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Louis Vuitton Nuit de Feu

Anamalic? Fecal? By the Fireplace? What?? No.... These reviews are so bad it's embarrassing. This is not animalic, nor fecal and it certainly smells absolutely nothing like By the Fireplace. It opens with a bone dry incense, a bit spicy, a bit dark and then quickly becomes all about a soft suede/leather note which persists through the heart and drydown whilst the incense takes a back seat. The oud in this fragrance is softer than soft, it's barely an oud fragrance at all in my opinion. It's not challenging or difficult at all, the smoke is a subtle suggestion alongside the fleeting incense accord and the leather is clean as clean can be. It's a lovely scent though, a very polite, easy to like leather that will stand out from the usual night-time crap due to its lack of sweetness which puts it a cut above in class. Nothing groundbreaking, it's essentially the same suede-like leather note that is in a lot of the LV scents, but that single accord made front and centre, whilst a subtle incense and dark woods base hover fleetingly in the background. I like it, but a decant is good enough for me for now, which is a shame because I love the bottle.

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5 years ago

Hugo Boss Boss the Scent Pure Accord for Him

Boss the Scent Pure Accord for Him

If you have the original, don't bother. Fresh opening and then smells the same as the original.

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5 years ago

Alexandria Fragrances Dirty Neroli

Alexandria Fragrances

Dirty Neroli might jus be the best Neroli scent I’ve ever smelled. And it’s a beast in both projection and longevity. I’ve compared it to seven or eight of the other best Neroli frags out there and this is hands down better in all areas.

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5 years ago

Calvin Klein Defy

Smells nothing like Le Beau, Sauvage or Cool Water Parfum. Generic. Meh.

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5 years ago

Fragrance Du Bois Brume Du Matin

Fragrance Du Bois

I'm renowned for being an optimist when it comes to fragrance reviews, believe it or not. I'm not this sour, surly, being, I'm positive, human, I love. However, I'm wearing Brume de Matin today and I'm thoroughly bored by it! So it's not a bad fragrance, and from what I've tried FdB they don't seem to have a 'bad' fragrance in their repertoire, despite me really not liking the pricing, strategy of giving bottles to moronic influencers, what else? ....Oh the gaudy obsession with 'Luxury' just ain't my bag as a customer, I'm just being real and while the blending is incredibly smooth and appealing nothing really moves my soul, or motivates me in any way whatsoever!!! It's also too smooth and dare I say it.... a bit bland, considering real Oud oils and sustainably grown (inoculated whatever) Oud (which I think is great BTW) is a big part of their schtick!!! You'd think they might be a bit bolder and brasher! I think this is why some folks have really gone against this brand. Anyway....I felt I have to frame each one of their fragrances in context before I actually talk about it. Brume de matin is a pleasant and a slightly superior crafted, kind of white musk, floral, muguet, bouquet. There's nothing wrong here, I like a soft, fresh, floral musk, but it's just a bit...well... cheesy perhaps? It's certainly not doing anything new or compelling me for the price.

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5 years ago

Chris Collins Danse Sauvage

Oh dear. I can see what Chris is trying to do. In my head evoking a spirit of Sheldrake with these, woody, spicy complex affairs but they just come off a bit second rate. I hate to say it as well because the intent was obviously to make something truly unique, and to be fair I can't attribute many direct comparisons to Danse Sauvage. If I'm honest as well, I really liked/borderline loved it when I first sprayed it, heavy incense, woody, spicy, fruity, boozy, kinda that plummy cedar note spiked with cinnamon and hot, peppery spices. But goes from boozy to a bit....well, woozy. Which is never good. The problem for me is a fundamental one, I don't really like wearing this for any longer than a few minutes, not only does the novelty wear off but it kinda starts to grate on me. It's well made and blended by a good perfumer and I mentioned is at least trying to innovate which should be praised for really. It doesn't commit the cardinal sin of drying down to just smelling of IES, Amboxan, woody ambers, it largely carries the whole vibe into the drydown, but perhaps getting sweeter if a little more rounded. I can't pretend I like it as much as on paper I might read this review and think it sounds up my street, but that's the magic and mystery of perfumery huh? For me a perfume has to be an enjoyable wear and has to connect, and this sadly isn't and doesn't with me.

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5 years ago

Gucci A Midnight Stroll

A Midnight Stroll

I continue to be seriously impressed by this collection from Gucci, it has no right to be so good. I think I need to give Gucci a break and forgive them for that horrible period they spent in the fragrance wilderness in the late noughties until recently, because before that and since they’ve produced some excellent iconic fragrances. I need to stop typecasting Morillas too as this, ubiquitous, designer freshie, journeyman, because there’s so much more to his repertoire and Midnight stroll is yet another example of that. This is a Smokey cade/birch tar affair but used affectionately to create a leather accord in the traditional sense. I found it incredibly smooth and deep when smelling for the first time from one of those little bell/closh things on the Gucci counter. Genuinely a leather type fragrance with a unique look and one I’ve never smelled before. Upon wearing it on skin and experiencing the top notes it actually has even more intrigue in that it has fresh aspects, totally different to the drydown. I need to wear it properly and I will update this review, but I was even tempted to purchase, even at the outrageous prices Gucci want for this line. I accept that the packaging is beautiful and they are competing with other designer ‘exclusive’ lines of a similar price bracket, but these are still more expensive than Dior & Chanel and I find that hard to get by in the same way I do with Creed or similar brands.

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5 years ago

Alexandria Fragrances Brooklyn Fragrance Lover

Brooklyn Fragrance Lover

Alexandria Fragrances

Omg spot on dupe. Its not even a joke!!, very pointless buying Angel's share for £165 when u can get this identical piece for a quarter of the price.

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5 years ago

Rabanne Phantom

Hah! Very Clever. Put pressurised sewage in that bottle and I’d still buy it.

I think the worst thing you can do is take two renowned, master perfumers and two relatively unknown (to me) ones and then put them in a room together, oh and as if that wasn't absurd enough then don't forget to add the element of a fifth perfumer, an Artificially intelligent computer. The resulting mess is exactly what you'd expect, and the definition of the term 'Too many cooks,(and a robot) spoil the broth." Phantom is awful, and that's not hyperbole and extra dramatics or jumping on a bandwagon because anyone who cares about perfume smells this a sighs a little dissatisfied sigh, which denotes a little part of you dying inside, and it's the hope that all this technology and quirk could somehow usher in a new age of amazing, innovative, perfumery, and there's no reason why it still can't....it just definitely doesn't here. I'm not even going to bother describing it, I think Phantom is so dull and inconsequential, it really doesn't deserve to be spoken about. I had high expectations too because the bottle is actually pretty cool, yes I'm a little boy for saying that, but it's a funky robot for F's sake!!!!

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5 years ago

Affinessence Cedrè Iris

This brand are a real revelation! I mean as a tireless fragrance hunter I'm constantly trying stuff from transient, pop up houses that I can barely remember from day to day with oddly similar names and this is one of them. The famliar name I mean because the fragrances are highly memorable for the sheer fact that they smell so bassy! (base heavy) The atomiser is practically a subwoofer, pumping out 40hz bass to your chest. I mean that musk/ambergris one was such a unique perfume that anything else from this brand would have to be amazing to reach those heights. Cedar Iris doesn't but it's still very, very, good and is the embodiment of Ronseal perfumery doing exactly what it says on the tin (okay only UK readers will probably get that) and no I don't mean this smells like teak woodstain or creosote. This smells like cedar and Iris, which is a glorious combination, the fleshy smoothness of the iris and the anything but smoothness of a robust, smoky, prickling virginian/Texas type cedarwood. More specifically this feels, thick and textured, containing relatively high doses of natural materials. Now everyone will know my stance on Natural Vs Synthetic (a redundant and stupid 'battle' they're all Just chemicals folks!!!!) and I'm not suggesting natural equals better but in this instance these two materials combine in quite a blissful way, really complimenting one another. Cedar is pretty abundant and reasonably priced and there's no reason not to assume it's not in even the least 'niche' of perfumes but 'Iris' materials (of which there's quite a few) but lets say Orris butter is wildly expensive, so perhaps wouldn't necessarily feature and as I mentioned....that's fine, there's some wonderful Iris/orris synthetic molecules and bases. In here though, there's a thickness and sweet, stewed carrot, going to powdery, ethereal, weirdness and magic about the iris smell, you can really smell the irone content. Again this reminds me of a base from PCW which is an iris/cedar mixture of natural materials and it's divine, so is this perfume and it's so simple to say that it's two things, there's probably other stuff holding it together too. One minor critique is that it's not very exciting, it's a perfume aesthetic which would be more suited to those who like natural or artisanal perfume, although with the added bonus (again a personal preference) these are all made by trained perfumers I believe.

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5 years ago

Maitre Parfumeur et Gantier Route Du Vetiver

Route Du Vetiver

Maitre Parfumeur et Gantier

Vetiver is such a fascinating material, and like many others is changable due to many factors not least of which being the interactions within a perfume composition, pushing the stuff hither and thither into differing directions. I can safely say that lovers of an authentic, 'heavy' artisanal, vetiver will love this one. I did. does have some lush notes right the top but soon descends to it's main intention...a woody affair and in my limited knowledge of vetiver materials feels a bit more Java than Haiti. It feels 'aged' in the way that amber accords give that musty, dustiness, but this has a certain edible, 'nutty' quality to it I think there's sandalwood in this, it's such a thick composition but it's never too dense, it definitely has an air to it and wears beautifully on the skin. I wouldn't however recommend this in the normal sense a vetiver perfume can be worn, ie: in any situation, and perhaps as a functional/dumb reach when you can really pick a mood/temperature or whatever, which tends to be when I'd reach for one. It has quite a dark aura about it and it's not exactly witchy but it's no mood elevator either, perfect time and place are required for wearing it, and as much as I loved it, I can't see myself reaching for it too often, which is a shame for the person who kindly supplied my vintage sample, because as soon as I said I liked it he proceeded to try to sell me his bottle! There's many perfumes like this, brilliant and highly recomended by me, but I'll never own them myself. This is a veteiver for fans of vetiver oils lovingly converted into faithful perfumes.

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5 years ago

Chanel Allure Homme Sport Cologne

Allure Homme Sport Cologne

All the comparisons above are completely wrong. It smells exactly like PR Acqua Viva. Which I'm a little gutted about because I just sold my PR as I wasn't keen on it, lol.

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5 years ago

Giorgio Armani Acqua Di Giò Profumo

Acqua Di Giò Profumo

Bought following the hype train and I’m sure I was nose blind to it. It just appeared to smell like pear drops candy to me. For a long while it sat on the shelf gathering dust. I wrote a negative review of it. Meh. And then I gave it a chance. And the day after that I wore it again. And again. And again and again. I started to get it. I grasped it’s beauty. And it became my daily scent. I wear it everyday to the office. It has this boss-like aura. Puts you in that alpha mind set. And I’m no longer nose blind to it. I get the incense, the salty aquatic. It glimmers, like golden sunlight pushing through the murky depths. And it’s refined and smells so fine; technically excellent. I’ve been searching for an aquatic fragrance that i like more than this and I’m yet to find one. Most aqua scents either smell sporty or have too much seaweed. ADGp walks that fine line and at the same time delivers something so beautiful, wearable, stunning. Follow me on Instagram: @TheScentiest

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5 years ago

Tom Ford Neroli Portofino

Neroli Portofino

Love at first sniff. An ephemeral summer stunner. Follow me on Instagram: @TheScentiest

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5 years ago

True Brit London Britannia

True Brit London

fragrance_weirdo

I really like this - it’s a good strong slightly old skool riff on a few things. Elements of cool water, some vetiver, a little pineapple and some aromatic notes that almost have a cumin like vibe. Ever so slightly animalic. Great performance too.

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5 years ago

Guerlain L'Instant de Guerlain

L'Instant de Guerlain

So…. Here’s a modern classic which I don’t think I’ve gotten around to reviewing yet? I just want to say that complexity wise and my appreciation for perfumery wise, this is a a triumphant piece of work. Simultaneously lots of conflicting things at once, incredible, fruity, floral top notes and heart which give a kind of pinky/purple impression, of something like Iris, but not. I find it highly resinous but in a translucent, lump of jellied confection, type of a way. I get this from Reve D’Osian but that’s an incense perfume so COMPLETELY different but texturally, same ballpark. This is the problem I have with it, it’s kinda weird. How can it then be powdery too? Gelatinous and powdery? There’s a creaminess to the musks in this as well and I see Roucel is at the Helm….makes perfect sense. This is one of those perfumes I accept as brilliant, I would say is ‘Too femme’ yet some might argue I’d wear far more feminine stuff and not bat a massively extended, false, mascara caked, lash at!!! This perfume is just not for me. I just have no personal interest or connection to it, and that’s fine.

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5 years ago

Montblanc Explorer Ultra Blue

Explorer Ultra Blue

I'm Bleu dah boo dee dah boo dah daboo dee daboo dah... (I actually detest that song and actually can't believe I even joke sang the fucker!) Yeah so inevitably Montblanc Explorer went Blue. It had to happen didn't it? The first one was a lighter, more nimble, fresher, cheaper, frankly not as good Aventus, but literally who cares in this day and age? I'm flabbergasted people still give a shit about that. (By that I mean Aventus or copies of Aventus) Anywho....I entered this with an open mind. I mean it features three excellent perfumers, how bad could it be? Bad! I mean it's conceptually, pointless to anyone other than the most rudimentary perfume fan. I'm bored of describing it already and I've not even started on what it smells like which I might have hazarded a guess would be a knock off of something else on the market Bleu de Chanel or Sauvage or whatever but they even managed to go so generic, I don't even know what they copied? What are people saying here? let me see....some obscure flanker of Chrome. OK. This to me has pleasant opening citrus and sparkle, I mean it does, I'm not going to completely maul this like the horrible perfume snob I am, I knew what I was getting into. Then the main accord is of a white floral, hand moisturiser and 'modern art seaside' (in hindsight that description makes it sound more exciting than it actually is) I don't like it and I wouldn't wear it. As apposed to the original Explorer which for all it's painfully obvious (really late actually) Aventus bandwagon jumping, I found it a nice fragrance. This I don't. It's not my bag, but hey, it might just be yours.

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5 years ago

Dior Tobacolor

So there's some very good things and some very bad things about this release from CD & Demachy, but it's far from a simple story or boring, so I guess it deserves some props for that. I feel duty bound to preface this review with some thoughts on the background and my pre exposure to this fragrance. As part of the 'fragrance community' whether I like it or not I'm exposed to other people's perceptions and opinions on a regular basis and let's just say some of the circles I've been mixing in recently are not fans of Demachy, in fact the vitriol is borderline disrespectful. So I'd heard bad things but even the most ardent critic actually had a few positive things to say about Tobacolor and in honesty this is how I feel about it....mixed. Firstly the SA at the Dior counter was lovely and she sprayed the card for me, I felt a palpable sense of trepidation at smelling it due to the preconceived notions I had from others talking about it (something I really hate to have when sampling a new perfume) and at 12" or so away I was like "oh no!!! it's that god awful played to death, fruity, sweet, insipid, 'tobacco' bullshit which I could forgive way back when Mugler did it for a fraction of the price, but I just really didn't want tobacolor to be that!!! Thankfully it isn't! Let it settle for a moment and engage your secondary 'slower' more reasoned brain functions and Tobacolor is a triumph in some senses. The first that the fruity top is not cherries or 'dried fruit' and although equally amorphous, is actually really well done, giving what I perceive as a berry like, resinous, sprakle to proceedings, giving respite from what is a big hefty, lumpen, perfume. Another being that it actually smells of tobacco absolute, which most tobacco fragrances don't in my experience, I've no idea if this is natural or an accord? It matters not. I'm not even saying it's good to smell like tobacco absolute (personally I love it) because I guarantee most people probably prefer the impressions a perfumer creates of tobacco, than necessarily what it actually smells of. Who's to say that a tobacco fragrance should smell like the absolute or natural material? That might not be the vibe you're going for, a bit like oud or amber, anything goes and that's all fine. What I am saying however is that it's a fine accomplishment to use probably a tiny amount of a natural material (inevitably it would be) and get the most out of it as a perfumer. (If indeed this is what has happened here) or equally worthy of merit would be creating an accord which to me is one of the most reminiscent I've smelled of the real McCoy.(Kudos to Demachy) Natural perfumers and artisans might use the stuff in their potions but they are not as long lived and well handled as they are here, and that's just facts. However.... (and this is a BIG however) They are not long lived enough, and a big crime of this perfume is that it smells great on paper but not so good on my skin. On skin the 'gourmand' qualities just sort of splat it out into this murky, grim, sweet, caramelised base, therefore a bad perfume. (Fuck Demachy!!! LOL) no it's actually 'dark' ish and reasonably okay to wear after the top notes and tobacco have all but gone. No, I think the worst crime is that after a time, it really starts to smell of the two materials which make up the majority of the accord in Baccarat Rouge 540. Ambrox Super and Ethyl maltol. I'm not one to willy nilly accuse fragrances of copying or smelling the same as BR540 (which I find annoying if they don't really) or whatever, please I hope you know me by now. Neither do I dislike or moan about the smell of ambroxan in it's various guises, but here it just feels like all the interesting and perhaps 'should be' heaviness of woody, tobacco base, just sort of lifts off after a few hours, to reveal a mothership structure holding the whole thing together, which is essentially, light weight, balsa wood, hollow plastic tubes, and sticky back plastic, it's kinda odd. This makes for a tenacious drydown and the sensation of looking around for spilled ambroxide because that's what I can smell. Perhaps credit should be given for veiling this undercarriage so well? I don't know. The upshot of all this is that I like elements of the fragrance and for these it should be praised but for the tropes of gourmand sweetness and perhaps not as well finessed experience as it could be. I've also got to take into account the high standards and expectations I have of Dior and especially this prive line which is hit n miss to say the least, with a definite trajectory towards the gutter rather than the stars.

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5 years ago

Guerlain Aqua Allegoria Flora Salvaggia

Aqua Allegoria Flora Salvaggia

So I hope I’m wrong about this but I found my brief encounter with this pretty horrific. I clearly don’t get on with the ‘watery notes’ I don’t really get violets, other than a slight haunt of them. En passant it is not. Not a fan, not sure taste wise I ever will be but I will persevere and try this properly, hopefully so I’m able to extend this review.

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5 years ago

Guerlain Aqua Allegoria Nettare Di Sole

Aqua Allegoria Nettare Di Sole

Cynical people (myself included) scoff at the mention of Solar notes, however both these new Aqua Allegorias are like… okay. Solar notes. Fine. Fine. No problem. Solar notes, I get that. This is a really lovely floral emalgum. It’s not a traditional magnolia nor is it an orange blossom, it’s a lovely blend. I wish I smelled honey, but I don’t, what I do get it an ambery warmth emanating from the base, it makes the perfume frankly. Yeah so I like it Though, I thought it was very good. This review needs an update at some point because it was an initial take, a very positive one at that.

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5 years ago

Dior Eden-Roc

Thankfully I don't detect coconut in this. I think it's being evoked by it's generally 'beachy' vibe. To me it smells of wet hair. Sounds bad right? but I mean perhaps hair that has been shampooed with some fancy shampoo that smells a bit tropical and then perhaps later in the day the lady (because it is a lady I'm picturing) goes to the beach and has a swim in the sea. This smells like kissing her on the head, and the result is salinated hair, shampoo remnant and light jasmine like hedione or such. So yeah it's 'mineral' it's not as fun and games as some of Tom Ford's beach affairs (some of which I do like) I think this has less sweetness overall and I think Demachy shouldn't be done too dirty for this one. It's not bad. It's balanced and minimal. It's just completely irrelevant to me, and I don't like it from the offset. Doesn't mean it's a bad perfume, I hope you'd trust me to say as much, even if I liked it and it was a bad perfume.

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5 years ago

Chanel Paris – Édimbourg

Paris – Édimbourg

Thank god for Chanel. I have been on a bit of a hiatus from sampling new releases what with work and COVID etc.... and a couple of highlights when I finally returned to sampling duties, were this and Le Lion. So Edinburgh is an interesting inspiration for Chanel and the Les Eaux line, which I haven't really gotten along with, I know it's not their intent to be as bold and rich as the les exclusifs or even the regular line but I found them really quite boring, I shall have to revisit. Edinbourg though is very much my sort of flavour. It's a green, mossy, fresh fragrance. The juniper is massively present but what is interesting is that it doesn't smell piney or woody like the EO, (woody notes come from cedar in here) it's very much like the gin process of botanical, infusion and distillation. It has a lightness and true juniper character, unlike so many effervescent, dry Gin & Tonic perfumes, this is very well fleshed out in true Chanel fashion. It is only light of course, it's a Les Eaux after all but it's still very present and I think it's decent value for money considering what a lovely perfume you are getting. Yeah I really like it. I actually want a bottle. Update: 25/06/21 So inevitably I got it. I prioritised this purchase over what I would consider more historical or pressing desires because, it’s just perfect for the season and I want a big bottle of something fresh which I can apply liberally and not think too much about. A couple of things spring to mind… one being, this is a bit like if Pino Silvestre had some class, or if Green Irish Tweed wasn’t produced by maniacs! It has a signature ‘Chanel’ thing to it, soft, subtle, despite being all quite pointed woody notes, it smells of exactly Cedar, juniper, cypress, pine, perhaps a touch of lavender but all balanced and softened beautifully.

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5 years ago

Frederic Malle Lipstick Rose

This is a really old Malle and usually something I wouldn't be interested in particularly but if you contrast this with the other 'Roses' in Malle collection then this is much more up my street even than the seminal Portrait of a lady or Une Rose, both of which are great for what they are. Lipstick rose is quite outrageous really and even though I remember a time when cosmetic products and lipsticks did have this kind of hyper powdery smell, it can't help reminding you of femininity and probably your mum. However, I think the 'lipstick' of the title is merely an evocation, a mental picture to enjoy your olfactory art with. What's great about Lipstick rose is that it's not really a rose fragrance, although it does have a jammy, fruity, raspberry rose note upon application. It's also not an Iris, but has the thickness and dominance in that powdery, opulent direction, but it's not a iris or orris either. It's probably more accurate to talk about violet, because this has a pervasive, powdery violet quality which I love and no ghostliness which violets can sometimes hav, this is a perfect balance. There's vanilla at the base and it becomes almost edible, but sort of mildly bubblegum...but not the kind you chew and spit out, it's not disposable or cheap. It's the kind of stuff you might buy in Fortnum and Mason or Selfridges tea room. It's a little fragrant cake of a thing. It's kinda popcorn, popart, popculture, but also classy. It's playful but sexy in that deep 'red' way the bottom of a Laboutin shoe or a really red lip and a bit of cleavage gets this helpless, hetro, male in heat! However strange it is (having said that then) that I completely love wearing this fragrance! It's an absolute revelation to me. Puts a smile on my face, I had to add it to my FM collection, which is becoming quite comprehensive.

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5 years ago

Van Cleef & Arpels Orchid Leather

Van Cleef & Arpels

Vanillic, floral, leather. I’ve smelled it elsewhere before, not sure where? It’s very nice. I think the creaminess of it is really something, with the bite and warmth of resin behind it. This is a very good line from VC&A and this one continues in that tradition. I’m not especially excited by it though.

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5 years ago