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Browsing by author: Marlen

He says: Carlos Santana fragrance for men

Posted by Marlen on 28 October 2005 9 Comments

Carlos Santana fragrance for men

Cinnamon fiends delight! With over 53 albums to his credit spanning more than 3 decades, I suppose Mr. Santana has earned the right to have a creative go at anything he likes. Why he should decide to have a go at fragrance is completely beyond me, but I’m glad he did. If this is how Carlos likes to smell, I’d gladly sit next to him any day! Carlos Santana for Men, the first men’s fragrance from the legendary musician, contains notes of bergamot, mandarin, lavender, cinnamon bark, apple, Maja soap accord, sandalwood, cypress wood, cedar, patchouli, musk, leather, benzoin, vanilla, amber, and tonka bean.

The scent opens with a surprisingly tangy citrus accord not unlike a fruit daiquiri, but even as it settles into a warm cinnamon and amber melange, the zesty top notes remain. The base notes are pretty seamlessly blended, so all I can really smell are those top notes set against something sweet and warm. Not a heck of a lot of development…

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Christian Dior Poison revisited

Posted by Marlen on 27 October 2005 27 Comments

As a fragrance I grew up with, used by teachers, friends, and family members, I’m startled to realize that I have no associations with this aroma, either negative or positive. So…I can enjoy this scent for myself without it eliciting any tainted memories. And enjoy it I do. Somewhere between a triangle of incense, cough syrup, and tanning lotion lies the olfactory pyramid for Poison. I’ve always had a thing for fragrances that are either sweet or powdery, but on my skin, Poison is both and it’s the only 1980s powerhouse women’s scent that I’ll actually wear on my 30-something male skin…

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Bond no. 9 New Haarlem ~ fragrance review

Posted by Marlen on 12 October 2005 13 Comments

Bond no. 9 New Haarlem fragrance

With notes of bergamot, cedarwood, coffee, vanilla, patchouli and lavender, Bond no. 9 enters the world of gourmand unisex fragrance with the triumphant New Haarlem. A warm, rich, intoxicating aroma by perfumer Maurice Roucel, this 2003 launch is sure to please those looking for a totally original Bond.

The scent opens with a rich, dark, and creamy blast of coffee, vanilla and cedar. As the scent relaxes on the skin, a slightly herbal and powdery, albeit very faint, lavender note begins to surface, and that’s pretty much the entire story. Not as heavy or cloying as it might sound, the scent actually dries down with a very subtle sillage…

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Creed Original Santal

Posted by Marlen on 30 September 2005 15 Comments — Comments are closed

Being a huge fan of Creed, it was with excitement and some trepidation that I tested Original Santal, one of Creed’s two launches for 2005 (the other being Love in White). I was quite disappointed with Creed’s previous launch, Original Vetiver, mostly due to the fact that it was anything but original (though truth be told, I’m considering buying a bottle anyhow) and word of mouth has not been much better for this new scent.

Original Santal is a 21st century interpretation of a scent created by Creed for Emperor Franz-Josef of Austria Hungary in the 19th century. It is an Eau de Parfum housed in a beautiful red-orange, typical Creed bottle. It has notes of cinnamon, coriander, juniper berry, lavender, rosemary, ginger, mandarin, neroli, orange wood, Mysore sandalwood, cedar, benzoin, vanilla and ambergris…

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Dior Homme by Christian Dior ~ fragrance review

Posted by Marlen on 14 September 2005 27 Comments

Dior Homme fragrance advert with Jamie Dornan

With fond memories of Christian Dior’s last big launch — Higher — I have excitedly been awaiting my sample of their newest men’s Eau de Toilette, Dior Homme. Touted by Dior as a “masculine iris, a ‘skin’ fragrance with an addictive grace,” it is the 4th fragrance to be launched by Dior’s new artistic director for men’s fragrance, Hedi Slimane. It was created by Olivier Polge, and has notes of sage, bergamot, lavender, Italian iris concrete, cocoa, amber, vetiver, patchouli, and possibly leather and cardamom.

While the bottle is being described as a unique design, with a steel column housing the usual plastic spray tube, the fragrance, with its iris and cocoa notes, is being described as a composition that does not conform to current trends in men’s perfumery. I have to disagree. The best way to describe the overall effect of Dior Homme is “sweet”. Like Hanae Mori Men a decade ago, like Yohji Homme 5 years ago, and like Nikos Homme last year, Dior Homme is a men’s gourmand and shares similarities with all three…

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