I was quite looking forward to this, unfortunately Cedro just fell short for me. The opening does have a pronounced woody musk but as soon as that's gone, and we are talking a matter of minutes here, it dries down to a very similar accord of the solo line. It's that resinous balmy smell which is quite artificial and reminds me of bandages, quite an odd medicinal smell with hints of fresh lavender on the top. Sounds awful from the description but I actually like it a lot, and own Solo Platinum which is just 'that' throughout without trying to be woody or anything that it's not. I guess over all this is slightly lighter and fresher than Platinum but too much like the original to be that noteworthy. I just deem it a pointless flanker, shame really because the wood grain on the bottle cap looks great. Longevity is similar to platinum pretty good and clings well to clothes (not like that's saying much.)
Absolute class. A tone poem of masculine aromatic notes blended to smell like a man should. To me similarities to Azzurro pour homme or Paco Rabanne or countless others of the period are obvious but with one striking difference, Roger & Gallet is just better behaved on my skin. I think the blend is just right so as not to be 'too' anything. It's the usual blend of clean, soapy, spicy and recent formulations although lacking in oakmoss and sheer power, L'Homme is still reserved enough to last okay and give the wearer a nice clean, blokey feel without choking anybody out. I like it a great deal.
This is a typical aquatic for me, opening with lovely refreshing notes of mandarin and sea breeze, the cleanness of cardamom and vetiver and the hint of spice and woods from cedar and pepper. This is a good fragrance which settles very nicely...it's not great...but it's not to be dismissed off hand either. The performance is average but I will forgive it. It's as worth a look as any other fresh scent in the designer game. Shop around and you might find yourself a bargain.
oooh this is absolute magic! If ever a scent appealed to me it's this one. Sweet, sticky, warm, balmy base which is never cloying even for a second. Then that delicate fruity accord of cola, yes it's very similar to Dunhill Custom, I only wish I had discovered this sooner. It's far more refined than the Dunhill and releases more subtle complex notes. I'd also say it's woodier and all in all better smelling and the best thing about it....Baldesarinni Ambre lasts quite well. This is a great hidden gem of a scent and cheap enough to not feel guilty about buying. I'm getting it.
This one crept up on me, as I had no idea Colonia Club was out. Tried it the other day and I have to say I'm extremely impressed by the smell of this stuff. AdP will never be one of my favorite brands but they do make solid, classy fragrances which open very well and I enjoy hugely. They seem to be afforded leeway that I wouldn't give to other houses for making mediocrity a trademark. Anyway...Colonia Club has a wonderfully fresh opening of citruses as you'd expect but with a hint of herbaceous green qualities, lavender, mint and a touch of white florals. There's a lightweight musk, and in the heart a geranium note under long lasting citrus, all of which conspires to create that classic aromatic fougere type fragrance, making this hard not to like. The vetiver really comes out in the dry down and that's about it. Club delivers what I expect from Aqua di Parma topping it off with average performance I'd say all in all another good product from the house. I think I prefer this to the black one...colonia essenza?? is it??? Fan's of AdP will definitely like this one it's very hard not to and I really like the green bottle.
To my nose this is Bond No.9 (The self titled signature fragrance) that slightly tepid sweetness, book-ended by fresh top notes and woody base notes. I have to say as someone who owns the Perfume version of the signature (basically the same as the original but stronger and with the addition of Oud) I can't say I entirely dislike the smell. However, there's one crucial difference here and it's not what I'd expected (the addition of Patchouli) but a distinctly horrifying smell. I have a whopping 4 vials of this (obviously not a popular sample) and I had thought that it may have been a reaction with the plastic wrapper. You know? Those bon bon sweetie wrappers that the samples come in. I had struggled to remove the vial from the wrapper and some of the dye stuff came off on my hands and had this horrible pissy smell. I thought to myself I hope that's not the perfume! Unfortunately It was. Yes New York patchouli actually smells like the back streets of New York City, Urine and all. Just as you take in the sugary sweetness and generic 'Bond accord' a split second later it is soured with a sharp, metallic musk and what can only be described as a pissy smell. I hate to be crude...but there it is. The only remarkable thing about New York Patchouli is that there's no trace of patchouli in it! No hippie herbaceous dirt, or thick, creamy chocolate. Maybe that could be the piss smell, a metallic sharpness when interacting with citrus and cedar...who knows? What is known is that something is really wrong with this fragrance. Maybe some people can't smell that? Or like it? Nobody else has mentioned it in comments...could it be the humble Lychee causing such offence? I really don't know but I could never wear this awful concoction. Like most stinkers, when you don't want them to have great performance...they inevitably do.
I love the validation of retrying a fragrance and then reading an old review and being like..."You nailed it back then dude!" ...to myself. Kinda sad I know, but it's true. What I feel I NEED to comment on is the unrelenting and frankly horrible drydown. I applied it yesterday evening, when out for a walk in humid conditions, went to bed, showered this morning and reapplied another fragrance. I've been walking around in the sunshine all day and it's still, really strong! I'm amazed I can smell it through my shirt, and I'm not exaggerating to be dramatic, really New York Patchouli is atomic! Crucially there's still NO bloody patchouli, just a mental, cat pissy accord. What's even stranger is that....I sort of like it!!! There's still a metallic note of that 'Bond accord' of sweet citrus.
This one is a real banger! Rarely do fragrances live up to their name, especially when they are called 'Intense' but if there's anyone you could be sure of making something Intense... It's Pierre Montale. I actually love how the tropical, sweet, white floral vibes of exotic Tiare flower and Jasmine assault the senses. This fragrance does have an edge of coconut but it's not cloying and doesn't smell like a tacky sun cream in small doses it's quite elegant. I think worn in moderation this is a very bright and uplifting scent which dries to a talcum, musk which reminds me of my mums rose talc she used to wear when I was a kid. So yeah there is a very subtle rose note in there. I don't often say this about a fragrance because I like to think I'm open minded in my fragrance choices but this to me is 100% feminine. If a guy wants to wear this, then more power to you but I just wouldn't. A lovely thing then and very, very potent indeed.
Dear oh dear, I wondered why I had tried all of this houses perfumes except for Kid Mohair, I must have read the comments on here. I'd obviously forgotten what they said when I ordered my sample but this is not a great fragrance. It did do one thing though...transport me back to a golden era in my early teens (when I actually had hair!) on occasion instead of gel or Brylcreem I would borrow my sisters hair Moose. The opening minute of Kid mohair (arguably as the alcohol is still evaporating) is exactly this smell, its a kind of bitter chemical musk shrouded in dense fruity aroma chemicals. It's a kind of primordial soup of choking, slightly nostril tingling juice. As it settles I get a white floral edge of peony, magnolia perhaps some rose, But still wrapped in that fruity shampoo smell which on skin almost smells a little of scalp too. Whenever I say that I'm conscious of how creepy it might sound but it reminds me of the sensation of kissing my girlfriend on the top of her head, so it's kinda sweet really. This dries down to a clean white musk and despite the barrage of abuse I've now contributed to, I can't hate kid mohair. After that first minute it doesn't smell bad as such, just like uninspiring perfume, lacking the sophistication and complexity that fragrance lovers want to smell. It doesn't work on me and could become slightly irritating after a while, I don't imagine ever wanting to smell like this, so it's a no from me.
Beautiful understated opening of citrus and juniper berries which fades quickly revealing a powdered violet leaf note. The notes and spicing is so delicate, coriander seed and vetiver amongst the careful blended concerto which makes up this masculine aromatic fragrance. The overbearing vibe I get from Jermyn street is not one of a citrus vetiver or even a floral aromatic, it's more like Knise Ten. That thing people refer to as leather and kinda is, that is what I get from this except instead of orange blossom like in Creed Royal English leather for example, it's replaced with a very toned down violet. Jermyn street is extremely light in the sense of an eau de Cologne type fragrance and the unfortunate sense that it doesn't last all that long. Still, like the well blended traditional offerings of Penhaligon's and Floris I just can't fault the majority of what they do.
Maai is perhaps the best modern take on a classic floral chypre. This thing is an absolute bomb! It explodes out of the bottle with tonnes of aldehydes and a sucker punch of musk...the two complementing but also kind of fighting each other...wow! I'm finding it hard to believe this wasn't created before the restrictions on raw materials, which will be welcomed with open arms by lovers of classical perfume. The opening is so interesting it's like a mixture between sweet n sour, the power of musk and the warmth of civet, possibly benzoin but with a sharpness too...maybe Labdanum...it's mental. I actually thought the opening 2 mins or so were leaning toward a masculine powder like carnation or a hint of rose, then BANG tuberose. The heart of this scent is a spectacular but crushing, musky tuberose, that renders Maai totally unwearable for me. Tuberose can be really stinky when I'm this kind of quantity but luckily enough some of the other notes stick around to keep it barable. Be warned the deep drydown is all animal stink. I have to say I'm impressed overall but this isn't my cup of tea in the slightest, apart from maybe elements of the opening. Sniff this out I'd recommend fragrance connoisseurs to try this. As you'd expect, projection is insane at first but then settling to very good, so is longevity.
Shams Oud is a real knockout and top marks for creative vision, I can't recall smelling a fragrance like this? Shams opens with the full on might of the rest of this line, definite oud quality with a balsamic warmth and pepper sharpness. This is an onslaught, a total envelopment of quality ingredients like saffron and oud taking on that strange, other worldly smell. The top notes remain and I get a definite spicy sweetness like clove/cinnamon/ginger throughout this fragrance which along with the deep resins and precious woods make Shams oud a very special brew indeed. I only tried this in store first on a card then on my skin, so I need to get a proper sample to wear. However I wrote the review because I was dying to comment on this wonderful stuff. Still far too much money to shell out for one of these and far too much juice in the bottle for me. For the record I do have full test size samples of Moon Leather (not in the database yet), African Leather and maybe a couple of others so I have the opportunity to see if they stack up. My opinion of Memo from what I have tried is pretty high though.
Wow! This fragrance has taken my understanding of vanilla fragrances and totally shaken them up. I expect a double vanilla, thick, dark coloured liquid like essence when I think of a good niche vanilla. Shunkoin has a much more delicate hand though, leading me into the composition very steadily. I mean this fragrance is sweet but very cleverly engineered not to be cloying or curdle with spices out of place in what is quite a sheer and milky context. There's a greenness to the opening which is not unlike that papyrus/sandalwood thing I don't like. This can only be the tea judging by the notes listed here and in combination with a very subtle powder note from iris or orris root. This becomes more apparent as the fragrance goes on. Another thing which surprises me is a lovely almond and coconut smell, a natural partner for vanilla but can go very wrong, the handling here is with care and quality, all hallmarks of Xerjoff. I really like this scent I have to say, if you like powdery understated vanilla then you've come to the right place. Also despite being a very subdued scent by nature it lasted very, very well on my skin to the point I was surprised even suspecting that it got stronger than when first applied.
I've always been a defender of By Kilian as a brand because when they hit...they hit! Unfortunately some of the recent releases have been sadly lacking, certainly in creativity and those prices are so high, made me start to wonder why I'd been such an apologist. I appreciate the packaging is fantastic but it's style over substance when the scent isn't even good or original and the cardinal sin...it doesn't last. Also...just to make things worse the SA and my local store which stocks By Kilian is dreadfully rude and looks at me like something he just scraped off the bottom of his shoe. Moving on... I'd heard good things about Apple brandy though and was excited to try it and thankfully... I wasn't disappointed. Apple brandy starts out with a lovely warming boozy apple smell, which I was hoping wouldn't be reminiscent of cider and thankfully it isn't. I can't recall ever drinking 'apple' Brandy but this is definitely more of the subtle, infused flavour you'd expect from a fine brandy liqueur. By that I mean it smells like one complete, coherent, entity rather than a apple flavouring on some heavy boozy notes. This is what you get for a good couple of hours then the fragrance reveals that it actually has a really decent strong woody base. This perfectly encapsulates the 'cask' effect a deep and gorgeous oak note which lasted on my skin for hours. There's my favourite labdanum too...you'd be forgiven for thinking this fragrance could be a damp squib and run out of life after that boozy entrance but that's just masking the great basis this fragrance has in wood and resin. Apple Brandy is definitely up there in terms of creativity with the likes of B2B and Straight to Heaven rather than many poorer efforts, which shall remain nameless. It's even better than those two in my my book because it performs better that S2H and I prefer the smell to B2B. A winner here from By Kilian but because it's apparently not available in the refill or atomiser pack, I won't be buying it anytime soon. Longevity 10 hours easy but it does go very low on the skin quite quickly and doesn't project all that much but that doesn't matter.
The first I've tried from Ormonde Jane...I think? Well this is the first review in any case and I have to say, a very impressive fragrance. The composition of this scent is truly well conceived, I often think of Geza Schoen being an ultra modern, minimalist (or con-artist?) due to the eccentric Molecules line. In fairness he's done many works worthy of note like Kinski and Bouddica Wode which are pretty complex. Anyway... Montabaco is a real knockout and I'd say it's quite a floral focused scent at it's core. The sweetness of jasmine and magnolia definite chime strong in this and more so as I was expecting it to be laden with heavy tobacco, especially from the way the SA sold it to me. The tobacco isn't that strong though and even the bergamot, and herbal clary sage/tea combo comes through delivering quite a fresh and uplifting scent. There's a warmth behind it all the time though and I'd attributed that to sandalwood and cedar ~(ISO) but when the main event lands the tobacco sits subtly but powerfully under those top notes. I genuinely couldn't Identify it as tobacco from the first couple of hours and then, as if by magic it's there and suiting the other notes perfectly. It's even a little bit smokey too when you get deep into the drydown. I don't know what else to say about this fragrance other than I wholeheartedly love it, and I want a bottle.
I was very, very impressed with this fragrance initially, it goes on strong and really is full of Citrus and woods as the name suggests. Sharp citrus opening which is neither lemon, grapefruit, bergamot but then slightly orange too. The balance is added by Cedar, vetiver and birch smoke, hint of spices in particular ginger and oakmoss, which had me thinking I'd found a real masculine gem in Yardley Citrus and Wood. The main problem comes when it doesn't even last an hour on my skin, before it just goes 'poof' into the ether, leaving nothing behind. I'm pretty forgiving when it comes to performance but I can't rate a fragrance that is this poor on longevity, no matter how good the opening is. Sorry this gets a thumbs down from me.
When will I ever learn? I blind bought this....foolishly. I was hoping it might resemble the original more than some had been stated in the (largely hateful) reviews below, or if it didn't perhaps it would even be a little like the summer cologne tonic...that would've been fine. I'm sorry fragranticans I didn't heed your warnings, I blind bought and not even at a particularly good price either. The opening is Apple (like) I suppose, but then descends into a kinda sage note and a powdered back drop of chemical Amber. This really is quite a bad fragrance. I had forgiven Dior for the recent Sauvage because it seemed like a focused and deliberate attempt to make something minimal based around Ambroxan. So many reviewers here have mentioned what Kouros Silver smells like and many of them are plain wrong. The closest fragrance to this by a mile is easily Paco Rabanne Invictus difference being this has less notes. I don't like it, it's not an awful smell but something about this, Invictus, and Versace Eros etc...turns my stomach. The performance is as I expected...INSANE. It lasts and lasts projecting heavily.
Oh dear there seems to be a lot of hate here, not sure it's got a lot to do with the actual fragrance probably more the man himself. As a mancunian and a die hard United fan, you can understand that there could be some bias here but never fear fragrance fans, I'm on a quest for the truth and if this fragrance was bad....I would tell you so. Truth is, for a designer release and especially for a celeb fragrance, Legacy is really quite good. I'd say mediocre and a little bland perhaps but totally wearable, no jarring notes, no god awful repellent aroma chemicals sticking out, just a smooth ride all the way. I can't say I can imagine Ronaldo wearing this, I thought he'd wear/create something much louder. I understand he didn't formulate it but I'm assuming he had some input? Anyway, it's understated opening is basically violet leaf, citrus and lavender but really well done. The dry down has a little more powder and I thought perhaps a touch of iris I like this because it's sort a balancing act between this and citrus/vetiver and a hint of spices. Please don't write this fragrance off because it isn't half bad...worth a sniff at anyway. I personally wouldn't buy it but it's no doubt as good or better than half the stuff on designer shelves at the moment. Update: Well I did end up buying it (only at a rock bottom price) and I must say I have to revise my initial statement slightly. I've allowed this fragrance to get away with olfactory crimes I would not forgive from the likes of Boss or YSL etc... just because it's a celebrity scent (and therefore the enemy) I did set the bar quite low, only to be surprised when it wasn't awful. Wearing Legacy today however and it's a bit of a mess...might be giving this away.
Amazing!!! For me Provenzano rewrites the Oud/Rose book here with Blue Sapphire. This fragrance is quite simiply stunning. Why am I not surprised that this nose is responsible for many of the recent Boadicea line as well as Clive Christian C for Men. He's done something here which is akin to Amouage and the take on roses displayed in Lyric. It's a light touch which lets the ingredients tell their own story in a very understated way. I say understated, the strength and projection on Blue sapphire is massive for the first couple of hours then dying back to a lovely skin scent. Opens with quite possibly the stickiest, jammiest, rose tinted, candied effect I think I've ever encountered. This opening is somehow fresh too, as is the rest of the fragrance, still warm but not stuffy and constantly invigorating. It reminds me of tropical fruits as well and even a touch of Bella Bellisima White Leather. Having said that it never tips over into the cloying, Blue Sapphire is perfectly balanced, I have a suspicion this is what heaven smells like. Deep Amber warmth in the base, can't say I can smell patchouli at all in here and there's hints of magic which I'd be a fool to try to describe. Two things which could be conceived as negative... 1) The price. I'm certainly not going to be splashing out on this anytime soon. 2) Also could be perceived as feminine, because it is... VERY FEMININE. I actually don't care about that because it smells so good. The drydown may also be reminiscent of some more common fem-fare but that's generally because you've already journeyed as far as you can and the vibrancy of that opening is a distant memory. Bravo Boadicea you've done it again!
Guys lets's get it straight this doesn't smell like Roja Dove Enigma, that's a much sweeter, boozy, vanilla composition. It shares labdanum, amber woods and a dose of booze but for me it's very much different. The comparisons to Black Afgano, now that I can understand. Although I would say it's more of a middle ground between Black Afgano and Pardon. Anyway lets not get caught up trying to compare it to well known fragrant landmarks, Laudano Nero deserves praise in it's own right. It opens with the most beautifully sharp, warm labdanum and from that moment I was in love with this fragrance. It's warm, complex woods accented with a ton of resin, thick, dense, dark, camphor and oud against naturally lighter herbal notes and wonderful tobacco. This is an absolute Knockout for me, more of a 'deep nutty brown' to Black Afgano's 'black' but don't think that means it's a shy, pale imitator because this perfume is massive and as different to anything you could compare it to, as it is similar. Really guys it's almost gourmand at times, very complex beyond explanation or analysis.... so so good.
Very interesting indeed D&G cashing in on the popularity of Arabic perfumes. A shrewd move. Let's hope it's the long lasting 'The One' many fans have craved and the EDP didn't deliver.
I'll take you through my thought process here...The opening is bright and strongly jammy rose probably those citruses and pink pepper giving it a sweet boost. That's a wonderful smell don't get me wrong but then the next few minutes SW1X settles down and my immediate thought were... 'Oh no...not another uninspiring (but no doubts quality) Oud/Rose composition which is flat and has nothing to lift it. Guilty of the worst crime in my book...being too heavy on the rose element.' ...But how wrong I was. I can be mistaken for thinking that for the first few minutes after the lovely sweetness of roses settles to a strong rose and not much else. Then as if by magic the oud/sandalwood/saffron and a whole host of other beautiful things take over the composition and it becomes quite earthy rather than powdered and sweet. It is instantly reminiscent of Penhaligon's Levantium and As Sawira in that SW1X is a complex mixture of notes which act to accentuate the oud. The difference being this Bex London creation has one final trick up it's sleeve. After a powerful and joyful wear it goes back to being quite soft and then in the deep, deep dry down some of that patchouli and the soft ambery warmth against my skin. Frankly I don't think this will be everyone's cup of tea and with so many Oud/Rose combo's out there you'd be forgiven for overlooking this or not even being prepared to give it a chance. For those who do however you will find a very well put together fragrance, which is a bit dirtier than you might expect. My respect for Francois Robert grows with each scent I try.
I'm impressed with this one. The opening was great fresh and something I don't normally detect in the first second or so...that's instant vetiver, clean but raw and a hint of smokiness. EC2 has notes which work amazingly with one another the citrus and juniper berry top notes contrasted with the black pepper. Then the drydown is pure nutmeg, cedar and vetiver. This superb and very reminiscent of Lalique Homme Equus but kinda mixed with the orignal Homme too. This is slightly more refined as you might expect for the higher pricetag. I really like this composition but I think it might be an acquired taste for others. A simple, fresh, woody fragrance that gets a thumbs up from me.
This is no doubt another quality offering from Bex London. Interesting and turbulent opening of spices, some listed here like pink pepper, cloves, anise are not overt but contribute to an overall warm, resinous feel which had me excited. However, when it settles becomes a slightly bitter with quite a strong rose and musk note. There is a an almost gourmand sense hints creamy but dirty patchouli, and dry florals. This is not quite my sort of thing for some reason, something is putting me off that I can't place? Maybe it's the emergence of rose muddying the rest of the composition. Perhaps it's just the fact that this seems less focused that some of the others I've tried. Anyway not horrible but not my bag.
Okay so my respect for this brand and especially the perfumer is growing with each one I try. The first thing that struck me about this was how subtle and wearable this perfume is...Very much up my street. Not that I always want a perfume to be subtle but SE1 has a really laid back feel. It openings with a fresh citrus and resin I wouldn't say amber more like fresh incense, sharp rather than warm. However as it dries down it definitely gets warmer and the spicing of clove, cinnamon and pepper. The woody base of vetiver and even the slightly salty driftwood and seaweed gives a very lightly hinted at marine touch. because it's such a low key scent I actually thought the longevity wasn't that good but in actual fact I could still smell it 12 hours later, although very low hadn't disappeared. SE1 gets my vote...really enjoyed it.
