The perfume did not have the best of reviews but it managed to come through on the merits of its presentation and the friendliness of the scent. Although it is not one of those perfumes that arrests the person and refuses to let them go, the perfume is good on its merits and deserves its place in the fashion books. The dynamic duo of Bertrand Duchaufour and Baume du Doge has made a good run on this one. It seems that it will make a great impact on the industry as whole.

The Brand

Baume du Doge is based on an Italian tradition and it fits in nicely with the stereotype of rich luxury and stylish exuberance. It is one of the rich perfumes that are making it on the circuit and causing a bit of a stir amongst the general public and people who pay attention to these sorts of things. There is a good mix of the extravagant and the tasteful to keep the customers guessing. That was the original intention and it seems to have worked out well.

The Fragrance

The perfume contains sweet orange, bergamot, fennel, myrrh, frankincense, cinnamon, coriander, saffron, clove, cardamom, black pepper, benzoin, vanilla, vetiver and cedar. This is a challenging combination but there is method to the madness as the final product turned out quite well. It remains to be seen whether the people will be able to pick up on the subtle variations in the fragrance. They might turn out to be too subtle for their tastes.

The Packaging

It is not a particularly inspiring packaging with a cluttered look that gives the impression of a curtain that is past its best. However it is not so cluttered that it detracts from the central aspects of the perfume. Nevertheless I think that they missed an opportunity to make a real impact with the packaging on this one.

General Customer Feedback

The customers felt that it was a rich perfume that somehow reminded them of fruits. However ther was a group that felt that it could have been made spicier by the creation of different scents that evoked the exotic and different. Instead it went for the Italian tradition.

Popularity: 16% [?]

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% [?]

Yes there is a perfume that is known as True Religion for Men and I am not trying to shock those of your with religious leanings.  This innovative and challenging perfume is marketed as a fragrance for the senses and is meant to break all the conventions that we know about perfumes. The theme has to be rugged and masculine at the same time.  Whether this is going to be a classic or a short term gimmick is anyone’s guess but the quality of the perfume is quite high. The provocative title smacks of arrogant over confidence but perhaps that was the aim of the perfume in the first place.

The Brand

True religion is a clothes manufacturer that concentrate on men’s jeans. Therefore you can immediately identify the masculine themes of their product. They rely  on their knowledge of the modern working man but at the same time they look to create innovation and to shock in what they do. The fragrance continues these objectives very well.

The Fragrance

The perfume starts in a citrus hue which then gives way to violet . There are hints of moss and patchouli. That is it folks. The perfume really does take the term simple to a new level. However because the final fragrance is quite strong, it appears to me that they made a great decision to limit the number of scent themes. If they added anything extra the perfume might have become unusable due to the strong scents that it already has. I think it is nothing short of a miracle that they got so much out of a few ingredients.

The Packaging

It is a very disturbing packaging for a perfume. It looks like a tin of petrol or some strong alcoholic mix. There are hints of a rough brownish edge that appears to suggest that it is too tight for the stopper at the top. I do not know how to explain it but they have somehow managed to suggest that one is putting on tight jeans by use of different shades on the coloring of the bottle. I must comment them for being able to bring their clothes theme to the packaging of the perfume.

General Customer Feedback

Customers do acknowledge that it is a challenging perfume but they have come to the conclusion that it does not irritate. This is a definite plus for a perfume that is quite innovative and can challenge the tastes of everyone. It is definitely a modern perfume but without the challenges that go with that labeling.

Popularity: 9% [?]

This is an interesting perfume from the Washington Tremlett line. It is marketed as a unisex perfume that can be used by either sex but I believe that its rather powerful ingredients are more suited to gentlemen. However I could be wrong. The general consensus seems to be that this is not a perfume for the faint hearted. Some people have gone as far as describing it as having medicinal qualities, which is quite something for a perfume. I suppose if you are one of the experimental types, this perfume will be right up your street.

The Brand

Washington Tremlett have built their brand up from an understanding of the curious customer. They try to meet the needs of those perfume connoisseurs who will not settle for the bland. Black Tie continues this trend and I believe that it challenges the sense buds of anyone who dares to try it. Like any brand that is experimental, some of the efforts of Washington Tremlett have not been well received. Some customers grumbled at being overpowered by their perfumes. However on balance the brand does bring a new edge to the market and we would all be the poorer for its absence.

The Fragrance

I was amazed that such a challenging perfume could be constructed from very simple materials. I think that it is a testament to the imagination of the Washington Tremlett brand that they have been able to create Black Tie with a minimum of fuss but the maximum of effect. The perfume starts off with some bright citrus flavors. It then transitions into  greenish rose  and hints at some woody quality that I cannot quite place. The scent list includes henna, saffron and agar wood. This is where some people argue that it has a medicinal background, although I am not particularly into that kind of thing. Anyway the combination of the scents is dazzling in its unusualness.

The Packaging

I find the packaging weird. The bottle is almost gothic in its blackness but then this is completely thrown off the boil by the florid pink writing. What is that all about? Perhaps they wanted to shock. If that was their intention then they have succeeded well. I have to say that I do not live the bottle and would rather they looked at something a bit more elegant.

General Customer Feedback

The customers were rather curious about the strange fragrance combination but then they calmed down and started to enjoy it. From the general feedback it appears that the perfume is not particularly pleasant when you first smell it but as time goes by, it acquires  rather classy scent to it.

Popularity: 7% [?]

When the highly dynamic Thierry Mugler was venturing into the world of men’s fragrances, he chose to start with Angel and the results are quite impressive. It was a hint of the great color and vibrancy that he was to bring to a fledgling industry. The perfume is meant to shock but then to calm down into an old friend with a maculate career. There is some mumbo jumbo about the inspiration of two legends moving between the past and the future. Apparently this is the inspiration for this perfume but I do not buy it for one minute. However the merits of the perfume quickly make me forget the kind of nonsense that the inspiration is made out to be.

The Brand

Thierry Mugler is not for his innovative style within the industry and his ability to work within different contexts depending on the perfume that he is trying to design. As I said earlier, he brings a dynamism to the industry that it has frankly been lacking for a very long time. Most of the younger designers are just too full of themselves but Thierry Mugler shocks with good quality so you really cannot lump him with the modern charlatans.

The Fragrance

I understand the thinking behind the perfume was that women liked chocolate so if they could get a perfume that smelt like chocolate, they could get the women to like those men who wore the perfume. It sounds all rather contrived but in any case the perfume starts off with the feminine lavender which then moves into  Bergamote, Helional and  Peppermint . The culinary theme is continued with a hint of coffee. We then go back to the traditional fragrance list with  patchouli and styrax. Finally we end with the heartening scents of caramel, tonka bean, musk,  vanilla  and the all important Chocolate.

The Packaging

Now this is a very interesting box. It is made of a silver color but with a dark, almost black star. I kept thinking what this all meant because you never know what messages the designers might have left behind. However  I think that it fits in quite well with the innovative nature of the perfume and it goes a long way to complementing what is really something that serves as a shock to the system.

General Customer Feedback

The customers talked about the relative strangeness of the perfume. Some of them could not quite get over the scent of chocolate in the perfume and they suggested that perhaps the perfume would only suit men of a certain moral latitude. There were one or two negative comments to the  effect that they did not feel entirely decent wearing the perfume. However on balance I think they achieved their objective of making the public think and query.

Popularity: 7% [?]