Daniel1323

I've owned the fragrance for 3 years now and still remember the first time I smelled it. For my then still very inexperienced nose, the "Radical Brown | Armaf" was simply melt-in-your-mouth:
Sweet and Christmassy spice paired with just enough citrus to give it that certain kick - an opening for the winter gods.

Even today, my opinion of it hasn't changed. However, with the passing of time comes experience and this has taught me that a good opening is only half the battle (probably more like 20%). Because what the "Radical Brown | Armaf" delivers afterwards is more than passable for this price range, but by no means at the same level:
The highly praised Christmas-citrus spiciness gives way to floral notes and tobacco, which almost seem a little powdery in this combination. A small stick of cinnamon returns from time to time, joined by a little amber.

This probably all sounds quite interesting, but overall it is simply not enough to meet my initial expectations, which were far exceeded. I really want to love the fragrance, but unfortunately I can't; whether it's because of the lack of depth or because it's misguided.

If you are interested in a slightly different low-budget alternative to "Herod | Parfums de Marly" and "L'Homme Idéal (Eau de Parfum) | Guerlain", you will definitely be very happy here. I think the fragrance is really great, especially for beginners like me. Anyone who has been around a little longer will probably feel a little underwhelmed.

Some time ago I was browsing eBay and came across Cartago by chance. Because the fragrance pyramid sounded quite appealing to me, the thing ended up in my shopping cart, while I was still looking for a new TV. I paid a measly €9 for a 90 ml bottle. I had no particular expectations, but at the price I could get over even a rivet.

First of all, I must say that the flacon clearly gives more than the grotty picture here suggests. About the design, of course, you can argue, but I like it quite well. You can see that it is not a first class designer fragrance, but it is somehow refreshingly different. In terms of quality, on the other hand, it is not inferior to many designer fragrances. The glass is pleasantly heavy and the spray head does what it should. Only the plastic lid deceives the overall picture a little.
The fragrance itself is unfortunately rather so lala... He is quite synthetic throughout and initially also somewhat pungent. The contents of the top note and the name addition "Sport" lets hope for a citrus-fresh prelude, however, is not present at all. Somehow citrusy yes, somehow fruity yes, but somehow much too much of a heavy spice to really pass as freshness. Also in the further course, unfortunately, none of the fragrance notes asserts itself concisely. What remains is a strange miscellany of sweet spice, which is so not at all sporty.
The durability and sillage tear in conclusion unfortunately also nothing out. The scent disappears from my skin already after 2 to 4 hours and is also so rather discreetly perceptible.

For the price you can try Cartago quite times, but for more than a cheap office fragrance that will hardly be enough for someone. For sporting activities definitely more than unsuitable.

I last shopped on Notino and was only a handful of euros away from free shipping. In search of a Cheapie I came across Just For You. The review here made the scent seem quite decent and I decided to order it blindly with it. At a price of just 12 € for 100 ml for an EdP I was a bit skeptical, but the people at Armaf have already shown me many times that cheap doesn't necessarily have to be bad, but maybe just good value. And lo and behold: The thing is truly not bad!

The fragrance scores initially with neat spicy freshness. Nothing you would not have already smelled somewhere in a similar way, but you do not have to reinvent the wheel, as is well known. While the spice is predominant and is complemented by nutmeg and woody notes, the mandarin unfolds a sweetness that rounds off the whole in a pleasant way. After a while, there is a hint of soft leather, subliminal and definitely far in the background. This is hardly worth mentioning, but for the overall composition it carries quite an added value. Only from the incense I can unfortunately perceive nothing at all.
Both durability and sillage are not high-flyers, but at the price but hard in order. The fragrance is thus well suited for the office or simply for days on which you do not have to stab times necessarily from the crowd.

After I Just For You up to this point deservedly praised, I have to get rid of but times something: What is this actually for a bottle!!! About the optics can be argued, that is known to be a matter of taste. I don't see it as grotesquely ugly, but beautiful is different. If it would have stayed that way, I would have gladly given this thing 5 pity points. But oh my shame, I've ordered things on Wish that were of better quality! The bottle really is so poorly made, I can't even get over that at this price. Arrived, unwrapped, at first glance worthy with thick tinted glass. But maybe half a dozen times picked up, the gold plastic frame just breaks out of its socket. Another half dozen times later, a crack right through the plastic casing. Meanwhile, I do not dare to touch the thing. The flacon overshadows of course not the nevertheless respectable quality of the fragrance itself, but with so much bursting plastic one feels more like in kindergarten than in a perfumery.

The absurdly cheap bottle aside, Just For You pour Homme is definitely a good cheapie. It could cost double in my opinion and would still be worth considering. At the current price, however, the fragrance is an absolute bargain that you should definitely take if you want to expand your collection by a cheap all-rounder

The "Garden of the Gods" is a mysterious and impressive rocky landscape in Hawaii. The fragrance is said to have been inspired by this and reflect their impressions. "Sensual, mysterious, unique," says the item description. How one should come with this fragrance such an association is not comprehensible to me. I tend to associate a red rock landscape with dry and woody scents such as Encre Noire à L'Extrême. Instead, this one is infused with floral freshness that is more reminiscent of grandma's allotment garden.

Garden of Gods starts off quite synthetic and spicy. It seems very potent in the first moment and at the same time harbors a pleasant freshness. However, the whole thing swings almost instantly into an olfactory mess, which is truly not easy to describe. For me, the top note has quite subliminally almost something metallic about it, although none of the fragrance notes would suggest that. The rest of the fragrance development is characterized by a hodgepodge of floral notes of which hardly any can be identified properly. I personally don't notice much of the supposedly smoky-animalic base. Now and then a small surge of patchouli can be perceived, but that's it. What remains are a lot of almost soapy flowers.

The durability is okay for a drugstore fragrance, but no more than average. The sillage, however, is terrible. No idea how the fragrance currently comes to his rating, but for me the thing definitely looks different.
The bottle is made of thick glass and seems very valuable due to its weight. The look is rather boring, but basically okay.

In my opinion, Garden of Gods is not a complete misfortune. The fragrance composition is basically quite interesting and also not absolutely badly made. However, I am missing in the fragrance process that certain something. The fragrance is just too vacuous to be what it would like to be.
The 60 ml bottle you get at the moment for 10 €; so who likes to rumexperimentiert with floral fragrances can like to venture here. Me, however, he has unfortunately not in his spell can pull.


Edit: I have given the fragrance another chance and must say that it is not as bad as I had felt him at the time. It is a very floral Abklatsch of "Terre de Hermes", however, I would not call the two in any case as Dufttzwillinge. Who is the original too dry and woody may be happy here.

Rather a typical and sweetish everyday fragrance that can "convince" only by a synthetic freshness and an almost penetrating raspberry.

With this amount of fragrance notes can already be assumed that hardly one is really identifiable. With a lot of imagination break through perhaps still juniper and the chocolate, but otherwise the fragrance seems to me quite linear and one-dimensional, despite the supposedly complex fragrance pyramid.
Durability and sillage are rather disappointing in my opinion. To really enjoy the fragrance you have to reapply it every 3 to 4 hours, otherwise the whole thing is a short fun.
The flacon has a cool shape but is otherwise absolutely unspectacular. The glass seems quite thin and also the spray head is nothing special.

Overall, Montblanc Individuel is not a bad fragrance. I really like to wear it on cooler days in autumn and spring, there comes for me the mixture of sweet raspberry and freshness particularly to the fore. However, the fragrance is neither unique nor has a performance worth mentioning. At 23 € for 75 ml this purchase has not hurt, however, there are clearly better candidates for this price.

Edit: Meanwhile, I like him but clearly rather than I had initially thought. The freshness compared to a Joop Homme I see here as the biggest reason to buy.