Machtnix

After wearing it several times, I really like Silver Essenz. However, it took a while; it wasn't love at first sight. I think it was because it was unfamiliar to me. Now the DNA even has something addictive for me.

The opening is sweet, floral, almost fruity, loud, woody, and fresh, but completely without citrus notes. The DNA feels complex. Not synthetic. Ginger and tonka are the most recognizable for me. One could simply say: "Imagine the aroma of ginger ale, but intensified. Sweet and with additional floral notes, especially iris."

There is more in the fragrance, but the other notes/chords do not stand out.
I don't smell oak moss at all, yet I have no doubt that it's there. It's a chic scent with bright, positive vibes. So, not dark and mysterious.

In the dry down, the fruity notes and ginger recede. It becomes quieter and woodier. Tonka and iris are still present. The longevity is about 7 to 8 hours, and the projection is moderate, which I find good. Anyone standing more than 2 meters away will likely not notice it anymore.

Recommendation for those who are open to sweet tonka scents with floral notes. Because right now, Silver Essenz is a bargain. I paid €16 for 60ml, and it is definitely worth it.

(The following refers to the latest version in the orange-yellow bottle from 2020.)
I admit, I also initially thought of Tobacco Vanille, in a budget-friendly form; that was my first thought after spraying. (I paid €6 at Zara, so I couldn't help but order out of curiosity.) But then, near my left arm, I noticed a rubber smell. Black rubber like a car tire, or like the rubber tube in a bicycle tire. After about an hour, this strange note dissipates. Without it, it would be a good cheapie.

After about 1 hour, the rubber is gone. What remains is vanilla and cloves - similar, somewhat spicy in any case. But you can tell the price range. It is certainly not an alternative to Tobacco Vanille or Spicebomb Extreme; it's even further from that. For layering, the fragrance could be useful if you wait out that first hour and then spray something else over it. If you spray generously, the scent lasts a few hours.
Still, no recommendation to buy if someone wants more than €25 for it. That's the reason for my review.

As described in the top review, it reminds one of quote: well-dressed people in the foyer of an old opera house, mahogany, damned silk scarves, and sinfully expensive jewelry. //Quote end. Yes, for example.
It certainly evokes elegance, luxury, and style. Nevertheless, Ho Hang is not old-fashioned. Nor is it a barbershop scent. I was 19 when I tested it in the eighties and was immediately convinced - and I was someone who was against everything mainstream, normal, and always swam beautifully against the current. So it is not a conservative, stuffy fragrance. Just one with style and very refined.

I describe the scent as woody, musky, with distinct floral notes, masculine floral, (especially clove, as well as lavender, geranium) and a touch of sweetness - just the right strength. And finally, aromatic citrus notes as a garnish on top. Not sour citrus notes but aromatic ones, like from the peel. Ho Hang reminds me of a complex musical chord that sounds appealing and creates a certain mood. You can clearly recognize the many individual notes, and only when all the notes are heard together does a new impression emerge. The mood. Many surely know the opening chord of 'A Hard Day's Night.' That is such a stunning, complex, perfect chord, especially in conjunction with the following song. (that would be the person wearing it)
Ho Hang fits poorly with someone in sneakers, a T-shirt, and blue jeans, sitting in a car eating hamburgers with their girlfriend. Saturday night. It suits someone with style, who is appropriately dressed. It doesn’t have to be a suit, but it would fit. Along with a stylish, elegant car.

It is offered at astronomical prices at auctions. Balenciaga should reintroduce Ho Hang.

I ordered CDNIM Eau De Toilette out of pure curiosity. Because actually, sweet, vanilla tobacco gourmand fragrances are my thing. I was positively surprised the first time. I like the light sweetness in the opening. It is not harsh. The opening does NOT remind me of lemon bathroom cleaner as many say in English reviews. Other fragrances come to mind that are praised to the skies. To me, it smells pleasantly fresh like pineapple and lemon, not sour, masculine. And I am someone who usually doesn't go for freshies and lemon. After 20 minutes, there is less and less pineapple and lemon, but a phase begins that I can only describe as the scent of burnt wood that has become damp. (in a positive sense) Personally, I don't like it as much as the opening, but it's okay. People around me obviously like it. CDNIM and Herod are the only fragrances that received positive feedback from non-drunk strangers. (Compliments). That surprised me the most.

This fragrance has something that people really like, and I don't know what it is.

Performance:
I thought that after 4 hours at the latest, it would just be a skin scent, hardly detectable by others. I was mistaken, as I was just nose-blind. I oversprayed without realizing it.
At work, I received completely unexpected feedback like: what smells so nice here? It smells really good. (during the Corona mask times)

When I come home, my wife also says that you can smell it in the air, so without having to hug me, after 8+ hours. I can hardly smell anything anymore. Furthermore, it is her favorite scent on me. When she told me this for the first time, I literally dropped everything. I myself am not that enthusiastic, but it's okay for me. (The opening is very good though)

In summary: Nose blindness (after 3 to 4 hours) while it is still projecting,
and even after 8 hours, there is undoubtedly still a sillage when you move through the room. On the skin, it can still be smelled after sleeping.

Eau De Toilette
Scent in the opening: 9/10 (fresh, lightly sweet, pleasant pineapple lemon, nuclear projection)
Scent in the dry down: 7/10 (burnt wood becoming damp again)
Longevity/sillage: 9/10
Popularity among people who smell it on me: 10/10
Nose blindness risk for the wearer: 9.5/10
Bottle: 8.5/10 (I do not understand the criticism of the bottle in some YouTube reviews at all; to me, it is one of the most beautiful I own)

Ultimately, it's always a matter of taste, and The One EDP seems to appeal to many people. However, it does not suit my taste because I prefer masculine sweet tobacco/vanilla/amber scents, and this is primarily NOT one of them.

The problem is not only the performance but also the DNA. I was very disappointed (blind buy, which I strongly advise against if you expect what I expected). I was anticipating an oriental, masculine sweet tobacco/amber scent from Oliver Polge, one of my favorites whom I admire for his perfume artistry. But then I smell a fragrance that 1.) already after the first spray feels like I have smelled it 1000 times on others, even though this is not the case. This is probably called generic, brandless, 08/15. and 2.) it reminds me of sweet-sour mustard pickle juice, probably due to the dominant notes of grapefruit, coriander, and ginger right at the beginning, which does improve somewhat over time, but not enough. Somewhere far back, there are also amber and tobacco notes hidden, but they hardly come through under the aforementioned problem notes, only in the late dry down does it get better, just before it ends. Nothing against spicy notes, Spicebomb Extreme is also spicy and sweet, but it's a whole different world than The One, which is universally praised by influencers (YouTube). I have tried it many times, but I can't warm up to the scent; I also find it boring. My wife, however, thinks it's very good, I must say fairly.