Perfume Reviews by Andy the frenchy

Bon Monsieur by Rogue Perfumery

Musky lavender and pine, over a bed of creamy woods and moss (of course, the 'non-ifra compliant marketing required a blast of moss, right? Too bad its heavy smokiness buries the nice woody note). Average performance on my skin.

"Bon" in French means "good". And it is exactly that: a just good fougere. But it doesn't do a lot more than that, and doesn't stand out from the sea of other good fougeres. Please don't misread me: the sandalwood note is good. But I'm not sure why one should opt for that one over Lalique pour Homme that does the exact same job, and currently retails for ~$30 (for a large bottle), or Houbigant DdV for ~$40. Or now that I'm into comparisons: even Pierre Cardin Pour Monsieur, which is slightly different, but as an even more delightful sandalwood note for under... $20.

Disappointing, and nor the woods, nor the moss will save the house from the flames. I don't see any valid reason to be generous with reviews at that price point. Not bad, just utterly forgettable. Hard pass for me.

Éclat de Santal by Motif Olfactif

A beautiful dry woody fragrance. The sandalwood is slightly sour with a hint of creaminess (without falling into the 'milky coconut' caricature), very close to the very praised Mysore sandalwood. The cedar and ambrette are also very noticeable.
Overall a stunning sandalwood fragrance, that comes very close to Mona di Orio's delightful Santal Nabataea, with the latter having an extra touch of 'sparkling' opoponax, so resulting a micro-bit sweeter.
I olready own Santal Nabataea and at similar pricing/ml, I would anyways choose the Mona di Orio's over Motif Olfactif, as the latter last a bit less on my skin, but one could be a great substitute for the other in case of discontinuation.
A great option in any cases.

Être pour Homme by Lancetti

Opens with a mix of spices (mostly cloves and nutmeg), freshened by a shy citrus, and carnation. At that stage, it veers a bit towards an impression of dry tobacco leaf reminding me MH Feuilles de Tabac. The heart will morph into a beautiful, creamy sandalwood (or is it rosewood?) supported by labdanum and possibly a hint of white florals. The labdnaum will stay until the base, where it will be joined by a majestic olibanum note, as well as pine, patchouli and a hint of tonka. A far relative of Valentino Vendetta Uomo.
The only dowside is the performance, which is... abysmal. Overspraying might increase somewhat the longevity, but projection will fall to a skin scent after the initial spice symphony, without any possible appeal.
Still, I'll give a thumbs up, because the scent is really divine, and at the end of the day, that's what we ask for. This is a 'they don't do them like that anymore' kind of fragrance, and it was already a bit anachronic quality-wise at the time of its release. Get it while you can!

Sandalwood Sacré by Le Jardin Retrouvé

Milky sandalwood, with an overall result reminding me of sunscreen. Nice but not essential in my book, and abysmal projection doesn't help loving it. A pass for me.

Cuir de Russie by Le Jardin Retrouvé

A very nice floral leather, navigating in the same waters as Chanel Cuir de Russie (but this one is a real unisex, as opposed to the feminine leaning Chanel), Knize Ten (but this one is quite refined, as opposed to the butch Knize Ten) and Guerlain Derby (but this one is rounder, maybe with a hint of suede, as opposed to the all leather Derby). Possibly my favourite of the bunch, together with Etro Gomma. Beautiful!
Good Performance.

Bois Tabac Virginia by Le Jardin Retrouvé

A quite linear sheer floral vetiver supported by a combination of (very noticeable) salty ambergris, as well as sandalwood and a hint of patchouli, that will give overall give a mushroom-y/plastick-y facet to the blend, slightly reminding me of MPG Santal Noble (just for that facet). In the base, the supporting notes tone down and the vetiver will be the unquestioned star of the show, reminding of Malle VE at that stage. Performance is regrettably a bit below average.

It's all sheer, delicate, and very well composed. A quite simple but oooh! so enjoyable little gem, full bottle worthy for me.

Sovereign by Le Galion

Opens with a blast of black and pink pepper. The black pepper will calm down shortly after, but the pink pepper will keep its aura until the base and unveil a soft rose note in the heart. The scent morphs the into a majestic smoky myrrh and olibanum combo, supported by a hint of cypriol. The drydown will be composed of vanillic/spicy woods, still supported by incense. Good performance.

This one shares noticeable similarities with the Penhaligon's Cairo, AC Encens Jinhae and Vilhelm Smoke Show, but is clearly superior to these 3.
Full bottle worthy? Well, the price point is steep, but might be justified here given its extremely high quality, that Roja, Malle and co might be jealous of. It is and will probably remain my best swap for a long time. The name is spot-on: this is the fragrance of a sovereign. Simply royal!
Bets worn in colder season.

Embers by Teone Reinthal Natural Perfume

2012 batch: some soft citrus and a soft vanillic thing with a powdery rose, and a soft sour woody undertone in the base. Had to spray 5 times in a single skin spot to be able to half-perceive something. Soft seems to be the anthem of this fragrance.
It reminds me of Nivea cream. Leans feminine.
I'm a strong lover of creative indie fragrances, but $220 for 30ml of vanillic nothingness, it's a hard no. I hope that Reinthal woke up and seriously reformulated this one to make it look like a perfume in 2020. Throwing oils together in a vial is not synonymous to creating a perfume, and here it's a textbook example. Sandalwood? MIA.
If a powdery/musky/ambery rose is what you look for, go for Villoresi's Musk, and you'll get to the next level.
You got it: ultra hard pass for me.

2021 batch: Reinthal apparently woke-up (a bit). Nice creamy/musky vanilla in the top,with high quality creamy sandalwood (rosewood?) in the base, clearly noticeable - this time. It's more convincing than the 2012, the quality is there, and I can see this scent as a crowdpleaser, mostly feminine crowds. But still, it has a very simple structure and, at that price point, I expect creativity, aka: an olfactory journey with various levels, not just a mix of oils with linear result.

I agree with PStoller: "Sometimes, you have to let the ingredients speak for themselves". This is basically what Reinthal is charging for: a high quality sandalwood oil, with a twist. My question is: is premium warranted for just 'a (micro) twist', since the job is mainly done by the materials, not the perfumer's skills (as shown by the difference 2012 vs 2021, in which the major difference is sandalwood concentration, going from utterly forgettable to ok/good)? Wouldn't the sandalwood speak even better without anything else (aka pure sandalwood), thus what is the point of this blend?

I don't have the answer for others, but as far as I'm concerned, should I want at some point a similar scent with high quality sandalwood centric (by materials) but basic (by creativity), I will opt directly for a vial of high quality sandalwood oil. It'll will save me (a lot of) money, and be deprived of any unwanted interference.

This could fit well in the Escentric Molecules line, if they kept moving forward by adding a 'N' series ('Natural') to their existing 'M' series (Molecule, nearly pure synthetics), and 'E' series (Escentric, composition based on the respective synthetic).
Embers 2021 could be renamed 'Natural 04' (pure sandalwood), and they could create 'Escentric Natural 04', a fragrance composed around natural sandalwood... that could very well be a renamed MPG Santal Noble? Just a suggestion.

Dryad by Papillon Artisan Perfumes

A fragrance that navigates in between Guerlain Vol de Nuit in the top (without the vanilla), to Balmain Vent Vert in the heart, to land on Heeley Verveine d'Eugene in the base. Moderate performance.
A great quality blend, but with a strong back taste of 'deja-vu'. At that price point, for me, quality is not enough. When shelling out $220 for just 50ml, I require originality. And this is definitely not the case here, like for the other 2 fragrances I tried from this house, that appears as being 'strongly inspired' by other creations. A pass for me.

Salome by Papillon Artisan Perfumes

Had this one been released at $50 by a businessman-owned Middle Eastern brand with an Arabic-ish name, I can already hear the voices shouting: "clone! clone! clone!". Yes... because this is what it is: a (slightly) creamier copy of Rochas Femme (the current Cresp reformulation, with a 100ml bottle going for $30 on ebay), with possibly an extra hint of hyrax.
But since it has been released by a woman-owned British brand with a French name with a nice indie (BS) story, priced at $200 for just 50ml (aka 'if it's expensive it must be niche'), I guess it's ok and we'll refrain from call it a clone, and will limit ourselves to say that it "shares some similarities"...

It's the 3rd fragrance of this house that I try, and the 3rd fragrance that "strongly reminds me" of some other fragrance. Roja Dove has made a specialty of making 'clones for rich people', so why not another brand afterall....
Hard pass for me.

Anubis by Papillon Artisan Perfumes

Suede, incense resins, creamy woods, saffron and immortelle (aka cumin flower), with other supporting florals. The base will unleash some more florals and immortelle.
To my nose stands in between the creamy/saffrony myrrh of Guerlain BM/Songe (as others have noted) and the incens-y suede of the less popular Edward Bess Genre (that I casually received a couple of days before this one, and it struck my mind as soon as I tried Anubis).

While it made sense when it was released in 2014 as a 'twist' on Songe d'Un Bois d'Ete (released 2 years earlier), the price tag is now improper in views of the alternative options available in particular given Bois Mysterieux's honest price tag. To each his own, but as far as I'm concerned I'll stick with Guerlain's and Bess's, that I found both more satisfactory for my tastes, independently of the price. Thumbs down, due to lack of originality - inexcusable at that price point.
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Ébèné Fumé by Tom Ford

The top is a very nice woody/leathery/tobacco-ish amber.
The base is just vanillic guaiacwood/rosewood, with a touch of incense. (aka: a glorified Oud Wood).
Overall, quite similar to YSL 24 Rue (with similar notes, but YSL does it better imo), that delivers twice more juice for the same price. No valid reason to go for this Ebene Fume.

Lui by Mazzolari

A very nice spicy/woody/leathery/animalic top (reminding me vaguely of Tauer L'Oudh and Nishane Afrika Olifant). It closes on a bed of earthy/smoky/hippie patchouli that unfortunately (for me) also exhibits a powdery/chocolatey facet that becomes way too sweet for my tastes, borderline gourmand (with probably some amberwood in the base), standing in between SL Borneo and Le Labo P24, and ruins the show. The best comparison overall would probably be MPG Parfum d'Habit. Not a fan of either, but had I to choose, I'd go with the MPG.
Just ok in my book, but if a schizophrenic fragrance that opens leathery/animalic/masculine and ends up sweet/chocolatey/powdery/feminine is your thing, then, it is highly recommended. Overall, I find it unisex leaning a bit feminine. Performance is ok, with modest projection but excellent longevity. Still, I'm a bit surprised at all the praise.
I enjoyed my sample, but it's a pass for me on a full bottle. You people enjoy it for me!

tba by Unknown

A stunning classic citrus chypre gourmand fougere oriental anti perfume.
What I get in my imagination, is a very airy top, with a void note in the heart, laying on a base of nothingness.
Horrendous. I'd rather wear PdM Layton instead of wearing that one (no... I was kidding, c'mon).
Anyways, projection is stunning, especially after 3 days without showering, and lasts a life.

No point in getting that one: c'mon dear reader, get into the rabbit hole and you too get a 1,000 bottles collection ;)

Les Compositions Parfumées : Imperiale Green by Lalique

Sharp vanillic lavender with neroli support, over a bed of nose sharpening chemical thing (ambroxan I guess).
At the corner of PdM Layton and Prada Luna Rossa, with poor performance. No need to say more.
Not sure what is the point of Lalique to issue such a fragrance, at such a ridiculous price point. I wouldn't want that, not even if I bumped on it in the bargain bin at Marshall's (and that is also true for Layton and Luna Rossa).
You got it... it's a hard pass for me!

Etruscan Water by Francesca Bianchi

Ahhhh.... Etruscan Water.... A fragrance that has been very hyped on social media, as well as in the 'fragcomm'.... well, let's see:
In the top, I get a blast of musks, supported by basil, petitgrain and spices. Shortly after, the spicy/green trio will quitely tone down, to leave the florals take the center stage (mostly jasmine an immortelle, but the orris powderiness is also noticeable), with the musk still omnipresent, and that will show some animalic undertones. In the drydown will a subtle ambergris note appear, supported by an even subtlier vetiver and probably labdanum. Performance is moderate (at best) on my skin, a suprising point for a fragrance sold as extrait de parfum, on the higher side of the price range.
It's nice, it's indie, it smells like stuff that is not at sephora, I can't say the opposite, but not because it's indie will I refrain to say what I think (especially not at that price point). Now that it has been said, let's descent and land:

- This appears to me as a fully musky-floral, not at all chypre.
- Many talk about it of a 'citrus'-forward fragrance, but while the bergamot for sure plays its part in the blend, it's subtle. They are probably confused with the bitterness of the petitgrain in the early opening.
- the stars of the show are an ultra-soapy musk and an ultra-indolic jasmine, followed by basil, immortelle, spices and petitgrain (in that order, on my skin) are clearly noticeable as support.
- moss is noticeable in the base but it's not dominant: the jasmine will be omnipresent and dominating from heart to base, so I'm not sure why people talk about 'oakmoss' as if it was the main note in here... probably confused with spicy basil I guess, and must be trendy for frag enthusiasts to say 'my perfume has a lot of moss'. (that's the only reson I can think about, because it's definitely not an oakmoss-centric fragrance, but a musk and jasmine-centric fragrance)
- the ambergris is barely noticeable, and for that too, I wonder why people pick it up so easily: I think that people interpret the indolic facet of jasmine as being ambergris, As for the (micro) hint of saltiness: it's the work of the vetiver, not the ambergris.

The powerful indolic facet of the jasmine, added to the sopay musks and powdery orris, makes this fragrance lean slightly on the feminine side, and even the vetiver, petitgrain and subtle moss will never manage to bring it back on the unisex line. I find interesting that some question the wearability of Jicky or Mistouko for a man, while this one is way more feminine to my nose...
Like all the hyped fragrances, the expectations are high, and the risk for disappointment too... and this one makes no excpetions for me. Comparing with the stuff I have smelt around, I am glad I bought that one with a good 40% discount, and even though, I feel that it is beyond what I should have been charged for that one. I will not compare this to Irish Spring Soap (like some others have - somewhat rightfully - done), because it would be a little bit harsh, but I will not refrain from stating that this is nothing more than a glorified feminized take on Penhaligon's Douro. (had it been release by Armaf or Dua, I can already hear the criticisms...) I also get a (vague) similarity with No.5... is it just me?

For all these reasons, it's just ok for me, as of now - unless it grows on me later. I strongly suspect that many are biased on their great judgement, as it might be hard to admit a mistake when having shelled out blindly $135 for just 30ml of juice.
Is it good? Yes, it's good.
Is it $4.50/ml good? As per my standards, definitely not. But to each his own.

Spring/Fall days, women 30+ (men 40+).

Miracle Homme by Lancôme

Nice pyramid... the fruit of the creativity of Lancome's marekting team, at the time. But let's talk truth: this is a cardamom-ish lavender on amberwood base. Smells like every other mall amber fragrance, even if far to be the worst one I bumped on. And poor projection. Francis Kurkdjian did no miracle here.
The only suggestion I would give to someone who dreams to try it is: do not go out of your way to secure a bottle of this one, it's really not wroth it. If really needed, I'd suggest to go for Lancetti Homme (aka Lui) instead, who does practically the same job, and is still available on ebay for decent prices.
Just finished a vintage sample I recently found in a drawer. You were there, I never noticed you, and now you're gone... I tried you, I didn't hate you, but I won't miss you either... RIP, Miracle.

Les Colognes : Vétiver by Annick Goutal

Bright salty/citric vetiver in the top, that will quickly be joined by a lemon leaf/neroli combo as co-player, as some aromatics and subtle spicy support. The saltiness is way subtlier compared to the original Goutal Vetiver (1985), and the strong allspice-tobacco accord is totally missing here. It wears light, but that doesn't shock me since it is marketed as an EdC.

This one is unfairly compared to the 'original' one because, aside a some saltiness facet of the vetiver, it does not have a lot in common, and I genuinely thing that it hasen't been blended to become - at all - an alternative to the original.
No, here Goutal just wanted to market a light/fresh vetiver, and they beautifully reached that goal, imo. To my nose, it stands at the intersection with CdG Vetiverru, PE Vetiver Indien and Mugler Cologne, and shares some similarities with DS&D Cowboy Grass (but more remotely).
A bit of a TdC 'Sel de Vetiver Light', focusing a bit more on citrus than earthy/salty facet.

If one doesn't expect a heavy, dark, quite unique vetiver fragrance like its older brother, but instead shops for a refined, classic styled, mood lifting, easy to wear citrusy-woody EdC, I can't think of a better option.
While full retail price is clealry too steep for what it is, I would still highly recommend it as an easy, simple but delightful reach for warmer days at discounted pricing. (current ebay pricing - $50/200ml - makes of this a big winner in my book).

Leans (a bit masculine), but very wearable by both genders. 25+, warmer days.
I'm ending this review with a smile on my face :)

Agua Fresca by Adolfo Dominguez

The top reminds me of Armani Eau pour Homme.
The heart reminds me of Lancetti Homme (aka Lui).
The drydown reminds me of Monsieur, still by Lancetti.

What a journey, what a gem! I got a large 260ml (!!) splash bottle for under $30 shipped... a big win in my book and probably in anyone who loves old school (but not dated) citrus-aromatic fragrance, with a piney/mossy/woody base. Performance is on the modest side, but at current pricing, anyone can afford to overspray!
Highly recommended.
Best worn in Spring/Fall days than hot summer ones imo, 30+

Santal Austral by Matière Première

The sandalwood (or more probably the woody accord used, similar to the one of Wonderwood, that CdG has the honesty to disclose) is detectable in the opening, possibly with a drop of the poor quality Australian sandalwood (but at least, it does not deceipt the expectations given by the name of this fragrance). Unfortunately, it quickly morph into milky/fruity (fig?) territory, with a quite sweet tonka/vanilla base that makes this fragrance belong to the amber category, more so than woody.
The price tags navigates in the same waters as sandalwood masterpieces like MPG Santal Noble and Profvmvm Santalum, and makes the result quite laughable if one is looking for sandalwood. That said, seen as a milky/fruity/powdery/spicy amber fragrance, it might tick the boxes for some, but keep in minds that it leans quite feminine (it seems the case for most of this line). Comparisons with VC&A Ambre Imperial makes sense, in view of the overall sweetness, further confirming its 'amber fragrance' status.
Unless one finds it hardly discounted, I sincerely think that there are plenty of better options around.
Hard pass for me.

Le Vestiaire des Parfums : 6 Place Saint Sulpice by Yves Saint Laurent

Saffron, leathery labdanum, and overly sweet tonka. Possibly a good choice for gourmand lover, but for my tastes, this one is the less impressive (and useful) of the three of this line (6, 24, 37). Not bad, just already seen before, and let's be honest: a bit boring overall. At a quarter of the price, I might have understood, but as it is now, well...
That said, I could definitely appreciate that one on a woman :)

Black Caviar by Electimuss

Opens with a blast of minty sage and rosemary combo, a-la YSL Rive Gauche Pour Homme. The base is all about oakmoss and lavender, supported by a dirty/damp patchouli, a hint of cedar and a strong salty vetiver. There are also some citruses in there, as well as some light fruity-ness. Moderate performance on my skin.
I don't get the oud note at all, nor the impression of caviar. And I doubt anyone would without the suggestion of the olfactive pyramid. In the same vein as MH Fleurs de Sel and Masque Terralba.
As I said, nice, but the price is a bit steep for what it is: overall, a nice aromatic fougere.
Warmer days, 25+, leans masculine.

Monsieur de Givenchy by Givenchy

Fresh/tart bergamot and verbena combo in the top, shortly followed by a sweet lemon supported by lavender probably supported by a hint of incense or benzoin. In the base, the lavender leaves, the lemon tones down and leaves the front stage to a slightly smoky moss, and a hint of woods (vetiver for sure, possibly cedar also) and spices (coriander? pepper? a micro dose of cumin maybe? or is it the civet?)
Overall a simple citrus fragrance, that will unveil a controlled complexity during the journey. Performance is not its strength, since it results being closer to an EDC than an EDT from that point of view, but that is not what is expected here anyways. Powdery? Yes, probably with some benzoin involved in it, providing also some sweetness. Soapy? Also a bit, but 'powdery' is the term that fits better, imo.
How to describe it? I would say it's a mix of Eau de Guerlain and AdP Colonia, with a drop of Jicky in the base. It's classic without being dated, it's elegant without being boring, it's gentleman-y without being macho. It might not tick the uniqueness box, but it fits for sure the image of the house: It's very Givenchy.
If if a masterpiece in terms of smell, it'll only get a 4/5 mark in view of its abysmal performance.
Warm to hot days, 30+

Dervish by La Curie

Opens with an orange-y tobacco, beautifully made. In the heart, you'll get a beautiful hay note similar but dryer than Chergui's and a suede-ish leather note. In the base, a great mix of balsam and incense and resins (mostly myrrh and labdanum to my nose), accompanied by a strong smoke note. That smoke note might possibly but its only downside, as it sharpens a bit the juice in the base, in an aggressive manner, giving a plastick-y feeling.
Still, overall a great green tobacco leaves fragrances, with a projection that might seem soft in the beginning, but that will go on the heavier side when it warms up on skin. Great longevity, and unbeatable ratio pleasure/price for tobacco lovers.
Like for Chergui, it will bloom best on warmer days. A beautiful all year round fragrance, that might please best tobacco lovers.