Lippizan by Parfums De Marly

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Here is another entry from my review of fragrances by Parfums de Marly. This one, is entitled Lippizan, and says it is inspired by the ‘daring horse race that charmed France during King Louis XV’s era’. It was released back in 2009.

What a horse race smells like? We shall see. So, please continue below for my full take on Lippizan.

What does Lippizan Smell Like?

Notes include: cedar, leather, rose, patchouli, bergamot, cardamom, sage, thyme, oak moss, vetiver

Click here to try: Parfums de Marly Lippizan EDT Spray for Men, 4.2 oz.

lippizan review

My Full Review

The opening of Lippizan is a blend of oak moss, bergamot, and cardamom. It’s a very warm and earthy fragrance with some herbal spice thrown in. I have to say that Lippizan is a strong and classic sort of masculine cologne and it feels transported from the late 1970s.

The start of Lippizan is a real powerhouse when taken all in. It packs a punch with those herbal notes and actually feels kind of dirty. It is blended well but I can still detect the individual notes well enough, at least.

I can distinctly pick out the oak moss, vetiver, cardamom, sage, rose, and bergamot about 20 minutes into the wear. Quite sharp and loud.

When I get a bit deeper into the wear with the Parfums de Marly creation, it cleans up so to speak.

It’s less of that ‘dirty’ earthy quality and has more green floral elements, introduced by the iris and rose notes. If it doesn’t accomplish anything else, Lippizan, certainly does achieve a pretty interesting life cycle.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Projection wise, it is loud at the start. I mean, a few sprays will really hit you hard. However, it does settle down into something more moderate, but still toward the heavier end.

I think you get plenty of bang for your buck, in terms of how it hangs around in the air, but it’s not overwhelming in comparison to some insane performers.

Longevity wise, I get about 7 hours of solid wear from it. It’s sort of a disappointment, after that big opening act. Especially at this price point, I figured I would get 2-3 more hours than I did, but nope.

It’s certainly not terrible. Though, it could be better with its staying power.

It is also a complete cold weather scent. I tried wearing this outside during the hot summer day and really didn’t enjoy the results. Update: I still had a few sprays left in the sample, when it was colder. Yep, works much better in a cooler environment.

Lippizan strikes me as an everyday wear, as long as its applied lightly, it should be pretty versatile in terms of what situations it could be worn in.

That being said, understand that with its old school style, it might not vibe well with younger men who are used to modern takes on perfumery. You can of course still try Lippizan out, but just know what you’re getting into before doing so.

Overall Impressions of Lippizan

Overall, do I recommend Lippizan? I’m not going to wear it, but there are going to be guys who love it. This is an old school masculine scent.

You’ll need to love sharp, earthy, and spicy scents. If that’s not your type, you’ll probably hate this cologne.

It’s not my style and I’m not in love with the aroma at all. But, I get that there’s a niche market for this one. It’s a pretty nice example of this sort of scent, just nothing amazing going on here.

Add to that, the price tag, and this Parfums de Marly becomes way less appealing to me. It’s pretty solid across the board, just not something that I really need.

Shagya by Parfums De Marly

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Sill working my way through all of my Parfums de Marly samples and today’s review entry is: Shagya. It is described by the brand as, “the oud lime scent, named after the majestic Arabian horse breed…its fragrance starts with a delicate lime note and develops into woody tones of vetiver and guiac wood.”

Shagya was released in 2009. Is this scent worth it? Does it actually perform? Continue below for my full take on Shagya.

What does Shagya Smell Like?

Notes include: agarwood, cedar, vetiver, guiac wood, lime, pink pepper, and musk

Click here to try: Parfums de Marly Shagya Men’s Edp Spray, 4.2 Ounce

My Full Review

For starters, Shagya is an absolute sillage bomb. Before I even tried it on my skin, I sprayed some on an old t-shirt, and could catch whiffs of this cologne from the next room.

The opening notes is the pink pepper and citrus combo but it is heavily flanked by the wood notes which are enormous.

This is a oud fragrance, but I honestly get a lot of cedar and vetiver, more so than many other traditional ‘oud’ colognes out there. When the scent dries down more, the lime essence subsides, and the wood becomes even more prominent.

It does have a slight spice to it with the pepper note but Shagya strikes me as surprisingly crisp and cool, as if there’s a cold metallic note lurking in the mix.

From there this Parfums de Marly scent is pretty linear. It also lightens up as the wear goes along and doesn’t have that same overwhelming aroma cloud that I experienced.

I will also add that there is a bit of sourness to this fragrance, much akin to a sour mix used for cocktails.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Projection wise, as I wrote above, it’s a monster at first and then is simply strong. I can’t imagine doing more than two sprays with this one.

Again, past that opening act it is more tolerable, but still a loud and somewhat heavy perfume to wear around. Nice, if you dig the scent.

I also got good longevity, of around 8 hours on my skin. I was honestly expecting more after how loud it started, but 8 hours is long enough for most purposes.

Though, somewhat of a disappointment for the price point.

Seasonally, I think this is a year round kind of scent. I think that it’d perform best in cooler to moderate weather, but I wore it here in the heat of August, and it held up nicely.

I wouldn’t call this one for romantic wear. It’s a niche sort of fragrance, so, one you would wear casually or at work. It’s not really ‘sexy’ at all, just a well-blended, and masculine cologne.

Overall Impressions of Shagya

Overall, do I recommend Shagya? For a very specific set of guys, yes. I appreciate the composition of the fragrance, but wouldn’t want to wear it personally.

I’m not a huge fan of oud scents as it is and this one can be particularly in your face. It’s a pretty decent rendition, but there are better fragrances out there highlighted by that note.

This isn’t one that would enjoy a mass popularity but for guys who like heavily woody fragrances, Shagya, is a very interesting option within that space.

The performance is fine, but it’s not an amazing fragrance, especially compared to the rest of the Parfums de Marly lineup. If it sounds interesting, try to get a sample if you can, rather than blind buy.

L’Ambre Des Merveilles by Hermes

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As a part of my batch of sample fragrances, I received a decent amount of ladies’ fragrances that I need to get around to reviewing. I’ve never done a Hermes women’s perfume review, so today will be a first in that regard.

L’Ambre Des Merveilles was released in 2012, as a flanker fragrance to another perfume in Hermes’ lineup. In this review, I’m going to tackle, what’s inside, how it smells, how this perfume performs, and ultimately whether or not I think it is worthy of a purchase.

What does L’Ambre des Merveilles Smell Like?

Notes include: amber, cedar, vanilla, patchouli

Click here to try: Hermes L’Ambre Des Merveilles for Women Eau De Parfum Spray, 3.3 Ounce

My Full Review

The opening of this perfume is a blend of caramel and what smells like a citrus note, most likely orange, and has a sweet and slightly floral aroma to it. There is a certain salty element within L’Ambre Des Merveilles that plays very well off of the sweetness of the often candy-like fragrance.

Of course, all of this is wrapped up into a warm amber shell with a vanilla note that adds to its laid back sweetness.

I couldn’t find out what other notes were contained in this perfume besides the one’s listed above. I feel like there is a peach note, because there’s something that reminds me of Burberry Body in this scent, and I think that’s what it is.

L’Ambre stays pretty consistent throughout while wearing and the biggest change I noticed was the orangey-citrus note fading more into the background.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Projection wise, its quite soft and airy but you’ll know that it’s there while wearing it. It’s definitely not overblown or something that will choke out a room, this Hermes scent seems to have the right balance.

It lasted around 6-7 hours on my skin when I applied it. Not bad, quite serviceable, but not really outstanding either. Update: Trying it again…yep, 7 hours is what it seems to be capable of.

Seasonally, I’d save L’Ambre Des Merveilles for the colder months of the year. I think that it would really shine in cold weather, as it is so warm and inviting.

It also has a nice versatility to it, it could be worn casually, but I find it to be pretty sexy as well. I would really enjoy smelling this kind of scent of a woman. It also reminds me of Bonbon, at times.

Overall, would I recommend it? Yes, I think L’Ambre Des Merveilles smells really great. Hermes did a good job of putting it all together and there are no real negatives with it that I can identify.

I will say, if you aren’t a fan of amber/vanilla/caramel, then this perfume is definitely not for you. However, if you want something sweet for the wintertime that isn’t girly, this one does have a level of sophistication that won’t push you too far into the ‘teeny’ category.

This is one of the best from Hermes. Frankly, I think their ladies’ perfumes are generally better than the men’s offerings. Not a super complex fragrance, just one that smells really good.

CK One vs Eternity by Calvin Klein Fragrance Comparison

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Today’s comparison is between two mega hits from the Calvin Klein collection, Eternity and CK One. Eternity for Men is a cologne while One is a unisex scent that became wildly popular in the 1990s. In this post, I want to see which one performs better, which one is more versatile, which one smells better, and which one is more worth a buy? Read below for the head to head breakdown.

Tale of the Tape: CK One vs. Eternity for Men

Notes: papaya, pineapple and jasmine. green tea and amber

ck one

Read my CK One Review

Try CK One: Ck One by Calvin Klein for Men and Women, Eau De Toilette, 1.7 Ounce

Eternity for Men

eternity

Notes include: lavender, mandarin, basil, jasmine, sage, sandalwood, amber, rosewood, vetiver, geranium

Eternity for Men Review

Click here to try: Calvin Klein ETERNITY for Men Eau de Toilette, 3.4 fl. oz.

Opening

The opening of Eternity for Men is a clean/soapy lavender based scent with hints of the sandalwood and jasmine. I like the mandarin note up top, but you do get plenty of the woodsy notes peaking through at the start, as well.

CK One is also very fresh and clean but instead utilizes the citrus, pineapple, and green floral notes to create a light yet quite attractive aroma. It’s really a blend and it does also have a blast of papaya. I like CK one, but it does have that super bright citrus opening.

Eternity is supported by citrus notes and has more of a dry spice to it. I think that Eternity is much more interesting than CK One.

Edge: Eternity

Projection

CK One is a light to moderate type of fragrance. It isn’t a beast but it isn’t completely weak. Eternity, is a moderate cologne but has fairly good projection. It won’t take over the room but it is stronger than One.

Edge: Eternity

Longevity

Neither fragrance is an amazing, all-day type of scent. I’d say both give about 5-7 hours of wear before dying down. No real advantage. The older bottles of Eternity may have been better, but nowadays, they’re equal.

Edge: Push

Versatility

Being a unisex fragrance, CK One seems to have more versatility since it can be worn by both men and women. Both of these scents are built for spring and summer but Eternity works well in the autumn too.

These are casual fragrances which are safe for work and school. Neither is a ‘romantic’ type of fragrance.

Edge: Push

 

 

Overall Scent

So, it comes down to whether or not you want something that is more green/dry/soapy/spicy in Eternity for Men or you want something light a more fruity.

Both scents are pretty simple and linear and I personally like wearing Eternity for Men more than CK One, as it’s just more my style. Plus, I think it has a slightly better performance profile.

Winner: Eternity

Woman by Ralph Lauren

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I got a hold of a sample of the latest Ralph Lauren fragrance for ladies, entitled, Woman. This was a part of the ‘goody bag’ that Macy’s sent me when I bought a bottle of Ultra Male, which consisted of all female perfumes. Update: This one came out back in 2017, I’m updating the page years later.

As such, I just had to do a review on this scent, and see if they released something great or a complete dud. I will cover what notes it contains, how it smells, how it performs, and whether or not I think that Woman is worth a buy.

What does Woman by Ralph Lauren Smell Like?

Notes include: black currant, tuberose, pear, rhubarb, sandalwood, orange blossom, hazelnut, rose

Click here to try: Woman by Ralph Lauren at Sephora

From the opening spray, I really enjoy the aroma that Woman by Ralph Lauren gives off. I detect the pear note which when combined with the other initial stars of the show, has a shower-fresh and soapy quality to it.

There is that fruity vibe lingering throughout the life of this perfume but it definitely becomes more of a white floral affair as it moves along.

The two main floral notes that I get from it are the tuberose and orange blossom. There is a rose note as well but it doesn’t seem all that prominent to my nose in this composition; it is there, however.

The floral notes give Woman a fresh/outdoorsy/summery vibe and it is one that will brighten up a person’s mood.

Most of what you’re going to get from this perfume is revealed in the first 30 minutes or so of wear. As it gets further into things, the hazelnut and woody notes are detectable but they never were that strong in my opinion, I had to focus in on it pretty much to catch them.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Projection wise, it isn’t a bomb, but I do think it is fairly strong. I also sprayed it on an old t-shirt and could smell it while walking by and could catch whiffs while 6-8 feet away. Though, it does settle down a great deal more from there.

The longevity is just okay, 5-6 hours seems to be the time frame for max performance, and possibly a few more hours as a skin scent.

This totally strikes me as a spring fragrance. It’s clean, bright, and feminine. The floral and fruit notes are vibrant and full of life, just like on a warm day.

It would also do well in the cooler weather but might not be that great at the height of summer.

I think that this does have some good versatility as well. It’s appropriate for the office or school but can also be worn on a date, no problem. If it’s not really a ‘sexy’ perfume, it is a highly attractive one, that is pleasant to be around.

Overall Impressions of Woman by Ralph Lauren

Overall, is Woman worth a purchase? I’d say yes. This is in my mind, one of the best releases that Ralph Lauren has put out over the past 5-plus (?) years (although, I did like the Romance line).

This could easily become an everyday scent for someone who enjoys lighter floral fragrances that are held in check by fruit notes and doesn’t become overbearing. It’s a great introductory perfume for those who want an easier tuberose experience.

Update: This is one that fits well alongside something like L’Interdit or My Way by Armani, in terms of style. Different scents, but closely related. I’m surprised Woman wasn’t more popular, than it is. They released an Intense version later. It might be discontinued, as it’s not in stock at all on the Ralph Lauren website.

The only downside to me, is the fact that it isn’t a beast in the longevity department, but it is decent enough in that regard. The smell of the fragrance itself? Very enjoyable and has a mass appeal.