Layton
Parfums de Marly (2016)

Spicy candy apple red served up in a navy blue envelope and listed as niche. Even though I possess quite a few items in my arsenal I'm light yrs away from being considered a fragrance connoisseur and I'm marvelled at the way some people can pick out notes and describe everything about them besides date of birth! Not saying they're incorrect, I just can't do it. What I can do is describe how a fragrance smells to me and I try to do just that. This fragrance is not necessarily a bad fragrance. It was quite expensive and I think it's high quality. But that's about all I can say. The longevity lasts almost all day which is always nice and I paid quite a few bucks for this so my complaints are minimal. In conclusion, this is by no means a top drawer fragrance. In my opinion it's just a middle of the road nicely wrapped highly priced fragrance that I have added to my arsenal. No more no less.

7/10

Every time I try Layton, I want to like it more than I do. The apple note is loud and synthetic to my nose, which gets in the way of an otherwise decent drydown.

This is just not good. Layton is the love child of Boss Bottled and toilet bowl cleaner. It's loud, it's overbearing, the pepper in the base is too heavy-handed which makes it headache-inducing. This is in the same vein as Dior Sauvage and Versace Eros. Douchebag juice. Attention seeking, juvenile, cheap-smelling, teenaged. The fact that it is all of those things is enough to give it a pass, but then add the price tag? Please. Do yourself a favor and look elsewhere. There is nothing classy, refined or special about this.

PDM Layton is a bold, sensual fragrance with truly incredible staying power. The scent projects beautifully, lingering on my skin post-shower and on my clothes for days. While it's a bit too sweet for summer days, its versatility makes it a winner for clubbing, date nights, and cooler weather. The hype might be overblown, but Layton's performance justifies giving it a try. Forget the negative reviews – sample this on your own skin before deciding. If you love a strong, classy fragrance, Layton's sweetness and longevity won't disappoint.

Introducing, from Hasbro, "My First Niche"—otherwise known as Parfums de Marly Layton. I was thoroughly amused by the numerous instances in all the reviews where this was the first foray into so-called "niche." My oh my, what a long way we've come from the golden years of L'Artisan Parfumeur, Serge Lutens, and Frederic Malle. For this to be considered "niche" leaves me absolutely nonplussed.

Layton is a fragrance seemingly designed through marketing research and focus groups to have as wide a commercial appeal as possible. It is pleasant, sweet as a candy shop (that Jolly Rancher green apple), just aromatic enough without verging into "mature" territory, and has all the markers of results-driven data, read: performance metrics. The genius is in the cynicism and bean counting of whoever's behind the curtain.

The Wizard of Layton knows exactly what he's doing and is laughing all the way to the bank.

Just can't get on the Layton train.

The fragrance is clearly well crafted, and made for mass appeal, but it doesn't evoke anything special to me, beyond a classically, mainstream, masculine scent. It feels more like a crowd pleaser than something that would turn heads.

The vanilla note in the dry down is smooth and nice, but again, just kind of straightforward.

In my view, a "good" fragrance, but not nearly worth the price or the hype.