ScentBubble

is what one or the other fragrance lover will think when he looks out of his niche at the wide range of fragrances that can simply be worn on any occasion, at any time of year and ideally also by any age group. Critic or not, you have to hand it to Chanel's Allure Homme Sport Eau Extrême for being one of those very flexible fragrances. "Hated, Damned, Deified" goes the song of the same name by the Onkelz. In a way, this assessment also applies to AHSEE - as it is mostly abbreviated. I would like to make the following attempt to make the interested fragrance friend a little more familiar with him and hope very much that I also succeed.

Already with a look at the launched fragrance pyramid, it is clear that it must be a variable and commonly pleasing fragrance. For more on reading and judging a fragrance by its pyramid, by the way, check out the adorable Mari(ellaMmmh)'s "Reads Well." blog and its answer section.

So first of all, there we have mandarin and also mint. Both fragrance notes provide especially in the Opening for a shaken measure of refreshment and stamina in high, even midsummer temperatures. The fragrance can even be worn to the gym without attracting negative attention in any way, quite the opposite. In the further course of the fragrance, the tangerine says goodbye. At the latest in the base remains only the mint and provides a very pleasant feeling of freshness.
The second key note of AHSEE is the pepper. This also provides a spicy freshness, but also for some edge, and forms the olfactory counterpoint to the fresh notes, but especially to the third important fragrance note, which remains until the base: The tonka bean.

Vanillig, sweet and in this fragrance decidedly creamy she comes along. It is responsible for the inviting, ingratiating and pleasing basic character of the fragrance. In addition, it also defies the other extreme of the air temperature scale, namely severe winter cold. Without it, the fragrance would have the same fate as the vast majority of other Freshies, which are simply eaten by extreme cold.

The result of the four main protagonists is a sporty, fresh, clean, slightly sweet and in the drydown very soft and creamy fragrance - a classic evergreen.

Something important about the performance: AHSEE radiates strongly in the first hour or two, almost opulent. After that, it becomes more restrained and is perceptible at half arm's length. However: The pepper provides for the one or other wearer for the fact that the nose becomes scent-blind. Be sure: Your fellow men can easily, really easily perceive the scent eight hours after application, especially the scent veil. This statement is based on a valid test result!

The bottle - well. Simple and somehow yet noble, I would say - this is certainly a matter of taste. Personally, I could have lived well with a massive magnetic cap, as you can find in other Chanel fragrances, but the plastic cap closing with a click does it too. Beyond that, I think it's advantageous to be able to get a quick picture of the fill state without having to take special measures. Transparent flacons are here, in my opinion, an advantage - but this is certainly whining at a high level.

So who is looking for an extremely flexible fragrance, which he can put on, for example, in the gym and after training, to be able to go immediately afterwards to a date with the person of his heart, all year round, is very well taken care of here. Oh yes, this is aimed at all genders; I consider AHSEE to be unisex.

Give it a chance and try it out!

Thanks for reading!

Mexican Caribbean coast. Bathing in the turquoise blue sea, at about 26 ° Celsius water temperature. Occasionally some seaweed plays around the legs. There are no big stones on the bottom, everything is flat and feels pleasant. Snow-white sandy beach. Palm fronds sway in the wind. Driftwood here and there. Depending on the wind, a few bars of merengue music waft across the shore zone out to sea...

This, or a similar image from his homeland, may have been what inspired perfumer Rodrigo Flores-Roux to create Artisan Pure - the fragrance I would like to present today.

Already the bottle outlines quite clearly what kind of fragrance is hidden inside. The container itself is made of white frosted glass, enclosed in white rattan. The bottom is as wood, the lid is held in cork look. Overall, the bottle looks high-quality and special, and thus captures a considerable part of beach feeling in itself.

John Varvatos fragrances are - this is well known - not without controversy. As the biggest point of criticism is their durability. So has the perfumer succeeded in conveying the desired feeling of sunshine and summer haute couture with the fragrance itself? And if so, how is it about the durability of summer fragrances anyway usually less good?

Well, Artisan Pure starts with a sour, almost bitter-sour opening. Skillfully interwoven notes of orange, bergamot and lime result in a slightly synthetic, but pleasantly tart citrus, but not at all the - unfortunately abused as inflationarily presented killer argument - characteristic odor direction of air fresheners in the sanitary area. The bitter-sour appearance of the fragrance is cleverly absorbed and cushioned by the woody note and also the slight florality of iris.

The result is a summer fragrance, which by the sour-citrus basic character despite the after-sweetness of a fragrance often to be recorded at high temperatures always remains one: Refreshingly special, almost unique. He runs thereby basically linear, but later becomes a little creamier, which I personally find quite pleasant, especially in a summer fragrance.

Artisan Pure sets off well in the first one to two hours - depending on skin type - and then becomes much quieter. However, the fragrance is for outsiders a total of about seven hours well perceived - for a summer fragrance and especially a John Varvatos extremely acceptable, as I find. It can be worn by anyone who likes it, all day long. Its main time of use should be warm spring and, of course, summer days - even the really hot ones, when even other freshies drop the sails. Artisan Pure stands them through and grabs them all - maybe you too, if you give him a chance!

Thank you for your interest!

After I recently dealt with the extremely black fragrance of the designer house Mandarina Duck, this factual commentary shall now deal with "Tobacco & Tonka Bean" by the brand Banana Republic - a fashion company that originated in Mill Valley (California, USA) and now sells apparel items worldwide.

Tobacco & Tonka Bean" is a - yes, let's call it: Cheapie, which is offered for under 30 euros. One receives thereby always a 75 ml - flacon.

But who now comes to the hasty conclusion, this Eau de Parfum would come to the price correspondingly cheap and unpretentious, errs enormously - namely, what concerns the presentation, as well as the fragrance itself. Rather, even the packaging can easily measure up to upscale - in my opinion, even niche - standards. The bottle rests in a sturdy drawer made of hardboard, which can be pulled out of a perfectly fitted cardboard box by a flap. Incidentally, it itself makes a really high-quality impression with its margenta-colored transparent glass and solid metal cap that closes with a distinct click. I have experienced that with fragrances of this price segment already significantly worse.

As for the fragrance itself, I reflect already at this point on me
ine headline: What You See Is What You Get. Period.

In the base we get it namely to do with these notes: tobacco and tonka bean. But since a fragrance basically not only consists of the base and also ideally has to show one or the other small special feature, I would not like to take the shortcut at this point and outline the course of the fragrance something more decided.

The opening is decisively characterized by vanilla and coconut - but do not worry, it does not turn out as sweet as this part of the pyramid suggests. For this, we can be grateful to the fruity, almost tart mirabelle. It stands up to the sweet notes of the fragrance as boldly as it does successfully, always providing a very pleasant balance. Why the pear is highlighted in the fragrance pyramid seen here, I frankly do not understand - I can not perceive it with the best will in the world, but this statement is of course based on (m)a subjective impression.

Then later, the coconut retreats, leaving tonka bean and tobacco leaf to the mic. The Mirabelle, however, seems to know what the also remaining vanilla and also the tonka bean are capable of in terms of sweetness and remains for safety's sake on the stage. And that's a good thing, because it continues to have the power to always provide an effective balance. In addition, it goes from now on creamier and more flattering to work.

"Tobacco & Tonka Bean" is a medium-projecting fragrance that becomes skin-deep after about seven hours. It is suitable for year-round use day or night, whether at the office or on a date. However, it is most preferred to be worn during the transitional months, and by all genders equally. He comes despite the low price but never synthetic for my sensation.

Asked about a possibly existing comparability, I would definitely think of "Vanilla & Leather" by S. T. Dupont (here again a big thank you to Basti for his comment as a recommendation), which has a great similarity especially in the drydown. Regarding the sustained colportierten similarity to Initio's "Side Effect" I can unfortunately not elaborate, because my wallet has so far prevented me from getting to know this fragrance.

Personally, I like "Tobacco & Tonka Bean" and think that lovers of the mainly present fragrance notes should not be afraid to give it a chance and sniff once.

Thanks for reading, as everytime!

Jo, this is it, the Eau-de-Parfum version of the fragrance "Pure Black" from the Italian designer house "Mandarina Duck"!

This is the black bottle with the golden writing, the gold-colored plastic cap, which actually reminds a little of a duck's bill in the approach and - very important - the typical for Mandarina Duck round dent on the back. The bottle as a whole - let's be honest - doesn't look particularly high quality. The same goes for the spray head, which always accompanies its service with a slight squeaking noise for me. Not cool, but within my tolerance range. The sound of the very striking name immediately brings up associations with other "black" fragrances: Trussardi's "Black Extreme", "Lapidus pour Homme Black Extreme", or even reversed "Extreme Black" by Red Logo, just to name a few.

What could have caused the editors of the listed namesakes to their lurid designations, I can not understand. In this fragrance here, I think it is clear: At the center are the dried, mostly black seeds, which are found in the fruit of the tonka bean tree and emit a sweetish-vanilla fragrance.

"Black Extreme" opens (squeak!) with a very present tonka bean, which, however, is kept in check by the clearly perceptible, synthetic bergamot. Rounding out this very pleasant first impression is both an orange and spice note. Already in the first seconds it becomes clear that the fragrance is basically generic with regard to the broad tonka bean competition, but nevertheless also retains a bit of individuality through the contributing tropical fruits.

In any case, the basic character of the opening continues in the drydown phase. The transition is largely linear, except for the more emerging creaminess and the space gaining, delicate cedar note. In addition, my impression is strengthened that - although not listed here - leather is also mixed in at the edge.

Overall, "Black Extreme" remains a recognizably sweet, but in my view not too sweet fragrance, which can be worn all day and regardless of the occasion, mainly because of its subtle fruitiness. Although certainly designed with a focus on being a fall and winter scent, I think it can be worn year-round except for the very hot summer days. He radiates well in the first three hours, but then goes off the gas, until he ultimately after seven to eight hours skin.

Rumors, he would have a great resemblance to "Uden" in the base, I can neither confirm nor reject in the absence of comparative material. Assured findings on this, however, are welcome in the answer section!

I quite personally like the fragrance very much. In addition, he is at the current prices of 20 - 25 euros for 100 ml (although discontinued) for lovers of tonka-based fragrances an absolute no-brainer. And - yesoll, the fragrance is suitable for everyone!

I hope very much, I could be helpful with this comparatively short comment or the one or the other undecided in the decision and thank you as always for reading!

A late afternoon like so many others in the open-plan office. His head felt empty, his eyes burned, and he decided to go home for the day. Many of his colleagues had already made this decision before him. He shut down his PC, picked up his backpack, and headed for the exit.

After a few steps, he could see her desk. She was still in place. Though he made a conspicuously unobtrusive effort to look around as casually as possible and say goodbye to one or the other, his attention was on her alone - on her long, naturally curly hair, her clever, kind doe eyes, and her features, which seemed simply perfect. Equally unsurprising was her perfectly coordinated outfit, though that hardly mattered to him.

Upon noticing her, his body began its usual barrage of unwanted stress reactions, unbidden. Sweaty palms. His heart inexplicably left his chest and slowly moved towards his carotid artery. His throat began to constrict, making him almost dizzy. The 50 or so aerobatic planes in his stomach had long since taken off and started flying. Rolls, spins, turns, loops - the full fucking works. Step by step he got closer to her desk, slowed down a bit, looked in her direction. She had noticed him, gave him her usual friendly smile and said, "Bye, see you tomorrow!" He took a deep breath, expelled the air he had just sucked in - and returned the greeting with a "Ciao!". At least he tried, for the word stuck in his throat. Quickly, he quickened his gait and left the building.

Once outside, his body forced him to stop just past the front door and take two big breaths. Shaking his head again and again, he continued on his way.

Just across the street there was a man-made pond surrounded by deciduous trees and benches. As he often did, he took a seat on a bench and stared out at the water. It wasn't really cool yet, although autumn had already brought out its palette of colors and changed the landscape. It had become late. The reddish evening sun had turned the old town facades more and more into silhouettes and reflected on the surface of the water. Beautiful it was here. Actually.

He glanced over at the café not far away. This was where he had wanted to take her for a coffee after work. Many times already. The outcome was always the same and coincided with today.

"I-DI-OT!" he groaned softly, hissing through closed teeth. "You're a goddamn fucking idiot!". Shaking his head, once more.

Lost in thought, he reached for the bottle in the inside pocket of his jacket. He loved this perfume, but he also knew that he always had to renew the scent towards the end of lunch, because Floriental only lasted about seven hours on his skin. Except for really hot summer days, he wore it basically all year round, day and night. It had been recommended to him by a female colleague at work with whom he got on well - women could wear this fragrance too. He twirled the deep red bottle in his right hand like a big, shapely hand-me-down from the beach. Fl-Oriental. Flower and Oriental. No, the scent was not flowery. Oriental was much more like it. He needed this scent and his opening. Now. Needed its calming effect, put two sprays on the back of his left hand.

Wow - overpowering as ever. The vanilla-tinged amber accord of labdanum reached his nose, as did the noble plum liqueur and the decidedly resinous note of incense. This opulent entry was successfully supported by the rather fresh and gentle pink pepper, which contributed a spicy note with ease.

Floriental was different. And yet felt familiar at first. Both. Indescribable.
Different from any scent he knew. "If you need an amber accord that sounds different, go for Floriental!" his colleague had advised him - and been right, absolutely. And that very opening achieved - perhaps because of the juicy, fruity plum liqueur? - had a calming effect on him. He knew - the scent would become much calmer in half an hour. The initially rather dry sandalwood would develop a gentle powderiness. The scent, which would then radiate much less, would become lighter, almost balsamic. Would wear it as it wore the scent.

Symbiotic perfection.

He raised the back of his hand to his nose once more, inhaled the scent. Nodded. Got to his feet. Walked off.
"Tomorrow," he said to himself. "Tomorrow I'll ask her!"

Tomorrow.