EddyGordo

Undoubtedly, Neroli is not exactly one of the most popular fragrance notes among many Parfumo users.
Often associated with being old-fashioned and more of the old school, Anne Flipo shows us how it can be modern. Excerpt from the Parfumo introduction text about Anne Flipo:
"As her very personal favorite scent, she names Neroli, the scent of the bitter orange tree. It is part of almost every one of her creations."

So far - so good, Neroli should absolutely suit her. And yes, there is no exaggeration here.
What has emerged is a truly wonderful fragrance creation from her.

The Néroli Botanica starts with the finest and roundest Neroli note I have ever smelled. Quite quickly, the finest white flowers join in, garnished with a lovely citrus note.
The fragrance progression remains relatively linear with the trinity at first.
Except that the floral aspect pushes the Neroli a bit into the background after some time, gaining dominance, nothing changes. This leads the scent more towards the "fresh laundry" association, which is inevitable. However, the Neroli remains largely perceptible to me.

The fragrance as a whole forms an absolutely coherent character, which is finely rounded and well thought out in the selection of notes. A wonderfully modern interpretation of a Neroli scent, which is so far the best in its class that I have been able to test.
The wheel is not completely reinvented, but it is the way the individual notes unfold as a whole.
Here, one is neither overwhelmed by piercing sharp citrus nor dazzled by great synthetic notes.
For a fresh scent, it lasted quite a long time on me, which I find truly remarkable.

A very nice, well-groomed, and snug scent that I might test again in spring/summer, where I believe it fits best.
Terms like clean, neat, fresh & well-groomed are perfectly appropriate and more than fitting here.

For a statement it's too much, for a review it's too little to describe..

The scent starts heavenly on a fluffy musk cloud, which is embraced by soft flowers. This gives the fragrance that characteristic "fresh laundry" association, which is absolutely justified. Therefore, I can only agree with the other users who pointed this out.
At first, the scent is hard to categorize, as it lies somewhere between a flower shop and the fresh laundry character.
Very clean, soft & also somehow warm and cozy overall.

Following this, there is somehow a sweet fruity note, absolutely no idea what it is or how it comes about. However, this note is quickly replaced, probably the fruity aspect is meant to represent honey/beeswax.

But the romance is over as the gentle flowers say goodbye and now a trio of sandalwood, lavender & ginger forms a rough, musty musk scent.

I really don't know what this is about, as the scent was just a clean, great fragrance that I would have recommended to any female colleague - now I would recommend it to someone I can't stand.
This trio really doesn't suit my skin as it deteriorates into something so musty.

Initially a floral clean 7.5 scent rating from me, adjusted to a musty 5.5.

The Guerlain L'Homme line often manages to excite me. While I have difficulties understanding what the scent wants to convey in the more exclusive line, I find immediate access with the L'Homme line.
Prior to this, it was mentioned that the scent would go in the direction of L'Homme Idéal Eau de Parfum.
Great for me, as the EdP is one of my absolute favorites.
But is that really the case?

The scent starts with a distinctly tipsy cherry note. The focus of the amaretto accord leans more towards the boozy side than the fruity cherry component.
Next comes a softly smooth leather note, which captures and restrains the sweet amaretto accord, thereby significantly dampening the sweetness. The leather note is anything but subtle; it is clearly perceptible. However, it is not a rough leather, which has often ruined scents for me. It integrates softly into the fragrance, providing a solid background hum.
The whole thing is "rounded off" by stubborn patchouli and, in my perception, a green note. This gives the scent its spiciness, which, however, does not end up being herbal. I shy away from green herbal spiciness, thank God that is not the case here.
This spiciness brings a bit of freshness into the scent, which is actually not so bad. Everything harmonizes perfectly together. There is nothing shrill about it.

Overall, the L'Homme Idéal Parfum is less sweet than initially assumed, especially it leans less towards the direction of L'Homme Idéal Eau de Parfum.
The two could not be more different in their nature & style.
EdP = warm, cozy & inviting.
Parfum = lighter, fresher & rougher.
The parfum version has too little input for me; I had hoped for a bit more. The listed notes are correct so far but could be complemented with green notes.

Few fragrance notes, but deep - still disappointing. I can't say what the scent lacks to develop its character.
I guess it is that soothing marzipan-like feeling that I have with L'Homme Idéal Eau de Parfum.
This slightly green generic spiciness is unfortunately found too often to be truly impressive.

Even though the scent exudes warmth, I simply do not feel invited.

Imagination. This is the name of the fragrance from a luxury designer brand that tends to divide the perfume community. From "too expensive," "synthetic headaches," to "best freshie of all time," all opinions are represented.
Truly viable alternatives have been scarce so far, at least in my opinion.

OrkusOdes opens the door for the first time with Zeus to a really successful alternative to "Imagination | Louis Vuitton." The fragrance possesses the same characteristics as the Imagination.
Bold and cool bergamot freshness, a slight ginger touch, cushioned by a little dash of mild sweetness and, of course, garnished with a wonderful tea note.
The scent comes very close to "Imagination | Louis Vuitton." In fact, very close. Too close to be true.
The only difference is that Zeus is a bit less rounded than its predecessor. By a bit, I mean a tiny, yet noticeable difference that you can only perceive directly from the skin when you sniff it. In the air, no one would notice.
Fragrance-wise, I see the two as absolutely on par, but qualitatively, LV still holds the upper hand.

Zeus lasted about 4 hours on my skin until I could hardly perceive it anymore. The first hour, the fragrance projected quite well, until it suddenly pulled back as if someone flipped a switch.

I've added the fragrance to my wish list; let's see if it will join me in summer '25. Great piece!


cheers

Michael Kors = women's handbags.
That's the first thing I think of when it comes to Michael Kors. But how does it fare in terms of fragrance for men?

It's 2024 and the perfume market has already seen a few trends behind it and new trends ahead. Shower gel freshness was one such trend that brands seemingly couldn't avoid.
Some brands still seem unable to escape it.

The scent can be described relatively easily:
Take elements from L.12.12 Blanc Eau de Toilette, Legend Spirit and Versace pour Homme Dylan Blue Eau de Toilette, smooth out all the edges and round them off to a slick finish.
As user Dennis1104 already mentioned, it has that typical blue designer vibe, but in an extremely rounded form. This is truly a positive aspect of the fragrance.
A scent for the broad masses.
It really doesn't bother anyone.
However, for perfume enthusiasts like us, this is unfortunately quite trivial. It almost feels as if the formula had been sitting in a drawer for a few years and has now been dug up again.

Familiar and somewhat proven fragrance DNA that gets you through a workday with pleasant scent perception. If someone is looking to gift a fragrance and doesn't know what to choose, they might find something here. Or if you're on the lookout for a laid-back office scent.