Okay, so having tried L'incendiare last year and having been disappointed, I wasn't even sure this Gold collection had been released. This is the only one I have sampled and I have to start with the positives. To me the quality is evident, it's a rich and complex smelling perfume but I'm afraid that is where the positivity ends. The main issue I have with this is price but we'll get on to that in a moment. The composition is just strange, the opening smells like a sharp, resinous brew of amber and spices, which has some odd floral tones peaking through, on a bed of sandalwood and milky vanilla. I would definitely revisit this fragrance because it peaked my interest but for a fragrance with so many elements I usually like something was strangely 'off', unnerving and almost creepy about L'Haleine des Dieux. From this first sampling I can't say I particularly like it. Then there's the price! Serge Lutens while not being the cheapest fragrances are very well priced for the 50mls you get. This Gold collection has my jaw hitting the floor and this one in particular is the most expensive at a whopping...£535 for 50mls!!!! Serge my man... you are taking the piss! I don't care if you milked a rare orchid on a remote cliff top, or it contains angel hair, baby's breath, unicorn jizz...whatever? The price is a rip off and I'm someone who has and does buy niche fragrances but enough is enough!

This is a wonderfully complex and perfectly well executed perfume. I get a Musky civet with rose, saffron, sandalwood and lots of other lovely, luxurious things. I even get a hint of the sweet, synthetic oud, that Bond signature scent creeping in, as I do with many scents from this house. However, I'm not detecting anything which sets this one apart from loads of other decent, high end fragrances. The bottle is cool, granted but I still think the price is high, even for me. I'll pass...but I'm not dissing the juice it smells great.

Tony nails the review here I think. I was a little gutted this was another Aventus type scent because Atelier have some really good offerings in the main. It's not a clone though and is slightly classier after quite a loud intro you do get an emerging blackcurrant & fig smell as apposed to the pineapple and hint of masculine tones (maybe clary sage?) in the opening. Again reaching the same conclusion as Tony this is a pretty pointless fragrance, it's good quality but doesn't have the balls of Aventus or even clones. I hate to nay say because loads of fragrances smell similar and that doesn't render them obsolete. However the Aventus trend does tend to be a popular one at the moment, I can forgive Royal vintage but sadly not these latecomers.

I bought this on the spot after considering many others and finally deciding to get this pretty much on a whim after Selfie was the last one I sampled. I've gotta say I love it! Ridiculous name and the fact there's a mirror on the box can be forgiven because it's such a rich experience. Selfie really is incredibly boozy, the opening is like a mixture between sweet sherry and spiced rum, it has the warming qualities of spices & mixed fruits. It then becomes very heavy with a honey/maple vibe of angelica which despite the obvious gourmand feel, actually serves to make it a little darker and more grown up. It dries down to a deeply resinous benzoin/styrax, I even get Labdanum too, anyway a warm but unsettling base that's a bit dry and leathery. It has some of the qualities of Marquis de Sade but no where near as serious and leathered. The problem I have with many of these Olfactive studios fragrances is that I haven't come across one with serious staying power yet! Unfortunately Selfie is no different but dries down to a lovely warm skin scent and if the performance was that much of an issue for me I probably wouldn't have bought it. Selfie is Superb for me but obviously not to everyone's tastes judging by the votes on here.

I had a feeling I would like this after hearing positive things but make no mistake it's pretty cheap and pretty nasty. The opening is a nostril stinging affair of deep peppery and pungently fruity notes, I'd say it's a kinda on the exotic side without smelling like a particular fruit. As it dries down there's definitely violet there but it's not your usual, aloof smelling or powdery violet it (maybe coupled with lime?) starts to create a synthetic sweetie (candy) vibe and actual reminds me of something from my childhood which was extreme bad for my teeth no doubt. This fragrance goes on in a hideously strong cloud of aroma chemical, messiness but actually turns out to be quite weak in terms of projection and longevity, So it's quite deceiving really. Another thing I'd mention is that 212 VIP Wild party smells quite bad on the card or test strip but really comes into it's own on my skin. The transformation and drydown are a wonderful, deeply woody smell coupled with that initial fruitiness. (which I kind liked anyway despite the negative tone of this review) I want to say this fragrance is another stupid, trying to be sexy/intense (or whatever?) flanker but the truth is, It actually has qualities I quite like. I'm not one to be sold on a bottle either but this is great and really weighty too. It has a magnetic cap and a cool scaly finish which kinda makes it look like a dragon dildo! Which is pretty gnarly. I'm not sure this stands up when compared to 212 VIP or Sexy both of which I like and have a much more nuanced composition and better longevity etc... However, something is drawing me to this fragrance as it smells better when dried down (albeit doesn't last very long) and the muddled exotic fruit mess that it is somehow, strongly appeals to me. I will probably buy it but I don't really rate or recommend it to others as a good fragrance. The fact it has only just come out and is in the bargain bin already says it all , so it's bad but I love it. :)

I'm not even going into the notes, it's not for me. OTBE smells insipid and harsh in the opening, drying down to something bearable after an hour or two but still pretty cheap and awful. I'm sure it will sell but it's not even as good as the original or that army camo one they brought out last year. Not good.

After being told I 'Had' to try this by a friend of mine who is a SA for Thierry Mugler who's boyfriend is a big fragrance fan and was going crazy about how good this one was. Anyway, she marched me over to the TF counter proclaiming how much I would love the addition of leather base notes to the Neroli portofino formula, something which I was open to of course. I have to say although my nose couldn't detect the leather in the opening it is somewhat different to NP. Forte has a very nice and long lasting, high quality citrus opening then a more subdued and less overtly floral neroli. Make no mistake though neroli is well and truly at the heart of this fragrance and coupled with bergamot, I can't think of a much more of a glorious, clean, sunmmmery combination. So I waited and waited and waited for the leather to appear, this just speaks to how good the quality is as it lasts well. Sure enough after several hours a very buttery, woody, leather smell was very close to my skin. I had feared that it might be another cuir canage (something I'm not a fan of) but the neroli has all but died away by then and the 'leather' is very much it's own entity. I think if you're expecting a truly pungent or sweet leather then you'll be disappointed. However if you want a tweaked (for the better) formula of fresh Neroli portofino and something a little warmer then this is decent. I don't know how much it is? Tom Ford price structure confuses me slightly but I think this one is more than NP? (I might be wrong) I actually really enjoyed wearing it, more than the original so I can't call it really...I won't be buying but it's worth checking out for sure.

This fragrance is absolutely superb. When I see notes in designer perfumes like Issey Nuit, BdC etc which are allegedly incense heavy... I just don't get it. Incense is a very broad term so I often forgive that but if ever a designer scent was to claim to be based in incense, it's Anonimo. Opening with pink pepper and spices, It's got the uplifting fresh edge of olibanum but with the smokey deeper tones of myrrh or labdanum. The main thing is the clove/cinnamon smell which runs through this whole creation and is more than a discrete nod to the original. I kinda struggle with the original 7, I have 7 Natural which I love but could never quite bring myself to embrace the original because of the heavy clove note. I can see a leathery base to this for sure perhaps with some vetiver but whatever is going on the drydown is very nice. So all in all Anonimo is a decent, fairly well performing and not astronomically expensive incense fragrance that true fragrance fans will love. A really excellent flanker from Loewe, a house I really like...I'm going to this for sure.

I never thought I'd like another Le Male again. This is either through not trying them because they are just the original formula in a new bottle. Alternatively, the whole appeal of Le Male flankers just being lost on me or even if it is the original, the new formulations are worse than what I remember from the 90's having been thoroughly put off by over use. I don't have anything against Le Male, I kinda like the smell on other people it just goes sour when it dries down on my skin. Popeye eau fraiche is somehow different? Maybe it's the ambroxan but I get an overall much more comforting and sweet smelling vanilla with a hint of tonka and some fresher notes in the opening. Popeye is now on clearance sale in the UK and I'm tempted to pick up a bottle. Update: Right I'm wearing this now and it does open with a aldehyde and aquatic vibe, crossed with classic le male and then a sweet, bubblegum/banana medicine thing...a la Ultra male. It's weird to me that a mixture of abroxan, salty aquatic, milky le male fougere and insipid sweetness actually works. The drydown is pleasant any stronger or more projecting and I think it could cross the line into cloying. The key here is balance, it's as simple as that. I stick to my initial thoughts I like it and I genuinely like Popeye as well so it's a winner.

I've never been sure of what to make of this fragrance and I've been aware of it since it's release, I think it's simply because it's so slight. If you spray this on a card you can barely smell it and similar to it's name, on skin it becomes a very subtle skin scent. The opening is a bright smelling lemon & lime citrus and oriental woods, which lends itself to an almost Japanese incense type of feel, modern and synthetic. The main component for me is the juniper which gives this a refreshing G'n'T effect on a bed of cedar & musk. The overall feel is very airy and translucent and I kinda think Ted Baker represents 'fresh' in skinwear better than most. I actually have tried this on many occasions over the years, originally liking it, then forgetting about it, then trying it again recently and thinking it was awful. However, upon revisiting again I've flip-flopped yet again and don't think it's too bad, especially considering current releases and fragrance trends this seems like a 90's throw back. Oh yeah longevity is poor but you could do worse than reaching for this on a very hot day.

I've had more thoughts on this fragrance and I think I might add it to my wardrobe. Something about it's cheery, lightweight nature that completely epitomizies the 1990's and I'm quite nostalgic about that decade. I also finally get the Mark Birley comparisons and I'd even go more specific and say Skinwear smells a great deal like elemi resin. Do you know why I've had this revelation? Because I over sprayed like a man possessed and I think it's essential to do so in order for me to get this fragrance on any level. Now I do.