Noir
Bath & Body Works (2010)

Noir by Bath and Body Works (2010) came at a time when Armani Code by Giorgio Armani (2004) was peak coolness in the men's fragrance department; or at least within designer realms before Bleu de Chanel (2010) redefined everything again. As such, it's no surprise that Noir was a powdery vanillic amber psuedo-fougère gourmand of similar stripe, just not similar quality, of course. Now I'm not saying Noir is detestable at all, but as something discontinued then brought back and discontinued again, there are simply better options for the money people ask for it now.

The opening is a familiar sweet powdery and slightly dusty lavender, sage, cardamom, and sweetness from orange blossom. The trick here is the use of rosemary in place of "olive flower" in Armani Code, and the base being more ambery and musky than the Armani too, leading to a sharpness that eventually gives way to a smoother feel into the late dry-down. Sadly, performance just isn't all that good, so you'll be re-applying more often than you may want, which was okay when this was $30, but not now at over $100+ a bottle in the aftermarket.

Noir might perhaps be more expensive, but there are two generations of product to sift through. The original oval-shaped bottles are when it was introduced, and like stablemate Ocean by Bath and Body Works (2010), it was re-issued around 2018 or so in a tall rectangular bottle with a lot less character in my opinion, but allegedly the same juice. I'd honestly just go for Sean Jean by Sean John (2016), which is a better scent perfumed by Harry Freemont, costs much less, and has more warmth, longevity, and sophistication for what you're going to spend; or just get Armani Code at a discount and forget it all. Neutral

I sprayed the tester on my right wrist in the store and smelt a pleasant accord which disappeared within the hour.

Medium thumbs!

Sweet vanilla and sugar with a slight masculine musk. It's not the most refined scent but it's quite pleasant and the sweetness should get you a compliment or two. There's some freshness to it as well but this is mostly a sweet warming scent that isn't ultra modern. Feels like a bit of a throwback but with plenty of sugar to feel slightly modern.

Performance is surprising with all day longevity and decent projection.

Even the little
Anti-bacterial gels
Will get compliments.

either hits or misses with bath & body works and this is right on the money. it's a slightly spicey concoction mixed with semi sweet notes. very rich and complex and for the price and longevity you can't complain. this might be my holy grail scent!! great for all seasons and gatherings!!!