Reviews by NickZee

This smells like a rehash of Mugler A*men for a new generation. The sweetness is dialed down and the bright citruses in the opening get it to the outer edges of the blue fragrance genre, but the heavy patchouli contrasted with sweet ethyl maltol is unmistakeably A*men inspired IMO. For me this is very nice especially on a saturday night going to the movies

If you’ve smelled Montale’s Fougeres Marine then this will be familiar, though better quality. It has that same combination of bitter green 80s powerhouse notes blended with seawater notes, introduced with bracing fresh citruses, geranium and supporting white florals. Its all a highly formal affair in this case, and there’s a sense of gilded glamour even if its not especially easy to wear or even pleasurable. Patchouli fans may want to stay open minded because this is not your typical, natural, niche-grade patchouli. The chocolatey, woody and camphorous aspects are missing and whats left are the smooth, green, bitter aspects. Performance is good, expect a full work day. @scentcurator

This smells like the men's version of Roses Musk. Add a flashy aromatic citrus opening, then ginger and marine notes and job is done, some people can now feel a bit more comfortable wearing Roses Musk.

Smells like a modern reboot of Caron Pour Un Homme, made somewhat fresher with some modern aromachems. I'm very surprised because the YouTube hype led me to believe I was going to smell something transparent and fresh like Chanel Bleu or Sauvage, and while this is fresh it also has substantial weight to it. I have uprated this to thumbs up because performance is good and it remains pleasant throughout its development.

Not much to say about this one, very similar to Tom Ford's Neroli Portofino. Alternatively, think of it like Bulgari Aqua Marine with a big neroli opening and toned down rosemary. Opens with neroli, transitions to lemon blossoms and a touch of ginger and just a hint of lavender. The white floral aspect is nice enough and lasts throughout, with cedar joining at the end. I get 8 hours from this with 2 hours of solid projection. Thumbs up for being a solid fragrance for its intended market and the fair price.

Just when we thought Montale had run out of ideas, along comes Spicy Aoud. This fragrance has a narcotic effect on me, it sets off little waves of activity in my brain in line with my inhalations. It is a beautiful and unique composition, undoubtedly middle eastern or at least how a westerner might imagine a unique middle eastern offering. Without getting too complicated, it is broadly a musky fragrance with substantial woody and fruity facets and a slight metallic kick. I don't really get much spice, which Is a good thing because it would be out of place here.

Smells like Nasomatto Pardon with the smoky char aspect removed to create an ultra sensuous fragrance. Alrhough without the char this does now highly resemble Guerlain's fantatic LIDGE

I am amazed that momentum is building behind the notion that this is generic and even “blue”. Certainly there is a barbershoppy accord running through it which gives a retro men's aftershave vibe that many will be familiar with, but initially it's difficult to make this association to the past because of the surrounding notes. So yeah it may have a generic feel...if this were the 70s or 80s when men were more accustomed to wearing drugstore aftershaves yet still smelled great. I really enjoy this, I think Francis Kurkdjian did a great job of reimagining a British gentleman's fragrance. Mr Burberry has a combination of strong herbal elements (Tarragon and mint in high volume) with some icy cold green leafyness and woody notes that resemble twigs being crunched while trekking through a forest on a cold foggy morning. The performance is 8 hours for me and it has a lovely development. It transitions from bracing freshness to sharp twig-like woods against a barbershoppy accord and then all the edges gradually wear away and finish up smooth and pillowy. Apply liberally and enjoy.

Dark patchouli with chocolatey, mahogany wood accents and a pinch of boozy honey. Stays very nicely balanced throughout the long wear, impressing from beginning to end. Testing on paper or a spritz on skin doesn't quite work as this fragrance's magic is in the wafts it creates during a full wear.

Lalique Equus is an early adopter of a new gentlemanly accord that gained momentum in the early 2010s. This accord consisted of violet leaf, vetiver and black pepper and gained prominence in cheaper fragrances often carrying prestige branding (think Mercedes Benz by Mercedes Benz, Bentley Infinite, Givenchy Gentleman Only, Dsquared He Wood Rocky Mountain, Mancera Wind Wood). But Lalique executed the accord to its full woody potential, taking the woodiness of the black pepper and fleshing it out with numerous other woody notes until the whole thing smelled like freshly sawn lumber with floral undertones. Sequoia wood is a prominent player in the woody medley. The woodiness calms down after the first hour and Equus begins to smell much more like the other fragrances in this genre, with that familiar violet leaf and Vetiver dance. Ultimately it makes for a nice occassional wear to work .

Soapy, powdery, floral, sandalwoody, leathery. Opens with a very nice leathery note which evokes Knize 10's leather. The OG was following the mid80s tobacco powerhouse trend, Black was a step back to the late 70s Polo green aesthetic, this has gone even further back to pre-WW2 era men's fragrance. Good performance.

Savile Row is easy to like. Having been released in 2003, it was ahead of its time in its heavy use of ginger, a note that would come to dominate the 2000s in similar releases like Dolce & Gabanna The One and Dior Homme Sport 2012. The One toned down the florals and amped up the cardamom, while Dior Homme Sport 2012 removed the tobacco and amped up the ginger to breaking point. This trend peaked with the release of Tom Ford For Men, which is essentially a grown-up Savile Row with high-grade materials and the butch-factor turned up to 11.

Savile Row opens impressively with a rush of supercharged molecules that have a passing resemblance to bergamot, rosemary and cardamom. When this opening accord exits after 45 seconds, the tobacco appears briefly for a few minutes, smelling faintly like cigarette smoke in a room. Then follows a mandarin-ginger accord that also smells great, supported by a floral mix that is pleasant but indistinct, and a tad plasticky or rubbery. Ofcourse tuberose has this rubbery facet, but a tuberose lover will be disappointed by the effort made here to represent tuberose even though the fragrance itself continues to smell good. In the later stages, 5 hours in, a smooth patchouli interacts with amber and suede and a mossy note. Thankfully Savile Row does not falter at these late stages, becoming cozy and seductive.

It's a shame that discontinued prices are now hovering around the $90-$100 USD because at that price I'd rather buy a discounted bottle of The One or upgrade to a discounted bottle of Tom Ford For Men.

I cannot add a thing to the excellent description provided by ClaireV. I will just say I adore this creation and am very glad to have it in my collection.

The smell of a freshly lacquered hardwood floor, made complex and soft enough to serve as a beautiful personal scent. When the aoud mood comes, this is a great fix.

Excellent fruity rose fragrance (hence a bit fem but wearable for a guy) with a beautiful intoxicating base that features all the listed notes. However if you want to experience the base, you will have to wait 10-12 hours, this fragrance stays and stays and gets sexier the longer it is on the skin. Full credit to Mancera, they do interesting fragrances that project and stay, and the price tag remains reasonable.

Ambre Precieux with oud and leather (styrax), minus the powder. Excellent performance. Perfection.