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Chrome Pure

Azzaro

houdini

I'm not a big Azzaro Chrome guy, I have owned one of the flankers and on the whole they are good value for money, entry level aquatics. However, I'm not sure about these comparisons, especially to Brit Rhythm and my beloved Eau de Lacoste Blanc. I can sort of see how maybe, I suppose they are in the same style but Chrome Pure is better than Brit and not a patch on Blanc. Chrome Pure opens nicely enough with nice citrus notes and a sort lychee/melony lightness which is very nice, refreshing and all that. Then it's lightly floral, orange blossom is listed in the notes and I'll go along with that although it's not characteristically distinct, it is white floral in nature. There's a summery coolness about this and I'm trying it in winter so it's immediately not appropriate. The drydown is an aquatic/wood/musk, enjoyable but not earth shattering and the performance was okay to quiet. I'm being extra fair to it because I reckon it will be in bargain bins in no time and if you like it might be a nice little summer bargain for someone.

9 years ago

I’d given up slightly on Mont Blanc and especially these emblem flankers but I thought I’d give this one a wear as the other two had left me cold. I have to say this scent isn’t bad at all. The fruity open is slightly confused and has me thinking of all those 1 million rip off that came out after it’s success, chucking a load of sweet notes at an Amber, vanilla warm base and see what sticks. Emblem absolu is actually much more like Boss bottled though in that sense because when settled is more focused, delivering a pear note and true enough cardamom. The base to me is more sweet and ambery than vetiver but definitely some woods in there because it’s not overly sweet but definitely an oriental. I found the performance okay and this caught me in a good mood. I don’t dislike that pear note but it somehow puts me off fragrances giving them an inherent cheapness...maybe that’s just me. Despite this I’d wear it as it reminds me of a few good scents.

9 years ago

This is really interesting to me because without any preconceptions this fragrance vividly conveys the two most popularly voted notes, in abundance. (Mandarin orange and ginger) Refreshing in a sense, delivering something with a certain clarity and not the mess that most recent releases tend to be. Having said that... is L'Homme orignal or is it derivative and generic? Okay so it's generic. Reminded me very slightly of Davidoff Horizon, and that Vavartos one that looks like a wicker basket but more so of YSL L'Homme (not least because of the name) only somehow less inspired. Opening with a fresh citrus and I even detected the rhubarb listed in the note breakdown, it's a pleasant thing, which settles to a much more orangey smell quite quickly. It's squeaky clean in the main but I think a hint of dirt wouldn't of gone a miss and could've elevated this scent to higher heights. There's some musk in there and the aforementioned ginger as it dries down but that's it. To go on too much about this scent is giving it too much credit and perhaps grasping at complexity which simply isn't there. Not bad, but not good either. I should take the time to mention at this point that on the whole Lacoste fragrances are poor. Unusual then that one of the rare hits and probably my favourite designer fragrance of all time would be Eau de Lascoste Blanc, which is a heavenly smelling fragrance and a lesson in understatement. So excluding that one, in comparison to the rest of their abysmal repertoire this fragrance is alright by me. Lasting power is average to weak. That's about it folks.

9 years ago

For me as a big frangipani-lover, I was curious to try this one. I paid much for a small sample...but well… This is how the fragrance speaks to me: There is a sharp synthetic note, maybe water hyacinth, and something that makes this scent unpleasant through all other notes. The Ylang-ylang is more dominant than the frangipani, you just got the idea of a frangipani behind anywhere in the background maybe, but not the full white creamy frangipanis which can be found in Bissoumine's Nuit de Iles for example. So far I am mostly disappointed by this perfume by Chantecaille and not sure if worth the high price. It is understandable, why some people might like it, as it's not bad, but for me as a highly sensitive person, there is just an unpleased aura around some notes, that make it overall not suitable for me. And after a short time wearing it, the Ylang-ylang is gone and there is just the sharp powdery note that is left on my skin. If you are in search of a nature realistic white frangipani scent, then this probably not for you, but it might resemble the pink frangipani or works different according to your chemistry.

9 years ago

If we want to band about the word 'quality' to describe, strength, silage and performance then sure this scent is an average to below par fragrance, reminiscent of something from the lesser designers...I'm thinking Dunhill or Mont Blanc. However what these houses lack in finesse or following through on a fundamentally sound concept they make up for with a dash of originality and something which very nearly stands out and that's what this is. I'm not saying it's the most original or ground breaking scent because it certainly isn't but it's doing enough to satisfy me and that tells me it's not conforming to the recent tropes. The opening is great, immediately drawing me in with a bergamot, spiced cardamom sort of vibe but right away appealing. The drydown is warm and relatively masculine, woods and a hint of vanilla perhaps. The notes in this aren't all that clear but well constructed enough not to be that everyman crap we are used to seeing. I like CR7. I probably mentioned my bias as a Manchester United fan when reviewing Legacy but that was a good fragrance too. Love him or loathe him just like Beckham his scents are crowd pleasing and could be a god awful lot worse. Thumbs up!

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9 years ago

L'Eau Majeure d'Issey

Issey Miyake

houdini

This fragrance is more diabolical than the atomic bomb which laid waste to Issey Miyake's home town as a child....and I'm not being melodramatic. Is it any surprise then the review below is from a guy who took me to task about a review of a similarly awful scent some time ago? No it isn't. He clearly likes this kind of thing, whereas I find it abhorrent and offensive. I'm not getting at him for this, merely illustrating how tastes can vary in the most extreme of ways. I've been whining recently about generic, uncreative scents saturating the marketplace and you'd think I'd embrace something which evokes such a colourful response in either direction, for beeter or worse....well I don't! This stuff is horrific. Opens with a noxious cloud of salty, calone and a whole plethora of other messy, chemical crap. Yes it does have the same stuff going on as Invictus, Versace Eros (+ countless others) but makes those two seem the pinnacle of olfactory excellence in comparison. It's got that acrid, flyspray smell that would knock you sick but at least when you use thinners or some nasty glue there's a chance you might get a little high off it. No such luck here I'm afraid. I hate this fragrance I actually hate it. It might drydown really good or change or be nice on some people and I except that but I wouldn't even give it a chance to drydown. Oh...Did I mention I didn't like it?

9 years ago

Yes yes yes! I foolishly thought I'd get to try Fucking Fabulous but it's a fashion week exclusive or something, so I didn't. Oh well I wasn't even aware of this one so let's give it a try. Oud Minerale is not to my usual tastes from the opening, I have to admit that. It hits you with a salty, aquatic, ozone blast from the outset but instead of the usual revulsion, I was quite taken with this vibe. I appreciate the effort to try to evoke the sea, I mean who doesn't like the sea? but usually they go into horrid territory and Tom doesn't allow that to happen, keeping the mood friendly and non-intrusive at all times. The oud base is what holds it all together but the salty, seaweed and hint of pepper, keeps it natural and flowing...like the sea or water I suppose? So Having lavished Oud Minerale with praise I'd still say it's not something I would wear or add to my wardrobe but I could be convinced down the line if I wear it some more. What can be said for sure is that this is among the finest sea scents I've ever tried, if not the finest. It's clean and well executed like most TF products. Update: Now that it's been a few days, I was emptying the washing basket and oud minerale was clinging to the top I'd been wearing. It actually smells very clean and a great deal like ambroxan or even ambergris in it's dried down and remnant state.

9 years ago

I'm angry at this one. Firstly, how many more of these pieces of shit are we going to have to suffer through? I mean really... Even if the main players in the industry gave it a rest for a while and concentrated on sexy gourmand vanillas...oh yeah they already did that for a while back to the cycle of shameless, shapeless, awfulness. Secondly, this is a confusing one as I was expecting a little flanker subheading like...Givenchy Gentlemen...'Please'? (that's my pitch...or 'please stop'?) but no. This is a new imagining of Gentlemen, a fragrance I didn't think was all that great anyway but at least it was in the classic masculine mould. A shame because I didn't hate Intense or Chic but this is rubbish, sorry.

9 years ago

I really liked this fragrance on my girlfriend and in actual fact although feminine, Blossom Love's swee,t gourmand tones are something I would very much enjoy wearing myself. It starts out with a hugely sweet opening but there's enough inherent quality and restraint in the fragrance so nothing comes off as cheap. Cherry blossom is obvious immediately and then there's a development of that disaronno theme but to me it's not that boozy but more like amaretti buscuits so yeah essentially the same thing. The base is a definite tonka bean but maintaining a lovely floral nature too. This might be a common, some might say cliched theme aimed towards women... soft, floral, foodie scents but when done nicely, I can't help but appreciate them. It sits low and settles down to much less sweet scent which is just plain nice.

9 years ago

Here's how I feel. Amouage are back with a very solid release after a couple of...how do I put this? Not 'dodgy' as such recent efforts but not what I would consider in to be upto par with their usual trailblazing originality. However, I hate Figment. (How's that for a conflicting opening statement?) I do though. The animalistic nature of this scent coupled with the surrounding notes make for a stinky, pissy, grassy, resinous, uplifting, yet heavy urinal cake of controversy. When you stiff passed that I get the soil tincture (probs geosmin), patchouli, labdanum, leather, geranium, grasses, vetiver but it can't help but be wrapped up in a dispicable, dirty protest of a fragrance. I get it ...I do, it's the trendy, natural house (from California or Brooklyn or somewhere) but still with a middle eastern influence at the heart of it and that for me is the epitome of Amouage. It's east meets west...and everyone gets fleeced. Seriously though I respect this fragrance but will scrub it from my body to never return. Oh and only if I'm lucky because the performance and silage are MASSIVE.

9 years ago

Y? Why indeed? I'm sure I'm not the first, neither will I be the last to incorporate the name into a withering put down. Really though YSL...Y? I didn't like the opening, weak, uninspiring kinda fresh nonsense, nothing offensive just yawnful. Then to be honest when it settled down was a very nice mixture reminiscent of 90's aquatics or more modern references like Versace pour homme. My missus liked it she compared it to Moschino fresh which is fair but I think Y is bit more nuanced. The point is ...did we need another one of these? I think not, but hey they'll always be popular and that's not going to change anytime soon. What really gets me is the marketing campaign, the bottle design, the obvious attempt to make something new and fresh (in an ideas sense not literally) but failing to do so on the most basic of levels. It's very cynical of the marketing material to say that Y is aimed at millenials, With a view to offering something different. Come on. Let's have a reverse shall we? A super honest campaign for a new generation. Look we've rehashed this old tut, just like music and fashion and politics and come to think of it, EVERYTHING which regenerates like Dr Who in decade (and a bit) long cycles ready in time to be neatly repackaged and sold to your kids! Essentially the same thing but jazzed up a bit and we'll convince you is Tailor made for your consumption. Y is okay. It's me that's becoming jaded.

9 years ago

Everyone is so quick to slag off Abroxan but I think it's a very interesting base and can be put to great use in these modern scents. After wearing it became apparent this is fragrance of three distinct phases. Obsessed is a strange one really because it opens very nicely with much of the Calvin Klein freshness and the intriguing charm of things like Crave or CK2. Unfamiliar, fresh spicy notes of kumquat or starfish or some crap like that but never the less very nice. Then it becomes abundantly clear that it might just be one of these confused, messy generic fragrances, a dud of little significance and quickly dismissed like many others and I don't think this is entirely down to the ambroxan. Anyway....Thankfully and quite inexplicably that subsides and Obsessed has a 'third act' so to speak which adds another twist to the tale, in the form of a creamy vanilla type warmth and maybe just maybe... the Labdanum listed in the notes? If you read my reviews you might know that I'm huge fan of that resin and although I can't place it in here as such, the base does have a nice cosy drydown so I'm not dismissing the possibility. Now normally the fresh, unusual, hard to place, top notes, coupled with a crowd pleasing generic heart and a warm (or 'sensual' as they will market it as) vanilla/synth amber drydown sounds like my idea of a horrible frgrance trying to be all things to all people and doing none of them right. However, I quite like Obsessed. I kinda wish CK had the bravery to make a pungent, masculine call back to the original Obsession, now that would've peaked my interest. I'll have to wear this again but the opening was very pleasant, I have no issue with abroxan and the boring aspects weren't too boring and the creamy drydown is nice....so it's a like from me.

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9 years ago

Emporio Armani Stronger With You

Giorgio Armani

houdini

Such a disappointment. I cringed at the name and I cringed at the first spray of this fragrance. What is it about 'this' vibe at the moment? I'd say it's borderline gourmand but actually smells so chemicaly harsh, that I doubt you'd ever eat anything remotely similar. Immediately Code profumo/one million prive/Ferragamo Uomo all sprung to mind and they are even scents I don't think were that bad, somehow this is so generic and lacking that it's worse. Did we really need another fragrance of this ilk? No!!! I wouldn't even mind if manufacturers returned to the same thing, I mean it's inevitable but release after release? Come on. It obviously must make business sense, cashing in on the success of other fragrances but let's have some artistry. On the upside I like the bottle and to be honest I don't hate the fragrance (it dries down much nicer than it opens) it's just boring in the light of the wave of fragrances like this that have come out in the last year or so.

9 years ago

Never let it be said that I don't give credit where it's due because I think Paco Rabanne's XS line is not bad. The original has actually become quite a beloved fragrance for me and reminds me of the 90's. XS Black is a bit too sweet but is weird in good way and I appreciate the effort in making something original. So I have high hopes for this one, interesting notes but I never read too much into those, look forward to getting my nose on this.

What a shame it is but Pure XS is absolute bumwash! It's in the same vein as recent oriental releases to the point it's ridiculous now. I tried the new Armani scent on the same day and although this is different it still exists in the same sphere of modern gerericism masquerading as depth, warmth and sexiness. The opening is kinda subtle and slowing growing but similar to Ferragamo uomo or something? It does have a somewhat bracing freshness, maybe the ginger? A herbal woodiness, aquatic at times even but a base which is that silly generic accord present in loads of uninspiring new releases (One million/Invictus/Wanted/ etc...) and a bit of a resinous vanilla drydown. I don't completely hate it, Pure XS is just a bit of a mess and I was maybe expecting to get something good. One thing I am surprised about is how low lying it is on the skin. I'm sure the noses who create these fragrances have the best of intentions but sometimes the combination of notes and disparate ideas culminate in a boring, stilted composition. Oh before I go ...the flacon is MASSIVE and oddly weighty and impressive either as a paperweight or something you could bash a burglar over the head with.

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9 years ago

Poudre de Riz

Pierre Guillaume Paris

houdini

I'm yet to find a Tiare flower fragrance which would be suitable for a man to wear. There's something inherently feminine about it in my opinion but that doesn't detract from this being a nice perfume. Despite the focus on tiare I'd say the main note is a lighthearted rose smell when it's all settled down and that's safe and crowd pleasing to most people. The opening is quality, sweet florals with a touch of the tropical about it, putting me in mind of something kinda Hawaiian. I think it might be the vanilla and touch of coconut making Poudre de riz a bit gourmand at times but with a warm ambery base and although I don't really detect tolu balm or even know what rice smells like I can believe they are in the mix. This is because it smells complex and very much a go to, quality powdered floral for women...basically it's versatile. The quality of this is undouubted and I don't know what it costs but I suspect it isn't cheap. My knowledge of similar perfumes is lacking but I think you might get something similar cheaper. I liked it though but from a practical point of view I could never wear it myself.

9 years ago

I've been aware of this stuff for years but was reminded fairly recently when I saw the old Sacha Distel advert for it, kinda wish I'd been around in the 70's to smell the original but the Eden Classics version will have to do. I'm keen on Classic fougere fragrances and this was very much what I was expecting from this and to a large degree it exceeded those expectations because I think Mandate smells unique. It's not a fougere in the rougher sense like a Paco Rabanne for example, it's much smoother and more mellow, with more of a powdered focus of geranium and lavender up front with the classic touches of pine cedar and oak moss and cloves very much lower in the mix. The one note that jars for me from the outset and until it settles right down, is a sweaty unpleasant smell which I can only attribute to clary sage and I wasn't surprised to see it amongst the notes here. This is the only thing that puts me off because when it fades this is a nice scent, which smells inherently cheap but very cheerful, performance was not great but I wouldn't say poor. For 3.99 worth a punt and I actually will wear it. Paradoxically I think it's that stale sweat and cumin smell which although unpleasant actually gives Mandate it's character it would be a very much duller and more forgettable affair without it...strange when that happens. Update: Mandate is superb. I've worn it three times this week and that's unheard of for me. I totally got over that smell in the opening and as I said above it actually contributes to what is an excellent fragrance and it was only £3 for 50ml...amazing. I bet the original was an absolute treasure.

9 years ago

This already had a like on it and I do recall getting a sample a good while back and I suspect I've written a review already and just not posted it. (I do that a bit) Well I was surprised I wasn't keener to let people know my thoughts because Carner Barcelona's El Born is a fantastic and original fragrance. I say original but I can draw some comparisons even with things I've tried and reviewed recently like Aomassai. However El Born has it's own unique things going on. The opening is very reminiscent of my childhood and I can't quite place what it is? something sweet no doubt. This is a gourmand vanilla steeped in lovely honey, heliotrope angelica with a blast of elemi in the opening and a drydown of peru balm it's pretty special stuff. I love the almost boozy liquorice quality in el born opening and settling few minutes and later on that almond smell from the heliotrope. Yeah it's magic. I'm wishing everything was stronger at the moment so I haven't been commenting in much detail on performance, this isn't massive and due to it's make up a naturally low sitting skin scent.

9 years ago

As a lover of Peru balm, ladandum and damned near everything in this perfume it's unsurprising that I'm pretty smitten with it. It's as precious and of the most exquisite quality but like tolu, peru etc...it sits very low and quiet on the skin. The opening is actually quite difficult to detect at first, there's no noxious 'wowing!' ploom of niche gas coming off this, Ignes going on more like a dry amber or one of those escentric molecules, ISO frags bearly there at all. Then it builds to a gorgeous woody, resinous and subtlety beautiful scent. It is largely Peru balm and labdanum but there's perhaps some patchouli and maybe some sandalwood in there too? The one note that is beyond question is tobacco. Now just to restate...not only am I an authority on resins but I'm a keen cigar smoker and this is the most accurate and carefully nuanced smell of a cigar wrapper I've ever smelled. Pure peru balm doesn't have this quality so I'm deducing it's another ingredient or the interaction that is creating this effect. The humidor note doesn't last however, existing between the opening few minutes and then gone by the 1/2 hour mark but a really lovely and naturally earthy, spicy smell. I love this scent. It retreats low but that is the nature of this kind of scent and I think if I had a full bottle and slapped a load on it would perform better. How about that bottle too? Ignes would look cool on my shelf.

9 years ago

A classic chypre, beautiful, elegant, completely bang in the middle unisex and the term timeless most definitely applies. The opening is stunning the drydown is gentile and complex vetiver, oak moss, geranium citruses, musk. Nothing earth shattering or ground breaking just really really well done and smells quality. Major drawbacks are price and performance, I could let the price slide if it was potent and long lasting but golden chypre ain't.

9 years ago

I'm getting slightly irritated with the amount of smoky fragrances out there, whether it's intentional or not especially the ones that smell of food or BBQ sauce. Tonnerre however is pretty stunning to my nose and despite the huge amount of thick birch tar and realistic smoke in here I actually get a overriding freshness and metallic citrus too. What a fascinating combination of notes, the smoke is very very apparent in the opening and I actually thought would be the only thing left even after a very short period but that's not the case at all. It's actually the smoke that dies back on my skin. It's still there but giving way to more of a prickly gunpowder smell and slightly boozy woods and even a marine/aquatic suggestion. It really does have a brandy or whisky note in there, I often smell my whisky before drinking and it's reminscent of inhaling the warming vapours. It reminds me a little bit of MiN Moon dust and equally divisive scent but this is nicer in many ways. I like this a great deal, it's kooky in a good way I smell like I'm wearing some fresh citrus/aquatic and I've been sitting by a campfire for 2 hours. Oh the smoke does remain and looms large again as the rest of the notes die back in the deep drydown. Update: This stuff lasted very well on my skin and kinda smelled like aqua de Loewe EL a bit of bonfire and that flint like, wet stone, gunpowder note which is an acquired taste but to me totally captivating. Update 28/09/22 Well it appears I've truly come full circle with this one. I'm not annoyed by the tenacious smoke, and I stick to all the broadly positive stuff I said about Tonnere and it's mixture of flinty, BBQ meat smoke and dark old ship, salty sea spray and aquatic limes. HOWEVER... There's an element to that metallic, musky, biting aquatic accord which no longer sits well with me and I just can't let this go without expressing it. I once called 212 Men Surf one of the worst pieces of shit I'd ever had the misfortune of smelling because of this said same, 'DEATHLAC' bug spray note within that perfume, well surprise, surprise, because it exists in Tonnere too. Not quite enough to put me off the good stuff, the creativity and narrative building but enough to make me never want to purchase this perfume or ever wear it again. So there's that.

9 years ago

My partner works at the airport and often samples the new duty free perfume while passing through, a nice perk of the job you might imagine. Unfortunately it's me who has to endure some of the awful stuff she just happens to slop on herself...JPG's Scandal is one of those. It's kinda in that vein of recent releases from Marc Jacobs and Mugler, sort of chintzy takes on the black orchid theme. Big, heavy, chunky chemical clouds but this one is an insult to those others I compared it to which actually aren't bad. It smells like very toxic, sickly sweet berries and some kind of god awful 'floral' smell which could NEVER exist in nature, It's pretty hideous but sadly generic because there's loads of tat like this around. I had to tell her to keep away because it was knocking me sick. She commented that the bottle design was very cheeky and pure JPG all over but it's not even an original idea as there's a Revlon perfume with almost the exact same bottle! JPG's line has really redeemed itself for me in recent Le Male releases for example but this is an absolute abomination. I suspect the silage and Longevity are atomic...at least it seemed that way to me. Yeah...I don't like it.

9 years ago

I think the first review pretty much nails it, however I think Bang! is spicy with pepper and actually has more of an edge. To say this doesn't last as long as Bang! a notoriously poor performer is really making a statement and I can't say I would disagree. This is not to say I don't like the smell of Tundra, it has a fantastic opening of fresh and vibrant elemi, greeness and slightly smokey cedar/vetiver combo. It has that uplifting (I often describe as 'fizzy') vibe you get from elemi which is like olibanum and fresh juniper/gin & tonic. Unfortunately it suffers the same problem as the 3% elemi dilution tester I got...it doesn't last. What you are left with is a very weak but pleasant cedar aroma. What I do like is that it develops past being just another incense fragrance into something woodier and generally a good ensemble of notes. Nothing high original but not bad stuff.

9 years ago

Yep, this really smells a lot like Chanel's Allure, without the little citrus note. A really powdery and comforting scent, but not what I would expect from an amber classified fragrance.

9 years ago

A very nearly an orgasmic opening for me. Palo santo is right up my street in oh so many ways, it smells like as if Alessandro Gaultieri made a gourmand. This is the acceptable and enjoyable side of the warm milk fragrance because it's a little smokey and woody unlike a jeux de peux for example. Boozy, tonka bean but with gourgeous guiac wood underneath, grounding it and adding a hint of spice and earth and most importantly curbing some of that sweetness. The only downside and this seems to be a theme of my reviews of niche perfumery at the moment, is the longevity. I never used to be someone who associated a high price or exclusivity with long lasting performance, not all fragrances need to last or have massive trails. However, I do feel a little short changed when they fade in a hour or two. This is usually exacerbated by the fact many of these niche scents open so strongly you think, wow I'm gonna be smelling of this for a week and when you can barely smell it an hour later, it just kinda sucks. Anyway Palo Santo looses some of it's complexity in the drydown and gets a bit sweeter and creamier, more vanilla like basically but very close to the skin. Only a minor complaint because this is an amazing fragrance with lots to enjoy. Update: The second time wearing PS and it's lasted much better although it's primary on clothes but that's still fine. Also I noticed in the opening it was a little reminscent for a second of Rochas Man but hugely high end and much better, thicker and more complex mind. Then the deep drydown like 6-8 hours + smelled a lot like Givenchy Play Intense, another fragrance I really like but didn't start out that way. All these comparisons are only slight and even if they weren't still positive because I own and like both, PS has a lot going for it.

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9 years ago