Il Mondo di Odore

Bergamot, Incense, Pink Pepper. Nutmeg, Geranium, Cardamom. Agarwood, Labdanum, Musk, Leather. When the need arises to revisit a fragrance and I find I like it more now than I did years ago in the review, it's only fitting ( and fair ) to change the review, in order to reflect your new found appreciation. Now, in my initial review, I gave City Tower a thumbs up. This time around, I find it more nuanced and contemporary than previously perceived. For whatever reason, memory serves City Tower as being stronger than what I am presently wearing. I still experience the suggestion of Tonka, although it's not listed. However, 5 years ago it seemed more pronounced and I now concede that it must be the balsamic quality in the Cardamom rendition interacting with Nutmeg and Labdanum. In the end, who cares what's giving me that impression. It happens to smell very good and side steps the generic-chemical label so common in fairly recent releases. Upon initial applicati...

Bergamot, Lavender, Artemesia, Coriander, Green Notes. Jasmine, Geranium, Cinnamon, Rose, Carnation, Thyme, Honey. Patchouli, Amber, Vetiver, Civet, Moss, Musk, Vanilla. My initial review was comparing the vintage formula to the later release of this 1988 strangely compelling scent from Jacques Bogart. The two things I will reiterate from the 2011 post is that the vintage really does possess better overall character and that Furyo is a forerunner to Arabian Nights from the same house. Let's just say it smells like the blueprint for it and leave it at that. I suppose one of the things I like about Furyo is that it genuinely was not trying to smell like anything else or even attempting to improve on an already existing idea. Fragrances in the 70's and 80's were much like music was in the 60's and 70's. Variety was encouraged and financially backed, so taking chances was way more common than what I see today. This attitude produced some real iconic creation...

Bitter Orange, Neroli, Pepper. Cardamom, Saffron, Olibanum. Patchouli, Leather, Woods. Versace's Oud Noir for Men is perhaps one of the more wearable interpretations out there; especially if the note gives you problems. Personally, I don't even consider this an Oud fragrance. Why, you ask? Because it's not an oud scent in any respect. Whatever is actually being passed off as oud performs softly, as does the entire scent from start to early finish. Oud Noir begins with a subtle, citrus and mild camphor. It's pleasant, innocuous and versatile. I can also say it's uninspired and I wouldn't be inaccurate. After 5 minutes or so, there's some spice. the suggestion of fruit and perhaps balsam. I don't experience genuine clarity in the accords and as Oud Noir is tuned at a low volume, this is simply a spray-n-go type fragrance. It may appear I'm bashing on Oud Noir a bit, but that's not my intention. There's a definitive place for scents ...

Blueberry, Anise. Rosemary, Cashmere Wood. Musk, Amber, Sweet Leaf, Vanilla. Kalemat by Arabian Oud has been a fairly recent addition to my wardrobe and rotation for work. Now, I know it smells good or else why on earth would I wear it? I also have confirmation due to co-workers not only commenting on how damn good I smell, but inquiring what it is, where they can get it.........and do I have any I can spare until they buy a bottle. Suffice it to say I have already given away 10ml. atomizers of Kalemat to a few, happy peers. By now, we all are aware that Arabian spray perfumes have not been as well done as their CPO's, nor on par with western spray perfumes. I see some changes in this lately; mainly in the ones I have been sampling and/or purchasing. Kalemat by Arabian is a terrific bang-for-your-buck Woody Oriental on my skin. It's linear, pleasant, full bodied and possesses very nice sillage and superior longevity. If I like the totality of a particular scent, I c...

Orange, Lemon, Tea, Lavender, Sandalwood, Wood notes. Laura Tonatto's Sandalo per Teti goes on the skin unlike any other Sandalwood scent I own or have tried. The Tea infused Lavender is, after a few minutes, accompanied by an edgy citric accord ( with peel ) that gives me the illusion of spice. This tea-like salutation, leading to a Sandalwood finish, is what I find unique. It begins on the sharp side, but balances out rather nicely quickly. The rendition and implementation of Tea here is very interesting to me. On my skin, it's a standout note and I can detect how the lavender is interacting with it. Apparently, it's a combination that has me continually smelling where I applied it. The citric accord has receded after 5 minutes and lurks in the shadows for a little while longer, before relinquishing itself to the encroaching sandalwood. Once into the base and drydown stages of Sandalo per Teti, a pleasant and polite Sandalwood accord emerges. It's not loud...

Bergamot, Sage, Nutmeg, Lavender, Rosewood. Cedar, Geranium, Jasmine, Muguet, Patchouli, Rose. Amber, Sandalwood, Tonka Bean, Vanilla. I was compelled today to revisit Etienne Aigner's 1987 release of Free Life. As of late, I've been wearing some of the darker, designer ouds like Ferrari and that prompted me to dig out the bottle of Free Life. I definitely don't wear Free Life enough, but that is due to the amount of fragrance choices I have. Owning many bottles is a two edged sword. Free Life does not smell like the designer ouds I have, but it wears like they do. It is dense, semi dark and a rather serious scent. This isn't a somber fragrance, but it surely isn't frivolous or lighthearted. They certainly don't create masculines anymore using this template, so anytime I do wear Free Life, I thoroughly enjoy it. One of things I like is the tuning of Rosewood, Lavender and Tonka. There's a somewhat moist quality present and the suggestion of licor...

Bergamot, Fir, Ember, Sand Accord. Rose, Patchouli, Black Pepper. Oudh, Amber, Sandalwood, Musk, Honey. After reading numerous reviews, with almost all extolling Gold Rose Oudh to be a top tier player in its genre, I pulled the trigger blind, once again because........well, what else could I do? Should I have used common sense and obtained a sample first like I always recommend to others? In my case, the answer is yes........but probably not for the reasons you think. Gold Rose Oudh is a quality Spicy Rose creation, so that's a good thing. On the flip side, Gold Rose Oudh is the same pattern I've smelled time and time again, well made or not. The listed notes are here that I wanted, but the tuning is for a song that simply wouldn't make it to my playlist anymore, well played or not. I suppose that, in a nutshell, my wearings of Gold Rose Oudh have afforded me the experience of Peppery Rose and Oud. In a genre that has kind of run its course for me, I held out ho...

Neroli, Iris, Incense, Cedar, Vetiver, Benzoin. I reviewed this 3 years ago and since then, I've acquired a huge bottle. It behooves me to revise my post as I find myself reaching for this as a go-to work scent. I suppose it's safe to say that the totality of Prada's Infusion D'Homme is one of versatility and acceptability. As "clean" a quality that this possesses, it's also good to note that this is deceivingly strong for the first few hours. One tends to think of clean fragrances as a genre lacking projection or tenacity. Not so with Infusion D'Homme. I'm not as liberal these days when applying it since I find it easy to do so. It simply smells terrific. The rendition and tuning of Iris present allows Infusion D'Homme to be broader than just a masculine wear. It's versatile enough for this to be worn by the female persuasion. There's nothing macho here and to me, it sits squarely in the middle of the gender line. The pre...

Apples, Fir,  Lavender, Pepper, Musk, Neroli, Patchouli, Vanilla. Sometimes, mediocrity is not only a safe bet, but pleasant and versatile enough to be considered an intelligent addition to ones wardrobe. Penguin for Men is a contemporary take on the somewhat overdone Musk-Patch-Vanilla trifecta.I purchased this sometime in 2014 at TJM for peanuts and once worn, I was pleasantly surprised. Original Penguin certainly doesn't break any new ground, but I have to admit that price point aside, this is a comfortable wear when you just want to smell good and not have to think about it. The cost is another advantage, aside from the fact that this is a year round scent. Penguin opens with a rather well done accord consisting of slightly balsamic apple and citrus. There's subtle spice with just a hint of sour-bitter in the mix. I genuinely enjoy the accord and only wish it could retain its vibrancy and vitality. Of course it does not, but then again, there's no fragrance th...