Fragrances/Cologne Discussion Thread - 2015

Absolutely_Cart

I saw that the Tom Ford Tobacco Vanille thread was quite popular, so I figured we can talk about fragrances here. Before James Bond, fragrances were my prime obsession. I sampled dozens of them. First I tried the designer fragrances (like Gucci, Calvin Klein) but then I moved onto the more niche indie companies (like Bond no 9, Serge Lutens, Creed, Amouage).

For those who aren't experienced with fragrances, I can recommend some to you based on the notes/ingredients you like, your budget and the overall mood you want for a scent.

Some advice I recommend for those looking to start a hobby in fragrances.

* Top notes (first few minutes) ; mid notes (an hour or two) ; base notes (the dry down)
* Heavier fragrances are good for winter ; light citrusy ones are good for the summer
* Sample all you can before you buy, so you get the one you really like.
* Use surrendertochance.com to buy fairly priced samples of niche brands.
* Use fragrantica.com as a valuable site to research different fragrances
* Use fragrancenet.com to save a lot of money compared to retail prices
* You can swap/trade fragrances online in certain Facebook groups
* Having 5-15 fragrances in a collection is ideal for variety. More is kinda redundant.

Scent of the Day: Aventus by Creed (aka Daniel Craig's Bond in a bottle)
http://www.fragrantica.com/perfume/Creed/Aventus-9828.html

Thunderpussy

Interesting stuff AC -{ I usually just use a little of the 007 fragrances, Unlike
Some I thought " Ocean Royale " was very nice.

AlphaOmegaSin

Like TP, I use Ocean Royale -{

Absolutely_Cart

Gotta expand beyond just 007 lol

I do tend to avoid celebrity and movie/sportsteam licensed fragrances because they tend to focus more on the brand name than the quality of the fragrance itself

Thunderpussy

I thought you weren't a fan of " expansion " AC, especially with Connery )
I also like Hugo Boss and Lacoste, I'm saving my special edition 007 after shave
For my first viewing in the cinema, no one near me will see the film with the cologne
Fumes emanating from me ! )

Absolutely_Cart

I enjoyed 6 out of 7 of connerys performances as james bond. Why does everyone think i hate him lol

Anyway i am tempted to wear a 007 fragrance while watching spectre. 50 sprays minimum

Dutchfinger

I'm using the 007 fragrance for quite sometime now, constantly rebuying.
Probably getting the 007 for women for my girlfriend as well ( she actually pointed that out to me herself, said it smelled nice)

Absolutely_Cart

I'm going to make short reviews of the ones that I've tried.

1 = dislike , 2 = mediocre, 3 = decent, 4 = good, 5 = great
(factors: originality, opening, drydown, longevity, projection, versatility, overall enjoyment)

Dolce and Gabanna's Light Blue
(**---) / Pretty generic fresh fragrance that lacks an edge.

Yves Saint Laurent's Kouros
(*----) / It's original, fascinating and well constructed but has a note that smells like poop.

212 Men
(**---) / It's soapy, green, grassy. Not bad, but a little metallic for me.

Chanel's Antaeus
(*----) / It's a classic, I know, but it smells like bug spray

Calvin Klein's CK One
(***--) / Kinda generic, but pleasant with a sweet but not too sweet smell. Versatile.

Abercrombie Fierce
(***--) / You've smelled it at every mall. Does citrus/wood well but there are better choices.

Bleu de Chanel
(****-) / Energetic with pink pepper, aquatic, with dark undertones but refined. Good crowdpleaser.

Polo Blue
(****-) / Some melon notes with spices and wood notes. The refined gentleman.

Cool Water
(****-) / Cool and aquatic with green mossy mint vibe. Excellent choice for <$25 budget.

Fahrenheit Aqua
(**---) / A watered down version of a classic.

Fahrenheit 32
(*----) / Yuck. It's like cheap cologne, harsh wood notes with a boatload of vanilla.

Spicebomb
(****-) / Smells like a nice warm pumpkin pie with cinnamon and tobacco notes. Yummy.

Hermes Jardin Sur Le Nil
(****-) / A little pricy but it excels in fresh jardin fruit notes with the peppery/mineralic notes.

Hanae Mori HM
(**---) / A vanilla chocolate lime pie kinda scent. I should like it but I don't.

Burberry Touch
(****-) / A sweet powdery but still masculine fragrance. Good for what it is.

Platinum Egoiste
(****-) / A very complex scent, soapy with sandalwood. Depends on my mood but very good overall.

Givenchy Play Intense
(****-) / A dry dark roasted coffee beans vibe to it. Understated but nice.

Versace Pour Homme
(****-) / A good sophisticated floral-citrus fragrance. Not original but quality stuff.

Joop
(**---) / Like a sweet cherry syrup. Not bad but wouldn't wear.

Body Kouros
(***--) / A good cheap option. Eucalyptus, vanilla and incense.

Rive Gauche
(***--) / Nice choice for fans of patchouli. Also has lavendar, basil (and licorice, yuck).

Bulgari Aqua
(****-) / A salty marine aquatic with a dark spicy undertone. I enjoy it.

Rochas Man
(***--) / An airy vanilla-chocolate herbal fragrance. Good, but not my thing.

Dutchfinger

Wow you're quite an expert on the subject, you know fragrances like Bond knows wines!

Asp9mm

I wouldn't call any of those real fragrances. Cheaply made, factory produced synthetic scents to appeal to the mass market. Like Carlsberg. Best avoided.

Absolutely_Cart

^ someone here is a fan of niche.

Absolutely_Cart

2nd wave of reviews.


L'Instant de Guerlein Extreme
(***--) / Chocolate milk meets eau de cologne. Good but not a personal favorite.

Gaultier's Fleur de Male
(**---) / An okay flanker for diehard fans of the original Le Male.

Miyake's L'eau de Issey
(***--) / Japanese woody floral citrus. Long lasting for a fresh scent.

Armani's Acqua Di Gio
(*****) / Jasmine, citrus, marine notes combine together so well. Love this.

Givenchy Pi
(**---) / Good enough for what it is. Good for vanilla fans.

Dolce and Gabanna's The One
(**---) / Well made. I just don't care for any of the D&G line.

Armani Code
(****-) / Some gourmand elements but overall a sexy scent for younger guys.

Pure Havane
(***--) / Tobacco here is very well done, with some honey and cherry if you like that.

Grey Vetiver
(**---) / A good vetiver, but kinda blah.

Mugler Cologne
(**---) / Fresh soapy, but grainy and synthetic. Creed's Original Vetiver does this better.

Chanel Egoiste
(****-) / It's heavy but a nice classic but refined masculine woody masterpiece

Viktor and Rolf Antidote
(**---) / Not bad but too muddled for its own good.

Dior Homme Sport
(**---) / Decent fresh grapefruit fragrance with quality ingredients. Boring though.

Burberry Brit
(**---) / Sweet powdery Burberry. Not bad for high school.

Versace's The Dreamer
(****-) / Synthetic but brilliant lily/tobacco fragrance. Props.

M7
(****-) / This oud fragrance was way ahead of its time. Sadly discontinued.

Chanel Allure Homme
(***--) / Quality ingredients. Nice balanced floral/fresh. But boring to me.

Terre D' Hermes
(***--) / It's the masculine modern man in the bottle. Mineralic. Pretty good.

Prada Amber Pour Homme
(***--) / Soapy, ambery. Pleasantly shrill. Like it. Don't love it.

Burberry London
(****-) / Gets very festive with pine and wine notes. Depends on the day.

Bulgari Black
(***--) / A nice subtle rubbery tea fragrance.

YSL L'homme
(*****) / The modern more young sophisticated man. Sweet, spicy, some vetiver and ginger.

Gucci Pour Homme II
(*****) / Dear lord this is amazing. Cinnamon, black tea, pepper, myrhh, tobacco. OMG!

YSL La Nuit
(*****) / Dark, spicy, a little sweet. This is perfect for the fall. Amazing stuff.

Cartier Roadster
(***--) / A great understated mint note. Herbal mint - not minty mint.

1 Million
(****-) / I swear to god, I liked this before it was cool. Nice leather, blood orange, bubble gum notes.

Dior Homme
(*****) / Nice masculine iris note. 3 stars for the reformulated version.

Dior Fahrenheit
(***--) / The personification of the 80's.

Encre Noir
(****-) / A masterfully made dark-ink vetiver fragrance. Just not super versatile.

Dior Homme Intense
(*****) / The original version was excellent. Reformulation suffered a bit.

Pure Malt
(*****) / Purely hypnotic stuff. Some whiskey, vanilla, chocolate and patchouli. Briliant.

Angel Men
(***--) / The father of the gourmand market. I like it, but wouldn't wear it.

Le Male
(****-) / Played out, but still sexy. The gem that every vanilla fragrance is compared to.

welshboy78

Absolutely_Cart wrote:

Armani's Acqua Di Gio
(*****) / Jasmine, citrus, marine notes combine together so well. Love this.

Thats a blast from the past, used to wear that in the 90s to entice the ladies, they loved it lol

Thunderpussy

Any views on Hai Karate, Denim or blue stratos ?
Or the great smell of Brut !