Aether33

Aqua pour Homme by Bulgari

Bulgari Aqva -

My go to summer fragrance.

I wore this baby as a signature scent for many years, wore it all seasons. It's a compliment generator, albeit one that is confused for other fragrances. So it is a very pleasant and cooling fragrance yet one that is apparently common.

Bulgari Aqva smells of melon and salt and a little lime in the opening. It very quickly turns to a bitter, almost pungent yet fresh scent. There is a miniscule whiff of green woodiness there as well. It's true that Aqva also emits an interesting petroleum note, although it doesn't detract from the positive effect. The scent as a whole DOES create mental images of the ocean, the ocean during a thunderstorm, dark skies and all. And it is also true that it is not very lasting on the skin. On clothes the persistence is much much better.

A great advantage of this fragrance is the bottle, which allowed me to carry it at all times and was able to spray throughout the day. So the persistence wasn't a problem at all.

Again, Bulgari Aqva is a compliment generating machine. This is the one scent that gets me multiple compliments when walking into a room, one after another, machine gun style! That being said, the fragrance doesn't inspire me, never has. It lacks strength, assertiveness, etc in the middle. I wore it ONLY for the compliments and the wonderful facial expressions by women when they smelled Bulgari Aqva. But on a hot and muggy day or evening its very pleasant and refreshing, hence I reach for it still during the summer.


Legend by Montblanc

This stuff is 'legendary' amongst women...

This rivals VS Very Sexy for Men for getting the most compliments from women.

I imagine that the pineapple opening has much to do with this. This note appears to be universally liked by women. ( Aventus comes to mind)

The opening is mostly this 'legendary' note of pineapple to my nose, sweet yet masculine. And this is basically it up until hours later when a VERY faint note of oakmoss appears.

It's a very pleasant fragrance without a doubt, but its unsophisticated and not my personal preference. My fave note is leather. But women at work have complimented me on Legend, and in a very overtly manner too. There is something in this that creates a very interesting reaction in them. My fave reaction came from my wife who upon spraying Legend on me she said "Wow, you smell like sex'...

Puzzling and equally incredible...



Very Sexy for Him by Victoria's Secret

Very Sexy for him -

One of my all time faves!

"WHAT are you wearing??!!"

"Is your wedding ring on?!"

"Did you smell him?! You HAVE to go smell him!"

These are actual compliments I've gotten from women when wearing this fragrance. I'm not sure what it is exactly. VS for Him does smell very good in my opinion. There is a red chilli pepper note that I think combined with a smoke and sweet note makes for a very attractive scent according to the opposite sex.

I'll be honest, I don't wear this one much for the compliments anymore (although they are always welcome!) This fragrance has followed me for such a long time now and has been there through great times in my life that I wear it more for the memories it brings up. I've worn it from the beginning when Gisselle started doing the ads for it. That face coupled with this fragrance made me think 'This has to smell good to the ladies!' And it did, as I said I've gotten more compliments from it than any other fragrance I've ever owned.

But I digress... the fragrance smells of my younger years, (I was about 21, 22 when it came out) and of watching James Bond movies, and of going out with my wife (then girlfriend) and having fun. It's become a part of me and I cannot possibly do without it in my small collection. In fact, I once heard a rumor that it would be discontinued and I about panicked...such is the effect of VS for Him!


Cuir Ottoman by Parfum d'Empire

Cuir Ottoman -

My new signature scent.

I have been searching for the perfect leather scent, this is the closest thing to it that I have found. Im puzzled by the 'Femenine' label, I thought it was unisex. Anyhow, it's plenty masculine in my opinion...

I understand that this is an oriental leather, made to conjure images and emotions from a once powerful empire. The fragrance is aggressive, strong, at times pungent, but also regal and luxurious.

The opening as has been stated before is an aggressive, powerful, animalic leather. This feels utterly exotic and it is where the images of ottoman conquest are realized. It also reminds me of cavalries, Arabic music, belly dancers, raw leather.
I love this leather opening.

The middle is somewhat tamed, smoky and dry, and a floral (iris I understand) scent begins to creep in. I also detect the so called balsamic note here, very natural and very well balanced with all the other notes. The leather, thankfully, is still prominent.

In the drydown, the leather is still prominent but is now very refined. The floral notes are more prominent and they are gorgeous. I'm reminded of Voyage d'hermes here, but with a pronounced floral note. Here I also detect a powder note. This is where Cuir Ottoman becomes unisex and where such a scent on a woman would make her smell very sexy and intriguing. I'm thinking Angelina Jolie in the film 'The Tourist'. On me, it's still leathery and very much masculine despite the floral and powder note.

The perfume evokes luxury and sophistication throughout, from beginning to end.
Fascinating fragrance.



M by Puredistance

Puredistance M -

I wanted to love this fragrance and therefore had incredible expectations for it. Leather is my favorite perfume note and Hermes Bel Ami is in my top 5, hence my expectations..(oh and in another life I WAS James Bond!)

I must say that I am a little disappointed, given the exorbitant price.

Puredistance M smells absolutely wonderful in the opening upon initial spray. It smells like ultra new rich grey leather. If this is what a new Aston Martin interior smells like then I fully understand why Mr. Dove would want to encapsulate it into a bottle. It is masculine, powerful and luxurious, it conveys scenes of various 007 films, etc...everything you've read already.

The problem for me is what happens after about 6 mins. The fragrance changes (on me) into a head spinning potpourri of spices, the entire restaurant kitchen cabinet worth of spices. There is still a strong note of leather here, but the spices are overpowering it. There is a note in here that also reminds me of Bijan for men, an incense old church like note that I do not like at all. Thankfully it disappears after a few minutes.

The drydown was also a disappointment. On me, the basenote turns into a hot spicy vanilla combination. It's sticky, hot, too intense, too sweet and the leather has now disappeared.

Bel Ami by Hermes is in my top 5 fragrances and I imagined that M would be an enhanced version of it. It is not an enhanced version in the sense that it is better. M is not better than Bel Ami. In fact, it may be too far a stretch to compare them even. The only place that both are similar, are at the 3 or 4 minute mark after initial spray, where the leather was most intense for both, Bel Ami's leather is also rich, smooth, albeit less dry...

Bel Ami is a much more citrus fragrance in the opening where the bergamot overpowers the leather, but quickly cedes to it. M's leather is front and center at the opening, and the citrus is just a whisper. This is where M is at its best in my opinion.

Bel Ami is much more transparent in the heart, where the spices are faint and the leather is strong. M's spices are powerful in the center.

Bel Ami's drydown is sweet and vanilla and slightly bitter, it is also infused with spices but it is all very light, a whisper so to speak and this makes it very pleasant. M's base as I said is hot, sticky, and far too sweet for my taste. The intense spices and the super sweet drydown is what makes it a much more unisex fragrance, this basenote would certaintly smell delicious on a woman.


This is good however, because it would be redundant for Dove to have created another Bel Ami; M is its own and now you have the choice.

The bottle is gorgeous as is the leather pouch you can carry it in. The price however does not justify the fragrance in my opinion. If M were to cost $150 a bottle, I would most certainly buy it, just for the opening alone. It's worth that price. But the actual price is not. Bel Ami at $125 a 3.4 oz bottle is.

Loved the opening though..that was amazing...absolutely 007'ish...





24, Faubourg Eau de Parfum by Hermès

24, Fabourg... (pure parfum)

The princess perfume from what I understand...

First off, this is a Beauty of a feminine fragrance, with a capitol W for women.
It is beautiful, sensual, warm, longing, intoxicating all at the same time. Pure femininity in a bottle and thus incredibly sexy.

The woman who wears this is gorgeous but requires a sensitive and featherlike touch to be seduced. She is elegant and playful, making her seem almost out of reach.

As for the fragrance itself, its a gorgeous floral, it's semi sharp, bittersweet, with warm vanilla and sandalwood combination. These are the notes I perceive. This fragrance is soft and it lingers, perhaps what a woman's scarf might smell when she unwraps it off her neck.

If this was in fact the scent that Diana left a trail of wherever she went, it more than explains (in part) why she was irresistible...


Eau des Merveilles by Hermès

Eau de Merveilles...

THE Scent...

In my mind, this is the zenith, epitome of a fragrance for women.

It reminds me of the great James Bond femmes- Vesper, Holly Goodhead from Moonraker, Octopussy, Kristina Wayborn also from Octopussy, Natalya Simonova in Goldeneye played by Izabella Scorupco (woman with a capital W!) and above all...XXX aka Barbara Bach from The Spy who Loved Me.

It is the face and body of Barbara Bach that soars through my mind when I smell Merveilles...strong, feminine, luxurious, gorgeous...

there is a scent of sea, warmth, spice and very faint tobacco...

anything that will remind me of Kristina Wayborn and Barbara Bach gets a

10/10, the perfect scent


Bulgari Man in Black by Bulgari

I'm going to give Man in Black a positive review.

This is a very spicy fragrance, opening with (what I perceive to be) rum, cinnamon, leather, chocolate and tobacco.

The fragrance intensifies with the addition of a dark rose (maybe the tuberose? I don't know that tuberose smells like on its own) note, a very attractive rose smell I might add. This phase of the scent is what could make it a unisex fragrance. I personally love the note and I don't mind it on me as a guy as it blends very well with the tobacco and rum.

The dry down is IMO exactly like the base of Bulgari Soir...powdery and lightly spicy. I would of preferred a more leathery drydown as the leather goes away by this phase...

I love this scent...on me the scent is very strong and it projects very very well. It's smooth, reminding me of expensive leather in the middle with spices that alert the senses. Didn't care too much for the dry down but the rest more than makes up for it.
I give it a solid 8/10


Terre d'Hermès by Hermès

Terre d'Hermes -

This is a special fragrance, a modern powerhouse.

Ellena manages to infuse so many positive elements into this creation. The concept of experiencing the elements of earth, water and air is perhaps the most obvious. Terre certainly takes you through a transformation (metamorphosis) when wearing it.

It takes 'elements' that are very modern transparent and fuses them with those that are classic and permanent. The result is a fragrance that is equally sensitive, sophisticated and powerful.

You will feel intelligent when wearing Terre d'Hermes. And you WILL feel very powerful when wearing it. I can almost picture my inner 'stallion' bursting out when I spray Terre on my chest.

As such, it is not meant to seduce in the conventional way. It is not a sexy fragrance on its own. This one takes an already very confident, very intelligent person to wear to complete the effect it is intended for. This is why I only wear it for work and business, when I need all the confidence and focus I can muster.

a 9/10 for me.


Bel Ami by Hermès

This is for the new formulation which doesn't seem to get a lot of love in comparison to the original (understandibly if you have smelled both.)

Since i have only smelled the new version...

This is a fantastic fragrance! It shot to the top of my list, nothing compares or even comes close in my opinion. (granted i haven't taken the time to go out and experience perfumes left and right, yet.)

The fragrance smells of lemon, leather, some tobacco and smoke. Incrediby smooth and velvety. It turns a tid bit sweet a the end but nothing unpleasant.

Bel Ami reminds me of smooth and expensive leather, it reminds me of those incredibly beautiful and elegant show horses in Spain I used to go watch with my dad. Its Hermes after all. Bel Ami is rich, elegant, sophisticated... as I said, top of my list.


Voyage d'Hermès by Hermès

First post!

I'll try to be as short as possible.
Voyage D'Hermes is an incredible scent for me. I'm not a note expert so I'll describe the overall effect it has on me instead.

Upon spraying initially what I smell is cold eucalyptus with a hint of fresh lemon or lime (very light, barely there). From there its hard to describe the various characteristics this fragrance takes, but it most certaintly takes me on a voyage, a journey. I read or heard a review on Youtube that this was 'Luxury in a bottle' as well as 'Sunshine in a bottle' and these are very accurate descriptions for me.

The scent is luxurious, sunny and whimsical, yet also substantial, deep, 'philosophical' as it invites me to literaly meditate and ponder...ANYWAYS, i'm gettinig off the subject...

I tried REALLY hard to like Terre D'Hermes, but it was just too orangey, and although i agree it has a hint of elegance, i ultimately did not find it to be so linear as others state, just my opinion.
...then i remember that the first Hermes fragrance for men i had tried was Voyage. So i went back to it. THIS was the Hermes I was looking for.

It is luxurious, elegant, sophisticated and versatile (much more than Terre) and on my skin it lasts ALL day...There is another element about Voyage that makes it so great for me...when i catch whiffs of it, its as if I feel the presence of a very strong and very beautiful woman urging me to carry on and face the world with confidence...(surprise surprise, beautiful women have that effect on men.)

well i tried to keep it short.

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