Tattooed boys of every age, would't you want to see something strange?
"This is Halloween, everybody make a scene" after this abysmally bad pun and a hopefully lingering earworm from "Nightmare Before Christmas," I must say upfront: Halloween Man Tattoo is not a ghostly apparition. But as a Christmas gift, it unfortunately doesn't really work either...
The scent strikes me as quite strong at first. The opening is accompanied by a certain synthetic quality, but it has enough sweetness to not be off-putting. I find the bamboo note interesting; it comes through quite well here. However, the overall composition feels somewhat unbalanced. The fragrance is neither fresh nor sweet, neither spicy nor woody; it’s a strange back-and-forth, and that is the major problem with Halloween Man Tattoo. Initially, there’s a synthetically piercing spice, followed by a bit of sweetness that simultaneously feels fresh, and towards the end, there’s a woody base that, when paired with tarragon and sea salt, almost smells like shower gel. In my opinion, the fragrance lacks its own identity. It does many things well, but none of them really stand out. What remains for me is a scent that I want to give another chance repeatedly, and that surprises me each time with a facet I had already forgotten, yet it never delivers what I wish it would.
Aside from that, there has been a significant misstep in all other respects. The longevity is at best average, the sillage is below average to poor, and I don’t even want to start on this grotesque bottle that could come from Ed Hardy (a time we all would probably like to forget).
Overall, Halloween Man Tattoo is primarily disappointing. It could actually do so much, but it definitely cannot prove it to me. Still, I believe it has the potential to surprise some people. If you dare, you can certainly give the fragrance a chance. However, it may leave my collection once again.
