Perfume Reviews by speedracer

Hypnosis by Cupids

Feels like a cleaner, weaker modernized version of Cool Water. Slightly dated. The drydown base is familiar generic woody amber but it’s not bad.

This is one of those pheromone scents. Depending on what you believe or read, you may or may not think something like this would work. But as a placebo, if this gives you that extra boost of confidence that you need to be your best, then that's all that matters.

Emperor Absolu by Parfums Vintage

Emperor Absolu is a very good clone of Aventus Absolu. It has that extra sharp, sparkling, fruity opening and nice, musky, slightly peppery finish. I do like the original Creed better as it seems smoother but this is a very good alternative.

Performance is sneaky. I couldn't smell it shortly after spraying the first time, so on the 2nd wearing I sprayed a couple more sprays and on clothing. It lasted and projected strongly all day. It wouldn't even wash off my shirt even after washing it.

Cordovan by Banana Republic

Cordovan has a slightly dusty, more mature feel. Not sweet or modern. Feels more like a late 90s or early 2000s scent. Linear but the smell is interesting, could be the fig note. Ultimately, it does smell like a cheaper scent in the drydown but at least it's not boring and has decent performance.

I get slightly better than average projection and about 6-7 hours on clothes.

Polo Est. 67 by Ralph Lauren

Fresh and clean shower gel. It's not sexy or interesting, just an easy wear choice for something modern and safe for most casual and office occasions. I feel like this could work in cool or warm temps.

Performance is a mixed bag for me. It doesn't project a lot, so it is good for the office, but it does last most of the workday when sprayed on clothes.

Citron by Prisma Parfums

Soapy, sparkling synthetic dry citrus. The drydown loses the sparkle but it’s still a nice, clean citrus that gets drier as the drydown progresses. Get’s very faint about 3-4 hours in. Daytime wear seems best and Citron is perfectly unisex.

DXI by Preproduction Perfumery

The quick review is that this is a soapy, airy, almond scent. White florals give this a slightly feminine mature feel in the opening but it's really subtle. Later, it’s all the airy almond smell, kinda similar to Pegasus but cleaner and not as strong. That’s a good thing as Pegasus can be abrasive to me at times.

As stated, not a big projector but it does perform well and lasts most of the day.

XI by Preproduction Perfumery

Just a decent, feminine fruity rose scent. Clean, not dirty.

Zircon by Prisma Parfums

Not much info out there about this one, but Zircon smells, modern and familiar, but has a slightly elevated feel which is surprising for a smaller company like this.

The opening is mint, BR540 sweetness, and citrusy masculine clean all mixed together. The drydown is more of a clean, powdery vanilla-tonka sweetness.

Performance is just average for projection. Feels like you'd need more than 4 or 5 sprays to really get noticed. Longevity is good, 8-9 hours but the projection is gone after just a couple hours.

Interiris by Parfums Vintage

This is a clone of Interlude Man Black Iris. I find it to be very close but just slightly flatter without the herbal, minty sparkle that I get in the Amouage.

Doesn't last as long either as the original. I still get a half day's wear but the Amouage just keeps pushing into the next day. I will say this is a strong projector while it lasts.

Rise by Akro

After all of the fun beachy notes are gone, you're left with a creamy, beach flower scent. Doesn't smell cheap but this has been done before but in cheaper scents. Still a good scent but not as unique as what I've come to expect from Akro.

Bourbon & Bluegrass by Scent Journey

Strong, sweet and flowery. More fem than what I was expecting. It is trying to smell like a mint julep or something like that but I keep getting a distinct synthetic blueberry smell.

Siesta Sunset by Scent Journey

Synthetic lemon-fruity candy opening. The tart lemony opening fades in the dry down.

Perry Ellis Aqua by Perry Ellis

Aquatic body wash. Watery, fresh and clean with some laundry musks thrown in. This is more basic and dated than the Extreme version, which I prefer as it has slightly more sweetness and spice to it.

Projection and longevity are both average. Not the worst but nothing impressive.

Vetiver & Grapefruit by Molton Brown

Interesting name as I don’t get obvious notes of vetiver or grapefruit. Slightly sweet, clean citrus and a mature lean that can be worn to the office or for casual daytime wear. The obvious comparison is something like Dior Homme Cologne but it's not exactly like that, maybe 50% alike.

The opening projection is nice for the office, not too big but others should be able to smell it if they get close. It fades after an hour and the whole thing is gone after 3-4 hours. Not the best performance. I'd be very interested to see if the EdP fixes that issue.

Neon Amber Eau de Toilette by Molton Brown

Nice, pleasant opening but the dry down is plasticky and has heavy white florals. I can wear the opening and enjoy it but the drydown leans too far feminine for me. Overall, it's a nice scent but I'd rather smell this on my wife.

Projection is fine during the first couple of hours but fades after that. Longevity is below average, only lasting 4-5 hours.

Wūlóng Chá by Nishane

What's not to like? The opening is a tea scent that smells like citrus and fig. Later, it’s mostly fig with no citrus and a dry tea. Perfect daytime or office scent because it is clean, light and pleasant without too much projection.

Doesn't fill a room but it does last and is persistent. You can smell it for a good 8-9 hours.

Perry Ellis Platinum Label by Perry Ellis

Smells very similar to 360 Red for men minus the cinnamon spice, so it's even more of an AdG clone to me than 360 Red. Basic and somewhat dated to the 90s, but still pleasant.

Performance is just average. Projection is maybe an arm's length while longevity is 4-5 hours.

Perry Ellis Aqua Extreme by Perry Ellis

Opening is clean and fresh like body wash. There is a touch of modern sweetness with some spice, like Versace Dylan Blue or a very toned-down Dior Sauvage. Not bad at all for a daily office or casual fragrance and is a decent value given how low the current prices are.

Projection is just average but it lasts about 6-7 hours, so not bad.

Sandalwood by Blackstone

Nothing fresh, sweet or modern in the opening and then has an Oud Wood feel drydown with dry woody notes. Smells like weathered, slightly mossy wood but not in a realistic way.

Performance is pretty bad, worse than EdC fragrances that I've tried. Doesn't project or last.

Black Oud by Blackstone

Soft, pleasant, generic, woody-leather. The opening has a little bit of sparking citrus that wakes up this scent. There’s no oud that I can tell. It does have some spice but I don’t get much dirty-earthiness. Has a mature vibe. This may be trying to smell like Oud Wood, but it’s not even 50% there.

Performance is very weak with low projection and short-lived longevity.

Narciso Rodriguez for Him Bleu Noir Extrême by Narciso Rodriguez

This is one of those wonderful scents that has multiple feels as it phases through it's development.

The opening is an airy blast of what seems to be a unique mix of green, minty iris, or maybe violet. Soon after, the cumin is there, and maybe even some leather, providing some real grit to this scent. That's the part that reminds me of the original. The final part of the drydown is the most pleasant and pleasing. A sweetened woody base with plenty of leftover spice and refinement from past starring notes. If you are thinking about Bleu de Chanel then you can probably get some of those same vibes when smelling side by side. However, I feel like Bleu Noir edt Extreme is unique enough to stand on its own.


Projection is good without choking out the room. Longevity is better, going for 10+ hours.

Sea & Surf by Blackstone

A nice, pleasant, clean, salty air beach vibe. Very light projection but it lasted longer than I would have expected. Just hard to smell since it is so soft. A bit generic like am Air freshener or shampoo but still pleasant and could get compliments if someone gets close enough.

Acqua Colonia Lemon & Ginger by 4711

Yes, it does resemble lemon and ginger but it's too bitter for me to want to wear. Maybe it is appealing if you are looking for a realistic representation of the notes but I want to smell nice, not like I just prepped food or made a cocktail for somebody. Could be fun and interesting as a layering scent but it's too simple on its own.

Performance is below average with a light projection and a few hours of longevity.

Apple Brandy on the Rocks by By Kilian

The first time I smelled Apple Brandy on the Rocks was also the first time I smelled Angels' Share. They have many similarities in the smell, but Apple Brandy on the Rocks was lighter and less intoxicating than Angels' Share and my wife adored the sweeter, heavier scent, so I went with Angels' Share. Now that I am testing them again against each other, I still get the same impression. However, there's something to be said about the merits of Apple Brandy on the Rocks. If you like Angels' Share but find it challenging to wear because of how loud and heavy it can be at times, this is a great alternative. It has more of a fruity sweetness, isn't nearly as dark, nutty, or heavy, and has a light freshness that makes it wearable at work or in other close-quarter or warmer conditions.

This is a fun, versatile, and unique scent that is not redundant with Angels' Share. Also gets compared with Boss Bottled and Baldesserini Ambre. I can see that for both but this is better smelling and more refined than the Boss and more unique than the Baldesserini.

As stated before, this is a lighter scent but the projection is still decent and the longevity is very good, lasting 8-9 hours.