Bijan Black for Men
Bijan (2006)

Nothing groundbreaking and not especially 'black', but I actually find this quite pleasant to wear. I usually gravitate towards power scents and fragrances with real punch, but sometimes it's nice to strap on something a little more subtle and this fits the bill quite nicely.

I can't possibly give a thumbs up to any frag I would describe as 'nice' and ''pleasant' but this is certainly not offensive and may actually grow on me over time.

Better performing on paper than skin, Bijan Black is a pleasant close-quarters scent for the uninspired. It doesn't project far or last long, but I have found it serves one use quite well - the body wash and EDT make a great layering accent to other scents and add variety to the drydown plus a little extra depth to vanillas like Perry Ellis 360 White, John Varvatos, Opium, etc.

Applied this about an hour ago in the store. Can't stop sniffing my wrist. The opening notes were quite pleasant...I was expecting to be bowled over, after all this is a Bijan scent. And it's "black". But it was sublte to the point of boring. Powdery and sweet with just a hint of that "black" element (which is fine with me!) I suppose this whole "black" thing came about with Armani Black Code and spread like wild fire. All of the subsequent blacks have had a similar element, which I'm guessing is tonka bean. None of those "blacks" have moved me in any way. In fact, they've kind of put me off.
But this one...
At first it wasn't very impressive...but now, into the drydown, I love it. There's some great, completely unanticipated things going on with it. Very close to the skin. You really have to press your nose into it, but when you do, it's seductive. It's so hard to find recent scents that maintain interest. Every house has some throwaway juice every six monts or so with no apparent thought put into it. It's like they just put out scents in volume, hoping for a success. Somebody took some care with Bijan Black. Hopefully it won't get lost in the dark forever.
This kept passing through my hands at Marshall's and when it dropped to ten bucks...well, how could I resist? I've quickly become addicted to it. Orange, Pine and Vanilla is what it boils down to. Sort of a mash of Happy for Men, CK Contradiction, and Halston 1-12. It's kind of Christmasy, yet also summery. It's an excellent all purpose, great quality fragrance. No, not earth shattering. But sometimes you just want to walk quietly and carry a small stick.

The original Bijan for Men used was edgy, gaudy, pushy, gross, even, but if it was used with discretion (lightly misted never, never sprayed), it smelled good. With Bijan Black, the sillage and potency has been reduced dramatically but it is an unrelentingly synthetic mediocrity whose future is going to found on the lower levels of drugstore shelves. It is a generic attempt: I haven't been able to find the notes under the synthetics. About the only good thing I can say about it is that it is better than Bijan Nude for Men.

Rather subtle so it's perfect office wear. Vanilla, florals and a bit of woods. A skin scent for you to enjoy as the sillage is fairly low.

This one has really grown on me. It's a little more interesting than some of the other "black" offerings from other houses, but, the best thing about it is that it seems to have a better longevity than most and the drydown is soooo very pleasant and enjoyable - very classy and professional - anything but pretentious. That being said, it's not my favourite Bijan . . . that will be NUDE - it's brilliant . . . but it is still light years better than the original Bijan! A worthy woody, floral effort that I will wear more often than not. Actually, I think that if more people tried this, they would really like it. Give it a try! A big thumbs up for the house of Bijan!