Only lacking in the vanilla and powder notes of Tom Ford Oud Wood, this fragrance hits the woody oud scent that you are looking for. The smell is very good, not too cloying, and lasts for a solid 8 hours on skin and clothes. Solid choice for those who prefer manly scents.
The Most Wanted has rapidly crept into my top 10. This scent profile is amazing. The spice is smooth. and the sweetness of the caramel mixed with amber is intoxicating. Not a cloying fragrance at all, even doing up to 8 sprays. I would say this is a step up from The Most Wanted EDP, but not by a lot. Both are worth getting in to your fall/winter rotation.
Another hit by Maison Alhambra. Much like almost every Middle East fragrance, this one needed to macerate a bit upon opening. When I first got it, it almost smelled stringent. After a couple of months of maceration, the mango note of this fragrance was highly developed. Sceptre doesn't have the amber and warmer notes that GoF does, but it is a very good substitute.
As far as dupes go (and I'm not saying Maison Alhambra is a dupe house!) this one is solid. It is about 90-92% close to the scent profile of Tom Ford Tobacco Vanille. The only thing missing is the slight cocoa tone that TF has. The main notes are identical with the MA, but it's a little more on the sweet side. Great fragrance at a great price.
This opens with a hard ginger note so if that's not your thing stop here. The vetiver comes through after about 15 to 30 minutes
This is a basic citrus woody fragrance with a big ginger and vetiver profile. It's subtle really well balanced. The powder comes through a lot after 5 or so hours really finishes out with the iris powder profile
I feel like this is a good all year round fragrance the ginger and vetiver do make it stand out so I can see it used for a special occasion but I think it's a perfect everyday scent.
Seems to lean a little more feminine, possibly the iris is why but as a man I'd wear it anytime. If Ingenious Ginger is your thing try this for sure
Maison Alhambra is a solid cologne house. Although considered dupes of high end fragrances, if we only knew of Maison Alhambra, it would be considered a niche brand. Their replicas of more expensive fragrances are often 90% similar, and cost a fraction of the price. This one is no different. Why spend upwards of $500 on LV when you can spend 1/12 that for Immortal?
There is no designer fragrance that Curve could be considered a dupe of. This is a stand alone scent, that is very affordable, and would be considered a great starter budget fragrance. The original Curve (slightly similar in profile) was a huge scent for me back in the 90s. So, the appreciation I have for this cologne is certainly based on nostalgia. Be that as it may, I do believe that Curve Black is a solid fragrance.
My mom's signature scent throughout my teenage years. I recently bought her a full size bottle for her birthday. She only had a mini in her bathroom and hadn't worn it in years. She was thrilled and immediately doused herself in it. Her smile was beaming. She was in the recovery center at the hospital at the time and had made quick friends with two other ladies there. She showed it to one and she asked her kids to get her a bottle for her next birthday. It smells like a well rounded approachable person. I may need to buy a bottle for myself, so I can bring my mom to work. She's a freaking cool lady.
Masterpiece. Dior Homme Intense (2011) with monstrous performance. It has darker, more leathery side that makes this stand out. Gutted this was replaced with Dior‘s new re-imagination
Monstrous is a word I usually reserve for the likes of Megamare, a perfume so synthetic and tenacious I can't bring myself to even touch the nozzle for fear I won't be able to get rid of the smell for days. However, Beach Hut Man is monstrous, yet also captivating and addictive rather than domineering and brutal. Nothing else smells even remotely similar to this, and worn in the right context, it shines as a masterpiece of perfumery. Said context is out in the hills of the French Riviera in sunny, mildy warm winter weather. I wore it to go hiking up a small mountain just by Nice in January, and I was like "NOW I get it!", whereas before I'd found it too much. I mean, it is too much if you're going to be indoors at all, or perhaps being indoors requires application with a roller, just one dab to each wrist. Either way, since my hiking day I've been in love with this perfume. Thr orange blossom in the opening is the best rendition of this note for me, it's staggeringly good, and heartbreakingly fleeting, leaving a bizarre but beautiful amalgam of woody green notes. Indeed, this is one of those perfumes where the notes blend seamlessly into one cohesive smell, and you really have to squint to discern them, it's pure genius. Update: Just received new formulation. I hope it will open up and change as it breathes a bit, as for now it's a let down. This is one of my favourite perfumes, and the opening gives me joy every time. Well, here it's a different story. The mint note is different, in fact it smells like the same cheap mint used in You Or Someone Like You, with the same cat piss nuance. It's not spearmint any more. The orange blossom is nowhere to be seen. The sillage smells closer to the original, but up close it's like a cheap dupe. It doesn't smell bad, but it makes me feel sad that my love has been butchered. Update: I'm warming to the reformulation after the bruising experience of wearing it the first time. It'll never beat the old version, but in its own right it's a good perfume. It's slightly more polite than the original so could be useful for workplace wear. The myrhh is more apparent from the start, and the very far drydown does smell more like the original. I can't put my finger on what's missing, but whatever it is is the thing that takes it from 10/10 (my only perfume with full marks) to perhaps 8/10.
If I reviewed this fragrance right when I bought it, I would have given it 1-2 stars. But, after some maceration time, this scent has rounded out to be more representative of what it is meant to be. Lacking amber and lavender notes, the original Tom Ford F'ing Fabulous is a better product, but at a premium price.
Lattafa has come out with some great cologne options. This is one of them. A heavy oud scent from start to finish, with a solid note of vanilla. Where this lacks in comparison to By The Fireplace, is the balsamic, spicy and amber depth. Still, this is a great scent for the price.
This might not be quite as woody as Aventus but the opening with the citrus blast is exactly what comes to mind it's just as musk heavy as creed too.
When I first got this fragrance, the Ambergris was super overpowering like it had a funk to it too much musk for me to even consider it to be office safe. I put it on the shelf and walked away. after seeing all the TikTok hype it was getting I decided to get it off the shelf again.
I will say it has mellowed out and blended very well. its still a very manly fragrance giving me some of the savage elixir vibes too but after macerating or oxidizing whatever you want to call it this fragrance has become wonderful from start to finish. My Mont Blanc explorer has more of a bite on the woody side vs this fragrance but i would put it between Aventus and Explorer as far as the woody notes go but Office has a lot more musk in the dry down. if you like fresh/ citrus/ musky woody fragrances you will love this. Grab it before they discontinue the line
Good price
horrible lasting
I consider this a far better dupe of Creed Aventus than the original CDNIM. The opening of this is far less harsh, and the scent profile better blended. For a fraction of the price of the Aventus, this is worth the purchase. But, in my opinion, I would heavily consider the Limited Edition, rather than the CDNIM original.
While I feel this is similar to Tom Ford Noir Extreme, there are some glaring differences. The woody note and saffron addition to the TFNE make it a more complex and deeper fragrance. However, Armaf pulls off a solid cologne that could stand on its own. I wear this often, and I love the scent. Not overpowering, this is a good office scent for the winter/fall.
One of Valentino's best scents. This fragrance has a nice powdery vanilla that blends well with some subtle juniper and sage. I feel this is an elegant scent. Could be used as a daily, but maybe more suited for special occasions. Definitely worth the price.
This is hands down one of my top 5 colognes. The vanilla mixed with spice and woody scents blend together perfectly. There is no heavy initial scent with this, even after applying 6-8 sprays. The dry down is smooth vanilla. I could wear this scent every day, for any occasion. A definite head-turner.
This is one of my favorite scents that Valentino makes. The spicy note is subtle, and the smell is not overpowering at all. It has a nice touch of tobacco added, which I love. I wear this for any occasion, often applying 6-10 sprays. It comes off a little strong at first, but the dry down is amazing.
I was hesitant to purchase this as a dupe of my favorite cologne (Haltane). But, for 1/10 the price, it is a very safe blind buy. Just be aware, PDM Haltane has a far smoother scent profile, with some praline notes that differentiate it greatly from Detour Eco. But, if you love spicy, woody oud scents like I do, this is a safe purchase.
If I could rate a cologne 10 stars in "value for the money", this would be the one. Under $25 for a bottle, this scent is fantastic and heavily reminiscent of Spicebomb Extreme (minus the tobacco note). For the price, there is no reason that you should not look in to purchasing this.
If Christmas had a smell, this would be it. Heavy cinnamon opening with a aromatic spicy and leather dry down. I would recommend layering this with Liquid Brun. This isn't a very heavy scent, so you can get away with 8-10 sprays and not be offensive. Great scent.
This is my favorite fragrance. The smell is amazing. You can get away with 8-10 sprays for any occasion (it may be a little heavy in the first 90 minutes). The dry down is fantastic. Soft tobacco note with a good spicy/vanilla kick.
Full transparency: I am a bit of an over-sprayer. I did 10 sprays of this and wore it to work. I would HIGHLY suggest if you are wearing this to work, limit yourself to 4 sprays. This stuff is beast mode. It was noticeable on my skin and clothes for well over 12 hours. Great scent, but no more than 6 sprays max. I've never tried BR540, so I can't confirm how similar it is to that scent. But, if you are looking for a similar scent profile that is really toned down and more pleasing to the nose than Instant Crush, I would recommend Valentino Yellow Dream.
