Reviews by seeroos.syed

This is a really nice masculine fragrance that gives me similar vibes as Creed Aventus, but isn't a clone of that fragrance in any way really. To my nose, only the opening reminds me of Aventus (and mainly due to the sweet blackcurrent note). The opening is bergamot, blackcurrent, cedarwood, lots of black pepper, and a hint of violet leaf to my nose, making it sweet yet spicy and masculine leaning at the same time. On the drydown though, it goes in the direction of mostly cedarwood with blackcurrent and a bit of bergamot in the background, and doesn't remind me of Aventus at all (no noticeable leather notes). In fact it reminds me of Creed Bois du Portugal and Lalique pour Homme (Lion) due to the prominent and natural smelling cedarwood note, and also a bit like Dior Sauvage.

This is like a power scent. It's a scent you wear to a business meeting or when you want to make a statement or your presence known. "Cedrat Boise" as a name is very appropriate, but I feel it should've been called "Cassis Boise" because the blackcurrent and cedarwood are stars of this show.

Projection is insanely good (2 sprays was almost too much for me and nearly choked me out; 1 spray is all I can do with this fragrance). In fact projection is so strong I'd classify this as a winter scent. While longevity is also insane, projecting strongly for over 8 hours and even through a workout! Overall this is an amazing masculine fresh yet sweet and heavily woody fragrance with absolutely nuclear performance. 

5/5

This is a really nice aquatic fragrance that is supposed to smell like the California coast. In fact it was the first aquatic fragrance ever made historically, being the first one ever to use the calone aromachemical calone (which smells like the ocean). As for the scent, the opening reminds me of the same vibe as Aramis Havana but greener, but the drydown goes in a different direction. It smells to my nose basically of a soapy combination of pine and juniper notes, with ocean mist and aldehydes strongly coming through as well. It's very different and unique from modern fresh aquatics, and smells much more herbal. It's evocative of a seashore on a cloudy day next to a pine forest with a few drizzles of rain. It's a very melancholy fragrance. All in all, it's actually quite pleasant, and would pair west I think with Proraso Green aftershave. Projection is strong but airy (like other Aramis fragrances), while longevity is fairly good, projecting well for about 3 hours (but blooming in the high heat i.e. at the gym or in the summer).

4.5/5

This is a beautiful blend of oud, frankincense, rose, and caramel. It's an inexpensive clone of Dior's Oud Ispahan, and yes it smells exactly like it (I have smelled both). The strongest notes I can detect are oud, frankincense, and rose, with a hint of caramel. During the drydown I can smell the patchouli and frankincense a lot more. It's not too sweet as I expected from the notes; and is an extremely pleasant oud-rose fragrance. I prefer it to Ferrari Essence Oud (which I used to own). Projection however is moderate (on the subtle side for an oud fragrance), while longevity is moderate leaning strong (projects great for about 4 hours). So it's not a beast in terms of fragrance duration/strength compared to Oud Ispahan, but it is a very classy take on oud for a very low price and extremely true to the Dior's scent. I also really love how the bottle is designed.

4/5

Very nice scent. Smells almost identical to Creed's Bois du Portugal but with better projection and longevity to my nose. Smells of mainly a very woody cedarwood with hints of green notes and lavender to my nose. It smells like you're smelling a tree. Very refined and sophisticated and gentlemanly.

4.5/5

This is a nice fragrance that smells of a fruity mix of pear, grapes, and vanilla (not really any fig) to my nose. There's barely any oud in it. It mostly smells of grape and vanilla. The drydown is somewhat feminine. It has good projection and longevity, and a kind of sharp in texture compared to Mancera fragrances like Roses Vanille. Overall, not bad but not great.

3.5/5

This is a nice fragrance but a bit feminine. It smells essentially of a sweet yet sour amber with carnations with nothing else. I prefer Xerjoff's Regio for a carnation-based fragrance to this. Projection and longevity are both good.

4/5

This is an incredible fragrance that smells of roses and vanilla (a simple combination but smells really great to my nose). It reminds me both of MFK's Oud Satin Mood and Montale Intense Cafe. Though I prefer both those fragrances to this one, this is still really great. It also has very solid projection and amazing longevity (like most Manceras/Montales), and smells really smooth.

4.5/5

This is a very beautiful gentlemanly, dark, and somewhat green Italian musk fragrance. The opening is very citrusy yet minty with bergamot, grapefruit, and geranium, and some sort of green leaves accord. On the drydown, it becomes really musky (from the ambrette/musk mallow accord), and floral with lots of carnation and a hint of herbal lavender. I also think I get a hint of leather in the drydown though it's not listed in the notes. On my skin, it's essentially a dark musk and carnation scent. I normally don't like carnation too much when it's used in cheap colognes as a synthetic note, but the carnation in this is so natural smelling and lively that I can't help but love it. The overall impression of the fragrance is smelling a garden of carnations in a dark cave somewhere or perhaps beside an old gothic mansion at midnight. It's quite unique, and the only thing similar to this I've smelled is possibly Geo F. Trumper's Eucris (though that goes in the direction of blackcurrent and oakmoss). The performance for this fragrance is also amazing (like most Xerjoffs), and one doesn't need to spray a lot to get great longevity from it. The projection for this fragrance is moderate leaning strong, while the longevity is fantastic, running at 6 hours of projection before becoming a skin scent. Overall, this is a dark gothic masculine masterpiece with a very unique set of notes and extremely natural scent.

5/5

This is a stunningly beautiful fragrance that smells to my nose of Persian ice cream (Bastani Sonnati). It's usually vanilla ice cream with a lot of saffron sprinkled on it and drenched in rosewater. Well that's exactly how this fragrance smells, especially the vanilla and rosewater. I don't really smell any oud in it, but that's ok because it's incredible smelling anyway. It smells extremely elegant, and I feel this would be the perfect fragrance to wear with a tuxedo. Projection is subtle yet strong (not cloying at all throughout its duration); while it projects in this way for 4-5 hours and then lingers for many more hours as a skin scent (so great longevity overall). This is one of the best fragrances ever made and one of my favourites of all time; a true masterpiece.

5/5

This fragrance is a homage to Creed's Silver Mountain Water. It smells similar to Silver Mountain Water but is more green and floral, and lacks the ink and tea notes of Silver Mountain Water. In the opening I smell a mix of citrus fruits including grapefruit, bergamot, and lemon, along with some green note in the background. As it dries down it gets sweeter and I can somewhat detect the lavender, rose, sandalwood, and musk notes blended together. They are blended together so well though that I can't pick out individual notes but just a general herbal sort of sweetness. Projection for this fragrance is subtle for a Xerjoff (projects moderately; better in hot weather), while has fairly good longevity, projecting well for 4 hours, and then remaining as a skin scent. Overall, it's a nice niche fresh fragrance. However I can't help feeling performance could be better, and also that my $25 Frank Olivier Sun Java White smells and performs similar to this (though less natural smelling and more metallic), which is why I haven't granted it a perfect score.

4/5

This is a beautiful green lime fragrance with incredible projection and longevity. It opens with a very tart and zesty lime note as well as hints of basil in the background, and smells somewhat similar to Jo Malone's famous Lime, Basil, and Mandarin. As it dries down though, it gets even better and the lime somehow becomes more pronounced and more zesty. The lime in this smells realistically like a freshly cut tart lime (no sweetness), which I really like about it. It smells if you can imagine it, like a glass of water with ice, basil leaves, and freshly cut/squeezed limes. On the drydown I detect a slight cucumber note as well, and so it sort of reminds me of a caipirinha. I don't really detect any lily note as indicated in the notes breakdown - it's just lime, basil, and hints of cucumber from time to time. I don't like the Jo Malone that much (which I find too basil-focused and slightly too sour/bitter) but I love this due to its lime focus. Although marketed for women, I find this is pretty masculine (though a woman could wear it if she wants). Projection is strong and leaves a scent bubble around you (something I never thought I'd say about a lime-focused cologne, since the aroma molecule is generally so fleeting), while longevity is strong as well with 4 hours of solid projection, and then many more hours as a skin scent after that. Lime is my favourite note in fragrance, and I've tried a lot of lime-centred colognes. This one definitely takes the cake as the best of them to my nose however due to the mind-blowing longevity of the lime note in this, as well as its natural tartness. Wearing this after a lime aftershave splash is pretty refreshing.

5/5

Really quite fantastic as far as perfume oils go. Projects like a beast and lasts forever (over 10 hours). As for the scent, it smells like vintage Drakkar Noir and seems to be packed to the brim with oakmoss. I love layering this when I wear Geo F. Trumper Eucris EDT, for the full dark oakmoss type vibe. The drydown features a lot of lavender while the opening is pure oakmoss and sage. If you've smelled vintage Drakkar Noir, you've smelled this.

4.5/5

This is a niche fragrance made by the Norweigan perfumer Geir Ness as supposedly representing the spirit of Norway as a country. It is advertised as smelling like "crisp mountain air" and is made of high-quality ingredients. I first smelled this at the Norway pavillion at Epcot in Disneyworld, and was smitten by the fragrance almost immediately. The whole giftshop smells like this, while also being high in air conditioning, so it gives the effect of mountain air. I can't really pinpoint the notes in this that well, except for smelling a green undercurrent, and lots of sweet herbal and floral notes. It gets sweeter over time with something that smells like vanilla to my nose. It does give me the sense of mountain air but also sweet herbs growing in the underbrush. Some people say this is like the niche version of Chanel's Allure Homme Sport - I can't say since I haven't sampled the Chanel. Projection is very good. It projects in the air but in a subtle, non-cloying way. While longevity is fairly good, running at around 3 hours of strong projection and then as a skin scent many more hours after that. Overall, I really love this fragrance and it's one of my favourite scents. I really like pairing it with Pinaud Clubman, if using it after a shave (they are in a similar category of sweet, masculine floral scents). It doesn't really smell like anything else out there, and I will always be nostalgic about it since it reminds me of Epcot.

5/5

This an absolutely beautiful green minty fougere fragrance created by the famous French perfumer Francis Kurkidjian. It is blended in a similar way to Kurkidjian's niche aqua fragrances, but smells extremely similar to another favourite of mine - Acqua di Parma Colonia Club (Colonia Club goes in the direction of spearmint with lemon in the drydown, preserving Acqua di Parma's traditional colonia base, while Carven L'eau Intense goes in the direction of spearmint with birch tar and lavender, and a hint of cardamom to sweeten it out). I can't believe this was only around $20 online. It opens with a bright and strong dose of spearmint with citrus fruits, and as it dries down the spearmint note persists along with a green smelling natural lavender note. It is green, fresh, minty, and herbal in nature without being too old-school. Projection is moderate while longevity is fairly great at 4 hours of solid projection and many more hours after that as a skin scent (roughly the same though very slightly less longevity than AdP Colonia Club). Overall I am very impressed by this scent.

5/5

This is a beautiful amber masterpiece fragrance that smells sophisticated and sweet. The opening is of a dry woody amber scent and reminds me of the now discontinued Tom Ford Amber Absolute. On the drydown it gets sweeter with the vanilla and benzoin. The ingredients smell very high quality and natural. Projection is transparent and not thick or cloying (but it does project pretty well in the winter air) while longevity is amazing, at over 8 hours on my skin (almost as good as MFK's Oud Satin Mood, which is my favourite from the house). Overall this is maybe the best amber fragrance in the market in my opinion.

5/5