OGBuysblind

This one was an instant like for me. You get a very fresh blast of lemon, tea and peppery ginger that's made sweet with a clean and hefty dose of honey. As it dries down it warms up a bit through the amber, cinnamon, and patchouli. The patchouli's restrained here in the sense that it never hits that stereotypically, heavy hippie level that can get annoying and detract from an otherwise good fragrance. The cinnamon plays the background as well, and I like that, because this one's all about the tea, ginger, and honey. I think Five O'Clock is a pretty safe bet, and you're unlikely to receive many negative reactions from it. It's kind of along the lines of Burberry London and Eau des Baux as far as its impression and context, something to be worn during the cooler months, especially around the holidays. As far as Lutens fragrances go, I feel like this one has a little more mainstream appeal than most. There's something about the sweet woody amber aspect of it that feels familiar, however this by no means common in quality or overall smell, it's just not weird and unusual. Projection is good, a little on the close side, and longevity is about 5 to 6 hours. While it may lack a "WOW" factor, that's not always necessary as far as I'm concerned, and I'm completely happy to own this very pleasant, ginger-tea concoction that's easy to reach for and throw on whenever the mood hits. Thumbs up and a safe blind buy if you like the sound of the notes.

A spicy, floral powder bomb. Well-composed, but take the glowing reviews with a grain of salt. I find this extremely powdery, formal, and opulent to the point that I'm not comfortable wearing it. It also smells very feminine to my nose, particularly concerning the use of florals and their relation to the powder. If you love a good floriental, this will be right up your alley. However, while people rave about the beautiful vanilla dry down (especially in the EDP), keep in mind these other things I just mentioned before buying it blindly. Good fragrance but totally not my style and I think the casual, younger man may not like this at all.

The EDP is dense, rich and more focused on vanilla.

The EDT is spicier, lighter, develops more, and delivers a brighter heliotrope. In my opinion, it's much more interesting, and maybe even a bit more masculine.

To me, this comes off as a stereotypical, searingly obnoxious men's aftershave. It's headache inducing and lacks any kind of humor or relief from its relentless character. I love the notes as listed on paper and some of the reviews sound wonderful, but it doesn't pan out for me. Up close, many of the notes are there--abisnthe, pine, anise, etc. But the sum of their parts doesn't add up as I'd hoped. They coalesce into such a conventional, predictable smelling masculine (from a bygone era of leisure suits and mustaches) it's hard to imagine this is what Giacobetti intended. Anyway, give it a shot because my experience seems to be in the minority, however, I can't see it any other way as much as I've tried.

This is one of the best cocoa scents out there. Dusty, dry, and confident, it sits over a complex woody base with a dense, pervasive foundation. The chocolate note is rich, and will certainly not deprive you of your fix, but it's not exactly food-like or overly sweet. There's some dirt in the mix as well, a dry, baked earthiness that tempers any potential sweetness and keeps this from becoming a complete gourmand. The balance works very well and allows one to enjoy Ore's superb longevity, which easily spans 10 hours. Projection is about a foot from the body. Slumberhouse transitioned from Eau de Parfums to extraits about a year and a half ago, and the new extraits sit much closer to the skin. In my opinion, this is where they should be. They project, and they're strong, but they don't shout across the room. I would consider Ore best suited for low-key, casual situations or perhaps an intimate setting, during the fall and winter months. Easier to wear than you may think. Overall, it's an excellent fragrance and definitely worth investigating.

*Note: Some of the earlier reviews for this may be referring to the original EDP. That no longer exists and has been replaced by the extrait. The EDP was drier, dirtier, and more balsamic. It wasn't as smooth or well-constructed. In fact, it was a little chaotic. The extrait features a more prominent cocoa note, a smoother composition, and less challenging aspects than the EDP. In other words, most people will find the extrait more appealing

This is a cold, almost-icy tea based fragrance with a sparkling metallic sheen. One example where the name and bottle design are completely evocative of the scent itself, Silver Mountain Water very accurately portrays what it suggests. Between the tea, black currant, mandarin orange, and white musk, you get an inky-sweet, tangy aroma that is reminiscent of chilly, windy air in high, snow-capped altitudes. I get the 'ink' note. It's a combination of the tea and black currant that creates an odd, sort of chemically sweet smell, but it doesn't remind me of toner cartridges, more like ink from a pen or well. I also find this accord pleasant and unique, and it can be interpreted in various ways. Do you prefer ink, or black currants coated in frost on an early spring morning? How about industrial stainless steel, or the glassy, crystalline surface of a river in January? It can go either way, and that's what's sort of interesting about Silver Mountain Water. I picture a white, snow-covered mountain with an ultraviolet stream running through it. In other words, I get a little bit of both--nature, as interpreted through a synthesized, futuristic chemical process. And it works.

Practically speaking, this is best suited for spring and summer as it's quite cooling and fresh. Projection is strong and it can be sneaky, and longevity is very good. I get about 8 hours plus. SMW feels most appropriate for daily wear as it might be a little high-pitched for the evening. Though I really enjoy this and think it was composed with an intelligent, clever hand, I can't guarantee this as a safe blind buy. While it has plenty of fans, Silver Mountain Water also has plenty of detractors, and that's why it's best that you sample it first.

One last thing: If you really like Silver Mountain Water, I also recommend checking out "Eau Radieuse" by Humiecki and Graef. Though it smells completely different, it has similar elements that create a sort of bracing, ultra-modern interpretation of nature that is highly 'synthetic' yet without the negative connotations typically associated with the term.