Walk up to an aged fig tree, late summer, loaded with fruit. Snap a fig leaf, smell the astringent greenness. Watch the milky substance ooze out, rub it between your fingers, smell the slightly sweet coconut-ness. Sniff a freshly cut pear. Bite into a soft ripe fig. Put your nose to the lichen covered bark of the aged fig tree, breathe it in.
Bitter, earthy, spicy opening, a bit like cut parsnips. Bitterness dies down pretty quickly. Rindy bitter orange with nice dry spices carry the top into a mid with a kind of geranium and a mineral earthiness. Base of a vetiver hand creamy vibe ever so slightly sweetened with benzoin. Final dry down is mostly a light ambroxan skin smell after about 6 hours. Timeless, modern, masculine, classic Elena.
A really lovely bright citrussy white floral. Aromatic with a gentle musky softness.
Not much more to it than that.
Cut lillies lying in a pool of brackish sea water. Wetland earth with sparse wildflowers growing amid thick greenery. A hint of peppery incense in the air.
Duration is impressive, the lilly note constant though to the drydown, at which point woody, amber notes become more prominent.
This a strange, cold and beautifully funereal creation, as befits its name. It's also pretty dark - there's a suggestion of something wild and unfettered lurking around the edges of the scent, even though its core is very still. One of the high points in the Beaufort range, and one of its more approachable creations as well.
Cheap imitation leather jacket sprayed with sickly floral air freshener. Supposed clone of Les Absolus d'Orient Cuir Intense, which I haven't sampled.
Perfectly serviceable starter fragrance for this category. Go easy on the sprays, or this may induce a headache.
Man oh man, I love this one. I wish they didn’t discontinue it. If you love sour, juicy, realistic grapefruit, you’ll love this. I want this in my rotation forever. Lately I’ve been layering it with Classic Green by Banana Republic which has a green tea bubble bath quality that pairs BEAUTIFULLY with this. I really love the way I feel throughout the day when I catch the pair on my collar.
Suffocatingly strong and dense. But it does smell good. It's kind of similar to Reflection Woman. I'd say if RW is a light sorbet this is a fatty, creamy ice-cream version.
Azzaro by Loris Azzaro, the first release of the house and Loris’s signature, is (was) a gorgeously sensual floral chypre that defined the 70’s. It had the beauty that Loris’s fashion creations had, the tenderness of his eyes and the sensuality that his clothes gave a woman. The only drawback I would say it has, is its lightness. I used to own a large splash bottle and while gorgeous, it was fleeting if I didn’t douse myself. The extrait is somewhat richer but still doesn’t shout. Top: tuberose, gardenia, rose, narcissus Heart: jasmine, ylang-ylang, iris, peach, coriander Base: vetiver, sandalwood, grey amber, musk, civet (Courtesy of kl99 bellow) Main notes among many others, created by a relatively unknown Maurice Thibond or Jean Martel depending on the source. Pucci Zadig and Mila Schon (first fragrance, from 1981) which I own, are the closest in character and scent profile; both are bold chypres with carnality, a fruity wink of mischief, bold languid florals, and rich animalic notes. Arquiste Ella, which I also own, is also a very very well executed idea that inevitably took Azzaro as inspiration. Think late 70’s, disco music, flowing dresses, nighttime pool parties, Donna Summer, smoke filled discotheques, soapy aldehydics, what a Calandre wearer changes to at night and you get an idea of what Azzaro smells like. A stunner that is also somehow melancholic, reminding us of what used to be and is no more. Azzaro had emotion, it was alive! It’s hard to say that about any perfume, but here I felt it breathe! I absolutely love it, and I’m happy to see an old friend in the sillage of the above mentioned beauties. Either of them is a mirror reflection of one another, complete with differences and similarities. But if I find another bottle of it, I’ll most definitely buy it again; the liveliness of it is incomparable! Man! The decade from 1970 to 1979 did really spawn some of the most beautiful perfumes ever created! If you find any of them, don’t hesitate. They are treasures!
So apparently this perfume is by the brand 'The Ordinary' and was formulated by it's creator, who is sadly no longer with us. I don't really know a great deal about all that, but I know that the cosmetics are well received and visionary according to folks who care about such things. I believe I know perfume fairly well and what I like, even in a lack lustre, beige release such as this one are some degree of coherent brand messaging, and I would certainly expect this to be the smell of a minimalist, hipster variety and it doesn't disappoint. This is the conjured smell of a blank canvas space, the lightly dusted floor, bare plaster walls, rendered stone, a light wash of emulsion. This is much more of a textural mood board than it is an attention grabbing perfume to smell nice or simply smell.... of. The peppery top notes are clearly there but at the same time about as austere as you can get, a sort of low impact incense and the rest is just a woody/stoney plinth which it sits atop. For what it is.... I quite like it for the same reason I like stuff like CdG, they're modern and cool. I like that it has exclusivity but not that gold encrusted, gawdy Harrods exclusivity more of a cool 'diggin; in the crates', trendy coffee shop vibe, and not because I enjoy the pretentiousness, simply because it's kinda cool that you actually have to seek something out in this age where we can tap our phones and have something arrive the next day. This is more of a 'if you know... you know...' sort of thing. I wouldn't be surprised if they didn't even advertise it. It's that fucking cool! I also like the fact that it's not a silly price, because it shouldn't be. Functional perfume. This wasn't made to appeal to perfume fans but inadvertently a certain cohort of them will make Avestan a cult classic.
Lovely. Just lovely. A breath of fresh air on this pre spring day (well it technically is Spring but you wouldn't know it) fresh lovely floral accord with lightly powdery undertrappings all smoothly delivered. The execution of Santa Maria Novella is so good I never fail to be impressed even with overtly femme and things I don't often opt to wear myself, this has been a thorough reward, an absolute joy.
I found the opening of this to be refreshingly unique, citrus yet again smacking at the helm of a lumbering ship of notes and accords. After about ten seconds I was like 'what is that'? eventually realising it was a really nutty smell. I'd love to know how this was achieved? Pyrazines perhaps? It's fairly fleeting but then the drydown is again a sweet, amber musk hint of rose, skin scent, sitting close and musky. Hard not to like, but easy to exclude from any elite level of perfumery because they just seem so clunky and deliberate, perfumery is about mystique for me and Argos just seem to lack it for some reason and it's a damn shame because the imagery they employ references to classical artworks and their inspirations, rather than seeming cheesy or phoned in, are actually quite authentic. All the blurbs are flowery as expected but I just think.... fair enough. I'm going soft in my old age I think?
I found this hard to dislike. It's a bit of a mess really but crucially doesn't smell bad. The top notes are really defined bergmot and these higher concentration, niche and indy brands seem to get that right consistently. but underneath is a sort of complex soup of amber, woody, musk. It's quite lovely but dolloped on with little finesse or stand out 'notes' it seems.
Perhaps I'm missing something here but this perfume is not a direct clone of Tuscan Leather. To look at the notes in my carded sample, you'd think it was and then coming here and seeing swathes of smells likes, I'm just not feeling that way. The fundemntal things which make tuscan leather are in fact a sort of rough sawn woody, sandalwood base which this simply doesn't possess. Some fleeting association this does have a rspberry note (if you must) a leather accord of sorts and a dry, smoked birch airy ambrox effect effect but the metallic spikes and sour citrus give this a whole different dimension. This has more incommon with Aventus than it does Tuscan leather. To be honest it reminds me much more of a Xerjoff (name escapes me) a Memo (name escapes me.... albeit something leather.... not that that would narrow it down...lol) and finally one I can actually name Rasai Ambergris Showers. I didn't hate this either but it felt a little more redundant as if chasing hints of hit perfumes here and there but ultimately coming out with something different but still derivative feeling. It's alright.
My son loves this. I’m not a big fan, but that doesn’t mean I think it’s a bad perfume. It’s just not my vibe. If you are single, wear this on a date. If you are in a relationship, don’t you dare wear this out. A little too on the nose in my opinion as far as smelling like someone who wants to wear a fragrance to be alluring. One spray lasts all day. I don’t recommend wearing it in warm weather. Also, this is way better than the original.
This is seen as the Crown Jewel in Hugo Boss’ major comeback as a designer men’s fragrance house, which is now about six or seven perfumes deep depending on if you include the last couple of the The Scent flankers and whether or not you liked Bottled Parfum (I didn’t, I thought it smelt like a half-finished The Scent spin-off). And I really DO like this a lot, but if I’m honest in the Murderer’s Row of the last three Bottled flankers, I would probably put it third. Some of that’s not fair because Bottled Elixir was literally my Wedding fragrance that I picked out with my wife, so it can’t compete with that in terms of memories and never will, and I’m also one of those weirdos that absolutely adores Bottled Triumph Elixir, which I can’t wait to log because I have full-blown conspiracy theories about that release. This IS amazing in its own right to me though. I don’t get much of the tobacco others say they do even though it’s not one of the notes, to me it’s a mildly sweet resinous thing with a lot of strong but non-Churchy incense and smooth patchouli, held together by a nice sticky Myrrh accord. Myrrh’s one of those notes where I don’t think I have an opinion of one way or the other but then it shows up in a lot of perfumes I really like so it must be doing something. I will say though, if you already have Elixir I would recommend testing this out first because I think there is a decent amount of redundancy between them. I don’t even totally hate that because I’ve been begging this line to find an identity after it abandoned the Apple Pie Thing it was doing before and it’s finally done that, and if you’re into nuance and occasionality you could probably justify owning both because Absolu is a bit classier (says the guy who got married wearing Boss Bottled Elixir), but for NORMAL PEOPLE they might be a bit too similar.
I want to say that this fragrance is terrible/awful whatever, because it's egregiously saccharine opening is only matched by it's appalling creamed tobacco drydown. Not only that but quite impressively it manages to shoehorn in the irritant that is the apple note/accord and yes you can smell that too despite all this other mental noise, including waxy floral note banana jasmine/ylang which lasts the first 30mins or so! And yet somehow I don't hate it. Yeah. Bizarre. I think I'm having a stroke or something? I mean it's bad. It's objectively bad but there's almost something admiral about the fact it concisely conveys all these things in one stonking, lump of a perfume. It's not for me, but it might be for someone. (with no taste, or who like I think I do, likes it ironically or for kitsch value)
Okay so in the interest of full disclosure I went into this sampling with trepidation and conscious bias against Argos as a brand for reasons too long and pointless to go into but let's just say my hopes were not high and I did relish the idea of slating these perfumes in the public forum that is Fragrantica. However, In Argos Pour Homme I was greeted by quite a likable designer masculine vibe with a sort of niche/indy sensibility and certain clunkiness of materials which I found quite pleasant and even...almost endearing. Yeah I know. I'm as shocked as you are. To me the opening was a nice bergamot and gin fizz sparkle which gives way to a mild lavender and violet, and is all quite fun and such if a bit heavy handed. Then the drydown resembles a sort of Paco Rabanne XS/ Creed Himalya type thing a sort of sage, white floral induced, creamy barber base. I really quite liked it.
I was sent this as part of a blind sniffing exercise to determine whether it was cheap or expensive. My general thoughts were that it smelled and probably should be...cheap but the overarching feel was one of minimal, hipster, modernity and as such I believed it to be expensive. I could just picture some hipster with a beard and a beanie hat, pedantically correcting something I said with an upward inflection at the end as if he was asking a question? This utter twattery and BANG ON the Money, blind appraisal aside, No.8 is a somewhat nondescript, peppery, woody perfume, which softens to the kind of musky, skin adornment one would associate with this sort of thing. Personally I can't hate this sort of thing, it's wearable for me but I do find it a bit bland and uninspired. Oh well.
This is one of those scents that I cannot wear every day, as to me it really is a beast mode fragrance that can be very overpowering in the wrong environment. I would never wear this to the office for instance, as I think it would be too much.
My husband loves this to bits on me, he always compliments me when I wear it. Makes me feel very sexy and seen, and as such it is something I would wear on a date night, or during evenings. I think it can be worn all year, though it might be a bit too cloying during really hot days.
To me, this smells like an abundance of flowers drenched in sugary goodness. It is very very sweet, but also has depth, and a bright zingy opening. Drydown is sweet, sugary and musky and lasts for daaaaaaays :)
I think I am on my fourth or fifth bottle of this. I got this for the very first time when it was just out, I think and I've loved it ever since. By now it's also something nostalgic for me.
This used to be my signature scent, and I still love to wear it when the mood hits me - this will never be not in my collection.
The opening is somewhat fresh and fruity, a little tangy even (the litchi I think?), and then it morphs into something warm and comforting, with a lot of freesia and rose bleeding through. I love that it is a floral, but it's warm at the same time. It lasts and lasts as well, and turns slightly soapy which I do not mind at all.
My mother used to wear l'Air du Temps by Nina Ricci all the time, and this seems to be a little bit in the same family, a younger daughter or cousin, so that also makes things feel familiar and cozy for me :)
I’ve been intrigued by the Xerjoff house for a minute now. So, I thought the much hyped Erba Pura fragrance would be a suitable starting point. This scent was not quite what I expected. It’s heavy on the fruit, right off the bat. I don’t pick up the citrus components in the profile, nor the vanilla. Upon applying, you get the sense that you are simply drowned in a can of fruit cocktail. The scent reminds me 100% of the fruity body sprays that girls loved in junior high. That’s all I pick up from this fragrance. I feel like a Barbie doll wearing it, as I’m a bit more on the masculine nature. I can’t pull it off. However, this is a very nice scent, and it’s perfect for the female demographic. I could easily rate this a 5 star for female. But, as a male, this is a 3 star scent at best. So, I split the difference. The projection and longevity are fantastic. Ladies, this one is perfect for you, if you are a fruity scent lover. Men, consider an alternative Xerjoff fragrance like Naxos.
Rufus Hound is one of the most irritating, obnoxious people on the BBC, from what I've heard this fragrance fits the bill.
Just after spraying, this fragrance captivates me with its striking blend of red fruits, dark cherry, and a candied rose. The coffee grounds, however, introduce a curious tension, though bold, they add a slightly off-putting element, due to its synthetic quality, reminding me more of Mancera's Intense Café than the smoother Roses Vanille. Despite this, this note does not compromise the quality of the fragrance to me. As it develops, the scent evolves into something more complex. The amber takes on a slightly animalic quality, while the tonka bean pops out amidst a woodland setting. There’s a hint of burnt sugar that adds a touch of sweetness to this, deepening the overall experience. Around the final dry down this fragrance becomes a dreamy, woody scenario, inviting you to escape into a world of warmth, and soft, comforting layers of fruit and wood. In warmer weather, the fragrance is overwhelmingly fruity, with the cherry providing a refreshing, light touch. But as the temperature cools, this turns into something more amber-forward, evoking the mysterious, magical aura of a fairy forest full of roses. The red fruits remain, while the woodsy base gives a cozy, comforting feel as it lingers on the skin. I love it both in summer and fall.
