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Black Suede by Avon

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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.
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  1. 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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