No.5 EDP by Chanel

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No. 5 is probably the most famous fragrance on the planet. The original parfum dates back to 1922, but today I am going to review the eau de parfum which was released in 1986. This is the more affordable of the two and probably the best selling, at this point. How does it smell? How long does it last? Is it actually worth a try?

Chanel No. 5 EDP Overview

Notes include: aldehydes, iris, ylang-ylang, peach, neroli, bergamot, sandalwood, rose, jasmine, lily of the valley, vanilla, oakmoss, patchouli

Click here to try: No. 5 EDP from Chanel

My Full Review

The opening of the EDP version blasts you with the cold aldehydes found in Ernest Beaux’s original formulation. That synthetic smell was designed to capture his memories of the frozen sea air of his youth. Cold air/ozone, that’s the only way I can describe it.

With that you get a bright use of a bergamot and peach note, along with a spiced neroli, giving the aroma a general fuzziness early on. Cold, dry, fresh, spicy, and floral. The sandalwood is already coming through.

1986 EDP Ad with Original Bottle

So, the original is infused with a lot of jasmine from Grasse, and I do get plenty of jasmine early on in the wear. But, it doesn’t seem to the same strength. I mean, I am going off memory of what the Parfum smells like, but this doesn’t have the same degree of iris and jasmine as I remember it…could be wrong.

Anyway, the jasmine that is there is joined by the ylang-ylang which presents itself powerfully in this mix. Sort of reminds me of Gabrielle, at times, since they have so much floral overlap. But, the rest of the blend is distinct.

That original blast of the bergamot, neroli, and peach are greatly reduced moving into the next phase. The aldehydic floral really comes out. Soapy, sort of powdery at this point, and dry.

Really, the oakmoss is there, but man there’s a period where this fragrance is a super sandalwood on my skin.

From there, it’s basically a soapy floral I can get some of the rose, jasmine, and remaining ylang-ylang. But, the iris does pick up and adds to the powdery smell. Sandalwood floral with some of the same aldehydes. Overall, it feels like a warmer perfume at this point.

chanel parfum ad

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Sillage wise, EDP is strong early and can leave a nice scent trail for about 2 hours or so. It’s not overwhelming, unless you go crazy with the sprays. For most of the wear, it’ll be above average and detectable while sitting much closer to the skin.

On me, I get about 8 hours of wear with No. 5 Eau de Parfum. Not a crazy long-lasting perfume from Chanel, but it serves most purposes well enough.

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Seasonally, this is probably best in autumn or springtime. The mild climate and being away from the extremes on either end of the temperature spectrum, is where No.5 fits in. That being said, I’d rather wear this in winter versus the height of summer, if I had to.

This is more of a mature fragrance. Though, for me it’s less of an age issue versus fitting in with your own style. It is a classic scent, it’s different from much of what is offered nowadays, and that makes it feel anachronistic to some.

It can still be worn by younger women or older. It can be a daily signature or something that you put on for special occasions. It’s attractive, but I’ve personally never particularly found it to be sexy.

It’s nice and comfortable and can fit in while dressed up or even in a more casual situation.

Overall Impressions of Chanel No.5 EDP

Overall, do I like this version? I do. I’ve got to try the Parfum again, but I think that one is just better than this, in totality. Greater concentration and sort of different in the formulation. Though, I’m kind of still more of a fan of Shalimar, myself.

However, I really appreciate the timeless qualities of the essential No. 5 structure. Some people say it smells old or ‘old lady-ish’. I mean, it’s the quintessential modern perfume, and over 100 years old at this point. Like, of course, it’s not going to be cutting edge…but it can still be an absolute killer scent.

Funny enough, it was at the time thought and created to be a very sexy and liberating perfume.

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The floral aspects here are great, when paired with the aldehydes. Fresh and more intense up top, with a clean soapiness in the finish. Drier with a cold coziness. Then, warmer into the finish.  Very well put together with layers, that can take time to fully get into.

I really like the sandalwood phase, when the iris and jasmine are in balance. That’s really a quality aroma.

Is this a fragrance for everyone? Probably not. It is one that should be tried out by everyone. Not just once, either. Come back to it, let it develop, and see if it draws you in.

Boss Bottled EDP by Hugo Boss

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Boss Bottled EDP is a more recent edition to the brand’s long-running Bottled line of fragrances. I’ve had a sample of this for a long while, tested it out, but always forgot to post the review. So here’s to correcting that. How does EDP smell? How long does it last? Is it worth a try?

What does Boss Bottled EDP Smell Like?

Notes include: apple, bergamot, black pepper, cardamom, sage, olive wood, vetiver, cinnamon

Click here to try: Boss Bottled Eau de Parfum

My Full Review

Here’s how Boss describes it: Created for driven, ambitious men ready to take on every challenge that comes their way, this noble composition brings a new intensity to the warmth and vibrancy of the timeless BOSS BOTTLED signature.

The opening of Bottled EDP is a sweet-tart, blue-ish blend of notes, laced with spice. It reminds me a bit of Y EDP and Wanted by Azzaro, in different ways.  The apple and cardamom notes are pretty massive, with how they hit up top.

The bergamot citrus adds a further brightness and sharpness to the mix, along with that sage note, which gives me reminders of the YSL cologne.

Now, on my card for this sample it says there is sage as a note, but other stores online say it’s cinnamon, and don’t mention sage. The actual ingredients do mention the chemicals they use for cinnamon, but this comes off like sage and not a cinnamon spice.

Perhaps both are a part of the composition, but where this cinnamon is, I’m not exactly sure. I know the original had that apple cinnamon vibe going for it, but this is pretty different.

The bergamot will wear off and I start to get more of the sage and cardamom mix. A nice, fresh spiciness, with some further citrus-like hints from the cardamom.

As we move along to the dry down, it’s an apple note with vetiver freshness, woodiness (olive wood, I’m presuming?),  perhaps some musk, and the remainder of the spices. It’s clean and pretty intense, for this stage in the game, but not a huge projection off of the skin.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

This one does start off with some power and ability to jump off of the skin. That will change fairly quickly and Boss Bottled EDP will be more moderate and close to where you sprayed. Anywhere from 1-4 feet for much of the duration.

The performance here isn’t terrible, but it is by no means amazing. On my skin, I get 7 hours max, but more along the lines of six many time. It’s fine, just nothing crazy.

Seasonally, it’s probably at it’s best in the more moderate temperatures of autumn and springtime. It can venture a bit outside of that in either direction. Yet, I’d avoid using this one in the extreme heat or cold. For an average day, it’s good.

This is an easy to wear scent, that skews more towards a younger crowd. It’s a daily wear that can go casual to semi-formal, depending on the situation. Very pleasant and probably not going to offend anyone, unless you go crazy with the sprays (particularly the opening act).

Overall Impressions of Boss Bottled EDP

Overall, do I like Boss Bottled EDP? It’s pretty good, but not something that I feel like I have to run out and get a bottle of. It’s a clean and blue-ish scent with a tart and sweet aroma, lots of apple, wood, and a general fresh feeling.

The performance is a bit above average, but not by much. However, it’s one that can get plenty of use as a day to day scent. As such, if it sounds like something you’d like, it’s worth a try. I don’t think it’ll be hated by most anyone, just not completely outstanding.

It seems like Hugo Boss is going to keep right on releasing variations of this in the upcoming years. It’s a more modern take on that 90s formula, but nothing that does anything all that interesting.

Mercedes-Benz Le Parfum for Men

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Le Parfum is one of the older fragrance options from Mercedes, that was launched back in 2015. I received a small decanted tester with an order of other fragrances, a few months ago. It is one that I’ve been trying out ever so often, to get my full understanding of this scent. How does it smell? When should it be worn? Is it worth a try?

What does Mecedes-Benz Le Parfum Smell Like?

Notes include: cascalone, violet leaf, saffron, oud, pink pepper, bergamot

Click here to try: Le Parfum

My Full Review

This was a Mercedes fragrance that I was expecting to like a lot, due to comparisons with Ombre Leather by Tom Ford. Sure, that’s totally there, but it’s closer to the Parfum version.

Yet, Le Parfum starts off very much doing its own thing and I enjoy it on its own, apart from being a potential ‘clone’.

This one kicks off with a mix of bergamot, cascalone, and pink pepper. Very water fresh and juicy, like a piece of fruit. Cascalone, can go either way for me, with its synthetic water/oceanic smell. This one, I like.

The citrus, the cascalone, and the violet leaf combine to give this a green clean and watery smell. There is a bit of pink pepper, but not too much.

As it moves further along, saffron and oud will help to produce that leathery aroma, that compares favorably to the Tom Ford scents. They’re not exactly the same, but sure, a close relation to how they smell.

The oud is pretty strong here, but it completely comes across as leathery versus what you might be used to. So, it’s a cascalone infused leathery cologne, with the remaining violet leaf still poking around.

The final dry down gives you some amber and vetiver touches and less of the watery aroma.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

This one has a solid hour or so, where it is what you could consider the lower range of ‘strong’. It’ll project in that 6-7 foot range, slowly creeping in closer, until it’s about 3-4 feet from the skin. Which will take place, sometime between hour 2 and 3.

The longevity on me seems to hit the 7-8 hour mark, before quitting. Usually, it will get past that half hour mark but not too much further. It’s not spectacular, but still quite good and no real complaints with performance from me.

Seasonally, I like this one autumn through springtime. Sure, it works in the colder weather, but I actually like it when it’s sort of mild outside. That watery note makes it interesting to me, in that kind of climate.

Within that climate, this one can be worn in a wide variety of circumstances. It’s not too ‘serious’, but it does have some refinement. You can wear it out at night, semi-formally, and younger guys can even give this one a go.

Not too overpowering for the office, either. Plenty of use cases with Le Parfum.

Overall Impressions of Le Parfum

Overall, do I like this Mercedes-Benz fragrance? I really do. It has to rank among the best of the line. While I still like the Tom Ford leathers a bit more than I like this one, Le Parfum has enough distinction to make it enjoyable on its own.

The cascalone accord’s watery freshness and the fruitiness of the opening is great. That’s definitely one of the highlights of this scent for me. Of course, its overlap with Ombre Leather, which is a favorite of mine doesn’t hurt the Mercedes’ appeal.

The performance here is well above average, not elite. It provides a long enough experience and isn’t completely weak on the skin. Plus, in that autumn through spring time frame, one would get plenty of opportunity to wear this cologne.

This fragrance is well worth a try and is pretty safe in terms of a blind buy. I don’t think most people would hate this scent and would at least have favorable opinions of it.

Not Your Baby by Phlur

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Phlur’s Not Your Baby is another fragrance that I received as a part of the brand’s discovery set of samples. This was one that I was completely unfamiliar with prior to testing it out for the site. How does it smell? Does it last long? Is it worth a try?

What does Not Your Baby Smell Like?

Notes include: bergamot, cardamom, violet, mimosa, vanilla, sandalwood, and tonka bean

Click here to try: Not Your Baby

My Full Review

Here’s how it’s described: Provocative, playful, and anything but innocent, Not Your Baby is an undeniably sexy, intriguing, and addictive spicy floral.

There’s a very light bergamot sparkle sitting on top of a ton of cardamom, here at the start. When I saw that this was a powdery cardamom scent, I thought that this would be the female version of La Nuit.

Nope, that’s a way better scent than this. Though, I kind of like the opening here and the rest isn’t too bad. Cardamom, some of the powdery violet, and sweetness from vanilla/tonka bean. Fresh spice, with some decent sweet powdery facets.

That bergamot gives it a nice spritz of juiciness, as this transitions into its more floral phase.

But, this one gets sweeter. I do have to admit, violet is one of my least favorite floral notes. Thankfully, it’s not dominant and you get more of the mimosa (which is fine enough).

The powder aspect of this will get stronger and the sweeter milky side of things, diminishes, but never really goes away.

Some may actually prefer this part of the wear, depending on how you feel about that warm spice of cardamom. It can be somewhat weird paired with certain sweeter notes.

The final dry down is also a highlight for me. The tonka bean actually overtakes the vanilla milk, with mimosa still the lead floral, and an attractive sandalwood base. It’s a sweetish fresh and powdery floral scent.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

The sillage here isn’t anything crazy. It’s got some decent projection early on, but that’s short lived and this is going to be a softer scent for the rest of the wear. 1-4 feet for the duration. Just know you’re not getting a sillage bomb.

The longevity is okay. 6-6.5 hours, on my skin. I’d probably want more out of my perfume, at this price point, but it’s not the worst I’ve come across either.

Seasonally, this one works best in the spring and can extend into summer and autumn. I’d pick cooler days in the summer and not be out in the blistering heat with it. Not Your Baby does have freshness, so, it won’t be a complete mess once it’s warm out.

This is more of a daily wear type of perfume. It’s clean, youngish, floral. Nothing too fancy, not sexy, but can be a nice enough powdery type of scent. Casual, school, work, etc. Not a nightlife fragrance.

Overall Impressions of Not Your Baby

Overall, do I like this perfume? It’s actually pretty good at times, just uneven with how it comes across during its development. I’m never completely in love with what I’m smelling, but it isn’t terrible.

I’m glad the violet isn’t overpowering, just adds a fresh quality to the blend. The cardamom start, is intriguing to me. The next phase is meh. But, I like the back half of the middle and final dry down.

The price is what makes me lean towards saying no to this. I mean, you can also buy the sample set to see which you like, but a full bottle? Not unless you’re sure.

The performance isn’t great. It sticks around for a passable length of time, but the sillage is pretty darn light.

It’s all average to slightly above average for the most part. Nothing spectacular, but I don’t hate Not Your Baby, either.

Cherry Smoke by Tom Ford

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Cherry Smoke is one of the latest offerings from Tom Ford, along with, Electric Cherry. Both of which are piggy backing off of the massive success of Lost Cherry. This one was released in 2022.

Now, this hasn’t nearly gotten the fanfare of their initial cherry perfume foray, but does that make Smoke not as good of an option to wear?

I bought two samples of Smoke only, since I couldn’t yet find Electric, and have been testing this perfume out. How does it smell? When should it be worn? Is it worth a try?

Cherry Smoke Perfume Overview

Notes include: dark cherry, osmanthus, cyproil India, saffron

Click here to try: Cherry Smoke from Sephora

My Full Review

Here’s how Tom Ford describes it: AN EXPERIENCED HEDONIST, CHERRY SMOKE PLAYS WITH FIRE, BURSTING WITH THE SCENT OF DARK CHERRY, IGNITED BY SEDUCTIVE OSMANTHUS AND SMOLDERING, SMOKED WOODS. 

Cherry Smoke kicks off with one of the familiar cherry notes, found in Lost Cherry. The black cherry without the booziness. That cherry is matched with the osmanthus accord and saffron.

The osmanthus, according to the TF website, has facets of: leather, olive, and apricot aromas. The apricot aspect is noticeable upon the initial spray, but will fade along with the cherry note.

Yes, the cherry in Cherry Smoke, is not actually the main attraction. It is up top and sticks around, but it will lurk more in the background.

The saffron and osmanthus accord do give off a combined leathery aroma, with a warmth and slight smokiness from the base. Cyproil India and more of a generic woodiness provide that part for us. It sort of comes across like an oud note, but I don’t think it actually is.

Honestly, this one isn’t a super cherry nor super smoky scent. It has some of each, especially early, but not to the extent you’d expect based on the name.

Once the cherry has stepped back, that olive and cyproil become noticeable, and Cherry Smoke has a somewhat bitter aspect to it. Still a leathery freshness, but woodsy, dark, and a touch bitter. Again, that cherry sweetness is still a part of the show.

The final dry down is less leathery and geared more toward the woody notes. Kind of a suede-like finish, but a full expression of that osmanthus accord and remaining cherry.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

This is a perfume that doesn’t really project all that far nor does it seem heavy. It’s warmth and the smokiness that it does have, makes it feel like it has more ‘weight’ to it than it actually does.

Early the sprays are noticeable probably up to 7-ish feet or so. After that, it’s going to come into the 1-3 foot range. That’s kind of how it was for me with Lost Chery too, but this one to a greater extent.

On my skin, this will go 6.5-7 hours. Again, those last few hours are very weak, but still somewhat detectable. It is definitely there, though.

Seasonally, I’ve obviously been testing this out in winter. But, it’s not too cold right now, which has given me a few chances in the chilly to moderate temperatures. That’s probably the right zone for this one.

Autumn through mid-spring, depending on where you live. Summer it’s a hard pass.

I think that Cherry Smoke leans more masculine, but is still very unisex overall. The versatility, is probably its greatest strength. Pretty much anyone can wear it, in most situations, and it can even extend into the nightlife.

Overall Impressions of Cherry Smoke

Overall, do I like this fragrance? I certainly like aspects of it, but during these first tests, I was never completely blown away by Cherry Smoke. It’s still good.

As of now, I’m not really sold on it being better than Lost Cherry. That could change and I’ll update, if that’s the case. I do still give an edge to the original, in totality.

The opening cherry with the saffron and apricot aroma of the osmanthus is very nice. I enjoyed that a lot. That olive aroma and cyproil are also interesting in their own way.

On the whole, it never hits an elite level for me. I was excited to give this a try, but it’s a mild disappointment, that could have been classic.

Update: Yeah, coming back to this one, it’s nothing that great. It’s likeable at times, but really never brings it all together into something that’s a must have scent.

The performance is mediocre for what you’re paying. It doesn’t need to be an absolute bomb, but it also doesn’t really give me enough in terms of power or length of time.

Obviously, the price is a limiting factor for who is going to buy this scent. I don’t think this is worth the reach for most people. Some fraction are going to love this one, but most will probably just like it.

There’s not a lot of value here, at end of the price range that Tom Ford perfumes occupy. It’s worth trying to see, where you fall on this one, before shelling out hundreds of dollars.