Perfume Reviews by seeroos.syed

Concentré D'Orange Verte by Hermès

Very interesting hyper-bitter basil and greenery scent with a hint of bitter orange. Has a very cool minty quality to itas well. Would be great for summers. It smells very similar to Proraso Azur Lime cologne which is a cheaper alternative to this with lime instead of orange. Sillage is moderate while longevity is pretty good for a fresh fragrance. However it is a bit too bitter for my liking.

4/5

Lime, Basil & Mandarin by Jo Malone London

Very interesting aromatic blend of lime, basil, and mandarin orange. Mostly it's the lime and basil though. It has very tart citrus (lime with a hint of bitter orange) and is green in character. It oddly reminds me of the aroma I'd expect to smell in a greenhouse. It reminds me a lot of what the Herbology professor in the Harry Potter series would probably smell like, and is unlike any citrus fragrance I've smelled before. Sillage is moderate leaning strong on my skin while longevity is surprisingly good with 4 hours of good projection and many more hours as a skin scent after that. The really nice thing with this fragrance is that the lime not persists well into the drydown, which is unique as far as the lime note is concerned. Basil & Neroli remains my favourite from the Jo Malone line, but this is also pretty good. Also, it kind of resembles Dior's Eau Sauvage but without the leather note, with lime instead of lemon, and with way better longevity/performance. It's a scent that you won't like as much right away but will grow on you for what it does.

4.5/5

Jimmy Choo Man Ice by Jimmy Choo

This smells almost identical to Dior Homme Cologne but mixed with Azzaro Chrome Sport. It has far more grapefruit, as well as salt, and a fresh minty note to it than Dior Homme Cologne, and less of a lemonade (lemons in water with sugar) feel. Sillage is way lighter than Dior Homme Cologne however, while longevity is also way worse at only about 3 hours. Dior Homme Cologne and Azzaro Chrome Sport both perform significantly better, so I'd go with one of them instead (the former for lemonade and the latter for grapefruit with mint).

3.5/5

Philosykos Eau de Parfum by Diptyque

(Review for Eau de Parfum)

This is a really fantastic green fragrance that smells exactly like an unripe green banana peel. I was quite astonished and amazed at how evocative the scent of this fragrance is to a banana peel (not the banana itself, but the peel). Perhaps fig leaves smell like that? I actually don't get much fig at all in the fragrance. It's just very green smelling. Sillage is moderate (on the ligher side) while longevity is also moderate (nothing special).

4/5

Acqua di Parma Colonia by Acqua di Parma

This is a very beautiful and masculine mix of fresh citruses, neroli, and Italian herbs and spices. It's like a more masculine and refined take on 4711 Eau de Cologne. The original Colonia is my fourth favourite as far as smell goes in the whole Acqua di Parma line (Colonia Club is my favourite, with number 2 going to Colonia Oud, and 3 for Fico di Amalfi). It has a traditional Italian colonia feel to it, and is somewhat like Dior's Eau Sauvage. As for cheap alternatives, Salvatore Farragamo's Acqua Essenziale is somewhat similar but does not capture the full essence of Acqua di Parma Colonia. It is really quite a beautiful fragrance and has a very barbershop feel to it. Sillage is moderate while longevity is actually quite good on my skin, going strong for 4 hours and becoming a skin scent only after 6 hours. The overall feel of the cologne in the drydown is bright, citric, yet warm spicy at the same time interestingly. It has a beautiful scent to it - though I still prefer its flanker Colonia Club a bit more (which has the same Colonia DNA but with added green notes as well as a wonderful spearmint note that is actually cooling to the skin).

4.5/5

Mojave Ghost by Byredo

This smells like a niche version of Nautica Voyage with added nasberry note. It's very inoffensive and pleasant to smell, and performs quite well. It basically smells aquatic, clean, and fruity. It leans kind of feminine.

4/5

Costa Azzurra by Tom Ford

This has a very great scent to it, and definitely smells oceanic but also green and herbal at the same time. It smells like a niche version of Bvlgari Aqva pour Homme and is one of my favourite Tom Ford private blends as far as scent goes. Sillage however is only moderate, while longevity is also only moderate so a full bottle of this is not worth it for me, considering how expensive it is.

4/5

Blackberry & Bay by Jo Malone London

The blackberry note in this is very beautiful, while the bay leaf note is only in the background. Smells amazing. Sillage is alas soft, while longevity is only moderate. As for fresh blackberry fragrances, Byredo's Accord Oud is a better offering in my opinion.

4/5

Tahitian Waters by English Laundry

Smells almost identical to Givenchy Gentleman Only, oddly. It's nice and inoffensive and has a very synthetic grapefruit and pepper note to it. Does not really smell tropical at all though to be honest, and I don't get any lime or coconut in it.

3.5/5

Gorse by Laboratory Perfumes

This is a beautiful tropical fragrance that smells almost identical to Creed's Virgin Island Water. It mainly smells of coconut with lime and rum, and smells like that basically for the duration of the fragrance. The only difference between this and Virgin Island Water is a hint of the lemon note in Gorse (while Virgin Island Water is pure lime), so Gorse has an opening that smells kind of like 7Up with coconut rum (but the lime note is still dominant, and it smells very natural). Gorse is also slightly sweeter and a bit more gourmand than Virgin Island Water, and the texture of the juice itself resembles an eau de parfum more than an eau de toilette as it's advertised as (it's oily). As for longevity and projection, the sillage on this is moderate while longevity is actually better than Virgin Island Water at around 6 hours. Overall, it's probably the best tropical fragrance ever made in my opinion and is way better than Virgin Island Water (due to better performance with near-identical scent for far less price).

5/5

Byerley by Parfums de Marly

Smells a lot like Lalique pour Homme Equus. Has a frankly horrible wood note in there that I simply do not care for. One of the only fragrances ever that I had to scrub off.

3/5

Basil & Neroli by Jo Malone London

I smelled a lot of Jo Malone scents at one of their boutiques in Toronto, and this one captivated me right from the beginning like no other from their line. It smells very similar to Bond No. 9's Eau de New York but lacks some of the white florals like jasmine in the drydown, and is a bit darker than the Bond, and also more masculine in my opinion. Surprisingly, it has really amazing longevity for a Jo Malone cologne, projecting really well for over 4 hours and then remaining as a skin scent on me for many, many hours (in fact over 12 hours with 2 sprays for me). As for the scent itself, it is an absolutely amazing mix of neroli flowers (the blossom of an orange tree) and basil, making it smell very green and citric at the same time. It smells like you're walking in a lush dewy meadow surrounded by orange trees. This is an absolute masterpiece by Jo Malone and one of my favourite fragrances ever.

5/5

Silver Scent Pure by Jacques Bogart

Smells exactly, and I mean exactly, like an iced glass of grape soda or a grape freezie. Like all Bogart fragrances, this costs like $20 and is an absolute BEAST, with ultra-strong projection and longevity with a half-spray. Bogart pour Homme smells like Cherry Coke, and this one smells like grape soda. I'm really enjoying this fragrance house.

4.5/5

Boss Bottled Intense Eau de Toilette by Hugo Boss

Review for the Eau de Parfum version:

This fragrance is a masterpiece that smells like spiced apples with vanilla and cinnamon. I can also detect a hint of orange blossom. It's extremely pleasant to the nose and leans masculine although it's sweet. It smells kind of like something you'd order from Starbucks with apple and cinnamon in it in the fall. As this is the Intense Eau de Parfum version of Boss Bottled, it smells spicier and darker than the regular Boss Bottled (an iconic mens' fragrance with a primary note of apple) and would work best in fall or winter in my opinion. On the drydown it smells the same but the apple and cinnamon notes become even stronger (while the orange blossom disappears). Sillage is strong while longevity is also strong at over 8 hours. Overall, this is by far the best thing to come out by the Hugo Boss house in my opinion.

4.5/5

Bentley for Men Intense by Bentley

This is an amazing fragrance and the hype is very real for this one. It's a masculine fragrance with a very strong boozy rum note along with spices and leather in the background. The rum note in this is extremely well done, and the fragrance overall smells like the winter flanker to Guerlain Homme Eau de Parfum (another fragrance I own with a very good rum note, but mixed with lime and mint as in a mojito). Along with the rum, I get strong wafts of bay leaf and dry spices (especially cinnamon and black pepper) as well as a hint of benzoin which sweetens the aroma very slightly. On the drydown, it gets dryer and the leather note becomes more apparent. I think this is a perfect fragrance to pair a good bay rum aftershave with, as it has a very similar aroma to bay rum (surprised no one else picked up on this yet). Sillage is moderate leaning strong while longevity is moderate leaning strong at about 6 hours on my skin. Overall the feel of this fragrance is of sitting in the cargo hold of an old pirate ship with cases of rum and dry spices, and the scent along with the performance makes it a perfect choice for the winter time (but not for summers at all). Wetshavers who enjoy bay rum should have this in their cabinets, especially as it's going for a steal of a price these days.

4/5

Eau de Passion Men by Franck Olivier

This smells absolutely amazing. Frank Olivier has managed to reproduce the scent of Chanel's Platinum Egoiste but for $20. It literally smells identical to Platinum Egoiste to my nose. It opens with the same very cooling barbershop accord of neroli, vetiver, geranium, lavender, mint, and rosemary, and dries down into the lavender-geranium-mint scent of Platinum Egoiste. Platinum Egoiste is my favourite barbershop cologne of all time and I'm happy that Eau de Passion Men performs well enough that I don't even need to buy the actual thing (which I might add is very overpriced by Chanel). Sillage and longevity are similar to the actual Platinum Egoiste on my skin, projecting well for 4-5 hours and then quiet for many hours more after that. Overall it's a really great rendition of Platinum Egoiste for a fraction of the price; I also love how the bottle looks.

4.5/5

Colonia Club by Acqua di Parma

This is a beautiful green fougiere fragrance that is to Acqua di Parma what Green Irish Tweed is to Creed (although the two do not smell similar at all, and I prefer the Colonia Club). As for the scent, it's in the same genre as Amouage's Beach Hut Man and Coty's Aspen to my nose but different than both. It opens with a very beautiful fresh green accord of very natural smelling spearmint leaves (the mint in this is as natural as YSL's Live Jazz and Lush's Dirty, and is noticeably spearmint rather than peppermint). The mint is so prominent in fact that it produces a noticeable cooling effect on your skin (just as is the case with Lush's Dirty). But the mint is not the only thing there, and is united by notes of to my nose galbanum (which smells like grass), petitgrain, neroli, vetiver, lemon, and a very strong green bergamot accord that almost smells like limes. It's very green, very cooling, and very fresh. It also smells both modern yet refined and sophisticated at the same time to me, like they took the classic fougiere (fern-like) cologne formula, made it modern but also of natural-smelling ingredients so it smells high-class. It definitely leans masculine; it smells like what a gentleman in a tuxedo or someone on a golf course would be wearing. On the drydown I smell a small hint of seawater and ambergris accord that makes it sort of aquatic in nature, but in a good way. It's as if you were walking in a lush green forest with fields of spearmint and it started raining. The scent overall is pretty linear from opening to the end however. Sillage is moderate (as is the case with all Acqua di Parmas in my experience), while longevity is also moderate at about 5 hours (better than most Acqua di Parmas though, except for Colonia Oud and Leather). Overall, this is my favourite fragrance from the historic Italian Acqua di Parma house, followed by Colonia Oud and Fico di Amalfi. In fact it's one of my favourite fragrances overall of all time.

5/5

cK one by Calvin Klein

This smells almost identical to Azzaro's Chrome, and al-Rehab's Silver. Ok but not great.

3.5/5

Mandarino di Amalfi by Tom Ford

This to me is a beautiful zesty grapefruit fragrance with greenery in the background like tarragon. I also for some reason strongly smell mandarin oranges even though it's apparently not listed in the notes (but is in the name of the fragrance). Longevity and sillage are both moderate, being a Tom Ford freshie. And it's totally unisex. It's not better than Neroli Portofino but it's very, very good.

4.5/5

A*Men / Angel Men by Thierry Mugler

This is a famous fragrance by Mugler originally created in 1999 which is one of the best designer gourmand fragrances out there. And it does live up to its hype, as it smells basically of dark coffee and caramel to my nose, with a background of patchouli leaves. That 'tar' accord that many people seem to get only displays itself if you sniff your skin directly, and sort of smells like a burnt chocolate cake (although it smells pleasant). In the air though, it smells like coffee and caramel and is very warm. However, projection is not beastmode as I expected it to be on my skin but rather very subtle, though it does produce a scent cloud (you have to sniff my arm to really smell it though), while longevity is quite good. It leans masculine. And of course the bottle although very interestingly designed, has one of the worst sprayers ever (which is normal for the A*Men line). Overall, I would say the sillage on my skin was more subtle than I thought it would be, but the scent itself is beautiful, as is the longevity.

4/5

Dior Homme Cologne (2013) by Christian Dior

This smells very similar to Mancera's Lemon Line but softer and lighter and more effervescent. However the projection is fairly good and the longevity is very good on my skin. As for the scent, it basically smells of a tart and watery lemonade (with a bit of sugar as is in all lemonades) with freshly cut bergamots and grapefruits that over time settles into the scent of watery white musk and grapefruit (not kidding, the grapefruit note lasts throughout the duration, which is unheard of for citrus notes). On the very deep drydown, I detect mainly white musk with white florals - I'm guessing that's the grapefruit blossom. It smells very similar to neroli at this stage, and sort of like Mugler Cologne but without the green grassy vetiver notes. Very light and perfect for the summer as the longevity is very good on me (over 8 hours) but it's not cloying. It's an extremely beautiful scent, and one of my favourites - especially when I don't want to use Lemon Line as that is sometimes too powerful especially in very hot weather in my opinion. It's simple but is one of the best fragrances of all time for me due to its killer longevity and wonderful use in high heat.

5/5

A*Men Pure Malt by Thierry Mugler

This apparently smells like a fruity, sweet, dark and warm whiskey. I don't drink so I've never smelled whiskey before but the warm and slightly sweet alcoholic drink note is unmistakable in this (hence the name 'Pure Malt') while it has fruity nuances as well. For the fruits, I mainly detect the scent of mandarin orange, and it kind of reminds me of Terre d'Hermes. On the drydown it loses the fruity nuances and gains the chocolately and coffee nuanced of the original Mugler A*Men. Sillage is moderate while longevity is moderate as well at around 5 hours. By no means is this a beast though, and the sillage is subtle compared to the A*Men line in general. The scent is wonderful though. The bottle for this fragrance is interestingly designed and iconic as a part of the Mugler Angel Men line, but the plastic exterior collects dust easily and the sprayed is unfortunately one of tge worst I've ever experienced in a fragrance. The scent inside is great however so it makes up for it.

4.5/5

Chergui by Serge Lutens

This is a really beautiful niche fragrance that smells to my nose of the scent of honeyed amber with sweet tobacco and the unique note of hay. It smells like a sweet ambery drink on a rainy day in a farm stable. Although that may not sound that appealing, it smells fantastic in my opinion. Sillage is moderate while longevity is quite good at over 6 hours. This is one of the best amber offerings out there as far as quality and uniqueness of scent goes.

4.5/5

Oud 24 Hours by Ard Al Zafraan

(Review for the oil)

This smells exactly like Tom Ford Black Orchid, but for $5 as a perfume oil attar. I can't specify exact notes but it's a unisex fragrance that smells dark, floral, and with dark chocolate nuances. It smells absolutely fantastic. Sillage is moderate while longevity is quite good at about 6 hours. Overall, this is a wonderful attar that smells way more expensive than it is.

4.5/5