TOBS No. 74 Original

This is a love it or hate it scent but deserves more than a "Yuck' response especially if you pass judgement from a decant sample. The strength of this cologne is how it evolves as the day progresses, It does not smell the same hours after initial application and is even more impressive when layered with the
A/S. It most assuredly doe NOT smell like anything at the Macy's frangrance counter. Step up and give it a try, put your inner metrosexual in the closet for the day.

I had the Aftershave version, and loved it so much I had to get the cologne to tag-team. And I'm so happy I did. As stated before, this is very unusual and is a sweet, floral cologne--but for me it's not feminine at all. The sort of scent that gets noticed and will stand out from the crowd. And they will either love it or hate it.

And it lasts a good while, especially if paired with the aftershave. I can still detect a whiff at 9:30 at night as I sit writing this.

TOBS makes great products of high quality, and the bottle is solid--I just wish the cap were a little better. But it's really not a huge issue.

The bottle is a splash, so no ratings for atomizer.

At first I was scared by all the negative press for this one, here and on basenotes. But I noticed that there is a growing support for this cologne (and aftershave). Plus it was out of stock when I ordered it--perhaps because it is a hot seller? I hope so, because I hope Taylor keeps making it for generations to come.

Gotta say this one ain't for everyone, but i like it alot. Scent is kinda strange in the bottle but changes when on the skin. Very distinctive fragrance, nothing else like it for sure, but my partner luvs it and she is extremely particular when it comes to mens fragrences.

I love this famous old scent. It is to me a very distinctive British cologne. I know for a fact that this used to be known as "Royal Yacht", but when TOBS bought the right to manufacture the scent they could not get permission to use the old name, hence it is now called No 74.

There is nothing else quite like this one.

Manufacturer's Description: A floral cologne fragrance with top notes of orange, bergamot and lemon with a background of lilac, jasmine, rose and sweet musk.

Price: TOBS colognes are reasonably priced at about $40 for 100ml.

Quality: Hard to comment since I disliked it so much, but in general they make very good products though I think their fragrances are a notch below the top tier British products.

Packaging and Atomizer: I have a decant sample so I'm not commenting on these.

Scent: I sprayed this on and it reminded me of sitting next to a middle-aged or old lady who is wearing a sweet, annoying, and cloying perfume (my wife concurred). I'm not sure which 'note' I find particularly objectionable (I do like rose when it's not sweet), perhaps it's the sweet musk. To me it's a very feminine scent (but I wouldn't want to smell it on a woman either). It's not that I mind floral either, but I do have a low tolerance for sweet fragrances.

Complexity: Medium? I don't know if 'sweet, annoying, and cloying' = complex.

Staying Power: Pretty good (probably 6 hours or more) although for this cologne, 2 minutes was more than enough.