Fragrance (Reviews)

Top notes: bergamot and citrus, Middle note: pepper Base notes: sandalwood, ambergris and pepper. One thing I'll give Vintage Tabarome is that with a drop I'm still getting some scent going on so longevity and sillage must be at the top level. It's like a nice green super peppery citrus. Very unique and easily better than the new Creed Tabarome. VERY MANLY. The citrus and the pepper with the basenotes is what makes it so unique. It's almost like I'm smelling a chair at a peppery...

To me L'Homme is a very-well balanced, clean, manly and yet slightly floral fragrance. It starts out with a burst of sweet floral in the opening. As it dries down the sweetness gives way to citrus, vetiver and a musk scent. Overall i really enjoy this fragrance. While it's not anything groundbreaking, it is a well developed fragrance. Here is where this fragrance could use some improvement. The longevity and projection of L'Homme could really be improved. The longevity of L'Homme wasn't...

Been on a vetiver kick lately and bought Lalique Encre Noir blind based on some threads here. Paid $45 for 100mL bottle. Considering the quality of this juice that is a steal. I've only tried L'Occitane and MPG vetivers and Lalique is very much different than the previous 2. It is a dry, dark, smokey, earthy, rooty hit you in your face vetiver in a very good way. Settles down to after 2-3 hours, but the overall longevity is impressive and definitely lasts 10+ hours. Pretty powerful...

Cale Fragranze D'Autore Mistero Top notes: rum, rhubarb and mint Middle notes: pimento, elemi, saffron and basmati rice Base notes: oak, agar, labdanum and musk It starts off smelling like an oil painter's pallete of turpintine and paint. This is definitely due to the pimento. Pepper tends to make other green scents chalky smelling. The basmati rice and oak appear pretty quickly. The oak is very recognizable much like smelling oaked wine. The mint gives it a freshness and the...

This scent is a simple citrus floral. It is a good comparison with Acqua di Parma Colonia. Just dial down the excess powder and remove the roses and you’re getting closer. It has a charming old-world quality coming from the realistic florals. It’s smells like orange blossom but it isn’t overpowering and very refreshing. The longevity is similar to Caldey Island Lavender and it could be worn by both men and women (though it comes with a ribbon). I personally would prefer this to Acqua...

I must admit, I love this fragrance. It is a very deep fragrance, that to me just exudes rich and sophisticated. Angel Men Pure Malt was produced by taking Angel Men and storing it in whisky barrels used to age fine whisky. The result was a masterpiece. If you've smelled Angel Men but found the opening and tar note to harsh. Then you will probably enjoy Pure Malt. It is a smoother more refined gourmand, and is probably one of the best in its class. The drydown of this cologne is amazing...

I've read some reviews of S&W that make it out to be pretty lousy. One person considers its birch note "nothing out of this world", while another says "dunno who approved this." Other reviewers are a little more charitable: words like "impressive", "old-school", and "masterpiece" are used. So what do I think of S&W? I think it's really good. I'm just not so sure it's worth $550 for 8 ounces of the stuff. But let me talk about the scent first. Initial application brings an incredibly...

Top Notes Melon de Cavaillon, Watery Melon, Fresh Cucumber, Tangerine Middle Notes Basil, Clary Sage Absolute, Geranium Base Notes Washed Suede, Velvety Moss, Amber Wood, Patchouli Coeur, Sheer Musk Polo Blue is I must admit, the only cologne I own from Ralph Lauren. With that, I really enjoy what they have done with this cologne. It has a very natural fresh feel that is unlike most. Most fresh scents either fall into the aquatic/soapy/citrius or some combination of the three...

Some people cannot stand broccoli or brussel sprouts. Both are bitter and awful tasting to these people. A gene in your DNA determines this. I'm guessing there is a vetiver-ish gene in my DNA. To me, vetiver is one of the more appealing scents there is or ever will be. You will not find broccoli or brussel sprouts in RdV, but I would be willing to wager that if you like brussel sprouts you will like the vetiver in RdV. Some say black currants are nasty. Robins love them, and so do I...

I finally obtained a bottle of Tom Ford Tuscan Leather. Price: TF is expensive stuff, no doubt. The score is reflected on the price. I can't say I'd buy a whole range of TF scents owing to the high price, but I'm not moaning over the money I did spend. Quality: There is nothing that smells synthetic or rough here, and smelling it over time, there is nothing nasty or artificial in the dry down, indicting decent quality to me. Packaging: A plastic cap which, at the price, seems a...

Frédéric Malle Editions de Parfums has put out a lipstick rose scent that would certainly not work on men. Une Rose is the answer to that. Creed's Bulgarian tea rose meets my need for a green rose. When I want a dark, earthy rose, I turn to the Malle. Une Rose gives me the dark, gummy, masculine flower in all its glory, completely offsetting any feminine associations it may have. The opening is a boozy explosion of rose, black cherry, geranium, and plastic. Each note is blended to a...

I picked this up several weeks ago, and meant to do a review here once I had the opportunity to wear this a number of times, in a variety of circumstances. Luckyscents describes this one as a combination of: "exotic woods, spices, raisin, vine flowers, pepper, candied orange, nut, hazelnut, prune, cocoa, coffee, leather, woods, white honey and vanilla." My first and most lasting impression upon smelling this, either sprayed in the air, on a test card or on my skin, is white cedar; so...

Top Notes: Mango, Berries, Pink Pepper, Cardamom. Middle Notes: Karo Karounde Flower, Papyrus Wood, Frankincense Base Notes: Myrrh, Vetiver, Patchouli, Benzoin The mango and berries appear upfront and refreshing. Pretty quickly a really nice floral appears mixed with a nice light wood. There's good sillage and longevity like most L'Artisan fragrances. The wood and flower are what makes this exotic and the incense finishes it off well by being a little sweet. This is so...

Top Notes: Eucalyptus, Cardamom, Orange Blossom Absolute and White Cedar Middle Notes: Red Turkish Rose Absolute, Egyptian Jasmine Absolute, Cinnamon Leaves, Mace and Rosewood Base Notes: Benzoin, Tonka beans, Vanilla, Incense, Red Sandalwood and Guaicum Wood The citrus at the top is overpowered by the wood. The rose and floral elements are overpowered by cinnamon leaves, rosewood, and vanilla. The leaves themselves are much better represented by Yatagan. It seems like it should...

Patou pour homme prive Top notes: Bergamot, Lavender Middle notes: Sandalwood, Patchouli, New Mown Hay Basenotes: Vanilla Another great lavender scent. The bergamot is great and the lavender is bumped up with a green hay/grassy scent and supported by sandalwood and patchouli. It jumps between a sweet soapiness to a green earthiness. It’s hard to compare this with anything because it’s so original. This should be sampled by anyone who likes fragrance. Good longevity and sillage...

Guerlain Apre L’Ondee Top Notes: Aniseed, Hesperidic notes, Rose Middle Notes: Violet, Hawthorn Base Notes: Iris root It begins with a powdery iris and anise with some floral. If the rose is there it’s very much in the background. The violet appears but the sweetness is subdued by the powdery iris note. I think this can be gotten away with by men even though it is marketed for women. It’s very understated compared to Bois de Violette and stays close to the skin but blooms out...

Guerlain Habit Rouge Top Notes: Bergamot, Lemon, Rosewood, Basil, Pimento Middle Notes: Sandal, Carnation, Patchouli, Cedar, Rose, Cinnamon Base Notes: Vanilla, Amber, Moss, Leather, Benzoin, Labdanum, Olibanum Okay I've come around to this one. The citrus and wood is upfront. After awhile I can detect some rose and a powderiness mixed with leather. This would be a good comparison with Acqua di Parma which has more roses and powder. Habit Rouge is more leather and wood. The...

Angeliques Sous La Pluie by Frederic Malle coriander, pink pepper, cedar and angelica The opening is a peppery floral. It then includes cedar. All of it is done with high quality and balance. I suppose you could imagine this scent after a rainfall. This is another good wood scent that veers towards masculine. There's a lot of competition in regarding cedar so I would sample this one and Voyage D'Hermes. If you prefer floral then choose this one and if you prefer citrus choose Voyage.

Diptyque Eau Duelle Top Notes: Cardamom, Elemi, Juniper. Middle Notes: Saffron, Calamus Base Notes: Vanilla, Black tea, Amber This immediately smacks of vanilla gourmand. This would be a direct competitor with SCS New Spice. The vanilla is subtle and delicious. The juniper is subdued and the saffron and Calamus adds a slight spicy brown bag paper smell (in a good way) with the black tea and amber warming it up. Definitely both men and women can use this. The notes I...

The top notes are nicely floral (without overdoing it) and it's unmistakenly Lily. It stays this way for a while and the Neroli appears but doesn't overpower the lily (finally!). Very balanced. The musk keeps this from being only feminine but I expect women would be more interested in it. Guys who love florals will love this due to the green quality of the florals. This is the best lily fragrance I've smelled.