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Expressed orange peel
Subjective:
Very elegant citrus profile scent with good performance. It’s definitely not a standard “fresh green citrus” moment, but for the price point, I also wouldn’t say it's anything special, definitely paying the LVMH tax here. The quality and complexity of the top notes are really remarkable here, so definitely something for citrus lovers to dive into as a dark evening option.
Opening:
Dark citrus, very balsamic like an old-timey medicine. After a while, the spices come through and make way for some faint florality. Reminds me a lot of “expressing” orange peel oil over a candle, there is a pleasant sweetness that reminds me of clementine here aswell.
Development:
The citrus lingers quite a while and progressively takes on a dried orange peel character. The drydown is a powdery, lightly green vetiver-and-patchouli scent that’s really elegant and, at times, even a bit earthy, though not particularly distinctive.
Performance:
The citrus character lasts for 4+ hours on skin, which is quite impressive. The fragrance also projects quite pleasantly at first. The drydown is more intimate and a bit weak, but that makes sense for the profile of this scent.
Very elegant citrus profile scent with good performance. It’s definitely not a standard “fresh green citrus” moment, but for the price point, I also wouldn’t say it's anything special, definitely paying the LVMH tax here. The quality and complexity of the top notes are really remarkable here, so definitely something for citrus lovers to dive into as a dark evening option.
Opening:
Dark citrus, very balsamic like an old-timey medicine. After a while, the spices come through and make way for some faint florality. Reminds me a lot of “expressing” orange peel oil over a candle, there is a pleasant sweetness that reminds me of clementine here aswell.
Development:
The citrus lingers quite a while and progressively takes on a dried orange peel character. The drydown is a powdery, lightly green vetiver-and-patchouli scent that’s really elegant and, at times, even a bit earthy, though not particularly distinctive.
Performance:
The citrus character lasts for 4+ hours on skin, which is quite impressive. The fragrance also projects quite pleasantly at first. The drydown is more intimate and a bit weak, but that makes sense for the profile of this scent.
Clean Boy
Subjective:
A Classic “men’s” profile executed at a high quality. The citrus is well-balanced and elegant, with enough depth to keep you engaged. The fragrance dries to a clean, soapy base on my skin. Is this the ultimate no-fuss “clean boy” scent?
There is nothing wrong with a basic crowd-pleasing profile executed at a high level. It’s not an incredibly complex scent that evolves over time, but its likability, combined with its quality, makes it special.
Opening:
Elegant classic opening. The balance between the citrus and herbal notes is masterful, soapy in a good way, like a classic pine bergamot hand soap.
Development:
After a couple of hours, the citrus and herbal notes fade, and a soft, creamy, clean scent lingers on the skin. A bit piney and still fresh, but nicely rounded and almost translucent. A nice, softer alternative to those who don't enjoy amber or woody drydowns.
Performance:
It performs more like an eau de toilette than an eau de parfum. But to me, that’s ok, it fits with the target audience and use case for this kind of fragrance. I’m not sure I would want to smell like classic men’s pine soap for 8+ hours.
A Classic “men’s” profile executed at a high quality. The citrus is well-balanced and elegant, with enough depth to keep you engaged. The fragrance dries to a clean, soapy base on my skin. Is this the ultimate no-fuss “clean boy” scent?
There is nothing wrong with a basic crowd-pleasing profile executed at a high level. It’s not an incredibly complex scent that evolves over time, but its likability, combined with its quality, makes it special.
Opening:
Elegant classic opening. The balance between the citrus and herbal notes is masterful, soapy in a good way, like a classic pine bergamot hand soap.
Development:
After a couple of hours, the citrus and herbal notes fade, and a soft, creamy, clean scent lingers on the skin. A bit piney and still fresh, but nicely rounded and almost translucent. A nice, softer alternative to those who don't enjoy amber or woody drydowns.
Performance:
It performs more like an eau de toilette than an eau de parfum. But to me, that’s ok, it fits with the target audience and use case for this kind of fragrance. I’m not sure I would want to smell like classic men’s pine soap for 8+ hours.
Questionable Quality
Opening:
Chemical, like off-brand Dr Pepper… sharp, stinging florals.
Development:
Quite monodimensional: once the opening aggression fades, you get a chemical-sweet scent with vague, artificial florals. It reminds me a lot of soft drinks, like Dr Pepper, or even orangina. I don’t get cardamom specifically, but a vague spice accompanied by white almonds.
The drydown is pleasant, with a good balance between florals, wood, and sweetness. But nothing special or distinctive imo.
Performance:
Performance is average, the opening is quite harsh and lasts about an hour. On the skin, the scent lasts for four more hours before disappearing. Projection is quite strong, though, which can be a good thing if you like the scent.
Subjective:
The opening is almost intriguing, but it falls short in terms of quality. I’m not sure what the fragrance wants to be; it’s a bit obnoxious, but not in a good way. Almost all the notes mentioned really don’t hit for me. Maybe on someone else’s skin it could be more interesting, but I found it a bit lacking.
Chemical, like off-brand Dr Pepper… sharp, stinging florals.
Development:
Quite monodimensional: once the opening aggression fades, you get a chemical-sweet scent with vague, artificial florals. It reminds me a lot of soft drinks, like Dr Pepper, or even orangina. I don’t get cardamom specifically, but a vague spice accompanied by white almonds.
The drydown is pleasant, with a good balance between florals, wood, and sweetness. But nothing special or distinctive imo.
Performance:
Performance is average, the opening is quite harsh and lasts about an hour. On the skin, the scent lasts for four more hours before disappearing. Projection is quite strong, though, which can be a good thing if you like the scent.
Subjective:
The opening is almost intriguing, but it falls short in terms of quality. I’m not sure what the fragrance wants to be; it’s a bit obnoxious, but not in a good way. Almost all the notes mentioned really don’t hit for me. Maybe on someone else’s skin it could be more interesting, but I found it a bit lacking.
A strong floral open, but this fabric softener does not have legs...
Opening:
Bold flowers, aggressive, almost a bit painful. I can perceive the juniper and mint very faintly, but they fade almost instantly on the skin.
Development:
The florals take centre stage and become more realistic, even briefly becoming a bit… faecal, in a way that real flowers sometimes are.
As the wear progresses, bergamot and pleasant mineral notes accompany the florals. Occasionally, chocolate, toffee, and lavender also appear. In the drydown, the florals continue to whisper but are accompanied by a soft and surprising peppermint note!
Performance:
The scent nosedives in performance for the first two hours, the drydown lasts until the 8-hour mark on skin, but the last five hours are very faint. On the other hand, the projection is spectacular, big but not in an obnoxious way.
Subjective:
Like a very refined fabric softener, the opening is not particularly interesting and comes across as a bit plasticky (not in a good way), but after 15-20 minutes, the fragrance mellows out into something more pleasant. To me, it comes off as soapy, like an overpriced soap you might find at a designer spa. The florals are rich and photorealistic, like diving face-first into a bouquet of big white flowers. A balsamic, green note is missing for me to complete the picture. I can see that the ingredient quality here is high, but I wish that the presentation were more complex.
Bold flowers, aggressive, almost a bit painful. I can perceive the juniper and mint very faintly, but they fade almost instantly on the skin.
Development:
The florals take centre stage and become more realistic, even briefly becoming a bit… faecal, in a way that real flowers sometimes are.
As the wear progresses, bergamot and pleasant mineral notes accompany the florals. Occasionally, chocolate, toffee, and lavender also appear. In the drydown, the florals continue to whisper but are accompanied by a soft and surprising peppermint note!
Performance:
The scent nosedives in performance for the first two hours, the drydown lasts until the 8-hour mark on skin, but the last five hours are very faint. On the other hand, the projection is spectacular, big but not in an obnoxious way.
Subjective:
Like a very refined fabric softener, the opening is not particularly interesting and comes across as a bit plasticky (not in a good way), but after 15-20 minutes, the fragrance mellows out into something more pleasant. To me, it comes off as soapy, like an overpriced soap you might find at a designer spa. The florals are rich and photorealistic, like diving face-first into a bouquet of big white flowers. A balsamic, green note is missing for me to complete the picture. I can see that the ingredient quality here is high, but I wish that the presentation were more complex.
No Hazelnut, but a very nice freshly-cut Oak
Opening: Very pleasant and complex, but subsides quickly. Herbaceous, fresh, woody, yet not dark at all.
Development: The fragrance quickly settles into a stable and somewhat flat, yet very pleasant and photorealistic cedar note, rounded out by what I perceive as “freshly cut” oak, reminiscent of a young oak barrel. As the fragrance dries down, it gradually becomes more spicy and develops a stronger dark oak character. Surprisingly, in the drydown, I suddenly detect a white-wine note, perhaps due to associations with barrel-aged wines.
Performance: The top notes fade very quickly, but the rest of the perfume remains quite stable for the 3-6 hours it lasts on the skin. After about three hours, the fragrance becomes relatively faint on my skin, and sadly, its performance and quality on textiles are not able to compensate. I would expect better performance from such a woody fragrance, but perhaps that’s difficult to achieve while preserving this “fresh” and almost “green”
Development: The fragrance quickly settles into a stable and somewhat flat, yet very pleasant and photorealistic cedar note, rounded out by what I perceive as “freshly cut” oak, reminiscent of a young oak barrel. As the fragrance dries down, it gradually becomes more spicy and develops a stronger dark oak character. Surprisingly, in the drydown, I suddenly detect a white-wine note, perhaps due to associations with barrel-aged wines.
Performance: The top notes fade very quickly, but the rest of the perfume remains quite stable for the 3-6 hours it lasts on the skin. After about three hours, the fragrance becomes relatively faint on my skin, and sadly, its performance and quality on textiles are not able to compensate. I would expect better performance from such a woody fragrance, but perhaps that’s difficult to achieve while preserving this “fresh” and almost “green”
