Perfume Reviews by Zenwannabee

Portrait of a Lady by Editions de Parfums Frederic Malle

I had wanted to try this for some time now. When I finally did I could understand the praise heaped upon it. And for the first hour or so I was appreciative of and very intrigued with the rose, and then the clove and ash/musk, etc. In many ways this had a retro feeling for me—and put me in mind of Aromatics Elixir and other astringent rose classic chypres, both masculine and feminine, that I love very much. But as I reached that hour or so mark, the rose, clove, and ash also seemed to merge to produce a pronounced hint of Clorox coming off my skin, and that effect limited my enjoyment. I can respect this scent, but I’m not sure how much I enjoyed it or that I would long to smell it on someone else. It seemed more about detente and sabre-rattling than romance and seduction to me. And with this price tag, if I’m truly honest, I’m more inclined to the latter.

Voyage by Nautica

This puts the “easy” in easy reach. Such a fabulous fragrance for nearly every occasion—and cheap as chips. Nautical Voyage works both dressed up and dressed down and I’m always amazed by its versatility. Nearly genre-defining, and a great bargain. Definitely deserves a place in any fragrance lover’s collection.

Bel Ami Vetiver by Hermès

I find as time goes on that I reach for a fragrance on my dresser or countertop and, more often than not, it’s Hermes. Took me by surprise really. Anyway, I came late to the Hermes classics and consider myself at heart more of a fan of Equipage than Bel Ami, though I love and wear them both. But then comes along Bel Ami Vetiver and I wonder what to make of it. Is it leather like the original? Or is it vetiver? Or both—or neither? I don’t know. What I do know is that I love cardamom and the drydown in this is simply superb. And by superb, as with other Hermes scents, I don’t mean sillage for 64 hours and projection into next week. It’s a quality sweet spicy leather that is never peacock-y or overstated. I may in the end like the original more—but I reach for this more often. What does that say? It says this is great, versatile, subliminal, and new. Fragrance choice isn’t an either/or. It’s yes please and both, Try this and the original and see if you don’t agree.

Équipage by Hermès

What can you say of a classic like this? Equipage is so good—and such a completely balanced and complex fragrance—that it’s impossible for me to praise it highly enough. That said, it’s a men’s fragrance from an era where understatement was key. A true gentleman doesn’t peacock or boast. He makes guests comfortable. He holds the door. He is the master of the knowing nod and conviviality. Equipage is dandified without ever being dandy-ish. The carnation and cinnamon are simply exceptional. I own both the vintage and recent Ellena versions and am hard-pressed to tell them apart. Other than Chanel Pour Monsieur, this is my sartorial armor for the most important events in life.

Aspen for Men by Coty

Just an excellent and unassuming scent that is still one of the best values in men’s fragrance—and likely one of the best bargain amber fragrances ever. And like many of the classic drugstore-variety colognes (Brut, Old Spice, Tabac, Black Suede, or Stetson), the gestalt and drydown of Aspen isn’t anything fancy, and yet it’s immensely satisfying and humbly masculine. I don’t find it as dark as Cool Water in the drydown, though I wear and love both. An easy reach that impresses me each and every time. So glad Coty still makes this.

Boucheron pour homme Eau de Parfum by Boucheron

This is a true gem in men’s perfumery, and at today’s prices (around $30 for 100ml) deserves a place in every man’s collection. I didn’t appreciate this when I was younger (it’s a mature scent), but picked up a bottle a few years ago and suddenly everything clicked. Formal, polished, and yet not ostentatious, it’s one of my go-tos for work and evenings out. Truly exceptional.

As for the EDP vs. EDT, my take is that they’re very similar. However, with the EDP the verbena and soapiness are amped up. This isn’t a bad thing, but I find it obscures the beautiful florals of the drydown (particularly the rose and lily of the valley) that I love about the EDT and that are so essential to the total effect of the fragrance. Thus, while I wear and admire both, the EDT is my favorite by a slim margin. However, if you prefer more lemon and soap and less florals, the EDP may be your best bet. Both are well worth a try.

Drakkar Noir by Guy Laroche

No one refers to Charles Bronson as beautiful. But under Drakkar’s menacing exterior is a Cary Grant and Gregory Peck soul. Drakkar Noir in essence is one of the greatest classic fougeres with a hard brash reputation in a jet black package. But at its core it abounds in rich, satisfying, groomed masculine accords that give one the feeling of having just left the barbershop. There are reasons classics are classics. Even reformulated, this is a gem to discover, experience, and revel in. Truly excellent. You owe it to yourself to try it.

Club de Nuit Intense for Men by Armaf

I’m not really sure what I feel about Armaf CDNIM, except that it’s affordable and smells amazingly good. It’s not in the “must haves” part of my collection, or the bottle I would grab if the house were on fire, but I still really like the hefty black bottle with the rhinestones (that weighs nearly as much as I do), and see myself wearing it to a club on a hot sultry night in Muscat with a lot of too loud music—or just to an informal occasion anywhere where I don’t necessarily want to be noticed but might want to stand out. Now, I love a homemade pesto with hand-grated Parmesan, but I’ll also admit on occasion to craving Pop-Tarts, Cheetos, and Jim Beam vs. some single malt Scotch. CDNIM is a guilty pleasure and for $30 I try not to over-analyze it. The birch in the mid and basenotes can come on suddenly stronger in the drydown (particularly in the heat), so beware of over-applying, lest those around you be overcome with your sillage. But with a light hand, this is awesome. I’d love to see an ingredients list. But then again…

Black Suede Intense by Avon

As the original Black Suede occupies such a special place in my heart, I’m tempted tongue-in-cheek to call Black Suede Intense a “rusty floral.” But what it is really is a spicy amber. While for me this doesn’t reach the heights of the original, for $10 it’s still quite good, with excellent longevity and very respectable sillage. Overall, it’s a rather linear fragrance, which isn’t surprising given its price tag. It reminds me of a less dry Clubman Special Reserve and a less boozy and complex Dirty English. Perhaps best in cooler weather, this is a solid, masculine incense-y fragrance that won’t break the bank. Fun, peppery, and worth a try. Moderate thumbs up.

Wild Country Freedom by Avon

I’m a huge fan of the original Wild Country and was excited to try this. Even though I like the pillbox-shaped older bottles, the new line of hefty liquor-bottle inspired bottles that Avon has rolled out for Freedom and the original Wild Country are both gorgeous—especially for drugstore-variety fragrances. I also love lavender and was interested in the “petrichor” rain accord as a basenote, and my bar was not set particularly high. However, the problem with Freedom for me is that it has nearly zero sillage and no longevity to speak of. You could clear a room with an over-application of the original Wild Country. And I tried multiple applications of Freedom—with 10 or more sprays—and zilch for me. It smells good to me and interesting enough to wear (and different enough as a flanker than the original), but I felt often that I was just applying blue-colored water and then chasing a few moments of scent. Too bad really. I’ll stick with the original.

Zino Davidoff by Davidoff

How this is still being made I do not know. This could just as easily have been launched in 1886 vs. 1986, given how far it is from modern fragrance sensibilities. But what a rich experience! The balsam and strange overripe brew of florals drying down to one of the best patchoulis ever. Stands up straight, has great manners, and then winks at you with just a hint of lasciviousness. Delicious!

For those who see Zino as just too weird, or dated, or feminine, it’s worth looking at some of its contemporaries, especially those that used rose, lily-of-the-valley and other florals as central to their composition—like many of the fabulous early Estee Lauder scents like Aromatics Elixir (1971) and Aramis 900 (1973) and the legendary JHL (1982) and Lauder for Men (1985). Zino is in great company here, and not all that different from these or from Obsession (1986) which came out the same year, or it’s slightly older floral patchouli brother, Giorgio for Men (1984), with its similarly stunning patchouli drydown. These would be followed at the end of the decade by Boucheron Pour Homme (1989), another seminal men’s fragrance with rose and soap at its heart. Not all so long ago really. But now from a totally different era.

Fragrances like Zino should get more love. But somehow they slip into the depths, beneath the popular radar. And there they exist and go on respiring beyond all expectations, extant and brilliant, waiting to be rediscovered.

Shalimar Eau de Toilette by Guerlain

Adding a review for the EDT just to give it a little love. At the risk of high heresy, while an admirer of many Guerlain scents, I do not count myself a big fan of this house. The “Guerlainade” somehow leaves me cold. However, Shalimar is the exception for me. I own this and the EDP. Both are excellent, but for me the EDT has a bit more champagne effervescence that makes it my secret favorite. The EDP is more like an unfiltered and very buttery Chardonnay. Lovely, exquisite quality and presence, but weighty, and I need to be in that mood. But the EDT for me—anytime, anywhere. Truly regal and opulent. Worthy of the name and one that I wear often and would never be without. Actually I wouldn’t be without either, but this is my go-to.

Individuel by Montblanc

I really like this. The raspberry topnote is fun and the drydown not bad, if a tad synthetic. Cinnamon note works fine for me. Individuel is light and a compliment-getter (others like it)—and can easily be worn by a man or woman. It’s like Joop! for the office. Great for almost every season and wears well in the heat too. I could see this as a signature scent for someone younger and just starting with fragrances. And for $20-25, not breaking the bank. Love the bottle too.

Spicebomb Infrared by Viktor & Rolf

After Extreme, I had kind of given up hope and interest in the Spice Bomb flankers. However, Infrared was a pleasant surprise and I think it’s a quality scent. Personally, I like the cinnamon and fruity topnotes, and I find the use of pepper a bit more palatable than the intense pink pepper topnote in the original Spice Bomb. This seems a fun, sexy, well-rounded scent with excellent sillage and longevity, and it’s strong and different enough to stand on its own. Definitely bottle-worthy in my opinion, although V&R fragrances don’t come cheap. Worth a try.

Dirty English by Juicy Couture

I love the whole concept—the overwrought metal and the paperweight heft of the bottle. What a rich, enveloping masculine scent! Orange, cardamom, cedar, and dark woods and leather. It may be cliché, but it makes me want to put on an old leather jacket and buy a ‘49 Indian. I spray this one with abandon—it’s no shrinking violet anyway. More is more. For those big nights on the town and living large. Count me in.

Lomani by Lomani

This scent is a shapeshifter, always defying my expectations. When I spray on Lomani, I get a Cool Water ghost mint top note and for just a moment feel like I’m dousing myself with some aquatic shower gel. But then that all nearly disappears in a blink and I move into a blossoming drydown (not a big middle ground here) of vetiver, patchouli, and moss. Fabulous, and with the moss and amber base it goes on for hours. Even after you think it’s faded, others will still definitely smell it. A word to the wise. Cheap as chips and just simply a great bracing masculine scent—even with the skyscraper cap. 🙂

Pierre Cardin pour Monsieur by Pierre Cardin

Finally bought this and realized it was what my childhood barber always wore—what I had always assumed was some secret bay rum or Barbasol scent that I couldn’t put my finger on. But he always smelled like a million bucks and set the standard even then for what good masculine grooming meant. I’ve loved barbershops ever since. Fast forward and Pierre Cardin PM is still great and essential history for what came after the early ‘70s in men’s fragrances. Dated? Hardly. To me this is timeless and a couple of spritzes and my sartorial armor is complete. Lemon meringue, sandalwood, and patchouli over a vanilla and amber base. Tremendous. And even in EDC strength it has crazy sillage and longevity. Careful with the trigger finger here. Shave and a haircut. Thanks, Monsieur Cardin.

Versace l'Homme by Versace

This is one of those classics that flies under the radar and you wonder how it’s still in production. The astringent opening reminds me a lot of Armani pour Homme (sadly recently discontinued), but Versace l’Homme takes a slightly dirtier soapier direction in the drydown and seems to have more of a leather vanilla base than the clove and woods in the Armani. Still, it’s a very dry chypre (the cedar hanging in for much of the wear) and you have to be patient and enjoy the ride to the rich drydown. A lot going on with this scent—I like that it’s not easy or predictable. Reminds me of the “Magnum P.I.” era, and complex tough masculine gents that work (and play) hard but still clean up good. Elegy for the ‘80s. Still great in the current formulation and very affordable.

Stetson by Stetson

Humble Stetson. Maybe not the most exceptional of ‘80s men’s fragrances, but still just fabulous and widely available for cheap. Stetson is a great oriental chypre and, though rather linear, reminds me a lot of Obsession, with its vanilla and patchouli. Rich, smooth, and easy to wear. If you like fragrances in the Clubman, Canoe, Wild Country genre, you owe it to yourself to try Stetson. And mine came in the flask bottle with accompanying shot glass. For kitschy saps like me, it doesn’t get better than that. 🙂

Wild Country by Avon

I love Wild Country but my wife is not a fan. She’s much fonder of patchouli fragrances on me and Wild Country is definitely a lavender-vanilla powder bomb. But I can’t help but love It. However, I wear it more like an after shave and have to apply sparingly. With Black Suede I can spray with abandon, but Wild Country is 1-2 light sprays max. Left at that, the drydown is fabulous and takes me back to the retro barbershop feel of 50 years ago. Other than Old Spice, this is often my weekend go-to.

PS by Paul Sebastian

There’s the long-running meme of a bumblebee’s wings somehow defying the laws of aerodynamics in order for it to fly. Those wings also belong on a bottle of Paul Sebastian PS. By many accounts this scent should never have gone anywhere. But it did, gaining a huge family of loyal fans. And over forty years later, I still wear PS a couple of times a week. It’s an amazing spicy lavender and vanilla musk concoction that’s irresistible to you and those around you. To me it’s very barbershop. Go moderate on the application with this and you’re golden. I love this scent. It’s luxurious and so beautiful, and for the price, simply unbeatable. Give it a try! 🤠

Acqua di Giò Profondo by Giorgio Armani

I like this. I’m more comfortable overall with Profumo, I think, as it’s a heavier more mature scent (even for an AdG flanker). But Profondo is more buoyant, more fun, youthful, a dumb reach at the beach, etc. (I could make an ad here). Anyway, I agree that Armani did an inspired job with this in modernizing the original AdG, and I enjoy wearing it. Is it a bit superfluous given other offerings in this niche of the woods? Maybe, but it’s still a strong contender. It’s a fragrance with a balanced use of ambroxan and calone that I can actually enjoy. The price tag, however, is still a bit steep, and the younger crowd who should be this frag’s target audience might be advised to look at Versace’s Dylan Blue or D&G’s Light Blue, or even the very inexpensive Nautica Voyage, as good “blue” alternatives that won’t run you a Benjamin. But this is still very good and a quality Armani scent. Dive in and go deep.

H24 by Hermès

I don’t yet know if H24 is excellent, but like most everything from Hermes it is truly very good. It comes off immediately as a very hip green scent to me. And as others have mentioned, it relies on a heady use of aroma chemicals to work its magic. The top citrus notes are more astringent and less orangey than TdH—maybe that’s the sage as well—and I like the hint of pear. And the drydown (what there is of it on me) is both interesting and enticing. I like the metal laundry thing—to a point. However, H24 is so post-modern that it makes other metallic scents like TdH or Chrome seem a hundred years old. And I think I’m just more comfortable with way those scents sit on my skin. But H24 has its strengths as well—it’s fresh, fun, and attractive—others like the way it smells. And it’s got that cool edginess. At times I love it and at other times, like with Sauvage, I like it way more on others than myself. But then again, maybe I just haven’t caught up yet with its metro futurism. Who knows? Old dogs, new tricks.

Cool Water by Davidoff

The world doesn’t likely need another review of Cool Water. It has legions of fans, and no small number of detractors. I can see both sides. But weighing it all, it’s still a big Thumbs Up for me. Partly this is because it’s such a great, affordable workhorse fragrance, perfect for almost any occasion. But also, for both the scent layman and cognoscenti, I feel like Cool Water is a dark and mysterious fougere masquerading as an aquatic. The salty marine component is there with the mint and rosemary, but the drydown dives into something much deeper—cedar, a bit of oak moss, and ashy tobacco—that has me nodding appreciatively at the end of the day at how damn good it smells. And with the current trend in fragrances with the new aroma chemicals, I think I like it even more now than when it first came out nearly thirty-five years ago. A modern classic and great reference frag that won’t break the bank.