Oleo

This is a difficult perfume to review in every sense. It reminds me of the roads of my native Galicia, where you can take two completely opposite directions and arrive at the same place…

First of all, I like it a lot. The second thing is that not for obvious reasons… It isn’t a particularly captivating or revolutionary scent, really. Or maybe it's the opposite..?

Boss Bottled Parfum is fresh but dark, unique but generic… Daring, but safe… So what’s this? Well, that's its charm: A controlled divergence as a hallmark.

To find a point of reference in the brand, I would say that it comes to stay in the olfactory profile of Boss Bottled Night. Again, it doesn't smell anything like it, but it’s in a similar spectrum. Is this one better? Well… It's newer, but I like them both.

In the utilitarian context, this one has excellent versatility, moderate projection and good duration (8h). It smells like quality, so everything is fine here.

In the sensory and suggestive, this perfume doesn’t aim for the “Pied Piper” effect:

It starts with a moderate citrus, airy and light, nothing sharp. Immediately the freshness of the orris and the fig root take the direction of the scent, supported by a very soft and subtle incense, along with a balanced cedar wood. Gradually, a vegetable leather accord takes shape and completes an elegant and - just apparently - discreet fragrance, which in reality turns out to be secretly daring at short distances, with a seductive mix of kindness and impudence.

It’s a very distinctive scent in the olfactory memory, so its imprint remains perfectly differentiated and ready to be reactivated with the proximity of new close encounters. That's a real winning hand.

So to recap, what do we have here? Well… A gentleman with the face of a saint and the smile of a rogue. ;-)

Probably the best Designer’s release of the year: daring, different, masculine, powerful…Very powerful: I took a shower and it still smells great. (!) Expect more than 10 hours.

If you are looking for something with a candy smell, look elsewhere... But if you want a fragrance with character, this is the one.

Boss Bottled Elixir requires dressing well and not being a wimp, because otherwise you’ll look like a parody. It isn’t for teenagers, either… This is the fragrance of a CEO, an entrepreneur or a successful businessman... That's the idea.

It’s dense, dark, slightly sweet and warm without losing a bit of character and mystery. Essence of incense, vetiver and cedar wood are the declared notes, in fact the backbone of an exquisite composition.

Here you have a perfume in which I think it’s better not to get distracted by over-analyzing the nuances of the notes, but to immerse yourself in it and feel it as an aura that exhumes audacity, creativity and talent.

… But keep this in mind: You have to smell it on the skin, because it’s a complex scent that doesn’t express itself adequately on paper - as was the case with Boss Bottled Parfum, too -.

This elixir is excellent, but try before you buy: It is neither common nor intended for the average Joe. So in a nutshell:

The scent of a BOSS.

“Rochas Man” needs no introduction, just a reminder for the sleazy noses of the aficionados: it’s the prophetic and hieratic monolith of gourmand haute perfumery, a masterpiece by Maurice Roucel.

This new flanker is - happily - a more intense version of the original - in eau de parfum concentration - with all the naturally consequent goodness of that: More richness, creamier, warmer and with a few small tweeks that make it finer than ever.

It continues to maintain the distinctive character of its kind, discreet and respectful projection - which is so pleasant and seductive -, but with more charm and duration. This release is masterfully balanced: suggestive, long-lasting but at no time excessive, invasive or "noisy".

Just as “Rochas Man” has been one of the fragrances that has given me the most compliments - and results - in my entire life, I already anticipate this release is my new “unicorn” date fragrance (for intimate, very close encounters); this scent of sweet coffee with vanilla, combined with lavender and soft woods, always helps me feel good and happier.

The original is a little fresher and more “airy” than this one - despite its enormous similarity -, so they are not redundant: You can use the OG during the day and apply a few sprays of this one when you leave work and go to the movies with a pretty and loving mate… DYKWIM?

… So feel good, be happy and make people happy too. ;)

This is a fragrance that -in my opinion- improves everything good about Man in Black - the famous previous flanker - and solves all its weak points, taking the original olfactory idea to its maximum artistic expression - without leaving its series, of course -:

- Creamier, more mysterious, more refined… better blended, better performance, better sillage... If you like MiB, it's hard not to like this one; it also dispels that inconvenient “drunken scoundrel” reminiscence of the first:

Black Orient replaces MiB's tobacco with cardamom, orris with Taif rose and benzoin with oud, creating a fantastic olfactory composition albeit a little darker, more enigmatic and elegant.

Unfortunately it wasn’t cheered on YouTube as happened to its sister who became the bet of the brand, discarding the rest of similar iterations.

If you like MiB and you can get this, you shouldn't hesitate, although I don't advise paying collector's prices either.

So I see the shelf with the fragrance bottles and I reach out and pick up the black bottle crowned with gold, knowing that with each new breath, it draws closer to its dark destiny…

Well, it's time to review the hype for this fragrance - which is not the same as reviewing the fragrance itself -. What usually happens in these cases is that people don’t dare to contradict the opinion and the effect that four famous YouTubers have generated - regardless of fragrance profile - .

The first thing to keep in mind is that MiB is a good fragrance - don't get me wrong - but within this category, it isn’t a “people-pleaser“:

The scent isn’t very original and not very versatile… projection is bad, sillage is minimal and it has poor longevity. However, the most curious thing about the fragrance is that - and totally against the hype created by these YouTubers - normal people don’t usually like it: And I say it very clearly, because I’ve received several negative opinions and none positive:

This is the reality with MiB based on my experience, not a test on paper. Clear as water.

It’s a fragrance with the imprint of a down-and-out gentleman who has been sleeping drunk in the office for a week because his wife kicked him out of the house. You should know that although this reminds you of the protagonist of Mad Men, doesn’t mean that it’s a seductive scent. Make no mistake.

That being said, I don't dislike the fragrance at all… but I certainly can't recommend it; especially for the public that buys the most, who are newbies looking for a fragrance for romantic dates.

This scent is not safe, and - at least in my country - it’s more likely to cause rejection than the opposite. Sure. I don't know how many girls these “phenomenal YouTubers” meet weekly and how many they date, but I’m very sure of what I am talking about.

Also, it's a difficult fragrance to apply: four sprays and they have to put their noses in your neck to smell it, but six leaves a projection - only quart and a half - with a strong smell that makes it seem like you've come out of sleeping in a tavern. And if it gets on your clothes, it also leaves that sillage of an ashtray and stale rum… pure seduction, I can tell you.

Look, this is a good release for style aficionados and maybe their wives, used to smelling a lot of different things -and for members of Alcoholics Anonymous, too -, but not for a newbie young man who wants to make a good impression on a first date.

Having clarified this, the fragrance is not bad at all. It's true; trust me, darling… So:

- Waiter, give me a light and another spray of “Man in Black”. :-)