Wow!!! I'm in love. This fragrance hit me like a arrow straight from cupids bow. Labdanum! a princely, opulent slap in the face of resinous beauty I knew right away this was going to be special. Then tart glimpses of another of my favourite notes...rhubarb! Apparently? I'll go with that... It's not the biggest but there's something like that in the opening. Then the heart starts to get really gourmand it goes from a gorgeous almondy/white chocolate thing to a wheaty, milky kind of smell. Then the spice element starts to reign that sweetness in giving a bit of a savoury spicy feel. Complex, warm and base heavy vibes finish off a dream fragrance for me... Nuit Epicee is magic! It's a minor shame the drydown is not as good as that superb opening...infact probably my FAVOURITE OPENING EVER! Gorgeous, amazingly long lived, easy 12hr+ and subtle sillage which gives you a nice little breeze every now and again. I'm stunned by this stuff, darkly gourmand, woody, resinous a bit like two other favourites of mine Armani Myrrhe imperial and Nasomatto Black Afgano but with an edible twist! Brilliant!!!!
Cereza review below is spot on and absolutely mirrors my own thoughts...before I've even expressed them in writing. You really do have to love papyrus and sadly I don't, it's such an odd watery note and often paired with sandalwood which is a bit like watering down milk. I immediately thought about Le Labo's santal 33 for this combo but luckily this is slightly more enjoyable in the opening...but less so on the whole. I think it delivers the pyramid of notes in the exact order stated here. The hint of elemi and ginger (ginger I don't get a great deal TBH)then the heart comes on quickly with masses of papyrus and a subdued incense. The sandalwood builds thoughout and makes for a pleasant drydown but the papyrus is pretty relentless and just not to my taste at all. It's a shame because I like sandalwood a lot it's just that it can vary massively and I'd rather it be surrounded by sweet & warm notes. Oh I get the yoga, east meets west link here...however tenuous.
Just to crystallize exactly what is going on here, Lys du Desert is a culmination of two fragrances for me and was probably created with their popularity in mind. I'm a keen lover of dance music, specifically Drum n Bass and this sort of thing reminds me of the remix culture in dance music. The art of refreshing or more aptly in this case, sometimes an artist has two tracks that adhere to a very particular sound. Then then make a mash up of these two tracks which then becomes its own entity. This is exactly what has happened here. hmmmmm...I wonder if you can tell from the name? Yes it's ...L'air du Desert Marocain crossed with another Tauer perfume L'eau D'epices. This mixture effectively creates the smell of Creed Royal English Leather or Knize Ten. And I've only just (this minute as I write this) noticed the perfumer responsible is Andy Tauer....How silly of me for not realizing! Kind of destroys the idea that Luckyscent really worked hard to create a perfume to 'Represent LA'. I know a lot of these briefs are meaningless when you like the fragrance (and I do) but I kinda enjoy the romantic idea that perfumery is art and as such the artists actually try to give their craft some meaning. Quite simply the top notes are a spicy waft of creamy warm spices of LDDM then it turns into the sweet ambergris of L'eau D'epices. Then the drydown sort of seesaws between them becoming an exact mixture of those two elements, heavy intoxicating amber then slightly floral and light breeziness. I'll be honest...It's wonderful. I wasn't quite convinced by L'eau epices but this reigns that accord back a little and becomes more like Tauers other creations. Real quality, Good subtle sillage, strong but not intrusive and expected longevity. If you like Tauer and the two aforementioned scents then you can't go wrong with this one.
So Montecristo is as funky as James Brown or Bootsy Collins... but not in a good way. Don't be fooled by how small and cute that Hyrax thing looks the musk from it is potent! The opening of Montecristo is especially potent with animal vibes which turn me (and my stomach) off straight away. The saving grace of this fragrance is that as it dries down the animal qualities become a little bit warmer, cuddlier and more mild. This is the opposite of my experience of civet/castoreaum etc... which normally develop more and more after the top/heart notes have long faded away. That doesn't however make up for the intrusive harsh opening. It's complex I'll give it that and definitely has interesting depth underneath the unpleasantness which keeps it interesting, and personally kept me sniffing. Tobacco is there that kind of fecal cuban cigar note, a bit of sharpness from resin, warmth and deep woody notes. Not my thing at all but worth checking out if you enjoy animalic scents. Update 27/03/24 Wow! What a fuckin' dick'ed I was ten years ago hey?? I said all this while liking the strange, sweaty freshness of Declaration and the filthy, chypre, powder of Rochas Femme, crazy then that I would be so turned off by this. I mean it's not really fecal or pissy at all, I get the hyraceum still and the general animalics mainly in the top, the drydown is actually very cuddly (which in fairness reflects my original review) the aspect I did miss was the amber and it's an alternative amber, like a piece with a mosquito trapped inside with a side of sweet rum n coke. It's a really nice balance of sweet earthy and animalic. I like it more a decade on.
I love leather scents and complexity (which the name offers) I'm also a huge fan of Boadicea the victorious but this stuff is truly atrocious! Complex is an abomination! I like to think I've broadened my olfactory horizons as much as possible now and I except some wacky juice but this is hideous! Awful, animal smell which I suppose is leathery but also herbal, smokey and thoroughly unusual. Oud, incense type resins and florals are present but seem to contribute to the perfect storm that is complex. I enjoy some hideously animal leathers too like Dior's Oud leather but this simply just doesn't work! I was really unlucky on the day I first tried this as I selected two fragrances to try on each wrist. The other was Masque Milano Montecristo which is a horribly animalic fragrance and Complex made that seem tolerable and almost nice. The silage and Longevity is UNBELIEVABLE it works it's way deep into your skin while creating a silage cloud at the same time. Needless to say it's not for me. Update: Have to say that upon further investigation and although I'm still not 100% on board...'hideous' was going a little far perhaps. The resins in this are of the highest quality and as such have an uber 'antique' vibe, very dusty, very smoky and full of character...like a broth or consommé absolutely packed full to the brim with flavour. Worth a second try because the earthiness of this is slightly more appealing this time around and the dryddown is almost pleasant but still not quite my thing. Boadicea is still one of my favourite houses, amazing quality and innovation among their vast range.
You will struggle to find a finer citrus than Acqua Viva. Many of the reviews here are absolutely spot on, especially @Estebanz. A real journey of an opening with citrus from sharp lemon/grapefruit settling to zesty peel which smells super real, natural and accurate. A citrus smell which is complex within itself and even changes slightly over the first few minutes. At this point I'll just say I'm not typically one to get excited about citrus but this is really worth the gushing praise. Now then, I was expecting the waxy nature of white florals like neroli to develop at this point because that is my experience of 'high end' niche citrus fragrances bases and heart notes. I think they use them a) because they do compliment fruits and citrus and b) because they turbo charge the longevity. To my utter surprise nothing developed except a gorgeous woody accord and even the tiniest hint of smoke. It's very subtle fresh incense type vibe like olibanum, maybe coming from the cypress or cedar? but it's of the highest quality and a welcome addition to a fresh summer fragrance. This is a masterful citrus aromatic a truly awesome piece of work with good longevity.
Harsh burning opening of strong ambery powder. Nepal Aoud is quite something, the combination of saffron then a delicate but steadily developing rose is classic and gets nicer throughout....I don't know what they do with the roses in bulgaria but it smells good. I can detect a creamy base but it's not typical vanilla and the oud is present with an ambery nature but not by any means strong especially for Montale. Don't be fooled by that description though it has the legendary Montale projection and longevity. As with many Montale's it gets better and better as it dries down. Not a fragrance for me then, I don't know what I expected by the name 'Nepal' but it had me quite excited, I have to say I'm not that impressed. Nepal Aoud is a bit uninspiring but undeniably high quality.
A spicy bold oriental and my first taste of the Masque house is a unique one. The first thing that strikes you is a complex mixture of florals with cinnamon and cumin which quickly settles to a thick amber heart and dense woody notes. It's a hot fragrance in the same way Tauer's L'eau epices or Serge Lutens Arabie but Tango is smooth and doesn't have the sharp edges of some of the other ambers. Drys down to a dusty amber much like a mild version of the old library book style but still with retaining enough of the spicy notes to be pleasant and balanced. It settles really close to the skin and becomes warm and long lived but certainly nothing that stands out.
As soon as Isis opens you get a sickeningly sweet accord of fruity flavours and loads of coconut. I'm surprised it's not listed in the notes to be honest smells a bit like cocoa butter or malibu with that hint of booze in there. As this oriental gourmand dries down it reveals the benzoin and peach vibe which I seem to instantly associate with more feminine vibes. It's not all peaches either, more a mixture of fruits which make it seem exotic like a cocktail complete with chopped fruits & umbrellas. This caramel business is serious in this fragrance, If you don't like gourmands I'd steer well clear of this one. The dry down is lovely, not exactly loud but it's not shy either, a definite sweet vanilla/amber which is fairly pronounced and has a smooth high quality feel to it. I'm a sucker for scents like this despite my grown up sophisticated side wanting to brand this as too sweet or not my thing. Isis plugs directly into my primitive brain which in essence is a big child that just wants comforting strawberry shortcake type aromas. In all honesty I couldn't wear it, the sweetness would even become cloying on me after a while. Agonist make really interesting juice though and some of them beyond classification.
Comme des Garcon are so impressive with their range of fragrances and Dover street market is no exception. Started out with thin top notes which deceive you into thinking this will be a linear citrus scent but then after the bergamot comes juniper and cedar. Then an aromatic mixture of pine/incense in the heart with a overiding amber accord from ladbanum. It's a quality outing, fresh and clean juniper/citrus vibes with woods & resin in the base. Minor criticism is that I didn't get the performance from DSM that I was expecting, longevity was not great on my skin but again I will need to test it out properly. Lovely smelling stuff though.
Bandit is the ultimate leather dominatrix. The one that wears her leather gear, her 9inch stilletos, covers her body in white floral scented cream and takes on the night in search for innocent victims. Along the way she has a cigarette or two, and finally arrives at the dark forest she has cited her victim..er, customer, and starts performing what she knows best; making everyone kneel before her! God what a ride! That's why I love her! Can you believe that this piece of art was marketed to women? Very few would dare to wear Bandit today, let alone adore her. Even men seem to be intimated at times. You gotta love Germaine C. If Bandit lets you into its world, after the hard core show is over, you're in for some more. But what's the point of getting home with her when the best part has only just begun? Wear her, adore her, let her do you, and just enjoy the ride. For once you are under her spell there is no turning back! My favorite leather ever and one of my top 5 fragrances. Absolute masterpiece!
This is Paul Smith's best fragrance by a million miles! So different to much of what is on offer in the designer game. In my humble opinion, Paul Smith has some pretty horrendous (or just boring) fragrances both for men and women but this stands out. I've never heard of Barnabe Fillion before but (a quick google search reveals he's a pretty french man with a beard) he must be a really talented perfumer because Portrait is unique. The resinous incense type combo of the fizzy, brightness of olibanum and mastic and the depth and heft of myrrhe, labandum and tolu balsam is sweet and intriguing but never warm almost cold and a little metallic. The main thing that stunned me was the fruity/floral top notes of what is listed here as black currant blossom but if I'm honest I had no idea what it was? This fragrance is interesting on a few levels drydown is good more of the same but kinda musky. It's quite an enduring perfume too, you can tell it's not massively high quality but Longevity is not bad, it's certainly not weak. The smell is the sort of thing that doesn't project but that's fine. A rare thing then...I'd almost entirely written off Paul Smith but this stuff is great and I want a bottle.
Frapin are so close to cracking it you know but just fall short everytime! The general 'theme' running through the fragrances is good and cohesive to support the brand but at the same time varied enough to create interest. I've certainly enjoyed many of their creations but they're average longevity wise. In actual fact this is not a major criticism really, longevity is important but making a quality scent is more important and they certainly do that. Passion boisee is again a wonderfully fruity little number which in the opening at least to me is instantly feminine. I hate using that definition but it's what springs to mind when a perfume is so fruity. The tangerine note is apparent and without knowing the specifics of what it was I'd have said a mixture citrus/peach like vibe? So I wasn't far off. A definite booziness here which is a bit of a signiture of Frapin fragrances and a warm woody fragrance at heart with definite clove and nutmeg accents. I found passion boisee to be a really interesting outing, the drydown is great, so easy and a pleasure to wear. I had it on in very hot weather the other day and although it has warm qualities it's perfectly suited to the heat. If I had to get a fragrance from Frapin it would be 1270 as it's just so good. I also like the unique Paradis perdu but this comes in a close third. Longevity and projection are average.
Talk about instant love! Cuir Cannage has skyrocketed to the top of my want list. A glorious and honeyed orange blossom covered in raw leather. Sweetness is just right, not too dry, leather feels raw, untreated and ever so slightly dirty. I get more dirtyness from the indoles. If you like leather give it a try, one of the best leathers in recent years!
Stunning!!! What a majestic piece of work this is, truly gorgeous juice. The nutmeg opening is a welcome top note then it gives you the hint of a rose/oud fragrance but with only the tiniest hint of rose. The oud tends to come on as it settles. It's mainly an almost gourmand, creamy type accord throughout. The resiny benzoin, sandalwood and leather combine to make a sublime drydown. Few words are needed to describe this fragrance, it flits between lots of different things I love but comes together in the end as one cohesive fragrance. Reminds me of many fragrances too but still has it's own thing going on. I love it! Minor criticism is that compared to the other 3 I've tried in this new 'Gold' collection Bayswater didn't have the mind bending longevity...but I'll let it off because it was still excellent and worthy of kings! Boadicea have yet another hit on their hands!
So sorry to say...I recognise the sheer quality of this fragrance but it's too much for me. It has that urinal cake thing about it and insane amounts of rose and powdery iris notes. It opens with a mass of rose, oud, stinging sharpness of saffron perhaps? Then becomes smooth but beggers the question...what kind of sadist wears this juice? I don't know why but it makes me think of something a strong Historical woman would wear like Elizibeth I or something? I've tried this several times and application is the key. In small amounts (and I mean the tiniest of amounts) I can pick up very pleasing nuances but I can't imagine that a sprayer on the bottle would be subtle. One spray of this is all you'd ever need, it's HUGE! The drydown takes so long that eventually Kings road warms up but mainly it's an intense floral, woody affair. There's no way I'd wear it but I appreciate the craftmanship and materials used. It's a rare Boadicea if I don't really like it.
Either my original review has been thumbs downed out of all recognition (If that's possible?) or I just imagined writing it. In any case Nasomatto Absinth has peaked my interest once more so here's what I think. Opens strangely, quite subtle and understated but then hints of an earthier, dirtier patchouli type of a vibe comes into play. It doesn't smell 'like' patchouli but that herbal, green slightly grubby smell. The absinthe element is distinctly lacking if I'm honest, I do get it a hint in there of something a bit aniseedy and at times a bit like licorice. It's an interesting outing from Nasomatto I wore it to bed last night and found it struck up the right balance to be calming and natural. I like this but prefer L'Artisan's Fou d'Absinthe to get my fix of wormwood. Also compared to Duro (which I have) and other Nasomatto's I've tried like Hindu grass, Absinthe didn't seem to last as well for an extrait de parfum. You certainly get a good few hours from it but they're usually so enduring it was a bit of a disappointment.
I've Kinda warmed to 4160 Tuesday's after being very cynical at first about the name of the house and some of the creations. Well...actually...the quirk factor has drawn me in to try more and what other place to start than sunshine and pancakes. This to me opens with a very strong lime zest and curry smell similar to some caraway or cumin? I'm so surprised that those notes are not listed because they are so apparent, positively pungent in the opening. This bizarre to me. I don't know about pancakes but S&P reminded me straight away of LIME PICKLE! That's right the condiment you get in curry houses with your poppadoms! As it dries down it becomes less invasive and quite close to the skin retaining some citrus but not impressive enough at this price point. Just to give some insight into my reviews I write them in lots of different ways. This one was one I wrote in draft form a while back and then re-wrote now. I sometimes write a review over time after sampling heavily, sometimes I don't need to. Sunshine and pancakes is so out of wack I think I need to resample it incase there's been some huge mistake.
I've been testing Eau de Magnolia for the past week and I understand why the majority of reviewers is disappointed. I too was expecting a richer interpretation of magnolia. Something creamier perhaps. But the truth is that what you get is a cologne-ish version of magnolia, done in a luminous way. It's sparkling. It's something that I believe could have been created in the 70s as a very elegant eau. What you get here is a very smooth magnolia, drenched in bergamot and vetiver, providing an uplifting sensation to hot days but also balmy nights. Don't expect more because you will more likely be disappointed. Malle is known for making his florals light, like Lys, Carnal Flower.. But approach with an open mind and you will get a sparkling summer floral, with a very decent longevity and sillage. (Around 8 hours on my super dry skin) Bottom line, like I said elsewhere, Carlos Benaïm has done with his magnolia what Rodrigo Flores did for Arquiste with gardenia for Boutonnière n°7, take a floral with a prominent and intense smell and turn it into a cologne version. If you're looking for a more creamy magnolia I'd suggest Goutal's Un matin d'Orage in the new edp. There you will find a magnolia done in a similar vein to Le Labo's interpretation of lily in Lys 41; creamy and sensual with a hint of vanilla dessert. For me, there is room for both magnolias as each one offers a glimpse to different aspects of the flower.
Before anyone kicks off...I did the note votes and yes I have tried this fragrance. I have to say Chelsea is insanely high quality juice you can tell from the moment you apply it that it is industrially strong. As such the opening is a mental mixture of dense woods, the first of which is Oud and it hits you straight away. Baring in mind I had no idea what to expect or what any of the notes were going to be and oud and vetiver became instantly apparent. Such an unusual combo along with a little citrus spices of cardamom and resinous ambery vibes Chelsea is nothing short of exquisite. Opens quite harshly and remains that way for a couple of hours or so, then becomes more gentle and addictive in the heart then deep into the dry down it's warm & woody. Longevity and projection are epic. Despite the praise this still isn't quite my cup o tea but I would definitely wear it. The quality is undeniable and it was an olfactory experience I will not forget in a hurry. Perfume lovers you need to try this!
Xerjoff have disappointed me time and time again with their repertoire but something about this one with it's strong opening told me things were going to be different. Modoc comes straight out with a sweet woody opening which is nothing short of beautiful. Iris and vanilla create almost like a very soft leather I was thinking at first. The powdery Iris accord is massive in this fragrance and coupled with vanilla becomes turbo charged in it's creamy sweetness. Almost to the point of turkish delight...even a hint of rose in there perhaps? This is tempered by woods & musky hints as it settles down though. To be honest it's a little much in terms of powder but I can't help but be intrigued by Modoc. This is my third time sampling it before reviewing and the previous outings just served to confuse me. When it dries down however it looses it's charm those opening few seconds promised so much but sadly Modoc doesn't deliver.
Not much to dislike about this one at all and very different from the original TdH to my nose, which is a good thing. That's not to say I dislike TdH, far from it in fact but it's just good to see a flanker which goes in a moderately different direction. The path doesn't deviate that far and it's a good scent and definitely wearable but nothing to warrant too much excitement. Clean sharp opening citrus which is a lemony/grapefruit type vibe to me. There's cedar coming through too and an aquatic note which is very well handled, not overly salty or synthetic smelling. The citrus gets decidedly more orangey as it dries down but it's not sweet mandarin type orange nor is it as bitter an orange as the original. The dry down is a clean woody cedar which works well and last okay on my skin. Personally I prefer Terre de Hermes mixture of interesting dryness, vetiver and bitter orange to this one. Eau Tres Fraiche is a quality citrus and a solid outing from Hermes nonetheless.
I'm excited can't wait to try this.
L man is an overwhelming pepper + citrus opening which is dominated by petitgrain. Something about the whole vibe, the whole delivery (if you like) is sharp but complex and somehow even oily. It's a strange combination of notes in here but I think coming together as a fragrance it works. Then dries down to a Oud and earthy but clean vetiver like, woody, diesel, petrolly smoke vibe of something from Xerjoff. 8 + hours later and I can still smell L, it has developed very nicely and is now nestled deep into my skin and I have to say its impressive in one respect but so it should be from CC. I can't say I've ever smelled anything similar before, it's a worthy addition to the line it's nothing too fancy that it can't be worn on a regular basis.
Cuir canage Well I was really anticipating trying this fragrance I'd actually walked past the Dior counter several times since this has been out but didn't try it. Finally got around to it and hadn't actually read the note breakdown beforehand. All I knew was... 1) This is a boutique Dior and as such is probably great. and... 2) That 'Cuir' means leather which makes me automatically very curious . Anyway 1) I was right there, this is a classy and well put together fragrance to add to the rest of this collection. 2) The leather note is well executed and softer than is anticipated. I was expecting the slap in the face of strength like leather Oud but it didn't come. The opening is a mixture of leather and powdery iris which I was taken with in the beginning, That leather note seemed sweeter and more appealing. As Cuir canage dries down it becomes increasingly more floral and the waxy white and yellow floral accord comes on strong. I seriously didn't detect any neroli in the opening but around 10 mins later it was growing and growing. It's clever though because it has the sweetness of jasmine the clean waxy strength of neroli and the signature of ylang ylang. The leather element is softer now after several hours (about 7) but still distinctively present and reminiscent (is spirit) of something like Midnight In Paris. Personally, I'm not sure I like leather and white florals in combination but I can't deny it's very well balanced in this composition and I can understand how many would like this fragrant offering. Truly a blend of the masculine and feminine and remains complex for hours. Quality is superb, longevity is excellent and has good sillage and projection but I'm not feeling it because of those florals which are a bit sour for me to the point where I wouldn't wear it. I've enjoyed the experience of wearing it this one time though.
Can't be bothered scrolling down to find my original review of this, but upon it's release I found it a kind of sickening, mangled waxy floral, leather with that Cuir 174500 base (Knize etc) but far less palatable. Now unless the formula I've just sampled again recently is significantly different to when it came out, I friggin' love Cuir Cannage!!! And paradoxically I would change a thing about my description above! It is a knize,waxy floral with a fruity, sugary, nectar sweetness in the opening, drying down to a very traditional, powdery floral musk and leather flesh. I think it's hindsight, knowing that Demachy didn't really make anything of note after this point, or it could be my taste (most probable) or it could be that reformulation thing, I remember it being harsh and, unforgiving. lumpy. It's none of those things, I enjoy it. Shame it's discontinued but the friend who's bottle I tried might be selling it, so could still be on the cards yet.
