Okay so Opus I has a massively floral opening I thought it was like a lily maybe and definitely tuberose! The cardamom is present but not over the top unfortunately the florals most certainly are, at least in the opening. There's something I want to like about the floral element, probably the jasmine but in combination with tuberose doesn't sit right with my nose. Whoever first mentioned the musty book smell below is totally spot on. Opus I does have that strange quality to it, very apt considering it's from the Library collection. It's not a good start, with that opening but as it dries down it becomes sweeter the florals become more settled and a slight tonka bean thickness starts to come in. For me though this is not something I'd wear nor does it appeal but an interesting smell if you're prepared to give it a chance.
When I first applied this fragrance I thought I'd found some heavenly stuff the opening few seconds are fresh and you definitely get a brief citrus blast..at least I did anyway and it was not what I was expecting. Then within seconds it starts to develop from the mouth watering...to the headache inducing! A VERY PETROLEUM like vibe starts to develop and as much as I kind of like the smell of petrol in a Pervy sort of way, I would never understand a desire to smell like it! Now except for my beloved Fahrenheit of course but that is different from this Xerjoff signature effect I've observed in a few others now. It has a hint of smoke too and between that and the stinging petrol note you can just about make out the pleasant powdery scent underneath. I'm saying petrol, it's a kind of grubby diesel. The petrol dies down and the fragrance improves a little to a leathery type scent in the dry down. Despite not smelling it at all at first it has the lavender and gernaium/carnation powder of a Rive Gauche, pleasant shave soap, type scent, Alfra's review below comparing it to Knize Ten but I don't think it's as floral. It's a little harsh at first but challenging to my olfactory system and keeps me sniffing which I like.
This is a serene, peaceful fragrance...the pine and birch tar perfectly complement the frankincense, this is the last stop on my CDG Incense trail and it's been an eye opening, whistle stop tour around the world. I've reached the conclusion that I love incense when surrounded by other notes in complex compositions the likes of Amouage epic, memoir and interlude. Another reason I like them is they have a smokiness, I honestly couldn't describe any of these as being smokey with the exception of Kyoto and Zagorsk which have a mild smokey texture but I was expecting more. Again, not that I'm complaining this collection has more than delivered and educated me about different faiths and the smells associated with them. Hats off to Comme de Garçons!!!
Great review below from Dr Kool. :) I have no idea what authentic Orthodox Russian church incense smells of? I'd assumed CDG had done some research? maybe they had? Perhaps the sample churches they chose smelled like this? or maybe a cock up and this incense range was labelled incorrectly? maybe zagorsk is supposed to be jaisalmer as he suggests....I love this one all the same and has been a recent addition to my wardrobe but I can't wear it yet as for me it's not warming enough for winter...will be lovely in spring I reckon.
Bright almost lemony/Limey citrus (from the labdanum perhaps?) in this is so invigorating! Very woody and then as you inhale deeper you get a spicy edge of incense and pepper. Drys down to a lovely close scent which is unlikely to offend anyone...incense lover or not. Ouarzazate was not what I was expecting at all. I thought I wanted this collection to go in a Stronger, harder direction but this much lighter offering is just the tonic and my favourite so far, from an interesting bunch. This collection truly takes you on a unique journey with each fragrance and this one is probably the most conventional, and accessible wearable amongst them.
This is a special fragrance! Opens with a mystical chime of fresh cedar and cypress...then Bam!!! It's spiced beautifully with incense and has a slightly earthy quality from the woods and vetiver. This is great but you have to be brave to wear any incense scent and this is no exception. I'm tempted to add this to my collection because it's so unlike anything I've smelled before (in a perfume anyway) it would be interesting to try the Tom Ford which is listed as being similar on here.
Great scent this one...reminds me of lots of things but I still can't quite place what? It's a spicy and oriental, right out of the gate the cardamom and dry pepper are there with a clean pure incense which feels somehow cleansing. Something slightly tiger balmy in the opening but settles to a very subtle scent. 2 down 3 to go and the series is a total hit with me so far let's hope one of the next ones I try is an absolute knockout!
Wow!!! Them Catholics certainly know a thing or two about incense. This is great...yet again it's not smoky and dark enough for my liking! I like a balance between fresh and burning incense flavours and this is just short of the mark. Still very nice and I can see the comparisons with Montale full incense but right away this has slightly more depth and to me is a little more refined. At the end of the day I'm splitting hairs here and being super critical because I'm searching for the holy grail of incense perfumes...in truth this is amazing, resinous, spicy, smooth a must for incense fans.
Hahah! Gileshowe's review/comments below says it all so eloquently. I will just add that the opening of this fragrance is disgusting, really vile like a chemically supercharged roque forte!!! Really it has a putrid cheese note to my nose! Pardon my French... it's fucking terrible!!! However, once that subsides you get a very rough and unrefined leather scent which is so primal it actually has a certain charm of its own. More madness from Montale...try it once you get past the horror of the opening (if you can?) it's an interesting raw leather fragrance.
Rose and patchouli are massive in this and not too my taste at all. It's very intense in the opening and smells almost fizzy if that makes sense? I couldn't wear this it's really not good, you'd think with Montale's calibre and a name like Black aoud this juice would be great...sadly the word I'd use to describe it is 'industrial' or 'aggressive' in the extreme. With so many Rose/Oud combos out there why would you get this? Yuck!
This was a straight forward one for me...found it cheaply online as I'd come across it numerous times on my fragrance discussions/adventures and decided to blind buy. A brave decision and something I almost never do but I couldn't find samples or even anywhere that sold this near me. I'm so glad I did though, it's wonderful, dark, complex, bitter, sweet composition is perfect. It's masculine, almost gourmand, soft but strong it's quite the conundrum. Right out of the gate I got a slight minty wave that fades almost as instantly as it appears out of the bottle. Then comes a lovely, thick liquorice note (bare in mind if you don't like liquorice, there's no way you will like this fragrance!) and behind that a base of dense woodiness and vanilla and a little almond which softens the whole thing. Speaking of almond! I categorized Au Masculin with another fragrance in my collection, Cerruti 1881 Black which is similar but a little sweeter and the almond is the dominant note.
The reviews on here are confusing! I'm going to add further confusion by stating...I don't know what to make of Full Incense? For me it might just be too 'Full' meaning pure incense, a little linear and simple, lacking complexity...could that be right? It smells beautiful...Kinda tame though and not smoky enough for my liking. I do detect a hint of cedar and labdanum but the main question I ask myself is would I wear it/buy it?? I'm still not sure as somebody who is drawn to incense and loves the stuff, Full incense is undeniably pleasant to my nose. I'm hoping the Comme de Garcon Avignon is more complex than this as I have a sample at home which I've not opened yet.
Okay so this is the first Montale review I've posted on Fragrantica and despite having tried many of them I decided to start with this one. My initial reaction to this fragrance having no prior knowledge about notes was maybe a coffee vibe due to the name? I think many people assumed this and were maybe disappointed by the lack of coffee. Anyway my initial thoughts were... Intense floral opening...ROSE!!!...maybe something calming too ...like jasmine? oh then a little touch of the soft background vanilla... then after a few minutes musky/amber. When this settles I do get a very faint coffee note and I'm not just imagining it....it's there! At first it was a little tiny bit like cacao or chocolate (more specifically white chocolate.) but as it dries down it's like very milky, vanillary coffee. The drydown is really very nice and the vanilla comes to the forefront as the rose calms down, when you get a faint waft of it there's barely any rose at all. However, go in close and sniff your skin and the rose remains, a nice little trick it plays with my chemistry. The deep dry down is a really nice Vanilla & Amber. Do you know what? I chose this fragrance to talk about first as it really interested me I couldn't stop sniffing my arm and trying to make up my mind on it. I'm not mad on rose centric fragrances for men despite having a few myself and seemingly recent reviews have been full of roses! This is a great fragrance for delivering on depth and putting interesting notes together that can be easily deciphered. I'm not normally a fan of what I would consider a light(as apposed to dark) rose/vanilla/musk/amber scent but I feel inclined to give this one the benefit of the doubt as I like the smell. This being said I won't be adding it to my collection.
Just to revise my review below....I love this and will be adding it to my collection. Intense cafe takes a few wears but it definitely grows in stature. It taps into my gurgling inner child that loves the sweet and comforting, gourmand softness of this scent. The Oud is really nice and increasingly evident. This is one of ten Montale's I've tried and only four I've reviewed and I have to say I wasn't that impressed with the house to begin with, Pierre Montale has a reputation which proceeds him and I'm starting to think it's fully justified. When I actually think about it the four I've worn extensively have all been excellent if not a little crazy like Oud cuir d'arabie and Black aoud. Intense cafe is a smooth rose/Oud scent which is very cosy and which I'm totally in love with now...I'm wearing it today and I couldn't be happier.
Lovely, bright citrus and clean vetiver...this does have some character created by other notes but my nose can't really detect what they are? Not much else to say. It's in the vein of Jo Malone for me which is only a good thing, As I've mentioned in other Diptyque reviews I really like everything from this house and vetyverio is no exception... it's just not exceptional.
Okay so...If you've read any of my reviews you maybe aware that I'm not a huge fan of overly boozy scents. However, this effort from By Kilian is amazing and was instantly a favourite among the ones I've tried. (which is the vast majority now) Straight to Heaven has all the suave, sophistication of a fine brandy/cognac hardly surprising given Kilian's pedigree. I instantly liked it and bought it there and then...a rash decision perhaps?...but I can definitely see myself wearing this quite regularly. It's bold but it doesn't announce itself and make the big statement that incense or amber Oud do. It has that gorgeous quality of dry fruit and wood with warm amber and quite a pronounced patchouli which ordinarily I wouldn't like but it works in this. What I mean is if I read the notes before trying I'd have wagered a bet on me not liking this. I think this is a case of everything being pretty 'full on' and as such creates a kind of harmony...not so much a delicate touch with a dash here n there but a overflowing, bubbling cauldron of indulgent juice. I can understand the comparisons with Amouage jubilation 25 as this has a very fruity feel throughout and a tiny bit of smoke too. The sweet, dried fruit vibe also reminds me of Tom Ford Tobacco Vanille a little. This juice is unisex and could definitely be worn by many women but for me this leans slightly more toward the masculine in comparison with some of the other unisex offerings from By Kilian. Bare this in mind if you don't want to shell out the full amount... I bought the 50ml refill version for £70 as the full bottled price was too much for me. The little funnel and atomiser you get are real quality.
This sample is due to arrive with me shortly so I will add a more detailed analysis later. I've tried it a couple of times in the shop and once on my skin. I'm a little torn about it already, frankly this was love at first sniff. Gorgeous mandarin oranges in the top, with a hint of rosemary. I'll be honest, I've no idea what amyris is but the florals in this juice only enhance the overall experience and don't put me off in the slightest. The base is creamy with tonka bean and yet again it's a superbly well blended scent from MFK. Just don't know whether I can justify the price tag for what is an exotic fresh summery fragrance for me. However, the same could be argued maybe about the likes of Creed Aventus, or Milesime Imperial(This fragrance is actually better value) but if you like them...you like them. I'll make my mind up when I get a sample...The only sure buy for me is the sublime MFK OUD Absolutely stunning!
Well this is a big hitter from Serge Lutens and I'm yet to review it but as we come into the colder months this juice is essential. I remember being stuck between this and five o'clock au gingembre for my warming winter fragrance from Serge Lutens and this lost out...just. However, going back for another sniff I've realized (and I'm trying to tell my wallet) there's room for both of them in my life. I believe this one to be a better seller and more popular than FO'CAG and at the time I favoured the underdog. In hindsight they're both amazing!!! Sweet, creamy, tobacco and sandalwood with the warmth of amber & honey plus sweet spice of incense. All this creating a boozy warming feel...it's adorable and nothing over powering anything else. Expertly blended genius from Serge Lutens a house that produce consistently outstanding fragrances.
Well I'll start my review by stating the obvious...this fragrance is not very imaginative. I was given a sample of this as usual I wear it for bed after showering and it was a pleasant experience. I read the notes on the sample card and thought hmmmm...I'll keep an open mind. I hate mindless comparisons because they are often not very helpful to the reader of the review but straight away the mint and vanilla put me in mind of La Male. There's a freshness in the top from the citrus though which is nice but the vanilla and tonka bean are always there...maybe it's this combo that draws comparison to Allure homme sport eau extreme which to me is far nicer an less lightweight than this. What I do get is a modern marine accord which once this dries down a little is all too evident...could be from the Ambroxan/ambergris??? This will be a comparison people won't like...but once you smell past the vanilla and citrus even the mildly woody base...Do you know what I get a touch of? PACO RABANNE INVICTUS albeit a much milder, dried down, close to the skin version. Who's with me on that? Not that it's a bad thing this fragrance has a lot going for it and as unpopular as it might be to say...I quite like Invictus. Don't get me wrong they are very different too but yet again for fleeting moment they're similar.
Surprised that this is a unisex, I find it very manly but in a understated way and so much so that I bought it right off the bat. I'm fascinated by this scent it's a wonderful mixture of the familiar and the unknown for me. The top notes are peppery and you definitely get the papyrus. The vetiver is perfect, earthy and woody but clean with great spicing that is just low in the compositional mix. There's gentle myrrh there too this fragrance is quite a complex treat but one that you don't have to become fixated on notes and just sit back and enjoy the big picture. What I like is the way it has an animistic quality, I don't mean in the sense of an animal... I mean the human animal. It's the way it mixes with my body/skin chemistry to create something seriously primal...No wonder this is the Wolverines (Hugh Jackman's) signature scent! I've yet to sniff out a bad or boring L'Artisan Parfumeur fragrance. Love this and will be wearing it regularly although I do think it will be more suited to the heat with the african vibe.
Oh wowie wow!!! My oh my this is the complete perfect balance of Incense, Oud, patchouli and a touch of Rose. This scent is perfection for the incense lover, to me it's not smokey more of a fresh incense, the oud is really gentle, the rose is sweet its truly intoxicating. Ridiculously expensive...I mean really is a crazy price for 50ml of juice but despite being similar to many fragrances I like in terms of ingredients I found this one to have struck the finest balance. Incense Oud is absolutely spectacular no doubt about it.
I love this fragrance and enjoy wearing it every time it's very very good. I've noticed a few things having worn it extensively now. I can totally sympathize with @Prodigy's review below this is one of those scents that is Oud in name alone. However, Oud is strange in here and I always pick up on it for literally a split second after the opening then it's gone! It might be because of the boozy qualities of this and the incense and rose which are more apparent. Anyway...despite that this scent is absolutely off the charts good and the best By Killian by far!
I do happen to have an amber fetish myself and this fragrance scratches my itch BIG TIME! This is an amazing juice, totally bonkers I've never smelled anything like it...truly! A hugely complex spiced amber fragrance that somehow reminds me (strangely) of how my sinuses feel after I come out of the swimming pool at the gym and inhaling the crisp, green, evening air. I don't why that is...this is a rich fragrance not fresh or green at all, neither does it smell like chlorine but this post swimming analogy remains. I have no experience with this house but what a fantastic start to my discovery. Ambre fetiché is a rare smelling fragrance that combines some of my favourite things, masses of amber and incense. I'm totally sold on this!
Instantly this smell provoked an emotional response...A rare moment in perfumery that genuinely moved me. Not only is this an amazing fragrance that is very masculine and hugely complex and interesting but somehow reminds me of the smell of my late father. Strange really as he only used to wear dated classics in the vein of faberge brut or Fendi uomo...to name a couple and towards the end of his life he didn't wear anything but smelled exactly like this. I got pine, moss wormwood and aniseed from the star anise. What a great herbal tonic this is almost menthol, medicated but soft at the same time. Needless to say I love it and it smells like my pa so I can't help but love it.
Well here goes another MFK fragrance and I kinda know what to expect from these... unfortunately that something is disappointment. Well that's not fair at all because it's just that my expectations were so high...I want something from this house to come and smack me in the face and make me love it! (I think I'm close with Amyris Homme actually...oh and of course OUD...but I'm greedy and want more!!!) Each fragrance is expertly crafted and the subtlety is remarkable. Somehow Kurkdjian uses ingredients and concepts that don't appeal to me and manages to make them likable, APOM pour Homme is a prime example. Orange Blossom which to me is quite a complex note in and of itself, has a similar quality to neroli for me but with a hint of fruitiness and also something slightly rubbery and off putting. Having said that the unpleasantness takes a few minutes to develop to be fair the opening of this fragrance is stunning as was the last one I tried. The mixture of cedar perhaps gives this effect I don't know? The amber is a great match for the floral top notes of this fragrance and works very well in the composition. On paper again this seems a little simple and feminine but somehow isn't and manages to make great use of few notes to create something slightly more complex than the note breakdown suggests, again this is Kurkdjian squeezing every bit of character out of the different elements. The question is... would I wear this fragrance? No. Not to my taste... I think the price tag is high but if I liked it enough I wouldn't be perturbed. This has quality and if you like white floral and specifically orange blossom this is probably the most finessed fragrance you can get.
To be fair I look back at my review of this posted 2013 (but likely written sometime before that) and I'm amazed by how my tastes have changed but my appraisal of this scent even then, was pretty positive, despite really not liking orange blossom all that much. I was 'stunned' by the opening apparently and now I'm just stunned by the entire fragrance. Yet still something about orange blossom is slightly cloying and here clinging onto the warmth of the resinous base beneath it works perfectly. Kurkdjian is a master of this white floral stuff and APOM evokes the classic French and North African influences pretty perfectly. This is a summery, fresh fragrance but has a cosy warm heart, and as a convert to orange blossom I have a new found appreciation for the stuff and this fragrance.
So I asked for some samples of any of the MFK fragrances today and I received this as one of them...I was quite happy as I've reserved my judgement on many of them as I need to sample properly on my skin. When I read the accompanying card had you been there you'd have seen my slightly pained expression and my disappointment would've been palpable. Rose & patchouli? Really? Not that I dislike either note but having no prior knowledge I'd kinda hoped for something different. Well...to my dismay I absolutely love lumiere noire!!! At last a male rose scent that is better than Cartier or serge Lutens to give two examples and you know why? Because this isn't all that rosy!!! A very gentle composition that has a magnificent opening for me, the rose is used perfectly the patchouli is minimal but evident straight away and gives an almost chocolate quality which works so well with the rose. I genuinely don't like Rose based fragrances (unless very very dark) for men as a rule but the rose in this is so subtle and refined it's totally acceptable to my nose. Lightly spiced, and with a very vague almost bitter, animal quality to it...everything about this says quality, balance and harmony this is not just another bad rose scent for men this one is very very good and I would probably wear it as could most women. The problem here is the price...unless I was crying out for a very lightweight rose scent in my collection(which I'm not) I just wouldn't bother.
Put quite simply...this has to be one of the greenest fragrances I've ever smelled! The moment I tries it in the store I exclaimed "woah!!! GREEN!" Immediately, to which I got a few odd looks for talking to myself such was the impact of this juice. Not in a freshly mowed grass way, or an astringent floral way or even a boring linear chlorophyl kind of way. This has a depth and wonderful character to it which really impressed me it really is more reminiscent of wandering through a fragrant garden in the height of spring. I like rose when used sparingly as it is here and you get the freshness of berries. I'm not sure what cassis smells like to be perfectly honest but you get a pleasant leafy vibe throughout. So there you are then another great fragrance from Diptyque. I'm really enjoying their stuff, the brand image and scents have a natural vibe to them similar to Jo Malone.
