WhyAge

Good day/ good night or good morning dear all,

sometimes you experience moments when your own path or development is clearly brought to your attention. I would like to share (unsolicited) one of those moments here...

About two or three years ago, I wrote a statement about Duchessa by Gritti, which I would like to quote verbatim here:

“Beautiful opening with church and marzipan. Unfortunately, both notes fade quickly and it remains a DD that reminds me a lot of Shaghaf Oud."

Btw. Quoting oneself must be the final stage of narcissism. But oh well...

At that time, I really had associations with Shaghaf Oud and could only imagine the scent on a woman. Recently smelled again, the fragrance immediately found its way into my collection. By now, I dare say I can also detect besides the (Amarena) cherry, marzipan, iris, and a subtly chocolatey note. At the center definitely stands the former hype fragrance note cherry, here referred to as black cherry. Moreover, the elegance no longer seems so feminine to me, but completely unisex wearable. If one wants to draw a comparison, I would say the Infinity by Montale or the Lost Cherry by Tom Ford would fit best. However, for me, the Infinity is much more synthetic in the drydown, and the Lost Cherry is indeed more feminine.

Both mentioned fragrances are far surpassed by Duchessa in terms of longevity and, at least the Lost Cherry, also in terms of projection.
In doing so, Duchessa does not overpower everything in the room, but leaves a perfectly dosed and noticeable scent trail that is perceived without being intrusive.

Long story short... The second test of Duchessa has suddenly brought my olfactory development of the last two years into sharp focus. I don’t want to present myself as enlightened and the latest perfume guru here (well, I do want to). But I would like to encourage potential readers to also give seemingly well-known fragrances a second chance and to challenge themselves every now and then. Sometimes your own nose can still surprise you.

As the word "curiosity" already suggests, it is driven by the desire to discover something new. Normally, this desire is greatest when one assumes, through hearsay or reviews, that the new thing is something incredibly desirable.

In the case of the new Spicebomb Night Vision Eau de Parfum by Viktor & Rolf, the situation is a bit different. By "a bit," I mean quite different. Why? Simply because many of the reviews and YouTube comments have been mediocre to very poor. Essentially, there should be no reason for curiosity. However, it is precisely this circumstance that piques my curiosity to investigate whether I can agree with the general opinion or refute it for myself personally. So much in advance, I can only disagree with the general public on this point.

First, let's discuss what is actually being criticized and, more importantly, why. The scent is often described as a very synthetic shower gel smell. There is also talk of a lack of depth. I can confirm the former. Night Vision EdP is not a very natural composition, like, for example, the fragrances from Chanel. This conclusion can already be drawn from the fragrance ingredients. However, I cannot recognize a lack of depth from my perspective, but it is also important to consider who Viktor & Rolf actually targets as their audience. Compared to niche fragrances from houses like Creed, Parfums de Marly, or Amouage, Night Vision is flatter than the Wadden Sea. Definitely!
In comparison to more mass-appealing designer fragrances, however, Night Vision can definitely hold its own with great success. For me, as a relative perfume novice who does not yet have the authority to judge the big names, Night Vision EdP appears to be a very fresh yet spicy scent that also brings a certain unique nuance. My individual perception is also reflected in the fact that I do not like Spicebomb Extreme at all, despite its outstanding reviews. It shows once again that tastes vary. This is probably one of the reasons for the massive criticism. The direct comparison between Night Vision and Extreme is naturally tempting, not only because of the same brand but also due to the name Spicebomb and the striking bottle design. Nevertheless, I believe Night Vision should be evaluated as an independent line. The addition of the EdP to the line only shows that it is also its own line with individual aspirations.

Regarding the performance of Night Vision EdP, I can also report only positive things. While it cannot top the nuclear longevity and sillage of Azzaro's Wanted by Night, which fragrance can? I perceive the perfume for a good 7-8 hours on my skin, potentially even longer on clothing. The sillage is also fully satisfying without being completely intrusive. The scent is best suited for cool days and evenings, whether casual or for a date.

I would like to conclude with a request to give the Night Vision EdP a fair chance. Perhaps many sniffers are a bit biased due to the EdT or the brand itself, but if one approaches the composition completely freely, one can only be positively surprised. Of course, I do not recommend ordering the 90ml bottle directly! Instead, in my humble opinion, one should take the opportunity to try a sample or a decant. Alternatively, one can also simply visit the perfumery of their choice. I would be happy if I could convince one or two perfume lovers here.

I wish all perfume lovers a wonderful week :-)

Normally, I try not to be impressed by the marketing campaigns of perfume manufacturers. In the case of Glacial Essence, I only partially succeeded. Mountains and glaciers, along with the promise of a very icy-fresh scent, were enough to make me want to test the new Bulgari. So I quickly sought out a sample and off I went on the (ski) ride...


The top note absolutely delivers what the promotional film promises. A very cool freshness pleasantly settles on the skin. None of the fragrance notes overpower the others; everything is very smoothly coordinated. Unfortunately, this feeling dissipates after just a few minutes.

In the heart and base notes, a rather penetrating sweetness then dominates, which reminds me a lot of the EDT from Dolce & Gabbana K, which was absolutely not my thing. A scent that leans towards summer, in my opinion, should not be this sweet. At over 30 degrees, you most likely just want to get the scent off your skin somehow. Especially after the promising opening, the development of the fragrance is a bitter disappointment for me, or rather a sweet disappointment. While Glacial Essence is not a total flop, Bulgari has also not released a blockbuster with this scent. Definitely not suitable for a blind buy. It's a shame, considering that an absolute master of his craft, Alberto Morillas, is behind this creation.

The longevity is adequate, but the sillage is not necessarily. For an EdP, both are below average.

I recently acquired this perfume and would like to delve deeper into the scent itself.

First of all, I want to say that the scent DNA is, in my opinion, very successful. Unfortunately, it is one of those fragrances that I like but cannot/would not really wear myself. The reason for this is the rather feminine orientation of the composition.

The top note starts off quite promisingly masculine. The often described almond comes across very fresh and pronounced, almost masculine.
For me, it becomes problematic starting from the heart note. There, cherry and rose come to the forefront. These two notes are very well executed, smelling almost a bit delicious, but in my opinion, they do not live up to the name L'Homme Ideal.
Overall, you can tell that Guerlain has succeeded in combining high-quality ingredients into what I consider an excellent fragrance. Unfortunately, it leans more towards a unisex scent.

The special composition and my experience with the fragrance suggest to me that the label unisex niche fragrance would be more appropriate. Nevertheless, this is nitpicking at a very high level.

At the time I purchased my first Chanel fragrance, Allure Homme Sport Eau Extreme, I was still completely new to the world of scents.
Of course, the name Chanel has an immediate alluring effect, especially on a fragrance novice. I think it goes without saying that expectations soared to unimaginable heights.

About six months later, I can report that all expectations have been met and even exceeded. However, I don't want to claim that Chanel AHSE is untouchable. There are certainly some designer or niche fragrances that come across as more refined and complete. But no scent I have smelled so far is even remotely as versatile and balanced.
The mint brings a very pleasant freshness to the composition, while the tonka bean adds a familiar southern vanilla note. This is rounded off with a slightly woody note in the base.

All in all, this is the perfect perfume for anyone who wants to define themselves by a scent and be remembered, regardless of the season or time of day.