Random testflight reviews

[vertigo12314]

Parfumes de Nicolai New York

From the PdN Website
Top notes : very crisp : citrus : lemon, lemon petit grain oil, bergamot. Lightly aromatic : lavender and armoise oils.
Heart : spicy woody : pimento and pepper oils, patchouli oil and cedar.
Bottom notes : vanilla, leather, amber

The citrus opens up nicely with the lavender and armoise oils which make it a little like matte tea. Supporting it is light patchouli and woods with nice spices. The cedar is smooth. It's more earthy than the oft compared Bois du Portugal. I think it's quite possible to own both and find them very different. Sillage and longevity are very good. The lavender gives the impression of late at night or early morning. The basenotes are soft and enjoyable. This could be successfully used year round and at the office. It lasts long and is very masculine. I can see why people like this one a lot. It's like a sophisticated person walking to his nice car on a grey day in New York and then driving to the Hamptons for the weekend. This would be a good alternative to Creed's Erolfa if you want to avoid the marine notes and go with an earthy direction that can still feel coastal.

 

[vertigo12314]

Estee Lauder Beyond Paradise for Men

Top notes are monstera, orange blossom, hyacinth, grapefruit, bergamot and lemon;
middle notes are gardenia, orchid, jasmine and honeysuckle;
base notes are hibiscus, plum wood and amber

The top notes start off as a disgusting Neroli citrus and floral. The middle notes continue on with Orchild which makes it smell like a cat’s butt, BO or a child that hasn’t bathed in a long time. This is down there as one of the worst I’ve smelled. DO NOT BLIND BUY THIS. Creed’s Erolfa or Millesime Imperial fragrances are much better aquatics. If you like Orchids you’ll like this otherwise….."No Paradise for YOU!"

 

[vertigo12314]

En Passant

Lilac, surrounded by watery and green notes, cucumber and wheat

The lilac appears and merges quickly into the neroli. The neroli continues on giving a fresh scent but unfortunately there is an ugly rubber note that interferes with both scents. This is a no for me. The sillage is good and so is the longevity if you happen to like smelling like Neroli and Lilac. I would prefer Lilac without the neroli and some other combination. The cucumber and wheat don't add much so it ends up being Neroli dominated.

 

[vertigo12314]

L'Eau Sento by Iunx

Cedar leaves, Cypress wood, Yew, Red Seaweed.

Starts off with a very familiar scent of wood that reminds me of cypress wood and crispy leaves plus I think "Yew" trees. It's hard to describe it's nostalgia. It evokes the smell of shops with wood crafts or museums or cork board. This would be a good alternative to Cypres Musc but for Fall and Winter weather. I would expect this to work well at Christmas time. Really intriguing. I expect others would find it recognizable as well. The sillage is good and the longevity is what you would expect of most fragrances. This scent is VERY soothing and would be nice to put on before bedtime. Very relaxing. The dry down is gorgeous.

The official description is:

A tree stands near peaceful waters in Japan. Its moisure-filled blond wood is smooth and warm. Close your eyes and feel the heat of wood-infused steam.

 

[vertigo12314]

Serge Lutens Bois de Violette

violet, violet leaf and cedar

Starts off with candy violets and then quickly moves into cedar. Much like Gris Clair the top and bottom notes fuse together and continue for a long time. This is much better than Ajaccio Violets by trumper where it goes into grandma territory. The cedar is very strong and makes this a unisex scent with a smoky wood base. Well done.

 

[vertigo12314]

Vetiver Extraordinaire by Frederic Malle

Top notes: bergamot and bitter orange
Middle notes: pink pepper, cloves and vetiver
Base notes: sandalwood, cedar, oakmoss, myrhh and musk

The refreshing opening is realistic orange with vetiver. Very nice. As the pepper and cloves enter into the picture the overall effect makes the fragrance greener. The sandalwood, cedar, oakmoss, incense and musk seem to apportion themselves without taking over completely making the wood more tangy than heavy. This is easily one of the best vetivers. For the price Guerlain vetiver is a better overall deal but if you can afford it then I recommend this vetiver.

 

[vertigo12314]

Lys Mediterranee by Frederic Malle

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.

 

[vertigo12314]

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.

I think both are done by Jean Claude Ellena so he won't mind which one you choose.

 

[vertigo12314]

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 dry down gets more sweet with vanilla but it's all balanced. This is definitely a classic up there with Creed Royal English Leather. Definitely sample beforehand because it can take awhile to "get it". Despite people thinking there is an age barrier I think any man 25 and over can wear it no problem.

 

[vertigo12314]

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 beautifully in the dry down. You may have to spray on more to your desired effect. It evokes a scent of outdoors. It’s like Habit Rouge was mated with Green Irish Tweed and all the wood and leather was removed. This is the best violet I’ve smelled other than Green Irish Tweed. The sillage is okay and longevity typical of Guerlain. It’s like a powdery violet (GIT style) after the rain and definitely smells old like Habit Rouge or Acqua di Parma because of the powder and possibly the Hawthorn. I think this will be my first purchase of an exclusively feminine targeted fragrance. For anyone who likes Green Irish Tweed they should try this one. It's does have the effect of sending you back in time 100 years.

 

[vertigo12314]

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. Just amazing stuff. Too bad it’s discontinued.

 

[vertigo12314]

Caron Yatagan

Top Notes: Lavender, Wormwood, Petitgrain, Artemisia.
Middle Notes: Geranium, Pine Needles, Vetiver, Patchouli.
Base Notes: Leather, Castoreum, Styrax.

There's a little bit of lavender in the opening but much more wood and pine. I don't notice any celery. Some of this wood reminds me of Iunx Eau Sento and a little like fall leaves and possibly the wood (wormwood/pine). The vetiver and patchouli freshen it up until the nice leather dry down. You can't go wrong with this one and the price is right.

 

[vertigo12314]

Eau de Guerlain

Top Notes: Lemon, Bergamot, Basil, Petitgrain, Caraway
Middle Notes: Rose, Jasmin, Patchouli, Carnation, Sandalwood
Base Notes: Amber, Moss, Musk

It begins with an enjoyable ZESTY lemon and citrus. The basil spices it up a little and the moss moves this scent to almost an Acqua di Parma forest floor meeting Dior Eau Sauvage territory. Good mix! It ends off with a nice musk. This should be considered up there with the best citrus fragrances though I still prefer Eau Sauvage very slightly.

Man I'm on a roll. Some of these fragrances are fantastic.

 

[mdevine]

Excellent work as usual vertigo. Have you tried the lily in L'Artisan's Passage d'Enfer? I find that a pleasant lily fragrance. The incense notes relegate it to mostly winter use for me.

 

[vertigo12314]

Penhaligon's Elixir

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 cinnimon leaves, rosewood, and vanilla. The leaves themselves are much better represented by Yatagan. It seems like it should be complex by the notes but on my skin but alas. There's a more incense towards the dry down but nothing to write home about. Yatagan or Iunx Eau Sento are better choices IMHO.

 

[vertigo12314]

Excellent work as usual vertigo. Have you tried the lily in L'Artisan's Passage d'Enfer? I find that a pleasant lily fragrance. The incense notes relegate it to mostly winter use for me.

I've been eyeing it but the only L'Artisan's I've got so far for reviews are Timbuktu and Coeur de Vetiver Sacre. I'm sure it is good. I've also been thinking about trying Fou D'Absinthe.

 

[vertigo12314]

Penhaligon’s Endymion

Top Notes: Mandarin, Bergamot, Cardamom, Nutmeg, Black Pepper
Middle Notes: Vetiver, Lavender, Sage, Amber
Base Notes: Leather, Musk, Myrrh

The citrus, gourmand pepper on the top is reminiscent of L’Occitan by L’Occitane. The lavender continues the L’Occitan experience until the amber comes in to smooth and sweeten the scent beautifully. The leather and incense dry down is subtle and nice. Basically if you want something more rustic and cheaper for a pepper/lavender then go with L’Occitan otherwise go with Endymion.

 

[vertigo12314]

L'Artisan Timbuktu

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 intelligently made it's fun. The price isn't bad for something so interesting. I could imagine Africa while wearing this. This would be perfect in good weather. If you like Silver Mountain Water you should give this one a try. Also if you like the matte quality of PdN New York I recommend this for the papyrus.

 

[vertigo12314]

Okay I'm done for awhile. Happy hunting and sampling.

 

[p.m.a.]

Your reviews are thoroughly enjoyable! I like to read your take on the few that I have tried, and on others that I am curious to try. Many thanks for taking the time.