Smells 20 times more expensive than it is (or sadly was).
My friend at work wears this. It smells great on him.
This fragrance is an immaculate sleeper. Opens up with citrus but not too citrusy. This fragrance is so smooth. The woody amber dry down is great. This is not a projection or sillage beast. Projection and sillage is good but this will shine in a more intimate setting and it's very inoffensive. This reminds me of Lafayette St on the dry down. This is a must have imo.
It’s a classic for a reason. Versatile, relaxed, can be dressed up or down. A staple for any man’s wardrobe.
Slight red berry note on the top that settles into a very smooth leather.
With a name like this (The Devil's Diaper) I had high hopes. What I got was a perfume that smells like many other Lutens perfumes. Which is not to say it's bad, but it's so close to those several many others that I feel totally bored by it. Think Le Participe Passé meets L'incendiaire meets Ecrin de Fumée meets Périlleusement Votre. And in fact here, the synthetic oud is scratchier than in the aforementioned ones and is already irritating me after five minutes. Big fat meh. Update: it's mostly a labdanum soliflor, I don't get any of the other notes, just synthetic oud, some resiny sweetness in the opening, and labdanum.
A nice, dense, slightly bitter, almost milky black tea with bergamot and orange. Like an Earl Gray. Gently spiced, strong apricot and smokey, incensy woods with a bit of a grassy, earthy, slightly powdery sweet base. A wonderful tea note. Outstanding apricot scent.
Because of the price, I had to start with travel size of 10ml. From my own good feeling that this perfume gives and validation from those around me who truthfully complimented me, I went for a full bottle on discounters. Almost 40% from RRP. I am sure 100ml will stay a lifetime, potent as it is.
Lightly peppered Rose de Mai with a hint of black tea.
Sentimental feels like a journey through emotion. At first, sharp, metallic notes strike me, evoking the pain of past wounds and the lingering memory of hurt. But then, the softness of rose petals emerges, symbolizing forgiveness and offering a sense of hope. Surrounding it all is a subtle, spicy warmth—the spirit that refuses to give up, pushing forward through the pain. It's a fragrance that reflects both the vulnerability of past struggles and the quiet strength that keeps us moving forward.
It’s really awesome, one of my favorites from Zara.
What to say about this one? Well it's a somewhat familiar story in many ways, the sheer heft of the leather accord (which is very dry and smoky) kinda dominates anything else residing in this perfume with the exception of the opening moments (seconds!) and the well established skin scent (after many hours) I'm not going to doubt the orris concrete or other expensive materials listed in the notes but I feel them swamped by this ashen leather, which I sort of do like, but is quite odd and something of an aquired taste. There's an expression used by boxing pundits/trainers 'smothering your own work' which is kinda self explanatory but crudely it's the practice of not giving yourself enough space to get off effective punches, however that might manifest. Well I feel this somewhat sums up Argos as a brand the fragrances aren't trash or anything they feel like they have little room to breathe and this one is the epitome of that, being that this ashy accord is draped accross the composition not allowing it room to give anything else. Now it has settled it's much more musky and sweeter on skin while retaining some of that smoky leather. I get it, perfumery is hard we're all hard to please if it wasn't powerful like this throughout I might write a review saying it was a meek take on an existing theme, so I'm cutting it a little slack as you can't really win with me. What immediately struck me was the similarity to the Rasasi I mentioned in another Argos review...This smells more like ambergris showers /Memo Irish Leather even than that one did. However there's another Rasasi it reminded me of more (at least at first) and that was the Tobacco Blaze which is a bizarre combo of this relentless smoky accord and peach/apricot prompting me to say it smells like a peach yogurt pot which has been repurposed as an ashtray, which doesn't sound great but in actuality was an interesting concept. However, now it's dried down a bit it's way more Ambergris showers.
Yet again! I don't think this is a bad perfume at all, however just gazing at the sample vial beforehand I found the colour of the juice inside, alarming, If it was sweets or pop, I wouldn't let my kid have it as it resembles the crystal meth or PCP of E numbers and sugar. This one, like the achingly sweet Triumph of Baccus is syrupy and clumsy in construction not lacking depth, or familiar perfume nods or even creative compositional interest, but feels, claustrophobic for me. The opening is bonkers, a mixture of toxic fruitiness and heavy, heavy ambered florals, to say this resembles flowerbomb is bizarre! Then it starts to get this vague resemblance to Noel au Balcon by ELDO, this is reasonably shortlived because the closeout is a similar strawberry shortcake/dolls head (see Triuph of Baccus again) and vanilla musks which is nothing like the honey and stewed fruits of Noel. Maybe this mellow floral/musky smooth drydown is perhaps what's giving the Flowerbomb energy? I dunno? So what I'm saying is this this has progression and depth, these are clearly uncotiously (over)concentrated EDP or Parfum concentrations made to be as thick and present and luxurious as possible but in trying to turn up to 11 they end up being about a 6.5. Now I have a feeling that many of these are cookie cutter, off the shelf formulas from somewhere, mildly modded and then unleashed through this Lux Niche angle, which I thought I'd find gawdy and corny n such but I actually like the art chosen, the look of the product is good and the marketing spiel not too cringey. This is not really my thing but it's alright.
As nice as this is, it's too strong for me. This is very headache inducing...you've been ⚠️. Pineapples, rose and florals with some musk is what I'm getting.
What a nice freesia fragrance! It lasts quite long, settled into a wonderful warm base, I wouldn't expect anything better from such fashion brand.
Beautiful tea scent, I love to put it on while watching the latest season of White Lotus, it fits the vibe!
I love this, there's something fresh and sunny about it, a little bit of body skank and a warm nutty base. To me it's not christmassy, it's joyous and springtime-esque. I don't always want beast mode perfumes, so this is perfect for times when I want a little spritz here and there with a few minutes of bedazzlement before it becomes polite and discreet. The orange note smells like Baptême du Feu, but this quickly dissipates and the scent becomes totally different to BdF, although I'm assuming those who like one would like the other. This could be the daytime scent before applying BdF for nighttime devilry. Update: OK yes, it dissappears after one hour, but I'm OK with that as it cost me peanuts.
Very aromatic lavender and mint opening with bitter orange and a kind of ozonic note joining quickly in the top. Nothing challenging or astringent about the aromatics. I think this has a violet leaf note somewhere in it. Mid adds some sage, but mostly the top carries through into the mid maintaining a fresh, incredibly clean aromatic scent. Ambrette and ambroxan create a clean musky diffusive base. My personal favorite in the line. Classic Prada cleanliness without some of the sweet powderiness of the other masculine freshies from the brand, which makes this stand out to me.
Slightly warm, yet fresh, spicy opening with nutmeg and cardamom. I get a slight cinnamon warming up the spice blend. A sweet date and rose accord takes over quickly, saffron giving an almost buttery texture. Rose is kind of jammy without being cloying. Almond, heliotrope and a clean muskiness take over in the base. Wafts of soapy aldehydes fade in and out throughout the wearing experience. Final dry down of ambroxan after about 7-8 hours. Gives a vibe of very posh, high quality almond blossom lotion.
"HELLO GORGEOUS"
Bo opens with a woody toasted marshmallow like smoke. Resins, incense and tobacco? The scent transitions to a brighter cedar wood scent with hints of vanilla wafting around. It slowly warms but always remains slightly resinous, woody and vanilla. Perfect. Performance is great and it smells really good. Bo lives in the realm of G Water, but actually performs really well. Very easy to wear in any occasion.
Walk up to an aged fig tree, late summer, loaded with fruit. Snap a fig leaf, smell the astringent greenness. Watch the milky substance ooze out, rub it between your fingers, smell the slightly sweet coconut-ness. Sniff a freshly cut pear (don’t ask). Bite into a soft ripe fig. Put your nose to the lichen covered bark of the aged fig tree, breathe it in.
Bitter, earthy, spicy opening, a bit like cut parsnips. Bitterness dies down pretty quickly. Rindy bitter orange with nice dry spices carry the top into a mid with a kind of geranium and a mineral earthiness. Base of a vetiver hand creamy vibe ever so slightly sweetened with benzoin. Final dry down is mostly a light ambroxan skin smell after about 6 hours. Timeless, modern, masculine, classic Elena.
A really lovely bright citrussy white floral. Aromatic with a gentle musky softness.
Not much more to it than that.
Cut lillies lying in a pool of brackish sea water. Wetland earth with sparse wildflowers growing amid thick greenery. A hint of peppery incense in the air.
Duration is impressive, the lilly note constant though to the drydown, at which point woody, amber notes become more prominent.
This a strange, cold and beautifully funereal creation, as befits its name. It's also pretty dark - there's a suggestion of something wild and unfettered lurking around the edges of the scent, even though its core is very still. One of the high points in the Beaufort range, and one of its more approachable creations as well.
