Once again, our man Archerfire came through with a little package full of big smells. Priced like a blackmarket bootlegger, packaged like a pro, and each atomizer filled past the point of purchase... this man knows how to create return business and word of mouth. So here's my mini-haul with some initial thoughts:
Montale Red Vetyver -- Comparisons to Terre d'Hermes are warranted but I find TdH more full and luscious. RV is more vetiver while TdH is more citrus and because of this RV seems more masculine to me. Both are nicely woody with excellent cedar (iso e super?) notes. RV comes off as slightly less natural than TdH, a bit more perfumey. Longevity, while not important to me, so far is on par with TdH. Overall a superb fragrance. Like Terre, it seems to just 'click' with me... I really like this!
Montale Wild Aoud -- Already had a sample vial and like it very much. By all accounts the name is a complete misnomer. I do agree that there's nothing "wild" about this fragrance. I don't know much about oud and frankly don't care if this has synthetic, real, or no oud in at all... it smells marvelous. Its opening is dry and sharp to the point of astringent, woody, and has a nice bit of tobacco. It's masculine without being overbearing like I find traditional/classic masculine fragrances to be. It has geranium and artemesia in it, and while I'm not exactly sure what either of those things smells like on their own, I have noticed that I enjoy other fragrances with those notes... gonna have to track down some geranium and artemesia essential oils to explore further. I highly recommend this fragrance to my fellow B&Bers as I think it would go over well based on trends and preferences here. Think Encre Noir... not in scent profile exactly, but moreso in tone and overall feel, if that makes any sense.
Acqua di Parma Colonia Assoluta -- Has a classic eau de cologne feel to it. Not the neroli/orange blossom bomb I was hoping for; more of a dry citrus instead (peel/rind?). So dry it gets a bit powdery in the drydown. I generally don't like powder in my fragrances but this is very mild and tolerable. I don't get the pepper and woods so many reviews of it mention. I do however get the soapy vibe (not as much as Neroli Portofino or Mugler Cologne) which ultimately saves it in my eyes (in my nose?), as soapy = good stuff (at least for spring and summer) in my books.
Tom Ford Private Blend Neroli Portofino -- Tried it before. You guys know the drill... to me the near-pinnacle of fresh, clean, soapy neroli summer fun and simplicity.
Mugler Cologne -- See comments above for Neroli Portofino (NP). I'm one of the few who find Mugler Cologne (MC) more similar to NP than to Original Vetiver (OV). MC and OV share only a soapy quality, while MC and NP have in common both terrific soapiness and the wonderfully weird neroli note. I say "weird" because I find neroli to intriguingly occupy an unnatural middleground between rotten and fresh... to me it smells like half rotten orange and half fresh flower. It's utterly unique to my olfactory experience and history and I love it... it's my new obsession... I feel drawn to it like I feel some are drawn to oud oils.
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Forgot this... Creed Green Valley -- This one doesn't get much fanfare and now I know why. All I'll say is vanilla doesn't belong in too many fragrances beyond the gourmand realm, especially when paired up with mint. Not for me. Roadster pulls it off, Green Valley doesn't. I will add that I found the mint kind of interesting in that it was earthy and muted instead of the clean, bright and mentholy mint more commonly found in some contemporary fragrances. Had to try it before the discontinued stock dries up forever.
Montale Red Vetyver -- Comparisons to Terre d'Hermes are warranted but I find TdH more full and luscious. RV is more vetiver while TdH is more citrus and because of this RV seems more masculine to me. Both are nicely woody with excellent cedar (iso e super?) notes. RV comes off as slightly less natural than TdH, a bit more perfumey. Longevity, while not important to me, so far is on par with TdH. Overall a superb fragrance. Like Terre, it seems to just 'click' with me... I really like this!
Montale Wild Aoud -- Already had a sample vial and like it very much. By all accounts the name is a complete misnomer. I do agree that there's nothing "wild" about this fragrance. I don't know much about oud and frankly don't care if this has synthetic, real, or no oud in at all... it smells marvelous. Its opening is dry and sharp to the point of astringent, woody, and has a nice bit of tobacco. It's masculine without being overbearing like I find traditional/classic masculine fragrances to be. It has geranium and artemesia in it, and while I'm not exactly sure what either of those things smells like on their own, I have noticed that I enjoy other fragrances with those notes... gonna have to track down some geranium and artemesia essential oils to explore further. I highly recommend this fragrance to my fellow B&Bers as I think it would go over well based on trends and preferences here. Think Encre Noir... not in scent profile exactly, but moreso in tone and overall feel, if that makes any sense.
Acqua di Parma Colonia Assoluta -- Has a classic eau de cologne feel to it. Not the neroli/orange blossom bomb I was hoping for; more of a dry citrus instead (peel/rind?). So dry it gets a bit powdery in the drydown. I generally don't like powder in my fragrances but this is very mild and tolerable. I don't get the pepper and woods so many reviews of it mention. I do however get the soapy vibe (not as much as Neroli Portofino or Mugler Cologne) which ultimately saves it in my eyes (in my nose?), as soapy = good stuff (at least for spring and summer) in my books.
Tom Ford Private Blend Neroli Portofino -- Tried it before. You guys know the drill... to me the near-pinnacle of fresh, clean, soapy neroli summer fun and simplicity.
Mugler Cologne -- See comments above for Neroli Portofino (NP). I'm one of the few who find Mugler Cologne (MC) more similar to NP than to Original Vetiver (OV). MC and OV share only a soapy quality, while MC and NP have in common both terrific soapiness and the wonderfully weird neroli note. I say "weird" because I find neroli to intriguingly occupy an unnatural middleground between rotten and fresh... to me it smells like half rotten orange and half fresh flower. It's utterly unique to my olfactory experience and history and I love it... it's my new obsession... I feel drawn to it like I feel some are drawn to oud oils.
EDIT:
Forgot this... Creed Green Valley -- This one doesn't get much fanfare and now I know why. All I'll say is vanilla doesn't belong in too many fragrances beyond the gourmand realm, especially when paired up with mint. Not for me. Roadster pulls it off, Green Valley doesn't. I will add that I found the mint kind of interesting in that it was earthy and muted instead of the clean, bright and mentholy mint more commonly found in some contemporary fragrances. Had to try it before the discontinued stock dries up forever.
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