Canali, the Milan-based men’s apparel company, launched their first fragrance this year: Canali for Men. It was created by perfumer Pierre Bourdon, and the notes include bergamot, tangerine, pineapple, apple, nutmeg, cardamom, coriander, lily of the valley, jasmine, violet, orange blossom, leather, suede, iris absolute, guaiac wood, cedar wood, sandal, vetiver, tonka bean, amber and oakmoss…
Of all the Villoresi fragrances, Musk is by far my favorite. Perhaps the least astringent, and one of the easier to wear fragrances, Musk by Lorenzo Villoresi has notes of galbanum, flowers, cardamom, geranium, rose, musk, amber, sandalwood, rosewood and oakmoss.
Musk begins with nearly all of its key players present — I can immediately detect the floral notes juxtaposed against a warm woody base, highlighted by the sandalwood and musk, and sweetened by a touch of amber. What sets this scent apart from other musk fragrances is the following: 1) I don’t get that hairspray effect as I do with many other musk scents, 2) this is not an animalic musk — no fecal, cumin or civet notes, and 3) the floral notes (especially the rose) create a rather bright and soft top bouquet that is quite unusual in a musk composition…
Givenchy’s 22nd (yes, that’s right, I wrote 22nd) men’s fragrance is the masculine companion to 2003’s Very Irresistible for Women. Though I can’t say that the women’s scent left any kind of impression on me (other than the fact that Liv Tyler IS lovely to look at), this men’s version by perfumer Pierre Wargnye definitely caught my attention. With notes of grapefruit peel, mint, sesame seed, mocha, hazelnut wood, and Virginia cedar, Givenchy offers its first men’s gourmand fragrance…
As a huge fan of Emporio Armani White and Night for Him, I have eagerly anticipated the arrival of City Glam, the fourth men’s fragrance released under the Emporio Armani label by Giorgio Armani. The notes include ginger, galangal, bitter orange, mint, musk and pepper.
Am I disappointed? Not exactly. Am I impressed? Not exactly. I’m not sure what to make of this fragrance. A light, fresh offering from Armani, “City Glam” is not exactly what comes to mind, but rather, “Eau de Emporio”. The similarities with White for Men are close, but City Glam seems to have taken cues from classic eau de colognes — I find it nice, unobtrusive, and subtle. To me, this is the scent of a summer day, walking on a hillside wearing linen…
Brit Gold, the latest fragrance release from Burberry, was created by nose Antoine Lie and features magnolia, neroli, black currant, ultrafresh bergamot, pink iris, amber, vanilla, musk, and sandalwood. When I first tried the fragrance, it was a sniff of a tester in a department store. At that time, the only impression it made was “sweet vanilla”. I then tried a sample vial and had this to say:
Warm, powdery, amber-ish. It definitely reminds me of the current crop of powdery oriental fragrances like Flower Le Parfum, Kenzo Summer, i Profumi de Firenze Talco Delicato, Ormonde Jayne Tolu, Lea, etc. and really not that original…