For Him Bleu Noir Narciso Rodriguez 2018 Eau de Parfum

This is a great fragrance. It doesn't reinvent the wheel, and will definitely smell familiar to most noses. This woody-musky-fougereish DNA has doubtlessly been done before. However, the blending, quality, and the manner in which Bleu Noir EDP pulls off that DNA off is notable.

First off, I will say that I have not smelt the EDT, so I can't say how it compares. I will say, however, that this has absolutely NOTHING to do with Terre d'Hermes beyond the fact that they both contain vetiver and wood. There are shades of Cartier's Declaration here, but only just; this is not by any means a clone of that fragrance. Bleu Noir EDP is dominated by a smooth, creamy, clean musk and supported by woods and amber. None of the spiciness, bitterness, dirtiness, or really complexity of Declaration is present here. This like Declaration trimmed of all its sharpness and edge, rounded off and smoothed over. Overall it is an exceedingly simple fragrance (in the best way) with little evolution which is completely inoffensive, comfortable, and easy to wear. If you love clean musk, this is one of the best in the designer realm for men.

As others have commented, this is a fragrance of contrasts. It absolutely lives up to the name "Bleu Noir", i.e. "dark blue". There is definitely darkness here - dark woods, deep amber, rooty vetiver - but there's light, despite the lack of citrus, and transparency too. The musk is at once dense, creamy, and fresh. The mental image I get when I smell Bleu Noir is almost exactly the same as the bottle - a sheet of dark, cobalt blue glass, opaque but transparent enough to see through, with a light shining behind it.

Because of the contrasts, I could easily see different facets of the fragrance emerging depending on the weather. I've only worn it in warm weather thus far, and I've been getting mostly the lighter side of things in the heat. At the moment, the dark ebony and cedar only seem seem to emerge in the deep drydown. However, I could easily see this being just as well-suited to the cold as it is to the heat, with the woods and amber taking center stage. It truly fulfills its role as a "blue" fragrance, being a Swiss Army knife that can be used for all occasions in all seasons.

I have not had the performance issues that others have had at all. 4-5 sprays lasts me about all day (7-8 hrs) with soft but noticeable projection for the majority of the day and arm's length sillage. It creates a very pleasant but somewhat restrained aura around you, which in my book is the best kind of projection. I'll have to test how well it performs in colder weather, but performance in warm weather has been surprisingly strong.

Overall, Bleu Noir EDP is an easy to wear, dark, classy, clean, and sensual fragrance that I've worn the hell out. I think this one has flown under the radar, which is easy to do in this blue designer market. If you wear Bleu Noir EDP, you won't necessarily smell "different" per se (though rest assured, this smells nothing like Bleu de Chanel, Sauvage, Dylan Blue, or Elysium), but you will smell great. For men looking for a great all-rounder that stands apart from the currently trending, I rate this is as a top pick. This is the kind of fragrance that wears like a perfect pair of jeans. It's comforting and cozy, stylish and suave, sleek and a little bit sexy. It's not a statement piece, and it's not even necessarily a huge compliment getter, but what wardrobe is complete without a great pair of jeans? For the price I paid ($56 for 100ml with a great presentation), I couldn't be happier.