Fragrance review: Dior Sauvage

Hi there!

It's been a while since I did a fragrance review so let's do this!

Ill start of with a very popular fragrance that had some mixed reviews over the past months: Dior Sauvage.

Sauvage was released in September 2015 and was created by Francois Demachy. Of course there  were a lot of expectations from the new release of Dior. Would it beat the almighty Dior Homme? Will it be as controversial as Dior homme intense?

To answer the questions above as plain and simple as possible: no!

Now don't get me wrong. The fragrance is quality, sophisticated and has decent lasting power. The scent itself is a little different then we all expected from a house like Dior. It's a safe release that pleases the masses. Is that bad? No of course not. Like I said above the juice is quality and the smell is nice, even nicer than nice. It opens with a blast of bergamot, spices and pepper. My initial thought was that it reminded me of "Blue de Chanel". Now you must understand that I'm not a huge fan of “Blue” but this one had me interested enough to just keep testing it and let it stay on my skin for a while. After a while I saw past the blue opening and when the scent settled down I got a nice aura around me that I felt was nicer than “Blue de Chanel” as in my opinion the quality Dior put in Sauvage is a little higher. 

When time progresses I could tell the smell would be very linear throughout the whole lifespan of the fragrance. The scent feels fresh, soapy but at the same time a little smoky and it has a darker vibe going than “Blue de Chanel”. 

So when do you wear this fragrance? Well It's up to you as this scent is pretty versatile. It's good for office use as it's not too overly aggressive and loud but It's also usable as a clubbing fragrance as its sillage and longevity is pretty decent. Don't expect monster longevity and projection but people will notice you. 

The only downside is that this fragrance is overly popular and when you'll go clubbing there will be others rocking Sauvage. So if you want to stand out in the crowd go for something else, if you want to smell good and attractive and you just don't care what others are wearing then go for it.

So did Dior deliver on making a groundbreaking fragrance again? No not at all, but they made a quality fragrance that will please almost everybody and thus it will gather compliments like crazy.

Final ratings:

Longevity: 8/10

Projection: 7/10

Scent: 7.5/10

Sampling: Gucci rush (Quick thoughts)

Gucci rush was created in 2000. A couple of years later it was discontinued. We all know that when this happens people intend to create a huge hype. I guess people want what they can't get.. Curious as I was I fixed some Gucci rush samples.
GR(As I will call it from now on) is definitely a great scent. It's a well blended chypre, woody fragrance. The main notes that I detect are Cedar (loads of it), juniper and musk.
Staying power is above average and projection moderate.
As it is with most of these over hyped discontinued fragrances pricing goes up to the point it's simply too much. Nowadays a 3.4 oz bottles on ebay goes for the utterly ridiculous price of $200.
As I said above GR is pretty good but it ain't worth $200.
So I came to a conclusion and went for the next best thing: Comme des garçons Wonderwood.
Both fragrances have a lot in common but I find Wonderwood a lot more intense and deeper and it's cheaper as well.

So my conclusion: If you wanna pay $200 for Rush.. Do it but make sure to test Wonderwood before you make that deposit!

Fragrance review: Thierry Mugler Pure Shot

Thierry Mugler: Pure Shot

Parfumeur: Jacques Huclier
Genre: Fresh woody
Year of release: 2012

“You find yourself in New York. It’s around 8 p.m. . You can see the sun setting behind the empire state building and finding it suddenly a little chilly. You start walking home satisfied about your accomplishments in life and you feel good.”

When first sprayed “Pure Shot” opens with a burst of mint and juniper berries. The juniper berries are a little overwhelming but fade away after an hour or so. At this point I wasn’t really blown away… The fragrance was bold and a little off smelling. I think this was due the combination of mint and juniper berries.

After an hour or so the mid notes started kicking in and changed the whole feeling of the fragrance. What you get is a creamy, woody smell with a little hint of juniper berries in the background. The notes are blended very well and the scent is relaxing and soothing. The main note at this stage is the sequoia wood. The fragrance stays this way until the very end.

Best time to wear “Pure shot” is in summer/spring. Longevity is about 6 hours and projection is average… Silage on the other hand is great. Pure shot leaves a scent trail that is picked up by other people easily.

Recently Thierry Mugler changed the name from “Pure Shot” to “Pure Energy” due to the recent murder trial of Oscar Pistorius.

Compliments are been given in the first couple of hours as “Pure shot” sticks to the skin later on.

How did I start collecting fragrances?

How did I start collecting fragrances?

Back in 2007 I was about to turn 17. I was starting to date a lot at that time so it was time to buy my first real fragrance. I was given some other fragrances before but those weren’t “mature” enough anymore. One day I was watching television and an advert popped up of “Acqua Di Gio”. I did some research on YouTube and stumbled upon a clip where a guy explained that ”ADG” was the number one in scoring women. Being a 17 year old I HAD TO HAVE that fragrance. So I saved up some money and bought my own first bottle.

After a while ADG wasn’t enough anymore… I wanted more so I went back online and did some research. I quickly found some clips on the all mighty YouTube. A guy named “Tim Swetcoff” popped up and he seemed to know what he was talking about. Tim was one of the first YouTube fragrance reviewers. I dare to say he could sell “Secretions Magnifiques” like cotton candy to a kid.

I went back to the local perfumery and bought things like “Emporio Armani Diamonds”, “Issey Miyake”, etc…

After a while later another reviewer popped up on YouTube and he was determined to dominate the fragrance game. I must admit that his first couple of reviews weren’t that convincing but that changed fast and he became the fragrance guru we all know as “Robes08” aka Marc.

At this point the ball was starting to roll. First I bought all famous bottles such as “Light blue”, “Chanel Allure homme sport”, etc.. Marc’s taste in fragrances started to change and so did mine but I sticked to designer fragrances as Marc went to the niche side of things. Although I sticked to the “cheaper” fragrances, I bought more daring stuff such as “Fahrenheit”, “Antidote by Viktor & Rolf” and “Comme des garcons 2”.

Now I’ve got around 60-70 fragrances and my collection is still growing and so is the fragrance community that I love so much.

Thank you for being awesome!

Fragrance review: Paul Smith Men

Fragrance review: Paul Smith Men

Parfumeur: Nathalie Lorson & Alain Astori.

Type: Green aromatic
Year of release: 2000

“You’re finding yourself in a damp forest. A green natural smell tickles your nose. It’s a very leafy smell, a smell that intrigues you yet gives you a comforting feeling of confidence. You’re wearing a suit preferably one made by Dior. Suddenly in the middle of this majestic forest you see a gentleman dressed like yourself. You shake hands and talk business. Just by looking at him you see that this man is intrigued by your manliness and confidence. You smile…”

Paul Smith Men isn’t really on the radar in the fragrance community, though it deserves the attention. It has been compared to the great classic “Dior Fahrenheit” and I can see why. PSM opens with a burst of violet leaf. At this stage it almost smells identical to Fahrenheit. 

After the initial hour it becomes quieter, smoother, it becomes a true classic. Not in an old out dated way but in a true gentlemen’s way that can be worn by any age as long as it is worn by a real man. The violet leaf sticks on the skin with a little citrus to back it up. The smell stays this way until the end of the fragrance’s lifetime. This makes PSM very linear but I believe it is meant that way. It makes you feel clean but in a distinctive way, not in a way that ADG makes you feel.

This fragrance is perfect for office wear or formal events.Compliments are being given, not by teenage hotties but by real women who are impressed with your confidence and manliness. 

Like I said before PSM is often compared to Dior’s “Fahrenheit” and I get it. But it’s so much more. While Fahrenheit can be a little dirty sometimes because of the leather and nutmeg, PSM is much cleaner.

Longevity: 6 hours

Projection: Average

Number of sprays: 5

Lanvin:L'homme

Parfumeur: Alberto Morillias

Year of release: 1997

Type: Floral woody musk

Lanvin homme opens with a blast of lavender. Normally I loathe lavender in a fragrance but in this one I actually like it. Lavender and I will never be friends but the smell I'm getting in Lanvin homme is soft, natural. Lavender stays a dominant note throughout the lifespan of the perfume, though after an hour or so it becomes more subtle and in the background. 

When this change happens the pepper and sage become more noticeable. Lanvin stays this way for most of the time until the dry down kicks in a couple hours later. 

The dry down is quite simple: a soft woody musk. This doesn't mean that the fragrance itself is plain boring. Transitions between the different stages are smooth almost creamy smooth. This shows that Alberto yet again made quality stuff. 

The pricing on this beloved juice of mine is quite low. 20$ for a 3.4 oz. bottle is dirt cheap, especially for a fragrance that is as well made as this one.

Longevity is great: 6-7 hours on my skin which is above average for a fresh scent.

Projection is about average but that's okay because this is meant to be subtle and classy.

Alberto Morillias made yet again a masterpiece.