I have tried a slew of BDC clones. They all seem to miss the mark in one way or another. Until the recent release of French Avenue Zenith Deep, this was the closest to replication of an authentic BDC fragrance, or at least minutes 3-30 would have you believe.
The initial opening is loud and a bit abrasive for a fresh scent, where BDC (in all forms) is very smooth and refined on application, this is disjointed and amorphous. After the first minute or two, it calms down and you get a lot of the signature BDC DNA, including some of the powdery musk that so many clones completely miss. In the following 25 minutes or so this wears like an authentic Chanel product.
At around the 30 minute mark, problems start to appear. The citrus, melon and mint notes dissipate, all of the lighter aspects become fleeting and a dry monotonus character starts to overtake the fragrance. As time progresses past the hour mark, this dry character completely dominates every other part of the fragrance until it's the only thing I can smell on myself. It smells like a vetiver or some kind of cheap musk (it's possibly the jasmine oils) react badly with some of the other aromachemicals. It truly ruins what could have been something great. This dry character is all I am left with. I can still smell the other notes if I take a break from it or come back to a garment it was sprayed on earlier, but I lose all of the goodness when it's close to my nose.
If you are looking for a cheaper alternative to BDC that nails the scent profile and lasts, the best option is French Avenue Zenith Deep.
I have also tried Missoni Pour Homme, Xeena Imperial Blue, Dylan Blue, Bharara Viking Beruit, Riffs Seasons Drift and several others. Zenith deep is the one to go with.
