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Floyd the Barber
Imagine a barbershop. A classic one. The smell of barber products is very characteristic. They have a green, spicy, fresh and kinda mossy smell. This is the smell of that but in a sexy way. Azzaro pour Homme created this genre but is more focused on anise and lavender. This is a twist and a "modern" (for 2003) interpretation of that.
Rive Gauche it is. An excellent fresh spicy lavender fragrance. When I smelled it for the first time I was immediately taken back to an old barbershop and the smell of shaving cream foam and hair gel. It smells like that for sure but with a touch of sophistication/sexyness.
The main player here is the anise-geranium-lavender combination that create this strong aromatic bitterness and slightly sweet specially in the drydown. In the drydown there's hints of vetiver, patchouli but, specially, guaiac wood, which gives a more rounded and almost creamy vibe. A great finalle!
A really good fragrance for work and for the spring-summer time. It has decent performance (7-8h) and created a gorgeous aura around you. It's essencially a more refined and modern take on Azzaro, which is a masterpiece.
Unfortunately, discontinued, and even the reformulated (but still great) version is already discontinued. If you find a good deal on this, i urge you to buy because it's a really good experience. It's not a masterpiece, neither revolutionary in any way, although it bring back the barbershop type of smell to the table with a refreshing and appealing concept. It manages to be a perfect balance between classic and contemporary.
We have to get credit to the master perfumer Jacques Cavallier, who created such great gems like M7, Opium pour Homme, L'eau D'Issey pour homme or even Aqva Amara, to name a few.
The last great barbershop, perhaps. Invasion Barbare is probably the last great one but this is more easy going and unpretentious. A must!
4/5
Rive Gauche it is. An excellent fresh spicy lavender fragrance. When I smelled it for the first time I was immediately taken back to an old barbershop and the smell of shaving cream foam and hair gel. It smells like that for sure but with a touch of sophistication/sexyness.
The main player here is the anise-geranium-lavender combination that create this strong aromatic bitterness and slightly sweet specially in the drydown. In the drydown there's hints of vetiver, patchouli but, specially, guaiac wood, which gives a more rounded and almost creamy vibe. A great finalle!
A really good fragrance for work and for the spring-summer time. It has decent performance (7-8h) and created a gorgeous aura around you. It's essencially a more refined and modern take on Azzaro, which is a masterpiece.
Unfortunately, discontinued, and even the reformulated (but still great) version is already discontinued. If you find a good deal on this, i urge you to buy because it's a really good experience. It's not a masterpiece, neither revolutionary in any way, although it bring back the barbershop type of smell to the table with a refreshing and appealing concept. It manages to be a perfect balance between classic and contemporary.
We have to get credit to the master perfumer Jacques Cavallier, who created such great gems like M7, Opium pour Homme, L'eau D'Issey pour homme or even Aqva Amara, to name a few.
The last great barbershop, perhaps. Invasion Barbare is probably the last great one but this is more easy going and unpretentious. A must!
4/5
1 Comment
Conforting rubber
The discontinuation of this little gem made me bought a bottle. I remember smelling this one back when I started my journey in 2015 and liking it, but, at the time i bought the, also discontinued, Midnight in Paris and though that this would be a redundant purchase.
4 years later, I purchased it just to see if this is really that similar and because it could had been the last opportunity before prices go up. I'm a huge Annick Ménardo fan and this fragrance is really one of their best creations, imo.
There's not much transition or movement in this composition. It starts off with a rubber accord that combines tea leafs, bergamot and leather, and after an hour, this accord starts to mellow out and the vanilla became more pronounce. It has the MiP vibe but, imo, the result is more convincing here. Instead of tonka and rosemary, this one has vanilla and a stronger rubber note, although this is more linear.
All in all, this is an excellent scent and I'm glad that I have a bottle. Completely unisex and excellent for mild and cold days or nights.
Longevity is pretty good. I get 10 plus hours on my skin, but the projection is very moderate in the first 2 hours and close to the skin in the rest of the lifetime.
4/5
4 years later, I purchased it just to see if this is really that similar and because it could had been the last opportunity before prices go up. I'm a huge Annick Ménardo fan and this fragrance is really one of their best creations, imo.
There's not much transition or movement in this composition. It starts off with a rubber accord that combines tea leafs, bergamot and leather, and after an hour, this accord starts to mellow out and the vanilla became more pronounce. It has the MiP vibe but, imo, the result is more convincing here. Instead of tonka and rosemary, this one has vanilla and a stronger rubber note, although this is more linear.
All in all, this is an excellent scent and I'm glad that I have a bottle. Completely unisex and excellent for mild and cold days or nights.
Longevity is pretty good. I get 10 plus hours on my skin, but the projection is very moderate in the first 2 hours and close to the skin in the rest of the lifetime.
4/5
1 Comment
Heavenly Oud
Well, I have to say that this one surprised me. I thought this would be a very easy to wear with no Oud in here but, surprisingly, this has a little bit of that skanky Oud in the background, which is quite good, to be honest.
When you spray this you'll be able to smell the rose with some bergamot and a shy tea note. Love this unisex fresh opening! 10min later the tea will dominate the fragrance and the leather accord appears. There's a good accord here. Like the one you'll find in Black from the same brand or even Midnight in Paris but without the rubber note. Excellent!
The Oud is there basically since the tea starts to shine. Is giving a skanky yet sexy vibe and later on, the fragrance turns a little bit yummy. It's complex and has the three stages very well achieved! The Oud isn't potent (which for those who don't like it is good and for lovers it's pleasant too) but isn't that synthetic so I really appreciate it. Bravo Mr. Jacques Cavallier! Heavenly!
The performance is not beastly. It's suave but I love it that way. I get 7+ hours although with low projection. It's comforting and I love to wear it on a breezy spring/summer nights.
The price is very adequate and you can find a 75ml bottle for less than 50€. The quality is great too!
I recommend it to everyone that likes Rose-Oud combos with a twist. It's different enough thanks to that Tea note.
When you spray this you'll be able to smell the rose with some bergamot and a shy tea note. Love this unisex fresh opening! 10min later the tea will dominate the fragrance and the leather accord appears. There's a good accord here. Like the one you'll find in Black from the same brand or even Midnight in Paris but without the rubber note. Excellent!
The Oud is there basically since the tea starts to shine. Is giving a skanky yet sexy vibe and later on, the fragrance turns a little bit yummy. It's complex and has the three stages very well achieved! The Oud isn't potent (which for those who don't like it is good and for lovers it's pleasant too) but isn't that synthetic so I really appreciate it. Bravo Mr. Jacques Cavallier! Heavenly!
The performance is not beastly. It's suave but I love it that way. I get 7+ hours although with low projection. It's comforting and I love to wear it on a breezy spring/summer nights.
The price is very adequate and you can find a 75ml bottle for less than 50€. The quality is great too!
I recommend it to everyone that likes Rose-Oud combos with a twist. It's different enough thanks to that Tea note.
2 Comments
Sweet Iris O' Mine
I'm wearing this today after a couple of months and I realized that this is a truly masterpiece that stood the test of time.
Although everybody talks about his younger brother (Parfum) and say wonders (and you should!!), this gem is also a great fragrance and more easy to pull off.
It has the original Dior Homme DNA based on Iris but instead of Vetiver at the base, we have a kind of dough note brought by the Ambrette seed and some cedar. Basically, It's a candied version of the original (like Luca Turin said).
It opens up with a big bouquet of fresh and powdery Iris, and a Lavender-ish note like the original but with steroids. After 10min it turns warm, sweet and doughy thanks to the ambrette seed. The Cedar appears after 1h to give more masculinity and some woody "freshness". It's one of the most beautiful iris based scents. Valentino takes this and rounds the edges but i prefer this roughly and soft-sweetness take on Iris.
The performance is great. It lasts easily 10-12h with good projection in the first 1h. After that it creates a bubble around you for 6-7h and only after that it starts to be a skin scent.
Everybody that likes the original or something between masculine and feminine, should give this one a try. It's more sweet and more seductive than the original but less brutal and woody than the Parfum version. It's perfection in a bottle!
One of the best masculines out there and a classic in our days.
Although everybody talks about his younger brother (Parfum) and say wonders (and you should!!), this gem is also a great fragrance and more easy to pull off.
It has the original Dior Homme DNA based on Iris but instead of Vetiver at the base, we have a kind of dough note brought by the Ambrette seed and some cedar. Basically, It's a candied version of the original (like Luca Turin said).
It opens up with a big bouquet of fresh and powdery Iris, and a Lavender-ish note like the original but with steroids. After 10min it turns warm, sweet and doughy thanks to the ambrette seed. The Cedar appears after 1h to give more masculinity and some woody "freshness". It's one of the most beautiful iris based scents. Valentino takes this and rounds the edges but i prefer this roughly and soft-sweetness take on Iris.
The performance is great. It lasts easily 10-12h with good projection in the first 1h. After that it creates a bubble around you for 6-7h and only after that it starts to be a skin scent.
Everybody that likes the original or something between masculine and feminine, should give this one a try. It's more sweet and more seductive than the original but less brutal and woody than the Parfum version. It's perfection in a bottle!
One of the best masculines out there and a classic in our days.
3 Comments
The last Samurai.
The Dreamer is a unique and special fragrance. So unique that even the tobacco is different from what you're used to. It's a tobacco flower based scent. Also, it's the last creation under the direction of Gianni Versace shortly before is assassination.
Another thing that is kinda mysterious is the note breakdown. You'll get a different note breakdown in every website. To me, Dreamer starts out very sour and synthetic, yet addictive! It drys down surprinsingly alluring and mysterious.
I remember the first time I smelled this one, i hated the opening. But after 10min I started to like it. I ended up buying a bottle. After 3 years I can say that I love this. It's definitely unique and dreamy.
Talking about the scent itself: I smell a herbal-aromatic note (juniper and tarragon) at the start. It's kinda harsh but vicious. After 10min the tobacco flower starts to bloom. After 1h the cumarin joins the game and the scent turns more sweet, alluring but still kind of floral.
This stage will be the ending one. The dream is over but not until the 10-12 hour mark. This one has great performance and strong projection in the first 2 hours. Also, it performs greatly on clothes as they will smell like The Dreamer for weeks! At this point, I don't know if this it's still in production but you can find it easily online and on many stores.
My advice? Grab a bottle now. It's very cheap (20-30€/100ml) and it's a fantastic scent. A true masterpiece. And the bottle is probably my favorite of all time!
8/10
Another thing that is kinda mysterious is the note breakdown. You'll get a different note breakdown in every website. To me, Dreamer starts out very sour and synthetic, yet addictive! It drys down surprinsingly alluring and mysterious.
I remember the first time I smelled this one, i hated the opening. But after 10min I started to like it. I ended up buying a bottle. After 3 years I can say that I love this. It's definitely unique and dreamy.
Talking about the scent itself: I smell a herbal-aromatic note (juniper and tarragon) at the start. It's kinda harsh but vicious. After 10min the tobacco flower starts to bloom. After 1h the cumarin joins the game and the scent turns more sweet, alluring but still kind of floral.
This stage will be the ending one. The dream is over but not until the 10-12 hour mark. This one has great performance and strong projection in the first 2 hours. Also, it performs greatly on clothes as they will smell like The Dreamer for weeks! At this point, I don't know if this it's still in production but you can find it easily online and on many stores.
My advice? Grab a bottle now. It's very cheap (20-30€/100ml) and it's a fantastic scent. A true masterpiece. And the bottle is probably my favorite of all time!
8/10
