03/09/2015
Rickbr
190 Reviews
Rickbr
Not groundbreaking, but well crafted
On the premium market of said niche fragrances, Clive Christian is already a veteran, acting since 1999. It's an experienced brand that knowns very well that when you charge a lot you have to deliver a consistent set of fragrance, bottle and package, something that it's not necessarily novel but that correctily passes the luxury sensation, that most of times it's a matter of very well chosen details. Among its masculine creations, V is one that best transmits me this luxury impression. It's a spicy oriental very well crafted, giving me the impression of a combination of ideas found in 3 fragrances: M7, Gucci Pour Homme I and Bois d'Encens. What draws my attention here, however, is that in seeing inspired V doesn't look like it's copying none of them, and, unlike many xerjoffs, it's not a fragrance where harmony is dismissed in favor of crude and strong synthetic aura. V seems exquisite from the beginning until the end of its evolution. It's oppening is very peppery, like a mixture of pink and black peppers. The black one has a drier and salty aroma and enhances in an harminous way the incense aroma while the pink one provides a slightly sweet and fruity side and harmonises the goth side of incense + black pepper combo. The oud here seems to evoke an aura around the other ingreidents, a sweet and musky aroma that evaporates like it was part of the incense, as if the proposed incense was soaked into a mixture to create the oud aura illusion. At the background, you notice the vetiver and cedar conferring a drier, woody aroma to the composition at the same the elemi resin makes the incense aura a resinous, sweet aroma. All the V details fit very well and a fragrance the develops perfectly and sounds warm and alluring. Certainly it could have been more groundbreaking too, but considering what other rival brands has been offering i would say that V is an excelent choice when price is not a matter.