This takes soapy to new heights of genericness, it goes through generic and flips right out the other side into something which might just be causing a complexity, placebo effect, such is the paradox that is Kenneth Cole Vintage Black. So it's good then? No...it's very bad and here's why. I read notes like 'Lime' (In fairness it does open with a very fresh lovely lime smell which only lasts seconds) and 'tequila' and sniffing very hard through the matey bubblebath once settled and I'm thinking..."Yeah....Tequila maybe?" but There's no agave/tequila smell to this, I'm almost positive of that now. It also reminds me quite heavily of Dior higher (a fragrance I gave away) but not as good. Normally I'd say this is 'fine' and perfectly 'wearable' (and it is) but the mood I'm in of late is one with a no tolerance policy for this absolutely uninspiring twaddle. The dry down is actually annoying me there's hints of white florals in there and it's actually quite a prolonged ordeal. I actually quite like the bottle and label design, it looks like something from a trendy concession like Kiehls or something?

Hopefully when I review it properly I'll be able to say things like 'set phasers to stun!' or this 'boldly goes....' etc... I'm not really a Star Trek fan as such, I like it though and usually these kind of scents wouldn't appeal to me but I'm actively going to seek these out.

God! This is uninspiring, and while I would normally write a fairly neutral review which said it was okay, today I'm actively choosing to dislike this one. The reason being I'm quite partial to the original Jag fragrance and I like the brand, it's a British institution. Not going to talk about notes or performance because I'm boring myself already... Although I will say this...It's not a tea fragrance (of any note) it does open quite nicely. Soon it descends into a synthetic muskiness, mixed with an aquatic seasideyness (see re:Azzaro Chrome Legend) and then a bit of god awful, suncream and white floral 'freshness' (again see chrome legend) If you want something generic I'd normally say don't go for the well known stuff explore the discounted treasures like Dunhill and Jaguar but in this case, maybe don't bother.

So....fragrantica finally got to listing this one, no sorry I shouldn't be moaning they've responded pretty quickly it's only been FOUR YEARS! Anyway, I wrote a review at the time which I tried to spread via the forums, I can't remember exactly what I said but it was likely...."This smells a lot like Aventus." and it's true it does but when I first smelled it, either I'd forgotten what Aventus was like and didn't make the connection or I had some degree of nasal fatigue that day. The point is I liked it enough to purchase and it was only upon arriving home that I began to get the Creed connection. Since then we've had many reviews and people discovering this scent as an Aventus clone or alternative but in truth batches of Aventus seem to be so variable the dopplegangers evoke many different qualities from many different batches. This one I'd say is a very rich, deep and thicker incarnation of this 'genre' for want of better terms. One of the other Rumz (the one with the cheetah on) reminds me a lot of Black Afgano and this even has more of that deep leathery, woody texture, with pretty intense birch and cedar. This is not to say that 9325 isn't musky or pineapply because it has that going for it too. It's weird because although very similar and cheaper than Aventus I still own and enjoy both because it is mildly different enough to do so. For those who just want a good clone at a cheap price this is a must have. I'm definitely not one of those people who is bitter because they bought Aventus at full price and desperately defend it at all costs when people even mention clones they like better. It's all personal preference, and I enjoy this but genuinely prefer my bottle of Aventus. I can't even give a decent explanation as to why? I just prefer the smell. If If my arm was twisted I'd say this feels a bit heavier and clunkier than the Creed which can be cloying and annoying but when Applied sparingly is heavenly stuff, I'm just not as passionate about this one. So performance wise this is superb as you'd expect and 100% worth adding to your wardrobe...Simple.

I test drove one of those F Paces a few months back and was considering getting one as I was suitably impressed, unfortunately it's fragrance namesake is a little short of the mark but only a little mind you. It opens very generic, with an aquatic, somewhat 90's feel but soon shows what it's all about as that herbal Rosemary and lavender start to woody it up. It's soapy and mega clean, almost impossible to hate but hard to love or get excited about in any way. It reminded me of a few scents but thankfully one that comes through stronger as it dries down was Paco XS/Creed Himalaya but sadly not quite as nice as either of those. It has a bit of the Mr Burberry too a scent that I'm sure I'll be slated for actually enjoying on some level, there's shades of other stuff too but it's all very roll on deodorant and forgettable. It's died back considerably after 2 hours but still there and doesn't remind me of XS anymore (frankly I kinda wish I was wearing XS right now and that kinda sums this fragrance up.) I'm not mad at it and as far it goes Jaguar have another perfectly usable and still masculine fragrance here, exactly the kind of thing which appeals to the sort of no nonsense bloke who purchases a fragrance from Jaguar.

So I finally got my nose on this and I had to blind buy to do so. This was reasonably confident due to my prior knowledge and high expectation of Scent Story fragrances. Oh boy I wasn't disappointed! Elixir delivered the same same wow factor I experienced with the original 24 Gold and even the Oud edition. (The OA admittedly to a lesser extent.) So this is brilliant then? Well...not really, and for one simple reason the honey note is very strong and very accurate. For honey fans then this is comes highly recommended but that isn't what 24 Elixir is all about by a long way. The opening is a complex blend of sweet spices cinnamon and even a hint of fruit but it's mainly a dense oriental comprised of deep, resinous, amber woods and a touch of vanilla. This part of the fragrance is hats off amazing but the honey note is there to provide an icky, borderline unpleasantness to something which is otherwise sweet and rich. Don't get it twisted, I think it actually works very well and needs that extra dimension because if it was all fun and games, 24 Elixir wouldn't be half as memorable and probably too safe. There's obvious comparisons in my mind to the recent release from CdG Floriental, then there'e a pinch of Parfum de Marly Oajan and a considerable amount more of Back to Black from By Killian. So the resulting offspring of a three-way between these is not far off what you get. The performance is good as you'd expect but goes on very strong and projecting madly then fades considerably. This coincides with the fading of the strong honey note and what you're left with underneath in the drydown, is all the good stuff associated with honey and non of the bad. Not to mention the resins and woody goodness in the base of this scent, I found the drydown very enjoyable. I can't give this too much praise for simple taste reasons and my aversion to honey in this quantity. However, this is a largely successful exercise for Scent story showing that they continue to innovate and hit, huge, stunning orientals out of the park every time.

So I bought this on the spot and I often worry about such extravagant, impulse purchases because I usually regret them, if not entirely then in certainly in a minor way. I must say Iris Nazarena has held up well, it's two weeks later and I still love this fragrance. The opening was a real eyeopener for me, a soft, creamy, powdery leather and not unfamiliar from many fragrances I would've perhaps dubbed 'a bit feminine' in the past. It's brilliant though. The Iris is obvious in the opening and throughout but what struck me was just how real and buttery the leather smell is in here. It's not rough or aged this is brand new, modern, Italian, white leather. It's also woody in the extreme from the getgo. I mean there's an unmistakable quality sandalwood in this fragrance that perfectly compliments and accents the Iris and leather. I'd say there's trace hints of spice and that comes over more in the deep satisfying drydown. The one critisim of this scent could be that it's not all that strong or long lasting. I would argue that it smells so good I can forgive it these minor issues and I put plenty on, so it easily lasts all day and sticks to clothing very effectively. It's an intimate scent which doesn't need to announce itself or project wildly so that didn't bother me either. Like I mentioned, It's not totally unique or like nothing I've smelled before, I mean loads of iris scents spring to mind but few deliver the sandalwood and leather in such abundance and balance. It's a bit like Dior Homme/Homme parfum, Zegna's Florentine Iris, YSL's Noble leather, Ann Gerard Cuir d' Nacre and any quality sandalwood fragrance you'd care to insert here. The point is Aedes de Venustas Iris Nazarena is a perfect storm of all of these, arriving on my radar at a perfect time and therefore getting fast tracked into my wardrobe. I don't know why this elegant scent spoke to me so much... but it did. This fragrance is an absolute winner. Oh before I go! Just briefly on the bottle design. I tutted and rolled my eyes at the SA who couldn't wait to show me AdV and the fancy stopper mechanism but actually it was only upon getting it home and handling the bottle for myself that I actually think it's a cool design.

For anyone who missed out on these, I'm elated to tell you that most (if not the entire line?) are coming back, with new packaging. This one is especially sort after because it's gorgeous but I also really enjoyed some of the others including the rhubarb and ginger of Signature by Bertrand Duchaufour. A rare treat and recontinuation for fragrance fans.

Some people might think that Amouage have gone off the boil, non moreso than me as I've been vaguely critical of their last couple of releases but I still believe in the creative direction of the brand. I'd go as far as to say that Bracken is an effort to further diversify and broaden their range away from the super complexity and incense laden compositions they became famous for. I don't think there's anything wrong with covering the fougere base and I think this perfume does a really good job of evoking ferns and woodland greenery. Bracken is gently masculine and grown up composition which opens with clean citruses and hints of spice from cloves and cinnamon and I got quite a bit of lavender. Then giving way to an awesome combination of earthy patchouli, cedar and cypress. It hints all the main criteria for a classic fougere fragrance and I for one can dig it. I need to try it again properly to determine whether it is worth the money and has the lasting power compared to cheaper alternatives. Speaking of those it does bare more than a passing resemblance to Fougere Royale but definitely stronger and more brash. I like Bracken very much but depending on expectations some might see this one as a filler release from Amouage.

Okay so I agree with the comparisons to the obvious it's like one of those sweet, raspberry leather concoctions in the shape of the usual suspects. However, Nejma just about has it's own thing going on and especially in the opening. I can believe there's oud, rose even saffron in here because it comes across slightly smokier with an all together darker tone and less of a blatant clone of...you know what. I can tell you now that side by side they develop ever so differently but ultimately to the same end. Well I'd actually say it shares more with Clive Christian C than anything else, the leather seems a it more genuine and it's not quite as intrusive but also means that it's not quite as strong either. Apparently according to some this is reasonably priced and could be a viable option if you love this kind of scent. I think because I've smelled so many of these, I can detect subtle nuances in the way they come over but frankly once you've tested these and decided which one works for you budget wise and longvity/silage it's really not something you need to own a load of and for that reason, although lovely smelling Nejma 1 is a bit redundant. I've avoided mentioning it so far but on balance you might as well get Tuscan leather. It's not the best value but in truth it's slightly louder and longer lasting.

Rhubarb is quite possibly one of my favourite things and I've been suckered in my rhubarb scents before from the likes of CdG and the last one I purchased from Hermes. However, I was never really convinced by the accuracy of these and frankly I didn't care all that much because an augmented apple/grapefruit note or a rhubarb and custard sweet is just as enjoyable as something authentic, orgainc and accurate. Aedes de Venustas makes the above mentioned seem like Clinique Happy compared to the smell of a ripely cut orange. It's probably very much down to the vegetal, tomato leaf surround and the green vetiver an slight hint of effervescent, zing from a touch of frankincense which gives the rhubarb more credibility and it's quite a long lasting top note too. Although not massively complex there's enough going on in this scent to keep me very interested throughout and it dries down to a calming vetiver and perceivable floral notes. (must be the honeysuckle) My favourite aspect though is ginger. Not listed in the notes I hear you cry?!?! Well I get the classic culinary combination of Rhubarb and ginger in here. It could be the other elements like vetiver creating that effect but it's definitely there, and wonderful it is too. The quality is evident in this scent and although it's not massive in lasting power or silage it was okay, mellow but passable. I liked it. Not quite enough to buy but I admire it.