This line reminds me of that Guerlain line where they all have the custard, vanilla base (double vanille, Tonka imperiale...etc) and this stuff is heavy in its vanilla element. However another thing it’s shares with the Guerlains is undeniable quality and excellence and a real feeling that it’s evoking something new. Vinyle truly is like nothing else I’ve ever tried and for that alone should be applauded. It’s a deeply, deeply resinous fragrance which has the smoothness of myrrh and vanilla but with an unknown and even slightly perplexing element which definitely evokes vinyl. Now I have to say records are the only thing I own more of than fragrances and both new or old I can’t say this smells like them. Perhaps a little but I get more of a sexy, vinyl catsuit vibe from it. Again I don’t know if this is imagined but some synthetic, plasticy element shoved in the mix with very organic resin and sweet creamy vanilla makes this fragrance complete. Perfect some might say...Well me anyway I kinda want this.

Outrageously modern, strong interpretation of pepper. Not hard black pepper but more of a sweet pink pepper, powerful, futuristic, ultra sharp citrus and iso e super. This intense combo of cedar, lemon and pink pepper puts me squarely in mind of certain esscentric molecule and Ormonde Jayne creations, and what do they share? That’s right a certain nose and I think this fragrance is the ultimate homage to Geza Schoen, it could so easily be one of his rather than the work of a fictional, globe trotting recluse. (Yeah that doesn’t work!) Also, intense pepper could quite as easily be incense pepper because although I clearly know the difference between these ingredients and beloved resins like olibanum and labdanum, I can’t help but think this is a way of evoking them, with sharp effervescence. Also...I’ve mentioned what I think of the term ‘synthetic’ so I won’t go over that again but people seem to critique Montale for their monster output and synthetic vibes where some would praise other houses for bravery. This stuff is great and I love it but strangely it kinda grates on me after a while too. This is probably due to the longevity and projection which I thought was superb, low lying but strong.

I cannot wait to try this! The notes sound superb.

Just goes to show that you should never right off a designer/perfumer/brand whatever because you can always be pleasantly surprised. I think the fact that this is a flanker to a fragrance I wore during the late 90’s and had a bottle of until recently because I still kinda enjoyed the scent, but was the original HUGO really a good fragrance or was I just caught up in the nostalgia? Anyways, after going off it this Iced version didn’t really offer much if it was either generic crap or a tweaked version of the original, gladly it’s very interesting. The opening is green, I get basil actually, certainly mint, juniper and bitter orange for sure and a tea a little like bvlgari, with a vetiver background. This is a very impressive opening with nothing of those, generic modern accords, molecules or anything folks could describe as synthetic. Iced is a good name for it too, the freshness of the mint and greens make it superbly fresh. Then when settled it becomes extremely familiar and for me completely changes about as much as it could do, and resembles Chanel Allure Homme Edition Blanche which I know is a lemony, vanilla musk thing but it also has a kind of soft woody, powdery smell which is quite warm and even hints cashmerean or something like that. In the deeper drydown you can get another change but my point about this fragrance is that it’s excellent, transitions through several states and notes giving a genuinely refreshing ‘Iced’ experience without the usual cliches and it lasts well. I’m getting a bottle.

The acqua di Gio line continues with this, and so far for me the original was and still is a great aquatic. Then we have essenza which is decent and represented a more refined take on the theme. I didn’t get really Profumo at first, but again I thought it was decent enough, I like it much more now though, so this has me excited. Well, I was slightly disappointed and not because this smells bad but because it smells a bit confused, I’m not sure if it’s deliberate or AdG Absolu is just mixed up and unsure about what it is. There’s a degree of depth to the perfume though, opening like an aquatic, standard, citrus woody scent then it starts to settle and has a more complex, creamy, white floral almost, Tonka/vanilla sweetness with hints of fruit it’s actually a bit sickly and strange for a while but with that generic smell looming all the while. Invictus aqua and other comparisons are valid and it’s not bad smelling but doesn’t add anything to the Gio family. I will say that I like the wooden stopper, that looks good. Not very inspiring stuff, wearable though and I’m sure it will sell but not enough of the AdG accord for me, fine to have variations, I don’t want them too similar but this doesn’t give me anything..

This is stunning guys! If you’re looking for sick ladies complements, Acqua do Gio Absolu is the fragrance for you! Power baybeee!!! (Speaks in tongues) Haolowwowownahmahalalalalyayahawoododo... Oh my god sorry about that. I was possessed by the spirit of Jeremy fragrance there for a minute. Oh god what am I wearing??? (Sniff sniff) Yeah it’s RUBBISH!!! Come on, this is just the same rehashed shite, again. I mean the opening hour or two is literally unbearable, I’m not being OTT here it’s facts. Dried down slightly more bearable but this line seems to have nothing to say. The original is just that, the essenza one is alright, the other flankers are redundant, there’s no need to make anymore.

I’ve come to know the ‘Aventus thing’ very well due to smelling a billion and one, either deliberate clones or extremely similar, ballpark fragrances and this is undoubtedly one of those. I remember when this was released and people talking about it, I had kinda dismissed it for being a Aventus smellalike and largely that’s what you get. However if you are accustomed with the batch variations and very slight differences within this accord you get that it’s a fruitier opening, certianly than my Aventus, bergamot, Apple, black currant but undoubtedly a pineapple smell. Then there’s the smoky base which is more cedar to me than birch but inherantly has the same qualities of smelling a bit like a fresh, fruity musk fragrance on a man who’s just been for a cigarette and it’s clinging to his clothes. I don’t see how this thing became so popular and there’s a school of nuance on the different vibes within it but needless to say it has, and I’ve become adept at sniffing subtle difference of which there is some. One thing is for sure .com has monster Sillage and longevity, comparable to even the best batches of the Creed. My ramblings do sound a bit negative but they’re not I’m really glad I finally got around to sampling this stuff coz it’s pretty good, I’m just a bit weary of this smell. In fairness this was a relatively early dupe.

Very interesting and enjoyable considering the absolute mess they’ve made of the 2017 version of Gentlemen. I got a dense oriental lavender opening with dark resinous notes then it basically mimics Dior Homme intense orris and patchouli but not as full on. Then when it’s dried all the way down doesn’t smell like DHI and goes back to a dark vanilla and tolu balm slightly spicy and deep but with very low lying Sillage and not the best performance. To say this is a Dior Homme clone is being a little unfair because the opening is totally different (albeit becomes very similar very quickly) and then when it dries down doesn’t smell like it either. I love tolu balsam and although this is a distinctly designer interpretation, tolu fragrances don’t tend to last very long even if they are expensive niche fragrances, so I give it a pass. Gentleman Parfum is pretty good.

I couldn’t believe I had this in a bag of samples marked ‘okay’ Anubis is far from okay it’s a brilliant fragrance with a very luxurious and evocative allure. The opening is a sheer onslaught of resinous goodness and heady saffron, then the leather accord develops and it’s unmistakable, slightly smoky and realistic. This is where my original appraisal comes back to haunt, because for all the beautifully smooth myrrh and benzoin notes, the lovely buttery and masculine suede/leather body, and the hints of spice and sandalwood, it’s not a very good performer and I wish it was heavier and more complex. The opening nurtures hope and gives the impression you are in for a epically, progressive scent but the disappointment comes around very quickly when Anubis becomes a linear and not as strong as I'd hpped. I love the ancient Egyptian thing and Anubis is especially cool if I was to weigh the heart of this fragrance it would be pretty lightweight in all honesty, vasnishing quickly after a big statement opening. Which is a shame, however I don't want to sound like some 'beastmode' performance obsessed idiot, because there's more to fragrance than that. I respect this perfume for what it is and it's definitely evocative of the name, if only at the beginning.

I’ve no complainants about this fragrance, I quite enjoyed it. Then again I’m really not all that hard to please and to over more balance and critique I’d say this stuff is unlikely to blow anyone away either. I’ve become very accustomed to JHaG and their subversive, minimalism especially with recent releases and Moscow mule is no different. The opening is slight, a hint of sharpness from lime and ginger and even a hint of booze but there’s the overwhelming sense that this is another modern art piece a white on white Rothko type of effort. The base of this is a powdery, warm, woody, synthetic amber somewhere between iso E super, cashermean and ambroxan. It reminds me a touch of a more masculine, ‘Anyway’ a JHaG release I liked very much indeed and own a bottle. The spicy ginger lasts throughout and the drydown is warm and cozy and actually reminds me of bits and pieces of other stuff like this (not quite sure what off the top of my head.) I like it though, quality is good, performance is good, it’s a mellow low lying fragrance in the main part but that’s fine by me. I would definitely wear this again, I think I fell for it today but I’m not going to run out to buy it.

Wow! This stuff is opulent. I got my samples of this when it first came out and inexplicably found this is a bag labelled ‘okay’ which is crazy, because upon revisiting Malefic Tattoo is everything I love about fragrance. The opening is a zingy, uplifting incense vibe which has all the hallmarks of my favourite fragrant resin, labnaum. Labdanum is the perfect catalyst the gelling agent for amazing woody and luxurious notes of saffron and oud which I actually don’t think feature as prominently as the darker resins like styrax. This perfume manages to strike the the perfect balance, cool and cerebral but at the same time dark and alluring without becoming heavy or overly cuddly. A minor criticism could be the performance but a heavy application on clothes and hair will boost that into reasonable territory. This fragrance had me at hello, and then charmed me even more as we got acquainted, not sure what happened the first time I sampled it a few years back? The point is I’m in love with it now so yeah LM have made a great incense fragrance here, basically put labdanum in anything and I’m there.