Polaroid

This is a wonderful spicy, woody, creamy, slightly sweet scent. It opens with some sparkling, effervescent citruses and ginger before quickly settling into the dominant accord of creamy, spiced woods that lasts for around 6 hours. This is not really an intensely woody cedar; no pencil shavings or sawmill here. The cedar IS identifiable as cedar, but it's beautifully blended with guaic wood, amber, lavender, and a melange of spices. As others have pointed out, it's not mindblowing or even all that unique (I've definitely smelt something similar somewhere before, but I'm just not sure where), but it is masculine, fresh, and comforting. When I wear Quorum Silver, I feel totally at ease, and I wear it a lot lounging around at home. However, it's also a perfect scent for office wear. It's appropriate for all seasons as well.

Despite the note breakdown chock full of woods and spices, it works perfectly well in both hot and cool weather. As previously mentioned, the ginger and citrus gives this a kind of zingy sparkling freshness that keeps everything from getting too heavy. However, in the drydown things get a little bit deeper and darker as the woods come more to the fore. The only time I wouldn't wear this would be on the hottest and most humid of days (I'm pretty sure it'd get instantly vaporized), or in the bone chill of winter (it wouldn't be able to stand up to the cold). Other than that, it's a wonderfully versatile fragrance.

Performance wise, I get decent longevity - as I said, around 6 hours. Projection and sillage are pretty limited, with soft projection for maybe the first hour that fades to the skin shortly afterwards.

Now, let's discuss value. I paid $11 for a 100ml tester of this. $11. $11 couldn't even buy you a bottle of some random Ferrari fragrance. For $11, you get a great scent profile with average/decent performance. What have you got to lose? You can spray to your heart's content. By the way, the sprayer is great on this thing - huge distribution.

Overall, this is probably one of my best cheapie blind buys ever, up there with Lanvin Arpege Pour Homme, Burberry London, Bentley For Men Intense, Guerlain Vetiver, and Halloween Man Shot. $11 people! Just get it!

8/10

This is a great fragrance. It doesn't reinvent the wheel, and will definitely smell familiar to most noses. This woody-musky-fougereish DNA has doubtlessly been done before. However, the blending, quality, and the manner in which Bleu Noir EDP pulls off that DNA off is notable.

First off, I will say that I have not smelt the EDT, so I can't say how it compares. I will say, however, that this has absolutely NOTHING to do with Terre d'Hermes beyond the fact that they both contain vetiver and wood. There are shades of Cartier's Declaration here, but only just; this is not by any means a clone of that fragrance. Bleu Noir EDP is dominated by a smooth, creamy, clean musk and supported by woods and amber. None of the spiciness, bitterness, dirtiness, or really complexity of Declaration is present here. This like Declaration trimmed of all its sharpness and edge, rounded off and smoothed over. Overall it is an exceedingly simple fragrance (in the best way) with little evolution which is completely inoffensive, comfortable, and easy to wear. If you love clean musk, this is one of the best in the designer realm for men.

As others have commented, this is a fragrance of contrasts. It absolutely lives up to the name "Bleu Noir", i.e. "dark blue". There is definitely darkness here - dark woods, deep amber, rooty vetiver - but there's light, despite the lack of citrus, and transparency too. The musk is at once dense, creamy, and fresh. The mental image I get when I smell Bleu Noir is almost exactly the same as the bottle - a sheet of dark, cobalt blue glass, opaque but transparent enough to see through, with a light shining behind it.

Because of the contrasts, I could easily see different facets of the fragrance emerging depending on the weather. I've only worn it in warm weather thus far, and I've been getting mostly the lighter side of things in the heat. At the moment, the dark ebony and cedar only seem seem to emerge in the deep drydown. However, I could easily see this being just as well-suited to the cold as it is to the heat, with the woods and amber taking center stage. It truly fulfills its role as a "blue" fragrance, being a Swiss Army knife that can be used for all occasions in all seasons.

I have not had the performance issues that others have had at all. 4-5 sprays lasts me about all day (7-8 hrs) with soft but noticeable projection for the majority of the day and arm's length sillage. It creates a very pleasant but somewhat restrained aura around you, which in my book is the best kind of projection. I'll have to test how well it performs in colder weather, but performance in warm weather has been surprisingly strong.

Overall, Bleu Noir EDP is an easy to wear, dark, classy, clean, and sensual fragrance that I've worn the hell out. I think this one has flown under the radar, which is easy to do in this blue designer market. If you wear Bleu Noir EDP, you won't necessarily smell "different" per se (though rest assured, this smells nothing like Bleu de Chanel, Sauvage, Dylan Blue, or Elysium), but you will smell great. For men looking for a great all-rounder that stands apart from the currently trending, I rate this is as a top pick. This is the kind of fragrance that wears like a perfect pair of jeans. It's comforting and cozy, stylish and suave, sleek and a little bit sexy. It's not a statement piece, and it's not even necessarily a huge compliment getter, but what wardrobe is complete without a great pair of jeans? For the price I paid ($56 for 100ml with a great presentation), I couldn't be happier.

This is a restrained and elegant fragrance, like most from Hermès. The opening is tart and piquant, like taking a bite of quince cheese. The quince in this smells quite realistic. When I lived in Spain, I often ate quince cheese, called "dulce de membrillo", which you can spread over toasted bread, along with some manchego or farmer's cheese. Compared to the quince note in another fragrance that I own, Xerjoff's Dolce Amalfi, this is far truer to life, retains the sour quality of real quince, and takes a more prominent role in the composition. The initial mouth-puckering blast of quince immediately is mingled with a plush pink rose along with light wisps of saffron and a delicate buttress of osmanthus, which lends itself to the rendering of the fruit note and adds an ever-so-slightly exotic floral touch. Undergirding it all is the aforementioned clean, supple leather. The leather to me has a kind of "flow" or movement to it; in my mind, I can see an Hermès black calf leather jacket or bag folding delicately. Contrary to what some other reviewers have mentioned, this leather doesn't smell animalic or smoky to me at all. It is, in fact, one of the smoothest, cleanest, and most diaphanous (à la Hermès) leathers I've ever smelt. The image this evokes to me is of an elegant, professional woman, in her early to mid 30s, dressed impeccably in a black leather jacket, crisp white blouse, dark jeans, and perhaps a silk Hermès scarf. The time is mid-spring, somewhere in the Mediterranean (not sure if that's my own association but that's what I get) before the chill bite in the air has completely thawed but after the first trees have begun to push out white blooms and thick shocks of wildflowers have sprung up in the hills. There is a distance in this woman, an aloof air that has been adopted rather than arisen of its own will in her. Something inside of her still yearns for things to be as they were, but for the moment the frost that has settled on her remains unmelted, like the snows on the high mountains. There is no sensuality to this fragrance, despite the ostensible warmth of the notes. At its heart it is cold and inwardly drawn.

Because of this strong, crystal clear image I have in my mind when I smell Galop, it's not something I would wear as a man, though I do think that it is 100% unisex. Maybe it has been reformulated and previous batches were smokier, but even without the smoke, there's nothing in this that screams femininity per se. I find the performance to be lacking as well, despite the pure parfum concentration. This dies on my skin within about 3 hours, after which point it becomes sort of a vaguely musky blob. The opening is so beautiful and so unique, and any fragrance that can evoke such a pure image in my mind as this one can is no doubt class perfumery. Nevertheless, the exorbitant price, measly performance, and mental image it creates makes Galop a no go for me. Still, it's definitely worth a try. There's not quite anything else out there that smells like this, despite the "Smells Like" section declaring that this is just like Myrrhe Églantine. It's true that the rose note in Galop and the one in Myrrhe Églantine are related - that same pink, plush rose. But that's just about all that the two share. Their vibes are completely, wholly, totally different, and Myrrhe smells quite a bit like other fragrances. Not so with Galop.

7/10

I am a huge rose fan, I make no secret of it. When I ordered the sample set of Hedonist Absolutes, however, it was Hedonist Rose Absolute which I was expecting to like the least of the trio. Not that I was expecting not to like it; I do enjoy rose-ouds, but I wouldn't say that it's my favorite scent profile in the olfactory world. This, however, completely eclipsed both Hedonist Absolute and Hedonist Iris Absolute for me. Both are fine fragrances in their own right, but this the only one of the trio that I'd consider purchasing.

The opening is a blast of sweet rose. Contrary to what other reviewers have mentioned, the fragrance gets spicier and woodsier as it evolves, rather than the other way around, but I am testing from a dabber rather than a spray. The operative word to describe the rose in this fragrance is "candied". I get a clear mental image of a rose englobed in transparent red candy - like a rose 糖葫蘆 (tánghúlu), a sweet made of fruits like strawberries, grapes, cherry tomatoes, oranges, kiwis, and etc. covered in hard candy that you find in the night markets here in Taiwan and in China. It's sweet, but also tart, fizzy (sparkling, even) and a little bit green, somewhat akin to the rose you might smell in Moschino's Toy Boy. The sweetness is further tempered by the rich base of oud, amber, and sandalwood. It is definitely a sweet fragrance, and some might even consider it gourmand, though I wouldn't go that far. However, it never becomes too cloying, jammy, or over-the-top. The proportions are just right, and the blending impeccable. The oud never dominates, and it's not at all animalic or funky. In terms of scent, that's about it. As the note breakdown implies, it's not an overly complex fragrance. It is, however, very pleasant, and in my opinion, sexy.

Performance is excellent. I get at least 10 hours of longevity (if not more), with strong sillage and projection for the first handful of hours. It is no slouch, and this is from a dabber; I can only imagine that the performance would be even great from an atomizer. I'd say that it is unisex, right down the middle, though some guys might consider it to be on the feminine side. I think it would smell ravishing on the right woman, and delicious on the right man. I happen to consider myself the right man, so I think that I can wear it just fine. There is some freshness to the composition, so I'd say that you could pull this off on spring and summer nights, if sprayed cautiously. But this is powerful stuff, and thus better suited for fall and winter. Whatever season you choose to wear it, go easy on the trigger.

Overall, this is a great fragrance. There isn't much else to say other than that it's a delicious, sexy candied rose with a smooth base of oud, amber, and sandalwood with excellent performance. If you want a classic oud-rose, look to something like Dior's Oud Ispahan or Guerlain's Rose Nacrée du Desert. This one ain't it. It's much more fun, less serious, and more youthful. I'm absolutely considering a full bottle.

8.5/10

Anonimo opens up with a blast of alcohol and synthetic woody molecules à la Quorum Silver. The alcohol fades pretty quickly, but the synthetic woodies remain throughout the life of the fragrance. Not a strike against it by any means, but just pointing it out. The minor unpleasantness of the immediate opening aside, this is a very nice incense fragrance. It immediately called to mind two fragrances which other reviewers have already mentioned: Amouage Jubilation XXV and Fille en Aiguilles. Anonimo smells rather berry laden, despite containing no berries. The pink pepper is very, very tart and fruity in this fragrance, and it remains throughout the drydown. It strikes me as a less opulent, more wearable Jubilation, or Fille en Aiguilles bereft of pine and fir. Many reviewers have remarked that this is dark, rugged, and mature. On the contrary, I find it to be fresh, somewhat pretty, and definitely not only suitable for mature wearers. The freshness also makes this a fragrance I could see being worn year round, except for the hottest days of the summer. There is some darkness here, to be sure: the base chords of labdanum, synthetic woods, dusty leather, vetiver, and benzoin rough it up a little bit. Overall, though, this is not the super smoky, dark, powerhouse masculine fragrance I was expecting. I think the comparison to Bottega Veneta Pour Homme/Pour Homme Extreme is apt. Although they don't really smell alike, they share a similar vibe and aesthetic. Clean, somewhat fresh, masculine, but not brash or rude. I find them both to be very pleasant fragrances that most everyone will enjoy. Despite the fact that incense is not exactly the most mass appealing note, I can't see most people outright disliking this, unless they have a particular distaste for incense.

Performance on my skin so far is not great. I think my bottle needs to go through some maceration. I haven't checked the batch code, and have no idea about reformulations, but this wears pretty light on me. Around 5 hours of longevity, an hour of projection, low sillage. I have to bury my face in my arm to smell anything other than that Quorum Silver woody molecule after a while. But it could very well change with time; I'll update my review in a few months after it's had time to sit.

I'd also like to point out that the bottle is simply ridiculous. A tragicomedy of a container. The spraying mechanism sticks upon every spray. In theory, you just have to push it down again to get it to release. In practice, pushing it down again causes it to lock up even more and release feeble little puffs, like an octogenarian leaking urine in the Arby's men's room. But hey, what matters is the juice inside, right?

My review seems pretty negative. Maybe I'm just in a cynical mood today. Overall, I do like Anonimo quite a bit, and will be wearing it often. It's a nice, easy to wear incense; in that category, I'd compare it favorably to something like Zadig & Voltaire's This is Him! Check it out, if you can find it.

7.5/10

EDIT:
After letting it macerate for about a month, the performance has increased exponentially.