Spiff

Disclaimer - I'm the fool and Le Parfum is gold for me.

For serious fragrance enthusiasts this is probably nothing special - a mainstream release with nothing new. For my untrained and not very selective nose, this is something special and one of my favorites.

I also own Ultra Male and Le Male Essence and while I love both, this one has now carved a special place in my heart.

Starts off with a bang - a strong spicy opening. After some 30 minutes it gets closer to the skin, the spices fade out though they do not disappear. The traditional Le Male lavender-vanilla combo grows stronger and comes to the foreground accompanied by a pinch of iris.

The late dry-down is mostly the lavender and vanilla but with a touch of the spices and iris. Darker than the original Le Male but, just like Ultra and Essence, clearly inheriting its original DNA.

Longevity is very good, projection is moderate at most, sillage is lovely - I get whiffs of it throughout the day that put a smile on my face every time.

Versatility is also very good. After 30-60 minutes projection is low and despite the darker nature of the beast, I find it appropriate for most occasions at any time in any weather except hot days. Having said that, it will most definitely be at its best for nocturnal use. As far as age goes, I find it fun enough for younger guys and classy enough for more experienced gentlemen.

1 Million Parfum does remind me of the original, though this one is more floral, with vibes of coconutty sun lotion and salt.

It immediately brings to my mind holidays by the sea, it is a happy fragrance. A rare instance of marketing actually somewhat accurately describing the fragrance.

However do not be fooled into thinking this is appropriate for beach or hot weather. This is a dense fragrance with strong projection. It is more versatile than the original and should work all year-round except hot days. For summer I would limit its usage to the cooler evenings.

Performance is good and about on par with the original. As it goes deeper in the dry down, the floral and sun lotion aspects recede more and more to the background though not totally disappearing. After a good night's sleep, having had it on my skin for some 15h, it is now a weak skin scent with prominent salt/ambroxan but still hints of the floral/sun lotion aspects.

After trying Bleu Noir EdT and liking it enough to buy it, I went back to the shop to try the EdP. In my mind I thought I would get more power, more longevity with some minor differences.

I was sorely disappointed upon smelling it. No strong opening with the spices. That first contact left me a bit sad since I could not recognize what I believed Bleu Noir should be in its EdP version.

Months passed and, despite my initial and almost imediate dismissal, somehow the beautiful blue tinted bottle always seemed to exert some fascination on me whenever I went to the perfume shop.

I tried it again on skin some months later and I could then see the similarities between the EdT dry down and the EdP. Adding to that, I had been growing fonder of the dry down of the EdT and some weeks and a couple more tries later I finally decided to buy the EdP.

This is a very elegant creamy musky wood based scent, without the spices and strong opening of the EdT. For me this is one of those fragrances that are perfect for the office. I had never worn the EdT in the office precisely because in the first couple of hours it is fairly strong. With this I can finally wear some Bleu Noir to the office without worrying about disturbing colleagues (office has AC, but most days it is a bit wacky and way too warm for my liking).

Performance is reasonable for me. It is a discreet scent at all times that does not project much. Longevity is actually very good at 8h-10h+. You get a nice, albeit tight, scent bubble that people who come closer will notice and you'll get whiffs of the fragrance when you move.

Highly recommended for anyone who likes musk and woods.

Update: after wearing it more I've increased my scent score to 9.5 - I absolutely love this scent. It is discreet but has good longevity and works with any weather. The scent itself is extremely classy and pleasant. Perfect for any occasion, at any time.

I'm a Narciso fan. This was the first Narciso I bought - I have since purchased the other three. In fact, I would like to have most of the women's releases if not for the price and especially the fact that they are so very feminine.

There are lots of comparisons between this and Terre d'Hermès and/or Cartier Declaration. I won't delve into that; I find that this is very much its own perfume independently of similar notes or accords and disagree with statements that this is a copy of either of those fragrances.

Bleu Noir EdT opens strong and spicy with the cardamom and nutmeg (although my untrained nose cannot distinguish the nutmeg). Wrapping the spices is a warm and cosy musk that makes everything very soft and plush. If you dig your nose into it you can distinguish something else lurking in the background - woods (and vetiver maybe).

As it dries down, the spices start fading away, and after two hours the scent has mostly settled down to a very classy and distinct woodsy and musky fragrance with hints of the spices. At first what I loved the most was the opening, but with repeated wearings I started liking the dry down more and more.

Performance is not too shabby. Strong opening with fairly good projection and sillage in the first couple of hours. It then starts getting closer to the skin but lasts about 6-8h in total with a nice scent bubble and even a while longer as a skin scent.

This and its younger brother Bleu Noir EdP have not gotten much love from the community, but I adore them and am very happy to have them in my collection.

From the moment I smelled this at the store, I was mesmerized by this scent. To me this is an extremely classy scent with beautiful almond and leather notes.

I also tried the EdP but found that to be too busy for my liking, and although I understand why many people favour the EdP, I much prefer the EdT.

I'm not very good with notes, so I'll just say that anyone thinking about an Homme Ideal should give the EdT a try.

Performance is more than adequate. I've only worn this once but I found projection and sillage are average or better. Longevity seems to be at least 6-8h. I'll update this after wearing it more.

Despite being more suited for fall/winter, I feel that this can be a good fragrance for colder spring days as well as cooler summer nights. Paraphrasing Carlitos01, avoid hell and the arctic.

This can be found discounted online.