Silver by Etienne Aigner

Basil, Bergamot, Green Notes, Juniper Berry, Lemon.
Carnation, Cedar, Cinnamon, Jasmine, Patchouli, Pine Needle.
Castoreum, Labdanum, Leather, Moss and Musk.

1984 brought us yet another terrific and underrated masculine. Etienne Aigner's Silver is ( of course ) under the radar and mostly disregarded by the fragrance community at large. I have no answers for this other than possibly bad timing and marketing mistakes. It could also be that Silver is sophisticated and long lasting without the bombastic qualities that were inherent in many releases of that particular time period. It may have slipped by unnoticed.

Silver opens as an extremely smooth ( and I mean smooth ) rendition of herbs and dominant basil set atop a light citric accord. It leans green like you would expect, but this is not a conventional aroma of green. This has a low center of gravity and within a minute or two, an elegant moss begins its journey from the base to incorporate itself into the opening.

Silver is so well blended and sans any edges that you almost forget you're wearing it. It's like a comfortable shirt you wear when you want to feel like you're wearing nothing at all. Please don't misconstrue that as declaring Silver to be a skin scent. Its projection is adequate and possesses a depth that is missing in today's releases.

If it were possible for a White Knight to have worn fragrance, Silver would be completely appropriate to smell emanating from his person. The slightly aromatic and earthy tones of forest and field. The subtle animalic whiffs of saddle viscosity mingling with mossy wood are an indication of what Silver is all about.

The essence of this sleeper is a mixture of suave and ruggedness. Silver's core is one of the better renditions of basil you will ever come across and it's surrounded by leathery moss. Sure, there are other contributors here, but by staying back like they do, they allow these three to take the reigns and the result is a classy masculine fragrance. Etienne's Silver gets no props and I want to change that.

Sillage is acceptable and longevity is 6 hours on my skin. Silver may not be white, but he still feels like a Knight to me. Big thumbs up from Aromi for yet another worthy Aigner release.

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...

Black Suede by Avon

Nutmeg, Clove, Amber, Musk, Moss, Wood Notes. Yes.........I am reviewing one of the Rodney Dangerfield's of fragrance. Black Suede has been gracing medicine cabinets, for better or worse, since 1980 my friends. If you're expecting me to inform you ( like others may have already ) that Black Suede is a nasty scrubber, you will be disappointed. On the other hand, if you're expecting a glowing review claiming it's a diamond in the rough, you won't hear that from me either. I will say though that Black Suede doesn't deserve the hate it's received and most of that is due to snobbery aimed at Avon products in general. I kid you not when I state that a close relative to this fragrance is Cacharel Pour L'Homme. The array of spice in both ensure comparison, but the "smoother" of the two is Black Suede due to its implementation of Amber. While wearing Black Suede, one can detect a hint of "drugstore". That quality doesn't manife...

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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