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Browsing by tag: carlos benaim

Ralph Lauren Polo Modern Reserve ~ fragrance review

Posted by Kevin on 25 November 2008 21 Comments

Ralph Lauren Polo Modern Reserve

The Ralph Lauren Polo fragrance is 30 years old this year, so don’t complain about how popular it was in your high school years or we’ll all start calculating your age. Polo Modern Reserve, a new, ‘updated’ edition of the 1978 Polo fragrance, was created to: 1) celebrate Polo’s birthday (it is an accomplishment to make it to age 30 in the crazy, fickle world of perfume) and 2) appeal to original Polo wearers’ male offspring — men between the ages of 25-30. Polo is still one of the top 15 men’s fragrances in the U.S.* so WHY imply it’s “dated” and for ‘old’ guys?

Polo contains artemisia, basil, bergamot, chamomile, cumin, juniper berry, geranium, carnation, jasmine, ‘pine needle,’ rose, thyme, tobacco, amber, cedar, leather, musk, moss, patchouli and frankincense. That list of WHAM! BAM! POW! ingredients does not read (or smell) “old” to me; Polo is vibrant and interesting and blows most mainstream, and niche, male fragrances out of the eau (de Toilette).

Polo Modern Reserve takes Polo’s formula, erases the tingly, bursting-with-life green notes, replaces chamomile with cardamom, tobacco with vetiver-leather, juniper berries with pimento berries, and frankincense with myrrh incense…

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Versace Pour Homme, Calvin Klein Intense Euphoria Men & Rocawear 9 IX ~ fragrance reviews

Posted by Kevin on 30 October 2008 Leave a Comment

Versace Pour Homme

Versace Pour Homme cologne for men

Donatella Versace asked perfumer Alberto Morillas to make Versace’s new men’s fragrance simple and “precise” and she seemed pleased with the result and said: “When I smell the scent, it reminds me of my father because my father wore neroli.,” (Women’s Wear Daily, 1/18/08). That’s all well and good, but Ms. Versace took her fragrance brief a step further and asked that the scent “suit a self assured and, above all, attractive man.” (Cosmetics International, 3/21/08) I’m definitely cute enough to wear this, but other guys out there may want to consider having their hair cut, shaving, getting a facial and back wax, etc., before venturing to buy Versace Pour Homme…

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Ralph Lauren Polo Modern Reserve ~ new fragrance

Posted by Robin on 10 October 2008 19 Comments

Ralph Lauren Polo Modern ReserveRalph Lauren has launched Polo Modern Reserve, a new take on the original Polo fragrance intended to capture a younger audience — “the sons of the Polo customer”:

Much like a special vintage, Polo Modern Reserve is a unique blend, crafted in the spirit of the original scent, using advanced ingredients of the highest quality…

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Mariah Carey Luscious Pink ~ perfume review

Posted by Robin on 5 August 2008 106 Comments

Luscious Pink fragrance by Mariah Carey

Luscious Pink is the second fragrance from Mariah Carey, and follows last year's M by Mariah Carey. Elizabeth Arden, who holds the license for Mariah Carey's perfume line, is hoping the new scent will find an audience in the growing Asian perfume market, and so the tag line, “Embrace the Ethereal” is more than just the usual hyperbole — you'd expect “inoffensive” rather than “unusual” or “big statement” from such a thing, and that's just what you'll get with Luscious Pink.

Elizabeth Arden is calling Luscious Pink a “sparkling floral”; to my nose, the emphasis is laid on the sparkling far more than the floral. The opening is fresh and diffusive, with pale pink fruits — I don't know what fruits those would be, in particular, but that's what they smell like: pale pink fruits…

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Bvlgari Jasmin Noir ~ perfume review, sort of

Posted by Robin on 7 July 2008 124 Comments

Bvlgari Jasmin Noir advert

Jasmin Noir is the latest feminine fragrance from Bvlgari, and it’s positioned to attract a “new consumer looking for something more prestigious” — that is, it’s more expensive than the other fragrances in the line. I would say I was cautiously looking forward to it; I adore jasmine, and a big, dark jasmine is always welcome, but the foody notes did not sound entirely appealing (the list: green sap, gardenia, sambac jasmine absolute, satin almond, precious woods, tonka bean and licorice).

As it turns out, Jasmin Noir is not a big, dark jasmine anyway, or at least, maybe it isn’t. The opening is citrus-y green and rather sweet…

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