Fragrance Reviews by zztopp

Infusion d'Homme (IDH) is a (clean) woody-oriental intended to elicit 'the feeling of slipping on a clean white shirt after a nice, refreshing shower'; and it largely exceeds at doing exactly that. That said, its notes pyramid is a bit more adventurous than what the accords from the juice indicate.

IDH opens with a burst of sharp neroli softened by a juicy mandarin note and intensified by sparkling aldehydes....and a clean note. There's a halo of fresh clean detergent aroma perceptible almost immediately. Infact, a sharp-ish neroli and a fresh clean note are two notes which attach themselves to every phase of IDHs evolution like a germ cell and don't let go. The combo conjures soap, soap and more soap. There is some semblance of an iris note somewhere in here, but its not the facet usually displayed by iris in other iris powerhouses...theres no sexy powdery allure of Dior Homme nor the green rooty vegetal feel of Iris Silver Mist or No. 19. This is an iris note laid open after bucketloads of botox, or is an artificial test tube baby thanks to the wonders of synthetic aromachemicals. Does it smell good? I suppose ...it tries to impart a thin rooty aroma to the proceedings, but it really doesn't stand a chance under the avalanche of soap from the top notes. I detect a light green note rounded off by a very minute amount of soft cedar, and a very light powdery base, but the aldehydic-neroli-soapy-clean accord conquers all. Medium sillage, and decent longevity clean up things (pun intended).

IDH is like a construction worker in a Gucci suit. A workmanlike pleasant, clean, and inoffensive fragrance with a dash of forced and unrefined sophistication. A Gendarme from Prada. Its iris note is out of this world (and not in a good way), and the clean-neroli accord dominates too much, resulting in an uneven structure. But guess what? Due to the stupendous ineptness of other designer masculine releases in 2008, IDH is the best masculine designer fragrance of the year by default. In such trying times, we should be thankful for any stimulus plan.

Rating: 7.25/10.0

Notes:
Top: Lavender, Patchouli
Middle: Patchouli
Base: Patchouli, Sandalwood, Vetiver, Cedar, Oakmoss, Musk, Benzoin

The notes pyramid gives the impression that Patchouli is loaded with patchouli, but thats not the case. Yes, theres a good quality patchouli note in there, but there's also a whole lot of other typical Villoresi notes bonanza clamouring about in this golden brown juice.

If you aren't familiar with Villoresis signature style, Patchouli will initially impress. A sweet earthy herbaceous patchouli note dominates at first, supported by a green-musty accord of lavender, galbanum (although not listed in notes) and a woody cedar note. The patchouli note satisfies - it exhibits a rich wine-like sweetness at first, a quality indicative of top shelf aged patchouli oil, with slight bitter-musky accents. Strangely though, the balsamic intensity of the note dissipates fast and the patchouli is swallowed alive by the growling green-musty accord. To people familiar with other Villoresi compositions (especially Vetiver), Patchouli's structure will seem all too pedantic, adhering to the tried and testing formula: green-musty-lavenderish accord + [insert classic note]. Solid, but a little too predictable, like a Nickelback album. Longevity and sillage are moderate, clocking in at around 6 hours.

Patchouli is well put together, but it also smelss like Villoresi's phoning it in. Take a well established "house" structure, and drop in a quality patchouli oil note. To a certain level it works, but I find both its patchouli note and supporting structure somewhat uninspiring. Interms of overall intensity, it lies somewhere between the rich sumptuous patchouli blast of Borneo 1834, and the light elegant mass-appeal patchouli of Patchouli Patch: less forceful than the first, grittier than the latter, yet strangely less alluring than either. Patchouli may be a victim of the success of its brethren.

Rating: 7.00/10.0

Notes: coriander, amber, oregano, bay leaf, myrtle, angelica root, sandalwood, patchouli, benzoin, vanilla

Ambre Sultan (AS) is probably one of the most hyped Lutens juices (even the SA at Bergdorfs in NYC was pandering it around like holy water) but I find it appealing not because its an amber powerhouse (its not) but because of it being the "definitive" Lutens (with no overdose of candied-this or honeyed-that).

AS first ten minutes are its best. Behaving like a top-loaded designer fragrance, AS blows its load in the opening exchanges. Theres a burst of smooth ambery softness with simmering but understated spicy-herbal supporting notes, all uplifted by a cool mentholated note of green myrtle (not the red variety). Freeze this accord in time and its the definitive "arabian" amber. Unfortunately, AS degenerates (imo) into a very coarse and dry middle heart notes phase (the oregano overdose being responsible for the dryness) before slowly crashing into a base of benzoin and vanilla (more vanilla than amber). The amber pretty much disappears after the first hour max. Longevity is around 8-9 hours, but unlike other syrupy spicy Lutens concoctions like the garish Arabie, AS doesn't scream "in yo face, sucka!!" but rather somewhat stays close to the skin.

Judging AS as a definitive amber fragrance, its not even close to amber powerhouses like Ambre Precieux, Ambre Russe, Blue Amber, and others. There's just not enough substantial resinous sweet-earth amber aroma in AS to qualify it as an amber fragrance plus the note lacks the richness and depth that one expects from a quality amber "oil". With that said, AS is coherently put together and if I wanted to pick the "definitive" Lutens, a juice which most perfectly encompasses the inherent structure of Lutens fragrances and presents them in a most approachable manner, AS is it. You get the dry-spicy-herbal-sweet drama of Lutens fragrances filtered through a FDA fragrance censor. Make it your first Lutens if you yearn for the magic carpet ride of Palais Royale but can't bear the overly saccharine drag queen atmosphere.

Rating: 8.0/10.0

Top notes:
Yuzu, Bergamot, Mandarin
Heart notes:
Ambrette seed, Cinnamon,Cardamom, Spike Lavender, Shinus Molle
Base notes:
Sandalwood, White Cedarwood, Vanilla,Vetiver, Patchouli

From the promo material: Inspired by Africa, Pursuit by Dunhill has been created for ‘a man who thirsts for new experience and the thrill of the unknown’.

Ironic really, because Pursuit is anything but a new experience. It may qualify as a "thrill of the unknown" for those new to the world of fragrances, but for anyone with even a modicum of perfume experience Pursuit will smell like olfactory fatigue. The top notes are nice enough: tangy, juicy and bright, with the yuzu fruit providing a sharp lemon-tangerine blast to the opening. From there Pursuit unravels like a by the numbers performance...a thin layer of a spicy lavender accord, and hey, watch out for the fancy sounding Shinus Molle note: its nothing but what we know as "pink peppercorn". Within a couple of hours, you will, **yawnnnn**, be greeted with a very standard woody ambery base with a sprinkling of vetiver. Smooth movement, yes; will it move you, no.

Its hard to get excited by this Pursuit of mediocrity..it gets the job done, but will fail to ignite any passion amongst perfume enthusiasts whatsoever. Make this the starting point, not the finale, of your pursuit of fragrance nirvana ..

Rating: 6.25/10.0

I can't comment on the alleged reformulation of Red for men but like Foetidus below I don't understand the sky high prices this juice used to command when it was discontinued (I assume its back in stock for a more reasonable $30). It certainly doesn't deserve the Beverly Hills level price tag of $300, but it is a solid working class fragrance.

Red is a woody-chypre which opens with juicy bergamot conjoined with a green floral-spicy basil note and a host of other notes resulting in a perfumey aftershave-like opening burst reminiscent of Old Spice. The dry and herbal heart evaporate any semblance of citrus softness from the top notes with the (red) thyme and juniper lending a dry, aromatic aroma to the accord. The wormwood note in Red is very anaemic - its certainly doesn't exhibit any of the rich dry and boozy aroma as in Ungaro I. The base adds more character - dry (that word again!) bitter leather with a woody slightly animalic cedar (of the atlas variety) and hints of moss.

So there it is ... Red for mens' essential characteristics are: aftershave-y, dry-herbal, with bitter woody leather. Make of that what you will. Is it worth $300? Your money might be better spent on simmering a bottle of Old Spice, some chinese herbs, and your dads old leather belt in a pot at 300F ... nah thats too much work, I though will take a bottle at $30 please.

Rating: 7.25/10.0

Top notes: Orange leaves, Lemon
Heart notes: Sandalwood
Basenotes: Sandalwood, Tonka, Vanilla

Bois de Santal (BdS), technically a part of the Creed private collectiona, is exclusive to Harrods in London and Saks in NYC. Its one of the old world Creed wonders, and is the big daddy of the Creed sandalwoods (the others being the metrosexual woody-spicy Original Santal and the austere sandalwood-ambergris Santal Imperial).

Bds opens with tart lemon slightly softened by an orange note before quickly moving to a luscious, powerful and woody heart of sandalwood ...indeed, BDS is dominated by an arresting sandalwood note which smells like its loaded with beta-santalol, the key ingredient of indian sandalwood (indian sandalwood has a higher beta-santalol content than alpha-santalol, while its the reverse in australian sandalwood). The slightly sweet, ambery-woody and medicinal aroma dissipates off the skin and into your nostrils, surrounded by remnants of green citrus undertones left over from the top notes. I am no chemical lab rat and can't verify the individual constituents of BDSs' sandalwood note, but based on my experience with oils and other sandalwood fragrances, BDS does indeed smell like it contains a high percentage of the indian variety (mainly due to its beta-santalol overloaded note). This is a sandalwood note which is not adulterated by cedar or rosewood. Nor is it artificially engineered by presenting a good beta-santalol loaded sandalwood top which then falls aparts during further evolution (ala Etros Sandalo). The sandalwood note is stable and consistent all the way into the drydown where it smoothly links to a base of vanilla and tonka. Longevity is around 8-9 hours and although not a sillage monster it does create a decent radius of sandalwood aroma.

BDS is a sandalwood tour de force. Instead of constructing a fragrance with a lot of multifaceted notes in the top and heart phases, Creed take an uncluttered approach and rely on the complex nuances of a top shelf sandalwood accord to drive the fragrance to high levels of awesomeness. The only thing is ..an indian sandalwood shortage might threaten to rip the heart out of this superb juice and it remains to see how Creed react to that..

Rating: 9.25/10.0

Notes (from the bottle):

Top: Basil, Clary Sage
Middle: Violet leaves, Green Accord
Base: Exotic woods, amber

(from other sites: the green accord is composed of galbanum, tarragon and geranium, and exotic woods: gaiac wood, sandalwood, vetiver).

A male tandem to Givenchy Ysatis, Xeryus is an 80s powerhouse fragrance although its aromatic fougere composition isn't as butch or lumberjack-like as other virile man juices from the 70s and 80s. The trifecta of basil, clary sage and violet leaves carry Xeryus resulting in a dry, bitter, herbal and somewhat minty fragrance. The "bitter" component stood out to my nose during my initial interaction with Xeryus but soon the whole composition fell into place. The basil note is responsible for a herbal sweetness while the sage note gives off its trademark hay like herbal and slightly bitter aroma. With a combo of such inherently bitter notes there's a danger of Xeryus transforming into a poisonous potion that only perfume enthusiasts with chemistry Phds, in the name of "perfumers art", would lose their marbles over, but a geranium note of the minty-green (rather than the rosy musty) variety inconcert with a translucent violet note provides a much needed blast of airiness and creates a near perfect balance of green and bitter-herbal aroma.

The characteristic accord of Xeryus pretty much defines it. The fragrance sports good longevity (around 7 hours) but is pretty linear. The amber in the base is almost non-existent, with only lite hints of sandalwood and vetiver peeking out towards the end of this show. Its not as dynamic as I wanted it to be, but this Givenchy classics' core (masculine) accord is blended to near perfection. Xeryus is ysatis's passionate lover with a hardhitting and virile accord. How hard is it? Thats what she said.

Rating: 8.25/10.0

Notes:
Top notes : grapefruit, lemon
Heart :spicy : pink berries, pepper, juniper berries
Bottom notes : patchouli, oakmoss and frankincense

Balle de Match (BdM) is an easy to wear woody citrus anchored by an excellent grapefruit note. The opening is all grapefruit - but this is not the forceful acidic kind as in Guerlain's Pamplelune. In BdM, the grapefruit reveals all its facets: its sharp and slightly bitter alright, but its also smooth and juicy. Pairing it with a lemon note high in limonene content prevents it from developing that acerbic quality that can make the Guerlain hard to swallow.The limoneny lemon note tempers the acidity and accentuates the tangy fruity aroma of grapefruit. So yea, the grapefruit note is in great form here. What about the rest of the fragrance?

Soon, BdM starts melding into a muted spicy fruity accord .. not unlike the aroma of an indian fruit chaat. The grapefruit note extends all the way into the drydown lending a cloud of juicy softness to the entire accord, with its spicy cohorts uplifted by a juniper berry note high in pine content and low in its balsamic effect. The woody incense notes provide a warm base to rest on, but BdM is very much about a tart juicy spicy grapefruit accord.

BdM is also suprisingly long lasting for an eau de sport concentration - it easily lasts more than 5 hours on my skin. Its not a terribly complex fragrance, nor does it evolve much, but those are pretty much the only criticisms I can make. BdMs tart juicy grapefruit will provide office relief, and its spicy-woody base will lend your evenings an air of casual sophistication. What else do you want from an Eau de Sport ?

Rating: 8.25/10.0

Top notes: Bay Leaf, Laurel, Juniper Berry
Heart notes: Texas Cedar, Virginia Cedar, Atlas Cedar
Base notes: Frankincense, Balsamic Note

An ode to cedar .. Tumulte Pour homme (TPH) attempts to be the Iris Silver Mist for cedar fragrances, i.e., incorporate every cedar molecule used in the fragrance industry, and little else. No garish fireworks in this fragrance...its a very focused dry-woody resinous fragrance. The opulent and baroque aspects of Lacroix's style world are instead reserved for the fab bottle.

Although not listed, I get a burst of extremely short lived citrus when first sprayed...alongwith a whiff of juniper berry, and then its all cedarama within seconds. Smooth, comforting, well rendered cedar...the United Nations of cedar oils. Unlike iris notes which can display distinctive facets and provide the edge in Iris Silver Mist, it can be hard to detect differences between various cedar oils. Due to its extreme dry character, TPH seems to be loaded with texas cedar oil (although much less drier than pure texas cedar oil), with the atlas variety providing the minute spatterings of resinous woody highlights. Or it could be the incense note acting up with the texas oil and smoothing it out. Or it could be the virginian cedar variety at the forefront, its smoother and less parched distillation taking center stage. I really can't tell and you probably won't be able to either .. soon, the incense note slowly creeps up and imparts a resinous dark shadow till the drydown.

TPH lasts a good 7-8 hours on my skin, its woody resinous linear tone delivering a consistent performance with little deviation. For the price, one really can't complain. It lacks a distinctive edge which makes every single one of the CdG Incense series frags a must try...rather it feels like a well though out template for incense fragrances. A competent yet sparse framework that budding Duchaufours can use to create the next great cedar/incense frag...the Toyota Camry of cedar/incense fragrances.

Rating: 7.75/10.0

Top notes: Bitter orange, cinnamon leaves
Heart notes: Cedar, Saffron, Clove
Base: Patchouli, Amber, Benzoin

For Davidoff Perfumes, Silver Shadow (SS) is a happy medium between the every man fresh fougere cash cow that is Cool Water and the dripping with rich and formal cigars-and-tuxedo aroma of Zino Davidoff. Its intended for mature audiences, and thus has the sillage volume turned down but the sophistication meter has been pumped up a few notches.

With SS, Francis Kurkdjian (of Le Male fame) is at his most mellow with no evidence of the raunchy sexual prowess of Le Male in this formula. Rather, this oriental woody comes off as a study in highlighting a key note or accord - specifically of that of a saffron-clove combo. Opening with a light burst of bitter orange highlights and refreshing herbal cinnamon leaves (which are sweeter and more clove like than the traditional cinnamon spice aroma of cinnamon bark), the dry, sweet and hay-like aroma of saffron soon becomes evident, enveloped in the airy freshness of clove (rendered at a level low enough to avoid images of pesky dentists) and discreet woody notes. This is the clear highlight of the fragrance, and shows the deft touch of Kurkdjian in presenting a saffron note in a well blended mixture. The base is low key, with muted sweetness of amber and benzoin, and barely perceptible patchouli. Overall, SS is very L'Artisan like in its light feel, except that its not made for shy people. Longevity is decent (around 5-6 hours), with skin heat bringing out more sillage.

Many will dismiss SS as too light or uninteresting because it requires effort to appreciate its heart notes. Its not instantly gratifying as Le Male nor is it a "chick magnet". Twenty something gals can probably not smell this juice, while mature women (blessed with mucho patience and, hopefully, great deal of life experience) would appreciate this on their men. I would have liked the base to be stronger to provide a more forceful oriental sweetness to counter the attractive (but dry)saffron accord in the heart notes, but I guess thats what the Pure Blend EDT is for. Forget dying your hair grey to attract that divorced but attractive single mom of two who lives down the block - SS will provide an easier path to babysitting appointments!

Rating: 7.75/10.00

Escada pour homme (EPH) is the sophisticated offspring of a house more known for its brash and sometimes crass offerings. Its the first member of the family to go to college and make good use of the investment. Expecting a generic offering from my thrifty purchase, EPH surprised me with its slick blend of classic woody oriental notes and a major edge .. a perfectly rendered cognac note which lifts this composition into near classic status.

The opening is a dash of citrus notes with a light dusting of lavender and a very inviting note of pimento (sweet and peppery) resulting in an accord which leads into a more spicy melange of cinnamon and bay leaves with muted softness of geranium. The overall effect is of a spicy-sweet woody accord blended to perfection, but wait .. there's the rich and warm cognac note which makes it presence felt within minutes and swirls a wine/brandy note into this potion. The "wine note" is not overly forceful like as in Le Dandy, and EPH probably the best example of its use in a fragrance. The cognac note lasts well into the warm patchouli and sandalwood drydown, lending it a sensual booziness.

I find it hard to fault EPH. Sure, one can say its too "classic gentleman" like and its spicy-woody oriental formula is the "Eau de Cologne" composition of formal nights, but the cognac note itself makes it worth trying. The fact that the accords surrounding this note are so perfectly presented is worth a "cheers!". Also, some of the notes could be of a better quality, but I am just being overly picky now and unfairly judging it against juices which cost $300 but aren't half as coherently put together .. EPHs current composition is solid enough and you will never feel like you are spraying a synth bomb from the chemical plant down the road.

EPH...enjoy this sophisticated regal potion with a distinctive twist that promises to make you stand out when you are rubbing shoulders with people in the know ... all for only $19.99 at your local TJ Maxx!

Rating: 8.75/10.00

top notes:
Lavender, Anise, Fennel, Basil
heart notes:
Patchouli, Cardamom, Vetiver, Sandal
base note:
Amber, Oakmoss, Musk, leather

A superb aromatic fougeres, Azzaro pour homme (APH) is probably the best of its kind. Yes, it has that characteristic aromatic lavender mossy accord found in almost every fougere launched since Ron Jeremy posed in playgirl, but what lifts it into the pole position of this genre is an interesting twist involving hippie juice and what vomit.

APH opens with a typical lavender burst, but it's brushed with uplifting herbal/sweet notes of anise and fennel (smells like a more herbal anise) which thankfully prevent APH from descending into the uber forceful loud hairy chest juice types. A little dusting of smooth cardamom heats up the act before you start wondering what can APH can do to distinguish itself from the hordes of fougere liquids out in the market. Infact I am surprised that so far very few reviews have mentioned these key distinguishing ingredients in APH....ambergris and patchouli. 20 minutes after application the patchouli note lends an earthy aroma to the accord, while a vomity smelling ambergris note provides further intrigue and character to APH. The result is an aromatic fougere of an (arguably) more complexity and concrete design than other similar quality fragrances like Paco rabanne pour homme.

APH is a top tier aromatic earthy ambery fougere with excellent longevity. I don't agree that its "dated" unless ofcourse you are 35 years old and have memories of your uncle holding you unusually close to his chest when you were young and your parents were out. The ingredients are top notch - infact, I hear that amidst the messy synth bombs like Visit, Onyx and other chemical hazards, Azzaro have been forced to maintain the quality of ingredients in APH upon the order of the great don of the italian mafia who wears APH while partying with his various mistresses or extorting local business owners for "rent" ..

Rating: 8.75/10.00

Notes (from the box): Citron, Bergamot, Grapefruit, Tangerine, Cedar, Light musks.

Well this was a surprise. I picked it up from Marshalls for around $15 and found it to be a well contructed and refreshing offering. Pure Cedrat opens with a citron note of the acidic kind (italian or greek) softened by a juicy tangerines ...but the bright tart acidic trail is extended into the middle notes thanks in due to a grapefruit note which keeps the pumped up citrus act going. Shortly thereafter light underpinnings of a woody note emerge before giving way to a light and tart musk+ambergris drydown with faint remnants of the initial high PH citrus explosion.

Pure Cedrat smells good and I don't detect any obviously synthetic 'lemon pledge' like notes which can drive EDC enthusiasts up the wall. It can also be found online for very reasonable prices. Buy and spray away!

Rating: 8.00/10.00

Ah, a bit better than Bulgari pour homme from nose Cavallier ... but not by much. Instead of the muted parched peppery musk of pour homme, what you get in au The Blanc (aTB) is a fragrance built around white tea with that discreet Bulgari touch.

Smoother, sweeter and less "leafy" than green tea, white tea is supposedly more nutritious and it's rendered well here. Preceeded by an extremely short lived, slightly sweet and herbal note of artemisia leaves rounded off by what seems like is a fleeting and juicy note of mandarin. Soon the fragrance settles down into the main accord of a musk and white tea accord ..it smells nice enough with that "office cologne" quality about it. At times the accord smells a bit plastic, as if you are smelling a pot of boiling tea covered with a cellophane tape. About 5-6 hours later, a light ambergris note makes an appearance but its just there for a bad after taste.

Try aTB for a decent exposition of a white tea note or if you want an "office cologne". But that bottle of au The Verte will look more enticing after you have had your fill of this demure yawn-inducing potion ..

Rating: 6.25/10.0

Review coming soon.................................

Blu pour homm (BPH) is probably the most potent of all the Bulgaris and perfumer Albert Morillas has certainly created a somewhat unique and intriguing composition here. The star melding act here is the spicy freshness of ginger married to a sweet tobacco note to create a zingy powdery somewhat earthy accord which will certainly pique noses. However thats not all there is to it .. I also catch something skanky or dirty underpinning this accord ...a covert 'dirty socks' smell (perceptible 3 minutes after the scent is sprayed on), which is probably the gingko (sp?) plant .

The opening half of BPH is the most captivating .. all the aforementioned contrasting notes and accords meld together beautifully to create a complex feast for the nose...and then the scent shuts down. Its as if the Bulgari accountants burst through the doors when the perfumers were getting all excited playing with their perfume organ and said "Enough fun! Lets revert back to the quiet and demure Bulgari signature!". With all the core dynamics extinguished, BPH plunks down to a slightly gingery somewhat powdery aroma which stays close to the skin for the next 3-4 hours. BPH can be unbearable if sprayed on heavy - for best effect, use no more than 2-3 spritzes sprayed from 3-4 inches away to let the scent notes slickly unravel on your skin. I find Versace's The Dreamer to be somewhat similar, but BPHs structure is more stable and its distinctive accord more enjoyable (although The Dreamer exhibits better evolution and sports a louder juniper note).

If you want to wear a Bulgari scent to an Old Greenwich swingers club, Blu pour homme is it.

Rating: 7.5/10

A multilayered and rich formal fragrance, but the sandalwood here is of the mucho cedar-infused variety. The opening coffee and amber notes are strange and intriguing - they collide with the woody backend. The coffee beans and vanilla accord slowly gives way to a cedary sandalwood accord. This woody accord smells a bit too much like the innards of a finely crafted drawer or cupboard...which is fine if thats the variety of sandalwood you like and are familiar with. In terms of pure high quality sandalwood notes, this one lags behind other powerhouses like Creed Bois de Santal, Santal Imperial, Sandalo, and even the cypress-green Tam Dao. Ignoring this, Santal Noble is rich and very well put together. Just adjust your sandalwood expectations before diving in.

Rating: 7.5/10.0

Top notes: Bergamot, Lavender, Mandarin, Aldehydes
Middle notes: Pepper, Coriander, Geranium, Carnation
Base notes: Cedar, Amber, Tonka, Oakmoss

What we have here is Cavallier trying to do an Ellena under the minimalist guise of Bulgari's scent umbrella. Bulgari pour homme's (BPH) notes pyramid is flattering. BPH comes off as a simple scent; and even if the notes are well blended into a single coherent accord, that accord in BPH isn't very nose pleasing.

The 5 second opening burst of pleasant of uninspired citrus aromas hide a mini-lavender note; this is immediately overtaken by the main accord of pepper....or musky pepper. BPH is all about a very transluscent and quiet musky pepper accord with a bit of tea freshness thrown in just because Bulgari are great tea sluts when it comes to their fragrance line. There's minimal notes movement, and the pepper accord is lent a bit of softness by "in the background" florals and amber notes. And thats about it. Its very Gendarme like in its feel, and its quite apparent that Cavallier wasn't able to generate a transluscent fragrance which incorporated some semblance of notes movement (smell Bulgari au The Verte for comparison).

BPH doesn't excite or interest me much but I can see where it can work. Add 2 to the score below if you are an uptight conservative or an office rat.

Rating: 6.0/10.00

Top note: Orange, Lemon, Mandarin, Orange Blossom
Middle note: Mint, Papaya, Mango
Base notes: Patchouli, Oakmoss


Eau D'Orange Verte (EDC) is a classic citrus scent which exhibits characteristics typical of such scents: its fresh, its tangy, its fun, and it suffers from poor longevity. It has also been offered as part of a gift package in various airlines to cure passengers of air sickness and smelly co-passengers.

The lemon and orange top provides an inviting opening - its a bitter citrus blast but is not bitter citrus. Rather its a top quality citrus note punctuated with lemon edges to give an aromatic and bitter but still refreshing aroma. From there the scent unravels into a "smelling the fruit and the whole tree with twigs and all" phase.. the mango and papaya salsa comes forth with a light fruity vegetal freshness to temper the bitter citrus opening but in the background the march of mossy undertones can be heard. And it stays that way .. quite distant. The alluring moss and patchouli combo never increases in intensity; instead, Orange Verte silently peters away to a very light mossy drydown which wont be perceptible unless you splash 1/4 of the bottle on your head. Which you should anyways, considering how refreshing and wonderful it feels. That said, it does share some characteristics with Chanels pour monsieur, which is more dense, spicy and mossy. Eitherways, splash on a bottle and jump out into the 98 degree heat...let your body heat conjure the wonderful aromatic-mossy aroma of Orange Verte.

Rating: 8.0/10

Top notes: Bergamot, Lemon, Mandarin, Orange
Middle notes: Cardamom, Tea, Lily of the valley, Rose
Base notes :Cedarwood, Sandalwood, Musk, Amber

Bulgari's first perfume and (arguably) still the best. This is where it all started... the beginning of Jean-Claude Ellena's signature minimal accords. Ellena shopped this composition around in the late 80s early 90s, but there were no takers .. incredibly the composition was considered too off-beat for the crazy hairdo wielding populace of that period. Ultimately Bulgari took a chance on the composition, and used the juice to aerate one of its flagship stores in NYC. Rest as they say is perfume history..

TheVerte (TV) elicits the aroma and freshness of green tea, but as far as I know it contains no green tea note. Ellena uses a smorgasboard of notes to recreate the freshness of green tea. The juicy citrus opening is immediately followed by a (comparatively) more complex heart of florals and spices...but these are florals and spices suspended in space, their loudness barely audible. The spicy freshness of cardamom (a regular ingredient in Chai tea) is rendered soft by a dusting of jasmine and rose while the remnants of the citrus opening infuse the composition with a tangy element. The basenotes provide ample support in the form of cedar and amber. Its a quiet yet substantial scent and easily lasts over 6 hours on my skin. For a more impressive effect, use it as a room spray - the ambiance it lends to space is an olfactory experience to behold.

Nowadays Ellena maybe accused of riding on his past glory by regurgitating his minimal sweet and vegetal formula dressed up in fancy international marketing, but his classics have stood the the test of time. The Verte has been oft copied but never bettered. Put a bottle in your guestroom and the guests may never want to leave.

Rating: 8.5/10

Notes:
Top: Bergamot, Mandarin
Heart: Orange, Clove
Base: Amber, Musk, Tonka

I have been wearing Orange Spice for quite some time now, and felt that the time was right to revisit it and share some new impressions. It might have been made for a bold, uncouth yet charming and youthful European prince with penchant for a festive attitude towards life.

This is one of the funkier Creeds whos unusual spicy citrus accord has been paid homage to by many other fragrances. The accord is the result of an interesting pairing of orange, bergamot and clove. Its the accord which dominates Kouros' top notes (and has been replicated somewhat in MPG's Secret Melange) although its much more impressive here with a better flow and clearer notes. I am not implying that Orange Spice and Kouros are similar - Orange Spice lacks the civet madness of Kouros and is a simpler potion overall. Body heat brings out the civet in Orange Spice (although its always a bit subdued), but the indolic character is everpresent in Kouros.

It really is all about the bright spicy refreshing smell that Orange Spice blasts out, and it lasts deep into the drydown (some 7-8 hours later) before settling into a less clamorous amber and musk combo. Orange Spice is a simple yet forceful and satisfying fragrance. This 1950s spicy citrus accord has been duplicated quite a few times yet never bested. The quality of ingredients shines through and it sports excellent longevity despite being an EDT. Orange + Spice = very very nice !

Rating: 8.0/10

Top notes: Bergamot, grapefruit, mandarin, lemon
Middle notes: Pepper, sandalwood, cedar, gunpowder
Base: Ambergris, musk, tonka

It actually took me various trials to really analyse this Creed. There is a lot of talk about Silver Mountain Water and Geir eliciting that fresh mountain air accord - in my opinion, Himalaya elicits that better than either of those two scents. This is a deceptively light fragrance - for a woody citrus, it packs a fairly intense initial sillage, but calms down soon after. The top notes of mandarin and grapefruit, along with the light nature of the scent, really do make you feel as if you are getting whiffs of the cool mountain air. The basenotes of tonka and cedar are spicier, and provide the long lasting base which complements the airy top notes. Very appropriate for intense summers, and would wear well during the winters too. I dont agree with the claims that this is a clone of XS pour homme - their is a slight fleeting resemblance at the start, but the coriander, juniper berry and wild flower notes (all missing in Himalaya) stick out the most in that and make the two fragrances different from each other and each worthy of a try. Comparisons with Chanel Platinum Egoiste: Once again they share a certain character, but Plat Egoiste has a distinctive smoky herbal clarysage-galbanum heart which differentiates it from both Himalaya and XS homme.

Overall, while longevity is good, the sillage is average, but nevertheless, after avoiding it for so long, I may eventually invest in a bottle of this Creed (and what a bottle it is !). Himalaya is Creeds "everyman" fragrance...it won't blow you away with originality or construction, but damn it smells good. On another note: Does anyone else think Creed launched this in north america to increase market share?

Rating: 7.0/10

One of the stars of the Creed line-up, and launched to the public in 1994 to celebrate Creed’s 140th anniversary as supplier to the Imperial Courts of Europe. This oft-imitated fragrance was one of my first exposures to this house and is a permanent fixture in my wardrobe.

Imperial opens with fresh notes of lemon and bergamot. Its in the middle notes where the magic happens. Imperial contains an unusual aquatic/marine note with a hint of "watermelon" or a "sweet note" which makes it incredibly irresistable. Maybe its the iris blending with the "marine accord". Or maybe its the musk. Or its Creed magic. Whatever it is, it draws people to this scent. The aquatic note is expertly blended here ..its not garish and plasticky like as in many haphazardly put together low budget chemical juices or even in other expensive niche fragrances where this note sticks out like an ugly child (Malle's En Passant is an example). The composition lands on the signature Creed ambergris-musk base. Another note: if you have a bottle of older juice, the drydown will be more rapid.

Imperial is very wearable, fanstastically crafted, works under all situations, often used as inspiration (Unforgivable, Wall Street), all with good longevity. And that gold plated bottle is a cracker (try to grab one fast - Creed is changing the packaging to clear glass). Creed do citrus and aquatics extremely well, and this is yet another example of it. Fantastic stuff.

Rating: 8.5/10

I have been wearing Virgin Island Water(VIW) for over a month now, and it was quite a hit over the recent spring break. As a rule, I dont like coconut in fragrances (Frederic Malle's Carnal Flower is about the only one to execute a coconut note with panache in recent memory). I detest sweet fragrances even more. VIW is guilty of breaking both rules, yet somehow it works - quite wonderfully I might add.

A splash of tart natural lime opens the fragrance - it smells refreshing and very natural, and I expect no less from Creed since they do citrus extremely well. Shortly thereafter, coconut makes an appearance - at first it just peeks behind the lime curtain drawn earlier, but slowly it makes its presence felt. The coconut is obvious, but never overwhelms the composition, and thats where VIW succeeds. Jasmin and ylang ylang add a more floral feel to the composition in the heart notes, but before the composition threatens to get too saccharine, notes of ginger and rum come to the rescue and balance the composition beautifully. Longevity? Despite being a citrus fragrance, I got 8 hours out of it easily. With lime and ginger on top and a rum base, the sandwiched-in-between coconut toddy has quite an enjoyable time pumping out attractive sillage.

Comparisons to Bath & Body Works Coconut Lime and Verbena: ViW smells deceptively simple at first. Some critics have dismissed it as an overpriced Bath and Body Works Coconut Lime and Verbena cologne. This is like dismissing all EdCs because they smell very similar and share most of the ingredients. I have used CoconutLimeandVerbena products and they are nice and refreshing. At a higher level of abstraction CLV does share some key ingredients (lime and coconut) with VIW, but has zero depth. A deeper analysis of VIW reveals many hidden facets like a strange subtle spicy woody note (hibiscus + ginger), jasmine sweetness and a wonderful drydown of rum and musk.

Warm weather seems to brings the best out of VIW, and as I mentioned earlier, it was quite a hit at a recent spring break outing. I got all sorts of inquiries as to what I was wearing. "That smell delicious!", "Rum and coconut?", to "Whats that smell (in a good way)?". An instant classic? Its too early to tell. For now, I will just enjoy this sexy and fun fragrance come the intense summers ...

Rating: 8.0/10

Feuille Verte, or "Green Leaf" is an incredible fragrance of extremely high quality. As of now, it stands as the best release of 2006, and easily holds its own against the best that the house of Creed has released over the past 240 years. Yes, its that good.

The olfactory experience starts with a sharp, piney and fresh top notes of lime and madarin. These top notes awaken you to the olfactary experience you are about to undertake and command attention. The lime is especially attention drawing. After 15 minutes, its onto the middle notes. Here is where you will experience the "Forest smell" of Verte...the oakmoss brings about that earthy smell. It is kept in check by the wonderful vanilla and Bulgarian rose notes so as not to deter people wary of vetiver-type earthy notes. After that phase subsides, you experience the drydown, which is simply superb...instead of the usual Creed ambergris/musk/vanilla drydown, you are treated to a jasmin note of the highest quality. And this completes the olfactory journey of one of the finest fragrance creations around. All of this is provided to you with a guarantee of good sillage and longevity. If you are a fan of "green" scents, or just a fan of fragrances in general, you need to try this.

The only negative is that, for now, this is a limited edition fragrance. Its a disappointing that Creed doesn't have plans to add this to their permanent line.

Rating: 9.5/10

Originally commissioned for King George IV, and a favorite of Churchill and Bogart, Tabarome certainly has an impressive list of past patrons. Ignoring all that star hype and power, I can easily say that Tabarome is one of the most finely crafted fragrances I have experienced, with near perfect longevity and sillage.

Tabarome contains notes of tobacco leaves, green tea, pepper, and ambergris. It smells quite unusual for a tobacco fragrance in that it is quite fresh. Upon initial application, it exudes an uplifting and pleasant aura. It must be the green tea with some mint or lavender. A few seconds later, an exquisite tobacco note joins in. The tobacco is never heavy or overbearing, and never mutes the other notes. Instead, it flows alongside the pleasantly uplifting top notes to make this an extremely wearable and classy tobacco fragrance. Infact, this might even appeal to people who dont like tobacco - Creed has managed to to transform a (usually) powerful heady note into a note which works from all angles. The end result is a masterpiece which exudes power, grace and class.

Comparisons to "New" Tabarome: New Tabarome contains a prominent combo of ginger and tobacco. Compared to the Vintage formula, New Tabarome, while good, smells more brash and less crisp. If you want your tobacco well mixed and uplifting, Vintage is for you. For a dominant tobacco note (with some equally heady ginger filtered through a flacon of citrus and ambergris), "New" might be the way to go.

Rating: 9.5/10

I have been wearing Guerlain Vetiver (GV) for over an year now, and its strange that I haven't reviewed it yet. It's probably because I have been enjoying this fragrance so much that whenever I put it on, it imposes on me a feeling of calm, its earthy yet tranquil vetiver note intoxicating in its expert realization in this manly potion.

Wearing GV is like having a knowledgeable and friendly tutor help you accomplish a task which absolutely has to be done. In this case, the task would be to familiarize oneself with the vetiver note, a note which many find too pungent and ghastly for their taste. GV makes the note apparent from the very beginning - BUT, like a good tutor/teacher, it eases you in by flanking the note with crisp citrus notes. The top construction eases you in - from there, GV evolves to a more rich and heavy base of tobacco and vetiver. During intense summers, the tobacco note may become more pronounced and might even be offputting to some - I find that if applied evenly using no more than 3 sprays, the notes flow better. Longevity and sillage are near perfect.

GV is ultimately one of the easier introductions to vetiver. Some may prefer Creed's Original Vetiver (an excellent offering itself), but it comes at a price...no, I am not talking about the less intense vetiver note, I was hinting at the $195 price tag. If you are willing to venture out of Original Vetiver's protective cocoon, GV will be an excellent choice. Its easy on the wallet, and a top tier fragrance to boot. Citrus, grassy, with a base of tobacco. JP Guerlain created this when he was 22 years of age .. a hell of an accomplishment that. Be a man, take the plunge.

Rating: 8.5/10

top notes: Petitgrain
Heart notes: Orange Blossom, Fern Accord
base note: Coumarin

I missed all the furore that followed the launch of Le Male and didn't really get the snarky sailor ads and that striped torso bottle. Having spent time playing (pun intended) with the Fleur du Male (FdM) bottle for the past couple of weeks, I can say without hesitation that the bottle is one of the oddest things I have felt up. A headless pale-white colored stud of a man with a prominent bulge and rounded buttocks, my little nephew who has quite a collection of Pokeman, Takara Transformers and other assorted figurines had a puzzled look on his face when I handed him the bottle. Apparently it appeals to neither of us, and it should be as well..its whats inside that counts. Does FdM sell poorly in the red states?

I don't understand all these "its too feminine for me!" comments here regarding FdM. A little insecure are we? FdM isn't half as sweet or floral as some of the more disingenious men's juices out there. Opening with a burst of well rendered and juicy neroli, perhaps because of budget limitations, composer Kurkdjian instills a woody petitgrain facet almost immediately ...this makes the opening more woody, and ironically, more masculine. The woodier aspect grows and growns before it touches base with the oh-so-familiar-but-so-sexy smooth vanillic coumarin and fern accord. Wheres the middle notes phase? Dont know...FdM skips the dinner and heads straight for third base. This signature le male accord is also more well behaved and less ravaging in this incarnation. While FdM appears to be more presentable and wearable, it comes off as less complex than le Male, with fewer notes bouncing off each other and less dynamic movement between the notes phases.

Le Male's signature accord was always a hit with the women and now FdM adds a very pleasing (also to women!) woody-neroli top note to this base. There are 15-17 year olds who complain about FdM not being manly enough for them (and these are the same hormonal teens who spend weeks growing a decent moustache amidst a plethora of facial pimples to get a date). Little do these hormonal teens know that the neroli top married to the le Male base works magic on women. Le Male, and now FdM are also (apparently) big in gay circles. Hundreds of years ago, neroli essential oil was used by Kings as an invigorating and relaxing tonic; now queens can join in the fun as well!

Rating: 7.5/10

I must be smelling a different fragrance here: Original Santal (OS), for some reason, gets slammed at basenotes. Many compare it to Joop! homme...I dont get the similarities. There is a slight resemblance for the first 6 seconds, but thats about it. And as for the Allure homme comparisons, I dont get them at all. Sweet? Compared to many Lutens concoctions, A*Men, or other metrosexual 90s juices, OS comes off as very demure. Loud? OS is nowhere as loud as some of the grandma juices from the 60s or 70s. Infact, OS is not even the sweetest or the loudest Creed .. just try Royal Delight, Royal English Leather, 2000 fleurs, Ambre Cannelle, etc..

On with the review: OS starts off with spicy citrusy notes - its the cinnamon locking horns with the citrus notes initially. I detect a combo of lavendar and orange in the top notes - this combo stays on stretches way into the drydown (although its quite muted by that time). The coriander comes into play soon and ups the spice tempo, while the lavender provides a discreet halo-like medicinal effect. The middle notes introduce some nice woody and benzoin notes - the cedar and/or sandalwood let off a pungent woody odor. OS dries down to a low key vanilla base - after the twists and turns of the top and middle notes, the drydown, while pleasant, comes off as bit of a disappointment. Vetiver, leather, or some balsamic notes would have been welcome and would have put the finishing touches to a good display. Joop! homme by comparison contains a very sweet opening which introduces a strange, sometimes sickening, relentless motor oil note which goes away only when the fragrance dies.

OS is a nice, well made fragrance with excellent sillage and longevity. Its a "spicy wood" fragrance, sort of like Luten's Santal de Mysore except that its less intense and balsamic. Compared to Creed's Santal Imperial and Bois de Santal it doesn't possess as clear a sandalwood note, but its construction is more complex. Its a different fragrance catering to a more modern crowd. Creed already have two top drawer sandalwood fragrances and OS does its own different thing well. There are only so many sandalwood plantations a house can uproot to serve its royal clientele...plus you know you want the glistening Red Ombre bottle in your hands !

Rating: 7.5/10

Top note : Mandarin, Neroli, Artemisia, Coriander
Middle note : Cardamom, Pepper, Jasmine, Orris
Base note : Cedarwood, Vetiver, Leather, Amber

What we have here is man-of-the-moment, scent-strip magic weaving and international perfume media hog JC Ellena emulating his idol E. Roudnitska by emulating the masters' venerable juice Eau D'Hermes. Declaration is more watery but the basic citrus-leather accord is present. Declarations opens with a pleasant juicy mandarin accord before slowly revealing an attractive spicy-peppery layer of notes softened by iris and jasmine - this is probably the juices' most appealing phase. 45 minutes laters, the slow march of the dutch-oven accord becomes more perceptible: hints of cedar with mighty sweaty cumin infused with light and smoky birch. The iris and jasmin soft palette is all but gone by this time, and depending on your skin, the cumin will bloom like a skunk in heat. I find the balance to be a bit off here...lengthening the iris-jasmin accord into the drydown would have provided some much needed relief against the fart attack.

Declaration is where it started it all .. you can smell the sparse signature Ellena accords: the pepper-cedar combo, the liberal use of cumin, the earthy tones...but nearly all of these accords now exist in better and more improved variations in the form of Ellena composed juices like Terre dHermes, Bigarade Concentree, etc. Declaration, at this point, serves nothing more than an Ellena fanboy trip down the memory lane, but for those who balk at Malle and Hermessence prices, thanks to Ellena's now repetitive and promiscuous use of signature accords Declaration is all they need to get their Ellena fix.

Rating: 7.0/10

Santal Imperial is one of the most focused and high quality sandalwood fragrances around. Made for a king a long time ago, this imperial sandalwood still rules the roost.

Opening with a burst of citrus (and bergamot), the woody powdery heart of one of the most authentic sandalwood notes makes an appearance and takes center stage for several hours before melding with tonka beans and ambergris in the base notes to conjure a fantastic rendition of the Creed house note. Santal Imperial's laser-like focus on displaying a quality sandalwood note with minimal distraction by supporting notes is nearly unmatched. Its light and distinguished, and possesses enough virility to satiate any woody desires. Conservative? If you want a moroccan spice rack or ghastly chemical lab notes like burning tires and spermicidal lubes in your spray juices, this might not be for you. The sandalwood note might be less vivid than (Creed) Bois du Santal (another sandalwood powerhouse) and the overall composition less metrosexual than Original Santal, but this is still a must try for sandalwood afficionados.

Rating: 9.0/10.0

Top notes : Pomegranate, Pink Pepper, Raspberry

Middle notes : Plum, opopanax, frankincense

Base notes : Patchouli, Musk, Spicy Woods

The inspiration for Pomegranate Noir (PN) came to Jo Malone after she saw one of her friends dressed up in a red silk dress at a middle eastern hookah party all the while stuffing dollar bills in her cleavage. I have enjoyed the simple uncluttered soliflores of the Jo Malone line so the "Noir/Dark" label of this fragrance made me wonder if Malone was going all Lutens on us.

I shouldn't have worried. PN opens with a perplexing accord. Its sweet, lush and minty....and for a moment, does smell like Vicks vaporub except that there's a plummy fruity aroma enveloping this "vicks" accord. I am intrigued by how this minty fresh smell is engineered .. I don't see cloves listed in the notes pyramid, so the only explanation I can come up with is that PN is probably employing a variety of frankincense that is higher in its camphor (moth ball smell) content than the other constituents. Interms of fruitiness, this primary accord has all the hallmarks of a prune...it can be enjoyable and fun as well as occasionally grating and temperamental. While the incense does its camphor like thing, the distinctive sour and sweet smell of pomegranates is neutered by plenty of sweet raspberry and plum notes. PN loses much of its midnight vaporub funkiness after half and hour or so, and lets a timid patchouli note and some non-descript spicy woods base lead it to its quiet but not-so dark conclusion. The longevity is good..around 7 hours.

I admit I expected more "Noir" facets from this scent but knowing Malone's style I wasn't expecting a Jules or Vintage Tabarome. It says "Black Pomegranate" on the label after all, and that could mean "Over-ripe Pomegranates" for all I know. I would have liked more patchouli and spices, and less raspberry and plums in this concoction. Its more complex than other Malone's like Grapefruit and Amber Lavender but is also, strangely, less interesting. With that said, during the dog days of winter and nostril scraping flu attacks, I would still like to spray a spritz or two of PN on my chest before going to bed....I hear it attracts fairies in red silk dresses.

Rating: 7/10

**This review is of the EDC**

Habit Rouge (HR) was created by JP Guerlain after a rather freak accident where he spilled lemon sherbet on his red jacket while riding a horse to the Guerlain fragrance lab. From the Guerlain site: “The Habit Rouge man represents the height of elegance. He is intimately aware of his powers of seduction and the only thing that ruffles his perfect outward appearance is the faint glimmer of uncontrollable passion that smoulders deep in his eyes.” Well I can’t imagine Bill Clinton wearing this but hey who knows ..

HR smells like a refreshing tangy vanillic sherbet. While that may sound like a sickly sweet potion geared towards facebook-humping teens, in the hands of the vanilla masters at Guerlain this classic potion exudes class and displays superb blending skills. From the first blast the tangy sweet lime citrus notes are apparent, with a faint veil of vanilla creating a light warm sensation. Soon the delicately balanced spicy heart of cinnamon and carnation makes itself apparent, with a little bit of cedar lending an airy dryness to the composition. The spices are never nose searing and the cedar never gets into the “Oh my god! I smell pencil shavings and hamster cage!” phase. From here the tangy vanilla spicy accord evolves over the next few hours to a smooth amber and vanilla base with the barest hints of leather to keep things interesting.

If one looks at the pyramid, HR might seem like a heavy stomach churning fragrance with notes of vanilla, benzoin, patchouli, cinnamon, etc. The reality is it’s a light even airy fragrance with deceptive depth. It smells like what most L’Artisans aspire to smell like (“light skin scents) except that you don’t get the watery sensation of most L’Artisans resulting in a feeling that the fragrance house is skimping on the essential oils and feeding you romantic stories to make a buck or two. HR’s composition is substantial but never cloying….and it manages to succeed because of its EDC concentration. In the hands of other lesser perfume houses, the vanilla note would have most probably turned the composition into an overwhelmingly saccharine and unbalanced composition. But Guerlain show in HR how to control and maintain a note of excess. Bill Clinton would be proud.

Rating: 8.5/10

Notes: lemon, rosemary, petitgrain, basil, jasmine, rose, iris, oakmoss, vetiver, and musk.

Eau Sauvage (ES), the 1966 classic from Perfumer Roudnitska was groundbreaking in its use of the synthetic hedione molecule. This citrus chypre has influenced many, and while it may have been usurped by other fancy new citruses in the media, it still has the moves which can surprise many.

Opening against a backdrop of clear and light lemons, ES almost immediately generates soft floral notes of rose and jasmine which are rendered "masculine" because of the lemon and petitgrain notes...the petitgrain note isn't too strong so as to introduce an annoying "dry & woody" sensation which lesser citruses do. This supremely light citrus-floral combo mingles for a while before the most intriguing phase of ES comes into play ... its the vetiver note, and at this point ES smells like if you took a whiff of the air after someone who has had too many lemon drop candy let one lose. It smells a bit like lemonade infested with maggots...yet it works. This dirtiness gives ES its fine distinguished character, and it works because its light and balanced. Roudnitska probably knew that to convince people to splash on this dirty water, it had to be a light, balanced, and only slightly offbeat. And judging by the success of ES, he has entirely succeeded in doing so. I dont smell a lot of oakmoss, if at all..compared to another substantial classic, Chanel pour monsieur, ES smells impotent in its oakmoss content. ES lasts a good 7 hours ... there's not much sillage, but someone in close vicinity can certainly smell the dirty-clean vetiver-lemon bubbling on your skin.

ES probably won't wow as many people as it did during the Kennedy era. It might be the old man of citruses, but its definitely no old man scent..it smells as relevant today as it did when it was launched, and few citruses are as balanced and expertly blended. When everything else fails, just grab a bottle of ES. As Donald Trump once said, "If you need Viagra, you are probably with the wrong woman". Apparently Dior has been very faithful to the original formulation of ES....ES don't need no modern molecules to keep up with the spunky new CKOne's of this world. This old timer can still surprise the ladies with its stamina, energy and years of experience.

Rating: 8.5/10

Top notes : whisky, cognac, Korean calamus, wild carrot

Middles notes: tanned leather, Iris of Florence rhizome, Brazilian copahu essence

Base notes: Caucasian leather, Haitian vetyver, Turkish Latakia tobacco, Mexican opoponax, Yemenite myrrh, Indonesian patchouli

With Bois d'Ombrie (Wood of Umbria, BO), Perfumer Duchaufour promises to whisk us away to the deep dark and autumnal green forest of Umbria..."a golden embrace of wood and leathers". If you have hitched a ride with Duchaufour on his eastern travels to Bhutan on L'Artisan airlines, this trip to the dark forests of Italy might smell strangely similar.

BO opens with a wonderfully pleasing accord - an alcoholy burst of goodness, a smattering of porous leather notes, and a resinous frankincense like balsamic and woody note of copahu. Attracted by the beautiful opening, you keep walking further and further into the deep and dangerous woods of Umbria and soon realise what twisted freaks of nature reside within. The leather increases in intensity and takes on a peculiar dry, salty and spicy character. Sprayed on too heavily, I can see how it can remind some peope of vinegar...imagine inhaling the vapours of boiling vinegar, and how they zing the nostrils before sawing the brain in half with their splintery accents. The salty character becomes too pronounced. However, with a light application what one gets are occasional whiffs of a perfectly balanced salty-spicy-woody leather accord. I am especially intrigued by the spicy aspect of it and wonder how Duchaufour achieved it. Is it because of a certain type of leather used? Maybe so. True, this forest could use some trimming...this accord needs softening around the edges, some sugar to balance its salt N pepa. The myrrh, patchouli and iris notes need to be increased in intensity to simmer down the overly zealous leather melange. BO is also a long lasting fragrance...I could detect it 9 hours later, that spicy salty leather kick perking me up late in the afternoon when exhausted by the sameyness of the cubicle environment.

So there you have it .. BO smells good, but like its namesake, it needs to be handled with care. Too much BO can smell bad...but a little BO goes a long way, and can intrigue the opposite sex. Animals with primal instincts live in the deep dark forest of Umbria. Enter with precaution.

Rating: 7.9/10

Villoresi's Wild Lavender/Inglese (WL) is a spicy lavender fragrance which smells like an english fougere at times, thus the confusion in naming it. After having spent time with some of the big name lavender fragrances, I find that WL is neither at the very top of the list or at the bottom. However there's no confusion regarding its quality; it fits snuggly somewhere in the middle of the lavender powerhouses list.

WL doesn't exhibit the trademark Villoresi fragrance style: an explosion of a mishmash of notes which settle down into a coherent arrangement within minutes. Rather, WI opens with (comparatively) straightforward pungent lemon and lavender notes - fresh, prickly, and invigorating. Almost immediately the spices brewing underneath this combo come forth. Its cloves, ginger and pepper marching in unison to spice up the lavender opening. At this point, WI exhibits the greatest variation in the defining accord it lets loose - all depending on how you apply it and when you wear it. Applied lightly and in cool weather, one gets a balanced bitter lemon and lavender accord with a smattering of spices kept cool by a clove note. With heavy application in hot weather, heavy spices with a smattering of lemon and lavender which join forces to conjure the smell of guava (with some masala sprinkled) on. Its quite amusing, this masala guava image that WL conjures...I was almost compelled to rename it "India", instead of "English", but I guess its the same thing considering how most of England now indulges in south asian cuisine like chiken tikka masala and biryani.

WL lacks the clarity of the lavender on display in fragrances like Caldey Island Water and Lavanda Tonica (amongst others), and isn't an uncomplicated but somber fragrance like Luten's Encens et Lavande. It does however share certain characteristics with Creed's retro-modern Royal Scottish Lavender. Both open with a lemon+lavender combo, and use clove in the heart notes to render light the increasingly complicated development. WL has more spices, a murkier lavender note and a lighter drydown of musk and rosemary (compared to the Creed's "victorian era with a hint of BO" drydown of amber+vanilla).

WL is a quality spicy lavender fragrance with no rough edges or whacky and needless "niche fragrance" tricks. The lavender note could be more prominent, and the spicy heart could be a bit unstable in how it unravels, but apart from that this Royal Scottish Lavender-lite will find many fans.

Rating: 8.2/10

Notes:

Top: Bergamot, Orange, Geranium, Nutmeg
Middle: Orange Blossom, Rose, Jasmine, herbal notes
Base: Sandalwood, cedar, vetiver

No. 89 is Floris' flagship fragrance and the favorite of Ian Fleming, James Bond, Inspector Gadget, Kim Jong Yil and few other high profile celebrities and fictional characters. It also shares a few properties with No. (89 - 1).

No. 89 is based on a formula which is intended to represent what an english gentleman is smells like. Some say it also "reeks" of funeral parlors. I haven't been to a lot of funeral parlors, but I don't think that they would smell like No. 89, which is a grand yet understated aromatic woody floral. This is no "old man"/"dead" smell, nor is it a sombre scent. No. 89 opens with a complex citrus-floral-spicy accord which then gives way to a prominent flowery middle notes phase. However No.89 is never overly floral because of a well assimilated nutmeg note which provides a spicy kick to the mix...yes, the overall impression is still of a gentleman's rich aromatic floral fragrance, but its never overbearingly like Enya's garden.

Comparisons to Czech & Speake no. 88: No. 88 and 89 share some similarities. Infact the notes pyramid share a lot of notes. Both open with a burst of bergamot; No. 89's opening is more elaborate, but the heart notes are what sets the two apart. No. 88's luxurious and powerhouse notes of rose otto, cassie and frangipani in concert with sandalwood introduce a distinctively full-bodied accord which is missing in No. 89. Instead, no. 89 has a less potent rose note, and features an equally dynamic if less ravaging spicy-floral mix as its distinctive accord. No. 88 also has a longer march to its drydown, which richer and fuller than in No. 89 due to its richer concentration of oils (its an EDP). No. 89 has a soft woody floral drydown - I don't get a lot of vetiver or cedar, but instead there is an outlier of a sweet floral note which is kind of interesting and lends a certain powderiness to the drydown.

No. 88 and 89 do share some similarities and No. 88 was probably inspired by No. 89. If you find the rich composition of no. 88 too much to handle, try the floral-spicy concoction of no. 89; the reduced potency and the diluted rose notes alongwith the nutmeg might feel fresher and less daunting. Eitherways, No. 89 is a fine fragrance in its own right, and a true classic. I can't picture the grim reaper handing it out at anyone's "going away" party.

Rating: 8.6/10

Notes:

Top: Bergamot, Lemon, Mace, Pineapple
Middle: Violet, Lily of the valley
Base: Tonka, Cedar, Moss, Musk

Kiton is one of the most exclusive fashion houses in the world. Their suits normally take about 20 hours of labor and atleast 45 tailors contribute to one. For sure Kiton won't be outsourcing the stitching and sewing of their suits to south Asia to be hand knitted by 10 year olds at $1 a day anytime soon. Unfortunately Kiton Men (KM) doesn't exhibit any of that fine attention to detail. While far from a substandard fragrance, its mossy-woods composition exhibits characteristics of a wearable and well-made designer knock-off.

KM opens with tangy citrus accords and a floral heart of violet notes which immediately brings to mind the hypnotic, unique and bewildering "green and gasoline" accord of Dior's classic Fahrenheit. This floral gasoline accord is toned down in KM, and is infused with tangy citrus notes of pineapple and lemon. By comparison, Fahrenheits honeysuckle and violet dominated "gasoline-like" accord is richer, smoother and overall more satisfying to my nose. KM can be viewed as a sporty version of Fahrenheit; it might be more approachable for noses which can't fully inhale the floral motor oil wonder accord of Fahrenheit. The dont detect a lot of moss in KM's basenotes, but there is a woody floral tinge in there somewhere (is it the lily + cedar ?).

Comparisons to Creed's Green Irish Tweed: KM is far more similar to Fahrenheit than is it to GIT. The violet note in GIT is more grassy, and is of a different character than in KM and Fahrenheit.

Overall, KM is a pleasant "green" fragrance with good longevity and sillage. Its composition doesn't posses the snob value or the superb artistry of the Kiton suits, but it does pay homage to a fragrance which does. And that's not a bad thing, is it ?

Rating: 7.5/10

Rive Gauche pour homme (RG) is one of those fragrances which elevates my mood when I have it on. I really don't get all the retro greasy Travolta references ... the only Travolta I know is the one who did the twist with Uma Thurman. It could also be because I am a product of the 80s (I cried when E.T. had to go home and I was in love with a girl named Rio). Eitherways, RG kicks ass and takes names.

The initial impressions are certainly barbasol + man smell. I find the opening burst of a shaving cream accord amusing, interesting and at the same time it makes me exclaim "Wow, thats hell of a recreation of barbasol!". Its a familiar smell which draws you in. I get a unified shaving cream accord but spraying it 2-3 times in quick successions breaks up the composition and I am able to detect the well integrated tart spiciness of star anise, a dim lavender note, and the spicy coolness of cloves. Within a few minutes of this elasive barbershop opening RG begins its descent into a woody melange of patchouli, vetiver and gauaic wood out of which patchouli is at the forefront with hints of dry sweet spicy guaicwood. The clove in the heart notes has enough potency to keep the base from becoming overly woody or "old manish". The intermingling of this barbasol smell and patchouli is the best facet of RG, the combined accord creating a clean, classy and chic aura. RG doesn't create a lot of sillage but sports good longevity (the drydown is noticeable upto 9 hours after application). A criticism is that I would have like the opening accord to hold on for more than a few minutes before melding with the woody base.

RG is cool, crisp, and stylish. Its familiar yet unique, light yet substantial. Its not a terribly cerebral fragrance, but its a perfect example of a fragrance which can make you feel damn fine when you wear it. Wear it.

Rating: 8.2/10

**This is a review of the EDT**

Notes: orange blossom, bergamot, mandarin, clary sage, iris, jasmine, rose, ylang-ylang, cedarwood, vetiver, styrax, leather, amber, vanilla

"An ashtray doing a flower vase"

Ernest Beaux's 1924 classic, Cuir de Russie (CdR) is widely regarded as one of the finest Chanel fragrances as well as one of the best leather fragrances ever created. Created to paint an image of an elegant snobby woman rummaging through her fine leather bag to look for change to tip an escort for a night of much fun, CdR displays all the hallmarks of Beaux's expertise, alongwith a few eccentricities introduced by Polge.

CdR opens with a burst of citrus melange with a sage note inserting enough bitterness to offset the smooth orange blossom and bergamot. Hints of leather (due to isobutyl quinoline) are perceptible from the beginning. Soon, CdR transitions to its most feminine phase - Beaux's signature trifecta of ylangylang-jasmine-rose infuses a dose of floral sweetness with an element of coolness due to a shy iris note; the florals threaten to drown out the gradually increasing intensity of the leather. CdR was reorchestrated in 1983 by Polge and the floral heart was increased in strength while the leather note was decreased in potency .. can't say I like this "tune up" but it makes it more approachable to women I guess. Another smooth movement of accords takes place a few hours later and CdR enters the drydown phase which is more masculine due to smoky styrax and vetiver which are prevented from rampaging the composition with their supposed tenacity by gendarme like notes of vanilla and amber. Unlike some of the other reviewers, I dont smell a lot of civet, if at all. Longevity is good at around 7-8 hours, and sillage is medium.

CdR presents a well behaved leather note interjected with a good dose of florals to result in a smooth and slightly floral leather fragrance. The ambery styrax+vetiver drydown is the highlight. Those of us looking for a wild no-holds-barred "look ma I am wearing a cow-hide" leather might be disappointed with CdR's cultured and metrosexual approach to a leather romp. With that said, this is arguably the best leather for women...its flirty yet classy, confident yet sensual.

A quick comparison to some of other notable leathers:

Caron Tabac Blond: its leather is more smoky, its vanilla base more unrestrained and naughty. Marilyn Monroe vs. Elizabeth Taylor.

Creed Cuir de Russie: loads of birch tar with ambergris. A very unusual leather. More manly.

Creed Royal English Leather: Resembles the first 2 minutes of Chanel CdR with its mandarin+leather mix. The leather note is more raw and substantial.

Serge Lutens Daim Blond: No. I want a sexy sensual leather on my woman, not decorate her with a fruit bowl.


Rating: 8.7/10

Notes:
Top: Lemon, Mandarin, Basil, Petitgrain
Heart: Lavender, Nutmeg, Cinnamon, Lily
Base: Oakmoss, Vetiver, Sandalwood, Cedarwood

Supposedly Armani Eau Pour Homme (APH) was Giorgio Armani's personal day-time fragrance before being released to public. Going by the composition, Mr. Armani must have been a big fan of the classics like Dior Eau Sauvage, Chanel Pour Monsieur, and especially Nina Ricci Signoricci.

I was initially perplexed by APH's performance on my skin. Testing it amidst a flurry of recent citrus purchases and that too in the searing summer heat, initial impressions were that it's a standard lemon pledge like citrus fragrance with a bromidic dry herbal mossy drydown which revealed itself too fast. A different technique of application revealed a more consuming side - spraying from a distance allowed the latent notes to bloom, and I perceived an immediate (light) woody-citrus combo of lemon and petitgrain lent a light airy floral aroma of lavender inconcert with a subdued spicy nutmeg note which renders an enjoyable if restrained aromatic citrus accord. The problem here is that this accord gets more and more anhydrous - the sandalwood in the base doesn't possess enough potency to neutralise the dryness...I would have preferred some forceful floral notes to counteract this unbalanced desert wind like drying act, or pumped up the lavender note's concentration instead. By the drydown, I am left with a parched mossy accord on my skin which reminds me of gardening in the backyard with lemon juice crusts on my fingertips.

Mr. Armani probably wanted a Signoricci of his own. The notes pyramid reveals a lot of similarities as does testing them side by side. It also reveals that Signoricci is the better and more balanced scent. The lemons are more luscious, the lavender smoother, the petitgrain woodier, and it has the missing floral components to counter balance the mossy-herbal drydown that afflicts APH. Yes, Signoricci is the better fragrance...but APH has the better bottle! Also, can anyone confirm whether Armani's clothing line has been similarly "inspired" by other fashion houses?


Rating: 7.3/10

Notes: amber, myrrh, burnt styrax, incense, cinnamon, aloe wood, cedar, civet, nutmeg, clove, cumin, musk, mandarin peel, orange blossom.

In the technology adoption lifecycle while crossing the chasm to mainstream acceptance, entrepreneurs need to find product and market alternatives to their product. This can also be accomplished by taking a successful product and using its features to fulfill the needs of a need in a new market. Lutens and Sheldrake take this approach with Cuir Mauresque -they take a successful leather fragrance, perform minute customizations, and then name it "Moorish (Spanish) Leather".

Cuir Mauresque (CM) is one of the more pleasant and wearable Lutens offerings. While a great leather fragrance, to my nose it also borrows heavily from Caron's nearly 100 year old classic, Tabac Blond (TB). Both feature a smoky leathery heart derived from the molecule isobutyl quinoline. The smoky leather note is richer and more forceful in TB, while its considerably tame in CM where the use of clove, aloes wood and mandarin peel strip the leather of most of its distinctive characteristics and present it as smoky-leather-lite. There is a layer of the lutens trademark oriental madness bubbling under the leather show, but thankfully it doesn't materialize or develop further. While TB ends with a rich smoky vanilla accord, CM's drydown marries the muted smoky leather note with a cool yet never overbearing incense note which to some people might spell "Tabac Blond for men".

To summarize, CM is TB with a little bit of sweetness, the same smoky leather note but toned down 5X in strength, and an incense infused drydown instead of the smoky vanilla accord in TB. If you found TB too leathery and smoky, CM might be your ticket to leather salvation. Spanish leather is marked by a distinct sweetness in addition to leather, and Lutens/Sheldrake take a fast follower approach to success by taking the TB blueprint and adding a few sweet notes to the formula - and voila!, the result is a fine spanish leather fragrance which destroys the competition (ex: Trumper etc's offerings which are too sweet and musky with barely any perceptible leather).

Note: Depending on how CM reacts on your skin, you might either get the impressions discussed above, or a heavy saccharine scent ala traditional Lutens fare (if your skin amplifies the amber and mandarin peel notes). Try before you buy.

Rating: 8.4/10

**This review is of the EDT**

Notes:

Top: Leather, Linden, Carnation
Heart: Iris, Vetiver, Ylang Ylang
Base: Cedar, Patchouli, Vanilla, Amber, Musk

Said to be launched to celebrate the liberation of women in the 1920s a movement which allowed them to vote and mate without male consent, wear skimpy bikinies and take care of that ever growing bikini line, and ofcourse smoke in public. The name might be a misnomer, but there's not an iota of smoke in Tabac Blond's performance - this is a crystal clear display of excellent perfumery skills.

Tabac Blond opens with a fresh blast of a sweet citrus note conjoined witha bright floral spicyness of carnation tinged with the barest hint of leather. Its an inviting opening and only hints at whats to come next. And that hint only grows more and more obvious over the next few minutes. The castoreum-based leather heart of Tabac Blond grows in prominence and starts dominating...and what a leather note it is! It shares some similarities with the turpentine-like leather note in Knize Ten, but unlike that motor-oil mechanic juice note, is never harsh or overly chemically (probably due to the iris and ylang ylang, which smooth out any rough leathery tones). Its smooth and as well-balanced as a leather note can be, and although I don't smell much tobacco or smoke, there is a general underlying smoky feel enveloping the heart notes. The leather is impressive in its longevity - this sublime note lasts for a good 4 hours, before the fragrance transitions to a smooth resinous vanilla-amber base, which surprisingly smells cool (is it because of the enduring musk and cedar notes?) compared to the leather action in the heart notes.

Tabac Blond is Carons' flagship perfume, and even in its EDT form, is a fragrance which very few, if any, leather fragrances can claim to compare to. The movement between the three notes phases is dynamic, the leather note is substantial yet never overbearing, and the vanillic-amber-cedar-musk base finishes off the leather powerhouse display with a rich melange of temperate and sensual notes which provide a frore contrast to the leathery warmth. Tabac Blond was a fragrance way ahead of time; its time though has come. The time is now. This is a fragrance for bold women, women who find the fruity florals littering the malls insubstantial, inchoate and insulting to their driven motivated interior. Women who have had enough of the vanilla-amber-laden sweet bombs. Women now lead Fortune 1000 companies, are career driven, and play an equal hand in marriage. I can easily see such independent women do Tabac Blond justice. Its also a clearly unisex juice, although Mr. Moms might be better off with the generic aquatic. Tabac Blond is smokin'.

Notes:
Indian, Egyptian and Moroccan jasmines, green shoots, honey, clove, benzoin and musk

One of the better and more sensual jasmine based fragrances around. The quality of jasmine oils used in this one is excellent, and its the darker more indolic interpretation of the flower...however as all thing Serge Lutens, the jasmin is flanked by lots of benzoin honey and vanilla to give it a rich decadent and at times suffocating feel. Infact, it can at times feel like a scrubber because the top notes are uber strong and sweet. But ofcourse, if you are a Serge Lutens fan girl or fan boy, you know what to expect from this honey-and-benzoin-morocco inspired house, so you are probably prepared to handle this assault. Things do improve and simmer down by the drydown phase, and A la nuit fares better if applied lightly. During cooler weather, the indolic jasmine melds well with my skin to give it a bit of a dirty and sensual metrosexual skank, but in warmer weather, the honey and benzoin infuse into the jasmine oils to surround me with an aura of transexual confusion (which I am not a big fan of).

If you are looking for a rich indolic jasmin fragrance, A la nuit might fit the bill. I personally prefer Creeds' beautiful non-cloying Jasmal, which highlights a superb jasmine heart with sophisticated green accents.

Notes:
Top: Citron
Middle: Olive Blossom, Aromatic, and Anisey Accents
Base : Tonka Bean, Blonde Tobacco, Gaiac Wood, Smoky

I am revisting Armani Code/Black Code after some time off from Armani fragrances (trust me, its hard to do if you frequent department stores - can't escape the Di Gio), and I have to admit, I am finding more redeeming qualities in this one. While the adverts come off as a bad case of The Matrix trilogy hangover (dark shades, spandex and slo-mo bullet dodging is so played out!), the sleek curvy dark bottle with just the right degree of curvature and heft isn't as embarrassing.

Code opens with a citric blast which is a bit unusual; its hard to describe. It smells citrusy alright, but theres something medicinal and gaseous about it with a floral hint. Its interesting to say the least - the floral note is probably the olive flower, which isn't as sweet or intense in its scent profile as something like tuberose. The heart notes amp up the intrigue factor with a dose of anise, its tangy sweet character continuing from where the olive flower and citrus combo left off. The smooth and suave creaminess of the tonka bean makes its appearance shortly thereafter. And here lies the problem - the transition from top and middle notes to the base takes minutes...5 minutes to be exact. Thats too fast for a Matrix wannabe. Slo-mo, take your time to develop. Thats not to say that the base is bad; its chockfull of tonka bean with a dry woodiness about it (with a light smoky character) thanks to the guaic wood. The end effect is of a light, creamy, slightly woody skin scent, with good longevity but low sillage.

The quality of ingredients is decent, and there are distinct phases of development. Code however is less interesting than its orange blossom laced womens counterpart, and reveals its trump cards too early. With that said, it qualifies as a good discreet/office scent. It has also made Armani a ton of money already, and just having both Code and Aqua di Gio in your wardrobe is a pretty respectable option for a casual fragrance fan. I dont care much for this musky light skin scent, but for some strange reason women like it a lot .. that last statement itself will now entice hordes of teens to stock up on the Matrix love juice. What is the Code ? I dont care because I am happy doing my own thing with Terre D'Hermes and Chanel Allure homme.

Top notes: Lavender, Galbanum, Cumin,
Heart notes: Osmanthus, Cistus oil, Neroli
Base notes: Labdanum, Vetiver, Oakmoss, Lavender Concrete

Having spent the past month or so trying out a batch of Villoresi decants, the house's Vetiver stood out the most in its overall flow and construction, and the quality of its ingredients. All Villoresi fragrances smell good, but theres something more striking about the Vetiver, especially when it comes to its ingredients. Whenever I wear it, I smell a wild untamed beast in the potion, yet the beast never claws me to death or rip me to shreads ...rather it overlays on me a raw hide skin, intense yes yet friendly at the same time.

No, Vetiver doesnt smell like its loaded with vetiver, rather, the vetiver is buried beneath a smorgasboard of other herbs, citrus and floral notes. But the scent explodes with a fantastic lavender note paired with a green herbaceous accord and a pine like note which, dare I say it, provides the fragrance a "fresh" feel. There is a persistent yet austere labdanum note which drills into the drydown decorating Vetiver with a smoky, woody and slightly salty/iodine-like accord. The effect is not unlike a refined and much better executed version of the mineralic and iodine-laden Vetiver des Sables by Montale.

Like all Villoresi fragrances, there is a raw untamed monster of a feel in Vetiver, yet at the same time it also smells powerful and distinguished, like a caveman dressed in a suit (picture Robin Williams at the Oscars). Each of the notes is crystal clear and rendered in high-def...my guess is that Vetiver probably the most expensive Villoresi to manufacture. Its not a naked display of vetiver root oil like Malle's Vetiver Extraordinaire or MPG Route de Vetiver, but it is a very well crafted fougere with a modicum of vetiver. Vetiver is kryptonite for the senses...except that you are not Superman.

Exquisite white flower notes rendered in such a way so as to be light yet substantial, thoroughly modern yet composed with a classic touch.

In Love in White (LIW) the daffodils and magnolia are the clear highlights, are given a gentle sprightly introduction by the use of orange zest in the top notes. A combination of daffodils, magnolia, and rose can potentially lead to suffocation but here this floral heart is joined by a rice husk and orange zest to restrain the floral madness that so plagues fragrances from grandma's days (or even when compared to some of Creed's older fragrances for women).

Love in White is a well-behaved and well-composed bouquet of white floral notes infused with a transparent layer of orange zest which filters out the cloying heady vapors that so many florals emit. The longevity is excellent and the warm vanilla/sandalwood base introduces a hint of creaminess. LIW is an excellent demonstration in exhibiting the inherent rich characteristics of white flowers in the purest yet most restrained manner.

**This review is of the original version labelled 'Chanel for men'; I can't comment on the recent reformulated juice because I haven't had the misfortune of smelling it**

Notes:
Top: Lemon, Verbena, Neroli, Orange
Middle: Cardamom, Coriander, Basil, Ginger
Base: Oakmoss, Cedar

Lately, I have been on a citrus kick. Ploughing through the hordes of citrus fragrances which are so similar in their genetic makeup that one might think they were the result of a massive inbreeding swinger session between citrus fragrances, I was able to fine tune my nose to sniff out a few citrus fragrances which have sufficient identity of their own. Henri Roberts' classic Chanel pour monsieur (CPM) might have its seed strewn about everywhere, but it retains enough distinct perfume traits to still command respect and stand out from the crowd.

CPM is an aromatic citrus with chypre underpinnings. The opening is a refreshing splash of citrus puntuated by teeny bits of aldehydes to give it that distinct Chanel character. I smell lots of verbena and lemon, and a distant march of spice troops. The spices slowly grow in intensity, and after 15 minutes, join forces with the citrus top notes to create the main heart of CPM. The cardamom and coriander lend warmth and depth to the composition, and never become overbearing or cause that 'burning nose' sensation. Intermingling with the citrus notes, the spices conjure a citrus-spice accord which is amongst the best I have smelled. Its also delivered with much more panache and expertise than in fragrances like YSL Live Jazz or Caron Eau Forte, which are good fragrances in their own right. An hour later, CPM slowly transforms into a moderately 'drier' fragrance, with cedar and oakmoss joining the fray. Its true that CPM doesn't output much sillage and stays close to the skin, but its more perceptible in warmer weather, lasts for atleast 6 hours, and the drydown gets more 'chypre' like.

I read this about CPM on osmoz : 'It is the secret 'plus' of elegant men, highlighting their refinement with discretion.' And I totally agree. Its one of the best citrus aromatics around, and people weaned on A*Men and the like will not appreciate the understated elegance on display here.
This is not the type of perfume which creates an atomic blast like intense sillage and longevity which you can still smell on your skin a month later. Its a discreet, stylish, (still)distinctive fragrance which is expertly composed with decent longevity. Henri Robert created a classic in 1955 which has stood the test of time, but which (unfortunately) looks like couldn't guard itself against the greed of Chanels' profit lusting financial officers...

I found two distinct note pyramids for Signoricci:

Notes-1: mandarin, petitgrain, sage, alpine lavender, haitian vetiver, exotic woods, and oak moss.

Notes-2:
Top note : Lemon, Lime, Petitgrain, Basil

Middle note : Aldehydes, Jasmine, Carnation, Mandarin

Base note : Musk, Moss, Tonka, Amber

To my nose, Signoricci smells like:
Top: Lemon, Lime, Basil
Middle: Sage, alpine lavender, petitgrain
Base: Amber, exotic woods, moss, musk

These citrus fragrances are a dime a dozen. 95% of such fragrance smell so similar, its like they have hardly evolved since the dawn of time. They all follow the standard lime-herbs-woods formula that has rendered the "my citrus is better than yours" argument irrelevant...get more creative with your EdC's perfumers! Signoricci, while not as unique as I would like it to be, is one of the better standouts of this genre. I neither have time nor care to investigate the confusion regarding which Signoricci is which ..this is another one of those maddening scenarios which perfume houses create just because the management/perfumers were too lazy to lift their pokey fingers and engage their brain to number the perfumes properly.

Signoricci opens with a crystal clear and natural smelling blast of lemon and lime. No synthetic lemon pledge or chemical warfare smell here, this is a clear and enjoyable lemon lime note which lasts! And does it ever! It squeezes its way through the heart notes and deep into the drydown where one can still catch whiffs of lime. A subtle lavender note anchors the lemon in the beginning, before being replaced by a superbly balanced petitgrain note. Unlike in some other fragrances which I couldnt be arsed to name right now, the woodiness of petitgrain is kept well in check. Its like a "dry