Reviews by coolnose
Happy for Men by Clinique
I used to like Chanel Allure Homme but ultimately became bored with it as it is a boring fragrance. I then tried this recently and decided it is very similar to Allure but...even more boring, bland etc. This does not make me feel happy or even lift my spirit in any way. However it is not an offensive smell, just too typical for me to care about it.
Monsieur de Givenchy by Givenchy
I absolutely love the first minute of the topnotes in this as it smells fresh, vibrant and wakes you up with the citrus burst. However it turns too animalic (civet/musk) further down the progression and I cannot say I am crazy about it. I am looking for the perfect citrus scent but have not yet found it; Eau Sauvage is not as fantastic as many claim and hailed as an alternative, it just smells old and whilst I like some classics, this and MdG are starting to be favourites of the grey-haired age range only.
Calvin Klein Man by Calvin Klein
This scent is subtle and doesn't project well; has little sillage. I cannot describe it as fresh as I cannot distinguish the orangey parts. I get the violet from the start and some sweetness, probably from the insence already reaching out from the mids before its time. This remains so - sweet, a very faint pine / cypress until the faint woody base. I like this scent but it is not at all distinguished or different to contemporary releases. Fairly bland after a while and you end up saying ho-hum to yet another 'similar' modern smell. CK seem prolific in their fragrance production but maybe they should sit back, get creative and create something which isn't another also-ran such as this inoffensive but square offering.
Signoricci 1 / Signoricci (Original) by Nina Ricci
This review is for the current version in the cylindrical bottle, green juice and black plastic top. I can certainly smell the lemon and bergamot in the topnotes as they hit you with a zesty freshness that cannot be matched not even by Eau Sauvage. I had a slight aversion to this fresh lemon at first but it really has grown on me. My previous favourite lemon from this era was (and still is equally) Arman eau Pour Homme. Iinto the mids, maybe a quarter of an hour later, I get a hint of the rose and ferns; a foliage fight as I get several green notes, none having the upper hand but very well-blended indeed as it gets into the end notes. This has become my favourite fresh scent, ahead of the other two mentioned classics as this never gives me olfactory fatigue in a hurry. very well blended, subtle, sparkling green and citrussy fresh and unassuming. Very much a classic in my book and highly recommended for a morning wake-up spritz, for the office or summer time.
1 Million by Paco Rabanne
This begins strong - sweet and brash, almost like a 1980s scent (PR 80s heritage muscling in here?). It is an almost cloying sweetness and the overall effect is in fact rather 80s; not contemporary at all, and could indeed be unisex. The mids attempt to divert your attention and reassess the overall sweetness with rose and cinnamon, but this only adds to the sweetness. The 'blond leather' I can only assume means 'untreated with chemicals' as all leather is light coloured before tanning. Anyway, this is not to me real note. PR cannot go wrong playing it safe with a base of the classic woods- amber-patchouli triumvirate. Works here, but keeps this fragrance in 'safe' rather than groundbreaking or revolutionary territory. The only thing which gives this a thumbs up is the PR 80s strange, non-modern note which pops up. Almost like the pervading 'Guerlainade' present in Guerlain fragrances. Good sillage, medium length longevity and smells quite natural to me. A good allday scent but use in moderation, its fairly strong as mentioned.
L'Eau d'Issey pour Homme Intense by Issey Miyake
The grey liquid belies the rather fresh and vibrant opening of bergamot, so called yuzu lemon and sweet orange (I guess that's 'normal' orange). A bit bitter, probably due to the bitter orange (bergamot) and the yuzu, also bitter. Wiling away a quarter of an hour you will notice this fragrance taking on a new facet. A very weird concoction; cooking spices of cardamom and saffron and an attempt to save the midnotes from culinary oblivion with an additon of a sweet floral note - 'blue water lily'. This hardly works as I get constant diffusions of comestible notes, as though I was invited to partake in a bowl of jalfresi. This pervades into the basenotes where I find it hard to pick up any amber or benzoin notes and very little frankincense at all. Is it the so-called 'papyrus' that I get then? I wouldn't know as I have never smelled papyrus; I can only imagine it to be like the smell of an old book, almost a sweet old paperback. But the base for me mostly smells of tobacco, and I don't know if that is a note here, but that's what I get. I don't think this an improvement on the original Eau D'Issey and maybe it will smell better in the heat of the summer, but I am not wild about it, so only a neutral thumbs here.
Dior Homme Cologne by Christian Dior
To me just a weaker, more watery and less distinct version of Dior Homme. Why this version when the original has short longevity and very shy sillage? I honestly don't get any fresher or newer notes in this so would not bother to buy as well as DH original. Overall as good as DH if you only want to wear it to work but probably unnecessary as they are too similar. Thumbs up though as the original (thus this) is brilliant. A plus is that it comes in a big 125ml vaporasiteur.
Bois du Portugal by Creed
Topnotes begin full-on; strong, pungent and they make themselves known. Develops to a more woody mid that is better and more subtle, less bitter than the opening. The drydown is a nice wood, vetivery and spicy affair. Overall not terribly smooth norrefined or as superlative as it's made up to be. Quite linear to me. If you're under 30 you may think it old-fashioned and old-man-ish. This isn't Creed's best but fairly long lasting though.
Porsche Design Essence by Porsche
Forget what the pyramid lists, I cannot make them out as real notes or as being anything other than formulated in a test tube in a lab. Please see my review on the new Hilfiger fragrance, exactly the same words come to mind. Corporate sell out of a fragrance that is generic ('conglomerate' note - Foetidus), essence of what? If you did a blindfold smell test, you wouldn't be able to pick this out of a lineup of dozens of virtually the same scents.
Hilfiger Est. 1985 by Tommy Hilfiger
I'm tempted to let loose with expletives as well! What the darn is this tripe? Washed out, 'fresh', ozonic, oceanic, watery, blue, weak, no sillage, OK longevity (why torture us!?) Can't think of any good things to say except, its not offensive in of itself BUT NEITHER ARE HUNDREDS OF OTHER SCENTS THAT SMELL EXACTLY LIKE IT! Boring, generic, linear...etc...etc.
Rykiel Homme by Sonia Rykiel
Fruits are the welcoming waft of notes, quite sharp and rather off-putting These include yuzu lemon and grapefruit, which are usually knockout notes and not at all inviting nor indicative of what may follow.. Not outstaying their welcome though, the fruits make way for a subtler mid of sweetish fig, cypress, barely noticeable cypress and even subtler violet; the only redeeming attempt to floralise the middle notes. This doesn't really work as the fragrance has now almost disappeared and I really cannot distinguish the bottom notes except for a hint of woodiness. I can see why others like it though, it's just not my type; maybe the fruity-ish notes. Too subtle, almost nondescript and I won't be buying it again, but that's just my opinion so try before you fork out the cash.
Dunhill London by Dunhill
When something smells of nothing, or everything all at once I call it an amorphous mess. And this is one. Synthetic, doesn't even attempt to be different from most other 'designer' releases of late or be new or innovative. As Foetidus puts it, it has that ubiquitous 'conglomerate' note present in so many sellout frags.. As for calling it 'London', I am insulteed as a Londoner and it should've been called 'Palookaville' as it is nowhwere. Oh, where is Dunhill Edition or D? Ho Hum.
Fleur du Mâle by Jean Paul Gaultier
FDM begins with a sharp, ultra-floral-fresh burst of petitgrain and neroli, then quite a linear neroli with fern mid then a slightly powdery base consisting of coumarin and possibly something else, which I fail to identify. The base is sweeter and more masculine, for those of you who have concerns about your macho image on wearing this. An excellent, sparkling and vivacious take on neroli, as compared to the much more classic and traditionally orangey neroli in Penhaligon's Castile, for example. Sillage is quite projected, life is long. Neroli, is dominant throughout, so check it out in neroli-dominant fragrances first, like Castile or Acqua Di Parma. For the youngish, urban man who is confident in himself. One small note to those hinting at having to be of a certain persuasion to wear this; when did nature decide that certain flowers were for one gender or another? Get real. An intriguingly vibrant scent, my only gripe is an ever-so-slight synthetic edge to it, it may just be my untrained nose, however. Oh, and Baudelaire's way overrated.
Gucci by Gucci pour Homme by Gucci
The bergamot goes and is replaced by a leather note said the Harrods sales person. I get neither bergamot, leather, nor violets, just a rhindy bitterness in a scent almost good enough to be sold in supermarkets. . A bit of tobacco later in a fairly smooth development isn't enough to make me pay for this. Gucci for women is a far superior fragrance compared to this. D&G's recent release is much better and far more intriguing as far as new Italian releases go. Try first, you'll be thinking "what's all the fuss about?". Mediocre at best.
Richard James Cologne Vetiver by Richard James
Very nice, light, vetiver wafts through flamboyantly and stays till the end. Sillage a bit subtle, but being a cologne longevity is modest. Excellent as a wake up in the mornings and as a day scent. The almost fluorescent lime green colour is a good advert for the smell; light and fresh / green compared to the almost stuffy and artificial smelling Guerlain Vetiver. Pity it's not in EDT or EDP even but I will probably be buying it again.
Lalique White by Lalique
The rather brisk opening of 'Dior Homme Sport' - like lemony citrus gives way to the noticeable tamarind and bergamot; both splendidly identifiable and distinguiished. I am surprised at how much the topnotes actually resembles Dior HS, but that quickly changes in the mids, as mentioned. In the mids you can smell the speices; nutmeg, cardamom, but this is no culinary hotchpotch, it is absolutely non-linear and like a chameleon, at least on my skin, morphs into a different set of notes almost as you are smelling them. The base is a subtle mix of the perineal amber, musk with cedar to keep it alive and not sink into an amorphous mess that so many fall into, like the new D&G The One does. Overall a smooth, sophisticated attempt at a contemporary scent by the master glassmakers. You really cannot judge it just by the topnotes, or on a spaper strip, so try it on yur skin and wait until the drydown before you buy, as it changes.
Lalique pour Homme Lion / Lalique pour Homme by Lalique
From the outset the vanilla is barely noticeable, becoming more apparent later on in its subtle but farely long life. The iris and jasmine more so, so is the floral nature of this fragrance. I, being a bloke, rather like flowers in my smells, such as the iris in Dior Homme and in Cacharel Pour Homme without anyone making any comments as to whether I am on the soft side. In the early days of perfumery, perfumes were JUST for men and were predominantly floral in nature. So there. This fragrance is indeed smooth, smells of sophistication, class and is decidedly sweet, non citrussy or fresh and is suited to either daytime or evening wearing. At the moment, the vanilla base hasn't held me hostage nor whacked me for six; it is subtle and the classic basenotes creep up on you in a very well paced and well blended manner. For me its a great scent with subtle to moderate sillage but try before you buy as goes the old adage here on Basenotes.
Guerlain Homme Eau de Toilette by Guerlain
I find this has a very strong resemblance to Lanvin's Arpege with a slightly fresher, more muted anise and more mint. Probably suited to daytime but sultry enough for evenings. As mentioned. not groung-breaking and nothing to shout about; could've been a CK, HB or other mass market offering, which is probably what it's maker's are wanting it to be, but with the extra natural quality that Guerlain would've put into it. Slightly dissappointed at Guerlain but when more omney comes knocking, why not? I mean, why do footballers move to lesser clubs, not for the love of it. Only a neutral here but not a bad scent overall.
Dior Homme Sport (original) by Christian Dior
Very nice in of itself but to me there is little resemblance to Dior Homme and why does citrus equal 'sport'? Similar to several others; Chanel Allure Sport cologne included. Howvere this has a little more character with cedar and ginger in the mix to keep the liingering citrus company. Much nicer than Chanels's 'sport' offering as it is well-rounded and not a short-lived cologne but an EDT. Green / yellow colour suits the intention and is nearest to the olfactory notes' characters.This is one of those new releases that is inherently a very pleasant scent but underwhelming that it's both new and that its Dior. So, maybe a new ratings system for different aspects and expectations of a fragrance? Thumbs up for the scent and neutral for my expectations from Dior.
Davidoff Adventure by Davidoff
A wonderful, peppery, cedary and resolutely mens smell; subtle and sweet but could not be mistaken for a unisex fragrance. Citrus opening blends in well when the pepper kicks in and finishes off with the cedar and vetiver which can be mistaken for tobacco sometimes. In this case it lends itself to a tobacco-like note which lingers throughout yet doesn't make this linear, it has a depth little found in many contemporary releases. Good choice of ambassador; Ewan McGregor is rather like the fragrance - sort of adventurous, sort of manly and rugged with some added gentlemanly quality. Moderate projection and longevity but for once I'm happy with a new release in 2008!
Boss Bottled by Hugo Boss
Starts out fruity and spicy then develops into a sweet middle and finally a nondescript ending. Not exciting, original or different to warrant a purchase. Even the name is boring. Not a blind 'middle of the road' buy though as it has an apple pie with cinnamon note that you may not like. Sample first.
Light Blue pour Homme by Dolce & Gabbana
This is an overall OK scent; I'm not ecstatic about it neither am I completely disappointed. It is a fairly fresh, citrussy and fairly spicy but not at all a heavy or pungent scent. With incense and musk in the base I would expect it to be more akin to an oriental but this falls short really. There have been worse recent releases, such as Ferragamo's 'F' Pour Homme which tries to be in the same vein. They market this as being somesort of definition for the Mediterranean - type scent. That it is not as I can name many that are more classic southern European / North African / Near Eastern in flavour; Loewe Para Hombre, Aramis Tuscany, AD Parma etc... However, this just beckons you as a daytime / work scent which places no demands on people's olfactory senses. It's a simple and quite vibrant fragrance that one can wear comfortably anytime.
Emporio Armani He by Giorgio Armani
This is extremely mediocre. Smells too green, no sweetness to counterbalance it and not even a typical definition of 'fresh'. I can't believe people are claiming this gets complements from women; they clearly haven't tried a vast array of other fragrances that women like much better. Average sillage, average longevity but very typical of Armani these days save Eau Pour Homme. I bought two tubes cheaply and reluctantly kept one because I opened the box and sold the other on eBay. Once reminded me of being on an enjoyable lazy summer holiday but no such connotations these days, so it's a neutral only I'm afraid.
Versace pour Homme by Versace
It would be easy to put this down as yet another 'fresh, spicy, woody' fragrance, because that's what it essentially is. However, it has a uniqueness which sets it apart from similar scents. For example, I compared it to D&G Light Blue, which is similar in the top and midnotes. However, where the D&G dries to a boring and somewhat synthetic note, the Versace seems to retain its freshness all the way to the drydown. I can still smell the neroli and bergamot down there; this is rare as most citrus notes vanish within minutes. I thus like this scent, whilst nothing new as such, does its job of being fresh and not being in anyone's face as sillage is moderate. A very good, safe buy scent ideally for the summer.
Latest Threads
-
-
[Men's] SOTD Wednesday 7th of June 2023- Started by Basenotes Robot
- Replies: 8
-
[Women's] SOTD Wednesday 7th of June 2023
- Started by Basenotes Robot
- Replies: 2
-
-
-
-
-
-
Maurice Roucel discusses his collaboration with Frédéric Malle (English subtitles)- Started by Jean-Sté
- Replies: 9
-
Pierre Bourdon discusses his collaboration with Frédéric Malle (English subtitles)
- Started by Jean-Sté
- Replies: 1
Whatever your taste in perfume, we've got you covered...
catalogue your collection, keep track of your perfume wish-list, log your daily fragrance wears, review your latest finds, seek out long-lost scented loves, keep track of the latest perfume news, find your new favourite fragrance, and discuss perfume with like-minded people from all over the world...