Review: Valentino Uomo Born in Roma For men

This is a nice spicey fragrance, very slight floral, I don’t see anything listed in the ingredients that would suggest this, but I feel like there is a hint of fruitiness. It does have a bit of a synthetic smell, but still very nice. There is a aquatic feel to it as well.

This is definitely for a younger man, would be good for a date, club, bar, party. Projection isn’t very strong, along with the smooth scent, you’re not going to offend anyone with this.

This scent isn’t going to make you stand out of a crowd, but it’s pleasant. I do think there are better things out there for the price.

Review: Chypre – Palatin

This reminds me of bubble gum right after putting it on. Very quickly flowery notes start to come out. Gardenia and Jasmine start coming through after it dries down, Oak Moss, some fruitiness. It is a pleasant smell, I would say it’s more feminine but as always people can wear whatever they like.

There is a very large list of diverse ingredients, it gives this a very sophisticated feel to it. Elegant might be a better word. Timeless, all ages could get away wearing this. I think it would be most appropriate at night, at parties, dates, outdoor events. It has very good projection. Definitely not office or gym wear.

If you’re looking for a unique scent that is also amazing this would be a good choice. This would be especially good if you have a large collection of perfumes, this will be it’s own scent. Good lasting power, and people will notice you. This really makes a strong statement.

Review: Alaxndia II by Xerjoff

Smooth, sweet and woody is how I would describe this. Some fruity undertones come up. This is very good smelling and smells expensive, which, it is. This is one of those scents I can’t imagine would be offensive to anyone. I think this would make a good signature scent, you can wear this in occasion, day, night, gym, club, dinner, party, inside out, etc.
This could work great for both male and females. Normally one thinks of wood as being more on the masculine side, but the flowers and fruits balance it out. It leans a bit more feminine.

It is long lasting and has ok projection. As it dries down you really begin to smell how complicated it is. There are a bunch of different ingredients and it’s interesting how they got them to all work together. This is definitely something to check out.

Review: Maison Francis Kurkdjian Paris – Oud Satin Mood

This is a scent that has been on my radar for quite some time but I normally don’t live next to a Neiman Marcus so I wasn’t able to sample it. I think I saw a video review of this somewhere that got me very interested in it but now having had smelled it firsthand I can’t say that I’m a big fan.

The rose is a much bigger component than I thought it would be and I thought the oud and rose would blend better but the oud really doesn’t come through as much as I would want. I am not a huge rose fan but if you really like rose I really think this might work for you.

Satin is a pretty good descriptor for this it is smooth. This is only good for going out at night to clubs or perhaps on a date. This is definitely going to be preferred by an older demographic, I don’t think a lot of young people are into the rose smell. The projection is also very good which makes it good for parties, bars and other social settings. Definitely not a sporty smell I wouldn’t wear this to the gym or during the day for that matter.

Review: Memo Paris – Oriental Leather

This has a wonderful smell. It’s very unisex, one of the few scents I think really works just as well for a woman as a man. Insense, clove, leather, patchoili are the notes that really come through right after putting it on.

This would be great on a date for men or women, it has a sexy seductive feel to it. Night clubs, bars, parties, etc. This is nighttime scent, although don’t let that stop you from wearing it whenever you want.

So far I’ve been very impressed with everything Memo Paris has done. You can tell they are using very high quality oils. This is around $300.00 a bottle, and this is the kind of stuff you just can’t get at lower prices. I highly recommend trying this.

Review: Guerlain – Tonka Bean Imperial

This is a cologne that I’ve been wanting to try for a long time.  It’s very close to a pure tonka bean scent. I have a fascination with tonka bean that goes past whether it smells good or not in general (which it does) but just how unique and interesting it is. I was excited to see Gurlain made tonka bean the star of this.

There are a few other more subtle notes along with the tonka bean. I thought I smelled vanilla but didn’t see it listed. I did detect the tobacco. There is also bitter almond. These really are just there to back up the tonka bean though.

This could be good at the office or on a date not a great gym smell as it is not very sporty but aside from that I can’t think of a lot of times I wouldn’t wear this. You’re definitely going to stand out is having a very unique scent if you wear this.

Review: Gurlain Neroli Outrenoir

I find a lot of nerolis can be somewhat offensive, Marley’s Neroli for instance smells okay right when you put it on but it quickly loses something that rounds out the edges and turns into a too sharp a smell to be pleasant. This one has the Neroli front-and-center but it’s also been smoothed out to make it a lot more mellow and palatable.

This may be the best Neroli I’ve ever smelled. Tea, orange, smoke, are in the background doing a lot of work. So far I’m very impressed with the Gurlain’s line of fragrances. This seems pretty unisex although I would lean slightly towards calling it more feminine. It will be good on a date or in the summer ordering a brunch. With the sophisticated smell it would be good at formal events like weddings.

Review: Polo Deep Blue Parfum by Ralph Lauren

This is very similar to regular blue, but it definitely has a few noticeable tweaks to the formula to make it stand on it’s own. It smells more modern with ambroxan which a lot of colognes are using these days, most notably Sauvage.

It’s still clean, still fresh, aquatic, but now it has a soapy note to as well. I believe I prefer this to the original Blue. If you were a fan of Blue in the past, I think there’s a good chance you’ll want buy this instead. But if you are really old school, and not into some of the newer stuff out there you may not be as into it.

I have to say with that ambroxan in there, it does lose a lot of it’s indivudality and smells a lot more like other newer colognes, but that is what people are into these days.

This would work great at the gym, office, date, indoor and out. It’s very versatile, and it would be a good choice for a signature scent.

Review: Polo Blue by Ralph Lauren EDP

This has a very beach like vibe to it. Cucumber, Melon, wood, flowers. It’s clean and pleasant, not at all overwhelming. You can really load up on this without offending anyone. This used to be in my collection many years ago, I enjoyed it but I never repurchased it. It is a complete departure from the original Polo.

I decided to try this again as Deep blue has just come out.

This would be great for the office, gym, date, probably better indoors as the projection isn’t too strong. If you want a nice fresh clean smell I recommend this.

Three colognes to start a collection

Christian Dior Sauavage

This one is a smooth, smokey, sophisticated scent. Great for dates, or almost any occasion. It smells like you spent more money on it than you did.

Polo

The original Polo from Ralph Lauren in the green bottle. This is a leathery, woody, piney scent, which is one of the most masculine smells on the market. It’s got good projection and a very unique smell.

Jean Paul Gaultier Le Male

This is a smooth, magical fragrance, very unique, it has a lot of tonka bean in it along with vanilla and some other notes that really creates a beautiful fragrance. This is perfect for a date, and outdoor summer activities.

The three I’ve picked are some of my favorite designer colognes, and also give a lot of diversity to the scents you can wear. I like to wear something different every day, except on the occasions when I get a brand new cologne I usually wear it every day for a week or two. But normally I just decide on what I’m doing, what the weather is like, what kind of mood I’m in. I love the idea of picking out a specific scent for the day.

I’ve have around 20 bottles in my collection but if you wanted to start with any of these and work your way in slowly that would be a good idea.