Perfume Reviews by Bavard

Comète by Chanel

I found Comete easy to like and definitely in the style of the Chanel exclusives. I spent most of the time wearing it trying to decide which of the others in the line it reminded me of most. Three that came to mind the most were Boy, Beige, and Misia.

I liked it, especially the opening with its almost-leather type of feel. Into the base, I felt like it wasn't all that exciting.

Prada L'Homme by Prada

I wore this on a recent trip, from a tester in a perfume shop. I liked it and felt like I had definitely picked a good one to sample. It was like the iris version of Dior Homme (2005/2011) but without the vanilla. I was thinking it could be a slight step up from Dior Homme during the opening stages, at least for someone who's not the biggest fan of vanilla. But into the base, Prada L'Homme seemed to become subdued when Dior Homme would have been getting to the best part, so I backed off the idea that it's a step up from Dior Homme, but I still liked it.

Dior Homme Sport (2022) by Christian Dior

I’m giving Dior Homme Sport 2022 a full wearing today. It smells like a serious fragrance and not necessarily sporty. It has a haunting quality that draws me in.

It’s like a frankincense perfume. Not at all sporty. A little bit good, but probably not good enough to revisit. But then Dior has a way of coming back, so I might own a bottle in a few years.

Ombré Leather parfum by Tom Ford

I ran across this in a Sephora. I'm not usually big into Tom Ford, and I hadn't heard of it before. I had had a decant of Tuscan Leather, and I was fascinated by it, and sort of horrified. I gave it away after a three or four wearings. I liked Ombre Leather 16 when it came out. I thought that was a step up on Tuscan Leather. When they put Ombre Leather in the mainstream line and took away the "16," I thought it was maybe slightly less special. I saw just now that there is a Tuscan Leather Intense. I haven't tried that one.

This one, Ombre Leather Parfum, seems like the best version of the idea for me - lighter and more polite. I was excited enough to buy a travel spray.

Ungaro pour L'Homme I by Ungaro

Thumbs up for Ungaro because it has a nice, easy-going base. There's a hint of vanilla when you get there, or at least it has a light dose of sweetness with a similar flavor to vanilla. Into the base, I catch myself breathing it in over and over again.

Some of the top notes give it a darker feel, but a darker feel that can also be a bit laundry musk / A&F Fierce / Cartier Declaration. Declaration, especially, which came later, in 1998, comes to mind when I smell this up close. Thinking of this as an earlier take on a Declaration-type scent, I like it. Thinking about whether I need a bottle, though, makes me think it smells too generic and mass market to be interesting enough to have a spot in the cabinet. It doesn't have the hook of something that would make me want to wear it often, and the edgy side of the smell that would make it interesting is intermittently off-putting to me.

Another perfume this is reminding me of in the base in Balenciaga Pour Homme from a year earlier (1990). They both have an impressive aura in the base, a bit powdery.

Derrick by Orlane

There is some good stuff in here. I love this period of perfume, and Derrick does a great job representing what was possible back then. This is strong, but not harsh.

I feel like it's essentially an oily woody-leather accord that I'm smelling. It's super familiar. but I can't remember what exactly it's reminding me of. It's mouthwatering. 1978 was a good year - even the cheapies, like this reportedly was, were awesome.

In flashes, the top notes / opening accord almost smell like mustard seed to me, in a good way. I can smell this as midway between Gucci Pour Homme (1976) and Antaeus (1981). I was especially having visions of Antaeus Sport (1985) during the dry down of my most recent wearing.

Super Fragrance for Men by Etienne Aigner

To me, this is a lot like Bijan for Men, which was released three years later in 1981. And I also find Patou Pour Homme from 1980 similar. This is less spicy, though, which helps me smell the oakmoss more. The oakmoss in this makes it lean in the direction of something like Chanel Pour Monsieur and the original Etienne Aigner for Men (aka Etienne Aigner No. 1). This also has a few notes of its own that I don't smell in those - a bit of a sweet floral vibe, reminding me of vintage Chanel No. 5.

This is super good as the names suggests. I'm not feeling a big compulsion to have a bottle because it is largely coming across to me as a lighter version of Bijan for Men.

Black Tie by Céline

This smells like it could have "Vanilla" in the name, and vanilla is a note that seems overused and not that interesting. And yet, this fragrance is ok. I got the sample set from this line, and from the initial round of testing, this was my favorite. It smells like a dressy vanilla perfume, so the name Black Tie is a nice fit.

Basile Uomo (original) by Basile

I'm testing this from a sample. The opening was ok. It sort of reminded me of Oscar de la Renta Pour Lui. Over time, though, it gets nicer and nicer, and in the base, it's like a variation on Christian Dior Jules. The base is mouthwatering.

Patou Pour Homme (new) by Jean Patou

My expectations for the new Patou Pour Homme were low, but when I sampled it, I liked it and bought a bottle.

When I was trying the sample, I didn’t think it smelled like Patou Pour Homme or Hugo. I just thought it smelled interesting, and pretty good. I couldn’t stop smelling it.

From my bottle, I’m able to pick it apart more, and it is like an updated Patou Pour Homme crossed with Hugo.

The notes from Hugo make it smell so different that it can strike the heart as a betrayal. But then if someone sort of likes Hugo, this could be perfect.

On top of being a better version of Hugo, into the base it smells somewhat similar to the original Patou Pour Homme from 1980.

In addition to Hugo, this also sometimes brings to mind Azzaro Chrome or Chanel Platinum Egoiste. It smells like they wanted to include some popular aroma chemicals from the 1990s, at least in the top.

Another thing: this is nowhere close to as strong as the 1980 version. 40% of the volume. But - it does smell like the original in the base. It is Patou Pour Homme.

Sport de Paco Rabanne by Paco Rabanne

I was confident I would like this, but it's closer to a thumbs down than a thumbs up. The "green" aspect of this isn't working for me. There is some good stuff in the mix, but the main accord is not of interest to me.

Wall Street by Victor

Wall Street doesn't last long, but I like it that way. It's a nice perfume in the style of Lancome Balafre. I've been going around in circles about whether to get a bottle. It's a good one, but I have more perfume than I can use. It would fit right in with my collection.

Monogram by Ralph Lauren

I'm trying to figure out why I like Monogram (1985) so much. I think it might be a variation on some other favorite perfumes such as Antaeus (1981), Antaeus Sport (1985), and Ho Hang Club (1987), which would help explain it. A little sweet, a little smoky. Polite and dressy. Mouthwatering.

It also reminds me of Aramis JHL, a sweet, musky, smoky, woody fragrance. But this is the hip version. It’s a bit like Antaeus meets JHL, with a pronounced sweet animalic floral similar to Antaeus and Ho Hang Club, and with the laundry type musks in Antaeus Sport (which also has a similar floral).

Programme Homme by Lancôme

Lancome Programme Homme is a smooth, easy-to-like fragrance. Polite and dressy. A fairly simple perfume, but nice. The smell gets close to powder, but stays restrained and masculine.

Perry Ellis for Men (original) by Perry Ellis

I can see the appeal of Perry Ellis for Men, but something in the mix is off for my tastes, at least in the opening. After some development, it is nicer and right in the neighborhood of Gucci Pour Homme and Derby. Because the base is so nice, I'm going for a thumbs up. (This is Basenotes, after all).

Sybaris by Antonio Puig

Sybaris is a big perfume. To me, it is impressively animalic (or some equivalent). Super-powered with the stuff. And then there's a bit of sugar and spice to make the flavor. It starts sort of like Armani, with a screaming animalic that's enough to make me chuckle.

I like it. It's an exciting perfume to have such a big presence, but to still be mostly sweet and loveable. It's sort of like Aramis JHL. I probably like this more than JHL.

Marbert Homme by Marbert

This perfume, Marbert Homme, is a winner. To me, it's a subtle one in the same way I experience Cartier Santos. It seems to become a skin scent fairly quickly, and then it smells super agreeable in the faint, deep base. Faint, but heavenly. A bit like a faint, dressy Old Spice.

This has a super confident smell, the way I perceive it. I couldn't take it very seriously if someone told me they didn't like it. It smells just right to me. I don't think I'm going to hunt down a bottle because I already have so much perfume and most of it I like just as much as this, but otherwise, this is something I would like to have and wear on a regular basis.

Coromandel Parfum by Chanel

We have a bottle of this that is going down fast and we've decided to go for another one. And we got a big compliment on it in line at the bakery. It's like a cleaned-up version of Coromandel. Simplified. We like this parfum more than the edp. I like it as something in the tradition of Egoiste, a Chanel oriental.

Derviche by Rogue Perfumery

A big thumbs up for this release, the original Derviche. There is some undeniably good stuff in the mid and base, such as jasmine, and the sweet pipe-tobacco note. It smells a bit wild in the opening, but it's worthwhile to get to the best parts.

Tobacolor by Christian Dior

A strong, interesting perfume, but not quite for me. My wife says it’s in a similar spirit to Le Lion de Chanel, a big, darkly sweet smell that’s good for autumn.

Super longevity: a day later and it’s still going strong. It has a bit of a tobacco feel that’s promising at first, but I’m over it from this never-ending wearing.

Update: We got the big bottle of this, our first from this line (other than minis). My wife loves it.

Ralph's Club by Ralph Lauren

I’m saying neutral because I liked it enough to spray some on, but I got eviscerated by my companion(s) for wearing this: “Like an Abercrombie and Fitch store, which I couldn’t stand, but five times worse. It’s giving me a headache. It’s making me sick. I hate it.”

Vetiver by Lorenzo Villoresi

During the opening 20 minutes, Villoresi Vetiver has a menthol / Vicks Vap-o-Rub smell, which isn't a problem, but I don't think it's gripping enough to be something I would want to wear regularly. After some development, it's a nice, soft, agreeable perfume.

Le Gemme : Falkar by Bulgari

An interesting equestrian leather perfume. It’s edgy in the opening, but not quite over the top. It’s fairly linear and mostly wearable. The longevity ends up being too much for me and the base has more harshness than I was hoping for.

Sedona Sweet Grass by Providence Perfume Co.

This is a sweet, smoky perfume that hits the spot for me. It smells like the promise of small batch production with better, more complex ingredients.