Creed Royal Oud Review

Source: www.fragrantica.com

Hello ladies and gentleman! I hope everyone is having a great day! Today I am going over a fragrance that I thought I reviewed already, but it turns out that I only mentioned it in a few articles. So here we go, Creed Royal Oud...One of the more popular releases from Creed. Let's get into it!


Presentation

The real bottle is a Creed bottle. I say "real" because I have a decant. The actual bottle is pretty classy like all Creeds are. Black and gold always has that simple sophistication that screams "class". However, mine is a decant. It's simple, labeled clearly and the atomizer works pretty well. So, no complaints. I did order this one from www.myfragrancesamples.com.

The Royal Oud decant is on the right. Sorry, it's night time and I couldn't take a new picture of the single decant.

Notes 

Top 
Lemon, Pink Pepper, Bergamot

Mid
Angelica, Galbanum, Cedar

Base 
Indian Oud, Tonkin Musk, Sandalwood


The Scent

Creed describes this fragrance on their official website with this," Wood, leather, marble, and gold. These luxurious elements of a Persian palace are the inspiration behind the architecture of Royal Oud. Precious, sweet oud is carefully extracted from agarwood trees, a carefully-guarded resource that grows only in certain parts of India. Oud’s rarity lends to the expense of the fragrance’s coveted raw materials, prized by both the men and women who wear it. A fashionable favorite amongst today’s royals and heads of state, Royal Oud’s universal blend bottles the splendor of palace life across continents."

Opening

Royal Oud opens with a bit of citrus combined with some pepper and cedar with a solid backbone of greenness. I get a lot of galbanum off the top with this one and it persists through the fragrance life. Most people speak of the woody nuances and spice, but my nose picks up a lot of musky and green galbanum. Perhaps the oud could be slightly medicinal and lend to me smelling it in this way.

Dry Down

The dry down gets a bit more composed and some refined and spicy cedar comes out stronger, accentuated by pink pepper/You can also smell a bit of sandalwood helping the cedar stay woody. I still get a good dosage of galbanum in this phase as well. Perhaps my nose is sensitive to that notes. It's real galbanum too, not synthetic at all. This whole fragrance smells wonderfully natural. As I said before, I think the oud might be a bit medicinal, which lends to the galbanum smell, plus angelica root is slightly pungent as well. Sometimes it gives off almost a light mint vibe to me, with spices and woods.

Longevity

I get around 8-9 hours of longevity with this one. Around 3 hours of arm's length projection and a nice sillage trail for most of the life of the fragrance. It's not a beast mode fragrance, but this one is not meant to be loud and obnoxious. This fragrance is meant to be classy, and the performance reassures us of that.

When to Wear it

This fragrance is best in the cold to mild weather. I think it is pretty versatile and can be worn any time of the year except in the dead heat of the summer. To me, it's more of a formal fragrance, but it could be worn casually as well. Just not with sneakers and a t-shirt. This fragrance has a bit too much class for that. I would say not to wear this unless you are over 30. A confident younger man in a suit could certainly pull this off though.


Overall Impression

This is a very classy and gentlemanly fragrance. It's done in the classic Creed style that seems to transcend age barriers. It smells natural, expensive(it is pretty pricey), and sophisticated. This is a fragrance for a confident man who knows what he wants out of life.

Is it worth the price tag? I am not sure, initially, I would say yes, but there are many clones of this one including Lomani Intense Black, Alexandria Royalty, and Genre Parfums Royal Intellect. I haven't smelled any of those, so I cannot attest to how good they actually are or how close they are to Royal Oud. If you have tried any clones of this one and have also tried Royal Oud, let me know in the comments which you like the best!

Thank for tuning in once again! Much love to all of you who support me! Remember to hit that blue follow button on the right-hand side and sign up for the email notifications to be notified when I post!

My discount code MUSINGS10 will be active until January 31st. You will get 10% off the already low prices at www.whatsmyscent.com. Go grab a few decants and try his service out. You won't be disappointed.

Disclaimer: No, I do not get any portion of the sales from you using the code. It's simply a special code to get a little bit more off your order to my viewers.

Whatsmyscent.com Decant Site Review

Disclaimer: Nathan Geck sent me the Scent of Peace decant. I didn't buy that one from the site.

Hello ladies and gentleman and welcome back to my blog! Today I have another site review for you. It's from a company that decants fragrances called WhatsMyScent. I only use two decanting sites to get my fragrances to test. This is one of them. Hang around until the end to get a nifty 10% off coupon off his already low prices.


The Site

Address: www.whatsmyscent.com


Impression

Presentation

These are some simple, but classy decant bottles. The label is black with gold writing that identifies the fragrance clearly. It comes with a golden cap, which is plastic, but still looks nice. The atomizer is gold and has decent performance. Overall, I think this simple but classy presentation makes the decants look good in my collection. I am not sure why one has the milky plastic cap, but it still works fine. I guess he just ran out of fancy caps or because that one was 10ML. I am not sure. It doesn't bother me though.

Cost

WhatMyScent has some of the best prices on some of their offerings. I literally got 5ML of PdM Herod for 11 bucks, which is a pretty good price. You can get 10ML of Amouage Jubilation for $23. Even less if you use my discount code at the end of this article.

He often runs specials such as buy one get one free or buy one get one 50% off. Considering you could pick up up 20ml of Aventus for around 30 bucks when he runs this special...That is a great deal.

Fragrance Selection

This is the only downside to this company, but it's not a con to me. They don't have a ton of fragrances to choose from. He is working on getting more in though. It is a small company right now and it's working its way up to becoming a more vast company with many offerings. He does carry both men's and women's fragrances as well as some unisex ones.

Customer Service

Daniel(the owner) is very eager to please and engage customers. When I emailed him about my plans to review his site he responded to me in around an hour. Daniel personally writes the emails himself, so you aren't going to get a canned response like with some of the major companies. He was very cordial and polite. He was more than willing to give me a discount code for my readers to use to try his site out. He did tell me that many of his customers are repeat customers. So, that in itself speaks volumes about the level of service he provides.

Shipping

Daniel gets a vast majority of his orders out the day after they are ordered. So, you can usually get your order within 3-4 business days after ordering it. He offers free shipping for orders over $35 and he is based out of Illinois in the US. So, if you are closer to Illinois you might get it faster.

Overall Impression

Whatsmyscent.com is an up and coming company that will be talked about more soon. I initially heard of it through my good friend, Nathan Geck, who is also a fraghead. He convinced me to try them out and I did. Just for transparency purposes, that order was paid for with my own money. The company did not send me anything in that order for free.

A screenshot proving that I paid for my order.

You folks know how I love supporting the smaller companies and trying to help them grow. I believe Daniel and his team are doing a great job at what they do and I hope to see his business grow so that we can get more offerings from him with the superb sales that he runs. Give his company a shot, I truly believe that you will not regret it.

As I said before, I only use two decant sites. I am very picky about who I use for decants and who I support in general. I only seek to support the ones who do a good job. I would not put my reputation on the line for something I don't believe in. I just think we often overlook some of these great sites and brands because no one has spoken of them. Hype is a big thing in the fragrance community. I truly believe that some of the best companies are some of the ones who are not spoken of very often, this is one of them.

I planned on doing a review of this site, but I decided to contact them first and see if I could get you fine folks a discount code and they were happy to provide me with one. MUSINGS10 will get you 10% off your order. This code is valid until January 31st. 10% off might not seem like much, but the prices are already low and that makes them even lower.

If you need any help with the site or have any questions feel free to comment on this article or message me on Facebook and I would be more than happy to assist you.

I hope everyone enjoyed today's article! Be sure to hit the blue follow button on the right-hand side to support my works! Until next time, keep smelling amazing and have a fantastic day!

My Top 10 Beast Mode Fragrances

Source: www.pixabay.com

Hello ladies and gentleman. I hope everyone is doing fantastic. Today I am going to cover my longest lasting fragrances in my collection. Not all of these are projection monsters, but they all last a long time as at least a skin scent. Let's get into it!


10. Perry Ellis 360 Red

Considering this is a citrus based fragrance, it is quite impressive to find it on this list. This spicy ADG clone gives me around 8-9 hours with a good 2-3 hours of projection. It's synthetic, but it smells great and it's super cheap and long lasting.


9. Parfums de Marly Herod

Soucre: www.fragrantica.com

This warm blend of tobacco, vanilla, and spices gives me around 8-9 hours. I hear it was reformulated though. I am not sure what batch I have because it's just a decant. I am still putting it on here because I think it's a newer formulation.


8. Mont Blanc Individuel

This is the first time I have spoken on this one. As you can tell, I have used quite a bit of it. This freshly laundered fragrance gives me about 8-9 hours with a good 3 hours of projection. One of my better dumb reaches for the cooler months. Sometimes I wear one spray in the summer as well.

7. Bvlgari Aqva Amara

This orange and incense bomb gets me around 9+ hours. It's one of those fragrances that you either love or you hate though. Personally, I love it. It projects well for at least 3 hours as well.

6(Tie). Azarro Chrome Legend

I get around 9-10 hours with this fresh and metallic green apple and tea bomb. Really great performance for a freshie. It's synthetic, but it smells amazing. One of my favorite summer fragrances.


6(Tie). Dior Sauvage

The much loved and hated Sauvage is a great performer. Clocking in around 9-10 hours on my skin. 1-2 sprays is all it takes folks, don't overspray or you will make everyone around you hate you.

5.  Penhaligon's LP No 9

Source: www.fragrantica.com

This clove heavy fragrance lasts a long time. I get 9-10 hours with 3-4 of projection. A great holiday fragrance that I have covered a few times on my blog.


4. Bentley for Men Intense

This smoky, leathery, and rum bomb is super strong. I get around  10 hours on my skin with 3-4 of projection. A great fragrance for the price. It's one that you either love or hate.


3. Alexandria Fragrances Mr. Sillage

A great tribute to a great man. I get around 10 hours with this one with 3-4 of projection. It could possibly be longer than that, but I might be nose blind to it.


2. Genre Parfums Noble Soul

This inspiration of By Killian's Black Phantom gives me about 11 hours and 3-4 hours of projection. This stuff is potent. You might not smell it for that long, but it is there. Great juice for $25.


1. Bond No 9 The Scent of Peace

Source: www.fragrantica.com

"Wait, John...You said in your initial review that you got 8 hours out of this...What?". That is what I thought...until I wore it on a warmer day recently and received a compliment 12 hours after applying it. I misjudged how long this one lasts and I apologize for that. So, this one lasts at least 12 hours and it smells amazing. That juniper and pineapple are so beautiful. Amazing for a fresh fragrance.


Thank you for tuning in, folks! I hope you enjoyed this one! Be sure to hit that blue follow button at the right to support my work. Until next time, keep smelling great!

Top 5 Dating Fragrances

Source: www.pixabay.com

Hey folks! I am thankful that y'all could join me once again. I hope everyone is in good health and smelling fantastic! Today I am going to cover my top 5 fragrances for dates in my collection. These are not my top 5 overall ones. Just the ones I currently own. Let's get into it!


Number 5: Yves Saint Laurent La Nuit De l'Homme

Source: www.fragrantica.com

You literally cannot make a date fragrance list and exclude this one. This spicy and creamy cardamon with lavender fragrance is at the forefront of our minds when we think of dating. It works, women love it. It's dark, mysterious, and alluring. It's a best seller for that reason. It's not quite as good as it used to be, but still very solid. It's just a very played out fragrance, so that is why I put it at number 5. I only have a decant of it because I only wear it specifically for dates. This fragrance is better not being a projection monster in my opinion. It makes your date want to come in closer to get a better sniff. date fragrances aren't typically projection monsters, even though one on my list is.


Number 4: Valentino Uomo

Source: www.fragrantica.com

This is actually one of my most complimented fragrances. As you saw in my full review, I only had 8 MLs of it, so I didn't wear it a ton. It's spicy, gourmand, and slightly soapy. A nice safe fragrance for a date, especially in the fall with its hazelnut note.


Number 3: Reyane Traditions Insurrection Pure II

Yes, you could substitute this for Aventus or CDNIM. Even though I think it trends more towards Mancera Cedrat Boise. It's still a great quality fragrance that can be had for pennies(around $20). I had to include some sort of warmer weather one in this list, so this is my pick for that. The vanilla seems to be more prominent here than in the batches of Aventus that I have smelled, so that is why I prefer this one over those for dates in the summer. This one projects pretty well, but it doesn't become cloying or too much.


Number 2: Burberry London

Nothing says "cuddle me" more than this fragrance. If it's in the fall, then this fragrance just makes sense. You can get the sensation of wet leaves falling from the trees. You can also get port wine. Sometimes I even get a Christmas tree smell. It's a fragrance that seems to invoke different memories every time I smell it. It's a bit dark and spicy. It's alluring and women tend to love it. It's not a projection monster, so it draws people in, which is what you want if you like your date.


Number 1: Lacoste Pour Homme

Yes, I know. I talked about this one yesterday. However, I do think it's a great dating fragrance. It works well year-round, except if it's a particularly hot summer night. I would opt for Insurrection Pure II then. It's sexy, sweet, a little dark, and alluring. I have worn this one on countless dates and I have never been told that I smell bad. I have only been told I smell good with this one twice(on dates) though. That might be due to "first date nerves" though, I don't know.  However, I think it fits the bill perfectly and this is a very overlooked fragrance.



I hope you enjoyed this one! Remember to hit the blue follow button at the right-hand side to support my work. You can also +1 my content on Google if you'd like. Any type of support is very much appreciated. Have a great day everyone and keep smelling amazing!

5 Fragrances You Should Try

Image source: www.pixabay.com

Hello ladies and gentleman! Sorry that I have not posted in a few days. I somehow contracted an infection and the antibiotics have been whooping my tail. So, I haven't been feeling well. I should be back to normal posting in a week or less. Depending on when I feel better. Today I have for you 5 fragrances that you need to try. Some of these have plenty of haters and discourage people from buying them and some of them are relatively unknown. These aren't fragrances in every collector's collection. They are not in numerical order. Let's get into it!


Honorable Mention: Anything from Genre Parfums, DUA, or Alexandria Fragrances

Hany, Mahsam, and Devin are doing work at creating these cones for affordable prices. They have many haters, but to deny the number of people who love these inspirations would be criminal. There is certainly a market for us po' folks who can't afford to drop $500 on 30ml of Roja Dove Amber Aoud. Also, for people who just don't want to spend that much on fragrances when they can get something similar at a tiny fraction of the cost.

Now, I have not tried anything from DUA yet, but I hear good things and he does replicate some of the discontinued and hard to find stuff. He is a bit pricier than the other two, but he does have more offerings as well.

Alexandria is one of my favorite houses. Hany does a lot of good work for the community and is a very generous man. Always polite to his fans and rewards them frequently. I only have Mr. Sillage from him, but I look forward to trying more.

Genre Parfums is the up and comer that I just did two reviews on. This would be my choice on the price alone, but I just like Devin's style more. $25 for 30ml and $45 for 60ml...You can't beat that for something that smells like a niche.

All three houses are good though, so order from the ones you like. Don't let the haters tell you that they make these fragrances in bathtubs. They don't. As far as the quality of oils used, I can't say. My nose is not developed enough to tell the difference. I can only tell synthetic versus natural. They smell good, that is what matters.


Number 5: Dsquared² He Wood Rocky Mountain Wood

I hear this one smells a bit like Mancera Wind Wood. I have not smelled Wind Wood, but it makes sense with the violet and cedar dominance in both fragrances. I don't often use the term "niche quality" like some others do, but this is niche quality. It's unique, dark, and relaxing. Dark and relaxing in the same sentence? Yep. Like a forest after a rainstorm while it's still cloudy out.

Rocky Mountain Wood Review

Number 4: Hollister Wave

This fragrance's quality surprised me. Being that is from Hollister, a company that is marketed towards teenagers and young adults. Its presentation is quite nice, along with the fragrance itself. Yuzu, driftwood, salt, bamboo, and lavender. Very fresh and uplifting. I don't think many people know about this one. Look at the juice level. I wear this one a good bit in the summer.

Hollister Wave Review


Number 3: Penhaligon's LP No 9

Source: www.fragrantica.com

A great fragrance for the holidays. This clove heavy fragrance is a thing of beauty if you enjoy cloves. Smells like Christmas and was my SOTD on Christmas and Thanksgiving. Not everyone know about this house and those that do don't really know about this fragrance, so it's very far from mainstream.

LP No 9 Review


Number 2: Lacoste Pour Homme

One of the better fragrances from a somewhat obscure house. Plum, vanilla, and rum with some apple and cinnamon. That is what you need to know about this one. It's a beautiful fragrance that is pretty versatile to wear all year long, except on hot summer days.  I have been talking about this one for a while now. This is the fragrance that made me start getting into fragrances.


Number 1: Paris Hilton Just Me

This one isn't unique. You will be able to tell the DNA right away. It's an ADG clone. However, unlike Perry Ellis 360 Red...This one has no added cinnamon note. It still has cloves and nutmeg though, but they are at the back, not the front. So, if you want a cheap ADG alternative and don't find the cinnamon in 360 Red to be a good fit, then try this one out. The performance is good, but not quite as good as 360 Red.

Thank you once again! Hit the blue follow button at the right-hand side to support my work. Hopefully I feel up to posting again tomorrow or later today. Until next time, I hope everyone has a great day! 

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

Dior Sauvage EDT Review

Hello ladies and gentleman! I hope everyone is doing well this evening. Tonight I have a review that I have been putting off for forever, Dior Sauvage. Due to its popularity and hate, I have steered away from reviewing it...Plus every other reviewer has a review of it. That's okay though. I do have it, so I might as well review it. Let's get into it!


Presentation

I really like the bottle on this one. The dark blue fade on the front looks gorgeous. I really love the magnetic cap as well. I have often times just sat here and played with it...Yeah, I know I am a kid at heart 😆. This atomizer on this is the best one that I have ever seen. It shoots a ton of juice out and makes a hissing sound. That's pretty awesome.

Notes
Top
Pepper, bergamot

Mid
Lavender, Geranium, Sichuan Pepper, Elemi, Vetiver, Pink Pepper

Base
Cedar, Ambroxan, Labdanum


Scent

Opening
You get a fresh dose of bergamot, lots of spice, and ambroxan in the opening. It's aggressive, forward, and unbashful. It tells you what it is right from the start. The pepper is very strong. If I smell it too much in the opening then I go anosmic to it shortly after.

Dry Down
The woodiness comes into play in the dry down. The ambroxan acts more like an amber now. It's still strong and peppery. So, you end up with a spicy and woody amber with some sparkling bergamot at the top.

Longevity
I get around 10 hours with it at least. I go anosmic to it because of the pepper. My nose is very sensitive to pepper. I have had people comment on it 10 hours after I applied. It seems to project for a good 3-4 hours as well. It also leaves a pretty massive sillage trail.

When to Wear it
This fragrance is super versatile and can be worn year-round and for almost any situation. I personally think it's too aggressive for formal wear though. It can be used for dates, clubbing, casual, work or whatever else you want to use it for. the EDP is slightly better for cold weather, but the EDT does fine in that as well.

Overall Impression

It's not a particularly great smelling fragrance when you smell it on your wrist. It's okay though. However, what you smell on yourself is not what others smell. I think this one might be popular because they might have put pheromones in it, There is no evidence to support this, however, Eau Sauvage was the first fragrance to have pheromones in it and I wouldn't be surprised if this one did as well, given its popularity with women.

Why is it so popular besides my thoughts on possible pheromones? It's very synthetic and messy. Its aggressive pepper, strong sparkling bergamot, and in your face ambroxan...Because it just works. On paper you look at the notes and think that it couldn't possibly work...it does. Love it or hate it, there is no denying that this works if you are seeking compliments.

It's not my favorite fragrance by far, but I do wear it when I am looking for compliments. Its good at what it does do. which is getting compliments.

Also, on a side note...if you use more than two sprays you might kill someone. I ran into a guy in a grocery store that was wearing like 8 sprays of this and it was nauseating to me smell him 3 aisles down from me. I am not sure if it was 8 sprays, but he oversprayed for sure. Please don't be that guy. Have pity on those of us who are sensitive to pepper 😆

Thanks for stopping by folks! I hope you enjoyed my take on Sauvage. Hit that blue follow button if you want to support me. Until next time, be well and smell fantastic!


Buy Sauvage here