According to the manufacturers this EDT contains: tarragon, cinnamon, patchouli, vetiver, civet and russian leather.
So we might as well start with the elephant in the room - did you spot it, hiding away quietly and trying to look innocent near the end of that list? CIVET! If your not sure what civet means then you need to go to your local zoo and get up close to a lions cage. Your domestic cat's litter box may have a trace of civet about it but probably too mixed up with other stuff...
Boots market this as a "conditioning hair dressing with a traditional fragrance" which is odd because it seems more like bay rum scented aftershave than proper bay rum in itself. Don't think this is a criticism though it's good stuff and the diluted feel of it isn't so much a failing as a benefit. The only other bay rum I've tried is the Dominica Bay Rum and that's a pretty full on, raging psychopath of a scent - I like it a lot but a slightly more toned down version is welcome. I'm not...
I got a sample so I've given a zero for atomizer and packaging.
Starts out very floral and classically cologne like, but that only lasts about half an hour before it changes into a totally different character.
To me this later character speaks of experience, a scent that's been around the world but not first class - more likely working for passage. Mature but not sophisticated it's got a seedy edge to it maybe from the rum and ash notes. Really quite subtle this scent hides in the...
I've marked this zero on packaging and atomiser because I only bought a sample.
It's quite a simple smell and just like it says - tobacco and vanilla, the blurb says it's also got some spices in the mix but I don't notice them.
Price: wow! This stuff is expensive, the cheapest I've seen is $165 for 50ml and you've got to wonder if a relatively simple scent is really worth that much - I'm convinced someone could easily produce a smell-alike for a tenth the price. Trouble is; nobody...
Let's start with longevity - don't put this stuff on if you don't want it to last, longevity is not an issue, it'll last twelve hours pretty well and linger beyond that. You won't even be able to wash it off and if you try to cover it up with another scent it'll just outlast the new one. It's also powerful stuff with good sillage (at first) but subtle too so it's not overpowering, later it's more of a skin scent but still distinct and strong close up.
When it first goes on the most...
At £5 ($10) a bottle, I had my doubts about the quality of this cologne but it gets good reviews so I took a chance and am very pleased I did.
The first question I wanted to answer was "does it actually smell of leather" - well, yes it does but I was kind of hoping for a more mature leather smell, like walking into a tack room. That's not how this smells, this is new leather - a shoe shop perhaps. Also when first applied it gives a quite powerful and unpleasant chemical blast, so my first...
Widely available in the UK, cheap and long lasting. Comes in a sturdy plastic case which is very good for travelling.
Price: Can't remember exactly how much I paid but it was peanuts.
Quality: Fair quality product, for the price exceptional.
Scent: Very light, clean scent, seems slightly citrusy to me. I like it.
Lather: Not quite the quality of top end soaps/creams but at a fraction of the price you can't really expect that. Lathers quickly and easily, gave a good shave, seems...