and tell you how much they 'Love you man!' The drydown of this is a milky, creamy, beautiful sandalwood, vanilla, musk and yeah I really like it a lot, but I can't help thinking musk therapy is cheating really. Even the name makes it almost a cynical nod to the fact it's doing this. It is therapeutic. To clarify when I say cheating that's not me contradicting what I said, a musk like this is not as easy as people think it is to achieve. Real heads will enjoy this perfume I'm sure and I have too, any fault is nitpicking really but it simple doesn't make me feel how Malle, Serge, Mugler, Les Indemodable, Essential etc... It didn't move me emotionally and I think the top notes threw me. Other than that a lovely prefume, certainly worth checking out.
I had high expectations for Rose trombone, the few I tried prior from this brand are excellent and there's been some seriously good rose perfumes of late from brands like Les indemodable, Matiere premiere, and even Moschino's Toy Boy which is bloody fantastic!!! I was hoping to be treated to something of real beauty and don't get me wrong this is a good fragrance, but it's got tough competition from the ones I mentioned. The depth of this really comes in the drydown, somehow becoming more rosy however I'll start from the beginning. So my first impressions on the strip were of an aldehydic, sharp, soapy, rose perfume which I'm not apposed to from those descriptors, in fact that's quite appealing, but something just didn't gel for me. However, smelling it much later on the strip and wearing it today, my impressions of the opening on my skin is of a much more rounded affair, frankly I don't know where the fizzy aldehyde thing has retreated to? It's still sorta there? Rose trombone is comprising those fruity, jammy elements of rose almost with a kind of plastic, dolls head, playfulness, and the mild bubblegum, soapy aspects, but still not really that rosy. Although my sister commented that my car 'smelled like rosewater' I'd say this is more creamy and waxy than a transparent rose watery perfume but clearly it fills the air with rose vibes even if you're not that aware yourself. To be honest I don't really know where this sits in terms of a rose, it's very accomplished and as I mentioned earlier gets rosier somehow, and vanillic with a good mixture of emotions, it's a subtle rose but present on skin all day and creamy it's pretty lovely and feels modern, and as I say if some rose fans are crazy about this and for the price etc...I'd say fair enough.
So composition wise, I could be harsh and say that this is a mess, and I do kinda think that but what I have to accept is that this kind of perfume simple is not my aesthetic. (I've borrowed this term from my pal Clayton to describe natural perfume I really want to be bitchy about in a diplomatic and measured way.) So bare that in mind. Also bear in mind that I've read the notes because I blind sniffed it a couple of times and didn't really have much of a clue what the perfume is trying to do, my guesses were patchouli and tonnes of ambery resins and that it much of the opening to be fair. The wierdest thing I'd say is that the opening does have a herbal, spicy nature to it (I wish it was overtly fennel) but I'd say dominated by smoky patchouli and thick, amber it reminds me of Slumberhouse (dunno which one?) just the whole thing, it's that classic, natural perfumery, onslaught. The florals really start to kick and you get that brushy, dry, amalgam of pot pouri or a hippy shop, jos sticks and whittled shit all fighting for attention. The opening is EVERYTHING, and I don't mean that in the popular, positive way people say (women & gays mainly, so all my IG perfume pals basically haha) like they might say 'Britney is EVERYTHING' or whatever? I quite literally mean this is a chaotic, primordial brew, jutting out whatever you want it to! Which is kinda good perfume I suppose? It's a tough one for me. I'm confused. However, then something seismic occurs and as someone who irritatingly prides themselves on predicting the plot of movies or TV series, and to be fair with a pretty reasonable degree of accuracy (not that it's anything to be particularly proud of) I'd have never guessed who Kashi was going to evolve. The temperature gets a touch more chilly and then a chalky, powdery, peach infused, smell of osmanthus really begins to dominate. I'D NEVER HAVE PREDICTED THAT TWIST!!!! NO WAY!!!! It's not all fun and games though, smells like decayed roses and dry Geraniol from some natural absolutes and breathe deep of the drydown and you get the nuttiness probably of the sandalwood in the base. I mean this is clearly a really good fragrance and I'm not, not enjoying it. Kashi just ain't my bag. I see this variety of natural perfumery as too reliant on great, raw materials (not a bad thing necessarily) but not enough about composition and finesse.Perhaps I'm being unfair and snobby but there you are. Kashi is rescued from being a total soup by that prominent Osmanthus, which made it much more palatable, interesting and added a kind of freshness to what would've other wise been a bit of a witchy, and stuffy affair.
Avant garde is a very pleasant floral leather. The actual leather accord in here is a very nice one, accurate to the smell of real leather but with a strange and fleeting banana note in the top, which I'm assuming is perhaps from a heady floral like jasmine or ylang which often evoke this banana sensation. It mellows to a dry, iris on my clothes and occasional wafts of violets but not in any sense overt, this is a floral leather with the emphasis on the leather. Having tried lots of leathers and Irises recently it doesn't take me a lot to get 'up for' one and I'm immediately down with this, loved it on the strip and it's a pleasurable wear. It's got a synth, future, plastic and wood vibe, with some sweetness it's very in keeping with the brand's carefully nurtured aesthetics. I like it, I just wish I loved it, but it needs to make more of a statement to stand out for me. Good but it's a bit like my report card at school, has potential but needs to apply itself. :)
When I first heard the name @bybozoparis I was a bit confused. It seems such a peculiar name. It’s actually the name of the founders Grandfather, Fatah Bozo. The brands founder Khalid Hamoudi grew up in Kurdistan and the fragrances are all EDP and focus on natural ingredients. Presentation is nice and clean with a cool white box and a really cool logo. The caps are bespoked gold jobs and look way better than I’ve been able to get the photo to show. Fragrance wise this one is called In Law. It’s mostly saffron and vetiver to me. It opens with some bergamot (not listed) and some aromatic cloves but pretty soon transitions to a rooty vetiver with a little spice from the saffron and some depth from the Oud. This isn’t an Oud centric fragrance - rather its there in a support role to the vetiver. I’m having something of a vetiver fest at the moment. Perhaps it’s the change of the season. This one fits right in. Performance is pretty good. It’s not a monster but it’s no slouch either and that’s fine. The word that keeps coming back to me with this one is stylish. This is a stylish perfume.
