Fragrance Reviews by CoL

Nothing new here but still very pleasent! Watery opening moving on to a mild woody base. Not terribly long lasting and the bottle feels cheap but it is basically an Avon scent (although does smell much better than their regular male efforts!)

I rather like this! Reminds me of Pacha for men. Interestingly I was reading on the PR website that this scent is actually very high in natural ingredients. Only synthetic aspect in part of the leather base so it seems. Very potent and latsting, I think this will be a hit. I suprised about the bottle comments as the face is actually metal and the rest is glass (except for th sprayer of course ;o))

I have to disagree, this is lovely! Very different from the rest of the new releases out at the moment. Yes it does have a synthetic edge to it but come on its a designer scent, what do you expect!

Give it a go and don't expect a Creed for this price but very easy to wear lasting aromatic scent.

This is a wonderful scent! Nothing ground breaking, along the lines of Fleur Du Male although more fizzy. I dont get any aquatic notes like the original Kenzo PH as stated below but I can detect a bit of L'eau Par in it. Wonderful fizzy floral, but do try before you buy as this one is not as "safe" as most of the new releases (thankfully!)

This is wonderful stuff! Very unisex IMO but then again there really is little difference these days. Fruity/floral opening but the wood and musk comes through almost exactly at the same time which gives this the quirkiness we come to expect from Gaultier. Very modern and "now" but with a onderful quirky (but VERY wearable) twist!

This is just plain rubbish! To my nose it is an exact mix of 80% Infusion d'iris and 20% Prada Amber Pour Homme. Uninspired, like so many of the chemical releases this year.

Wonderful stuff! Very unisex to my nose and reminds me a little of Verscae White Jeans! I'm hoping that my brain isnt finding this comparison just because of the name ;o) Lovely stuff!

Does anyone else get a strong sense of TF Black Orchid from this? Mainly the top notes but it does settle into something similar if more "mainstream".

Amazing stuff! At a tenth of the price of Black Orchid too!

See my review of the standard Play and add some more coffee wood. AWFUL AWFUL AWFUL!

Had the "pleasure" of trying this today. Utter synthetic CRAP! I can't remember being so disapointed in a launch in my life! I could have smashed the bottle against the wall! Pity it is a very cool bottle but the fragrance is "extracting the urine". Starts of with a very cheap synthetic citrus folowed by a chea synthetic burst of vetiver then coffee wood, also very cheap and synthetic. See the running theme here!?

AVOID, cheap and synthetic crap!

Very nice scent but not terribly original. More Tom Ford than L'Instant pour Homme to my nose, but thats the point, it smells to much like both of them!

Still, yet another Cartier hit. Fresher than the two fragrances mentioned above, most likely due to the mint in the top, and the bottle is truly outstanding!

I'm totally in love with this stuff! Lovely muted fruity/floral/musk. Lasts and develops very well indeed. Seems this was never released in the UK. Notes from Osmoz

Top - Champagne accord, Cointreau

Mid - White lily

Base - héliotrope, white musc

I didn't like this at all at first sniff, waaaaaaaaaay too much. Then I discovered the "La Cologne" which is much lighter. NOw I understand this one. You really need to let this one settle as it is very floral and too much at first to get a true picture of it. I have to say I really don't get any synthetic smell from it at all. I am led to believe that Gaultier fragrances have, by todays designer standards, a rather high percentage of natural oils. Not for a hot humid day unless you want people to pass out around you ;o)

I don't get any dirty socks I must say! This smells very much like a "summer" version of NR for her. Or possibly some other "remix". Added fruit and floral notes. I agree it does scream at first but this seems to settle after 30 mins or so. Very nice and very potent but not terribly original. Why do so many scent houses like to copy each others "big hitters"? I think it's time for a huge shake up in the perfume industry. Am I the only one bored with all the sythetic crap and variation after variation? What next? Opium Monday? Very Irresitible Friday? Kouros Dental appointment? Enough already!

Outstanding! At last Ennio Capassa returns to roots of the original and superb, Costume National Scent! This has a similar structure to the original but this time its kinda milky and creamy. As if the original scent was dropped in some custard! Lasts an age too. I'm already on my second bottle!

I love this stuff! Very easy for a man to wear too (well in my opinion) probably due to the patchouli. Have a sniff guys, you never know!

Just got this today and for some reason is making me feel a little sick! Don't quite know why as yet. Very odd scent, theres a note in there thats not working well with me at the moment but I do have a dodgy tum ;o) Will have to come back to this one me thinks

Now this one is a suprise! Kinda minty fresh on the top with a sandlalwood finish. Very nice indeed. No, its not a niche scent so don't expect "niche quality" (doubtful with some so called niche houses) but a great scent for the day, playing sports and the likes. Nice! Me likes!

Lovely light fresh fragrance along the lines of Mugler Cologne. The real shame about this is that it is so light I wonder if its worth wearing it! Thats its only downfall to be honest. I do think its made to be a body spray of sorts, but even at that its so fleeting I'm not sure if its worth it.

For that reason I have to give it a neutral. The fragrance itself gets a thumbs up but with this level of longevity, I cant give it a thumbs up.

This really is a sleeper! When I first tried this on a card I thought boooooooooooooorrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrinnnnnnnnnnng, what a disapointment! Then I tried it on my skin and thought, hmmmmm big deal. Then I tried it a few more times, gave it a proper wearing and I have to say I am now very impressed. I think YSL have tried to create a "modern classic". Its very subtle, nothing ground breaking but very sophisticated and easy to wear. Its very well blended and lasts a long time too. It does change and develop quite a bit hence why I think you really need to give this one some time. Perfect understated fragrance.

Well I got my first bottle of this today and I'm amazed that no one seems to mention how much this smells like a Claiborne!? This smells like a softer Curve to my nose. Very pleasent but CERTAINLY not worth the $100 price tag. I have studied the bottle to make sure its not a fake (would they bother faking this?) and it looks far too exact to be a copy. Hmmm

Seems I'm in the minority loving this one. Hmmm, try for yourself I say! Wonderful long lasting masculine floral fragrance that makes me fee rather happy when I wear it!

I MUCH prefer this to its "original" version. This is much fresher, less cloying and far more interesting IMO. Very nice scent this and lasts rather well for an EDC too.

This is a rather well done Mugler Cologne clone! (try saying that after a few glasses of Cava ;o))Very pleasent stuff and extremely well priced. If your a bit low on cash and fancy something Mugler Cologney/Creed Original Vetiver, then I say have a go at this. At less than £5 a bottle you cant really go wrong. At time of writing they have a £1 off offer on too!

Ok its obvioulsy not the best mens scent available, but its rather nice! I bought it blind and was expecting some horrible mess like Hilfiger Athletics. Pleasent citrusy scent with a wamer drydown. Not terribly spicy but very easy to wear. Pleasent and fresh. Good office wear if you dont want to stand out!

Hmmm, I (thankfully) don't get the Le Male comparison but I can understand that it has a similar "texture" to it. Very nice scent, Carolina does it again! Shares a little with Herrera Aqua me thinks. Love it!

Well x3, who would have thought I would like a male Mugler scent! I really like this and its reasonably priced too. I do ge a tiny hint of A*Men in it, luckily the nice part as I detest the stuff with a passion! Very potent, energised scent. Me likes!

Sonia does it again! A very unusal fragrance which does remind me of a Spazio scent as stated below. Too dificult to describe really but try before you by as it is very different!

Such a wonderful scent with wonderful memories. Why do they always discontinue fantastic scents? :o(

Well this is billed as an updated version of the original, and thats basically what it is! A side by side comparison reveals some subtle changes, mainly the remvoval of the "apple pie" accord. To my nose, its basically a little fresher and a little greener. I like the original and I like this too!

I think this scent is wonderful! So fresh and with lasting power like no other! Reeks of quality and craftsmanship. Very unisex indeed!

Have to agree with loungeboy, this is a wonderful scent that scream quality! A real hidden gem.

To my nose this scent is to oranges as Lemon Fresca is to lemons! Basically like the orange version. Very nice scent, FAR from a plain ole citrus. Somehow something in there reminds me a little of Samsara! Very Guerlain. Love it!

Nice scent but EXTREMELY dated. The usual "herbal lemoney" top notes but does settle well. Maybe it needs more time on my skin, hmmm

This scent is outstanding! Tova says she uses only natural ingredients, and I could believe it too. This scent starts out as almost nothing, very very faint by I think this is due to the huge amounts of oils in it. Very quickly you are surrounded by this wonderful I would say mildly floral chypre, that stays with you ALLLL day. Boy does this stuff last! Very nice scent indeed and believe it or not, it screams quality!

Well as usual I love another cK variation! Wonderful pure, raw and natural opening of mandarins! Truely as if I had started to peel one! The lime is hiding just behind it. Quickly it settles down to a creamy mandarin/lime base. Now for those "niche" types out there, I am very fond of many niche scents but this is Calvin Klein so don't expect huge and wonderful things. If you take this scent for what it is its truley wonderful! Fun, flirty and fruity. Sounds a but like me! LOL

Heres the notes -

Top notes : Pomegranate, Bergamot, Lemon.
Heart notes : Raspberry, Blackberry, Jasmine, Marvel of Peru.
Base notes : Sandalwood, Musk.

What an interestingly different scent! I don't know if its the mention of "snow bark" and "white musk" but this scent really does smell "wintery". Not in a heavy oriental way, but actually like a winters day! I put it down to the tea tree note that gives it the "cold" feel. Unusal scent with a slightly astringent opening, quickly warmed up by the white pepper and armoise I guess. Give it a try, its great to have a scent that aint a clone!

This should be called Be Milesime or Delicious Imperial. A complete rip off of MI and Be Delicous. Basically both mixed together!

Wonderful "plump" fruity floral scent. More fruity than floral to my nose. Suprisingly masculine too! A big thumbs up here!

Notes are :-

Top -

Lime, Tangerine, Grapefruit

Mid -

Carambola, Jasmine, Australian Magnolia

Base -

Musk, Sandalwood, Patchouli

Wonderful fresh zingy grapefuit scent! First spray is like biting into a real juicy grapefuit. Excellent for hot weather. Top marks!

WONDERFUL orangey/citrus! Very well done indeed!

Just received this and I'm rather impressed! Very different scent. I get more fruity than floral mind you. Has a strong touch of Diptyque Oyedo to it to my nose although much more challanging. Great for summer me thinks and boy does it last!

Tried this one today and was impressed! A nice quirk on the original BiM, has a more "challenging" top to it, can't quite place it yet but me likes!

Wonderful scent from MPG! The blackberry is very noticable but in a very "blended" way if that makes sense! As IPaid once said to me, "its like Mure et Musc thats been put in a blender!" To me this sums it up, a much more complex highly blended scent. Lasts forever too!

This one aint quite the same as the original, tis deeper and reminds me of a medicine I took as a child! It does settle very well though.

LOVE the stuff! So much nicer than Le Male IMO. Big thumbs up here!

Love this scent! But its basically D&G Light Blue in a different bottle! Same perfumer too. Love it.

Well each to their own! This scent has NO similarities to ANY ckone variation WHATSOEVER! All in the nose I suppose!

YOu know this is suprisingly good! Reminds me off a more "transparent" Yohji Homme mixed with a little M7 maybe. Bottle VERY obvioulsy "inspired" by the new Dior Homme, right down to the engraving around the sprayer. NOTHING like it mind you, this is a much deeper oriental scent.

-Follow up-

Its official, I'm completely addicted! I've just about finished my first 120ml bottle. My goodness this stuff is INCREDIBLE! I love it to bits!

My first review of this scent was VERY negative. I'm sure the tester I sampled it from was bad. I now own the EDT, PDT and Parfum! Its a wonderful intoxicating scent! Me thnks the civet has been toned down, much to my liking. Not a big fan of lavander but this one does it so well. I take it all back Jicky, I LOVE YOU NOW!

This is by far the best fragrance release fromt his house since Cool Water. Nothing original here though, its very like a cross between Lacoste PH (grey bottle) and Boss Bottled. "Feels" much smoother than both of these mind you and is obvioulsy very well blended, quite a sophisticated feel to it. Nice stuff!

What a wonderful translucent rose scent! Very well as usual from Rosine. I feel this is rather unisex, as comparing it to my Rose D'Homme, I feel this is actually slighty MORE masculine! Real big thumbs up!

INCREDIBLE! Such a well blended/balanced scent. The touch of vanilla in the base really does warm this woody wonder up just right. TRUELY smells like a "dark" Dior Cologne Blanche! WOOO HOOO!

Very suprised by this one! Lovely warm scent with a mild (well I think so!) clove note to it. Rather well made for such an inexpensive scent. Thumbs up for this!

At first I was disapointed with this scent and almost swapped it away! What a mistake that would have been! To me this is a "nocturnal aquatic" scent. Brought back memories of being in a bar by the sea in Malta at night. Wonderful sweet(ish) fruity(ish) aqautic scent, a real new take on the genre.

Great fresh violety scent. Reminds a bit of Fahrenheit, in fact I would say its like a modern take on it. Very nice stuff!

Lighter fresher version of the original. Basically its Kingdom EDP with the base cut off! More feminine but still wearable by a amn I would say.

Nausea bottled. This scent could be amazing if it weren't for the whole ginger root in there. A real pity I think, one of the very very few scents that actually make me feel sick. Ah well.

LOVE this scent! It has a wonderful creaminess to it which takes off that hard patchouli edge as ikkitos says below. Share some similarities to VdR but with the patchouli cranked up. Wonderful stuff!

Great fresh clean fragrance. Nothing ground breaking but masculine and rather sexy!

VERY dry scent. Like Passage D'enfer without the flowers. Not really made my mind up about this one yet.

What a great scent! Sweetish and slightly oceanic/aquatic probably due to the "salty" notes. Develops very nicely and is as S-exy as hell! Lasts forever as it comes in parfum (20%) strength. Highly recomended and rather different. Very unisex.

Don't get the RL Safari comparison at all! This is waaaay better (I love Safari too). Smooth elegant and as usual with MPG, amazing development. My 2nd MPG and now I know what the house "note" is! This has it in abundance! Much niceness!

I love this! It smells like apple and plum pie with custard! Powerful and longlasting stuff too. Much nicess!

Supereb "luscious" fragrance. Quite subtle and very longlasting. Kinda has this "moist cake" feel to it. Very different yet still very easy to wear. Highly recomended!

To be honest, I think the reviews below are relating to BiM Blue edition cause this scent wasnt released until Aug 2005! I LOVE this scent, has quite a few similarities to Hugo but slighty softer and fruitier. Sexy as hell! The dry down is like kumquat with knuckle dusters! YUMSTERS!

Similar to the original Boss in Motion but greener, hence the colour I suppose! Unlike the BiM Blue edition, its much heavier, almost cloying so I think best suited for evening wear. Also very sutiable for autumn/winter use IMO. Me likes!

Very floral fragrance yet still quite masculine. Great for the summer but spray lightly its very potent stuff! L'artisan Passage D'enfer has some very similar(yet tamed) notes to it to my nose.

At first spray I thought EEEEEEEEEEEK! After around 30 secs it turned inot some kind of B*Men variation, sharp, too sharp. The after about 20mins its a L'Instant Pour Homme clone! REALLY! Not 100% sure about this one yet, so far I feel its like an unrefined rather vulgar L'Instant PH.

DREADFUL overly sweet vile blend. Look like the house of Creed is going down the pan with the new "youngster" at the healm. Oh dear this really is a mess. An attempt to capture the "scent of the moment" which seems to be that overly sweet vile synthetic one I keep moaning about. What with this and last years OV, it looks like Creed have joined the copycat business. What happend? Didn't Creed lead the way? Its a sad day...:O(

Probably my favourite scent in the world EVER! This is THE most intoxicating, incredible scent I have ever tried. I will NEVER be without a bottle, even if I have to pay really silly prices! It just takes me somewhere so much better than where I am. Most likey not to everyones taste but you have to give this one a go! Thumbs, fingers and everything else I can find, up for this one!

Totally unrelated to the original Scent trio. VERY VERY VERY feminine scent. SCREAMS "PINK AND FLORAL" so much so it gave me a headache. This was obviously their attempt to "femme" up the line. Not a bad scent just VERY potent!

The "uper octave" of the scent trio. Fresher and lighter version perfect for summer. Not as lasting as the others but still worth a sniff.

The "lower octave" of the Scent trio. This one focuses more on the woody notes. Very intoxicating sexy scent, which is the most unisex of all of the three IMO. YUMSTERS!

What a wonderful dry/floral/amber scent. This is one of my all time faves! Starts of with a "rhubarby" note which I find addictive, settles into a dry woody afair. Much niceness! To be honest, I think the Intense version is a little better and more on the unisex side.

What a little gem! Has that "rhubarby" note that always gets my attention. I feel its easy for a man to wear this too, and I do!

Fanatstic dry/sweet/smoky scent. Never been released in the UK for some odd reason but it can be found cheaply on the internet. A must have IMO, very unusal.

Great scent! Sweet and "plump" without being overbearing. Easy to wear too. Thumbs up here!

WAAAAY too sweet for my liking. Again along the lines of Signature, Black Code etc..

I don't fine this to be sharp at all. Fresh lemony citrus blend that settles well. Not your average citrus by any means, its sweetened by a touch of honey. Has wonderful memories for me too!

Very interesting unisex scent. Very sweet scent for me to like but I do! Has a kinda "sweet cola" note in there along with many others. Interesting and lasts for ever! Nab a bottle if you see one I say!

CK Crave clone to my nose. Non pour moi.

It has that overly seew synthetic note to it that I can't stand. The same note found in Laguna, Signature, Black Code etc.. Big thumbs down for me, the original is SOOOO much better!

Nice easy to wear office scent IMO. Nothing outstanding or particularly unusal but fresh and masculine. Again the ladies in my work went nuts for it! I think they must have a thing for Aramis!

This was a gift from the Notesy himself! What compliments I have had whilst wearing it. The girls in work went BONKERS for this stuff and couldn't keep their noses out of me neck! Fresh and invigorating, nothing like the vomit inducing original thank god!

A nice light fresh vetiver fro the summer. Wonderful dry down on this one!

They seem to have tried to "butch" this one up a bit. Don't like it at all, the original is sooo much better!

WOnderful scent! Soft and sophisticated! Lasts well with a decent application too!

AWFUL! Overly sweet synthetic smelling vile crap. That sums it up!

Oh I love this one! Pineapple and cocnut without smelling like a pina colada! Lasts forever and still keeps its "fizz" all the way through! Yumsters!

FANTASTIC SCENT! I hate fig but Hermes comes through again with their skill in the art of perfumery. So complex and well blended. Seems to take a different turn every hour or so. Highly recomended!

SUPERB! I'm rather of fan of Mr D, hes not done a bad scent yet! Unusual and lasting without being difficult to wear. Fresh and interesting, have a go!

Yet another great Guerlain! Again very suitable for either a woman or a man. Crisp and fresh with a hint of floral. Much niceness ;o)

Love this scent! Can't really see why its labelled as feminine though. Lovely well blended fig n coconut. Yum!

Evil in a bottle!

This is another womens scent that can easily pass as unisex. Absolutely STUNNING scent. Egyptian musk base. I don't normally like musk scents but this is incredible!

I am a Guerlain freak but this is one I just cannot bear! Made me feel sick. To me it smells like a bad mix of mulled wine pine disinfectant :x

This scent gets a lot of stick for some reason! I really like it. Settles very nicely. It does smell best after 20-30mins. Great scent!

AMAZING! Best incense scent ever made. Period.

Love it, here are the Notes: Bergamot, Mandarin, Lavender, Cardamom, Pepper, Coriander, Vetiver, Sandalwood, Tobacco, Musk.

I love this scent. Light?? HECK NO! I can smell it all day. Don't really get the fruityness, just a nice mellow light musk.

SUPERB scent. Just landed myself a new 100ml edt spray too so I'm much happiness ;o)

Very much a modern take on Shalimar to my nose. The dry down is quite different but still veery nice indeed.

Lighter, fruiter version of Samsara. More suitable for day/summer wear.
Much niceness!

Class in a glass (bottle)!
LOVELY STUFF!

FANTASTIC! Need say no more!

Boring, run of the mill, poor scent. I usually find something to like about most scents but this one is just plain bad.

Very fruity and fragrant but too camp for my tastes ;o)

I LOVE this scent! Warm, cosy and sexy. Very masculine too. I get loads of compliments when I wear this one.

Love it! Very suitable for a man too. Mmmmmm floral insense!

This stuff is THE cats flaps! Very smooth, well blended and "expensive" smelling. Just ooooooozes quality.
Smashin!

I went in to test this on a card and the assistant told me there were none "I would just have to use my hand". OH DEAR. This stuff is absolutely, blinking horrific! I cant describe how horrible it is. I had tested it before lunch and I couldn't get the blinking stuff off my hand for the life of me. 4 washes with washing up liquid didn't work, I ended up masking it with a spray of Bazar.
This scent, in my opinion, is what happens when an unskilled hand and nose try to make perfume.
Come back A*Men, all is forgiven!!

This is another beauty from Van Cleef & Arpels. On first spray it doesn't really smell that good at all. Sort of a citrusy woody mix. Give it time to settle and this comes into its own. It has a great lingering smell that I can't really describe! Kind of "mid pitched" maybe a little musky. I have found it to last well too but then again most fragrances do last on me. -- Very highly recommended!!

I picked up this one in the tax free shop even thou I wasn't even leaving the country!! I just found out that you can buy fragrances tax free just because your getting on a plane to anywhere!!
This is a really nice fragrance. Most definitely unisex. It starts very green but settles quickly into a slightly warmer leafy sweetness. Don't get me wrong its only very slightly sweet, just enough to compliment the green notes. Fresh and natural smelling. Only downfall is its not the strongest but it does manage to last well. Most fragrances do last on me though so I must have oily skin!
Its really very nice, quite different, I highly recommend it! I cant see anyone hating it.

This is a great fragrance! Its very fresh and fruity. It does remind me of Polo Sport (Woman) which I actually used to wear cause I preferred it to the men's version. It does lend to the feminine side a little but it really is very easy and pleasant to wear. It lasts well too. Probably not one for the more "Macho" types cause it does have some floral notes. But in saying this it is certainly more masculine than the vile A*men or the even worse toilet cleaner Joop! Homme. Great for spring/summer. Give it a try, you may be surprised!!

Fantastic! Need say no more!

Light and fresh with hints of berries is the first note that hits you. Slightly acidic with a hint of jam! (I know sounds horrible!). The scent then settles to a light woody musky base that's very pleasant to wear. Highly recommended and a little unusual. Does seem a little high pitched at first but don't let that put you off!

This is a lovely fragrance. Citrus top notes that settle into a woody base. Reminds a lot of Armani Pour Homme which is another of my favourites.

What a change from A*Men! I liked that at first but as my friends and family stated feeling nauseous around me I thought again. Now when I smell A*Men I feel sick too! This on the other hand is great! I absolutely love it! Its top notes are very green and fresh but I would say its mid-pitched. Settles very well with a woody tone and last all day. I strongly recommend it.

This one certainly has a very unusual bottle. Great fun to apply! Quite a light scent. Top notes are fresh and minty but as it settles sweeter and slightly woody notes appear. Doesn't last too long and a little indistinct, but good for hot summer days (when we get them!)

Couldn't wait to get this one in duty free this year! I tried it a few weeks before and the scent stayed with me all day. Its one of those "must haves"! Mid-pitched quite green at first but this settles into warms woody notes. Not too heavy or over-powering, its distinctive and quite masculine.

I really like this! Its top notes are very citrus and fresh. As it settles the rosemary and bergamot come to the fore. A light subtle easy to wear fragrance that's not over-powering. Has that clean "freshly showered" scent that's suitable for everyone.