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21 reviews
Released in 2004
Classified as a Chypre
Nose behind this fragrance is Geza Schoen, who is behind many fragrances from the Ormonde Jayne house.
Top Notes: Bergamot, Pink Pepper, Cardamon, Coriander and Juniper Berries Heart Notes: Oud and Black Hemlock Base Notes: Vetiver, Cedar, Sandalwood and Musk
Gorgeous fresh citrus opening with the bergamot that quickly grabs your attention, which quickly becomes spicy and woody, with a notable pink pepper and cedar notes, with a lovely cardamon in the background. The ingredients quality is undeniable. Becomes smoother into the heart with some creamy sandlewood. But is overall a dry spicy woody scent, but still maintains an element of freshness. It's defiantly a very complex fragrance with a lot of facets, theres spice, freshness and woodiness.
Reminds me a little of Royal Oud by creed due to the spicy woody nature, both fragrances share similar notes. I'm not saying they smell alike, but they do smell slightly similar and share similar nuances. Ormonde Man is like a fresher summer version of Royal Oud.
Projection is strong for the first hour, especially with the pink pepper, after which the projection is good throughout. Longevity is excellent good 8 to 10 hours every time.
This is the perfect masculine scent for work, signature scent worthy. Its classy, elegant and incredibly versatile due to its pleasing nature. This would also fit well for formal settings too, perfect scent for a white shirt.
As far as seasons, this again is very versatile I can see this working in the day time for all seasons, but perfect for spring IMO.
Final rating is 4.5/5.
Released in 1981
Classified as a Woody Chypre
Nose behind this scent is of course the legendary Chanel in-house perfumer Jacques Polge, who's been behind numerous classics from this house over the past few decades.
Antaeus is the name of ancient Greek demigod. Strong, like a god, and gentle as a man, Antaeus belongs to those perfumes of expressed individuality and strong character which emphasize masculinity, what was a trend in 1980-ies.
Top Notes: lemon, lime, coriander, myrtle, clary sage, and bergamot Heart Notes: thyme, basil, rose and jasmine Base Notes: patchouli, castoreum, labdanum, and oak moss
The opening for me is uplifting, its very bright, a splash of brightness if you will, and its also clean, but not clean in a soapy or citrus way. This bright and cleanness only last for a few seconds, after which the scents starts becoming heavier and bold, your introduced to the animalistic vibe so famous in this scent with a smokey leather and castoreum, which is an animalic note derived from a beaver. The note of castoruem, is animalic in nature but isn't overly funky at all, its not fecal smelling or pungent, don't believe this to be like civet note in Kouros, though both fragrances are in the same ball park, of the old school powerhouse scents, the castoruem note for me is a much lighter animalic note, though it is still bold. I've smelt castoreum in different scents, such as Interlude Man or Beaver from Zoologist, and they all slightly different in each fragrance, but the note adds a very bold animalic aspects to each of the scents. Now along side the strong and bold animalic notes of leather and castoreum are in the background the note of jasmine and a very subtle rose. It's the combination of the powerful and beastly animalic notes, and the gentle and elegant floral notes of jasmine and rose which just transforms this scent into a masterpiece, its absolutely divine. Like the name suggests, its strong and gentle at the same time.
Released in 1981 but still smells unique today, it does not smell dated or old. If it was released today, it would still be considered a masterpiece. A timeless classic. It has a old school vibe, due to the type of powerhouse fragrances released at that time, however it does not come across dated in the slightest.
Performance on my skin was moderate unfortunately, not as beastly as many people have talked about for this scent, which makes me wonder if this has been reformulated or if it may just be my skin. Projection was in the moderate range, with longevity around 8 hours.
In terms of seasons, this would be perfect for fall and winter, and mostly a night time scent for formal occasions. However, i enjoyed this scent a lot, and could see this being someones signature scent, this would suit a 35+ gentleman perfectly as a signature scent.
Overall rating will be a perfect 5/5. This is unique and fantastic, an amazing blend of beastliness and elegance, arguably Chanel's best mens fragrance.
Released in 2008
Classified as an Oriental Spicy
Top Notes: Bergamot and Lime Heart Notes: Rose, Angelica, Orange Blossom, Galbanum, Nutmeg, Ginger and Saffron Base Notes: Pine Tree, Sandalwood, Incense, Vanilla and Musk
Opens with very bright and striking, lots of bergomot and lime, there's a hint of floral sweetness in the background, but the lime and bergamot at very pronounced. After around 15 minutes or so, the bergamot starts to subdue, and the rose intensifies, its a very bright floral rose, the lime and rose combo comes across very soapy, very clean and fresh, but has more of a soapy clean quality. Into the heart of the scent, your introduced to some smokey subtle incense which helps to calm down the soapy naunce, though the rose and lime do still dominante over the incense. As the fragrance develops into the drydown, the floral rose becomes the standout note, its rich and luxurious, at times smelling like a very expensive and rich rose water concution. It smells like your in a hot bathtub full of rose petals.
I find the scent incredibly pleasing, very sexy, romantic, rich and regal. A very luxurious rose scent. However at times in the past I have found it to be quite daring, it can come across slightly feminine. I guess it's a fragrance I choose to wear when I'm feeling quite adventurous and daring, when I'm feeling confident and want to put out a certain aura.
In terms of performance this was brilliant, both longevity and projection were excellent, last 10 or so hours and projecting all through, being noticeable with a a great scent cloud.
In terms of season, can be used both day or night, but best for night during the fall, winter and spring. Possibly too cloying for the very hot summers. As far as occasions, this would work great as formal, night out and possibly a date, though you will have to be quite confident to pull it off, but if you can would work great, as it has a very sexy quality to it.
Overall rating will be a 4/5.
Released in 2009
Classified as an Oriental Woody
Nose behind this composition is Randa Hammami, who's CV also contains a number of fragrances from the Guerlain house.
Little bit of a background regarding Epic Man, this fragrance was inspired by the Silk Road, especially the route from China to Arabia. The Silk Road was an ancient trade route, where goods were traded between a number of countries and cultures such as gold, pearls, tea, silk, jade, spices and incense, and the aim of this fragrance was to invoke that along with the signature Amouage DNA. So as a history buff and as well as a fragrance buff this fragrance really intrigued me.
Top Notes: Pink Pepper, Cardamon, Saffron, Nutmeg, Caraway, Myrtle, Mace and Olibanum. Heart Notes: Geranium and Myrrh Base Notes: Oud, Patchouli, Incense, Leather, Sandalwood, Styrax, Cedarwood, Musk and Castoreum.
So what does this fragrance smell like? This is a very regal and luxurious fragrance, it's rich and so incredibly deep, it smells high class, like a scent you would expect from ancient royalty in the eastern world, be it from China, India or Arabia to wear, whilst wearing silk robes, with gold jewellery, this is what the scent invokes. This scent like many from Amouage such as Interlude and Jubilation is very complex with a lot of layers.
Overall what you get from Epic man is some spices, different variety of spices such as fresh spice from the pink pepper, some green herb like fresh spice from the cardamon, dry spice naunce in the from the nutmeg and some warm spice from the saffron. Along with the different variety of spices you get the woodiness of epic man, most prominently from the oud, which in this fragrance the ultra dry and dusty variety. Theres also a very subtle funkiness to the scent, which is done so so well from the note of the castoreum. Along with all of this, surrounding this whole composition is the famous Amouge smokey incense, which comes across very dry smokey unlike Interlude Man which is more of that wet incense.
Like previously mentioned this fragrance has a lot of layers and complexities. Amouage wanted to create a fragrance inspired by the silk road and they completely pulled it off in my opinion, it really invokes the silk road. Its a fragrance with a lot of artistic craft but is also very wearable, amouage really pulled it off on this one. A lot of fragrance houses try to make artistic fragrance but they lack wearability, for example Beaver by Zoologist, but Epic Man has the perfect balance of art and wearability, for me this is a masterpiece.
In terms of performance this is excellent, i get around 10 hours of longevity with projection being excellent also, it doesn't scream off your skin but is very strong, with a great scent cloud and sillage.
In terms of occasions this is best worn during night for formal situations, during the fall and winter.
Overall rating 5/5, a masterpiece. This is Amouage's Citizen Kane imo, Jubilation XXV may be my favourite.
Released in 2010
Classified as a Oriental Spicy
Nose behind this scent is Francois Demachy. Who's behind numerous fragrances from the Dior house being the in-house perfumer.
Notes: coriander, rose, spices, cinnamon, labdanum, vanilla, honey, patchouli and incense.
The opening is very resinous and amber sweet, warm and sweet, has a smokey feel too due to the incense and with a dash of fresh herb spiciness from the coriander. Incredibly similar to Ambre Sultan by Serge Lutens at this stage. As the scent develops the amber and resinous sweetness is very much in the background, the smokiness is still there but you are now presented with warm spices and cinnamon, with a resinous sweetness coming from the honey. Come across very complex, with a lot of layers.
Longevity is brilliant at around 12 hours, with very strong projection throughout, close to beastly but not too intense.
This fragrance as with nearly all amber based scents would be perfect for Autumn or fall, and would suit formal night wear.
Overall rating 4.5/5, excellent and elegant fragrance!
Released in 1978
Classified as a Aromatic Fougere
Noses behind this scent are Gerard Anthony and Richard Wirtz (who only ever created this perfume), where as Gerard Anthony was also behind XS Paco Rabanne and Balenciaga Pour Homme.
Top notes: Lavender, Lemon, Caraway, Basil, Bergamot, Clary Sage, Iris and Star Anise
Heart notes: Vetiver, Sandalwood, Patchouli, Cedar, Juniper Berries and Cardamom
Base notes: Oakmoss, Leather, Amber, Musk and Tonka Bean.
Scent breakdown:
In my opinion this isn't out-dated in anyway nor does it scream old school. Possibly the vintage formulation had an increased leather and oakmoss vibe, which gave an outdated or school vibe - but the
Many people talk of the vintage being superior, it probably is (I've not tried it), and tell people not to bother with the current formulation (I hear the same regarding Kouros), but I would have to respectfully disagree - the current formulation is excellent juice that I wouldn't avoid, it's owrth sampling for sure, and for the price it's a bargain.
Longevity is around 6-8 hours, with projection being excellent for the first 4 hours, really pushes out strong, after which it sits a little bit closer to the skin.
This is best suited as a daytime scent during the spring in my opinon, but could also work in the fall. I think it works well as a signiture scent and a casual scent.
Overall rating: 8/10 - a true classic!
Released in 1934
Classified as a Aromatic
The nose behind this fragrance is Ernest Daltroff, who founded the Caron house in 1904, a self-taught perfumer who was behind many of the early releases from the house.
Top: Lavender Heart: Vanilla Base: Musk
Scent Breakdown:
Performance: I get around 6 hours of longevity, with strong projection for the first 3-4 hours, after which it sits closer to the skin. Personally I'm satisfied with the performance.
Seasons: I think overall the scent is best suited to the cooler months for me due to the soothing and comforting vanilla. I would see myself wearing this during the winter nights. It could also work fabulously well as a day time spring scent.
Occasions I would personally wear this as a date scent, casual scent and it could even work really well as a work scent due to the inoffensive scent.
Overall rating of 8/10
Released in 1965
Classified as a Oriental Woody
Nose behind this scent is Jean-Paul Guerlain, who was the in-house perfumer at Guerlain at the time, and was the last family master perfumer from the Guerlain family. He was involved since the mid-50's helping his grandfather Jacques Guerlian (behind classics such as Shalimar and Mitsouko). Jean-Paul retired officially retired as a perfumer in 2002, but carried on being an advisor to other perfumers for Guerlain until 2010, as he was released by the company for a racist remark he made on French TV.
Top: orange, basil, bergamot, brazilian redwood, lemon, lime and tangerine Heart: carnation, sandalwood, patchouli, cinnamon, jasmine, cedar and rose Base: labdanum, leather, amber, benzoin, oakmoss and vanilla
Super juicy fruity opening, smells like summer fruits squash, sweet and slight lemon sherbot like, very bright and invigorating. It's almost got a candy like citrus feel. So the citrus's don't come across entirely natural, but also don't feel like cheap un-naturals. As the scent develops the citrus accords begin to calm, and scent starts becoming smoother and much sweeter, this is due to the addition of the vanilla and sandalwood, with a backbone of gentle woody ceder. As the scent dries down, it joined by a gentle rose, and the sweeter vanilla elements remain from the opening, to create an overall sweet and bright lemony vanilla scent, with some soft rose and gentle creamy woods.
Performance is brilliant, I get excellent strong projection with longevity around 10 hours.
In terms of seasons, I think this is best suited any season apart from the blazing hot sunny days, and I think it's more of a day time scent then night time. In terms of occasions I can see this working really well as a night out or semi-casual formal scent. It's a classy but playful scent, not super serious, but not juvenile either.
For a scent that was created in the mid 60s this doesn't smell dated at all, and still to my nose has a modern feel.
This is a classic, perfect score of 5/5. Great scent and great performance.
Released in 1992
Classified as a woody spicy.
Nose: Jean-Paul Guerlain, who's created other masculine classic at Guerlain such as Habit Rouge and Heritage. He was the last of the family master perfumers, being the fourth generation Guerlain to work as the master perfumer of the brand. He retired as the head perfumer in the early 2000s and stayed on as advisor but removed from the Guerlain brand in 2010 for racist remarks made on French TV regarding his inspiration for one his classic perfumes Samsara.
Top Notes: Lavender, Aldehydes, Juniper Berries, Clary Sage, Bergamot, Lemon, Violet, Petitgrain and Green Notes
Heart Notes: Patchouli, Coriander, Geranium, Pepper, Carnation, Balsam Fir, Rose, Pink Pepper, Orris Root, Jasmine, Cyclamen and Lily-of-the-Valley
Base Notes: Sandalwood, Amber, Oakmoss, Cedar and Musk.
My take: Opens with a blast of brightness and gentle clean ambery warmness, which comes across to my nose slightly boozy. The main note of the opening is the aldehydes and lavender, with a touch of juniper berries and amber. The opening to my nose is just like an ambery boziness, with some comforting lavender and touch of juniper berries adding some sweetness, it's smooth and juicy.
As the scent develops into the heart, it's introduced to a beautiful patchouli, which is slightly woody, and has a gentle earthy quality. The patchouli is the main star of this scent, however this scent is not an out and out patchouli scent, the other notes are strong backing players which create a unique scent.
As the fragrance dries down, it's becomes slightly powdery, possibly from the iris and sandalwood with also adds a touch more woods, and finally some slightly sweet vanilla/amber. But still retains the patchouli from the heart and the lavender from the opening.
Overall it's a sweet powdery scent, with some woods and earthy notes.
Longevity is around 7 to 8 hours, with moderate projection for the first 2 hours after which it sits close to the skin.
In terms of seasons, this could work for every season apart from the blazing hot days of summer. It's mostly a day time scent.
In terms of occasions this would work well as a signature scent, for work and a dinner date.
Overall rating of 7/10 - just wish it projected more!
Year of release: It was created in 1961 and re-launched again in 2000
Classification: Woody Aromatic
Top Notes: Bergamot, Tobacco, Lemon, Nutmeg, Neroli, Coriander, Mandarin Orange
Heart Notes: Vetiver, Pepper, Carnation, Sage, Orris Root, Sandalwood
Base Notes: Vetiver, Oakmoss, Leather, Myrrh, Civet, Tonka Bean, Amber
My take:
Longevity: Around 8-10 hours
Projection: The projection is nice and strong for the first 3 hours, after which starts to came down, however still very noticeable.
Season: This is perfect for spring, which is it's ideal season, it works best when it's nice and sunny, but the weather is not too hot. It can also work really well in autumn/fall. I would personally avoid this in the high heat, only because of the warmness of the tobacco the woodiness in the drydown which would be feel cloying in the high heat, but if it's a cooler summer day - say less than 20°C, this could work fine. There's no reason why you couldn't wear this in the winter, but there's better scents out there that cut through the cold.
Occasion: I think this works best as a day time scent, for work and formal. It's a classy gentlemanly scent, so works when you've worn a shirt or dress smartly best. It can no doubt work as a casual scent, but this scent deserves a wear when you're dressed well. This could make a solid signature scent.
Rating: 8/10
