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 manifest itself in Cacharel, which emphasizes a bit more wood than Black Suede. Where the Avon suggests dense and spicy leather in the unconventional sense, Cacharel is more lucid with its rendition of spice and wood. If you do a side by side, you will be pleasantly surprised.

Black Suede opens with a fairly strong blast of nutmeg, clove and a subtle camphor overlaid on a slowly rising musky amber. The amber rendition is akin to another low-end classic by the name of "Fire and Ice" by Revlon. I recognize it, not only by aroma, but tenacity.

Where Black Suede and Cacharel Pour L'Homme veer away from each other is in the base and drydown. The spices dissipate more noticeably in Black Suede with the onset of a sweet, musky amber. The Cacharel manages to maintain its spicy wood theme, while neither have impressive transitional stages.

With that said, Black Suede is a viable masculine that I dare say can be worn by either gender. Like the old cliche states, everything ain't for everybody. Where this scent is concerned, sample and keep an open mind. I doubt it will be the worst you've smelled in the case that you don't like it. Sillage is good and longevity is approximately 8 hours plus on me for a Cologne !!! A positive-neutral rating from Aromi for Black Suede by Avon.

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...

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...

AnonymousJanuary 4, 2013 at 1:15 AM
I obtained a bottle of BS with a bunch of others. The person had them for 20+ years, so it was a "vintage haul." This formulation of BS was a sort of light version of Kouros. The animalic element was there but held in check with spices and a vanillic/ambery quality that was quite rounded off. Applied too liberally would mean nausea, at least for me, but with just one mist to the chest it's fine. There is a mild suede thing going on but overall it's rather blended. I'd say it is good value, if you want this sort of "old school" scent, but I have no idea if it still smells this way.

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