Bottega Veneta – Illusione for Him – Bottega Veneta has an enviable back catalogue of fragrances that I place high on the designer pedestal so Illusione had a lot to live up to, and does it? Well not quite. It isn’t as bad as what I’ve read online, but it is a fairly redundant release that has it has a lot in common with Hermes Terre d’ Hermes, with facets of bitter orange, vetiver and woody notes. However, rather than the earthiness of the Hermes, Illusione for Him has a coniferous, green mid of fir resin that sets it apart. The main issue with the scent is the longevity and projection, it is all a little quiet on skin, gone within a few hours. Good for the office, but rather superfluous.
Bottega Veneta – Illusione for Her – A floral, herbal woody scent that could be unisex. Blackcurrant in the top gives way to a heart of orange blossom and fig leaf. Juicy and sweet, with a somewhat spicy, balsamic dry down of tonka and olive tree. A pretty good option for the warmer weather. Much like the men’s though you have to be heavy on the trigger to get decent performance. Four sprays and it was nothing but a skin scent after an hour and gone completely within 4 hours. I do prefer their wonderful leather scent Eau de Velours to this one.
Dolce & Gabbana – Light Blue Sun and Light Blue Sun Pour Homme – A summer appropriate his n hers duo from Dolce & Gabbana, that certainly smell better than recent flankers from the brand. As per the original I much prefer the women’s scent to the men’s. They both add coconut into the mix with the women’s extra tropical with the inclusion of frangipani. Again, if you’re after a long-lasting scent you won’t find it here, both gone within a 4-5 hour timeframe. Nothing really new, but as summer spritzers harmless enough.
Davidoff – Run Wild – Run Wild, more like run away, run far away, this is a crass remake of Invictus. A synthetic mess.
100 Bon – eau de The & Gingembre – Sparkling citron and lemon opening that puts a smile on one’s face. There isn’t much backbone to the scent though and it seems to be gone after a couple of hours. Could have done with more oomph. The lower price point at least softens the blow.
100 Bon – Davana & Vanille Bourbon – Lychee, boozy plum opening, a floral heart of jasmine and rose, a touch of earthiness from patchouli and a sweet vanilla dry down. Despite the promise of heavier notes this has soft sillage allowing for warm weather wear. Like the Gingembre it is too light to make much of an impact, but this at least lasts a couple of hours. Smells good, if a little thin.
Jimmy Choo – Urban Hero – Urban Hero continues Jimmy Choo’s impressive ability to release dull, cheaply made fragrances that bring nothing new to the table. None of the listed notes of leather, lime, ambergris, rosewood, pepper or vetiver are discernible. Easily a contender for worst fragrance of the year. Extremely poor. Avoid like the plague.
Tiffany & Co. – Tiffany & Love for Him and Her – Another brand releases dual scents, and yet again it’s an unsuccessful venture. The men’s scent is a generic woody-amber, the likes of which we’ve seen a million times before, the women’s a slightly more interesting citrus, herbal woody affair. The men’s scent in particular smells cheaply made, but neither of these two scents feel special or unique. A gross fail.
Hermes – Twilly d’Hermes Eau Poivree – A simple construction of pink pepper, rose and patchouli in this admirable flanker to the excellent original. Not nearly as peppery on skin as something like the brands Poivre Samarcande but the pepper is certainly there, combining beautifully with an airy rose and an herbal, woody patchouli in the base. The marketing on the scent seems to be going for women in their early 20’s but this scent like the original is perfectly unisex. I don’t pick up any of the fizzy ginger, white floral DNA of the original in Eau Poivree, but this is a simple clean, almost soapy scent with a peppery touch that has a somewhat retro vibe and is sure to find fans outside the target demographic. Count me in as one. Excellent work from Christine Nagel.
Have you tried any of these scents? What did you make of them?