Perfume Reviews by wsamuelm78

Lagerfeld Classic by Lagerfeld

I bought Lagerfeld Classic without having smelt it first, and I wouldn't recommend it to anyone else. I purchased it based on its many excellent reviews and also because it appeared to be in line with many of my favorite fragrances: Obsession for Men; Opium Pour Homme; Aramis; Jaipur Homme. However, this stinks on my skin. Something in it makes me think of an unwashed animal, and I can only think it must be the musk. I can't think of another musk fragrance that smells like this; I really love Kiehl's Original Musk, as well as the wallet-friendly Jovan White Musk, and they don't stink to me. Past the odor, yes, I can smell other notes, mostly tobacco, orange and vanilla overlaid with aldehydes.

I committed to wearing this to work, so it's with me all day; afraid it might stink to others, I asked a coworker what she thought and she assured me it doesn't stink, but smells "cheap." Not a glowing endorsement.

I'm afraid I'll have to pass Lagerfeld Classic along, and hopefully one of my friends will love it enough to give it a home. After all, that's how I came to find Bijan for Men - it didn't work for someone else, but I found it fascinating.

Perfumista Avenue by Bond No. 9

Bond No. 9's Perfumista Avenue reminds me of Aramis 900. I would list its notes as: dark rose; leather; patchouli. And while rose is the main note, it's not flowery, and it blends into a wonderful leather/patchouli scent. Something about it makes me think of Estee Lauder's classic fragrances: rich scents that are not for the timid.

New York Oud by Bond No. 9

I have to admit that I love Bond No. 9. I love the concept, I love the packaging, I love going to Saks to shop for it. I fell in love with their New Haarlem years ago and have been on a journey with Bond ever since. I know there are a lot of Bond haters out there, saying Bond is unoriginal, they copy other scents, et cetera. Well, with New York Oud, I think they have copied something –

A Bic pen. I put this on and immediately I think of ink, hot, oozing out of a broken Bic that exploded in the car left out in the scorching heat of this unbearable southern summer. It smells metallic, weird, and makes me check that my clothes aren't stained.

I've worn this fragrance a few times now, always at night. It's heavy. It lasts a night out clubbing in Dallas and hardly leaves in the morning under the shower. I have yet to get a compliment on it, and yet…I kind of like it, the way I like getting scared by a good horror movie.

Stetson Fresh by Stetson

A very light cologne that evaporates in no more than two or three short hours. Never overwhelming, it smells strongest of fresh mint and is a bit on the sweet side, reminding me of a mojito. Sillage is faint at best, fading away rather quickly – no need to worry about the co-worker always complaining of scent-induced headaches with this one.