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

Want insider news as to what I am working on? What I am testing? Any giveaways I might hold? Want to decide what topics for me to cover on my blog? Then join the Musings of the Fragheads Facebook group here!

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

Join the Musings of a the Fragheads Facebook Group here (I just started this group and it would be really cool to have people join and watch it grow)

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

Join the Musings of the Fragheads Facebook Group here

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

Join the Musings of the Fragheads Facebook Group here

Feel free to add me on Facebook to talk about anything fragrance related. Link here.

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