JoshMonkey

more years we'll look back at Sauvage the way we do JNCO jeans. I blame this fragrance for creating the cash cow that is concentration flankers. I blame Sauvage and the egomaniacal Demachy for the weak reformulated Fahrenheit edt that makes you want to spend more money on, yep, the parfum flanker. Now perfume manufacturers can sell us underwhelming fragrances and after the trendy do their spendy, can release a slightly better version of it and call it an Edp or parfum or elixir etc. Why do you think we didn't have so many Edp's and Parfums in men's fragrances before Sauvage? Because back then fragrances had the confidence to stand out with quality ingredients and companies had the integerity or the ignorance to planned obsolescence. This is rubbish on my skin and in the air. I'm being generous with my ratings because it's atleast inoffensive unlike the original YSL Y edt. But unlike Sauvage, YSL fixed Y in their Edp and that's a blue fragrance that actually stands out as more than just a simple bodywash fragrance. YSL fixed their Edt too apparently. So what gives Dior? You screw us over on Homme, you make it impossible to get Homme and Fahrenheit parfum in the USA and you keep releasing concentration flankers of a vaguely familiar bodywash? Let's just stop polluting the air and let Dior lose money on this. No, you won't look or smell like Johnny Depp neither. I apologize that this is more a rant than review but, as someone that looks forward to new quality designer perfumes, it had to be said that Dior started an insidious cash cow sales strategy and others are following in line to do the same.

The original Eros is not bad but it's a walking contradiction of screaming projection and an introverted fragrance accord. Eros has no confidence but then there's Flame and Flame knows the game. Even in 90 degree Cambodian heat, Eros Flame is still wearable if not even more wearable. It's a shame I only bought a 50ml bottle. This isn't for the office but it can be done in moderation. As the name suggests, it's hot. Very hot. I might buy it again but because of its strong projection, I find it a bit immature and gaudy. I think that was how the house of Armani once described Versace and they're right. Eros and Eros Flame are gaudy but in a way that either screams try-hard or flamboyant playboy. Expect attention and toss out that blue bottle. It's overdone now.

Have you got the wardrobe to go with this perfume? I tried to hate this perfume just as I tried to hate the OG Issey but after an hour wearing in the mall, I had to bring it home. Nuit is a fragrance where I don't even bother looking at the notes because it continually evolves and develops with a wearing hence why it took me an hour to love it. The opening is citrus and if you whiff too hard, you'll get a headache. Sound familiar? Hint: the OG does the same for me. Don't worry because after a brief moment someone turns the lights off and you're left in the dark. What's this note? Every whiff I smell a hint of something unique sitting atop a subtle sexy suede accord. I wanted to hate that suede accord but it's so well balanced with creamy tonka and delicious pepper. Here's the catch. Here's the reason someone might not love this and that's because of inadequacy. Yes, I am being pretentious about this but you can't spray this on and go out in sandals and socks. A perfume that makes you want to dress up. Suit and tie with oxfords and your favorite jewelry. This perfume begs the wearer to be better and isn't that how we should feel when we wear perfume? With the right clothes and with every whiff, you'll feel motivated and confident. Thank you Issey for keeping this flanker available. I've tried the parfum but the effervescence of the Edt is unforgettable. I could care less about the fragrance notes. This perfume remains an ever developing mystery to my nose and that mystery is so alluring and sexy. So what about longevity? Don't worry about it. Projection? Modest and enticing. Sillage? Creamy tonka and delicious spices gently pulsing off your skin. You press your nose to it and that's where you'll find the suede/leather accord. Not a projection beast but it leaves an arm's length trail of elegance, sensuality, and mystery. Suit up.

I never had the chance to smell the original formulations of Fahrenheit but what I smelled today was certainly watered down. Since Apple got away with selling phones without 3.5mm headphones inputs while asking you to pay a $30 to afford an adapter to use headphones, I knew the tech industry was going down an insidious path. The same sales strategy has made it to perfume. The reformulation I smelled today was a skin scent within a few minutes on a fresh nose. You have to spend more money on the newer parfum to get proper arm's length sillage. I suspect this reformulation happened around the time Dior released the parfum. There are Parfums now that get over powered by EDTs of the 80's-00's. What is happening in the perfume industry? I was excited to smell the EDT today but dumbfounded as it faded from my skin.
The scent: Yes, there is a hint of petrol in the first few seconds (an interesting combination of citrus) on the opening but this goes away quickly revealing the beautiful heart of violet. Most violet scents smell fresh, cool, and metallic like but the violets are contrasted with warm amber that is then intensified with the subtle spice of cedar and the leather accord, creamy sandalwood, and tonka bean. This is a beautiful balancing act. It's nice. I'm sad that I can't smell the original strength EDT. To put it in perspective, the fragrance lasted as long as D&G The One edt does and had less staying power than YSL La Nuit D'Lomme. You need to pay the premium and upgrade to Fahrenheit Parfum. I don't have kind words to say about Dior for making the Edt so weak just to make the parfum better. Demachy is a perfumer I both hate and respect. I will only ever buy the highest concentrations of Dior products from now on because they're only as strong as their 90's edt's. I love the scent but it didn't stay around long enough to really enjoy. The parfum is still radiating from my other arm. Ah the parfum is heaven. I suspect Demachy let his ego get the best of him and he ruined the original formulation to make his the better one. Sound familiar... Apple, Tim Cook anyone?

Many reviewers parrot the notion that the Fahrenheit smells of gasoline but I don't know what gas they're huffing. To be completely honest, the shop I tested this in tends to leave the EDTs box behind EDPs and likewise so I'm not sure if I smelled the original EDT or parfum but judging by the sales price, I have to assume it was the parfum. I was in 1990, two years after the Fahrenheit craze began. This doesn't tickle any olfactory memories. Maybe no one in my family wore it. Maybe the parfum is different enough. Maybe that's why I can't get the comments of gasoline. What I did get was a beautiful blend of violet, amber, and a touch of leather. Violets are my favorite fragrance note. I'm so pleased that this doesn't smell like gasoline but instead it smells like an old school powerhouse with lavender at the top blending into the incredible violets at the heart. The base notes make for a firm foundation for the heart notes to waft off the skin all day long. I love violets. I will be buying this soon. Even at the markup that the shop asks for. Another note, I live in Cambodia where the air is about 90 degrees on average and I had no issues with cloying. In fact, it smelled best the hotter the day went by. My girlfriend made several compliments throughout the day as we walked in the heat from outdoor shop to the malls. Projection was the ideal arms length away. I also tried Sauvage EDP and wow what a joke modern perfumery is becoming. Fahrenheit is definitely timeless and anyone that goes to a Dior counter and chooses Sauvage over this lives a life of mediocrity at best. This is as timeless to me as Issey Miyake L'eau D'issey. Skip the safe blue fragrance and go for the fire.

Edit: The shop did indeed have the Parfum posing as the EDT they were selling. I did get to compare the Edt to parfum and I came to realize how terrible modern perfumery has become. Dior clearly weakened the Edt to make the parfum the obvious choice to buy. Dior leads the industry into parfum and even elixirs that can't rival edt's of the 90's and 00's. Why do we have so many flankers for just fragrance concentration if the strongest concentration is only as strong as older edt's? Is it not enough to sell overpriced fashion accessories that these perfume companies have to deceive us in this way? I think the reformulation for the Edt must have been around the time that released the parfum. The parfum is superior in every way. The extra suede is a nice touch and this one actually stays on the skin long enough to study it.