Il Mondo di Odore

Bergamot, Orange, Magnolia, Cherry, Licorice, Ylang Ylang, Rose, Cinnamon, Musk, Benzoin, Vanilla, Tolu Balsam. The fragrance description on LuckyScent made me wince a little. Some promo departments embellish a bit too much, but it all boils down to whether or not the scent is legitimate. I don't purchase fragrances because a house utilizes heavy handed words and some fluff. Bal Musque is categorized as "shared", but after a few wearings, I'm inclined to believe it's more suited for the feminine persuasion. The base and drydown is a balsamic powder and vanilla and while pleasant, it leans too far for me to consider wearing it. Bal Musque's price point is over $1.50 per ml., but I've surely smelled pricier fragrances that gave less. The opening of this fragrance is enjoyable with its implementation of citrus, subtle cherry and blurred florals. It takes a few minutes for the floral notes to come into focus, but they don't remain that way long. ...

Bergamot, Orange, Rosemary, Daffodil. If you don't have a predilection for "colognes" due to their construction and aroma, then Number 6 ( and this house in general ) probably isn't going to float your boat. However, if you do, then you have probably tried this in the past or possibly own a bottle as we speak. Most "colognes" don't make it into my wardrobe. It's more preference than snobbery, but I try all that I come across regardless. The majority of them I eschew, yet some seem to transcend my bias and provide me with unexpected enjoyment. Number 6 falls into the area I consider "fragrance purgatory" since it possesses qualities I like and ones I shun. Number 6 may not be a future purchase, but it still is a very viable scent. As expected, Number 6 is all about citrus served up in a classic fashion. It smells like cologne and truly is something I'd associate with my father wearing when I was a child. However, it is done e...

Oud, Rose, Orris, Saffron, Sandalwood, Patchouli. I'm trying very hard not to be ( or sound ) ho-hum about my wearings of Aoud Lime. Just how many variations of a dominant note can one do and still keep the releases interesting, cutting edge and viable? I almost feel like the mystery man behind this house is not going to stop tweaking the same theme until there is enough customer disinterest to prove a broader palette is sorely needed. If there was a petition for it, I'd surely sign it. Naturally, I've found Aoud Lime to be more of the same, tired song with the exception of how the Orris is tuned in this scent. It's retro smelling to me and I'm making an educated guess that Origanum was implemented to achieve that slightly burnt, tar-herbaceous accord that rears its head during the base and drydown. Lime, you say? I can't find any, but perhaps the nose behind this release will disagree. I don't experience citrus in any fashion, but I can't say ...

Fig, Sandalwood, Cedarwood, Tobacco, Cardamom, Coriander, Lime. I don't know about the rendition of fig, but the woodiness is sure present in this Ava Luxe creation. On my skin, this fragrance is all about earth and wood. Bois de Figue starts out with a combination of moist earth and a green, bark-sap quality. It stays this way for the opening and heart accords and is one of those fragrances that stays within your personal space, but retains a full presence. As the earthiness wanes, the sap and bark remain. There's also the green, unripe and broken branch aroma that's compelling. The fig is lost on me, but I believe this is supposed to be about wood with everything else being a "suggestion". Not until the base and extended drydown does Bois de Figue show its true, woody core. In increments, the scent becomes drier, allowing both Cedar and Sandal to come to fruition. There is a sweetness to the overall composition, but it's in proper balance. A balsam...

Oud, Styrax, Ravensara. I found the listed accords on a site other than Slumberhouse as I have a difficult time navigating there. I've also read numerous opinions of this release and was curious to see if my perception jived with what my peers think of this scent. Vikt is an interesting creation and after wearing it a few times, I can see why some enjoy it while others do not. It's assertive, dense and polarizing. Vikt is also a linear wear on me, but that's usually not a drawback with other fragrances and it's not a negative here either. Other small, niche houses that use similar materials have this quality and the full bodied nature inherent in Vikt makes up for any lack of " conventional transitions". In the end, all that matters is if what you're wearing smells good and makes you happy. On my skin, Vikt embodies Resin, Mineral, Smoke, Woods and what I perceive as a subtle floral decay. All together, they possess a semi-arid quality that...

Citrus, Orange Blossom, Jasmine, Rose, Sandalwood, Musk. Sampling Montale's Sandal Sliver gave me an instant feeling of deja vu. This is a retro, feminine floral that I have smelled before, but for the life of me, I cannot remember what fragrance or exactly when and where. The listed accords are spotty at best, but close enough. What I do smell by the heart accord onward is reminiscent of Tuberose and it seems Sandal Sliver's core is all floral with a few subtle accents. Make no mistake about there being a woodiness present because there is. It's simply trumped by the floral array and citrus. Sandal Sliver is something I would enjoy smelling on the feminine persuasion. It's simple but substantial and possesses enough body to be taken as a serious fragrance. It also smells nothing like I imagined before purchase and it seems very different from the other Montale offerings I have tried. I especially enjoyed the opening blast of Citrus, Blossom and Jasmine. It ...

Lime, Orange, Cranberries. I must say that Cosmopolitan Cocktail by Demeter is a fairly realistic facsimile of this drink. I do not know if folks truly want to smell like this particular "beverage", but there are worse things to smell of I suppose. The opening blast leans more feminine than it does shared. As linear as Cosmopolitan Cocktail is, it also stands to reason that it would remain a feminine. It does since the only transition I experience is the lowering of volume. The top accord has a fizzy quality that almost resembles getting a whiff of foam from your cocktail. It's a soothing, effervescent salutation that is pleasant enough. What you smell from the onset is what remains for the life of the scent. The lime is tuned slightly louder than the orange on my skin, but both are evident. It's a good balance and performs well once the cranberry inserts itself after a few minutes. Sillage is moderate and longevity is approximately 3-4 hours on me. I ha...

Bangalore Sandalwood. Anyone who has ever worn or smelled Tricorn by Caswell Massey knows there's more than just Sandalwood in this composition. I've found the reviews very interesting and they lead me to believe there is more than a few formulations of this brew floating around. After all, it's been around since the Biblical Flood, so it stands to reason. The one I have smells like clove, cinnamon and bergamot atop a creamy sandalwood. The Sandalwood is evident within a minute of applying and it's borderline buttery. There also seems to be an implementation of Labdanum in the base accord. It's assuredly old school in construction and aroma, but in spite of that, this particular formula makes for a very nice comfort scent. Tricorn is a masculine fragrance that probably wouldn't get much praise from males in their teens and twenties. It may garner some respect from that same age group if they are seriously into this hobby. We all know that the longer yo...

Bergamot, Ginger, Rose, Incense, Velvet Oud, Patchouli, Papyrus, Laotian Benzoin. Between sampling Vetiver Fatal and now Rose Anonyme by Atelier, I must say I believe them both to be good releases. If I had to smell Rose Anonyme blind, I may have thought it was from a different niche house notable for their Incense creations. I say that because of how dominant the Incense rendition happens to be on my skin. It blooms as the wearings ensue on me. Rose Anonyme is a translucent wear for me. It has an airy presence and never feels dense or heavier than it should. The opening is a very soft, dry rose accented with spice. The Incense blossoms from the onset and manages to keep an even keel with the Rose. It makes me feel as though I am in close proximity to both. The Incense is of the cold variety to me and extremely enjoyable. The Benzoin, once it comes to fruition, has a resin quality and hints of understated cocoa also make its presence known; albeit intermittently. I seem to ge...

Bergamot, Lemon, Bigarade. Orange Flower, Plum, Violet Leaves. Vetiver, Cedarwood, Oud accord. I'm a guy who really enjoys citrus in fragrance. I'm unaware of a house who has a better perspective of those particular notes than Atelier. That's not to say they are "THE BEST" at it. It's simply that I recognize a specialist when I smell one. Vetiver Fatal is a very interesting and transitional scent. As expected, the citric accords are exceptional, realistic and palpable. What I was curious about was whether they were going to inject the entire composition with an oud note. They haven't and I must say that Vetiver Fatal is the better for it. To me, there's only a subtle suggestion of the note, once you're experiencing the base and drydown. I'm impressed with the balance of implemented notes. Rather than certain notes dominating and the rest being a supporting cast, this truly is a team effort that I smell on my skin. Vetiver Fatal op...

Artemesia, Bergamot, Juniper Berry, Lemon, Mandarin. Carnation, Clary Sage, Geranium, Jasmine, Lily, Rose, Mace, Tarragon. Amber, Cedar, Moss, Musk, Patchouli, Sandalwood, Tonka Bean. In 2009, I submitted a very brief opinion about this particular scent. Going through my cabinet, I found my bottle and opted to wear it. I also checked my old review and decided it needed to be updated. Boss Sport reminds me of green fields and the things therein, more than suggesting "sport". The word sport is loaded with interpretation and is especially misleading when it pertains to fragrance. Can Boss Sport actually be a "Sport" scent? I suppose it can be, since aroma is so subjective. When I think of a sport fragrance, I expect something ethereal that doesn't bog you down or keep you thinking about what you are wearing. Boss Sport is a bit more substantial than that, but that isn't a negative and this is simply my perception. The Artemesia in the opening ...

Agarwood, Cumin, Saffron, Rose, Elemi Resin, Labdanum, Leather. Curious about this scent, I decided to pick up a 10ml. mini very recently. I'd been meaning to for some time now and am happy to have the opportunity to wear and review this release. Even in the case of being disappointed, a blind buy for this quantity isn't life altering. I'm glad to report that, while I don't love it, I do like it. The drydown is especially good due to the inclusion of Labdanum. What's starts out edgy from Cumin lands softly with a sweet, resiny amber. The opening of Ferrari is interesting. The Agarwood is accented by Cumin and Saffron and a leather quality is lurking underneath from the onset. This introduction has substance as you would expect, but it's not as pungent as others in the genre. This really is a westernized rendition of a grouping of notes that gives some a difficult time. Between the bombardment of Oud fragrances hitting the market the past few years and ...

Arabic Rose, Bulgarian Rose, Hibiscus Blossom, Oud, Sandalwood, Ylang-Ylang. Nejma Three by Pascal Morabito arrived in the mail yesterday. I had to contain myself with just a test spray as I planned to wear it TODAY. I wore Nejma Two yesterday and I didn't even wait to get home from the post office. I ripped the box open and whacked it on. Yes, HIGH EXCITEMENT, but I digress......... Nejma Three starts life high on Roses straight out of the bottle. By all accounts, there are 3 types of rose present. Bulgarian, Arabian and Damask and can only assume that the Arabian must be Taifi ( aka Rose Damascena Trigintipetela ). It's uncertain how the 30 petal damask rose initially came to Taif, a town located high in the Sarawat mountains of western Saudi Arabia. It's virtually identical to the famous Bulgarian kazanlik variety. Taif's roses may have been imported by Ottoman Turks from the Balkans, who occupied the area from the mid 14th century. However, the kazanlik ...

Peach, Bergamot, Green Note, Plum, Apricot. Rose, Muguet, Jasmine. Cedar, Vetiver, Musk, Ambergris, Osmanthus. My first reactions to wearing White Linen Breeze was "Where have I smelled this before"? I cannot tell you the scent, but I have ( no doubt ) reviewed at least one that has smelled extremely similar. This Eau de Parfum by Lauder is, in my opinion at least, a comfort scent that possesses some gravity. There's nothing heavy about it, but it has substance and since it smells good, that's a definite plus. It leans feminine to the point where I wouldn't consider wearing it, but I have enjoyed the performance for the sake of reviewing it. The opening and heart accords of White Linen Breeze is a jostling of floral and fruit notes vying to be heard, or in this case, smelled. The introduction is Peach, the suggestion of leaf, stem and citrus. The first 10 minutes exhibits the green quality front and center, but as the wearings ensue, it dissipates incr...

Fig Tree Leaves, Wood, White Cedar. No longer having my EDT sample of Philosykos handy, I'm at a loss to do a side by side comparison. Personally, I found nothing wrong with the EDT rendition as some seem to. The sillage and longevity were fine by me, but I'm never going to argue about anyone releasing a perfume strength version. I recall mentioning the EDT had subtle properties, but it was still substantial enough to be a winner. Enter the Eau de Parfum. The old cliche of "richer" and a bit "deeper" seems to hold water as I wear this for the 3rd time. There's a sap quality inherent in this rendition that underlies the entire composition. You can experience it from the initial application and it seems to be a foundation that bolsters the green, fig and leaf aspects of Philosykos. It suggests a stickiness as opposed to milkiness, but I suppose that's up for debate depending upon who is wearing it. I genuinely experience more leafy green than...

Freesia, Peach, Peony. Jasmine, Heliotrope, Rose. Pear, Cedar, Musk. Designed to give the impression of water, boats, sea air, relaxation and whatever else one does on revitalizing excursions, Un Bateau pour Capri is marketed as a feminine and rightly so. Does this fragrance suggest the above to yours truly? Umm.......not even close, but marketing has their own agenda when it comes to name assignment. What Un Bateau pour Capri is in reality denotes a bouquet caught on a breeze. I've spent enough summer months as a young man on the Jersey shore to know when a scent doesn't capture or even suggest that quality. As we all know, this is a subjective experience and there may be those won't agree with me. This floral array evokes a moist and freshly cut bouquet. There's a soft, powdery texture inherent in the accord, but it's an accent more than an active participant. I can't honestly say I realize "fruit" since this is supposed to be a fruity ...

Hazelnut, Honey, Sandalwood, Myrrh, Cedar, Licorice. The "Angry Wolf" opens with a pretty interesting licorice note on my skin. It only takes about 2 minutes before evolving beyond that, but since I like licorice, I admit to enjoying it quite a bit. The note has that expected transparency quite common in L'Artisan creations. There was a time I eschewed  sheer fragrances, but I suppose my tastes have transitioned like accord movements. What hasn't changed is my amazement pertaining to naming any particular scent. I'm clueless what this perfume has to do with an angry wolf since this is anything but feral, angry or lonesome. That aside, Mechant Loup is rather tame and refined to my nose. Honey can sometimes change the direction of a scent, but in Mechant Loup, I can't say it's a game changer. I realize more of a combination of Licorice, Myrrh and sweet resin than anything animalic. This never takes that path in my wearings, although I wonder if oth...

At long last we've reached the home stretch in my quest to whittle the Hermessence list down by ~50%. Today's contenders are Vanille Galante and Ambre Narguilé , which coincidentally are the most and the least mercurial perfumes (respectively) of this series, according to my nose. My general impression of Vanille Galante has not changed one bit over the course of several wearings, while my perspective on Ambre Narguilé  continues to change, even after having worn it many times by now! HERMESSENCE VANILLE GALANTE (2009) Every single time that I've worn Vanille Galante , I've been reminded of a variety of ylang-heavy perfumes, above all Guerlain Aqua Allegoria Ylang et Vanille. The strong ylang emphasis has also occasionally evoked vague memories of a recent testing of E. Coudray Nohiba— although it offers a very different line-up of notes.  I decided to do a side-by-side comparison between the 2009 Hermessence and the 1999 Guerlain and discovered tha...

Oud, Rose, Ambergris, Incense. At over $4 per ml., I simply had to try this release. I keep hoping someone will release one on par with Mona's, but no luck so far. However, I'm not insinuating that Agarwoud isn't worthy, just that I haven't come across one that can equal or best my favorite yet. For starters, this is pretty good in spite of being conventionally predictable. The smoke present isn't just derived from the incense rendition. It has a leathery character that's slightly charred. The Agar, Amber and Incense all come to life on my skin, along with the accent of smoky leather, but never does Rose come to fruition. It could be my chemistry, or perhaps it's tuned too low for me to appreciate. I also need to mention that this wears more like a substantial EDT than an Extrait de Parfum. The result isn't disappointing, but for this price point, it's a hard sell. At $230.00 for 50ml., one must really give it some thought before pulling th...

Palm Tree Leaves, Green Pepper, Dew Mist, Jungle Leaves, Ivy Leaves, Orris Roots, Coriander Seeds, Silex, Gunpowder Accord, Vetiver, White Smoke, Musk. What disappointed opinions I've read so far on Amazingreen. Most lament the missing edginess and risk usually associated with this house. While it's true that Amazingreen is fairly mainstream in spite of the listed accords, it's no crime for a daring house to release something embraceable by the masses. This doesn't mean they are conforming. In fact, this release is rather erratic and dangerous, considering their previous efforts. Things sometimes come full circle and in this case, it seems to have garnered negative reception from fans of Comme des Garcons. People have used extremely descriptive language while describing Amazingreen. I found them to be entertaining reads, but in truth, I find this fragrance to be more bland than anything. That doesn't mean I don't like it or enjoy the wearings. Un-arousin...