manlyscents

This opens fresh with a big bergamot and petitgrain. It has a spicy-herbal mid and a woody dry-down that I enjoy a lot more than the citrus-laden opening. The base is substantially woodier than citrus aromatics, which makes it a good step up from linear big lemons like Victor Original or Acqua Di Selva, and so on. Unfortunately it is hard to find these days.

Projection isn't good, but given its woodiness it lasts longer than most citrus aromatics.

Masculinity Level: Alec Baldwin in Miami Blues.

Opens with a spicy citrus. The citrus quickly fades and dry coriander *really* shines amongst rosemary and lavender. If you're averse to coriander, maybe you should stay away. A cypress note soon joins in the fun, and we're left with what I am tempted to describe as the best smelling aromatic antique furniture ever. That won't make sense to anyone but me, but I'm going with it anyway.

Comore offers a similar old school vibe as Guerlain Coriolan and, to a lesser extent, Boucheron Pour Homme and Cerruti 1881 Pour Homme. Hard to believe Comore was launched in the mid-2000s. Needless to say, it was a flop and was quickly discontinued. It flopped so hard that you can still find it at discounters for a pittance. Brave move by Montana nevertheless... we salute you.

It projects surprisingly well and longevity is 8 hours on my skin.

Masculinity Level: Donald Sutherland saying how JFK left him standing with his dick in the wind during the Cuban missile crisis.

A fresh, synthetic hodge-podge of oranges and herbaceous notes riding a huge metallic wave from beginning to end. It's more metallic than Drakkar Noir or even Cool Water or Platinum Egoiste... we're at Lomani Pour Homme levels of dihydromyrcenol here. There's too much of it for me to even smell the flowers and tobacco and leather and moss and woods that supposedly are in this. Sergio Soldano Black is close to this, but more citric and less metallic, and I prefer it.

Projection is okay at best, and longevity on this vintage made in France formulation is 5 hours max.

Masculinity Level: Hound from The Transformers, green and metallic.

The bottle colour says it all - this is notorious for its "niche wet cement" smell. I get the violet, the lavender, and the musk, but how their concoction smells the way it does is a mystery to me. It veers into powdery territory in the deep dry-down, but not enough to bother me.

Narciso Rodriguez For Him puts me in a reflective mood. It makes me want to wear a raincoat and go for a walk alone in the cold rain. Hats off to the house and the legendary perfumer for releasing something stupefyingly daring by 2007 designer standards.

It projects very well for the first 2 hours, and lasts a good 8. No complaints there.

Masculinity Level: Alain Delon wearing a trenchcoat on a grey day, walking hurriedly in the streets of Paris - a gorgeous city when it's drizzling.

We are greeted by geranium, clary sage, rosemary, petitgrain, and also bitter orange. Sandalwood, vetiver, and moss come alive in the dry-down. To my nose the citrus is not strong enough to warrant comparisons with popular citrus bombs.

Loewe PH is sadly overlooked, maybe because of its typical structure: spicy-herbal-citrus opening and woody base. Maybe it wasn't ground-breaking in 1974, but I appreciate its ability to be inoffensive while retaining its unabashed masculinity. You could easily rock this at the office today instead of resorting to something fresher and less masculine.

Projection is moderate but longevity is good.

I hear this 2010s formulation is less floral and less mossy than the vintage. It's well worth a sniff, but I can't attest to the juice in the newer tall bottles.

Masculinity Level: Gordon Gekko delivering the "Greed is Good" speech.