Latest User Reviews

<
264 286
>

Assistant Blog Fragletter About Us For Business Privacy Policy Terms Of Services Imprint API Access Connect AI Assistant

Search Fragrances Perfumers Brands Notes Accords Best Of Discussions Year Wrapped Compare Top Users

[email protected]Report Problem Propose Missing Perfume

Deutsch English Español Français Italiano Polski Português العربية हिन्दी 한국어 中文日本語

<
264 286
>

1 Million Absolutely Gold

Rabanne

houdini

Okay so I tried this new 1 Million and I have to say it hasn't really changed my opinion much. Without doing a direct comparison with the original 1 Million EDT I can't comment of the differences but to me (from memory) they smell very similar. I removed 1 Million from my dislike list on here a while ago. I had indeed taken a instant disliking to it, although admittedly this kind of strong sweet fragrance should be right up my street. After sometime I tried it again and thought I had maybe been a little hasty and it wasn't all that bad. I'm not someone who bashes a fragrance just because of it's popularity with the masses or gaudy awfulness, I like to think I judge on it's merits. Trying this new one however has firmly cemented my dislike of this fragrance once more. I literally (or illiterately more aptly) cannot describe the reason why I'm just utterly repelled by the cheap sweetness and opening which lasts for hours. If you can stomach it to the drydown it becomes okay after several hours but even that can be said of some truly awful fragrances I hate! If anything this Absolutely Gold version is stronger and projects more than the original, the mind boggles at how and why this is possible. Well it confirmed a nail in the coffin for my relationship with the whole 1 Million range, I simply don't like them.

...

12 years ago

Black XS Potion for Him

Rabanne

houdini

I don't usually talk about Longevity as a way to kick off my review but this stuff is VERY long lived on my skin and I'm notoriously unforgiving, so trust me folks... this one lasts. I tried Black XS Potion on the back of my hand yesterday afternoon and despite washing my hands several times since then & showering this morning I can still very faintly smell it on my skin. As for the fragrance itself, I thought despite the glaring similarities to the original that the opening was a little deeper. Similar to the way that A*Men flankers are different but still in essence the same thing, just with more emphasis on certain aspects. These aspects in this case are a intensity of labdanum and booze which give a slightly sharper and more high end feel to what is essentially the same very sweet, fruity, wood fragrance as the original. As it dries down it's harder to identify the difference it's still a bit chocolatey like the original and still has that dense wood, tulu balsam and berry notes. So if you're expecting a vast difference be prepared for disappointment, however if you like the original you might even like this better. The projection and longevity are huge as I mentioned and I much prefer the bottle for this one due to that cool wax seal thing. The same can be said of this as the original, something inside me loves the initial smell of Black XS and it's sweet unique nature. In perspective though I can't help but find it cloying and unpleasant after a while and not something I'd be happy to wear, especially with it's strength and persistence.

12 years ago

I can't believe the negativity aimed at this fragrance from the majority of reviews here. On the one hand I agree that play sport is never going to wow anybody with its generic fruity musk and woods but for me it's a solid citrus release from Givenchy. Another criticism could be that it doesn't retain much (if any?) of the character of play or play intense which are popular fragrances and Play Intense is a real true love of mine. Not only does Play Sport smell very good, those top notes last very well as does the fragrance in general, longer than many niche citrus fragrances I've tried. The opening to my nose is a gorgeous bergamot and mandarin orange which is fresh and zesty then the musk and amyris wood give play sport a solid platform for the citruses to shine for about 6 hours. I like this...it's never going to inspire the same fan base as Play Intense for example because it's quite a flat composition. If you're looking for a clean linear citrus with good lasting power then play sport should not be overlooked.

...

12 years ago

La Liturgie Des Heures

Jovoy Paris

houdini

Wow! Love the opening of this fragrance straight up cypress and olibanum and you pretty much know what you're going to get for the remainder. Yes it's a gorgeous incense fragrance along the exact same lines as Heeley Cardinal, Montale Full Incense and CDG Avignon. If you like any of the aforementioned fragrances then this will float your boat too, luckily I have samples of all four and have tried them side by side to identify differences and there are some very subtle differences. I have to say I might be imagining it but find this a touch fresher and has a different opening too notes. LLDH is of extremely high quality. Non of these have huge lasting power on the skin but do very well on clothing(as most scents do) I found this one to be much the same. I love it...but then again I love the others too!

12 years ago

Well there had been speculation for a while about this one and finally here it is. Interesting though because one thing A*Men and it's flankers have never been is woody, so the addition of woody notes is welcome & needed. I can't say I'm not excited to try it but I think we need to manage our expectations here people. Lets not get too carried away imagining it will be some holy grail, that only leads to disappointment. Bottle looks awesome though! Roll on 7th of July!

Okay I'm pretty impressed with this scent after an unsure first impression. I can tell you straight away that it's not as loud as AMen or many of the other flankers and has a toned down feel, no over sweetness or caramel. This refined approach is what makes me like the Pure Malt/Coffee/Havane/Wood range more than the original, which is so complex frankly it needs reigning in a little. It's these differences which set them apart but retain the common theme brilliantly. What I mean is that in my minds eye (or nose more accurately) I smell a new AMen flanker and think hmmmm...that's the signature AMen accord I enjoy without fully appreciating the differences. It's only when you try them against each other do you realise just how different they are and pure wood came to life against the others. I didn't find this particularly woody at first, which is strange because it's usually the top notes which are distinct in these flankers, before settling to something more familiar. This starts out quite boozy and Pure Malt like then the wood starts to emerge and it's almost a peppery, dry edge to it. This almost reminds me very slightly of if Comme des Garcon did an interpretation of AMen. Don't get me wrong though this is not a woody scent in the usual sense of the word it's very much a gourmand oriental, an authentic AMen experience but with non of the cloying thickness. It seems to somehow have added some savory touches to that indulgent dessert that is the AMen accord. Sanding down any sharp edges to use a woodworking analogy, its softer and smells positively woody compared with say Pure Coffee for example? I like it, it's also not as intrusive as Pure Malt or Pure Havane and dries down quickly, not projecting as much...but that's totally fine for me.

12 years ago

Understatement and balance are the key things here. I'm sure there's many a similar fragrances I wouldn't like because of overuse of certain aspects. For example like too white floral, or too much of a particular spice like ginger or cardamom or the citrus notes seeming cheap, Roadster sport doesn't suffer from any of these. Roadster sport opens with a gorgeous citrus combo with orange in there too. Then a distinct white floral which in this toned down context is absolutely perfectly balanced and doesn't detract anything from the fragrance. You can definitely smell the herby nature of sage and the patchouli is not dirty at all but clean and green with some nondescript woods in the base to round off a lovely dry down. I really like the smell of this fragrance it's incredibly well done, more classy stuff from Cartier.

12 years ago

First of all... no matter how bad or boring the majority of Lacoste fragrances are (and let's face it they are!) I'm always keen to try anything from them just on the strength of eau de Lacoste Blanc which I love with everything I got! Now personally where the bottle is concerned, it's not bad but I'm not crazy about the presentation. What I do like is the shape of the bottle, it's a squat lil cube like Encre Noire or something? Seems like an obvious choice to make a cube but not many others copy that format. Another small criticism was my first impression of the sprayer was not good it squirted out a feeble jet rather than a mist, which also soaked my trigger finger. Anyway the juice is the important thing, so what is live like? Well unfortunately it falls victim to crowd pleasing and in epic proportions. The opening citrus makes way for a predictable but not unpleasant scent which seems very much like other sports fodder. It's kinda green but not natural at all and woody I suppose but I really don't get the typical signature of guaiac wood nor did I really get any liquorice. I may have to try this again you know because there's some interesting ingredients which seem to have been blended out of all recognition into a generic mess. Not bad, not good either and the longevity was poor on my skin.

...

12 years ago

Armani Privé Ombre & Lumiere

Giorgio Armani

houdini

The bottle looks great...really fantastic! The notes however don't look very appealing to me but everyone of the prive's I've tried (which is pretty much all of them now) whether feminine or not are really well executed. I'm such this won't be an exception, can't wait to try it and find out.

12 years ago

I wrote another review of this then misplaced it and obviously didn't post it here, let's try to remember how it went shall we??? What a let down! Something like that...I don't know what I was expecting from this new 'Intense' He Wood but needless to say it didn't even live up to my non existent expectations. Come on DSquared2 this is lame! I have He Wood which in it's self took a while to charm me and if I have a collection purge at the end of the summer will likely be one of the first out of the door. Don't get me wrong I quite like the strange ghostly violet and wood combo but I just don't love it enough to wear frequently. Tried this side by side with the original and the similarities are obvious as you'd expect but I have to disagree that it's 'stronger' than He Wood certainly not in sillage/projection or Longevity terms. Deeper? perhaps yes and less powdered violet which in essence does make it woodier but not nearly enough to warrant the name. All this being said I think I prefer this version due to the top notes not quite being as intrusive has He Wood but still I'm a little irked at the rehashing of a tired formula when they could've given us something new. Instead all you end up with is a slightly tweeked juice in a more boring bottle than the original He Wood.

12 years ago

Opens like a classic Oud rose fragrance with the balance tipped toward rose, my thinking was this might be a little too sweet and rosy for me. Do not be fooled by the opening though I don't feel this fragrance is similar to Montale or other Oud/roses when you take it in the context of a whole fragrance from application to deep drydown. Neverless it oozes quality from the get go, the first couple of minutes and I started to detect something else sweet and powdery like a violet. The frankincense then starts to kick and although subtle changes the nature slightly. This progression continues and the scent becomes utterly unpredictable something I wouldn't have guessed from such a clichéd opening, the complexity of dark Saphir becomes more apparent. Don't get me wrong Oud, rose and incense are the main vibes but other subtleties rear their heads and it starts to seem like more of a heady journey scent. This journey doesn't stray too far from a well trodden path but most importantly for me goes from something I think is okay to something I'm fond of at the end. The drydown is subtle hints of patchouli, vanilla and labdanum dark Saphir was a surprising gem. If you love your rose scents (and let's face it you've plenty to choose from) this is really worth sniffing out.

12 years ago

Clean, fresh, feminine and ultimately uninspiring! There's something inherently cheap about this fragrance it's not bad just the same kind of floral, fruity fair you smell a lot in female focused perfumes. Opens with an apple and slightly exotic fruit vibe before a hint of sweet floral and neroli but it thin and non of these elements really take effect in creating a lasting impression. I've already spoken far too much about this perfume...it's a damp squib! But hey I'm a man what do I know? If you like knock yourselves out because I've smelled far worse.

12 years ago

I absolutely love this! Contrary to most peoples thoughts (judging by the reviews here) I actually think Cristalle eau verte is quite complex. Starts out with a refreshing blast of bergamot and lemony citruses, the clean strength and lasting power of neroli. It then becomes quite green and fresh to me, I also swear I get a hit of black pepper...seriously I do, although no such spiciness or seasoning is present. A base of musk which is present throughout the entire transition finishes off this fragrance. This oozes Chanel class and for me could easily be a unisex fragrance, I wouldn't bat an eyelid about wearing it. I love how different this is to the original which is too bold and old Skool feminine for my tastes. I may well get this for summer.

12 years ago

Nonplussed is a nice word and probably the way I would describe my feelings towards this fragrance. It's not at all bland but rather a bit stale perhaps? I love incense fragrances and believe they should be heady & rich but sometimes come off as weird and this is one of those occasions. I had expectations of love for this juice but all that I felt was disappointment compared to the brilliant Ambre Fetiche. Will any other Annick Goutal fragrance reach those dizzy heights again? I hope so. Heavy on the smoke and pepper in the opening Encens Flamboyant doesn't do much in the way of freshness. The fir becomes apparent and just makes it darker if anything. I'll be honest this could be a slow burner and may well require some more time to get my head around.

12 years ago

I've tried Mandragore a few times now and I have to say it's unique. A herbal, spicy fragrance that opens with citrus then becomes all about a heart of aniseed, mint and pepper. The mint is very menthol like and darkly medicinal in it's feel. I can't help but feel this fragrance is like something from a bygone era, almost a medieval potion mashed in a pestle and mortar by an apothecary. I love the smell of star anise and the combination with mint and sage just in essence but not something I'd consider wearing on my skin also the longevity of this juice is not up to scratch for the quality I've experienced from this house in the past. An interesting fragrance this one, worth sniffing out.

12 years ago

If ever a house carried a definitive signature it's Acqua di Biella and Ca Luna is no different. So similar to the rest of the line but different in so many ways this is a super delicate blend of resins doesn't come off as heavy at all. Ca Luna has a clean shaving soap vibe with does evoke a masculine, barbershop type feel while having a slightly herbal quality and greeness. This is a perfect mixture and comes together well and pretty suited to my skin like Baraja was. Every note mentioned here is in such harmonious balance that it's hard to pick out individuals the Ivy note is interesting and natural then mastic, galbanum and pepper at the heart with musk and sandalwood in the base. It's nice, really nice and I'd wear it. not sure I need it though...maybe a couple more wears and I'll be sold on it.

12 years ago

Sweet? You weren't kidding! My girlfriend works for a duty free company and had tried this some weeks ago, she told me about it as she knows my love of sticky, sweet gourmands. First just let me comment on the bottle, it's a cool concept but somehow came out a bit clunky. It's okay but resembles an overweight and distinctly poisonous looking butterfly as much as a cute bow. That aside the scent is sweet caramel and inherently feminine peach and jasmine. That initial sweetness does settle after a minute or two and reveals a slightly (very slightly mind) more mature fragrance. This being said Bonbon is too sweet and would get on my nerves (on anybody) after a while, it would be a while too it has great longevity. Bonbon is certainly not suitable for this man to wear. This could've been a triumphantly bold gourmand fragrance but it just sadly lacking something for me and falls into the realms of a sweet fragrance for women who like that sort of thing but nothing spectacular.

12 years ago

Before I had encountered truly beautiful Vanilla fragrances this is pretty much what I imagined they all smelled like...gentle, musky, feminine and pretty lackluster. Okay so I've given the game away from the beginning, this fragrance lacks imagination and some complementary notes which could make it sing. Vanille Insensee isn't bad at all, very pleasant citrus notes in the opening which lead into a vanilla musk scent which perfectly wearable. I just didn't feel the same degree of enthusiasm as the lady who was showing me the Atelier range. She couldn't wait to have me try this vanilla and while it's really nice I think I'll pass on it. I think I like my vanilla to be heavier, more gourmand and with bolder elements to make it pop. On the positive side it lasted well and I've not smelled anything bad from this house, so far every outing has been a solid one.

12 years ago

Mmmmm...this is a yummy gourmand! I love it when vanilla comes out like this, it's soft but beautifully deep at the same time. Serendipitous has a chocolately vanilla wafer nature which reminds me of Montale chocolate Greedy and vanille Absolu. Great stuff lasts very well but I need to wear it again to test longevity and projection against vanille absolut, love this though.

12 years ago

I really don't understand why this fragrance has got such bad votes on here and it's not even my cup of tea! That's presuming the majority of contributors are voting on the smell of the perfume and not how offended they are by the flacon. Very briefly on that...I don't know about the issue enough to pass comment really? I will say this I'm not someone who enjoys the unnecessary suffering of animals nor would I argue that it's a necessity to eat them or parade around wearing them but there's many things in the world I don't like or agree with but endure them anyway. I hope that doesn't sound ignorant or could be accused of hypocrisy, I simply don't know enough about the specifics of the issue concerning this perfume to form an opinion. Anyway...A Rebours is not what I'd expected. It's a strong floral musk which is animal in nature but no where near to the extent I was anticipating. The opening is one of orange blossom, freesia, carnation and powder, the musk is strong as well but never sours the florals, well blended stuff. The over all feel is one of a talc, powdery, white floral and with a hint of violets. From this I was waiting for a dirty animalic dry down like that of Amouage Gold Man but it never came thank heavens! The civet and castoream are tame and just give a warm comforting base to what is a pretty unremarkable scent given all the hype and controversy. Lasting power is good but not epic like I previous thought and projection is pretty big when first applied then settles down. So there you have it A Rebours is a perfect marriage between musk and flowers and it gets the balance right for me. Not my scene but worth checking out if you like this sort of thing.

...

12 years ago

The Dark Heart of Old Havana

4160 Tuesdays

houdini

4160 Tuesdays? Seriously that's the name of your fragrance house? I don't care if you've got the best explanation in the world, that's a stupid name. The name of this juice however is quite inviting, I like all things Cuban and was expecting a great scent. Opening is so sweet it goes beyond anything I've encountered, I'll give it this it's unique but opens horribly. The main thing I get is vanilla a huge dose of vanilla and a strange tobacco accord which comes off more like a badly done chocolate and takes a while to settle which to be honest never really does. This fragrance is on a knife edge between divine and down right awful and it can't make it's mind up. The coffee note is not evident when you smell it directly but from a distance an occasion whiff of coffee would drift in my direction. The main thing is that the dark heart of old Havana doesn't sit right. The drydown is a bit better a sweet sugary vanilla and even a hint of coconut I should be creaming over this fragrance but it still has an unpleasantness which I can't explain.

12 years ago

Birdie opens badly! I'm not a huge fan of patchouli at the best of times but I can appreciate it on occasion, however not in this creation. The opening reminds me of the smell you get from a stale old tent you've had in a shed for years. Even the green notes in this are strange and sand? Is that because of the golf theme? Odd! It's slightly dirty earthy and even a bit of the sea in there as well. The dry down isn't too bad the patchouli matures and takes on more of a familiar character but still not something I like or could ever envisage willingly putting on my skin. Update: hmmmm...second time around and it hasn't gotten much better. However this is a very interesting and evocative patchouli. There's a super natural smell to me which reminds me of hanging out in fields as a kid getting upto no good. A faint misty smell of farmers fields, grass, hay, evening air a fishing pond perhaps maybe the canal...it's quite vivid. All this was within close proximity to a golf course so the theme kinda stands up. I don't know what it is but I've started to get a real appreciation for earthy fragrance but would still never wear this one.

12 years ago

Massively strong boozy opening of whisky and I mean malty, to me this doesn't smell of rum. It has got a leather accord mixed in there with Guaiac wood and oud adding to the overall highland, cask aged single malt feel. I don't think this perfume is beautiful or balanced just quite harsh especially in the opening but it does dry down to an interesting, luxurious and powerful scent. So Gold Leather is a full on fragrance, no holds barred on the leather front either, it's pretty intoxicating in more than one sense of the word! I'd have to try it again but it's certainly a contender for my collection because of it's uniqueness. It might be a little too much on the boozy side though for me...only time will tell.

12 years ago

A really nice fragrance and one of my first adventures into Atelier cologne. Quick comment on the bottle, it's big and quite bland but with a nice touch of that leathery feeling stopper. Pleasant warm oriental notes, resinous benzoin and with slightly floral top notes mixed with mandarin orange. Ambre nue is very nice but doesn't blow me away it's a solid effort. A bit of a typical slightly more feminine leaning amber with a slight feel of Elixir des Merevilles, this is better though. All in all very good...plenty of nice amber scents out there.

12 years ago

Amazing fragrance!!! Absolutely amazing!!! This is simply brilliant The JTC has a third knockout! Ivory route, More than words, now this what a treat. My first impression was PRADA LUNA ROSSA EXTREME, I love that fragrance and never imagined a classier more upmarket version that was released over a year before...this is it! 40 Knots has a marine accord without the tiresome awful cheapness of designer marine fragrances(excluding LUNA ROSSA), it is even a little salty at first. It's so much more than I'd anticipated, 40 knots has a deep amber base which shines throughout, it feels opulent and warm. It even has a hot sweetness of cinnamon or clove running through it. Projection and longevity were very good. I would wear this... if I could afford it. I can't get all three... that would be ridiculous! I'm not sure I want any either? I'm on the fence as much as I've enjoyed them. Fingers crossed Birdie will excite me too because that would top off a predominately good range of fragrances from Xerjoff. Are they worth the money? These are for people that if you have to worry about the price you can't afford it!

...

12 years ago