Al-Rehab Sultan al Oud Review

Greetings, ladies and gentleman! I am glad to see all of you back once again! Thank you for all of the support! Today I will be covering a great introductory fragrance if you wish to dip your toes into Arabic perfumery. The fragrance is Sultan al Oud by Al-Rehab. Let's get into it!


Presentation

This is an attar, so it comes in a small glass vial with a plastic rollerball to distribute the fragrance. The label is tan and brown with Arabic designs and writing, but also features the text in English as well. The cap is a screw cap. On the top of the cap Al-Rehab is engraved on it. The rollerball works well to apply the fragrance oil.


Notes

Oud, Spices, Vanilla, Woody Notes, Musk, Florals


The Scent

Opening 

This fragrance opens up with some woody and slightly smoky oud. The sweet vanilla is also there.  The spices are warm and inviting. You get a little bit of a white floral here. The opening doesn't have too much going on.

Dry Down

This fragrance dries down to a beautiful warm and spicy woody vanilla with a touch of smokiness. It's very Middle Eastern in composition. The oud and woody notes are very dry, reminiscent of a desert. It has a dark and resinous quality to it. It has depth, but it's simple at the same time. This stuff is strong, but I don't think it would be offensive unless you applied too much.

Performance

This is a pure fragrance oil, so it doesn't project very well. I would say about half an arm's length away. It does last over 10 hours on skin and does project that half of an arm's length for most of that. The sillage trail is okay, but nothing amazing.


When to Wear it

This fragrance is very heavy and moderately sweet. This is for the cooler weather. It's rich, dark, and sensual. It sits closer to the skin, so it would be a good date night fragrance. This can be worn with any outfit, but I don't think it would go well with a tuxedo. This fragrance is unisex, but I would say it's much more masculine leaning. Any age can wear this one.


Overall Impression

A good starter for someone looking to get into attars. It's still really strong though, but it's nice. Considering you can get these for 3-6 USD on eBay...That is a steal. The oud is pretty tame in this. The sweetness and spice make it less offensive and more warming and inviting. A bargain deal and really good quality. You can't go wrong here, in my eyes.


Conclusion

Thanks for stopping by folks! Have a good evening and remember to say something positive to someone today! Hit that blue follow button and subscribe to get notified when I post!


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Buy Sultan al Oud here (same seller I bought it from)

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Alexandria Arabian Horse Solid Fragrance Review

Source: www.alexandriafragrances.com

Good evening, everyone! I am so glad you could join me once again. Sorry that I didn't review anything yesterday. I had quite a busy day. Tonight I have another Alexandria solid fragrance for you, Arabian Horse, which is inspired by Parfums de Marly Herod. Also, I started a new Instagram account. Feel free to follow me there. I will have some exclusive posts on there. Now, let's get to the review!

Notes

Top
Peppercorn, Cinnamon

Mid
Osmanthus, Tobacco Leaf, Olibanum, Labdanum

Base
Vanilla, Cedar, Patchouli, Musk


The Scent

Opening

You get some sweet vanilla tobacco when you first apply it. It's accented with some warm and spicy cinnamon and a hint of patchouli and vetiver as well. A very nice opening. It's very cozy and well blended.


Dry Down

The vanilla comes out a bit stronger during this phase. it's nice and creamy. The cinnamon and pepper combine to give this fragrance a warm and inviting allure. The tobacco is there and very slightly metallic. Unlike Herod, which I get a lot more metallicness from it. This tobacco is darker and richer than Heroid and the vanilla comes out more strongly. The patchouli lends its woodiness to give it a defined masculine backbone. The vetiver is slightly dirty, but not so much that it brings the fragrance in another direction. I can't really pick up any more of the notes in this one.

Performance

I am getting around 7-8 hours with 2 of projection. If you put it on your pulse points then it gives off a nice scent bubble. All of these solid fragrances perform very well. I am surprised by that.

When to Wear it

Arabian Horse is best suited for colder weather and nighttime activities. It's rich, spicy, and sweet. It would make a great seductive date night fragrance. This one smells a little too upscale for jeans, but it could be pulled off. It is best worn for business casual or formal though. Ages 25+ would be suitable for this. It's not a clubbing fragrance.


Overall Impression

Honestly, I have Herod and I prefer Arabian Horse. There aren't many inspirations that I prefer over the originals, but taking the metallic bite down and amping up the sweetness did it for me. This is a very good fragrance. At $30, this is a bargain. It doesn't smell cheap and you can easily carry this on a plane and not worry about breaking the bottle or having too much juice. Another very solid releases from the house of Alexandria. Hany has also teased at many more solids coming soon as well, so keep on the lookout for them.  I am very happy to have this in my collection. I love vanilla and tobacco together and this one certainly quenches that fix when I need it.

Conclusion

Thank you to everyone who is sticking by me while Facebook is blocking my blog's URL. I hope everyone has a great day. Remember to follow me by email and by clicking the blue follow button to get updates while I cannot provide links on FB. Remember to say something positive to someone, you never know how much it helps!

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Buy Arabian Horse here

Alexandria Forbidden Plum Solid Fragrance Review

Credit: www.alexandriafragrances.com

Hello, ladies and gentleman. Welcome back to another solid fragrance review. Today, I am reviewing Alexandria's Forbidden Plum, which is inspired by Tom Ford's Plum Japonais. Heralded as the best plum fragrance by many, this fragrance has a lot to live up to. Hany did send me this one for review. Let's see if it can compete!

Presentation

This fragrance comes in the same presentation as Black Tie Affair, but with a purple background instead of black. Very nice and classy. Also, very fitting for this plum dominant fragrant.

Notes

Japanese Plum, Plum Blossom, Oud, Amber, Saffron, Cinnamon, Immortelle, Camelia, Vanilla, Fir, Benzoin


The Scent

Opening

Forbidden Plum opens with ripe, fruity, and strong Japanese plum and spicy saffron. It also has some slightly medicinal oud that is accented by amber, vanilla, and soft florals. It's very beautiful and luxurious.  Smells close to the Plum Japonais on the opening, but the plum is much stronger in this one.

Dry Down

This is where it gets more complex. the plum and plum blossom are still very dominant with the oud and amber. However, they blend very well and share a stage with the saffron, which is both spicy and floral which resembles iris somewhat. Fresh iris from a field though, not powdery iris like in Dior Homme. It's a very oriental fragrance, befitting of a peaceful Japanese field of luxury florals and plum trees in your mind. It's very sweet, spicy, and it simply smells amazing.


Performance

I get around 9 hours from Forbidden Plum, which given its price tag is a steal. It projects for around 3 and leaves a nice sillage trail that will turn heads. Especially if you live in my area where plums aren't very common.

When to Wear it

Forbidden Plum is a nighttime fragrance. It's a great date night fragrance when you are dressed up a bit. It can be worn in the day time as well, but it favors nighttime wear. This one is so sweet that it should be only used in cooler weather. This should be worn with at least business casual clothing. It befits any age, but keep in mind that it's sweet and have a floral vibe. It is decidedly unisex.


Overall Impression

I love this one. Not as much as Black Tie Affair, but it's my second favorite that I was sent. I will certainly get some wearings out of this one. I did receive a compliment in a drug store when I stopped to get my mom's meds for her. The woman who complimented me said I smelled "fruity and delicious". So, it does get compliments.

I am very glad to have this in my collection and it is a great fragrance to get instead of paying Tom Ford Private Blend prices for Plum Japonais. So, yes I think it measures up and possibly even surpasses it. I haven't smelled Plum Japonais for a while and would need to test it again to make my final verdict. As it stands though, Forbidden Plum is an excellent fragrance by itself and does not smell cheap at all. It's a sure winner in my book and I am very happy to have it in my collection.


Conclusion

I hope you enjoyed this one. Stay tuned for more! Hit that blue follow button to support my work! Until next time, keep bringing people smiles with beautiful smells and positive words! Have a great day everyone!


Buy Forbidden Plum here

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Alexandria Black Tie Affair Solid Fragrance Review

Photo credit: Hany Hafez

Hello, ladies and gentleman! Welcome back once again. I am glad to see all of you stop by once again. Today I have another Alexandria review for you. This one is a new release as far as their solid fragrance line is concerned. Black Tie Affair is an inspiration of Yves Saint Laurent's famed fragrance, Tuxedo. Alexandria is pumping out tons of solid fragrance releases and from the ones I have tried, they are very good. This one was sent to me by the gentleman who makes them for Hany, E,j. Wells who owns and operates Happyland Studio. So, without further ado, let's get into my first solid fragrance review!


Presentation

The solid fragrance comes in a small circular can that is made of decent quality metal. The label on the front is black, with gold writing on it. It lists the fragrance house, fragrance name, and some of the key notes/accords of the fragrance. The top screws off counter-clockwise to open the fragrance. They come in only 1oz/30ml sizes right now. I really like the gold on black presentation. My version did have a typo that said "Begamot" instead of "bergamot". Not a big deal to me, but E.j. said only 25 of them have this label, so my can is special 😎


Notes

Note: I do not know if solid fragrances contain top, mid, and base notes or not or if they just are all notes melded together, so I will just use my normal format.

Top
Coriander, Violet Leaf, Bergamot

Mid
Black Pepper, Lili-of-the-Valley, Rose

Base
Vanilla, Ambergris, Patchouli


The Scent

Opening

This fragrance opens with some very natural smelling bergamot, woody and dark patchouli, sweet vanilla, black pepper, and a bit of fresh rose. It's very sweet and dark. Ambergris also makes its presence known in the form of a sweet and smooth amber type accord.

Dry Down

It's quite interesting in the dry down. Black Tie Affair manages to keep the bergamot alive. As most of us know, bergamot usually vanishes after the openings of most fragrances. I absolutely love the smell of bergamot, so this is a big plus for me. It 's very smooth and elegant. The sweet amber, vanilla, and spices make this fragrance smell very alluring. Added with sweet and natural bergamot and clean and dark patchouli...It just brings it to another dimension. It almost has a smoky tea type smell in it as well, coupled with the bergamot it gives of an Earl Grey tea accord, which is amazing. I love Earl Grey tea. This fragrance is very complex and you pick up some different accords at different times. The fresh and slightly powdery rose is also very beautiful in this one.

Performance

This is what most people want to know about the solid line from Alexandria...How do they perform and where do you apply them? Black tie Affair lasts around 9-10 hours on my skin. It projects for close to 4 hours. The sillage trail is also pretty potent.

As for where to apply them, I put some on my wrists and neck. You certainly don't want to put these on clothes. They contain beeswax and do leave a somewhat waxy residue until they dry down fully, which can take an hour or so. Stick to pulse points which are warmer and allow the fragrance to use the heat to project the scent. Only use a little dab on each area you apply, this stuff is pretty strong. Remember, this is an Extrait de Parfum concentration, not a cologne one like most solids are.

When to Wear it

Black Tie Affair sounds like the name. It's a formal and elegant fragrance meant for formal nighttime wear in the cooler weather. This one is not a casual signature scent. Although you can use it as you'd like, I do think this is a special occasion fragrance. It would work well for a date night fragrance as well, as long as you were dressed up a bit. I would say 30+ on this one. It smells like a more mature and successful man. This is for a man who knows what he wants and gets it. It doesn't smell like an older man fragrance, but it exudes someone who is older and has class. This isn't a fragrance for guys who want to go to the club and wear Ultra Male.


Overall Impression

My final verdict on Black Tie Affair is that is absolutely beautiful. I love it. It's so sweet and seductive, but retains a solid masculine feel. It's very complex and has a ton of depth to it. This fragrance's smell far exceeds its price point. This smells like a $300 fragrance. The notes are natural and well blended and presented. I am just now getting into solid fragrances since Alexandria came out with this line and I am quite impressed. I was sent 6(2 from Hany and 4 from E.j.) of these solid fragrances and this one is my favorite of the bunch. I would go so far as to say this one is blind buy worthy. I do not suggest blind buying many fragrances, but this is one.

Conclusion

I hope you folks enjoyed this one! Be sure to hit that blue follow button to support my work! Until next time, keep smelling amazing and remember to say positive things to people today! You never know what someone is dealing with and you could make someone's day today!


Buy Black Tie Affair here

Buy an Alexandria sample pack here

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Alexandria FUntastic Review

Source: Alexandriafragrances.com

Hello, everyone! Welcome back! It brings me tons of joy to see you back here again. To those who are new here, welcome! I hope you enjoy this article. Today, I will be covering Alexandria's FUntastic, which is an inspiration of Tom Ford's F'ing Fabulous(called TF FF from here on out). I have never smelled TF FF before, but this one is an interesting fragrance. Hany did send me this one for review. Let's get into it!


Notes

Leather, Clary Sage, Bitter Almond, Cashmeran, Orris Root, Tonka Bean, White Woods, Amber, Vanilla, Lavender


The Scent

Opening

Right off the bat, FUntastic punches you in the face with a very potent dosage of bitter almond, clary sage, and leather. These notes persist through the dry down as well. The cray sage smells somewhat herbal and leathery. The leather smells raw and suede-like. The orris is powdery, but it doesn't smell like makeup. Some people have likened the opening to a baby wipe, but I don't get that. I get more leather and bitter almond. Very strong opening that can be offputting for many. Don't judge this fragrance by the opening.

Dry Down

When FUntastic dries down it becomes a bit more powdery. The lavender and orris are the culprits for that. The potent bitter almond note is still there. It mingles with some woody nuances, dry and warm amber, and semi-sweet vanilla that is accentuated by roasted tonka bean. Don't let these notes fool you, I would not classify this as a gourmand. It is most certainly more powdery and aromatic than gourmand, even with the potent dosage of bitter almond. Sometimes I pick up some sort of cumin vibe, like the stuff you put on tacos, but without the peppery spices.


Performance

This fragrance has outstanding performance. I get around 10 hours with 4 of those being projection. It leaves a massive sillage trail and can fill a room while projecting. Be very careful with this one, this fragrance can be very offensive if over sprayed. I suggest no more than 3 sprays.

When to Wear it

This fragrance is no doubt a cooler weather one. The strong almond and leather nuances, matched with powdery elegance certainly fit the cooler months better than the summer. I wouldn't wear this one formally, but business casual and casual should work fine with it. It's probably too unique to wear to work though. As I said before, it can be offensive.


Overall Impression

I like it, but I don't love it. This is the one I was talking about being neutral on in my Hafez 1984 review. It's a very strange fragrance, but it does draw me into it. I think it will grow on me and eventually turn into a love, but as of right now, it's just a like. It has beastly performance and smells very unique. However, I certainly suggest sampling this one. If you do not like bitter almond, then this one is not for you. I am not sure if I would wear this one much. I am going to sit on it and let it mature a bit before trying it out again. Even if the warm weather is only a month or so away here. I might have to wait until next year to get some good wearings from this one. I am intrigued to see how it develops because it's such an interesting and unique fragrance.


I hope everyone enjoyed this one. Remember to smash that blue follow button! I will be reviewing only Alexandria Fragrances this week and the rest of them will be solid fragrances. Until next time, keep smelling great and remember to say something positive to someone today!

Buy FUntastic here

Get a sample pack here

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Alexandria Royal Equestrian Review

Source: www.alexandriafragrances.com

Hello, ladies and gentleman! I am so glad you could join me once again! This is going to be an entire week of Alexandria reviews. So, one review each day, minus "FragComm Friday" which is an interview with Hany himself. Forgive me for not posting for the last few days. I just turned 33 last week and I was somewhat busy. Back to the normal schedule of posting every day. Today I have Royal Equestrian from Alexandria Fragrances for you. This is their impression of Layton by Parfums de Marly. Let's do it!


Presentation

The presentation is the same as all of the other Alexandria fragrances. A black label with their logo and the fragrance name on the front. The accords on the right-hand side which read fresh spicy, aromatic, warm spicy, and woody. On the left side, there is some Arabic sort of writing and California on it. The cap and silver and plastic, but it works well and adds value to the presentation. The atomizer is very good and sprays a ton of juice.


Notes

Top
Citruses, Apple

Mid
Violet, Geranium

Base
Amber, Vanilla, Spices, Woody Notes


The Scent

Opening

This fragrance opens with some crisp apple and cardamom. There is also some sweet and natural smelling vanilla in there. You can pick up some lavender and sandalwood as well. The apple, vanilla, and cardamom take center stage though.

Dry Down

When the dry down comes you get a bit more sandalwood and what I suspect is some woody patchouli in there. The apple, vanilla, and spices(cardamom and cinnamon I think) are still dominant in this stage, but they are accompanied by some woody notes. It has somewhat of a JPG Le Male vibe underneath the apple and spice. I am not a fan of Le Male, but I like this one.

Performance

I don't think my bottle was aged as much as some of my others. I am getting around 8 hours from it, which is still amazing. I am hoping to get more when it matures a bit. The projection is solid for about 2-3 hours. The sillage leaves a great spicy cloud that will turn heads. It's a good performing fragrance, but not as good as my other Alexandrias. As I said though, I expect it to perform better when I let it age. 8 hours is still very good and nothing to scoff at for sure.

When to Wear it

Most people say this is a cooler weather fragrance. I disagree. I think this can be worn in any weather besides super hot summer days. It's somewhat light for a super cold winter fragrance, so I think it could work in warmer months as well. It's very versatile. It's fresh, a little bit sweet, and spicy. I do think this one is best worn casually though, it might be okay for work as well, but I wouldn't suggest this as a suit and tie fragrance. It can work for any age group as well.


Overall Impression

I really like this one. It's a nice versatile fragrance with decent performance. It could easily be a signature scent for someone. While I do think it can be worn in warmer weather, I do think it's better suited for the cold because of the vanilla. I didn't get any compliments with it yet, but I have only worn it 3 times. I enjoy wearing it and think it is well worth the price. I have only smelled Layton once, so I am not going to compare the two due to unfamiliarity, but I like this one more than Layton. At least what I remember of Layton.

Hany is making some really good fragrances and this is another one that I love. Be sure to check Alexandria out and try a sample pack. You can choose 7 5ml samples for $50. GIves you a good chance to try out stuff and see what you like. You really can't go wrong with his customer service and prices.


I hope everyone enjoyed this review. Until tomorrow, keep smelling great and say positive things! Remember to hit that blue follow button to support my work!


Buy Royal Equestrian here

Buy a sample pack here

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FragComm Fridays: Kenny Walker

The Fragrance Shark Logo that Kenny uses for his blog.

Hello, ladies and gentleman! Today I have another installment of "FragComm Fridays". This week I have a fellow blogger and good friend of mine, Kenny Walker. He has a lot of great content on his blog as well. Head on over to this link and show him some love like you folks show to me. Trying a different format out with this one. Let me know what you think in the comments! Enjoy! Now, on to the interview!


The Interview

1. What is your favorite fragrance? My favorite fragrance would have to be hands down Amouage-Reflection Man. It’s simply pure elegance

2. What was your motivation to start blogging? I wanted to combine two things that I love. Creative writing through stories and fragrances. To me, they go hand in hand. A fragrance tells a story and brings you to a realm that elicits a certain feeling. Stories and writing also capture that same correlation.

3. Why did you choose to blog over Youtube? I choose to blog because I didn't know exactly where to start. I have all these ideas reverberating around in my head that I wasn’t sure how to portrait them via Youtube. I think that will eventually I will start a Youtube channel and see where that takes me.

4. What fragrance do you love that everyone else seems to hate? I’m going to say Dior Sauvage EDT. It's a very controversial fragrance either people love it or hate it. I like the smell, it performs and is super versatile.

5. If you were stuck on a deserted island and only had one fragrance and you have to drink it(assuming it would be safe) to survive, what would it be? I'm going to say Creed -Virgin Island Water. What would compliment my withered body from the elements than a nice summer cocktail? At least it will harken me back to summer vacations.

6. If you could meet one historical person. Who would it be? I would love to hang with Jesus. You know his favorite fragrance is all of Thierry Mugler A*Men line.

7. Did any writer inspire you to start your blog? My writing inspirations come from various facets. Part American poet E.E Cummings to the vivid imagery through song lyrics of Matt Skiba of Alkaline Trio.

8. What Youtubers influence you the most? I really enjoy FRAG-MENTAL with his quirky sense of humor and is always super nice and humble. Redolessence is great with his calculated approach to breaking down a fragrance. Big Beard Business cracks me up and I enjoy his rants.

9. What is your favorite and least favorite thing about the FragComm? I don’t like when people bully other people or are downright disrespectful. Just less drama and more positivity will go a long way.

10. What is your favorite fragrance memory? I actually wrote about this in my review about Creed-Green Irish Tweed. That scent conjures memories of being a carefree child rolling down grassy hills. The air then blowing across my grass-stained knees on a beautiful spring day. There it is, ladies and gentleman. I hope you enjoyed it. Be sure to check out Kenny's blog and show him some love. Until next time, keep smelling amazing and remember to say a kind word to someone! Be sure to hit that blue follow button! Join the Musings of the Fragheads Facebook Group

Alexandria Hafez 1984 Review

Source: www.alexandriafragrances.com 

Hello, ladies and gentleman! Welcome back to my blog! Much love to all of the new faces and old faces alike. Thank you for joining me once again. Today, I will be covering a fragrance that received a lot of hype in the fall and winter of last year, Hafez 1984. This fragrance is named after Hany Hafez, the owner of Alexandria Fragrances. He is very proud of this one bearing his namesake and the love that it gets. Let's see if it lives up to the hype!

Disclosure: Hany did send this to me for review, but my opinions are solely my own.


Presentation

The bottle is like every other bottle that Alexandria carries. It's simplistic, but it works well. The label on my bottle is white with gold writing instead of black like in the picture. Sorry, I didn't get around to taking an actual picture of it yet. I did notice that he changed out the atomizers since I received my Mr. Sillage last year. The new atomizers are beastly. They spray out a ton of juice with each pump.


Notes

Cavendish Tobacco, Rum, Leather, Patchouli, Vanilla, and Exotic Spices


The Scent

Opening

Hafez 1984 opens with a lot of spice and a potent blast of rum. The tobacco is somewhat pungent in this stage. You also get a healthy dose of some sweet and creamy vanilla. The patchouli is somewhat dry, but not the earthy and dirty kind.


Dry Down

I like the opening, but the dry down is where the magic happens. It turns into some sweet and spicy vanilla, accentuated by darker notes of patchouli and tobacco with a touch of rum. The spices smell like a cinnamon and cardamom mix to me, but I could be wrong on that. They are certainly oriental spices. The tobacco leans a bit sweet due to the vanilla I think, while still managing to add depth to the composition. I don't get much of the leather that is mentioned, but perhaps it is mingling in with the patchouli and I don't notice it as strongly as the other notes. What this results in is a very sexy and seductive fragrance.

Performance

I don't say this about many fragrances, but this one is nuclear. It can project strongly for around 5 hours. By project, I mean with one spray it can fill a room. I took a shower and went to bed at 3 am one night, then I sprayed this on. At 5 pm I could still smell it, slightly projecting about 4-6 inches off the skin. It was mostly spices and tobacco at that point, but it was still there. That's 15 hours later, folks. That is absolutely ridiculous longevity for a scent of this quality and price. The sillage trail is massive on this one. People will know where you have been 15 minutes later. This stuff is super potent, folks. If you go anosmic to spices easily then the opening might not allow you to smell it until a few hours later when it calms down. Warning: 1-2 sprays unless you want to kill every living thing within a ten block radius. Okay, that was slight sarcasm, but seriously, go easy in the trigger. Remember these atomizers spray a ton of juice.

When to Wear it

This fragrance is for cooler weather. It is way too strong and dark for warmer weather. I know, it's a lovely fragrance and you want to wear it in the summer too, but it's just too strong. Maybe a cool spring night would work as well. It's best used as a night time fragrance, but it's fine for day time as well. You can dress this up casually or with a suit and tie. I would say this fragrance is very luxurious and leans slightly mature, so it is best suited for 25+.

Overall Impression

I am just going to come right out and say it. You folks that know me know that I don't use this word liberally. This is a masterpiece. It certainly lived up to the hype for me. Hany did an amazing job with this one.

Some people were saying this smells like Red Tobacco by Mancera. I have never smelled Red Tobacco, so I cannot compare it to that. Some others said it resembled one of my favorite fragrances, PdM Carlisle. It does have a slight similarity to Carlisle in the dry down. The spicy cardamom used in Carlisle is very similar to the spice in Hafez 1984, so that leads me to believe it is cardamom and some cinnamon that was used. It doesn't have the orange note that Carlisle has, but instead uses vanilla, so I can see some vague similarities, but it is certainly not an impression of Carlisle.

I don't hype many fragrances, but this one is certainly worth checking out if you love sweet tobacco and spicy fragrances. I see why Hany is so proud of this one. He has every right to be. I can't wait to check out the new intense version he just released.

He also sent me a can of the Hafez solid fragrance as well, which smells slightly different. I tried layering the two. Check out my full review of that coming soon.


Conclusion

I hope everyone enjoyed this article. Thanks for stopping by. I hope everyone has a great day! Remember to always say something positive to someone. You could make their day by doing so. We never know what sort of impact we have on people! Keep smelling amazing, folks!



Buy Hafez 1984 here

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Save Some Money for that Special Someone- 5 Cheapies for Valentine's Day

Source: www.pixabay.com

Hello, ladies and gentleman! Welcome back to my blog! Thank you all for stopping by today! Looking for a cheaper fragrance that will make the sparks fly on Valentine's Day? Need some something to give you an edge to ask that girl out? Need something budget friendly so you can wine and dine that special lady? Well, look no further, I have some options for you. With Valentine's Day just around the corner, I figured I would do a cheapie list for you all to give you some time to order the fragrances if you'd like to. All of these fragrances can be found on discounters or on their official site for under $50. These are just 5 fragrances, the list is not in numerical order from worst to best. Let's get into it!


5: Bvlgari Man in Black

Man in Black is a nice seductive spicy fragrance with rum. This one is for the gentleman who would like a classy evening out with their lady. It has a bit of a more mature vibe over Spicebomb, but it doesn't smell like an old man's fragrance. I like to call it "Spicebomb's more mature and classy older brother".  This is one to wear if you are going to a fancy restaurant and want to smell classy.


4. Versace Oud Noir

Source: www.fragrantica.com

Okay, so this one is $54 at Fragrancenet. However, I wanted to add it to this list anyway. This is a very tame and mild designer oud. Throw in some saffron, cardamom, and patchouli and you're good to go. Don't let the oud name scare you. This fragrance is dark, sensual, and seductive.  A very good fragrance for a casual Valentine's Day dinner at Olive Garden.


3. Genre Parfums Noble Soul

Valentine's Day is infamous for chocolate, so why not go for a chocolate fragrance. Chocolate, caramel, coffee, and rum makes this a very sexy gourmand. She is sure to get in the spirit with this fragrance. At only $25 you can spare a lot of money and get her a real box of chocolates to go with it. Everyone is going to be happy with this one.


2. CK One Shock

I wanted to include one for the younger guys. This is it. It's sweet, playful, and a bit spicy. At 32, I still love this one. It has a youthful vibe to it, but can be worn by any age. You can load up on this one for around $20 for 200ml. So, if you are in college and need a great fragrance for the occasion, then this one is sure to please your girl and your wallet.

1. Scentstory 24 Gold

This fragrance is a beast. If your lady likes sweet vanilla with some woods and amber, then this fragrance is amazing. It's pretty potent, so only wear if she likes strong fragrances. It smells very expensive and she won't ever guess that you paid $20 bucks for 50ml of this heavenly juice.



I hope you enjoyed today's topic. Hit that blue follow button to support my work. I created a Facebook group called "Musings of the Fragheads". Join it here. Until next time, keep smelling great and remember to say a positive thing to someone today! You never know how much it can help!


Links to buy the fragrances in this article:
Man in Black

Versace Oud Noir

Genre Parfums Noble Soul (A link to Devin's Facebook where you can contact him about ordering)

CK One Shock

24 Gold

My Best Winter Pick-Up So Far: Scentstory 24 Gold

Hello ladies and gentleman! I am glad to see you stop by once again. Today I have a fragrance that I literally slept on for a long time, Scentstory 24 Gold. This was hyped as a cheapie a while back, but then it was discontinued, from what I hear, so prices started to skyrocket. I picked up a 50ml bottle in the old packaging for $21 at www.fragrancebuy.ca. So, that was a good deal. I am not sure which batch this is because I was unable to find any site that showed Fox or Scenststory as a brand to check batch codes, but I do believe this is an older formulation due to the packaging and how strong it is. Now, enough about batches codes and formulations...Let's do this!

Also, I just made a Facebook group the other day. The only rule I have is no sales/swaps. I don't want to have to moderate those. I would love to build a community of positive people who love fragrances. Feel free to join it here. Also, reviewers and bloggers feel free to share your content and thoughts there.


Presentation

24 Gold comes in a golden bottle with a reflective shine on it. The cap is plastic and light and does not click into place. I guess expenses had to be spared somewhere, right? The bottle is thick and sturdy glass. The atomizer works decently.

Notes

Top
Oud, Jasmine, Guaiac Wood

Mid
Sandalwood, Cedar, Star Anise

Base
Vanilla, Amber, Ylang-Ylang


The Scent

Opening

This fragrance opens up with a strong burst of vanilla, amber, slightly medicinal oud. The sandalwood is dry and certainly there as well. It's pretty potent and one spray can fill up an entire room. The amber is warm and smooth and slightly dusty. The vanilla is sweet has a sort of cake icing feel to it.

Dry Down

When this fragrance dries down the vanilla tames itself and blend wonderfully with the amber. The oud turns a little smoky. The dry woods are still there and there is a little bit of jasmine in there, but I think it plays more of a supporting actor role to the vanilla. I can't detect any anise in here, so it must be light. It's probably playing into the sweetness as well. This fragrance is very Middle Eastern in composition. It's not super aggressive with the oud though, but you can certainly tell this is an oud fragrance.

Performance

This fragrance is a beast mode performer. If I made my beast mode list again today, this would top it. I am getting anywhere from 16-18 hours out of this. Possibly even more. being that I am sleeping during part of it, I am not totally sure. The projection is about 4-5 hours and it's massive. This stuff will announce your presence to every within a city block...Okay okay, not that much, but it will fill a room. After that, it leaves a pretty massive sillage trail for most of its life.

When to Wear it

I would suggest only wearing this one in cold weather, 50 Fahrenheit and below. This thing is a massive performer and will be very cloying in the heat. I would also suggest 3 sprays at most, 2 would be better though, I think. This fragrance is better casually I think, but with business casual, it would be fine. Not formal though.


Overall Impression

As the title states, this has been my best find so far this winter. This fragrance is amazing quality for the price. It's hard to believe that an EDT can perform like this. This fragrance smells expensive. Scentstory is actually a niche house and this fragrance costs pennies compared to what it smells like.

As good as I think this fragrance is, I don't think it's a good blind buy. It's very strong. If you love vanilla, amber, and oud then I would say go for it. If you can get it as cheap as I did, then it might be a safe one as well. If you are a hardcore oud lover, then this fragrance will be weak on the oud to you.

This is quickly becoming a favorite of mine. I am planning to get another bottle soon in case it becomes even hard to find. I don't really hype many fragrances, but I truly think this one is totally worth it.


I hope you enjoyed this one. This is a fragrance I certainly love. Hit that blue follow button to support my work. Much love to all of you and remember to say something positive to someone today! You never know how much it could help!


Buy 24 Gold here

Buy quality decants at a low price at www.whatsmyscent.com. Use the code MUSINGS10 to get 10% off your order. Today, January 31st, is the last day this code will be active!

Al-Rehab and Nabeel First Impressions

The Dead Sea. Source: www.pixabay.com

Hello, ladies and gentleman! Thanks for coming back and visiting my blog! Much love to all of you! This past week my friend, Carlos Colom decided to give me a birthday present and with it, I decided to dip my toes into some Arabic fragrances. I went cheap to start and ease my way into it, so I decided on two from Nabeel and two from Al-Rehab. You can find all of these on eBay for anywhere between 4-6 USD. Sorry for the bad photos ahead of time. I will take better ones for the full review. I am also not going to list notes and go into detail, I will save those for the full reviews. Let's get into it!

Al-Rehab Shaikhah

This stuff is potent. When you first apply it I would suggest not sniffing it too closely. I did and it made me cough. Very medicinal oud and sweet rose right off the top. This fragrance has a very long dry down. In about an hour you will see the magic happen. That first hour is pretty harsh though. It turns into a dry woody fragrance when the medicinal oud tames down. Add a bit of spicy saffron and cardamom and you have a nice warm fragrance. If you can get through the first hour, then this one is nice.

Al-Rehab Sultan Al Oud

This one has a much more pleasant opening than Shaikhah. The oud is woody and smoky and only slightly medicinal.  It has some good spice to it to keep it warm. It has some nice vanilla in there as well to make it sweet. A very comforting and warm fragrance that is very oriental.


Nabeel King of Sultan

This one doesn't have oud in it. It's citruses and herbs to me. Sweet, fresh, and herbal. I get a lot of lime and herbs from this one. I haven't given it a full wearing yet since it seems like a warm weather fragrance, but it has promise for sure.


Nabeel Macho Man

Macho Man is supposed to be a clone of Tom Ford's Tuscan Leather. It does smell a lot like it with amped up sweetness from the raspberry. However, the rollerball didn't want to turn very well, so I am not sure if I applied enough to really get a feel for it. Hopefully, I can figure out how to get it to work better later.


Thanks for stopping by and I hope you enjoyed it. Thank you to all of my new followers. If you would be so kind as to click the blue follow button then I would be very appreciative of it! Also feel free to share my content anywhere! 

Get good deals on decants here. Use my code MUSINGS10 until January 31st to get 10% off your order!

Join the Musings of the Fragheads FB Group here!

Genre Parfums House Review

Good evening everyone and thanks for stopping by. I hope you all had a fantastic day! Tonight, I will be reviewing one of my favorite houses that I have found lately, Genre Parfums. I have already reviewed two of their fragrances and this house is a must watch for upcoming releases. Let's get into it!


The House

About the Company

Genre Parfums is owned and ran by Devin Breaux. A well-spoken and cordial man who operates his business out of Louisiana in the United States. Devin started up a fragrance company with the intent to replicate high-end fragrances that no one else was touching. He also has a dream of helping to bring more business to his area in Louisiana and put it on the map.

He has been making inspirations of high-end fragrances that other houses like Alexandria and DUA aren't touching. He does have some standard offerings that other houses off as well, so it's not all unique inspirations, but he does put his own take on them in these fragrances. Both of the ones I tried were very good inspirations.

He is releasing some original creations here soon, before Spring arrives. He sent out some samples with some orders and they have been well-received by the ones who got the chance to try them. Specifically, one called R.A.M.C.(stands for Ran After my Car). As you can see, Devin is quite clever in naming these fragrances.

Cost

A 30ml will run you $25, which is far cheaper than any other inspiration house. He has been making some 60ml in a few select fragrances and they cost $45. The original creations will only be available in 60ml and will cost $50. All are very fairly priced for the quality you get.

You can also order samples that are fairly priced at 3 10ML for $25 and 3 5ML for $12. You can also 1 10ML for $10. He will make samples of anything that he has in stock.

Presentation

The bottles come in a simple, yet stylish format. A small round cylindrical bottle with a black label and the golden insignia of Genre Parfums on it. The fragrance name, concentration, and size is in white text and clearly readable. The cap is plastic, but not flimsy. It fits well into place on the bottles and you can pick them up by the cap without any fear of dropping them, unless you just ate at Burger King and have grease all over your hands. The atomizer is black and distributes a modest amount of juice with each spray.

Genre Parfums does not use boxes for their fragrances. Instead, they come in this nifty leather bags with a drawstring. The bags aren't real leather, but they look really nice and have the Genre Parfums logo on them.

They also come with a bottle cleaning cloth with the Genre Parfums insignia on it. A very nice and thoughtful touch! I have been using it a lot on my smudged bottle and it works wonderfully. I have never known any fragrance company to do this before and it's just an example of how Devin tries to think outside the box and how much he values his customers.

Devin did tell me that he special ordered boxes for his original creations and that the bottles will look slightly different. I have not seen these yet, but I am excited to see what he came up with.


Shipping

Devin ships really fast when he is in town. That is the only downside to this house. He works a job doing some kind of electronic work in the oil fields and sometimes has to be out of town to work and cannot ship orders until he is back in town. As he said though, "It helps me make money to put it back into Genre"(Paraphrased). It's worth the wait though. Devin is a one-man crew right now and tries his best to get orders out as quickly as possible. Sometimes his wife helps him out as well.

The shipping charge is $4 unless you order over $50, then it is free. That is for the continental US only. He does ship to other countries, but you will have to contact him for information and pricing on that.

Fragrance Selection

This listing is current as of 1/21/2019

63 inspirations and 4 originals. He has quite a selection for just starting out. Plus he has many more ideas coming in the future. You could buy his entire lineup for the price of 3 Creeds at retail. That's really good pricing. You will also notice that he has made some inspirations of fragrance no one else has, such as Byredo Pulp(which I really want to try since I love fig), Replica By the Fireplace, Replica Jazz Club, and one of his new releases, SoOud Nur.


The Fragrances

Irish Rainfall and Noble Soul are easily some of my favorite fragrances. While they are not my favorites overall, they are both really solid and I will certainly be wearing a lot of them. Noble SOul is my favorite gourmand right now because I don't consider Carlisle to be gourmand, even with its strong apple note.

Devin does macerate all of his juice before he sells them. So, there is no waiting to spray them. You don't have to sit them in a dark and cool corner of the room and wait 2 weeks to a month like other companies. Even though that only applies to fresh batches with them.Just another example that shows how Devin places his customers first.


The Facebook Group

I figured this one needed a mention. Do you know what #FullDoug is? Well, you would if you were in this group. It is full of caring and passionate people discussing Genre fragrances and sometimes just life. Devin responds to every single post on there and he is very interactive with his customers. We joke around and just have a general good time on there and it's one of the nicest and most respectful communities in the fragrance community. You are more than welcome to join us and ask questions and someone will be more than happy to help you out.

Facebook Group Link


Conclusion

Devin has created something special with this community and house. He has worked his tail off to get where he is and he deserves a lot of credit for what he does. This is why I support him and his brand so fervently. His attitude and demeanor is something I can get behind and support without fear of him caught up in some scam or lie. By supporting him, I am putting my reputation on the line as well and I take that very seriously. I take it seriously will all of the companies I support. Devin did not tell me a single word to put in this article. He didn't even ask me to do it at all, this is all on my own merits and this is all my sole opinion on Genre Parfums and Devin.

His fragrances and attitude are quality. He doesn't put out something he would not wear himself. He is constantly looking for something new and exciting to stand outside of the box of other houses like his and he has excelled in doing this. Now, I am not saying Alexandria and DUA are bad. they are all great. I am just saying that Genre is rather unknown compared to those companies and Genre deserves to be in the same spot as they do.


If you would like to order from Genre Parfums then feel free to message Devin(his name is a link to his Facebook profile). If you would just like to inquire about anything feel free to message him as well. He is always willing to chat with people.

Thanks for stopping by everyone! Feel free to hit that blue follow button on the right-hand side(feel free to message me here or on Facebook if you can't find it). Much love to all of you who have supported me and my new viewers alike. Thank you all for keeping me motivated! Seriously though, check out Genre. You won't be disappointed! Until next time, have a great day and keep smelling great! Remember to be kind and positive to one another. We are what makes the fragrance community great by being positive and showing kindness!

Genre Parfums Noble Soul Review

Devin told me he didn't care about credit for the picture, but here is me still giving him credit 😊

Greetings ladies and gentleman! I hope everyone is having a fantastic day! Today I am reviewing the second Genre fragrance that was sent to me, Noble Soul. The one is inspired by By Kilian Black Phantom. Oh man, this is a good one. Buckle up folks, it's time to go!

Presentation 

It's the same as Irish Rainfall, so I won't go into massive detail here. It comes in the leather drawstring bag. It has the basic but aesthetic plastic cap. The atomizer works very well also.

Irish Rainfall Review(if you want to see the full presentation)

Notes

Rum, Sugar Cane, Dark Chocolate, Coffee, Caramel, Almond, Heliotrope, Sandalwood


Scent

I am not going to do the opening and dry down of this one since it's such a linear scent, which is one reason I love it. I have never smelled Black Phantom before, but all I know is this fragrance is amazing/ I have been addicted to it since I started testing it. To me, it smells like a sweet slightly salted caramel candy spiked with rum. The coffee note isn't that strong, but it's there. There isn't any type of salt listed, but I get a slight vibe of it. This is a gourmand fragrance through and through. The rum note makes it lean more towards grown-ups, but not mature. The chocolate and caramel are the main players here. Just sitting here talking about it makes me want to go buy some candy. Seriously, it's delicious.

Longevity

This is one of the best performing fragrances I have. It lasted around 11 hours on my skin and projected for 4. It leaves a gorgeous sillage trail that will captivate people around you. I had a female friend ask me what I was wearing and she agreed that it smelled delicious. Also, a stocker at Publix greeted me and asked how I was doing, then she proceeded to tell me that it was "amazing". I have never received two compliments on a fragrance in such a short period of time(3 days of testing). So, that speaks volumes about this fragrance. Just don't go #FullDoug on this. I know most of you are like "FullDoug? What is that?". Well, if you joined the Genre Facebook Group you would know 😆

When to Wear it

Cool to cold weather. This fragrance is sweet and seductive. You could also get away with it for a night time date in the spring. It's not for hot weather though. Speaking of which, this is an excellent date fragrance. It leans more towards night time wear, but you can wear it during the day as well.

Overall Impression

This is a beautiful gourmand. I am seriously addicted to this one. I rate it higher than Irish Rainfall, which is also absolutely gorgeous as well. Devin really outdid himself with this one. I will be wearing it a lot...I am still wearing it even though I am done testing it. A fragrance that smells this good and lasts that long for $25...I am telling you folks, Don't sleep on this house. Devin is doing work and has a lot of releases and plans coming up soon. Join the Genre Facebook Group to see what is happening.

Thanks for stopping in everyone! I hope you enjoyed this review and it shed some light on some of these outstanding fragrances, especially for the price. Be sure to hit that blue follow button to support my blog. Everyone have a great day!

By the way, Devin lets his juice macerate before selling it. So, it is ready to go when you get it. There is no need to put it in dark, cool spot until it matures.


Devin's Facebook (message him directly and he will take care of any orders/.questions that you have.)

Genre Parfums Facebook Page (throw him some likes if you'd like to)

My Irish Rainfall Review

Genre Parfums Irish Rainfall Review

It was a rainy day, so I figured it was a fitting picture day for this fragrance.

Hello ladies and gentleman! I hope you all are having a blessed day! I have an exciting review for you today from a fragrance house you might not have heard of, Genre Parfums. I am excited about this one, folks. Let's get into it!


Who is Genre Parfums?

Genre Parfums is a fragrance company based out of Louisiana in the United States. It is owned by Devin Breaux. He is a very cordial and kind-hearted gentleman who works in the oil fields and runs this fragrance company on the side. He just so happens to love fragrances as well, so he started this company. I won't go too far in depth with this because I am going to do a house review after I review the two fragrances he sent me. Yes, he sent them to me. I did not pay for them.

Genre Parfums is like Alexandria and DUA. They mostly take inspiration for other fragrances, although Devin does have some original creations coming out later this month or early next month. The difference is that he only charges $25 for 30ml bottles, besides MM Extrait which is an extrait de parfum not an eau de parfum, so it's $30. Okay, I will go into more depth about the nuances when I do the house review 😊


The Fragrance

Presentation

I believe Genre has the best presentation of the three houses. The fragrances come packed in a little drawstring leather(not real leather, but still nice quality) bag(image below). They even come with a little Genre Parfums cleaning cloth to wipe the smudges off of your bottles. What a thoughtful little touch!

The bottles themselves are clear glass, with a black label with the fragrance name on the front and the Genre Parfums insignia. The cap is plastic. Nothing fancy, but it's simple and it works with the aesthetic of the bottles. Sometimes the cap needs a little "oomph!" to come off, but it's not that big of a deal. It's not that hard to pull off. The atomizer is black and works well. Sprays out a good amount of juice.

The leather bag and cleaning cloth. Sorry, I had to use the flash in order to get the detailing on the bag.

Notes

Top
Iris, Lemon Verbena

Mid
Violet Leaf

Base
Sandalwood, Ambergris


The Scent

Opening

Irish Rainfall(IR from here on out) opens up very green with some lemon and beautiful violet and iris. Very relaxing and pleasant. One of my favorites to smell the opening on. Much easier to handle than Tres Nuit.

Dry Down

When IR dries down the lemon verbena, violet, and iris tame themselves and it goes into a more refined state. They blend wonderfully with each other to impart the feeling of being in Ireland in the spring. It gives a somewhat ozonic feel of a green field after a rainfall.

Comparisons

Irish Rainfall is a fragrance inspired by Creed Green Irish Tweed. GIT has a good number of clones, including the ever popular, Tres Nuit. IR takes more of a GIT approach than Tres Nuit/ It's well mannered, not harsh like the lemon verbena and violet/iris in Tres Nuit. The violet in IR is a bit softer than in GIT. IR is blended very well and nothing stands out too strongly. the greenness and lemon verbena work side by side to round this one out. They are not clashing like in Tres Nuit. It's very gentlemanly and soft-spoken. It's soothing and clean.

I really like this one. It's as close to a GIT clone as I have smelled. IR is only very slightly synthetic to my nose. I would say it's about 85-90% close to GIT with the major difference being the toned down violet/iris. Considering the price he is asking for this...That is amazing.

Longevity

I am tracking around 7 hours of longevity with about half of that being projecting. 7 hours is fine with me, especially at this price point. Plus it gives me an excuse to spray it and smell that gorgeous opening again. It's a softer fragrance and I did pull one compliment from a cashier at Publix(A grocery store) about 4 hours after I applied 4 sprays. One to each wrist, one to my shirt, and one on my neck. It seems to leave a pretty good sillage trail for most of its life as well.

When to Wear it

Spring and summer. It's best in the spring, but it goes well in the summer as well. You could get away with it in the fall/water as well because it's a clean fragrance, but it's not suggested. You can wear it casually or with a tuxedo. You can rock this bad boy any time. It can fit into any wardrobe. Rock it with pride.

Overall Impression

Devin threw down the gauntlet when he sent me this. He knew GIT was my all-time favorite fragrance and he wanted to put his creation up against it. I will be clear though, this is not GIT, but it's very close and a spectacular rendition of it for the price. I certainly won't buy another Tres Nuit after smelling this. I might not even buy a GIT after this as well, which pains me to say. My GIT is currently relegated to special occasions only because of its price. I can wear this one every day and not worry about using precious juice for a trip to the grocery store. Yes, you get more juice with Tres Nuit, but this one is much higher quality. This smells like a fragrance that would cost $150. It's pretty astonishing for $25. When he starts making 60ml bottles I will be sure to pick this one up.

You can order 3 5ml samples for $12. try this one out. if you don't like it feel free to fuss me out for it. If you like GIT, then you will like this.

The next Genre I review was my favorite of the two that he sent me..."Wait, how can the other one be better than an inspiration of your favorite fragrance?"...Well, tune in next time to find out my friends.

Thank you for your time as always and I hope everyone has a blessed day! Keep smelling great and hit that blue follow button! Thanks!

Genre Parfums Facebook Group (Devin gives news and updates on here, plus members talk about Genre fragrances)

To order from Genre Parfums message Devin on Facebook(His name is a link to his Facebook).

Victorinox Swiss Army House Review

Image source: www.pixabay.com

Hello ladies and gentleman! I hope today is finding you in good spirits! Today I am reviewing a house that is normally associated with a multi-tool style knife like you see in the above picture, but they have tried their hands at making fragrances. I have two fragrances from them which I will briefly cover in my review. Let's get into it!


The Fragrances

Victorinox Swiss Army(VSA for short from here on out) has come out with a line of fragrances for both men and women.  Their first fragrance was released in 1997 and goes by the name of Swiss Army. The fragrance house seeks to encapsulate the smells of the outdoors to recall you back to those times of wonders and triumph.


Swiss Army Forest

Presentation

The bottle is pretty cool. I like the whole wood(although it's not real wood) cap and base theme and the pine colored bottle. The atomizer works very well also. No complaints as far as that goes.

Notes

Top
Lemon, Juniper, Nutmeg

Mid
Clary Sage, Violet, Cedar

Base
Cypress, Siberian Pine, Wood Moss

The Scent

The official VSA website describes this fragrance as such, " Inspired by the forest and suffused with a sense of adventure, the Swiss Army Forest Collection combines the fresh, uncompromising air with the unrelenting strength of the trees. So you can enjoy nature, wherever the journey takes you."

Going off those notes...this sounds like a nice foresty fragrance. I mean how can you mess this up? Well, sadly they did. The opening isn't bad. It's actually decent with a blast of woods and lemon. However, the dry down smells like a cheap knock-off of Irish Spring shower gel. Granted, Irish Spring is very budget friendly already. I do like Irish Spring, but this one just smells worse. I mentioned some of my distaste for this one in my "5 Least Favorite Fragrances in My Collection" post, so I won't go into massive detail here. You can read that article here if you'd like.

It's just overall a messy fragrance to my nose that doesn't resemble anything in the natural world. Some people seem to like it and it does have good longevity and projection. It's just not something I am going to wear. I tried to love it, as you can see by the juice level, but I just couldn't. Maybe if I go back to it in the warmer months it will be better.

Swiss Army Rock

Presentation

The bottle looks nice. However, the VSA shield at the bottom is supposed to look like a rock. It's cheap plastic and it was glued on. So, the glue gave out and now there is a sticky residue on the bottle and around where the emblem was placed. The atomizer also sticks in the down position after you spray it. I get that sometimes a fragrance company might have an issue and bad bottles do get out, but 2 problems with one bottle? That is poor quality control to me. The atomizer does spray well for the first spray, until you have to pull it back up to spray it again.


Notes

Top

Artemisia, Lavender, Cumin

Mid
Nutmeg, Cedar, Incense

Base
Leather, Benzoin, Patchouli


The Scent

The VSA website describes this one as such, "Elegant, strong, authentic – ROCK brilliantly combines all of these virtues. The fragrance impresses by its vibrant, spicy note with a mineral accent that gives it a distinct elegance."

This fragrance isn't as disliked as the Forest one. However, it's still not good. To me, it smells like stale bubble gum that has been sitting on a rock in the sun. There is nothing elegant about it to me. It does have a mineral accord and I am not sure which note is making that happen. It has a sweetness to it, but not a good kind. It's a subdued kind that hides behind the mineral accord. Some people might enjoy this one. It is somewhat different, but it's just not for me.


Overall House Impression

As you can tell from my reviews, I am not a fan of this house. I have only tried two of their fragrances though, but these two did leave a bad taste in my mouth based on fragrance quality and the quality control of their bottles. Such a shame that a company that is known for revolutionizing the knife industry did this in the fragrance industry. These bottles retail for $56 for 100ml. You can get them on Fragrancenet for much cheaper. Around $20 each. I would advise against it, but maybe you will like them and have a better experience.

I will say this though, I have Cuba Prestige Black, which is supposedly a clone of Swiss Army(the original fragrance that they made). It's okay. It's a pretty safe and generic scent, but it smells good. So, if Swiss Army smells like that then maybe I just bought the worst ones from the house. I will have to pick up Swiss Army and test for myself at some point.


Sorry folks, I normally don't do negative reviews, but I thought people should be made aware of my issues with this house. I hope you enjoyed it as always. If you want to support my blog you can hit the blue follow button on the right-hand side of the page. have a great evening everyone! Until next time, keep smelling fantastic!