ITX

Hardly any recent release has divided the fragrance world as much as Paradigme Eau de Parfum. Opinions could not be further apart; depending on whom you ask, this is either the worst fragrance of all time or the best new release since L'Homme. My opinion of the original was quite positive; a fresh, youthful DNA that vaguely resembles the more than 6x as expensive Valero. Nevertheless, it lacked that certain something to ultimately justify a purchase.

Sales can't have been that bad, because contrary to expectations, L'Oreal launched the first flanker, Paradigme Le Parfum, in April of this year. My first impression of this offshoot was rather reserved; somewhat sweeter, more vanilla-like, more pleasant, but not a must-have. But as luck would have it, I stumbled across a temptingly cheap offer and simply couldn't resist...

The fragrance opens similarly to the original: A synthetic, shower-gel-like cloud of floral and citrus accords. However, this quickly fades away, making room for the actual core of the fragrance: an amber-vanillic woodiness that runs throughout the entire progression. We are dealing with a similar configuration here as in Layton , although I still would not place the two in the same DNA; they are distantly related and follow the same principle, but interpret the warm, wintry aspect in different ways.

In the final quarter, all the remaining floral and citrus notes gradually withdraw, leaving only an amber-woody base that envelops you in a cozy, warm coat. Unlike the original, the flanker is therefore, imo, the perfect winter fragrance!

Longevity and sillage are appropriate for the price and fragrance profile, but tend to be below average. Gourmand bombs such as Althaïr or Delphinus last considerably longer and project noticeably farther as well. Nevertheless, Paradigme Le Parfum offers a balanced progression and at least does not need to hide from the competition in the designer segment.

Conclusion: You never know what may happen - in my case, the marketing machine of a well-known online perfume retailer achieved its full effect on me. Paradigme Le Parfum is certainly no beastmode banger that will scent an entire classroom. It is quieter and more restrained than many a sweet gourmand, but beautifully composed and genuinely high-quality for a designer fragrance. The RRP is far too high, but it is definitely worth taking advantage of special offers. A cautious recommendation to buy - if you know how. ;-)

I hadn’t really had Soleil de France on my radar at all, but I happened to find it at my local DM and decided to pick it up for my wife. Unfortunately, it wasn’t for her; after a few sprays on the skin and several smell tests throughout the day, I liked it quite a bit and added it to my collection.

The fragrance opens fruity-nutty, with a slight tartness from the apple note, but otherwise mainly pistachio, almond and hazelnut. The initially tart note evaporates after around 10-15 min., from that point on the fragrance becomes noticeably creamier and the vanilla also increasingly comes to the fore. In the end, a chocolatey-vanillic gourmand base remains, which, despite its classification as a summer fragrance, clearly places it in autumn and winter for me.

The longevity and sillage are truly above average for such an inexpensive "cheapie". During the first hour, the scent trail fills the room; afterwards, you still leave a sillage of around 1-2 m behind you. Overall, the longevity is around 7 hrs., plus or minus.

Conclusion: Once again, this is one of those fragrances that clearly shows how often manufacturers can be wrong about their own classification. In my opinion, this inexpensive juice is neither clearly a feminine fragrance nor suitable for summer. I see it as a lovely unisex fragrance that brings a certain warmth, especially in late autumn and winter. The various nut accords are a welcome change from the same old cinnamon/vanilla/tonka/amber gourmands; the initial tartness may not be for everyone, but I personally like it exceptionally well. A definite buying recommendation for anyone still looking for an inexpensive everyday fragrance for the coming winter!

One of the last remaining fragrances from the Pafory Calendar 2025. After a brief test in December, I spontaneously decided to wear it today.

French Defense opens with an alcoholic note and becomes increasingly sweeter as it develops. While the much-discussed cherry initially keeps a rather low profile, it becomes more and more noticeable during the drydown and takes center stage toward the end. To explain what kind of cherry we are dealing with here, it helps to recall the different types of cherries. There are the fresh, rather bright red cherries that you pick straight from the tree and that taste simply sweet and fruity. This is definitely not that kind of cherry. Instead, I was inevitably reminded of a dark red, almost black, preserved cherry. Similar to an Amarena cherry, except that rum or a similarly strong alcohol was used instead of sugary syrup. The cherry spent many months in this pool and gradually took on an increasingly darker appearance. A beautiful image that makes this fragrance seem more refined and mature than one might expect at first glance from the note pyramid.

Longevity and sillage are comfortably average. The fragrance remains clearly recognizable on my skin for around 6 hrs.; others perceive it from a distance of several meters at first, and later mainly only close to the skin. In terms of classification, I find French Defense similar to Delphinus: A perfect unisex fragrance whose profile sits exactly in the middle and is highly wearable for both genders. Men will appreciate the dark cherry and a certain booziness; for women, the spicy-fruity sweetness is a clear argument in its favor.

Conclusion: French Defense certainly does not reinvent the wheel, and at the asking price, one inevitably has to wonder whether there are not better/cheaper alternatives with a dark cherry note. Nevertheless, I can appreciate quite a lot about this juice and - compared with quite a few others from the Pafory Calendar - will remember it fondly. Mind Games also has nothing to hide from its competition when it comes to performance. I like it!!

Matador was one of the few remaining samples from my Pafory Advent calendar, and today I spontaneously decided to test it.

First of all, I have to revise my rating of H and S upwards: The fragrance lasts forever and is still detectable on the skin even after showering. The sillage is also much more expansive than originally assumed; after spraying it on, the fragrance could be smelled throughout the entire apartment.

The opening is Leathery and slightly Floral, with the intrusive sweetness immediately hitting the nose. This type of fragrance is not necessarily among my Favorites, and I almost washed it off right away. But then came the drydown, the leathery aspects gradually disappeared and an pleasantly sweet, synthetic base remained. Still not quite my thing and unfortunately also a little too feminine for my taste, but definitely bearable.

Conclusion: Matador is a rather obtrusive, leather-sweet, feminine fragrance that, imo, has no real reason to exist. Especially not when you look at the price: €175 for 50 ml?? No, thanks. The fragrance profile corresponds to the currently very popular leather-gourmand miscellany that many people wear all year round - even in midsummer at 35°, which is really not nice. In any case, I am glad that this sample is used up and that I can erase the fragrance from my memory again!

To my horror, I had to realize that although I wrote a very detailed review of Midnight Desert - probably the best dupe of Y Eau de Parfum - I never reviewed the original. I would like to make up for that here.

Lately, you smell this fragrance very frequently. A neighbor wears it regularly, I have smelled it several times at the swimming pool and currently I smell it several times a day in the dining room of our hotel in Rhodes. This is entirely justified - the fragrance symbolizes summer, sunshine, cool citrusy freshness and pure masculinity.

In the opening, the bergamot note is almost a little overpowering, while the slightly bitter accord in the background is caused by the ginger. As it develops, juniper and lavender come to the fore, and the fragrance becomes more floral and a touch sweeter. Always present well into the drydown: the dominant coolness, which has something minty about it. In the end, the fragrance becomes a little more ambery, but disappears completely after max. 6-7 hrs. - which is perfectly fine for a freshie.

The longevity mentioned earlier has nothing to hide either, nor does the genuinely successful sillage. As I already said at the beginning, I smell this fragrance very frequently around me, even though the men wearing it are not always standing right next to me. It is worth mentioning that the harsh citrus-ginger note is barely perceptible when projecting from other people - instead, the fragrance shows its apple-like, cool, minty side here.

Conclusion: What makes a fragrance appealing to the masses is often difficult to say. In most cases, however, it is the art of creating a fragrance from rather simple and (presumably) not particularly expensive ingredients that appeals to almost every nose and thus becomes an absolute people-pleaser. Some may be bothered by this clumsy simplicity, but for most people (myself included), Y Eau de Parfum is a true all-rounder that is especially enjoyable in temperatures well above 30°. Clear recommendation to buy!