Perfume Reviews by numcks

Breath of God by Gorilla Perfume [Lush]

Odd, oil and water concoction of a deep, incense/woody/vetiver half and a frivolous melon/citrus/floral half fighting for dominance throughout the development, with each claiming moments of fleeting victory and retreat. They never come together or cooperate, but the nose / mind amalgamates the signals into something interesting and compelling and more than the sum of its disjointed parts. A funky, fun fragrance that is the antithesis of formal.

Charismatic by Pecksniff's

I pick up none of of the floral elements listed - with the possible exception of the freesia. The main notes listed by the manufacturer are tarragon, lime, and musk. I would agree with the manufacturer's list with the exception of musk, which, if it's there must be a subtle white musk. What I do pick up in addition to the tarragon/anise note is a distinctly bitter and sharp artemisia note. Combined, the effect is not unlike black licorice. Overall, this has a bitter, Mediterranean vibe to me. I like it, but, then again, I tend to like fragrances with bitter edges on them.

Monsoon by Dame Perfumery

Supposedly a mix of orris, creosote, cedar, and jasmine/lily that simulates rain on the earth. The concept is better than the execution here. Really no orris to speak of. The creosote is dominant but the jasmine/musky support makes it sweet rather than smokey and thus the effect is one of fresh bandages and adhesive rather than the intended earth, rain, and fire. Not unpleasant but not that interesting either.

Thé Vert / Green Tea by Provence Santé

Very mild, fresh, gentle tea note with light white floral and orange rind notes. Good comfort scent.

Bazaar by AbdesSalaam Attar Profumo

Fantastically lush incense/wood resin based fragrance in the same vein as Mecca Balsam, but sweeter with more herbal, fruity (orange), and spice notes to my nose.

Coal Harbour by Ayala Moriel

Really interesting, unique, and compelling formulation that is very evocative of a fragrant shoreline at low tide. Reedy, salty, marshy notes mix with medicinal resins (elemi), piney-balsamic notes, and herbal/incense/labdanum notes (sage, or something giving the impression of sage stands out to me). At the same time, there are also competing bitter green notes and softer, sweeter floral nuances. A lot going on, but it blends and projects beautifully throughout its evolution.

Men Pure-Formance by Aveda

Agree with the previous review. Just wanted to add a bit more on the notes, which are all high quality and natural smelling. Opens with strong mix of sharp, medicinal lavender, dry vetiver, spearmint, kunzea (smells like a mild tea tree oil), and bitter orange. Over time the orange/citrus note fades, and a base of balsamic and herbal notes build to add foundation. Pretty long lasting as well.

Masculin 2 by Bourjois

This is quite diferent from the other Bourjois "Masculin" family fragrance, "Or Masculin." Whereas Or Masculin is a lush, spicy leather oriental, reminiscent of vintage Bel Ami, this is an herbal, zesty,Eau de Cologne style fragrance in the spirit of Eau Sauvage, but with a more Mediterranean flair. Think Eau Sauvage's lemon-bergamot fresh opening, with tarragon and pepper (Masculin 2) substituted for the rosemary and coriander (Eau Sauvage), and geranium (Masculin 2) substituted for the jasmine note in Eau Sauvage. I also get a bit of cedar in the base of the Masculin 2, which is the last note to disappear. While it's not the stunner that Or Masculin is, it a very solid fragrance nonetheless.

Fiore della Notte / Night Blossom by AbdesSalaam Attar Profumo

Just awesome and totally unique. Tuberose like no other tuberose. No sweetness or indolic notes, just earthy, rooty, dirty floral infused with dry woods, incense, patchouli, and balsamic resins. Addictively good.

Feeling Man by Jil Sander

This is like serenity in a bottle. The very long lasting dry down is like an anti-anxiety med. So pleasant, warm, soothing, and comforting. Very fitting name. Not tremendous evolution or note separation (vaguely spicy,sweet-fruit, powder, woody, warm amber, tobacco leaf), but the amalgam is like a reassuring hug from your mom/best friend.

Citrus Man by Dame Perfumery

Zesty, fresh, natural citrus with a bitter edge (grapefruit). Unfortunately runs out of gas too quickly settling on a vaguely floral, soft, vanillic soapy white musk that's a bit of a bore. Not bad for a quick pick-up.

Esplosivo by Tonino Lamborghini

Nice in a guilty pleasure sort of way. Fairly cheap formula that is zingy and zesty (grapefruit/lime/vetiver/juniper) with a slightly minty/woody base. Notes are a bit smeared and synthetic, but smells "good" and avoids hair spray/iso e/woody amber/sweet white musk cliches that make many cheap frags annoying. Like a Little Debbie oatmeal cream cookie - flavor not particularly true to description and cheap tasting (smelling), but "yum, may I have another?"

Joop! Homme by Joop!

I expected to hate it based on what I've read, but I actually found it very interesting and appealing.

It's a divisive fragrance that gets a lot of hate for being a sweet, synthetic, clubbing foghorn - like Le Male in that sense. Well, it is sweetish and strangely synthetic - particularly the opening - but unlike the hair/bug spray accord in Le Male that smells bad to me, the synthetic smell of this smells really good and brings back memories of things the smell good that are not healthy to smell and/or are toxic - plastic wire insulation, new PVC shower curtains, rubber cement, Super Elastic Bubble Plastic (that rubbery goo toy that you ball up and put on a little straw to inflate - dead ringer for this), xylene, ethyl ether, Kool Aid powder. . . Mated with that is a discordant, minty/medicinal note. It's one of those "bad-good" smells that you should, but can't, not smell. To the extent that this is less toxic than the above, it's a guilty but healthier pleasure I guess.

The deep dry down becomes more conventional but remains pleasant and interesting. Lots of vanilla and some patchouli resulting in a burnt caramel accord. Sillage and longevity are very strong.

Le Roi Empereur by Rancé 1795

Warm, smooth, orange blossom - tinged lavender infused oriental. Anise and cinnamon provide the wam spices, while a touch of amber/vanilla provide a smooth, creamy undertone. Cozy.

Chocolate Man by Dame Perfumery

I'll start by saying that I like much of what Jeffrey has done to date, but I think this one is a miss. Yeah, this is chocolate, bitter chocolate, only chocolate, too much chocolate. Someone I encountered while wearing commented that I smell like chocolate and "a bit like garbage." I think there are earthy, moldy, indolic notes in raw chocolate that can give off that vibe. May be a good ingredient for layering in small quantities, but I do not find it pleasant to wear alone.

Legno di Nave / Seawood by AbdesSalaam Attar Profumo

Lighter, more subtle and transparent offering than most from Profumo. This one to my nose is the smell of driftwood. Saline/reedy vetiver with a dry woody heart (supposedly patchouli from the notes list, but I get more of an oak/cedar). Wisps of incense and a minty ginger snap add to the marine air vibe. Very interesting and pleasant but short-lived.

Eau de Vivara by Emilio Pucci

Very sharp, green, mossy and citric. Similarities to Chanel No. 19 EdC, with an underlying floral and leather warmth and smoothness juxtaposed against the bracing bitter greeness.

Smoke and Beads by Saint Charles Shave

The opening of this is a train wreck - smells like a combo of orange degreaser and rubbing alcohol. If you wait for 30 min, the industrial waste note subsides into a fairly nice, subdued, smokey sandalwood-infused patchouli. If you wait another hour, the show is over.

New Spice by Saint Charles Shave

Interesting extrapolation of A*Men. It's basically the A*Men vanilla/chocolate/patchouli chord made less musty and gourmand and more barbershoppy by grafting to a spicy, bay-clove-cinnamon-nutmeg Old Spice-like mix. Similar to A*Men but more wearable.

Dagger by Saint Charles Shave

Relatively simple and linear combination of bright citrus (mostly lemon) and muted lavender/sage notes. Somewhat smokey, cedar woody base notes. I suspect the alleged tobacco note is the smokey element. Fresh and pleasant and a good complement to the aftershave splash. Good longevity - particularly the citrus note - and a a very good value for a hand-made fragrance (less than $20 for 2 oz.).

Blu Mediterraneo : Fico di Amalfi by Acqua di Parma

This one really grabs you from the start. Incredible opening blast of bitterish, ultra-zesty grapefruit/bergamot/citron played beautifully against a very authentic fig note. As the zest quiets down, the bitterish edge is retained to counter-balance the sweetness of the fig. This chord, further given atmospheric complement by a touch of aromatic jasmine and glimpses of cedar and pepper is fairly linear for the rest of the development. Excellent choice for an invigorating summer scent!

Taj by Montale

I have to agree with the reviewer praising this one. I own several oud-centric Montales, and I think this one has the smoothest, most well-integrated and well-complimented oud note of all. The earthy, peaty tobacco note is given an air of sharp fermentation by the kumquat. A rich, woody incense background pulls grounds everything seamlessly. Better composed and blended than many of the other Montale Aoud ** offerings IMO.

Stephen Jones by Stephen Jones

Fun and weird, but wearable. Lots of fizzy, zinging aldehydes and a strong violet note. This is combined with an odd (myrrh?), dry, ground stone/mortar accord, a touch of indolic heliotrope/jasmine, and even a bit of a metal-tinged nitrile/iodine blood-bilge note!

Mustang Cologne by Mustang

Surprisingly subtle, gentle, and transparent for a "Mustang." Effervescent lemon-ginger accord to start, with a long-lasting, slightly minty, ginger-tinged tobacco, leather, cedar mid-base. Very versatile and soothing.