This is one of those department store perfumes but it has enough distinction to create a stir and I personally believe that it has been a success. The brand wanted to create something that is clean cut and fresh with a masculine twist. This is generally the objective of most perfume houses and therefore I am not surprised at the ambition. However I believe that they have been successful in achieving this objective.  

The Brand

The brand prides itself on the ability to create products that fit that all American images of gentlemen who know what they want and knows the means to getting it. This brand is about creating a simple but effective formula for being stylish rather than the excessive designer brand cultures that we have seen. It is refreshing to see a perfume that is able to compete on its own terms without the intervention of the brand.

The Fragrance

The fragrance list is not always accurately represented in how the perfume smells but essentially it starts of with bergamot, mandarin, pink grapefruit and juniper. It then moves to rosemary, papaya, curcuma, mahogany, white tea rose and accord. The traditional scents of suede, sandalwood, cistus, tonka and cashmere wood can are then experienced as the perfume fades away. What you have to do is think about the product as a better finished product than just the ingredients. If you try to look for all the ingredients you might end up severely disappointed.

The Packaging

This is an absolute belter of a packaging that looks somewhat scientific fiction type but then is brought back to life by an elegant glass finish with the pale blue liquid within. I have nothing bad to say about the packaging and feel that it fully does justice to the excellent perfume itself.

General Customer Feedback

Some people found the perfume somewhat antiseptic in tone but I personally feel that this is refreshing. The perfume is intended to make you feel relaxed and pristine. That is not about being clinical but about being fresh. The views of the public can be indifferent on this one but I would recommend it to anyone who wants an everyday perfume.

Popularity: 16% [?]

The great Versace house has wanted to create a perfume that is meant to meet the needs of a confident and attractive man. Now that is some bold statement to make. Where does it leave the diffident ugly ducks?  Somehow I think that this is just pretentious nonsense that detracts from a great perfume from a great perfume house. Ordinary people should not be put off by the exclusivity. This is a perfume that anyone can dare to wear and there should be no shame or diffidence in that.

The Brand

Versace is all about looking good and giving a great impression. If you decide to wear the brand then you will be saying something about your tastes and general affluence. The brand has been effective in developing its place within the very top of the designer perfumes on the market at the moment and it must be commended for that. Lesser brands would have faded in the face of stiff competition.

The Fragrance

The perfume opens up with the customary bergamot that then moves into bitter orange leaves. The unique qualities are emphasized by the presence of neroli, and diamante. This gives a definite Italina feel to the whole thing. We then move on to citron, geranium and clary sage. A rather strange combination comes up when blue hyacinth meets cedar wood. The perfume is then developed by oud, mineral amber, musk and tonka bean. If you are not careful you might think that this is a dull perfume but you have to be patient because it will soon reveal its rather impressive fragrance pedigree.

The Packaging

I would not expect anything less than an exquisite packaging from Versace and I am not disappointed on this occasion. I particularly love the blue themed liquid within the clean white bottle. It somehow reminds me of the sea and cool things. This is a great job on the packaging.

General Customer Feedback

Customers were very complimentary about the perfume although a few felt that it first gave them the impression of being bland and predictable. I think this is a good thing because a good perfume should always surprise. What started off as ordinary can then become extra ordinary.

Popularity: 29% [?]

This is an interesting perfume that titters dangerously close to stereotypes. Apparently it is targeted to the African American Market and an age bracket of eighteen years to thirty four years of age. Now that is a stereotype if there was ever one. I would have said that they need to open up the perfume more so that it can touch beyond those boundaries. What is it about a sixteen year old and a thirty eight year old Asian man that would not make this perfume suitable? However it must be pointed out that these stereotypes are not part of the company ethos. Rather they are the opinions of certain editors. In any case I think the perfume has great merits.

The Brand

The company Rocowear has been in operation for nearly a decade but is not immediately clear to those who are not familiar with the brand. The brand is rather hip with a cool and almost urban feel to their products. I would have said that the overall tone of their products is rather masculine but generally it does work very well for their target audience. The perfume is just meant to bring the outfits together with the personality of the person wearing them.

The Fragrance

The notes include some coriander and mandarin. We are then transported to the world of cantaloupe, lavender, geranium leaf and suede accord. This then gives way to amber, musk, and timber. The notes create a rather bright but masculine outlook to the perfume and in my opinion it could work well with teenagers.

The Packaging

I must admit that I was fascinated by the packaging. The packet somehow managed to look metallic and woody at the same time. This must have taken some clever play with graphics but the effect just about sums up the complexity and notes of the perfume. Therefore I would say that the perfume has been well served by the packaging.

General Customer Feedback

Quite infuriatingly the target audience was not present in the many reviews that I saw. However those who smelt the perfume found it rather powerful. That is why I still insist that this is something that would work very well with sweaty teenagers that want to make an impact.

Popularity: 10% [?]

This is one of the endless lines of cologne lines that are being brought out by almost every single perfume line. However like everything about Calvin Klein, this marketed towards the brand image customers. They will immediately recognize a kindred spirit in Intense Euphoria. However it is not quite as dramatic as the name may suggest.

The Brand

Calvin Klein is one of the most successful and enduring perfume houses. It has now become synonymous with the age of the designer stuff and is quite adept at adding premium to what would otherwise have been fairly ordinary products. The wonderful thing about the brand is that they know their customer and try to deliver to them what they want.

The Fragrance

The perfume is very pleasant and opens with certain spice elements that are combined with a citrus hint. There is some sage which is followed by melon. A woody scent finishes off the perfume to add that essential masculine flavor.  The fragrance list just points to these ingredients and includes some ginger, pepper, accord of the raindrop type, sudachi, basil, patchoulie and cedar leaf. They talk of amber but I cannot smell it. Vetiver and myrrh are used to create an almost oriental mix.

The Packaging

I do like the structure of the angular bottle with its clean lines and almost sixties feel but the brown color is rather nondescript. It makes the perfume appear to be much older than it is and does not bring the vibrancy that one would expect of a Calvin Klein creation.

General Customer Feedback

Customers had pleasant enough experiences of the perfume but they felt that it did not have the wow factor to make them desire to buy it above all other perfumes. There were a few complaints about the intrusion of melon which seemed to overwhelm some of the delicate notes that make the perfume whole. Many of the reviewers felt that they perfume actually did perform much better once placed on the skin but by the time this happened a lot of the damage had been done through a rather standard combination of fragrance notes.

Popularity: 11% [?]

As you are probably aware, I am not a fan of celebrity perfumes. It takes me a great effort to go out and look for one because I have always believed that the traditional methods of making fragrances are dying out to be replaced by the sheer weight of celebrity. I decided to check out Carlos Santana’s perfume because I wanted to give the genre a chance.

The Brand

A great musician, Carlos Santana, has decided to try his hand at perfumes. I would like to think that he has a creative hand in the manufacturing or design process. It would be a pity if we did not get to see his personality in the perfume because that is why people go for celebrity. They want to know the person. As it happens the perfume does justice to the celebrity who endorsed it. The quality of the perfume means that people will be queuing up for the sequel.

The Fragrance

The ever present bergamot opens the perfume fragrance list. We then branch off into the fruits with mandarin. The lavender hints remind me of bathing after a hard day’s work. The spicy masculine tones of cinnamon bark give the perfume depth. We then go back to fruits with apples before a decidedly harder sandalwood, cypress woo and cedar. The ubiquitous patchouli combines with musk and leather to create a very distinct flavor. We then close the perfume with an interesting combination of benzoin, vanilla, amber, and tonka bean. This is a perfume that has been well thought through on so many levels and the fragrance list is a testament to this fact.

The Packaging

The perfume has an absolutely lovely packaging. The blood red liquid is placed in an oval, almost oblong shaped glass with some clean decorations. I absolutely love the packing on this perfume and my only criticism might be that it is a touch too feminine but no matter. It is still a good thing to have on the side table.

General Customer Feedback

The perfume has received brilliant feedback from almost all the customers who got it. They found that it was masculine without being too aggressive. The mix of the ingredients created something that smelt and looked good. This is a perfume for special occasions because it is so precious. I really have nothing negative to report on the perfume because it ticks so many of my boxes.

Popularity: 9% [?]

When we talk of the Bond Girl, it is automatic for us to think about the epitome of elegance and seduction. The fact that the fragrance is associated with the James Bond film makes it even more intriguing as a concept. The perfume promises so much intrigue and power play that one can only hope that it does not disappoint. 

The Brand

Avon was started around 1886 in upstate New York under the guise of the title ‘The California Perfume Company’. David McConnell found that he had free rose oil samples so he decided to work with a local pharmacy called Little Dot Perfumes in order to develop his idea of making perfumes. In 1939 the name was changed to Avon. The store is mainly involved in door to door sales but you can also access their products online and from specialized stores.

The Fragrance

The perfume opens with floral which then turns into peach. This comfortable marriage is upset by the entrance of a strong musky-woody base. The fragrance list reports patchouli but it cannot be picked up from just smelling the perfume. The perfume has a particularly strong final finish that might cause you to hold back a bit. If you do not have a good constitution you might start to get a headache. I would not say that it is a beautiful fragrance but it is certainly unforgettable.

The Packaging

Someone made a rather pithy comment to the effect that the packaging looks like a lantern. The pink thing that they have going on is rather hideous but the lady on the cover is quite striking. Perhaps the image of the lady is supposed to compensate for the pink lantern look. I have to admit that this packaging does not do it for me. I cannot work out how it links to the bond 007 phenomena or whether it actually creates elegance.

General Customer Feedback

The customers were not particularly impressed with the scent and they ended up making fun of the look of the perfume. They found that there was no real distinct look to the perfume that would distinguish it from the other very similar products on the market. I rather feel sorry for the designer because the title had such promise but ultimately it only flattered to deceive. What a shame.

Popularity: 8% [?]

Chocolovers is the second fragrance that has come out courtesy of Aquolina. It has a sister perfume that is much more popular and goes by the tantalizing name of Pink Sugar. The perfume has a chocolate feel and in fact some people even reported that it made them hungry. I for one find it rather strange that people are supposed to wear confectionery as a cosmetic substance but somehow the perfume has managed to work despite the weird combinations.

The Brand

The brand is based on producing imaginative perfumes at a reasonable cost. With the first success of the products, the perfume makers have decided to go deeper into the perfume market. Their target audience is generic but to fully appreciate their perfumes, you need to have a good palette. You also need to be open minded enough to explore some of the unusual combinations that they come up with. More often the perfume is much better that what the ingredients would suggest at first blush.

The Fragrance

We start off with the obligatory bergamot. A citrus not is confirmed by the presence of an orange scent and some lemon. We are then taken back to the lily of the valley. This leads to the kitchen with coriander, hazelnut, vanilla, malt and musk. Overall this is a basic perfume structure but with a wonderful product at the end. The chocolate flavor works well with the gourmet theme but I am not sure whether it clashes with the citrus thing going on.

The Packaging

I have to say that I find the packaging quite dull. All we have is a white bottle with a few hints of chocolate hearts. There is really not romance or drama in the bottle and I find that it is a letdown. I also find it irritating that you cannot tell whether it is a perfume by just looking at a bottle. You need to do further investigation to smell it and dissect the different notes that it brings.

General Customer Feedback

There was lots of curiosity about the fact that a perfume was going to be using chocolate as its main theme. Perhaps the trepidation was justified by the distinct lack of presence when the final product came out. It is pleasant enough but I did not see many people who felt that they had to rush out to get it. I have to say that I would buy it if only for curiosity’s sake. It is not often that you get to own a chocolate perfume so when the chance comes you must grab it.

Popularity: 8% [?]

Le Chèvrefeuille came onto the market around the year 2002. It is in fact the third in a series of limited edition soliflores by Annick Goutal. The other two fragrances were Le Muguet and La Violette. The geniuses behind the perfume were none other than Isabelle Doyen and Camille Goutal. It is simply a great perfume for the ladies and keeps hitting the right notes from the start to the finish. If you are not particularly into the ingredients, they can become somewhat tedious but eventually you will get used to them and even begin to like them.

The Brand

Annick Goutal was a rather successful concert pianist as well as being a noted fashion model. Her collaboration with the perfumers at Robertet was at the behest of her close friends. They decided to develop a fragrance for a face cream. By 1980 the former concert pianist was launching her first perfume. Consequently the brand was acquired by the Taittinger Group which in turn became a subsidiary of Starwood Capital. Following the death of the original perfume maker, her daughter Camille took up the mantra with Isabelle Doyen. Apart from the thirty or so perfumes, the brand is now firmly embedded in the toiletries market.

The Fragrance

The perfume is rather gentle with its honeysuckle introduction. This puts the user into a relaxing mood before we move on to the serious business of the green notes. Afterwards we have the unusual narcissus and then go to the spices with jasmine. The citrus makes itself known with a hint of lemon before the perfume closes out with petit grain. It might appear to be too much of a kitchen fragrance but when the elements are combined, they tend to

The Packaging

 I absolutely love the pale yellow bottle with the golden fluid within. This is topped off by and elegant gold cap. The final little whiff of a ribbon or chiffon around is just the icing on the cake. This is a nice little package and it has been marketed extremely well.

General Customer Feedback

Some clients were simply not impressed by lasting power which was sometimes described as being poor. This is not good news for a perfume. However they were appreciative of the fact that someone finally chose to use honeysuckle in a perfume. There was a healthy curiosity which was not completely satisfied by the perfume. Perhaps the expectations were too high for the perfume in the first place and disappointment became inevitable.

Popularity: 11% [?]

This is a perfume that any Scotsman would be proud of. It was created in homage to the Scottish moors and the tradition of making whisky. It therefore purports to rely on smoky and woody flavor to create a sensual feel. It is not rough by any stretch of imagination. On the contrary this is a perfume that is elegant and reeks of great sophistication. Whist definitely male, the perfume retains a certain softness that is almost languid in its effects.

The Brand

The brand was effectively established by a French fashion designer in 1974. In the eighties it was the epitome of those fashion house that opted for power dressing. They have now moved onto perfumes and have been very successful there. The brand is not ashamed of modern commercialism but always adds something interesting to the mix.  I think that the power dressing ethos has been brought to the new fragrance and it has been a grand success.

The Fragrance

As would be expected there is an alcohol hint at the very beginning of the perfume which points you towards the inspiration that was received from whisky. The great perfume then releases its hues of  woods, sweet musk, vanilla and patchouli. Some reviewers have noted a feeling  that there is cereal in the perfume. I myself have not yet experienced this scent. However I must scent that the final product is a gorgeous perfume that I find particularly comforting.

The Packaging

This is my ideal packaging because it combines black and gold in an elegant swoop that is just out of this world. From the box to the perfume itself, you just get sexy written all over it. You can gather that I am absolutely in love with the packaging on this perfume.

General Customer Feedback

Most of the customers said that the perfume reminded them of breakfast. The whisky theme was not so prevalent but they all agreed that this was a great perfume that deserved a place on the highest echelons of the industry. Most importantly they said that the perfume became better as it stayed on the body which means that there will be plenty of repeat customers.

Popularity: 27% [?]

If there was a name that was suggestive then the top prize has to go to illicit.  Unfortunately this was the only fragrance from the company to date. This is such a shame because they showed such promise when they brought out illicit that we thought the dream would go on forever. I would definitely like to see more of Billy Jealousy in the perfume business.

The Brand

Billy Jealousy is a manufacturer of men’s grooming products in the great state of Texas. They debuted illicit and then gave it a miss. The company targets the modern man with products that are practical and stylish at the same time. Their grooming products emphasize the all American wholesome values but with a hint of naughtiness as seen by the titling.

The Fragrance

Illicit starts off with bergamot followed by ginger . The masculinity is emphasized by the presence of sandalwood and musk . This creates a perfume that is just too standard to create any lasting professions. It could be any number of sports fragrances that lie on the market. You could then wonder why I thought they had promise. My idea to give them a thumbs up for showing promise is that they are able to create a quite competent perfume from very simple ingredients. I am afraid that this is an art that has been lost in the modern age of experimentation therefore anyone who tries has to be commended.

The Packaging

Strangely enough the packaging looks like a spirit bottle. In particular it reminds me of Vodka with the black dragon like labeling. I suppose they wanted to maintain a link with their clothing industry in general and the jeans section in particular. It is a sporty king of packaging but it does not raise the temperature.

General Customer Feedback

People who tended to like this perfume were those that always preferred the simple things in life. One customer suggested that it would be a perfect perfume for the busy teenager. I couldn’t agree  more with this sentiment. I wish that the makers would go bold and create a stunning creation that would launch them firmly in the perfume world.

Popularity: 14% [?]