Skip to main content

Black Suede by Avon

Image
By
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.
Labels:

Comments

  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.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Chanel copying Guerlain. Why?

By
                      Last month, I had the pleasure of trying Comète by Chanel, the latest addition to their prestigious Les Exclusifs line. This fragrance follows the release of Le Lion in 2020, another standout in the same collection. Like Le Lion , Comète is a beautiful perfume that captures the essence of Chanel’s refined elegance. However, both fragrances bear a striking resemblance to classic creations by Guerlain, leading me to ponder the direction Chanel is taking. Chanel has a great fragrance history. Not as hallowed and old as Guerlain but for past three decades it has far outshone Guerlain. In my view, no other perfume house has come close to Chanel’s excellence in this century. This makes their recent approach of echoing Guerlain classics somewhat perplexing. Have they run out of fresh ideas? Is Roger Dove at the helm of their fragrance division, or have they perhaps...
Post a Comment
Read more

Teatro Alla Scala - Krizia

By
I tried Comete by Chanel today and wanted to write about how Chanel is going by the way of Roger Dove - copying old masterpieces. I did not know where to post that and then I realized I have been neglecting this blog. When I logged in I saw an unfinished post I wrote a year ago about Teatro Alla Scala by Krizia. Teatro is the best full bodied floral - better than any Chanel or Patou. Even better than Gucci L'Arte.  A brief background: Teatro Alla Scala is an Opera theatre in Milan. The bottle's design is an homage to the theatre and the perfume an homage to its sophisticated patrons. I wanted to write a symphony for it. Maybe some day. For now here are few notes I wrote comparing EDT vs EDP.  And if you don't have Teatro, your wardrobe is incomplete Rose, Jasmine, Tuberose. Jammy berries (more in EDP) . Honey note listed is probably the jammy part Vetiver & moss - more in EDT Rose and carnation is more than jasmine and that is what separates it from other florals like J...
Post a Comment
Read more