Condorpilot1

This is my first comment on a Bond No.9 perfume. Bond - often hyped and sometimes dismissed as a perfume brand that, due to its chic star-shaped bottles, is more of a status symbol than high perfume art (considering the prices). Most fragrances from the New York house, founded by Laurice Rahmé, are meant to represent various New York neighborhoods and market their character in the form of a perfume. Most are priced between 200-300 euros and up (for 100ml), but with a bit of luck, you can snag a Bond for less.

One of the product lines from Bond No.9 is the "I Love New York" series, which includes "I Love New York for Fathers" (I actually thought the fragrance was called "I Love NY for Father's Day," but well, let's go without Day...). I don't know to what extent the fragrance is no longer being produced, as stated here. In any case, it cannot be found on the Bond No.9 website.

But let's talk about the scent itself. The past few days have been wonderfully spring-like, sunny, and warm. This naturally invites one to finally take out their fragrances for warmer days from the shelf and wear them again. A walk in the fresh air and testing in perfect surroundings, letting the soul dangle and allowing the perfume to unfold. The breakdown of the perfume notes already suggests that I Love NY for Fathers will have a green scent profile. This runs through the top, heart, and base notes with green elements. Exactly what the wearer gets from this perfume. It starts with a zesty lime, which is simultaneously enhanced by a spicy touch of coriander, and to ensure it doesn't come across too sharp, soft basil and coriander alternate. However, the lime in the top note fades relatively quickly, and the next three-quarters of an hour are dominated by coriander. The scent is essentially perfect for representing the smells of a park at the beginning of spring. Green-grassy notes and very slightly floral from the first petals leaning towards the sun. Mossy and a bit damp from the morning dew.

Over time, the rather dominant coriander note becomes a bit weaker and brings basil more to the forefront. Here, the perfume begins to become more balanced. This interplay of basil and coriander gives me a touch of Asia and Asian herbs in the nose. Still, I don't want to imagine an Asian garden in my fantasy; the scent still feels too Western for that. In my opinion, the fragrance should have been called "Bond No.9 Central Park"; I don't recognize the association with Father's Day. For that, it would have needed a completely different, distinctly rougher scent, possibly a barbershop fragrance. Although - it does have a very slight barbershop feeling, but not enough for my taste.

However, the scent does not develop greatly; the top note is indeed too present throughout the scent journey, making it mostly linear. A few woody accords in the base might not be a bad idea, but overall, I still find Fathers well-balanced. The sillage is relatively restrained, but the longevity for a fresh scent is fine. A very solid fragrance that feels very natural and fits well into the current season.

Mercedes-Benz not only makes good cars. As a car perfume brand, they also know how to create appealing scents, such as Black Leather. With Honorine Blanc, they have engaged a well-known perfumer in Stuttgart. Indeed, Mercedes-Benz Black Leather is a successful creation from the house.

The perfume actually reminds me a bit of a car that is freshly delivered from the factory and smells pleasantly new inside, like leather. A sweet, powdery, and slightly fruity combination with subtle leather accords has been created. In fact, this sweetness at first did not remind me so much of iris (as in Prada L'Homme or Montale Intense so Iris). It is typically iris-powdery, but it has a component of a red fruit that slightly resembles raspberry. However, to ensure that this raspberry does not come across as too dominant or feminine, the fragrance has been given an oriental kick with incense. The leather, on the other hand, does not come across as dry and intrusive like in classic leather fragrances, but is always nicely subtle as a base. The powdery-sweet components actually soften the dryness of the leather.

Throughout the entire scent progression (about 6 hours), the fragrance does not really change. It behaves relatively consistently. Particularly because it does not have a typical leather character, it is mass-appealing, especially for those who might find leather off-putting. The sweetness with slightly dark accords makes it an absolutely suitable club scent. If the sillage were a bit stronger, it would be even better for club visits.

Personally, I would have wished for a bit more depth in the base of this fragrance, whether it be stronger patchouli or spicy woods, to give the perfume more sexiness. That could make the scent appear a bit more refined and mature.

Thus, Mercedes-Benz Black Leather is a fragrance that could certainly appeal more to a younger audience. Best worn casually in spring or autumn as a day or night scent, Black Leather should therefore be a pleasant crowd-pleaser.

Tom Ford has once again delivered and expanded his Noir line with the Extreme version. However, these two fragrances have nothing in common in their composition. Personally, I own both and wear them for different occasions.

Tom Ford Noir Extreme is a woody-oriental gourmand that can quickly make those who wear it melt away (and hopefully those around them as well). At least that's what the perfume does for me. Even now, while I'm writing this review and wearing Noir Extreme on my arm to remind myself of the scent, I really have to restrain myself from constantly sniffing my arm or even biting it.

I can't really perceive a citrus opening - the oriental spices are too dominant, especially cardamom and nutmeg right after spraying. This is immediately accompanied by an elegant sweetness. Really elegantly sweet and not like a candy-like / Playboy scent.

The most striking note in the fragrance pyramid is probably "Kulfi." This Indian ice cream is prepared, according to my research, by simmering cream (often with a bit of milk) and reducing the liquid until it becomes somewhat thicker. Depending on the recipe, spices like cardamom can be added during this process. A few tablespoons of sugar are added, it is further reduced, and then cooled in the refrigerator. To add extra flavor, fruits can also be included, for example, as a puree. One can certainly be creative here. You just have to be careful not to let the cream burn in the pot, so you have to stir constantly. The caramelization process also helps with the flavor.

That's roughly how it's prepared. I have never eaten Kulfi myself, so I can't really say whether Noir Extreme has a Kulfi vibe. But I can easily imagine what it tastes like. This Kulfi note gives the perfume a long-lasting, creamy aroma and reminds me a bit of rice pudding with cinnamon or a little of tiramisu. Paired with woody accords, the perfume becomes irresistible and creates a wonderful sillage around the wearer. Tom Ford has kept his Kulfi here in its purest form and has not added any fruit puree. The latter would also be unnecessary and would likely make the scent appear too youthful.

This is definitely a fragrance for cold days, most likely winter. I certainly wouldn't want to smell like this in the summer. Tom Ford Noir Extreme is an elegant perfume for special occasions and dates, feeling cozy and simply delicious. It is definitely a pick-me-up! It's definitely worth a try.

Now I need to check where I can get Kulfi from....

"Craze" - translated from English as "madness," "frenzy," or for example, "craze," might suggest that this perfume is a crazy scent bomb created with the wildest components, generating a crazy unique aura around the wearer.

No, that is not the case. It is, as is typical from the house of Armaf, "only" a clone of the popular perfume "Pegasus" by Parfums de Marly. The question is, of course, whether this scent succeeds as a clone, comes close to Pegasus in character, and performs well in terms of price-performance ratio. In my opinion, Armaf did a good job with Club de Nuit Intense Men...

First of all, I had to search a bit to get Armaf Craze at a good price. While Craze was a blind buy for me on one hand, on the other hand, I had a good idea of how it should smell. I first tried Pegasus about two years ago in a perfumery and found it, in short: Amazing! I had never smelled a fragrance with almond before, but I found this note combined with creamy vanilla simply stunning. At Harrods in London, I was also drawn to "Profvumum Roma Confetto," which has a very similar character to Pegasus and also makes almond the superstar.

Last week, the package with Craze finally arrived (2015 batch), and upon the first spray, I thought: "Hmmm, there's Pegasus!" Yet something was slightly different from the idol. But what exactly, I could only test at home. Conveniently, I have a small decant of Pegasus, so I could test Armaf Craze on one hand and Pegasus on the other hand.

The biggest difference is the opening of both fragrances. Pegasus starts off much softer from the very beginning. Almond is present, but it is by no means as prominent as in Armaf Craze. Armaf has positioned the almond much more forward and created a more bitter version compared to Pegasus. Additionally, a ethereal scent rises in my nose with Craze, which immediately reminded me of eucalyptus. I don't know where that comes from, but I can clearly feel it for a few minutes. It might be the sage in the heart note, although for me, it actually feels more like eucalyptus. The metallic note from Pegasus has also been well imitated in Craze. The creaminess of Pegasus, which is present from the start, becomes more apparent in Craze with each passing minute.

The latter is actually what makes Craze special. While Pegasus is very linear from the beginning and changes only minimally, Craze has a slightly more interesting scent progression. After a few hours, the almond in Pegasus is hardly noticeable, while in Craze, it is constantly perceptible but gradually recedes into the background. Overall, Craze does not come across as quite as high-quality. Nevertheless, Armaf Craze has a wonderful sillage that remains noticeable for a long time.

After about an hour and a half, the two fragrances on my skin are (hardly) distinguishable. I would most likely recognize Craze by the stronger almond note. Most people would probably believe that it is the same perfume twice.

Still: for those who do not want to spend a lot of money on Pegasus, Craze is a perfect choice! Those who have the Pegasus DNA in mind can confidently take a blind buy of Craze and will not be disappointed. The scent character fits best for leisure events, autumn, and spring. I already really enjoy wearing it!

Normally, most perfumes from Thierry Mugler's A*Men line seem to have a touch of the original A*Men in their base. Right off the bat: Pure Havanne does not follow this line, but has a completely different character.

Yes, at the beginning after spraying, A*Men is indeed very sweet. This honey tobacco note reminds me of Paco Rabanne's 1 Million Privé, which lists the note "shisha tobacco." The top note in Pure Havanne is slightly sweeter and fruitier, while Privé is a bit spicier. Still, I find the opening of both fragrances comparable. Additionally, I perceive an ethereal note for a short time that reminds me of sage. Moreover, I can also detect something cherry-like in the first 3-5 minutes, which brings to mind cherry yogurt or cherry ice cream. Really delicious with cherry pieces in it. After the cherry fades away, the tobacco becomes spicy-sweet and essentially accompanies the fragrance until the end.

After a good half hour, Pure Havanne gains a little bit of complexity, even though one must say that this fragrance pyramid is quite simply structured. Personally, I prefer it this way rather than having scents overloaded with notes that merge into an undefinable mixture. Admittedly, I can't sniff out any cocoa, but there is something earthy that could be patchouli. Subsequently, the scent remains linear, long-lasting (7-8 hours), and pleasant for the next few hours. In my opinion, the drydown is almost unisex, provided the fragrance had a bit less smokiness.

Overall, it is enjoyable to smell it again and again, the sillage is perceptible for a long time on oneself and radiates clearly outward. Pure Havanne is particularly pleasing as a casual scent in autumn and winter and is a great addition to any collection!