Taurus

I haven't warmed to Burberry fragrances yet. Of course, they tend to be British understatement creations, apart from the Hero offshoots. But the familiar spark didn't jump out at me.

The Beat for Men is no exception. In the rather long-lasting opening, I hear a reasonably passable, intense synthetic lemon with a good amount of pepper. After a good half hour, the violet leaf provides a mild dampening effect, making The Beat not entirely uninteresting, at least temporarily. The blend of citrusy spiciness, peppery freshness and green unobtrusiveness with a super-delicate woodruff vibe is at its best here.

But as soon as you have enjoyed the little bit of climax, the fragrance structure collapses again almost abruptly.

A few isolated woody notes, including vetiver, are just barely noticeable, but then The Beat quickly ebbs away again. Is that supposed to be it? Yet many perfumistas are full of praise. Otherwise, the general rating is also rather modest given the large number (interesting: currently 142 ratings from 140 owners)

In principle, The Beat for Men could be a very nice office fragrance for the summer, but the market is large, if not huge, with all kinds of more sophisticated challengers. But this Beat doesn't blow me away or touch me in the slightest - despite the rather creative and successful bottle.

Although I am actually a great friend (fan might be a bit too much) of the house of Guerlain, I somehow don't have the same access to L'Homme Idéal Platine Privé as many others here who have reviewed it.

Although this limited edition flanker has a beautiful, ripe grapefruit opening with a perceptible pinch of pepper and some vetiver, the almond unfortunately appears very late and extremely shy. In addition, I find both projection and longevity relatively manageable. No - I really didn't expect a beastmode and I appreciate it when an EdT can convince with inner values, but I don't recognize them, except in a few accents of grapefruit.
Nor do I detect any of the often-cited creaminess.

I also found Habit Rouge L'Instinct, which was also created by Delphine Jelk, strange. But I was probably not the only one who found it to be a bit of a mess or somehow watered down and irrelevant. However, Delphine Jelk's Habit Rouge in the Rouge Privé version made up for everything for me. It really is top - as far as I can judge subjectively with many others.

According to many perfumers, L'Homme Idéal Platine Privé should be just as good and I don't want to question that at all, but unfortunately I'm at a loss and still can't give it more than a seven, i.e. above average, although I think the theme, the bottle and the grapefruit are excellent. There seems to be something in it that passes me by - which just makes the overall appearance seem too mundane for me.

When I recently took a closer look at my "Anónimo" sample, I noticed a very familiar DNA. Bright, fluffy, synthetic and almost slightly otherworldly ... similar to "Ganymede (Eau de Parfum) | Marc-Antoine Barrois" and "Bois Impérial | Essential Parfums" . Both are known to have been created by Quentin Bisch ... and who appears here as one of three perfumers? That's right! I was amazed and at the same time confirmed that you can already sniff out Monsieur Bisch's signature here.

The incense with a woody to synthetic undertone is quite dominant here. It is precisely this undertone that reminds me of "Ganymede (Eau de Parfum) | Marc-Antoine Barrois" or "Bois Impérial | Essential Parfums", whatever it was that got into it from Quentin's fragrance organ.
There are spicy, peppery nuances, a little vetiver and barely discernible leather, which is enveloped by ambery to resinous notes. Somewhere in between, you get the impression that something fruity, such as a hint of pear or quince, has crept in.

It smells modern and elegant, a little sweetish and veil-like, but a few minutes after spraying it on or the top note, the highlight is already over. After that, "Anónimo" dries down to the usual woody notes.
Overall, the fragrance could also be described as nice and pleasant, but nowhere near as "exciting" as "Ganymede (Eau de Parfum) | Marc-Antoine Barrois" or "Bois Impérial | Essential Parfums" - i.e. without that wow effect.

I suspect that "Anónimo", if it had only been created by Quentin Bisch in today's world, would have caused far more of a stir. No wonder, because Monsieur Bisch was still more or less unknown outside the scene back then, if not anonymous. He is currently on an absolute roll and seems to succeed in almost everything.

I've actually wanted to buy an Axel Rudi Pell album for a long time. However, I'm not sure which one it should be. I would be grateful for any useful tips.

You don't have to give ARP any tips yourself when it comes to its fragrances. With Shine, I have now tested the third of his releases. All three are really well created, even if they are noticeably supported by synthetics. In my opinion, however, this is just as legitimate as the use of synthesizers in hard rock or heavy metal - as long as it fits in appropriately.

Shine is quite woody with nagarmotha (nutgrass root), cedarwood and woody notes plus the coniferous impressions. I also detect nuances that could just as easily be light Somali incense. However, ISO-E-Super dominates most intensely as an amplifier. This makes Shine seem quite spherical and fluffy, but still serious. Personally, I could almost lose myself in it a little, but I am aware that it may come across as too sharp and too synthetic for some people.

On the Axel Rudi Pell website, where all three Knights Fragrances fragrances are explained and offered, it says something about Shine about "slightly fruity wood on an iris base. I can confirm that it's light and woody, but I don't think it's fruity, and I imagine an iris base to be a little different. But that's no drama overall, because Shine definitely delivers a mystical rock attitude - and that was probably the actual intention.

When I was in Berlin for a few days last year, I absolutely had to visit one of these stores that sell oriental fragrances, among other things. I had already informed myself in advance about the huge range on offer on their webshop and was then able to test the most appealing creations on site. Many perfumes more or less fell through the cracks, but Al Awsaaf (translated: The Descriptions) absolutely won me over with the bottle, the fragrance, the Lattafa brand and also the price

In the end, I couldn't resist at €9.90. Even with prices on the internet between €10 and €30, you can't go far wrong
Since there are currently no notes listed here, I'll just make up for it so that you at least have a little orientation:
Top notes: Pink pepper, violet, elemi
Middle notes: Spices, tonka bean, myrrh, cedarwood.
Base notes: patchouli, oud, musk, oakmoss.

The result is a truly wonderful oriental eau de parfum with resinous and spicy elements in first-class quality. The fragrance also alternates between a little honey, dried fruit and vanilla or tonka bean notes as well as a little cinnamon. Sometimes I think I can sniff out a little cola with a mini shot of brandy. Without amber, it still exudes warmth and coziness and is by no means unspeakably sweet.

Above all, I like its complex character and noble aura. It doesn't smell cheap at all. On the contrary: you would appreciate it many times over. That's why I have no qualms about giving it 10 points for value for money and an absolute recommendation if you like oriental fragrances.