If you’re looking for the perfect oud fragrance for someone who doesn’t like oud that much, this is the one! blended to perfection with a little rose. masculine leaning but could very easily be unisex.
I saw in a lot of places that this was a more masculine take on the BR540 profile, and like… I guess? It’s not a clone of the Extrait, which as far as I can tell IS supposed to be the more “masculine” version of it, it’s the original with the berry brightness turned right the way up and a big dose of pepper shoved in it. It DOES smell nice, it’s either my favourite or second favourite way to smell like 540 that I own, the number of ways I would describe as being “TOO MANY,” halfway on accident I want to add, I didn’t due my due diligence when I picked up a couple of things, this isn’t Aventus where I’ve made peace with the fact that I’m probably going to be buying “Aventus Plus (Add Note Or Accord Here)” until the day I die. It’s just there’s only so much you can do to butch up a fragrance that’s trying to smell like Cotton Candy, it’s either your vibe or it’s not.
There's something in here that smells like exhaust fumes from a busy road. CARmina indeed. Horrible.
For the first 15seconds the fragrance has an identity crisis and then settles on smelling about 80% close to creed silver mountain water. Smells way better on skin than in the bottle or tester and tends to last longer.
Shocking horrible atomiser and bottle design isn't my fav but cannot complain for the value it offers
A great all rounder.
Naxos has a lot of the classic masculine tropes; lavender, citrus, and tobacco.
Smells similar to Mugler Pure Havane, but a little lighter and brighter.
The citrus and lavender add an aromatic freshness to the warming cinnamon and sweet honey, while the smooth cashmeran and vanilla help round things out with soft sweetness.
The tobacco is well placed between bright and sweet and adds a beautiful aromatic earthiness, and the Tonka adds a soft spice.
Once it begins to settle, fresh florals come through and brighten the fragrance up.
No complaints here!
This is way better than people credit it for. Sadly though, it's like a slightly less magical Dead of Night (with no real oud unlike the strangelove), and as I own the latter, I don't need this. But if you want DON but would prefer to spend 500 euros instead of 1000 (LOL!) this could be the one. As another reviewer said, don't judge it by shoving your nose into it, as it doesn't do it justice.
A sledgehammer assault version of the original which will appeal to people who like Oud for Greatness, Parfums de Marly and other such sludgy dross. Don't get me wrong, this is better than those, but only just. This is for the next gen brahs who have only just discovered Amouage and those who shell out big money on crap like Fragrance du Bois and Bodicea the Victorious. To say this is similar to the original Jubilation XXV is to completely miss the point and the beauty of the original.
Well this has been a nice surpruse. Although I had precious smells this on a strip it was essentially a blind buy. I must say that the wear experience is great and the scent really evolves over time. Very bright and citrusy to start and quite rooty not long after. After about an hour it starts to smell a little sweater and the rooty element pulls back a little. further in and some smokey facets show up, eventually settling into a nice soft leathe. All in all a great scent if a little on the expensive sid.
Beautifully fresh citrus with lots of light aromatics. The freshness of ginger is really nice, and helps with the fresh aquatic feel.
There is gentle balsamic warmth and structure in the base with amber and labdanum.
After many hours, the dry down offers more spice alongside the aromatics and aquatic notes while the ginger and citrus still providing a noticible uplift
A great every day scent, perfect for all occasions. Inoffensive yet noticeable.
I have a love and hate relationship with cumin, and that’s maybe why it’s definitely the prominent note to me here. It smells very sensual to me, in a dirty way. What I mostly hate about cumin is how it can easily turn a fragrance into a sweat pit smell on dirty clothing. Happy this is not totally the case. I have mixed feelings about this one. I don’t think i will get it a place on my wishlist for now. But I’m also not saying I haven’t been tempted to while trying it for two days. I’d love to find a more prominent tobacco note too. Unfortunately for me, it’s only barely there in the very opening.
Opening is warm, sweet, and floral with the aromatic and metallic twinge of saffron.
Once this starts to settle the boozy rum becomes clearer with a subtle spice, smooth woods and tobacco.
It's cosy, pleasant and perfectly wearable, but not sure about the intense hype it gets.
Light, clean, uplifting, meditative, spa-like cypress/cedar scent
Mineralic, herbal thyme opening leading directly into a cypress and cedar top. Thyme drops away, to be replaced with olibanum in the mid, adding a slight smoky depth. Dries down to have a sweetish, softer cashmeran in the base.
Spray it then leave it for a year and it will perform excellently. This is a real bargain, providing a modern twist on the familiar barbershop masculine. The opening may seem a bit harsh, but it develops into a really lovely perfume, with natural smelling lavender, plus all the notes listed above, but also a semi-soupy tonka-ish base. The sugary soup doesn't dominate and is made less crass by the spices and herbs. I don't wear it often as I don't tend towards this type of scent but when I do I'm always surprised again by how good it is.
Absurdly potent ambery patchouli which weirdly gives off slight Mugler Angel vibes. I love it. But having applied it erroneously today with a hangover I am minded to warn all comers about its strength. Nuclear.
This was the perfect lilac I was looking for. The wisteria lends some purple feel to the composition. Not too sweet or chewy or dense. Clean and crisp like a spring morning. To be worn with tee shirts and crisp linen shirts.
You can probably tell by looking at my collection and reviews that I’ve put up so far that I have zero issue at all with clones/dupes/whatever, but I do find it a bit heartbreaking that Banana Republic has turned this collection into a bit of a clone line in recent years, because in the realm of affordable department store perfumery they were putting out some absolute blinders, two of them I consider stone cold cheapie masterpieces. This is one of them.
First time I smelled it I wasn’t really impressed, I thought it was just another bergamot fragrance, and at the time I had a LOT of those, but I saw it out one day for an absolute steal, something like twenty quid, so I just grabbed it because at that price why not, and the more I wore it the more I realised I loved it. In the opening the tea note gives it this almost minty fresh blast, then the bergamot and Mandarin orange slowly creep in, mixing with the green notes to produce something, will, citrusy and green, not to sound stupid. The woods are there to support it in the far drydown so it’s got a solid foundation but like, grassy citrus tea, that’s mostly what I get, and it’s very classy yet casual. On a blistering hot day in smart shorts and a nice short-sleeve shirt this is properly the business.
Woody/violet. Decent longevity and projection. I wore this all the time before I started getting into fragrances. I wear it much less now, but it's still worth a try, not least because the 200ml bottles are often on offer so work out amazing value.
On the nauseating end of chemical milky scents.
I second meama's comment below, smells like a generic 90s mens scent. Unremarkable at best. If I smelled this on someone I'd think they were wearing Bleu de Chanel (if I'm being generous). No hyrax detectable on my skin, which is a shame as it could have made it more interesting.
Massive screechy scratchy fixative base dominates to my nose. Smells like 20 euro middle Eastern fake oud crap.
If Happy for men by Clinique is KPBS, Artisan by John Varvatos is NPR. If this projected at all or lasted, I’d want it in my wardrobe. Awesome looking bottle too.
Blind bought this for my 16 year old son, and boy does it smell great. Honestly this would work for just about any age man 16-45. It’s not generic and it has some notes that you won’t catch on others. If you can get it for under 40 bucks I’d jump on it. Cozy in the dry down, and interesting enough to deserve a place in any man’s wardrobe. Great bottle too. The opening notes to my nose were a little harsh upon first spray out of the box, but everything after that balanced out thankfully. Signature scent worthy for sure. The marzipan is not a note I’ve noticed yet, but it must not be too prominent, because I wouldn’t categorize this as a sweet fragrance.
Well worth the price. Great longevity and projection, and the notes each stand out. A great slightly more masculine take on Santal 33. I love these bottles too. Interesting and modern without any sweetness. A great addition to any man’s collection 16-50 years old. 10/10
My friend at work wears this, and on him it reminds me of cherry pipe tobacco which I love the scent of. Signature scent worthy, and interesting enough to stand out from the crowd. Haven’t smelled it on a woman, but it sure works for a man.
