The first five minutes of Antaeus cologne for men scared the bejesus out of me, as the reaction of some spice (coriander, probably), strange dark florals or herbs, and possibly civet as well seemed the prelude to something very close to the smell of crap. Thank goodness it turned out to be just the opening dance of notes, and after five minutes it settled down to a good ole reliable leather. Kouros by YSL comes easily to mind [...] Read more »
If you expected a flower bomb from his sister Flowerbomb, you’d be disappointed, but this one will walk the talk. Spicebomb Viktor&Rolf opens with citrus and minty notes, although the balsamic effect is probably a product of the bergamot with the spices. It won’t be long before the spicy bouquet comes out, with different facets spinning around: it’s dirty-peppery, powdery-old, there’s a smell of burnt (not smoked, burnt), body odour, tobacco, leather, and a quite interesting mix of [...] Read more »
Instinct perfume was, if Fragrantica is not wrong, the first fragrance for men by the Beckhams. Although unmistakeably fresh-aromatic, the opening is clean, as in clean-bed -sheet clean, with citrus notes that make it a bit more interesting than the average. And after that, there is the spicy phase, with peppery and also some green notes at some point, which even turned into clove for a very short while. All in all however, the spices feel quite generic, [...] Read more »
Super brand new perfume by Issey Miyake. One noticeable thing is the didactic approach of Miyake’s ad campaign (pic below), which makes it easier on the reviewer. This homme Sport edition of L’Eau d’Issey Homme has a piece of wood, a nutmeg, and a lemon. And that will be exactly what you’ll get. It opens fresh, but warm. Woods are there right out of the box, and they’re backed up by fragrant citrus. They’re sort of kept in the [...] Read more »
Why have I been feeling like sneezing for the last hour? Is it the chilly Irish April breeze? Or is it because I have been wearing Kouros on my wrist? How to describe Kouros YSL? I might try and say that it’s very intense, very strong and very oriental. Incense, spices, and leather, maybe some florals, yet so strong to be transfigured: this is what it’s about. Or maybe I should put aside the usual jargon for once, and [...] Read more »
In the very opening, Versace Pour Homme Eau De Toilette offers very quick and fugacious aquatic notes, and then goes classic, amber-clean and laundry-detergent. There are citrus notes as well in the background (more present on the blotter though), and also a spice that makes it slightly powdery. It feels quite classy, with a style that reminds of Ferrari Black (where the spice is a bit more aggressive), which is from 1999, whereas this one is from 2008. [...] Read more »
Strangely enough, I’m usually lazy in reviewing the perfumes I own, so here’s the long overdue Dior Homme Sport Review. I’ve been wearing this since Christmas (I know, it’s a fresh fragrance for the summer, but who cares), so I’d better hurry, as the bottle is almost finished and I won’t get myself another one for the moment. But the only reason is that I want to try other stuff. In the opening of Dior Pour Homme Sport [...] Read more »
Make it elegant. This must have been the brief to the perfumer of this Ferrari perfume Black. Well, the concept of elegant is the one of 1999, which is when this was first launched. It starts with citrusy, woody and spicy notes, with the main accent on citrus and clean laundry. The rest of the notes give the perfume its elegant side, and the fact that the spices are on the verge of body odor creates an interesting contrast [...] Read more »