12
Top Review
Olivier Polge quotes himself.
I was positively surprised when I smelled Valentino Uomo, because the first impression was "Oh, a really nice, solid fragrance! Just like Dior Homme!".
Somehow, that also directly dampened the initial enthusiasm. Especially the fact that the fragrance is by Olivier Polge was somehow a mindfuck for me (sorry if that sounds too vulgar). Maybe I'm just heavily scarred by my perfume hobby here, but I wondered for quite a while what the idea behind Valentino Uomo was. Was Olivier Polge just too lazy to come up with something new? Were the clients lazy and just said, "Hey Oli, make something like Dior Homme, that was great!"?
One possible background could be that the formula for Dior Homme transitioned with the change of Dior's sourcing for raw materials to Francois Demachy, with which Dior Homme - in my opinion - could/must have been reformulated to perfection.
A comparison to Dior Homme is certainly unavoidable, as both perfumes contain this cocoa-iris combo, which also includes that "lipstick accord," which is somewhat toned down in Valentino Uomo. Additionally, there are other elements like this slight hint of "grape sugar" to the vanilla.
What you don't find in Uomo, however, is vetiver, which gives Dior Homme that crisp green nuance. Valentino Uomo, on the other hand, comes across more like a calorie bomb. I perceive VO as a sweeter version of Dior Homme with less contrast, fewer edges and corners. I would say VO is exactly for those who don't like Dior Homme because of its pronounced lipstick accord or for those who want a little piece of the old Dior Homme back (because that also had a kind of grape sugar note in it for me).
Seen this way, Valentino Uomo is, in my opinion, a very good fragrance, even though I somehow don't understand why one would copy one of their own creations, especially when they've already conjured up something good like Spicebomb.
But all in all, VO just feels "cooler" than Dior Homme. And as such, it certainly has crowd-pleaser potential.
Oh, and by the way, I personally really like the bottle; it somehow reminds me of those Grossmith bottles. It has a certain old-world charm.
Somehow, that also directly dampened the initial enthusiasm. Especially the fact that the fragrance is by Olivier Polge was somehow a mindfuck for me (sorry if that sounds too vulgar). Maybe I'm just heavily scarred by my perfume hobby here, but I wondered for quite a while what the idea behind Valentino Uomo was. Was Olivier Polge just too lazy to come up with something new? Were the clients lazy and just said, "Hey Oli, make something like Dior Homme, that was great!"?
One possible background could be that the formula for Dior Homme transitioned with the change of Dior's sourcing for raw materials to Francois Demachy, with which Dior Homme - in my opinion - could/must have been reformulated to perfection.
A comparison to Dior Homme is certainly unavoidable, as both perfumes contain this cocoa-iris combo, which also includes that "lipstick accord," which is somewhat toned down in Valentino Uomo. Additionally, there are other elements like this slight hint of "grape sugar" to the vanilla.
What you don't find in Uomo, however, is vetiver, which gives Dior Homme that crisp green nuance. Valentino Uomo, on the other hand, comes across more like a calorie bomb. I perceive VO as a sweeter version of Dior Homme with less contrast, fewer edges and corners. I would say VO is exactly for those who don't like Dior Homme because of its pronounced lipstick accord or for those who want a little piece of the old Dior Homme back (because that also had a kind of grape sugar note in it for me).
Seen this way, Valentino Uomo is, in my opinion, a very good fragrance, even though I somehow don't understand why one would copy one of their own creations, especially when they've already conjured up something good like Spicebomb.
But all in all, VO just feels "cooler" than Dior Homme. And as such, it certainly has crowd-pleaser potential.
Oh, and by the way, I personally really like the bottle; it somehow reminds me of those Grossmith bottles. It has a certain old-world charm.
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6 Comments
Adan 11 years ago
He's definitely good. :)
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KleineHexe 11 years ago
Sometimes Oli P. can quote himself, especially when it turns out well.
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DieNase 11 years ago
The bottle, however, is quite tacky.
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DieNase 11 years ago
Yes, I can definitely smell vetiver in the drydown. More than in the current Dior Homme. In the middle stage, the scent smells a bit synthetic when sniffed directly on the skin. But in the sillage, it smells great.
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Adan 11 years ago
Yes, definitely.
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Skylab 11 years ago
Grape sugar note in the old Dior Homme?! No way! *laughs*
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