Fragrances

212 VIP Men by Carolina Herrera

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Maybe I just haven’t been paying enough attention but I think that Carolina Herrera fragrances are criminally underrated. I have yet to come across a scent from this house that I didn’t at least like a bit.

There aren’t too many designers that I can say that about. Recently, I bought a full bottle of 212 VIP, which seemed right up my alley based on the notes and the description of the cologne.

How does this one rate? What does it smell like? Does it have good longevity? Keep reading below for my full thoughts and reaction on 212 VIP for men.

What does 212 VIP Men Smell Like?

Notes include: caviar, lime, frozen mint, black pepper, vodka, ginger, amber, apple, King wood, tonka bean

Click here to try: 212 Vip by Carolina Herrera Eau De Toilette Spray for Men, 3.4 Ounce

212 VIP Herrera

My Full Review

The opening of 212 VIP for men starts with a smooth yet spicy blast of the vodka, tonka bean, amber, and pepper notes. Supporting roles come into play from the mint and lime which while not prominent, I think gives VIP a little extra something unique. It has a fizziness from gin, that really allows for it to develop that alcoholic drink personality, up top.

Once the initial spray passes, the passionfruit and lime, bring a fruity sharpness to 212 VIP Men. It has a very citrus appeal, with a refreshing spice, and comes together as a crisp/cold beverage.

After the initial stages, the sweetness of the tonka provides the slight vanilla aroma that blends well with the warmth of the amber. It sort of reminds me of The One by D&G in this regard, yet, these are wholly different scents.

Now, with the vodka note this does have that boozy feel to it, which is perfect for the nightlife…and it’s designed to be that way. As it dries down, I do sense more of the ginger as the spice and less of the original pepper from the opening which allows VIP to take on a different vibe.

I would say that the cologne definitely gets better as time wears on. 212 VIP softens up from the more intense opening but still retains its alluring sexiness.

The base notes of leather and wood, aren’t that strong here. You can pick them up hours into it, but they never really overtake the main ingredients.

Sillage, Longevity, and When to Wear

Projection wise, this stuff is great. A couple sprays were enough to have it be very noticeable without going into the realm of being too much.

It’s a loud and confident kind of fragrance. I get really good longevity out of this too, 8+ hours seems to be no problem thus far…so you do get some bang for your buck.

Update: The sillage on this, is really strong. 212 VIP can be a monster, so spray lightly. Once I grabbed a full bottle of this stuff, the projection absolutely dominates a room.

Update 2: I’m basing all of this on the original bottles, I’m not sure if it’s taken a step back.

It does settle some, but is well above average for the rest of the way until VIP is done. It will routinely get me over 10 hours of wear, sometimes less, but it does its job well.

This is cold weather performer. I’ll be wearing this a lot during the wintertime, as it seems I’m always finding great scents to wear during this time of the year.

This isn’t so much a casual fragrance. I mean, one or two sprays will probably be okay while at work but 212 VIP is built for nights out.

This is a club/bar banger, much like 1 Million but I’m finding VIP, to be the more mature and interesting of the two. Yes, this is a sexy, date night, lady attraction kind of cologne and I will be wearing it as such.

Really, outside of the club/bar scene, this fragrance hasn’t had much application for me. The strength and booziness can be prohibitive, in that regard, and it isn’t able to stray much outside of its niche.

Overall Impression of 212 VIP

Overall, do I think 212 VIP is worth a buy? Yes! I bought my bottle and am very glad that I did. It’s great across the board. It smells really good, it lasts a long time, it isn’t weak, and it’s amazing for nightlife.

Now, I do love a lot of scents that have that sweet tonka, warm ambery, boozy kind of feel to it…so, if that’s not your thing, you should probably go with something else. However, if you want a cold weather cologne that doesn’t let you down, I would strongly consider 212 VIP.

Update: This is still my favorite from the 212 line. I no longer have my full bottle, yet this is one I would want to wear every once in a while. If the price is right this can still be worth it.

Again, this stuff is powerful, and the vodka/gin is an integral part of its composition. You should consider it, if you’re younger and still involved in the bar/club scent. Outside of that, it probably won’t be much use to you.

Le Bateleur 1 by Dolce & Gabbana

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Dolce & Gabbana released it so-called Anthology series of fragrances a few years ago and I have already reviewed two of these colognes on this site already (La Force, Le Fou). In all honesty, this line of scents has been quite disappointing.

Not that they are horrible fragrances by any means, it just seems that they are all sort of bland and/or weak in their longevity and projection. In this post, I want to take a closer look at Le Bateleur 1 from D&G.

What does La Bateleur 1 Smell Like?

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Notes include: coriander, juniper berries, cardamom, cedar, vetiver, and birch

My Full Wear Review

Upon the first spray, I noticed an aquatic quality to this and definitely the juniper berries. That’s what the opening is mostly consisting of in my opinion, water and juniper. It’s nice and has an earthy and woodsy fragrance to it sitting underneath that main accord.

This is a woodsy aquatic, versus the usual fruity or oceanic type of scent. That’s good, if you’re looking for a change of pace.

After a while, it does seem to shift a bit more into the woodsy feeling than being strictly an aquatic with berries. Cedar and birch are the woody notes early on. Then, the dry down will be more about cedar and vetiver.

The final dry down is a cold and fresh woody fragrance. Still quite aquatic, but no

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Sillage wise, it’s below average. The opening act isn’t too bad and it reaches a moderate status during that part. However, for most of the wear, I forgot that I was even still wearing La Bateleur.

If I pressed my nose close to the skin, I could detect it. But, outside of that, not really.

Longevity wise, it isn’t that great. Maybe 4 hours on my skin. It’s quite subpar with how it performs. If it had more of a boost in this department, I would be more enthusiastic about adding this one to the collection.

It is a fresh smell that is slightly masculine but could pull off a unisex application. It’s not heavy and animalistic, just a clean woodsy and sometimes hard to pin down scent.

That’s the strength of this scent. You can pretty much wear it whenever and it wouldn’t be that bad of a choice. I would skip nightlife or if you’d want to draw complements. It doesn’t really stand out.

Overall Impressions

Like the rest of the Anthology series (save for L’Imperatrice 3), I feel that this cologne isn’t really anything that special. I definitely like it but not as much as Le Fou 21 or any of the plethora of great fragrance options that I have.

It seems to me that all of the fragrances in this series have plenty of positive qualities, however, none are complete. It’s like they are all missing one ingredient are quality that would tie them together and make them good performers.

Do I recommend it? Not really. It’s a nice scent but I couldn’t justify buying a whole bottle for myself. Give the sample size a try and see if it works for you. It’s not one that even smells terrible, it’s just completely forgettable.

Update: This one came out in 2009, was never popular, and isn’t really around much anymore. Getting a bottle now, would probably be too expensive to even be worth it. So, unless you do get a sub-30 dollar bottle, don’t even worry about this.

Lolita Lempicka Au Masculin

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I received a bunch of cologne samples from Fragrancenet.com yesterday and as such there should be a flood of new fragrance reviews on this site. The first one I’m going to serve up is Lolita Lempicka Au Masculin. Lolita Lempicka is an extremely popular perfume for women and this is the men’s take on it.  So, without further introductory statements let’s just right into it here.

What does Lempicka Au Masulin Smell Like?

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Notes include: licorice, basil, wormwood, ivy, vanilla, violet, rum, tonka bean, sandalwood, praline, cedar, labdanum

My Full Review

The opening note is almost wholly dominated by the licorice note and if that’s not your thing then you may not like it. Usually, I’m indifferent towards the smell of licorice but it kind of became too much for me with Lolita Lempicka.

After about ten minutes or so the licorice gets muted a bit and the scent adds a layer of sweetness to it with the vanilla and makes the scent a whole lot more palatable.

Anise is also heavily present up top, along with wormwood and a general booziness from a touch of rum. The wormwood, anise, and licorice give it the absinthe aroma. So, absinthe and rum.

At this point the cologne is light, fresh, and warm plus utterly sweet. That might be my issue with this fragrance, it is too sweet for my tastes, which I usually enjoy.

The praline is the next in line for the gourmand side of things.. The licorice does tone down and this one becomes a fresher and powdery blend. Violet, which is hidden up top comes out along with the anise/basil spice and the woodier base notes.

That’s the ending for me. A fresh and spicy powder, surrounded by a whole lot of sweet.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

The opening sprays here do pack a punch. Au Masculin hangs in the air, leaves a pretty far reaching trail in one’s wake.

But, it will gradually get lighter and lighter. The last few hours are a skin scent, consisting mostly of the woody notes. It’s still around, just not to a massive degree.

How long does it stick around? Somewhere around the 8-ish hour mark. It’s actually pretty darn good at this price point. Not a complete marathon runner fragrance, but it’s never quit too early for me.

Seasonally, you need to think colder to moderate temperatures. As such, I’d keep this Lolita Lempicka to autumn through early springtime. If it gets too warm, this one becomes pretty gross, in my opinion.

This is a youthful cologne, better for more casual use. It’s not one for formality or even school, with its absinthe and anise. The dry down fits in better, but I’d still go with something else for anything semi-formal and beyond.

Overall Impressions

I don’t hate this fragrance, though, I don’t particularly like it very much either. It’s just perhaps a bit too girly or sweet to make it something that I would wear all the time or on a semi-regular basis.

It has a candy-like profile but doesn’t have the same effect as a cologne of similar make up, such as Kouros Body. It gets compared to that other 2000 release in terms of style, but the YSL is much better.

On the plus side, it’s inexpensive, light, and is definitely a fragrance that is attractive to a lot of people. I am just not blown away by it and wasn’t feeling it in terms of my style. Wasn’t the worst sample size I got with this round, but it wasn’t the best either.

Update: Au Masculin seems to be discontinued. Bottles are now super expensive from what I’m seeing…aka not worth it. L’Heure Verte by Kilian is a lot like this one, but more tolerable. Less of the sweetness, more of the absinthe-like aroma. I would try that out, before grabbing Au Masculin.

Guerlain Homme EDT

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In my recent haul of samples, I got a hold of a sample spray vial of Guerlain Homme eau de toilette. I have been wearing this scent around for the past couple of days to see what it’s all about and how it holds up to my lifestyle. I have to say, I am definitely impressed with this cologne. Continue reading below for my full break down of this wonderful scent. Also check out: Best Guerlain Colognes

What does Guerlain Homme Smell Like?

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Notes include:  lime, rum, mint, cedar, vetiver, rhubarb, green tea bergamot, sugar, geranium

Click here to try: Guerlain Homme Eau de Toilette Spray, 1 Ounce

Guerlain Homme Written Review

Let me start off this review by saying, I love this cologne. Honestly, I think it is fantastic and will have a spot in my rotation for a long time. The highlight of this fragrance, is the mojito accord consisting of lime, rum, sugar, and mint notes.

Yes, the main accord is based on an alcoholic drink but when blended with these other notes, it really makes Guerlain stand out.

Guerlain Homme opens up with the juicy citrus notes of lime and bergamot. These two are paired with rum for an instantaneous boozy beginning. If you don’t like alcoholic notes in your fragrances, this is one you should avoid, but going with the mojito aroma was a very interesting choice in my mind.

Plenty of other colognes have used rum to a much darker and spicier effect (Bvlgari Man in Black), but going the tropical route is pretty cool.

The top of the fragrance is quite sweet, due to the sugar note, but is balanced by the mint, which provides a fresh upbeat spice that really shines when contrasted with the lime juice cleanliness. Still, gives off that summery vibe throughout the wear.

The sweet notes do not dominate this scent completely, however. It is anchored by the woodsy and green floral notes which add a masculine aura to this cologne.

Cedar is at the base and vetiver is also highly present during the dry down period. It becomes less citrus/sweet and more fresh/dry, though, the citrus notes are still the main attraction.

Guerlain has a definite fresh energy to it that dries down into a crisp, almost powdery fragrance, which will leave a man smelling clean throughout the day.

Longevity and Sillage

It’s longevity is good to very good in my experience with it. I could still smell it later in the day but it becomes a more subtle fragrance than the opening might suggest. Update: I have a full bottle I bought after testing this scent back in 2015, and it can definitely pull 7-8 hours, on my skin.

It, to me at least, has almost the perfect amount of projection throughout its stay on my skin. Guerlain doesn’t overpower but you won’t have to go completely overboard with the sprays either.

The notes are very good in the summertime, however, I believe that this is versatile enough to work in the winter time also. Update: I actually don’t like it much as a daytime summer wear (night sure). Actually, wore this quite a bit in the autumn months when I had a bottle. The green notes in this gives it a certain layered complexity which I feel will be greater during the colder months.

I actually enjoy wearing this casually at night, while socializing. It works well in the humidity of a summer night. Not always what I grab, during this time, but one I like to break out in order to change the pace.

Overall Impressions of Guerlain Homme

Would I recommend this scent? Absolutely. It’s a really great performer all around and a very seductive and clean scent, that is quite manly and attention grabbing.

Again, it isn’t going to be for everyone, seeing as not everybody will enjoy a mojito smell. However, it’s not a pure mojito all the way through, and there is plenty of woodsy freshness to admire as well.

This is one that I wear, once in a while, but really enjoy it when I’m in the mood. I like the minty smell, the booziness, the fresh woods. It’s a unique fragrance and is underappreciated.

Update: I no longer have a bottle and this one has been discontinued as well. It’s still worth trying, if you can find an inexpensive bottle. It once was one of my favorites to wear, but that changed as my collection grew with this site. Still, this was a very good effort from Guerlain.

Little Italy by Bond No. 9

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With my latest batch of samples, I grabbed a few more scents from the Bond No. 9 collection of fragrances. Today, I am going to be reviewing the unisex scent, Little Italy from this design house. As usual, I am going to cover how it smells, performs, what I like about it, and whether or not it is worth a purchase.

What does Little Italy by Bond No.9 Smell Like?

Notes include: mandarin, grapefruit, neroli, clementine, and musk

Click here to try: Bond No. 9 Little Italy by Bond No. 9 For Men And Women. Eau De Parfum Spray 3.3-Ounces

My Full Wear Review

So, Little Italy, starts out with a heavy dose of citrus provided by the mandarin orange. I really like the orange note in this fragrance, as many others have such a flat and uninspiring orange note in their scents, but this one is highly realistic and juicy.

Maybe it’s the addition of the clementine, giving it some extra support. Either way I find it enjoyable.

Right away, if you don’t like citrus, stay away from Bond No. 9’s Little Italy, because that is essentially what this consists of. It is a fairly linear scent, as after about 20-30 minutes the juiciness fades a bit, and their is a hint of neroli and musk.

Honestly, the floral and musk, isn’t that noticeable. I had to focus myself quite a lot, just to be able to detect it. Pretty much, what you smell initially, is what you’re going to get out of this.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Projection wise, it’s decent. Thankfully, it’s not a monster in that regard, because I doubt anyone would want that intense of a fruit juice scent. It has all of the sillage that it needs to have.

It stays moderate for the first couple of hours before drawing down to its final close. Overall, not terrible.

The longevity is okay, I got maybe 4-5 hours out of the wear. Nothing special but certainly not incredibly awful. At this price point, it’s not great, however. I would definitely want more from Little Italy before grabbing a full bottle.

This is a casual scent for the warmer months. Not a date night scent or anything of the sort. I don’t think you would even wear it at work. So, it becomes pretty limited with its use case. Understand that going in. Spring and summertime, while just hanging about town.

Even though, it is a unisex fragrance, I don’t anyone of either sex would find this one to be ‘sexy’. It’s bright, upbeat, and quite pleasant in my opinion but not sexy.

That being said, this one does lean much more traditionally feminine. There are plenty of citrus and neroli scents out there with more balance, but this goes more toward a ladies’ perfume.

Overall Impressions of Little Italy

Overall, is Little Italy worth a buy? Not unless you really love orange and clementine. I do like this scent on some level and I think the orange note is very well done. However, it’s also quite expensive, and really simplistic.

The performance is just okay. The sillage isn’t bad, but the longevity is below average. I don’t hate it but it doesn’t strike me as something to run out and buy either.

Mandarin isn’t my favorite citrus note, it’s fine here. I do like the clementine which gives it somewhat of a unique vibe versus some others in this space. Not one of the best from Bond No. 9 and ultimately not particularly worth it.