Perfume Reviews by NickZee

Allure Homme Sport Superleggera by Chanel

Great release from my perspective, I see it as a modernised, fresher return to the original’s masculinity and a true sport flanker. A rebellion against tonka bombs, tooth achingly sweet cinnamon bombs and now the orange blossom vanillas which are the latest to declare war on masculine perfumery. A designer take on Tygar perhaps. Here grapefruit nicely enhances the mandarin opening of the sport flanker but instead of turning to tonka this turns back to the original and introduces a whisper of Sauvage’s base for a masculine impression while shedding the sometimes stuffy woods of the original. Fresh and incredibly mass appealing. The limitation for Superleggera is that while good enough to cross into the office or into the night, Chanel Bleu will always outshine it in those situations. But conversely this is a superior casual sunday fragrance perfectly paired with a linen shirt.

Ferragamo Spicy Leather by Salvatore Ferragamo

A modern interpretation of a leather fragrance in the style of the iconic Bel Ami. Starts off with an equally bracing but modern citrus opening over a horse saddle leather that broods from the beginning under a dark black pepper note that has lots of texture, hissing and fizzing to intimidate. As the pepper note settles in the mid, the leather note becomes propelled by an aromachemical I can’t pinpoint but which gives the composition fantastic push through the day. Intensely formal and far from mass pleasing, but a monumental progression in men’s perfumery. I ended up buying two backups.

Note: Gucci Guilty Absolute may have been an attempt at a modern Bel Ami but it was a false dawn compared to this.

Individuel Tonic by Montblanc

I get a dihydromercenol driven fresh fougere in the same neighbourhood as Cool Water, Chrome and Platinum Egoist. Not too bad.

Rochas Man by Rochas

Perfect cheap casual round the house scent. A bit sweet, a bit fresh, a bit creamy, a bit of depth complexity. A guilty pleasure. Much better than the Intense version too, much better balance of notes

Lanvin L'Homme by Lanvin

A nice attempt at a L’homme signature fragrance, being a fresh, versatile masculine blend as opposed to showcasing any particular notes. Full credit for originality too, though remaining very mass appealing. This one needs a bit of over-application as there is a base awaiting to serve a subtle trail for many hours if it is built up.

Gucci Guilty Elixir de Parfum Pour Homme by Gucci

Excellent release by Gucci, though somewhat derivative in the drydown. The opening is unique with its leathery floral accord introduced by a dash of citruses. An hour in an addictive carnal accord of benzoin, nutmeg, iris and vanilla gradually take over. An unlisted almond note seems to be hovering over the top. By now it is smelling very much like Le Male Le Parfum. Same perfumer. Not such a bad thing since Le Male Parfum is well put together. I would have liked more Gucci Guilty DNA. This may have orange blossom in common but it misses out on the fresh fougere aspects of the original and is instead very oriental. Performance is strong. Thumbs up.

Ungaro pour L'Homme III Parfum Aromatique by Ungaro

If you have worn Montale Santal Wood, or Carolina Herrera Chic for Men then this is around that neighbourhood. Violets and sandalwood and sea spray.

18.21 Sweet Tobacco by 18.21 Man Made

Honey, tobacco, cinnamon sit front and centre. But texture is an important element of this fragrance. It is very waxy. Saffron adds a leathery feel. Some tonka adds creamy sweetness to counteract against the leathery and waxy feel but it doesn’t win the fight. There’s also some booziness, though the references to red wine seems like a stretch. Unique in a crowded space, but sits closest to Mugler Pure Havanne on one side, Dior Tobacolor on another side (though Tobacolor is next level quality). Its not much like Tobacco Vanille, it doesnt have Tobacco Vanille’s
spicyness nor the focus on vanilla.

Gentleman Eau de Parfum Reserve Privée by Givenchy

Smells like an over-baked chocolate cake and roasted nuts. Iris dries things out. I dint get booze from this, not the type I am accustomed to from niche fragrances. Longevity is maybe 2-3 hours

Urban Hero Gold Edition by Jimmy Choo

A YSL L’homme EDT type of fragrance, with a very nice pineapple opening and slightly amplified oriental facets. Pleasant but sadly has poor longevity.

L'Homme Rochas by Rochas

This smells like a rehash of Mugler A*men for a new generation. The sweetness is dialed down and the bright citruses in the opening get it to the outer edges of the blue fragrance genre, but the heavy patchouli contrasted with sweet ethyl maltol is unmistakeably A*men inspired IMO. For me this is very nice especially on a saturday night going to the movies

Patchouli by Hind Al Oud

If you’ve smelled Montale’s Fougeres Marine then this will be familiar, though better quality. It has that same combination of bitter green 80s powerhouse notes blended with seawater notes, introduced with bracing fresh citruses, geranium and supporting white florals. Its all a highly formal affair in this case, and there’s a sense of gilded glamour even if its not especially easy to wear or even pleasurable. Patchouli fans may want to stay open minded because this is not your typical, natural, niche-grade patchouli. The chocolatey, woody and camphorous aspects are missing and whats left are the smooth, green, bitter aspects. Performance is good, expect a full work day. @scentcurator

Aoud Forest by Montale

This smells like the men's version of Roses Musk. Add a flashy aromatic citrus opening, then ginger and marine notes and job is done, some people can now feel a bit more comfortable wearing Roses Musk.

Acqua Essenziale Blu by Salvatore Ferragamo

Smells like a modern reboot of Caron Pour Un Homme, made somewhat fresher with some modern aromachems. I'm very surprised because the YouTube hype led me to believe I was going to smell something transparent and fresh like Chanel Bleu or Sauvage, and while this is fresh it also has substantial weight to it. I have uprated this to thumbs up because performance is good and it remains pleasant throughout its development.

Suprême pour Homme by Zlatan Ibrahimović

Not much to say about this one, very similar to Tom Ford's Neroli Portofino. Alternatively, think of it like Bulgari Aqua Marine with a big neroli opening and toned down rosemary. Opens with neroli, transitions to lemon blossoms and a touch of ginger and just a hint of lavender. The white floral aspect is nice enough and lasts throughout, with cedar joining at the end. I get 8 hours from this with 2 hours of solid projection. Thumbs up for being a solid fragrance for its intended market and the fair price.

Spicy Aoud by Montale

Just when we thought Montale had run out of ideas, along comes Spicy Aoud. This fragrance has a narcotic effect on me, it sets off little waves of activity in my brain in line with my inhalations. It is a beautiful and unique composition, undoubtedly middle eastern or at least how a westerner might imagine a unique middle eastern offering. Without getting too complicated, it is broadly a musky fragrance with substantial woody and fruity facets and a slight metallic kick. I don't really get much spice, which Is a good thing because it would be out of place here.

Brutus by Orto Parisi

Smells like Nasomatto Pardon with the smoky char aspect removed to create an ultra sensuous fragrance. Alrhough without the char this does now highly resemble Guerlain's fantatic LIDGE

Mr. Burberry by Burberry

I am amazed that momentum is building behind the notion that this is generic and even “blue”. Certainly there is a barbershoppy accord running through it which gives a retro men's aftershave vibe that many will be familiar with, but initially it's difficult to make this association to the past because of the surrounding notes. So yeah it may have a generic feel...if this were the 70s or 80s when men were more accustomed to wearing drugstore aftershaves yet still smelled great. I really enjoy this, I think Francis Kurkdjian did a great job of reimagining a British gentleman's fragrance. Mr Burberry has a combination of strong herbal elements (Tarragon and mint in high volume) with some icy cold green leafyness and woody notes that resemble twigs being crunched while trekking through a forest on a cold foggy morning. The performance is 8 hours for me and it has a lovely development. It transitions from bracing freshness to sharp twig-like woods against a barbershoppy accord and then all the edges gradually wear away and finish up smooth and pillowy. Apply liberally and enjoy.

Oud Tobacco by Montale

I have found Montale's fragrance names to be fairly indicative of what to expect, but this is not what I was expecting at all. Let me say this is not Montale's answer to Tom Ford's iconic Tobacco Oud. Oud Tobacco is primarily an orange blossom, tonka and cashmeran scent. It is introduced by a brief burst of fizzy, sparkling, woody sumac spice. The mid is accented by a pinch of dry tobacco leaf. As the fragrance develops, the orange blossom dominates more, drying out and taking on a leathery texture, by which point it is a skin scent. Longevity is 5 hours, with good projection for the first 2 hours. It does remind me of another release: Dolce & Gabanna's The One Eau de Parfum Intense.

Cuir Intense by Guerlain

Same leather note as that in Montale's Aoud Cuir d'Arabie, but this is a much more polite composition. Much prefer the Montale.

Pachuli Kozha by Nishane

Dark patchouli with chocolatey, mahogany wood accents and a pinch of boozy honey. Stays very nicely balanced throughout the long wear, impressing from beginning to end. Testing on paper or a spritz on skin doesn't quite work as this fragrance's magic is in the wafts it creates during a full wear.

Lalique pour Homme Equus by Lalique

Lalique Equus is an early adopter of a new gentlemanly accord that gained momentum in the early 2010s. This accord consisted of violet leaf, vetiver and black pepper and gained prominence in cheaper fragrances often carrying prestige branding (think Mercedes Benz by Mercedes Benz, Bentley Infinite, Givenchy Gentleman Only, Dsquared He Wood Rocky Mountain, Mancera Wind Wood). But Lalique executed the accord to its full woody potential, taking the woodiness of the black pepper and fleshing it out with numerous other woody notes until the whole thing smelled like freshly sawn lumber with floral undertones. Sequoia wood is a prominent player in the woody medley. The woodiness calms down after the first hour and Equus begins to smell much more like the other fragrances in this genre, with that familiar violet leaf and Vetiver dance. Ultimately it makes for a nice occassional wear to work .

Open Gold by Roger & Gallet

Soapy, powdery, floral, sandalwoody, leathery. Opens with a very nice leathery note which evokes Knize 10's leather. The OG was following the mid80s tobacco powerhouse trend, Black was a step back to the late 70s Polo green aesthetic, this has gone even further back to pre-WW2 era men's fragrance. Good performance.

Richard James Savile Row by Richard James

Savile Row is easy to like. Having been released in 2003, it was ahead of its time in its heavy use of ginger, a note that would come to dominate the 2000s in similar releases like Dolce & Gabanna The One and Dior Homme Sport 2012. The One toned down the florals and amped up the cardamom, while Dior Homme Sport 2012 removed the tobacco and amped up the ginger to breaking point. This trend peaked with the release of Tom Ford For Men, which is essentially a grown-up Savile Row with high-grade materials and the butch-factor turned up to 11.

Savile Row opens impressively with a rush of supercharged molecules that have a passing resemblance to bergamot, rosemary and cardamom. When this opening accord exits after 45 seconds, the tobacco appears briefly for a few minutes, smelling faintly like cigarette smoke in a room. Then follows a mandarin-ginger accord that also smells great, supported by a floral mix that is pleasant but indistinct, and a tad plasticky or rubbery. Ofcourse tuberose has this rubbery facet, but a tuberose lover will be disappointed by the effort made here to represent tuberose even though the fragrance itself continues to smell good. In the later stages, 5 hours in, a smooth patchouli interacts with amber and suede and a mossy note. Thankfully Savile Row does not falter at these late stages, becoming cozy and seductive.

It's a shame that discontinued prices are now hovering around the $90-$100 USD because at that price I'd rather buy a discounted bottle of The One or upgrade to a discounted bottle of Tom Ford For Men.