Brioni
Eau de Parfum, Brioni (2015)

A wonderfully crafted chypre in the same realm as Ormonde Man and Oud Wood. The keyword is a realm, as they each have similar traits and produce a distinctive aura but are not the same scent. Instead, Brioni is lighter, classier, and not as flamboyant; but instead more reserved and italianatesque in structure. I love the magnolia and saffron combo in this mixed with the licorice. A contracting combination that nonetheless adds sophistication and understated elegance to the composition. The EdT is a lot airier with much more depth, however, the discontinued prices I found online are byfar distasteful, so instead, I opted for a reasonably priced EdP that surprisingly provides the same scent profile with an additional touch of smoky creaminess that I truly enjoy. All and all, Brioni is a well-crafted fragrance that is both lemony, and spicy with an effervescent heart of magnolia on a woodsy and creamy base.

Non-descript fresh/soft florals over a non-descript synthetic woody/ambery base. I wish I could write a 3-page review, but unfortunately that's pretty much all this fragrance inspires me. D&G Pour Homme sells that scent profile as lemon+lavender+tobacco, and Brioni here sells it as citrus+iris+oud: the D&G results more soapy, while Brioni is drier, but at the end of the day these 2 play in the same ballpark.

Similarities to Oud Wood? I don't get any, to be honest. If any, it is limited to the ubiquitous woody aromachemical that many brands use and sell as oud, and the fact that both are designer-quality - that said, I'm not sure why people consider a fragrance similar because of a single note... whatever. Overall nice-ish, but don't expect much more than an ok/good mainstream fragrance. Not bad per se, but at $1.50/ml (at discounters) it just shoot way below its price range. Still, will do the job as an unoffensive/one-size-fits-all fragrance for office environments, but there are many other better choices in that price range imo. Dramatically poor projection doesn't help either to like it.
For these reasons, I cannot recommend it, and will downgrade it from 'ok' to 'dislike' in my book. I should have gone for KC Signature, that many find similar to this: at least, at $25 for 100ml, the mistake would have been more acceptable. Unfortunately, Max Forti's hype train has again reached its final destination: Disappointment City.

Spring days, 20-50