Perfume Reviews

Shalimar Eau de Cologne by Guerlain

I own and wear many different perfumes, but if I had to choose just one, it would be Shalimar. I have bottles and bottles, including most of the flankers, ranging from vintage to current formulations—all of them fantastic. Not much more I can add to the pile of praise, but I do want to chime in on the current EDC, the bottle you can get at Walgreens for around $40, because it’s such a great bang for the buck—and the perfect introduction to Shalimar for those who might find the EDP or parfum too heavy or the EDT too sharp.

My nose doesn’t detect the florals or smoke that distinguish regular Shalimar, just that famous wallop of bergamot, joined by lemon, orange, and cedar, and a seamless slide into a softened leather/incense/patchouli accord. I get very little vanilla, almost zero florals. The result is less va va voom vamp (the EDP, parfum) or cup cakey gourmand (Shalimar Light, Shalimar Ode à La Vanille), and more nautical and bracing, a "cologne" for well turned out young gentlemen, towheaded and bronze-skinned, moving through life with preppy aplomb.

Since it’s an EDC (and probably also not the formulation into which Guerlain puts its most top-notch ingredients), it doesn’t last long, but at forty bucks for a nearly 2-ounce bottle, who cares. Keep it in your bag, spritz with abandon, and bask in the sunshine.

Join The Club : Torino22 by Xerjoff

First try of Torino22 in the Join the Club collection, Xerjoff’s second annual release (after Torino21) celebrating the Nitto ATP Finals, which, starting in 2021, has been held in Turin. Whereas Torino21 is a fresh, minty, ozonic blend, Torino22 is a bit deeper but, in one sense, similarly multifaceted and defying categorization. To my nose, it has a bit of the funky cannabis/Arabica coffee bean smell that’s so powerful in the Coffee Break collection (Golden Dallah/Green/Moka), which, in this case, is a mix of clary sage, mate, and saffron, I’m guessing, based on the listed notes, along with guaiac, bergamot, and musk. It’s a little dirty, green, fresh, funky, and raw. It’s a challenging one to describe but for anyone that’s smelled any of the Coffee Break scents, there’s at least some vague common ground, even though the notes seem to be quite different, and it’s surely a huge departure from Torino21 despite being the same series.

Torino22 is EDP concentration and priced at $215 for 50ml, on the more modest side of the house’s pricing, but still not cheap, but it’s a really robust scent with a lot going on, relatively high in uniqueness and creativity, apart from some of the connection that I sense to the Coffee Break collection. It’s sold on the house site and through US boutiques like Perfumology, which has among the best Xerjoff selection I’ve seen. I’ll seriously consider picking up a bottle after doing a side by side with Golden Dallah or Moka.

8 out of 10

Grey Vetiver by Tom Ford

This is a favourite summer work fragrance for me personally. My university aged daughter (who is very into fragrances) made the following statement about it which I will use as my review. According to her it “smells like rich people laughing”. She likes it regardless of how you interpret that but to me it’s a work fragrance for a mature man.

Rose & Cuir by Editions de Parfums Frederic Malle

Gertrude Stein opines in "Sacred Emily" that a" rose is a rose is a rose is a rose," but surely this is just poetic license—a rose, any rose, is not monolithic. Roses of all colors, all numbers of petals, numerous shapes and sizes, and—most importantly—all manners of scent, including no scent at all. Cultivars of rose can smell very "un-rosey" as well, including some that smell more like the rose geranium; after all, there is a sizable geraniol content in both, along with a number of other shared constituents. Still other rose varieties can smell almost leathery, or tobacco-like.

Then we have the idea of leather in fragrance, a concept that surely isn't hidebound, given the early interpretations of it through the birch tar inflected "Cuir de Russie" or the castoreum-meets-saddle-soap "Spanish Leather." The usage of isobutyl quinoline (IBQ) since the early 19th century by Coty and Caron has, over time, come to represent more an abstract representation of leather only as a facet of a whole accord. It imparts that coarse ferocity and mineral quality to a leather accord that often would include the aforementioned birch tar or castoreum, but what if it is unmarried from that which is so often associated? Does it still represent "leather" to a contemporary olfactory bulb any more than Pelargonium roseum represents "rose"?

Ellena's Rose & Cuir deconstructs both accords and this becomes obvious to many who seem deft at identifying their notes in a fragrance. Yet, when I smell it, I still feel the impressions of rose and leather: is my nose wrong? Of course it is not. The aldehydes, the galbanum, blackcurrant bud, the timut pepper, they all aid in illustrating this kabuki theater rose, massaging the geranium with tart fruitiness, stems, leaves, and luminous flesh. The vetiver shades in where the IBQ would otherwise feel somewhat stark and brittle, while there is additional alchemy that anchors it, of which I can only speculate. I smell fragments of Nuit de Noel here and there, without the carnation and oakmoss, which delights me. But what makes me most merry is how Rose & Cuir has both heft and a haunting feel, like Ellena summoned ghosts through its essence: like apparitions of rose and leather from a long forgotten past.

Sauvage Eau Forte by Christian Dior

Had to move away from the circus that is Fragrantica with the silly reviews from people who clearly have not tried this fragrance. I was going in expecting this to be a disaster due to the fact it is an alcohol free “water based” formula which many people have stated has next to no longevity on the skin with a sticky white residue that remains on the skin. So anyway to the fragrance…

The opening of this one is jarring I must admit, it starts with a huge black pepper blast amongst other spices you would find on a spice rack in the kitchen which I can see why the F boys who were maybe expecting the next “compliment magnet” would run to the hills. The magic with this one opens up about 10 minutes in when a gorgeous lavender note that smells natural to my nose supported by a vanilla-like musk with the black pepper lingering throughout. The scent reminds me of the likes of Telegrama by Imaginary Authors and MDCI Invasion Barbare which is right up my alley.

As for performance, I sprayed the scent lightly twice in one spot on my hand. It is now 8 hours later and I can smell it clearly and I could smell the fragrance in the air for the first couple of hours. Maybe I have been blessed with this fragrance or more likely, people have been over exaggerating the performance on the likes of fragrantica.

Whilst Sauvage Elixir is the better fragrance from the line, this is a close 2nd place. It does something similar in the sense that Elixir was a sort of Neo-80’s power house, this is a Neo-Fougere that reminds of the very old school lavenders with modern musks.

Thoroughly impressed.

4/5

D600 by Carner Barcelona

A bare thumbs up here. All in all, pleasant, but of a muchness with various Histoires, Guerlains, and hundreds of other such masculines that purport to start spicy and hesperidic, and end with iris, woods, and vanilla. If anything I'd take Homme Ideal over this, for perhaps 40% of the price when the grey market is involved. And the tag-lines about "capturing the Mediterranean spirit of Barcelona" - please - don't reduce Barca to this good but identikit scent. The Carner originals are not a patch on the Black Collection, to my nose.

Psychédélique by Jovoy

Psychédélique by Jovoy. Wow, now when I think about it, this is one of the first perfumes I purchased back in the day. And it still holds the spot as one of my favorite Patchouli compositions. I love Patchouli as a note, yet I get bored quickly with it and never felt the need to own multiple takes on this genre. Moreover, there are many facets of this shrub that can be showcased, and I tend to go for those perfumes that focus on the musty, earthy, dank, and earthy facets. Psychédélique falls in that category and is the only patchouli-based perfume, next to Borneo 1834, in my collection. While Borneo complements the patchouli with cocoa and cistus, the former focuses on the warmth and sweetness of the amber resin accord(here cistus and vanilla) and the musks. Much like with Borneo, this perfume delivers a big dose of that dank, earthy, and dusty patchouli, only that it feels even larger here. And it irons its creases with a sweet, glowing amber accord and musks. An ambery-patchouli that is larger than life and lasts forever with intoxicating sillage. It passes the test for me in the sense that when I think of ambers and dank patchouli compositions they have to make me think of old dusty books and chambers. And this one does. In the opening, there is a hint of booziness and an almost chocolaty feel, liquor-like nearly, before it recedes to the patchouli heart and later in the amber base. In the colder months, it is an utter delight and I feel it is one of those compositions that shine in the sillage more so than smelling them up-close. It is my favorite perfume from this house. A solid house all around with many great offerings and unique and beautiful sturdy bottles (seriously now the bottles are gorgeous).

IG:@memory.of.scents

Eau de Protection / Rossy de Palma by Etat Libre d'Orange

The most obvious gothic imagery of blood-red thorny roses, while appropriate enough, can very well obscure the truth of Eau de Protection: that it is an exquisitely composed olfactory piece. It begins in an almost strident manner, a tangled vine of bitter metallic green, zesty, hot-sour sensations, biting-into-peppercorns and washing down crystallized ginger with pure rose water. I would almost say that I'd want this opening stage to last a lot longer, but then I consider that its duration is perfect: too prolonged a marvelous thing may turn grating to the nose.

This yields to the core of these dark velvet-ruffled roses, moist and mingling with the loam, flashes that are spiced-geranium-like and crepuscular. This is the overall feel: tenebrous, with peripheral warmth, a prickly rose garden that swallows itself in the moonlight. It feels somewhat like L'Artisan's Voleur de Roses, except on the contrary, the roses have a master plan to ensnare the patchouli and make it submit to their wiles.

The Dark Side by Francesca Bianchi

Honey is usually too sweet. And a lot of incense fragrances are too sweet, too. But somehow this is perfectly dark and warm. I don’t get much evil from it, to be honest. Even in a creepy high church way. Anakin maybe, but not Vader. Not nearly as loud as the Tauer or as thin, ultimately, as Gucci Pour Homme 1. Doesn’t have that show stopping open, either, but that’s okay. Definitely some hints of bulgari black. It’s really patient. Very nice, subtle work for an indie nose who gives the impression of being in search of bombast. Haven’t smelled her other work but while this is definitely thick, it’s not maximalist or standoffish like Bogue MAAI or Papillon Salome, two houses I love. And although there’s lots of spice it’s not at all edible like Kerosene’s Broken Theories or Ellena’s Vetiver Tonka.

Divine stuff.

Cassili by Parfums de Marly

If you want to have a Parfums de Marley scent but Delina and Co are too much. With Cassili you can tell it's the same house, but it is so soft. I'd rather go for the loud and lasting than this whisper

Nebras by Lattafa

A very smooth vanilla with the right amount of tonka is what I get with nebras. Very safe vanilla for those who fear very sweet or dusty vanilla. Basically this is a vanilla starter kit. 7.5/10

De Los Santos by Byredo

To me, Byredo is a mediocre brand, they make ok, trendy scents that i dont really care for. Such is the case with this one. Its a weirdo, at first i smelled a metallic musky grape soda. As i wore it each second or third day, i noticed the herbal side, the musky and the slight incense side. On the drydown it reminds me of Le Labo's Gaiac 10. On to the next one...

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.

Dark Knight by Odore Mio

I wrote a much longer review when testing DK on holiday, but I don't think it warrants all the detail. So: dries down nicely to a tonka and sandalwood conclusion. Opens with a rather cynical pineapple-aquatic-fougere effort to key into the main USPs of other fragrances that we need not reference. The name is an utter mystery. That's all you need to know.

Heavenly Gingerlily by Molton Brown

The opening is a floral wave, and in it a gingerlily indeed, but aside form the lily I can detect marigold and a bit of ginger indeed, but the later is more in the background. A bright, sweetish floral delight.

The drydown continues the initial notes, but it add touches of tuberose and jasmine. Both are on the light side, and the tuberose is the bright and optimistic version; I don't get much of an indolic or waxy undertone here. In the base we get back to the dominant lily, but some additional white musks are evident towards the end.

I get moderate sillage, good projection, and four hours of longevity on my skin.

A bright gingerlily-dominant fragrance that is a bit linear at times, but with sufficient development to amuse.

3.25/5

Aqua Allegoria Rosa Magnifica by Guerlain

A duet between leafy-green, palest-pink dewy tea rose and lightly sweet and melancholy violet, Rosa Magnifica is delicately Victorian yet it is rendered in the direction of modern with the powder dialed down and a certain aqueous, watercolor quality that is the olfactory equivalent of ripples on a reflecting pool.

Its transparency makes it feel meditative, a cool-hued rose for contemplation. Never feeling showy and bold, it isn't going to bring one to their knees (unless it takes very little), but it is an effortless beauty, so lucid, so minimalist, like the poetry of Ezra Pound:

The tea-rose tea-gown, etc.
Supplants the mousseline of Cos,
The pianola "replaces"
Sappho's barbitos.

Christ follows Dionysus,
Phallic and ambrosial
Made way for macerations;
Caliban casts out Ariel.

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.

Trophée Lancôme by Lancôme

I have the 20th anniversary edition; no idea how it compares to vintage juice, which I'd love to try someday – I assume less oakmoss. I don't agree at all with the comparison to CK One (other than the fact you could say Trophée is unisex) but certainly Trophée belongs in the same family as another great chypre from the house, Ô de Lancôme. Trophée veers much soapier and even gives the impression of some rose geranium to fill out the heart. All around, a perfect day out on the lawns with greenery, jasmine, lavender, and oakmoss delights. A great sleeper!

Black Aoud by Montale

My rose oud benchmark. The first scent of its type I encountered and the scent I craved when I returned to designer/niche fragcomm.

Gothic rose. Medicinal oud. Induces headaches in both the wearer and unsuspecting passerby when over-sprayed (and over-spraying = more than 1 spray).
Does not scrub out.
Requires a 3 - 5 day commitment.
Invades the corners of rooms and announces your presence from about a block away.
Tests the patience of those around you and, often, the wearer.

I love this stuff and find it a craver - especially when I'm feeling anti-social.

These days, perfumers have managed to make the rose-oud profile friendlier.
We'll see whether the other rose-ouds in my collection can fill Black Aoud's special slot.

Encounters by Francesca Bianchi

Sweet, spicy, powdery amber. This has the Francesca Bianchi DNA found in her earlier work with all the rough edges removed. Warm and comforting.
I am becoming increasingly sensitive to synthetics used in current perfumes, but FB maintains a good balance and doesn't overdo the woody ambers.

Violon Basse 16 by Sauf

Top notes: Juniper, Cedar, Elemi, Rosemary, Lavender, Wormwood, Lemon, Bergamot, Frankincense;
Middle notes: Cistus, Fir Balsam, Iris, Birch Tar;
Base notes: Labdanum, Vetiver, Cistus, Tonka Bean, Ambergris, Benzoin, Patchouli, Sandalwood, Vanilla.

After sampling Filippo Sorcinelli's entire collection, I think I've found this one to be the most interesting (after Lavs) and definitely worth a purchase. Surprised to be the only review here, since Fragrantica reviewers responded in mostly quite favorable terms. Slightly medicinal, with smoke, lavender and frankincense as the stars (without the foot-stomping norlimbanol). Likely best during cooler temps. Dusty rather than powdery. Beautifully blended for the mature nose. Simple and complex at the same time; subtle and poetic.

Ô de Lancôme by Lancôme

I was a little mystified by my small vintage bottle of Ô de Lancôme when I picked it up, liking the fresh, clean top notes but not really noticing much about where it goes afterwards. Don't let the subtle cyclamen aldehyde bother you – it's not dominant. While Ô is quite light, the heart and base accords are truly wonderful. Just make sure to splash on a bit more and take a decant with you if you want this sleeper to accompany you on an all-day summer outing. Lovely juice! (I haven't tried and don't want to try the reformulation. I suppose it could be done well again with Evernyl someday...)

Epona by Papillon Artisan Perfumes

This is one of the quiet, introspective Papillons, like Dryad and Angelique, and the most intriguing one yet. I was first hit with a blast of cade oil, a scent that churns my stomach and swore me off some of the Bogue fragrances. Thankfully it doesn't last long before violets and ionones sweep through. Then a distinct soapiness. Then a warm, comforting animalic smell surfaces.
I get the sweet pungent whisper of horse fur, but this is a manicured dressage horse who bathes regularly.
It is at once civilized and casual, like a country estate with an idealic English garden where flowers are allowed to ramble a bit.
EDIT: Now that I have sat with Epona for a few days it occurred to me; this is Rochas Femme for horses. (The vintage pre cumin version). Femme was an intimate, soulful experience of a woman. The notes are very different in Epona, but I get the same feeling of being in resonance and connection with a horse out in his/her world. For anyone who loves horses this is a very heartfelt perfume. The "horse skin accord" is the most gentle, refined animalic I have smelled.

L'Eau d'Issey pour Homme by Issey Miyake

it is beautiful, light, citrusy, woody, with an aquatic sensation due to the mix of notes that are vaguely sweet and floral. it's definitely a very recognizable scent. I used it over 20 years ago and I have a couple of bottles of the first formula compared to which, if I have to be honest, I don't find many differences with the more recent versions, on the contrary... perhaps the 94-00 bottles are more citrusy and vaguely love at the beginning, but we are talking about subtleties that do not change the overall performance of the perfume. my advice, therefore, is not to worry about finding old bottles but to get a new one and enjoy it. the perfume tends to be summery (but absolutely suitable even for lower temperatures), extremely versatile and adapts to any context, very easy to wear, practically everyone likes it, it is not invasive but feels just right, leaving a transparent but perceptible trail. on the skin it lasts up to 6 hours and on clothes much longer. for what it costs, it is a product of absolute interest as long as you like the genre.