Westi87

An Acqua di Parma, elegant Italian style as it is written in the book.
This is particularly true of this fragrance. If you can feel this Italian summer flair in many other fragrances of this house, through the present and juicy fruity notes; this fragrance is in no way inferior; and thus makes the brand even more interesting & versatile and shows that this fragrance house can not only create summer fragrances.

Wearing oud is brave. But wearing an Acqua di Parma also shows attention to detail.

What do we want from an Acqua di Parma fragrance, or rather, what DNA does the house give us, which we chase after and hope that our expectations are fulfilled?

It is the focus on the essentials - and Acqua di Parma achieves this time and time again with its fragrances. Concentrating on the essentials - by this I mean that with these fragrances we immediately recognize what the scent is trying to tell us, without any ifs or buts.

With the summery variants, we recognize and feel the fruity notes very clearly and better than with any other house - in my opinion. As if we were freshly cutting open an orange or a lemon, simply unique & delicious. However, the longevity of many fragrances leaves a lot to be desired, which is unfortunately also a characteristic of this DNA. But no big deal, with Acqua di Parma you should know what you're getting.

I also had this expectation with this oud fragrance, concentration on the topic of oud & durability solala.
This fragrance actually combines both:

The opening starts very oud-heavy, spicy and dominant, edgy. Almost penetrating and rather something that can cause headaches in the truest sense of the word for some (many?!). Please don't wear it in the office for God's sake!!!
The thought immediately occurred to me; please let the top note pass quickly, although it is still interesting, with many facets. But unfortunately with too much clarity & penetrance.
The fragrance reminds me of something luxurious & mysterious, which I can describe well:
It reminds me of a successful, reserved and mysterious person who doesn't need to show everyone what she has achieved. Their presence says it all and this person knows it. They are difficult to grasp and unattainable for many without this person having to talk about it.

So, as soon as the top note has faded, which for me is after about 15 minutes, the fragrance as a whole becomes more tolerable and also more interesting.
Oud is of course still present, anything else would not be in keeping with the DNA. A pleasant woody note has emerged, which turned my previous impression into a positive one after spraying it on.
Musk joins in more and more, something darker like patchouli becomes noticeable.
The whole gives the fragrance a certain elegance that lends the reserved, successful wearer a special glamor that he deserves.

A very long-lasting fragrance, the longevity is extremely good. For me, it lasts around 10 hours. We don't need to say much about the sillage - it's very room-consuming and will certainly be too much of a good thing for some people.

All in all, a fragrance that you should check out if you want to experience the Acqua di Parma DNA up close.
Due to the very good durability and the good fragrance quality, the price is justifiable in my opinion.

Try it - and then just buy it if you want a good oud fragrance from a great fragrance house.

I received this fragrance as a free addition to another TF fragrance by chance.
After the first test, the Tobacco Vanilla is better and more wearable for me than the fragrance I actually bought :)

Fragrance review:
Sprayed on, the opening starts spicy-oriental and reminds me directly of a hot drink in winter, some punch I had once consumed. Alcohol is also perceptible in the first few minutes.
Not necessarily wearable for everyone and striking; you have to like this fragrance, it is definitely masculine.

As the fragrance progresses, this spicy blend continues to accompany me and my immediate surroundings, with sweet-smoky vibes resonating, like in a shisha bar;

The sillage is very good, the fragrance is space-consuming. As an office fragrance, you should therefore think twice about wearing it. I would recommend it as an evening fragrance from fall to spring, when it is not yet so warm.

I don't know, but it reminds me a little of Bvlgari Man In Black

In the last stage, the last 3 hours, the sweet vanilla comes out more and more, which makes the fragrance not seem so linear. The spiciness slowly disappears.

The longevity is really very good; if you have decided to wear this as an office fragrance, it lasts an average working day, 9-10 hours for me.

Should you buy it now?
Pros:
-Long-lasting fragrance, you can spray it sparingly
-After all, you are buying a Tom Ford, which is absolutely a selling point; you can recognize the DNA
-Fits perfectly in the cold season, definitely appropriate for the occasion

Cons:
-The price, of course, but you can always find good deals here on Parfumo
-It could have a disturbing effect on the surroundings

Tip: Test it beforehand to see if it's really for you

I tried this Gucci yesterday in Trieste, the brand just in time for my Italian vacation, because of the positive feedback here on Parfumo.

First of all: unfortunately it's not quite my scent, but it really has a lot going for it. Of course, you expect a lot here, as it is a little higher up in the price segment of designer fragrances.

But first things first.
First sprayed on carefully, because it radiates well and yes, I can confirm that. It's good that it was very warm outside, I would have been noticed immediately indoors. The durability is also very good, it lasted longer than 12 hours on me. But also to be expected, Elixier de Parfum.

The opening starts sweet and spicy with lots of nutmeg and an orangy-floral touch. Unfortunately, nutmeg is too present and my nose immediately has the reflex to turn away when I get too close to the fragrance

In my opinion, the top note is not so suitable for the masses, but this shows that the house of Gucci doesn't really care because they go their own, special way and are therefore not a mass product. Not least because of the price. But of course that's completely fine, mass appeal is not necessarily what moves me.

On the way from Trieste to Lake Garda, my partner in the passenger seat had to put up with it for several hours, it wasn't her scent ;)
Don't get me wrong, it's really well made.

What came after 2-3 hours, however, surprised me positively. The sweetness, which I find disturbing, loses its intensity, but the slightly orangy-floral note remains and it becomes woodier. The woody notes balance out the remaining floral notes and bring the fragrance into better balance
It smells a lot better and special to me.

Just Gucci quality, for which I'm sure many are willing to pay the asking price.

Vanilla and benzoin are added towards the end. However, I like this sweetness, it rounds off this fragrance well and remains as a base for a long time.

For me, it would have been worth the money if the top note didn't stay on my skin for so long. An overall complex fragrance that I perceive as having strengths in the heart and base notes & weaknesses in the top notes.

I like the bottle, the color scheme suits the fragrance and the spray head is fine. The bottle is also fine and elegantly designed; here you can recognize the richness of detail of the house of Gucci. Really well done.

I will be testing other fragrances from this brand, because I was really impressed by the fine balance of the individual fragrance components.
Hopefully the next Gucci fragrance will catch me from start to finish...

...and is somehow trapped in the perfume game.
Not being able to decide which Parfums de Marly it should be.
Really this Layton who doesn't have to prove anything to anyone and is bursting with self-confidence?

This sweet and sour screaming apple top note, paired with lovely lavender notes that capture the opening a bit; should it be this one or not?

You are torn, you don't necessarily want to wear what many in the niche sector wear & follow what is very high up on the popularity scale; but somehow you can't get past it.

I take my time to think, to test other beautiful PDM fragrances and every few days I catch myself putting Layton on my skin again. I pass the time with bottlings of this fragrance so that I don't have to make a decision for the time being and simply enjoy this fragrance day after day, which becomes spicier with cardamom and woodier in the base note, darker with parchouli and more peppery
I don't recognize myself, as I am someone who is decisive and just does things rather than thinking about them for a long time; it's different here.

I don't need to say too much about the H/S either. 10 hours + , sillage is pleasantly perceptible and not too harsh, therefore also absolutely suitable as an office fragrance in my eyes.

At some point I will have to make a decision, if only for cost reasons and also because I really want to have a Parfums de Marly bottle in my collection.

Next week a new attempt at Oberpollinger. With a PDM bottle in hand?!

A good alternative for me would be the Althaïr
Difficult decision..

I already know the Le Mâle Eau de Toilette & Le Mâle Elixir and would like to write a few things about these two fragrances in advance so that I can make a comparison with the perfume later on.

As a teenager, I naturally liked Le Mâle Eau de Toilette very much, as this typical, strikingly sweet-oriental "Le Male" DNA was just right for me at that time and, in terms of price-performance ratio, immediately tempted me to pick it up without giving it much thought. It's actually always on offer in fragrance boxes at a good price.

However, the fragrance progression is explained quite simply - it hardly changes and is kept quite simple, but the sweetness comes out more and more. Generally, this doesn't bother me with more complex fragrances, but there is not much complexity here. But to be honest, you can't expect miracles for the money you get it for. Unfortunately, after a short time it was no longer so present for me and rather boring.
Nevertheless, it is of course a marketing masterpiece from JPG. It has been on the market for a long time and is very popular. The other two were also created from this DNA, so I don't want to talk too badly about this one.

The Le Mâle Elixir was of course also subjected to a test and here, too, you immediately notice that it is a "Le Male".
I noticed popcorn vibes (tonka bean, cinnamon, benzoin?!) in the course of the fragrance. It's quite a sweet scent, but later it changes into a dark (?!), tart, slightly smoky scent, which I think comes from the patchouli and labdanum. A similarity to the perfume I'll talk about below, but unfortunately not as well balanced in my opinion.

I also find this fragrance a little stinky and no longer as pleasant. That's why I unfortunately decided against buying it. Test it really well before you let yourself be tempted by the first impression to buy it, that's not prophetic knowledge either!

Now I would like to say something about Le Mâle Le Parfum:

I like the bottle with the color scheme best and I think the black describes quite well what you can expect and get from this perfume overall.

The opening starts again directly with this typical DNA but more spicy than the others. Sweet-spicy & oriental and, compared to the other two, more subtle and reserved towards the start.

Like a comfortable black veil that envelops the wearer, with a matching black bottle.

For the wearer, however, this fragrance is very present. The spicy notes find a good balance with the sweet, cardamom is immediately recognizable in the top note. For me, it is the most balanced fragrance in the comparison.

Very long-lasting with a gentle sillage that makes this fragrance ideal for many occasions. It is more of an evening fragrance and one that tempts you to get closer, for example on a date.

As the fragrance progresses, it retains its spiciness, lavender is mixed in and the sweetness ensures that it does not drift too much in one direction.

If you want a masculine, sexy fragrance for going out that is not superficial, but more profound, then check it out.