manlyscents

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.

A solid burst of aldehydic, spicy, incense-y pine soon leads to typical 80s florals, followed by a healthy dose of oakmoss and leather. The scent profile is classic 80s masculine green; nothing ground-breaking, but an outstanding perfume nevertheless. It's not as loud and rugged as many beasts released during this period such as Basile Uomo or Loewe Esencia, but it's still substantially stronger than say Orlane Derrick which to my nose is a distant cousin.

Projection is decent, longevity is good.

Masculinity Level: Covey Leader to Raven. Come in, Raven.

Unlike most reviewers who rave about this one, I didn't wear it back when it was readily available, so I have no nostalgic attachment and emotional bias towards it.

This is an unusual blend of mostly dark berries and a little bit of fountain pen ink. It has a very warm woody base that's slightly powdery. A mature fragrance for sure, but not my type.

Magnetism For Men is unique in its own bizarre way. If you fell in love with it before it got discontinued, there isn't much out there that's similar. John Varvatos OG comes to mind, only because of the dark fruits up top, but Magnetism isn't as sweet.

Projection is moderate at best, but longevity is good.

Masculinity Level: Travolta in Get Shorty.