Azrayel

Bertrand Duchaufour the nose behind CDG Avignon, which I have tried but was not too impressed after two wearings. I rate Avignon 7/10. But he astonished me when I sampled his Timbuktu, led me to buy a full bottle. It earned many compliments every time I wear it and Timbuktu has climbed up to my top 10 best perfumes rating it 9.5/10.
This is now a tie as per my evaluation oh Duchaufour's creations. I can't wait for my Dzongkha to arrive.

Today my sample on Seville arrived along with 6 more samples, freebies from an online store as gifts from being their avid customer.

This is my take on Seville to please my curiosity. A dab on my right arm and I felt already its beastly orange blossoms. It smells strong but good on top as I smell the orange blossoms, white florals with a sharp tone of beeswax, that added light sweetness. There is a faint lavender note coming in and out.

But after 20 minutes or so, reaching the heart, I felt it to be slightly cloying. I can stand this cloying note but I can't distinguish which one it is, maybe carnation, as I am not accustomed to its scent plus I don't remember having a carnation note on my perfumes.

The heart didn't stay long and an hour after, the scent was pleasant but not original, not even outstanding. I know I have smelled this dry down before. If there is leather here, I didn't get any out of it. I smell paper, a stationary but very light yet nice. But I have smelled this dry down better on one perfume that I admire.

Seville is a love/hate perfume. A loud & potent charming top, a less interesting mildly cloying heart and a lightly pleasant dry down, not unique but appealing.

It is suitable for spring and fall on an afternoon to evening occasion. This is best & would get more compliments on a windy outdoor walk, garden setting event plus would attract female noses. I don't think, as a man, that I will turn my head to a woman wearing Seville.

I would rather turn my head on a woman wearing a heavier, more refined and wonderful dry down, like Alien. This is Seville's resemblance, a heavyweight and way ahead more beautiful base scent. My rate would be 7/10. Admirers of Alien may like this greener & lightly floral fragrance with a citrusy top.

Last November, one fine afternoon, I claimed at the post office a big shoe box containing my order of 100ml. Thierry Mugler A*Men Les Parfums de Cuir with a surprising total of 39 samples/spritzers of different perfumes.

First spray, It's Amen with mint, lesser tar. After 5 minutes, lo and behold, for those of you who can't find a Pure Coffee these days, here it is, manifesting strongly, for about 5 minutes. Then the leather slowly comes in along with the very smooth Amen fragrance. This goes on for about 30 minutes on my skin of which the projection is a beast, remarkable and non-cloying. This Angel with smaller wings (flanker of A*Men, tamer scent) can soar high, unexpectedly...

I sprayed this on my left arm and Yardley citrus and woods (Terre de Hermes copy indeed) on my left wrist, Alain Iquitos on my left back hand, Ferre Man on my right wrist, Loewe Escencia on my clothes (whew, impressive) and YSL Haute concentrate pour homme on my right arm. Wow fireworks everywhere but behold, Amen Pure Leather and Loewe E. are dominating wonderfully to my nose. All these new purchases were amazing but that would be for reviews to come.

Its been two hours now and the Amen original dry down is what I am smelling with Pure Coffee magically coming in and out. Leather is just minimal, on stealth as mint and chocolate (to simply describe what I smell) are very stable. This is well refined, so beautiful perfume that is just okay on summer nights, great to wear on fall and spring but definitely best on winter.

It's Amen done right, Amen done sexier and Amen that will draw compliments with its gourmand aroma but will make you smell more sophisticated compared with the original Amen which is a love/hate but one of the best dry down in my personal perfume experience.

I got 3 A*men big bottles on my wardrobe but this is worth keeping. Ten hours after, leather scent is still there, quiet yet great smelling, complimenting with the A*Men similar dry down.

Again, this is A*men with less the loved/hated tar plus "brief yet very satisfying" Pure Coffee surprise comeback and A*men smoothly reinvented with the stealthy leather, what else can you ask for?

I personally love this fragrance compared with Pure Malt, Pure Havane and Pure Coffee (the only flaw is longevity but far better in scent and dry down compared with Rochas Man and New Haarlem, of which both I have).

Now I can say that Pure Leather will be at the front line of my perfume wardrobe.

Buy, Try or Pass? For those who tested A*Men and is planning to buy a bottle, buy this instead.

For those who have A*Men, without a Pure Coffee, get a bottle of this. For those who have A*Men & not interested with Pure Coffee, then you can buy this on a sample (Surrendertochance have this) and up to you to decide if you want to own a bottle. As for me, a perfume collector, this is truly precious to hold and to wear for many years. A*Men for an outdoor cold days and Pure Leather for indoor occasions. This can be a signature scent, a date scent and a formal event scent. But don't wear this at work, unless wear with 1 spray only. That is all guys. Cheers.

Scent - 9.5/10

Sillage - 10/10 like A*Men

Longevity - 10 hours up...

Red Vetiver is exclusive and gorgeous.

It is far better than Tom Ford's Grey Vetiver because this RV smells so rich and elegant.

I like this better than Chanel Sycomore (sweeter and milder) & even with my Terre de Hermes EDP & EDT. RV is strong but non cloying. It is a scent that would make a statement that you've got a wonderful taste in fragrance. It is rich, the vetiver is formal, the projection and longevity is to die for.

So far, I have tried many Vetiver fragrance from designers to Niche vetivers even the 1902 Vetiver. But of all these frags, my top is RV, second is Encre Noir, next would be Sel de Vetiver, TDH EDP, Sycomore & L'Occitane Vetyver.

Red Vetiver is good to blind buy so long as you have an idea what a vetiver note smelled from other perfumes. You can't go wrong with RV. It is for me, so far, Montale's best after trying my other Montales: Red Aoud, Black Aoud, Patchouli Leaves, White Aoud and Aoud Ambre.

Montale Red Vetiver: 9.5/10 ... It is almost a holy grail, almost, a wonder!

Alien made me act like an alien. Not just me but even my gorgeous friend acted like an alien too. Why?

The two of us met in a cafe, I gave her a 20ml. Alien decant from my 60ml. as my Christmas gift for her. Alien back in my former country was unknown, unpopular and very hard to find.

She has no idea what Alien is all about. She have lots of well known perfumes here but Thierry Muglers frags, shes not aware of.

So I told her Merry Christmas in advance, gave her the bottle and sprayed it lightly on her wrist. She sniff, I sniff, she said, its strong but unique. I said, its alien, aliens are strong and more powerful than humans. She sniff, I sniff, I said, now you feel the alien coming into you, she said it is still too strong for me but you're so sweet. I said, aliens have lasting strength lol

Then I told her, guess what, I have a tiny vial of Angel for women, so I sprayed it on my wrist, she sniff, I sniff, she said, wow so strong, so divine and creamy. I told her Angels are strong and heaven is a creamy place lol She loved it at first sniff. I was afraid she might ask to own my tiny Angel as well, but she didn't although I read her mind as if salivating to have it. Just like the "Aliens" in the movies lol

So we kept sniffing both fragrances, I sniff on her she sniff on me, until later she sniff her wrist again and began appreciating Alien in her skin, its so sexy, elegant, unique, exquisite. I sniff on her and was glad she loved Alien already. She sniff on me, wearing Angel for women and I saw her face like an Alien, still salivating to have my Angel. Then I told her, I think we better have dinner than act like aliens, sniffing each other like crazy.
These may all be just a case of "starvation" after all and People around us, I said, have been watching us and wondering..look at those two nerds! lol

We laughed and enjoyed our friendship... but sniffing continues as we ate dinner elsewhere lol
Hours later, im home, she texted me, she sniffing, can still smell Alien, long lasting and wonderful fragrance. She said she will use it on Christmas Eve and I said, whenever you receive compliments using Alien, tell them "I come in Peace" lmao...

I was lucky to have owned this Rochas Man and recently, the very hard to find, Rochas Man Intense.

Rochas Man, to many who have tried, this is a very good mocha scent in perfume. It is perfectly refined to be noticed, to wear a woody sweet gourmand with a touch of floral plus an amazing blend of coffee, vanilla, musk, amber and others.

Compliments are easy when wearing it. Sensual, rugged (I think), moderately loud and one of the best winter moment cuddling scent. Should I not known that this is from Rochas, I would have guessed that this is a niche fragrance. Something to be addicted with because even if there is a resemblance with Bond no. 9 New Haarlem (maple sweeter), Rochas Man, will steal your moment once you take a whiff of it from someone with the right skin chemistry. Projection is moderate, Longevity is monster. Is it worth a space to perfume collectors? Definitely.

Rochas Man Intense, to put it simply by feeling is "mocha done better than Rochas Man". RM and RMI share the same top but less on floral notes. RM from top to heart is more intense and loud. RMI is more impressive from heart to base but closer to skin, yet more intimate.

Close to skin but with more depth, warmer, creamier, darker, lesser sweetness and straight up, full bodied woody gourmand without the hint of floral (on my skin) . It is not as sharp as RM but definitely much pleasant to women's nose and a hint of powdery on base compared with RM. A scent that was more refined to enhance the heart and base for compliments but closer to skin. It is a scent not intended to shout and get noticed. A quiet one but a charmer that pulsate now and then to whiff up, to leave a statement of being bittersweet, sexy, pure mocha goodness & very addictive to sniff the skin.