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 »
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 »
Would you expect to smell something called Orange Hugo Boss and find orange in it? Of course not, c’mon it’s like smelling a perfume coming from a green apple-shaped bottle and expect to find green apple in there. OK I’m hyperbolizing again (yes, it’s a word): of course there is orange in here, as well as there is green apple in DKNY Be Delicious, just don’t expect a shower of squeezed orange and juicy bits on you. It’s all [...] Read more »
Kokorico is the latest perfume for men by Jean Paul Gaultier, launched in 2011 and created by Oliver Cresp (Dune by Dior, D&G Light Blue for women) and Annik Menardo (Bvlgari Black, Diesel Fuel For Life for men and for women). The most notable notes here are fig and chocolate, but I hope you won’t notice, at least I won’t be the only one who missed them. The fact is that fig is far from the galore of [...] Read more »
YSL La Nuit perfume is one of the many examples of how a fragrance can take the unpleasant and make it pleasant, by keeping it unpleasant, with the unpleasant in this case – but only to some extent – being the spices. Until the dry down, La Nuit De L’homme revolves around three main set of notes: spicy, clean floral and citrus. The spicy side should be cardamom, although it feels more like ginger, as it’s quite rugged [...] Read more »
Armani Black Diamond really reminds me of 1 Million Paco Rabanne, although it tries to be a bit nastier. I don’t think there’s much room for a detailed description of the notes: it’s masculine, smoked, sweet and dirty from the very start, with dirty-but-classy pepper, warm red orange and other sweet notes. And it will remain like that for the rest of its life on skin, after all, that is what it was created for by Jacques Cavallier [...] Read more »
What about a nice mix of coffee and neutral florals, with a small dose of caramel and a sprinkle of pepper on top? OK, put it that way it looks like a meaningless concoction, but this is what this Givenchy Play eau de toilette is about and it somehow works. It was launched in 2008 as the Intense version of Givenchy Play for men, and created by Emilie Bevierre Coppermann (Black XS for Her) and Lucas Sieuzak. [...] Read more »