fragrances
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My Signature
627 reviews
Like a William Morris jungle wallpaper that has an added scratch-n-sniff element. An exagerrated, dense, almost psychedelic rendition of nature which opens slightly acerbic, but is totally unique and addictive. It makes me feel youthful and fun, without it being an immature scent. Possibly the greenest perfume I've smelt, alongside Eau de Campagne.
It smells like the epitome of designer men's fragrance. It won't offend, but it won't excite either, or perhaps it will, but only noses who don't look mucj further than the likes of Sauvage. However, I'm discovering it makes a great base for layering. So far, 2 parts this to 1 part Lost Cherry is delightful (it's like Cherry Cola), and has made me want to layer it below other things...
Opens well, then within 5 minutes I get the same synthetic banana smell I get from other Hermès perfumes. Lesson learnt.
Cheap, zero performance. Pleasant enough scent but lasts 2 seconds with no projection.
A magical journey which travels far and wide, as if Shalimar fled the gilded cage and took to the high seas. This is the only perfume I've experienced that gets stronger over time, before petering out after very many hours (maybe even days). The magic lies in the sparkling blend, but extends beyond that. What seems a mild, unassuming opening evolves into a dazzling aura of charm and beauty like only Guerlain can do. It's powerful yet unoffensive, esoteric yet accessible. By far the best in the Absolus line in my opinion, although I do love most of them.
On my skin this ends very similar to Caron Pour Un Homme, which is about ten times cheaper... in fact I prefer the latter, which is good news for my bank balance. Second sniff: I'm actually finding there's a sort of off-milk odour to this, and the more I get, the more I dislike it. At best, it lacks the warmth of other lavender scents, at worst it's a clash of notes with no heart.
A harsh opening, very off-putting to me, but it calms down into a wonderful, creamy lavender scent. It's the slightly acerbic grandad of Beau de Jour, and as both of these stay on clothes forever, I can wear either with the jumper that still smells of the other a little bit. I love it after an hour, but the initial stage is a bit too much if you have to use public transport or be in a busy workplace. I'm surprised to see some reviews complain about the performance, to my nose this is an eternal beast. Update: I always recall a review on here calling this Shalimar Pour Homme. Of course it's mostly nothing like Shalimar, but I can see the point in the far drydown. Also, in the opening, the almost culinary nature of the rosemary reminds me of Granville by Dior. I've only ever experienced this specific foody herbiness in these two perfumes, and I'm here for it.
I'd love this if it didn't smell like cigarettes. The rest of the notes are wonderful, but I can't escape the cig butt smell, especially when on the skin. I'm looking for a decent ylang ylang scent that isn't crazy expensive. This sadly isn't it.
Smells like a belch after a quality curry.
A dazzling, fruity, woody, dirty, delicious scent in the ugliest bottle imaginable. I don't get the animalic thing others mention here, but rather a dirty patchouli vibe somewhere between Héritage and Patchouli Ardent. I must admit I haven't worn it too much, as I see it as quite esoteric and perhaps a bit challenging for general consumption, but I often wear it to bed, and I think I'm working up the boldness to pull it off in real life.
