Byredo: Sundazed – I like this fragrance, but it doesn’t drift far enough from the norm, especially at Byredo pricing, to justify a full bottle purchase. The notes include lemon, mandarin, neroli and jasmine. Cotton candy, of all things, is listed as a note, and it does make its presence felt in the sweet base of the scent. The fragrance reminds me of Diptyque’s Oyedo, though that fragrance does the whole fruity sweetness thing, rather better. Decent longevity at 8 plus hours.
Mugler: Alien Man Fusion – As a Mugler fanboy, I was disappointed with Alien Man. Where was the jasmine? Fusion is the first flanker, and it improves slightly on the original Alien Man, but only slightly. Still no jasmine by the way. This time coffee, ginger and leather dominate. Osmanthus and cinnamon do play their part, but on my skin it’s the coffee that eventually reigns supreme. Good lasting power at over 8 hours. This one shows more potential than the original, and at least it smells different to a lot of other men’s fragrances currently on the market.
Chanel: 1957 – Another well composed fragrance from the Les Exclusifs collection, albeit a tad boring. Opens fresh with aldehydes, pink pepper and lime, before eventually settling into a musk laden, honey dry down. Doesn’t match up to heavy hitters like Coromandel or Bois des Iles. In fact, I’d probably go with one of the three Les Eaux de Chanel cologne fragrances from 2018 over this one. Only lasted 6 hours on skin.
Givenchy: Gentleman Cologne – Old fashioned eau de cologne style revamp of the original. Not bad, but no great shakes. Dior Homme Cologne does it better. It lasted about 4 hours on skin.
Gucci: Guilty Cologne Pour Homme – Gucci Guilty Absolute from 2017 was a massive surprise. It’s leather, petroleum, medicinal mix was unlike anything on the mainstream market. Gucci Guilty Cologne mixes things up also, with notes of violet, cypress, juniper and heliotrope adding an interesting spin to the traditional citrus cologne style structure. Thumbs up from me. Gucci Guilty Cologne is a fantastic fresh, powdery, soapy floral for men. I’ve got a feeling I’ll be coming back to this one again and again. I just wish it lasted longer than 4 hours on skin.
Juliette has a gun: Vanilla Vibes – Great bottle. Wasn’t bowled over by the fragrance though. Vanilla Vibes is billed as a vanilla that can be worn in Summer. Salt and orchid keep the vanilla in check ensuring it remains warm weather appropriate. It’s pleasant enough, but I think there are better options out there for summer. Even the brand’s own Gentlewoman or Moscow Mule would work better. It lasted 10 plus hours on skin though. Worth a sample for vanilla lovers.
