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Reviews by Nose no limits

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Nose no limits

Acqua Colonia Blood Orange & Basil by 4711

To my nose , this is a pretty good match for Hermes Orange Verte , especially once it dries down and you’ve got other smells in the background. Sadly the longevity isn’t any better, but it’s no worse either and it’s about a third of the price. The whole 4711 line is actually very good and amazing value for a more understated and subtle sillage.
#271102
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Nose no limits

Habit Rouge by Guerlain

The opening is a spicy lemony barbershop fragrance, but a bit old fashioned, formal and stuffy. It neither offers of a refreshing clean out-of-the-shower ‘sporty’ vibe, nor a warm, affectionate and inviting vibe. It’s perfect if you want to go around smelling like you e just had an haircut.

After about 4 hours it starts to settle down. The spiciness and lemon fade away into a soapy rose fragrance, not unlike Acqua Di Parma Essenza to my nose, but more powdery with more rose. At this point it’d make a good blousy black tie fragrance or any well-dressed occasion. But it does occasionally teeter on the edge of smelling like grandma’s pot pourri basket.

To me, it’s a bit of a stand-offish scent, but not in an impolite way, just reserved, wary and unwelcoming of any physicality.

The craftsmanship and quality of the fragrance is definitely obvious in tge dry-down. It’s just not my vibe.
#270286
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Nose no limits

French Lover / Bois d'Orage by Editions de Parfums Frederic Malle

I tested this at a department store (John Lewis). It very quickly became a quite heavy oud fragrance which isn’t even listed in the notes??? Very strange and pretty unpleasant.
#270274
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Nose no limits

Vetiver by Guerlain

This ones’s an icon for a reason. Cool, fresh, and refreshing but with just enough warmth to stop it being metallic (like Atelier Cologne Vetiver Fatale.) But it’s a bit more subtle and fresher than hardcore vetiver offerings like Timbuktu which can smell a bit like old books. And the florals are a bit more balanced versus some of the more neroli-heavy fresh colognes. In short, it’s amazing from start to finish. Perfect for the summer, for the office, but worth having as an easy go-to for general wear.
#269543
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Nose no limits

Eau Sauvage Parfum (2017 version) by Christian Dior

Old-school barbershop in the same vibe as Acqua di Parma Colonia and Penhaligon’s Sartorial. The lemon opening is a bit brutal but it softens into a warm spiciness, ever so slightly powdery and soapy as it dries down. It’s quite ‘classy Grandpa-ish’ - distinguished, formal, but warm inside. An ideal scent for a tweed jacket-and-tie lunch in your eighties. Just can’t see myself reaching for all the often for a few more years yet.
#269542
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Nose no limits

Pour Un Homme by Caron

This opens with a blast of astringent lavender, like an aromatherapy room spray. But give it 20 mins and it settles down and changes completely in to the most amazing soft fougere with a hint of sweetness. It’s cosy and clean at the same time, classy but not outdated. It’s become one of my ‘go to’ bottles. Don’t judge it on its opening, let it settle and you’ll see what all the fuss is about.
#269426
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Nose no limits

L'Instant de Guerlain pour Homme Extrême / Eau de Parfum by Guerlain

Not what I expected at all. Opens with powerful blast of patchouli that drowns out everything else. An hour later and it’s still going strong - patchouli and nothing else. After about 3-4 hours it mellows out a bit, and a few floral notes are more noticeable, as is a hint of bitter cocoa powder, but the patchouli is still dominant. Then, just when you think the patchouli is going to fade and let the woods, tea, chocolate and jasmine through in earnest, the whole thing just dies leaving just a faint skin scent of… yes, you guessed it, patchouli. Not the well-blended well-balanced masterpiece it’s famed to be. More just a clumsy relentless patchouli bomb. Not very Guerlain in its latest guise.
#269060
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Nose no limits

Individuel by Montblanc

Good god this is horrible. Blind-bought based on lots of positive reviews but, to my nose, soft clean floral raspberries it definitely isn't. It's Joop! mixed with cheap spicy high-school cologne (like a bad knock-off CD Opium) and the combination is just plain nasty. Straight in the bin I'm afraid.
#247949
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Nose no limits

Dune pour Homme by Christian Dior

An initial overwhelming blast of green notes quickly matures in to an amazing light, fresh and faintly floral aura - it's definitely not overpowering and outside of summer it's barely noticeable. Great to have found something so fresh but without the citrus everyone else is wearing. It's in a similar ballpark to Sel Marin but cleaner without the seaweed notes and more floral. Maybe it's not that ‘interesting' but sometimes (in summer when it's hot) you don't want too much depth and development, just something fresh, simple and (relatively) unique. Amazing that this fragrance is middle-aged now! It definitely stands the test of time and in no way smells dated - quite the opposite.
#242671
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Nose no limits

Illusione for Him by Bottega Veneta

This is without doubt the classiest, most natural and well balanced citrus fragrance I've come across. It's fresh but warm and rounded. No harsh icy metallic synthetic vibes. It smells of lemons still on the tree baking in the Italian sun...

...but the performance is dire. It doesn't have or need huge silage, but the longevity is really poor and it's so disappointing and frustrating for a scent this good. You can bathe in it in the morning and it's gone by lunchtime. Allure Homme Edition Blanche Parfum happily lasts all day long.

I'd say illusione manages to smells even better than AHEB (slightly less sweet, less vanilla and more natural) but the performance leaves it a runner up. The woods are more subtle and more of a rounded supporting role, compared to the brighter more prominent pencil shavings woods of Cedrat Boise. But again, the performance really lets illusione down again.
#242198
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Nose no limits

parfums*PARFUMS Series 3 Incense: Kyoto by Comme des Garçons

Very green - cypress and vetiver, and something almost minty (not fresh but like the remnants from mint tea.) Similar vibe to Floris 1962. There's a slightly acrid undertone (teak oil?) that's not offensive but enough to make this not a go-to fragrance for relaxing. I don't really get the pine forest vibe - it lacks the warmth and sweetness (to my nose) - Mechant Loup (another Duchaufour creation, I think) does this much better. It also lacks the depth of a real outdoorsy fragrance like yatagan or cleanness of AdP Colognia Club. It's interesting and worth checking out to appreciate the creativity, but it's difficult to think of the circumstance that would make this my first choice to reach for.
#234402
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Nose no limits

Allure Homme Edition Blanche Eau de Parfum by Chanel

Definitely thumbs up - the concept of citrus + wood is hardly new but there are enough unique little twists and delicate touches to make this really stand out. The lemon is more like a lemon curd - soft and a little bit different. The woods aren't overpowering and stay clean and fresh (unlike similar alternatives that go very dry like sniffing a pencil). The performance is really good - 3 sprays are still going strong 8 hours later - some of the initial sparkle is gone but it's still projecting. Ultimately it doesn't push many boundaries but it's a a classy safe-with-twist crowd-pleaser for sure.
#233912
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Nose no limits

L'Homme Cologne Cedrat by L'Occitane

Smells to me like a poor cousin of Allure Homme Sport Blanche - similar in concept (and bottle!) but less well balanced. The citrus here evaporates after a couple of minutes and leaves just a pencil shavings base that's pretty uninspiring and linear. It's a shame as the old cedrat used to be much but this one has lost its way a bit - there are alternatives out there
#233911
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Nose no limits

Cedrat Boise by Mancera

Very pleasant woodsy lemon - very wearable and versatile but not as interesting as the note listing and hype seem to suggest - I don't get much of the florals or blackcurrant - I just get more lemony wood in the dry down. It's still nice though and avoids smelling like a cleaning product (which most lemon scents don't.) The absence of the fruity florals leave it a bit wanting though to be bottle worthy.
#227710
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Nose no limits

Vert des Bois by Tom Ford

Smells like an old man's stale cologne - a musty patchouli and not much else. Didn't get any anise or plum or jasmine i.e. the notes that promised this would be interesting. A bit of a disappointment.
#226374
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Nose no limits

Lothair by Penhaligon's

Fresh, milky, woody, fig, with a light hint of florals, a trace of vanilla, a suggestion of sweet spices. So, true to it's note listing (apart from the red berries.)

I didn't get the Eau des Baux comparison until 20 mins in when the vanilla and spices come through stronger, but it's like a more creamy floral figgy version (or EdB is a drier more woody version.)

The comparison with Earnest Hemmingway is spot on - not sure I could tell them apart - maybe this has a bit more figgy pencil shavings... maybe.

I prefer the the EH.



#226004
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Nose no limits

John Varvatos by John Varvatos

Looks amazing on paper. Smells like a cheap Lacoste fragrance - don't get much date or richness. A real shame.
#225035
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Nose no limits

Castile by Penhaligon's

A nice clean neroli cologne - very similar to AdP Essenza but less intense and with more citrus that makes it overall more balanced, refined and interesting. There's lots of neroli fragrances out there but it's the blend with the citrus that sets with one apart. It's become a real favourite and daily go-to for the office. I'm a big fan! Don't over spray though - it looses all the subtlety that makes it special!
#225999
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Nose no limits

Eau de Lacoste L.12.12 French Panache pour Lui by Lacoste

Just awful. Synthetic, sickly and slightly astringent. Cheap canned deodorant but stronger and worse.
#224279
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Nose no limits

24 Ice Gold by ScentStory FZE

I quite liked this until the ‘melted butter' note hit me - it's not unpleasant, just odd as a scent.
#223664
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Nose no limits

Accordo Arancio by L'Erbolario

Fresh orange with a faint floral/herbal fragrance - similar to Shay and Blue bitter oranges (lighter, simpler, more aquatic and sparkling), amber absolu, arancio di Capri. But it's a fraction of the price. Great for summer.
#222438
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Nose no limits

Periplo by L'Erbolario

A lovely citrus green cologne that's simple and versatile without smelling cheap. It's like a fresh version of 1881 with the herbs less astringent and better blended together, on top of a lovely light woody cedar base. Amazing value too! Longevity isn't amazing but they do an excellent 15ml travel spray so topping up isn't a problem.
#222751
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Nose no limits

Méharées by L'Erbolario

Every bit as delicious as the dry down of musc ravager without the harsh opening. And amazing value too. A bit too sweet for my tastes for daytime.
#222401
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Nose no limits

L'Erbolario Uomo by L'Erbolario

No awards for originality but a very wearable fresh fragrance with a slight hint of male spiciness, and so much more interesting than being yet another bleu de Chanel or allure homme sport or sauvage wearer. Great for summer and really good value. This is a great brand, like an Italian version of l'occitane, very natural, very simple, very classy.
#222435

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