Sublime Vanille by Creed

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So, among multiple Creed samples, I received a few from their Royal Exclusives line of scents. These are even more high end (read: expensive) scents than their usual already high-priced fair. Sublime Vanille is a fragrance that is built for those who love vanilla, but is it any good?

In this review, I’m going to cover what’s in this unisex fragrance, how it smells, performs, and whether or not it is worth a purchase.

What does Sublime Vanille Smell Like?

Notes include: vanilla, musk, tonka bean, bergamot, lemon

Click here to try:  Sublime Vanille

My Full Wear Review

The opening of Sublime Vanille is a mix of citrus and the fantastic vanilla note. In fact, it smells like an orange Creamsicle to me, except changing the orange for a lemon note.

The first ten minutes or so it stays like this until the vanilla note becomes dominant along with the creaminess of the tonka bean. Honestly, this is one of the best vanilla notes that I’ve smelled in any fragrance, it’s really good.

The whole thing feels warm, almost like the vanilla is baked in, and it has a syrup sweet quality to it. The citrus note still hangs around but it plays the background exclusively after the beginning. While this is a unisex scent, Sublime Vanille does seem to lean more toward the feminine end of the spectrum.

One thing that I enjoy, is how the musk note is subtle and doesn’t overpower the composition. This scent is pretty straightforward, it doesn’t change all that much from the start, and is consistent from then on.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Projection wise, Sublime Vanille is decent but not amazing. It’s a fairly soft fragrance but you’ll know that it is there during wear. Longevity, is disappointing but not terrible I can usually steal 4-5 hours with this beauty before it fades away.

With many vanilla and tonka bean scents, you are limited to the colder months of the year but with the citrus notes in this, you can get away with wearing it in the summer. In fact, it’s pretty great when its warm outside, with that typical Creed bergamot note.

I would call it a casual scent, but it smells good enough to be a romantic wear. I guess you can call it a dressed up casual fragrance. It is not however, a night club scent.

Overall Impressions of Sublime Vanille

Overall, is Sublime Vanille a buy? OK, I’m going to assume that anyone who is researching a bottle of Creed, can actually afford to pay for it without selling a kidney.

I do think that this is a really nice vanilla fragrance, but I do have some reservations about the longevity. The aroma itself? It’s beautiful and one of the best vanilla notes that I’ve ever experienced. Top notch.

I feel that if you’re going to spend $500-1000 a bottle, you should get something that lasts throughout the day, and this doesn’t. Personally, I’d rather spend that money on several fragrances instead of just one, but if you’re a well to do vanilla lover…I say, go for it.

Best Smelling Playboy Colognes for Men

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Playboy as a branding logo, name, and lifestyle persona has been used from casinos to nightclubs to the subject of today’s post, men’s fragrances.

Now, before I get to the list of the five best scents from this line, I want to make it understood that these are very inexpensive colognes and not always comparable to designer fragrances.

However, out of all of the colognes that were produced under the Playboy imprint, there were some surprisingly nice wears that are available for under $10 and as low as $5 in some cases. NOTE: HERE IS THE LIST OF THE BEST WOMEN’S PLAYBOY PERFUMES

What are the Top Playboy Fragrances for Him?

Low Key and Unique

Playboy Vegas By Playboy For Men Edt Spray 3.3 Oz– An herbal/powdery/sweet/spice opening that transforms itself into more of a woodsy scent during its short life cycle. No, Vegas is not a longevity or projection beast, even by Playboy cologne standards.

However, while it lasts it’s quite an attractive fragrance, which is good enough to reapply. It actually feels rather unique, which is rare at this price point. There is a tea note, apple, a nice basil kick, and it dries down with doses of vanilla and lavender.

You’d think that the Vegas one would be more of a bold or nightlife kind of cologne…nope. Actually, a light aromatic.

Familiar Fresh

Playboy New York Eau De Toilette Spray for Men, 3.4 Ounce– Playboy actually has an array of scents available for under $10 and in fact, most of them can be had for $5 currently. New York is one of the best of the bunch.

A very fresh and sweet scent that feels like a designer fragrance clone…a vaguely familiar mix of several scents. Think along the lines of Montblanc Legend and all the others, that smell like it. This is the super cheap version.

The performance is okay when compared to most colognes but for the insanely low price, Playboy New York is an absolute winner. Playboy New York Full Review

Sweet Winter Cologne

Playboy Eau de Toilette Spray for Men, VIP, 3.4 Ounce– A sweet chocolatey fragrance with a nice boozy spice provided by a rum note and smoothed out by tonka bean. Not super sugary when blended with the rum note.

Nice gourmand entry from Playboy and it actually has okay longevity and won’t crap out in a few hours. Not that it goes super long, but it held up well enough. Enjoyable wintertime scent.

Boozy Semi-Gourmond 

Playboy London Eau De Toilette Spray for Men, 3.4 Ounce–  This is possibly the most interesting and perhaps the most refined of the Playboy label. London has notes of tonka bean, brandy, and cinnamon with a pretty solid longevity.

The brandy note gives it a boozy start and the blend of cinnamon and tonka bean, feels quite powdery, on my skin. Warm and cozy with a sweet floral and clean cedar base to hold things together.

At this price, point I have ranked this as one of the best scents available. Playboy did good. Playboy London Full Review

Cheap Code

Hollywood Playboy by Coty for Men Eau De Toilette Spray 3.4 oz– Soft, powdery, and sweet like a very poor man’s Armani Code. But hey, for $5-10, you can double up the sprays to make it last longer than the few hours it usually gives.

Hollywood is a mixed bag performance wise, though, it could serve a place in a teenager’s collection. Synthetic citrus opening with lavender and vanilla, really coming through after 15 minutes or so. Once it settles, Hollywood is actually pretty enjoyable to wear.

5 Best Smelling Sean John Colognes

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Celebrities love creating their own fragrance lines. Many do a piss-poor job at it. Puff Daddy and his Sean John line of scents for men, did a pretty good job at it. Now, I wouldn’t rate any of these colognes as having blown me away but there are definitely some that are quite nice, and can be had for a fair price. In this post, I’d like to put forth the five best scents from Sean John, that are actually worth a try.

What are the Top Sean Jean Fragrances?

Crisp Citrus and Spice

Sean John 3 AM Eau de Toilette Spray for Men, 3.4 Ounce– Fresh citrus notes meet gin and tonic for an appealing late night encounter.

It’s got a light spicy feeling, that has a cool aroma, and not a heavy overhanded spiciness. It’s like Very Cool by Tommy Bahama with a citrus/tonic blend sitting on top.

It’s a nice scent, but I don’t really dig the lack of longevity on this one, which can be a problem when you get into the less expensive designer fragrances. Still in the top 5 for the opening alone.

Best Overall Sean John

Unforgivable By Sean John For Men. Eau De Toilette Spray 4.2 Oz.– Again Sean John decides to hit you with the citrus notes and the booze (is it any wonder Puff went into Ciroc vodka?) but this is probably the best the line has to offer.

Unforgiveable is blend of the citrus notes, but the orange note really comes through the most. A pinch of saltiness and the rest combines to create a bit of a melon-like smell.

Very clean scent that is actually quite attractive to the opposite sex and has a nice support of rum, tonka bean, and sandalwood notes. It’s also one of the most popular colognes from this lineup.

Fruity Semi-Aquatic

I Am King by Sean John for Men – 3.4 Ounce EDT Spray– Cranberry/Orange aquatic mix that is a light daytime type of wear but good for the warmer months. The fruit notes are almost candy-like but I must admit that I kind of like it. Longevity isn’t so great, though.

The opening has some tartness for the cranberry note, but that fades and the fruit notes feel a bit sweet and bright.

Then, there is an underlying aquatic note. It’s a light and watery sort of aroma but has a enjoyable cleanliness.

Boozy Unforgivable

Unforgivable Black by Sean John For Men. Eau De Toilette Spray 2.5-Ounces– Has a lot of similarities with the original but this one really hits with the rum note, so, if you like boozy scents you’d be well-served getting this one ahead of Unforgivable.

Also, Black has good longevity, which makes it a nice deal for the price. It’s not too different from the original, but that rum note and some citrus is pumped up higher. It’s more difficult to find nowadays, though, if you can get a cheap bottle it’s worth a try.

Fizzy Citrus and Amber Woods

Sean John Unforgivable Night by Sean John for Men Eau De Toilette Spray, 4.2-Ounce– Citrus, amber, boozy notes, and wood make Night a very interesting fragrance. It is an energetic nightlife composition with the right hint of sexiness to attract the ladies.

There is a fizziness to this cologne with notes of juniper berry and champagne. The citrus is the star and there isn’t a strong rum note like the fragrance listed above.

The performance isn’t as good as the other two Unforgivable fragrances, so this would be my third choice. Nonetheless, I do enjoy the citrus here.

La Petite Robe Noire Couture by Guerlain

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This is going to be my second review of Guerlain’s La Petite Robe Noire series of fragrances. There seems to be 80 million variations of this namesake perfume and they all come in bottles that look close to the same. The original La Petite Robe Noire that I reviewed was highlighted by a black cherry note with berries and almonds supporting.

Today’s review is going to cover the Couture version in an Eau de Parfum. So, let’s go ahead and jump into my review, starting below.

What does La Petite Robe Noire Couture Smell Like?

Notes include: patchouli, raspberry, bergamot, rose, tonka bean, moss, and vetiver.

Click here to try: Guerlain La Petite Robe Noire Couture Eau de Parfum, 3.3 Ounce

My Full Wear Review

From the opening, I of course notice how similar Couture and the original Petite Robe Noire are to one another. Now, Couture replaces the black cherry and other red berries for a singular raspberry note.

It is interesting how this one maintains its sweetness and has a similar aroma to the first one just by swapping the fruit note.

Couture feels like it has just inverted some of the background players in the original and then dropped some other notes in favor of new ones like the raspberry.

There also is a very noticeable patchouli note in this. It’s combination with the raspberry reminds me of Black XS for Men and how it pairs itself with a lemon note. However, that men’s fragrance develops into a fairly acrid smell while Couture remains sweet and pleasant.

This perfume also contains a rose note that gets tempered by the presence of patchouli. The rose and the tonka bean pair to give Couture its smooth and powdery element and prevents the sweetness from going too overboard.

The dry down period, gives Couture a nice change of pace as the moss and vetiver begin to emerge and develops into a much more grounded woody base. It’s nice and not too masculine but I think that it gives this fragrance more character.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Projection wise, La Petite Robe Noire Couture is pretty moderate but by no means weak. It’s not a perfume that will choke out a room. Nonetheless, I noticed it waft up from the skin many times during the day, as I tested this scent out.

Couture seems to have pretty good but not amazing longevity with around 7 hours of wear being well within its abilities. Not an elite perfume, with how long it lasts, but it is certainly a serviceable fragrance.

I’m not sure that I could classify this as a certain ‘season’. It would seemingly work well in all but the high heat of summertime and is versatile enough to wear at the office or out for a date.

Overall Impressions of Couture

Overall, is La Petite Robe Noire Couture worth a buy? Yes, granted you enjoy sweet fragrances. The patchouli isn’t bad in this one, which is usually a note that I don’t care too much for. If you’re not really into sweets, I’d probably avoid this one as it might be headache inducing for you.

That being said, if you enjoy fruity floral scents, this is a very solid choice. I actually think that I like it better than the original fragrance that it followed.

Couture isn’t a super powerful fragrance, but it does have a good use as a daily wear, so at a good price it might be worthwhile.

The vetiver and moss in the dry down, does help to set Couture apart, and comes across as a greenish aroma. Somewhat dry itself and a nice contrast from the raspberry and sweetness as a whole.

A*Men Pure Shot by Thierry Mugler

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I’m a pretty big fan of a lot of men’s colognes from Thierry Mugler, so I’m always looking to try scents from this designer that I have yet to experience. I received a sample sprayer of one such fragrance, A*Men Pure Shot, which is from the Angel Men line.

In this post, I’m going to go over my experiences of wearing this scent, what in it, how it performs, what I like and don’t like, and if I think that this one is worth a buy.

What does A*Men Pure Shot Smell Like?

Notes include: mint, patchouli, juniper, pepper, and sequoia

Click here to try: Thierry Mugler Angel Men Pure Shot Eau de Toilette Spray for Men (Limited Edition), 3.4 Ounce

My Full Wear Review

The opening of Pure Shot is a party of mint and patchouli with some juniper throw in for good measure. Immediately, I am reminded of Ice Men, also by Mugler which also a mint and patchouli heavy cologne.

These two are almost the exact same scent, which makes me wonder why one of the two was even necessary to produce in the first place.

The separation of the two comes from the juniper berry note, which in my opinion isn’t really distinct enough to set them apart. The spice in Pure Shot is pepper, while in Ice Men it is nutmeg, but the effect is basically the same for your nose.

I do think that Pure Shot develops a bit more than its counterpart, which is pretty linear throughout wear. It has a noticeable sequoia wood note as it moves along and the juniper does allow for distinction.

I do like the mint and juniper combination, it does indeed create that fresh, crisp, and very cool aroma. It’s not amazing, but I do enjoy it.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Projection wise, Pure Shot is decent. It can actually be pretty heavy at first spray, but that fades rather quickly. After that initial start, I was expecting a really bold and long lasting scent, but that wasn’t meant to be.

Longevity isn’t that great either, probably around 4-6 hours, depending on the circumstance. At this price point, it should be a lot better than this. I think that it has been discontinued, as of me updating this post, so it’s become even pricier.

This could be a nice casual scent for someone. I think it provides a nice contrast with the warmer weather and a good change of pace from the usual summer scents.

It’s cooled mint, juniper, and patchouli mix gives off a nice bite of icy spice. Not really a formal wear or something for the nightlife either. Just something to spray on during the spring and summertime, when you’re just hanging out.

Overall Impressions of Pure Shot

Overall, do I think Pure Shot is worth it? Not for me. It is slightly better than Ice Men, but almost completely identical aside from the juniper. It’s not a great performer and doesn’t live up to the other gems of the A*Men line of fragrances.

I don’t think it smells horrible by any means and if you like mint and patchouli, you’d probably enjoy this one, assuming you can get a cheap bottle. It’s a fairly average scent with nothing really special about it.