Sud Est by Romeo Gigli

I have sampled this more than once and keep coming to the same conclusion. As much as I love cooking spices, I don't want to smell like a cacophony of pasta sauce herbs. At least not in my fragrance.

One or two will do spread out over accords, but this is an over the top culinary spice rack in a bottle. The only missing ingredient is marjoram and possibly a surprise visit from Tony Garganonza looking to collect on an old debt....or vendetta.

Gigli somehow puts it all together and makes it work, but for me, it's simply too many herbs and spice. The citrus in the opening and woods in the heart and base are lost behind a torrent of herbal warfare and become the first casualties in this La Bistro police action. If you really, really, really dig Italian herbs and spice in liquid form, buy a bottle of this, wear it and then strut through the Italian market in South Philly. I'll lay odds you get invited to supper at Luigi's within minutes.....and yes.....he has a daughter who's single.......

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Oriental Lounge by The Different Company

Bergamot, Curry Leaf, Pepper, Red Rose, Tonka Bean, Labdanum, Satinwood. I suppose the first thing I noticed about Oriental Lounge is that as a man, this is a bit of a stretch to pull off. Since the core of Oriental Lounge is a powdery tonka and amber duo, it really does lean a bit too far feminine for me to wear. However, it would smell just as lovely on a woman and more appropriate as well. I bring this up simply because it's marketed as shared. I was wondering about the curry leaf. Actually, this "note" brought nothing to the table with the exception of possibly enhancing the pepper note just a bit. Even so, the pepper note itself was low key ( at least on me ) and both blended nicely with the citrus opening. From the onset of Oriental Lounge, it's unmistakable that this fragrance is.......well.....an oriental. From other opinions, I read some gripes about longevity, but it lasts on me quite awhile. This fragrance is uncomplicated and without much movemen...

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Paco Rabanne Pour Homme

I am reviewing the original Paco Rabanne Pour Homme ( circa 1973 ) thanks to a generous basenoter who sent it to me recently in a swap. He also sent me the current formulation in order for me to do a side by side comparison. The side by side resulted in what I had already imagined would be the case. Not that the newer formula is terrible by any means. The original version simply is better by being deeper and a bit more masculine. No......you shouldn't go to ebay searching for the vintage formula and paying stupid prices. It's simply a notch or two better than the current and noticeable by comparing the two in real time. Rabanne Pour Homme opens with a slight shimmer in conjunction with lavender, spices and a subtle woodiness. It's an old school introduction, however a good one. The lavender takes about 5 minutes to raise its volume and evolve into a soapy rendition. I dislike when a boatload of soapy lavender takes over a composition, but here it doesn't go over t...

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