Eau de Lacoste L.12.12 Noir

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It’s been a while since I’ve gotten a Lacoste fragrance to review for this site, so I was looking forward to trying out today’s entry from the Eau de Lacoste L.12.12. line: Noir. Yep, this is the one in the black bottle for all of my non-French speakers. How does this one stack up? What are the ingredients? Does it perform well?

What does L.12.12 Noir Smell Like?

Notes include: watermelon, dark chocolate, lavender, basil, cashmeran, patchouli, and more

Click here to try: LACOSTE L.12.12 Noir Pour Lui Eau de Toilette

My Full Wear Review

The opening of Noir has that familiar Lacoste light/watery/alcohol smell that so many others on this line also share. It’s like they refuse to make anything intense and while this is an EDT, there are plenty of other examples of these sort of scents that have much more body to them, so to speak.

Anyway, Noir opens with some lavender and basil sitting on top of a juicy and non-candy like watermelon. It’s more of a ripe watermelon aroma than something such as a Jolly Rancher.

It has a slight sweetness, which is added to by the dark chocolate note. Noir is fresh and light, almost aquatic, but with any sort of sea notes not being present at all.

I find the cashmere note to be quite interesting while I can detect it. It provides a woody warmth that pairs well with the bit of herbal spice provided by the basil note, as well as the smooth calming influence of lavender.

Ultimately, the notes all seem to blend together and I can mostly detect the watermelon during the dry down. It feels like it has some personality of its own, but it gets mixed to something that has trouble distinguishing itself.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Projection wise L.12.12 Noir, is a lighter kind of fragrance. Seriously, the sample vial isn’t a sprayer, and it can be a pain to open the applicator from the glass.

The first time I opened it, I spilled nearly half of the cologne in my living room.

With just about any other fragrance it would have smelled on my carpet for days. With Noir? I didn’t even notice it beyond the first two hours and no one else said anything…that’s some light fragrance.

Is it weak? Sort of. It’s longevity isn’t anything to write home about, I got about 5 hours on my skin with a heavy application. It wasn’t loud or going to choke the room but it did vanish, right around that five hour mark.

Climate wise, it’s a good year round fragrance, in terms of its smell. It won’t be out of place at anytime and can stand up to the heat…at least for 5 hours, after that you’re on your own.

I would say that this is a casual scent, maybe for a low key office cologne, but not romantic wear. Although, it is a pleasant fragrance. Noir is geared more toward younger men. Probably teens to mid-twenties.

Overall Impressions of Noir

Overall, do I recommend Eau de Lacoste L.12.12 Noir? Meh, not really. It smells decent, but it doesn’t perform well. Plus, I like both Blanc and Rouge from Lacoste better than this one. It doesn’t really stand out to me in the slightest.

It’s nice and has positive qualities, but also pretty unremarkable in how it smells. It has a unique composition, but it ends up smelling quite familiar. Though, I cannot really compare it to anything directly. So, I’ll give it a boost in score for being rather unique.

I, however, can’t give this high praise. It is a designer fragrance, thus pretty expensive, while not at all living up to that price point. I listed some better Lacoste options and there’s plenty else out there on the market, that outcompetes Noir.

Dirty English by Juicy Couture

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I am updating this original review from five plus years ago, as I’ve spent much more time with this Juicy Couture fragrance, and want to expand upon things.

Dirty English has begun to enjoy a popularity of sorts nowadays, because the price has come down so much, that it can be a nice buy for not a lot.

Some guys may be reluctant to try a cologne from a brand that the word ‘juicy’ stretched across many overweight women’s sweat pants but I assure you that this is a really nice scent for guys to try out.

Though, it is not for everyone, Dirty English has a deep and masculine scent which will work for many men who don’t enjoy the fruitier or more aquatic scented colognes.

What does Dirty English Smell Like?

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Dirty English Notes: Blue Cypress, Mandarin, Bergamot, Black Leather, Sandalwood, Amber, Musk, Atlas Cedar, Vetiver, Wood, Black Moss Absolute, oud, cardamom

Click here to try: Dírty Englísh Cologne 3.4 oz Eau De Toilette Spray MEN

My Full Wear Review

Dirty English opens up with a blast of oud, which is flanked by black leather, and very light citrus from mandarin orange and bergamot. The citrus adds just a bit of bright juiciness to the fragrance, that is overall pretty dry.

That dryness is a factor of all of the wood notes that are present in this Juicy Couture cologne as there is also a distinct cypress from the beginning, and runs through the heart of things.

Things begin to get smoother, as it wears on further. The oud is still very noticeable, however, the leather and other variety of woods get heavier to balance the composition out.

You also do get elements of moss and vetiver coming through, this has a definite outdoorsy aroma, but doesn’t stray too far into that space thanks to the lovely leather note and spice. The spice in this one isn’t heavy and is mostly provided by cardamom.

What I ultimately get from Dirty English is a leathery oud with plenty of dry warmth and a slight boozy aroma, that I don’t really know what’s causing that effect.

You do get whiff of mandarin orange throughout the wear, which is a good change of pace. Oh and lots of smooth fresh woods.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Projection wise, this stuff is strong. Not insanely heavy, but I don’t need much of it. Now, I will say that my bottle is from 2015, and I’ve heard about possible reformulations of this. I don’t know, but its performance was always very good.

Here’s what I had to say in the original review from 5 years back: Dirty English is definitely not a light fragrance, it has a certain strength and heaviness to it, so overdoing it will probably produce bad results for those wearing it. One spray on the neck and another rubbed between my wrists and forearms is all that I have been using. 

The longevity gives me 8+ hours on my skin, with that bottle that I have. It will keep going and never quits early on me.

Seasonally, this is a cold weather fragrance, all the way.  I have thus far only received positive reactions while wearing this cologne. As fall is just now kicking off, this is another great one to pair with the crisp weather. it could be termed a ‘sexy’ cologne, just not a sweet one.

Definitely skip wearing Dirty English when it gets warmer outside. It turns messy in the heat.

This fragrance is fresh and manly, which is what one would suspect with notes of leather, woodsy elements, and that dirty oud note. Don’t think I’d wear this one to the office or school, but outside of that, I will.

Overall Impressions of Dirty English

Overall, do I like Dirty English? Yes, I think that it is a nice cheapie, as the price from its original release has come down so much. It has a very masculine and unique vibe, which I like, and the performance has always been great for me.

It’s one that I reach for when I want to wear a dry woody scent and the leather is always something that I’ve enjoyed about it.

Update: I had a full bottle of this stuff for a while. It’s nice enough, I liked it more the first time around than when I got this newer bottle. I wore it less and less often, until I got rid of it. For the price? Still worth a try, if it sound interesting to you. But, again, not one with super mass appeal.

Set Sail Martinique by Tommy Bahama

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I recently reviewed two of the scents I bought from Tommy Bahama. One scent that was left off the list was Set Sail Martinique, which was instead represented by the superior in my opinion, Set Sail St. Barts. It was released in 2010.

In this post, I want to take a closer look at Martinique and determine if it is worth a purchase or if it is a scent that is relegated to second tier status. As usual, I will cover what’s in it, how it smells, when it should be worn, and if it is worth a buy.

What does Set Sail Martinique Smell Like?

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Notes include: blue lavender, pepper, musk, bergamot, aquatic notes

Click here to try: Tommy Bahama Martinique Men Cologne, 3.4 Fl Oz 

My Full Wear Review

Set Sail Martinique is another scent that is a part of Tommy Bahama’s Set Sail line of fragrances. When I reviewed Set Sail St. Barts, I mentioned that it was like sipping an alcoholic drink on the shore and then transitioning with that drink into the water.

To me, Martinique is like being in the Caribbean Sea while wearing suntan lotion. Seriously, you get a smooth and creamy scent from the blue lavender note and some musk, which is dotted with a hint of citrus from the bergamot. That is what the opening of this cologne smells like to me.

The bergamot’s sharpness is really tempered by the aquatic type of notes, lavender, and musk. It still feels bright, but muted, and definitely doesn’t have a juiciness or zest. Still, it has that salty sea breeze and lotion smell to it.

After about 10 minutes, the pepper and musk began to play a bigger role, in Martinique. Neither really ever took over, but you do start to detect more of an aquatic and salty smell, that is totally reminiscent of being in the tropics at the beach.

I think that the Set Sail line of colognes, has done a great job of capturing that sort of mood, and reflects the style of all of these scents.

This dries down into a mostly lavender and musk affair, with bits of pepper, and soaked in a marine environment. Almost like the notes are wrapped in sea weed.

Kind of weird description, but if you’re familiar with Bvlgari Aqua and those flankers, you’ve got a close approximation.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Projection and longevity wise, Martinique is pretty moderate. The scent really isn’t overbearing and while it will probably last on one’s skin throughout the day, it won’t be working overtime.

The sillage isn’t overbearing and completely pull off being a casual daily wear.

Mostly, it’ll get around 6-7 hours of the time. Some percentage of the time, it’ll get around 8 hours. It’s actually one of the better performing Tommy Bahama fragrance.

I pretty much only spray this stuff before going to the gym, on an old workout t-shirt. Also, this is completely a summertime fragrance, so it holds up quite well in the heat.

Overall Impressions of Set Sail Martinique

Overall, I think that this is an okay cologne. I honestly like St. Barts much better between the two of these fragrances, and since they fulfill the same niche, I would go with that one over Martinique.

Set Sail Martinique is a simple and straightforward cologne which is more appropriate for summertime, beach, and wear in areas with warmth and humidity. It’s a specialized cologne for certain occasions, so if you’re in the market for that type of scent you might like this one.

It’s not bad, but it never blew me away with anything that it did. I think that they just tried to create a super simple fragrance with oceanic qualities and came up with this. The performance is good, but there’s nothing spectacular here.

L’Homme Libre by Yves Saint Laurent

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I recently got a hold of a sample sprayer of L’Homme Libre by YSL. Now, I really enjoy Yves Saint Laurent fragrances for the most part and especially some of the other scents in the line of L’Homme titled colognes that they have put out.

So, I was quite excited to try out Libre for myself and see if it would take a top spot among YSL’s catalog of colognes. In this post, I want to take a closer look at Libre and give my opinion on whether or not it is worth checking out.

What does L’Homme Libre Smell Like?

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Notes include: violet leaf, basil, leather, pink pepper, star anise

My Full Wear Review

Libre opens with a slightly sweet and mellowed spice aroma on top of a leather note.  Immediately, it is dominated by basil, violet leaf, and the aforementioned leather. I can also detect the pink pepper which adds to the spiciness of the fragrance.

It really is a rather unique cologne in a sense, as it is an earthy/woodsy scent with a spice such as Burberry London, but has a sweetness to it like Opium Pour Homme also by YSL.

Again, Libre is wholly different from those fragrances, since the spice isn’t very sharp and it is a very fresh cologne. It sort of reminds my of Uomo by Zegna, if you replaced the heavy citrus notes.

The opening 10-15 minutes of this can seem kind of strong and may turn people away but I think that the fragrance really begins to shine in the drydown period.

The sweetness of Libre begins to take on a more prominent role, it’s a great fruit influence into the main heart of the scent. I really liked Libre at this point, it feels really masculine yet clean and unique from many other scents.

Libre becomes super smooth, refreshing, and the violet leaf note sits perfectly on the woodsy base. This is a very different animal from the other L’Homme fragrances in the lineup. Really, it doesn’t resemble any of the others, in my opinion.

There’s lots of basil and star anise, among other things, to give Libre a refreshing, but herbal green sort of spice. The warmth of the pink pepper is still there and there is also a bit of pachouli thrown in to rough the composition up a little.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Projection wise, I’d say it’s moderate bordering on heavy at first and then lightens up a bit as it transitions into the drydown.

The sillage overall is good and much better than what I’ve ever gotten with YSL L’Homme.  It becomes this semi-sweet green fragrance highlighted by a pink pepper spice and leather.

Libre does also seem to last for a long time, as well. All work day in most situations shouldn’t be a problem. It is one of the better performing flankers from this Saint Laurent line of fragrances, somewhere in the 8-9 hour range

I would wear it on days with a moderate temperature, I think it would buckle in hot weather and might be somewhat out of place during the dead of winter.

Libre is sort of an odd duck in that way. I generally wore this stuff during the later spring months, but did throw it on at night, during the summer a few times.

Is it attractive? Yes, it is an attractive scent, with its own masculine sexiness. This is a good cologne for work and something non-intrusive to wear out at night. Would be a good date night fragrance or to a lounge type setting.

L’Homme Libre isn’t a night club monster or anything. It generally handles it business and fits in a lot of different scenarios without demanding anyone pay attention to it.

Overall Impressions of L’Homme Libre

Overall, is it a buy? I definitely like it a lot. Is it my favorite? No, but it is really enjoyable to me. I don’t think it’s an amazing cologne, rather, it is one that is very good overall.

It also might not be every guy’s cup of tea, especially if you don’t like earthy/green/woodsy scents with a spice to them.

Yves Saint Laurent makes some great colognes and I actually think some of the other scents in the L’Homme line are better than Libre. So, that fact may prevent me from purchasing a full bottle of Libre. But again, I do think it is a cologne worth wearing.

I know that it has been discontinued as of this 2021 update, so, if you want a bottle…better start grabbing them up. It’s gotten pretty expensive, but don’t overpay for this.

Guilty Pour Homme Platinum by Gucci

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So, I’ve had a small decant of Gucci Guilty Platinum Edition for many months now, and hadn’t ever tried it out. I wasn’t sure as to what it was, whether it was a new formulation, or what. So, I’ve been wearing it around, and will present my thoughts and experiences with Platinum in this review. As usual, I will cover what it smells like, how it performs, when it should be worn, or if it’s even worth a buy.

What does Gucci Guilty Platinum Smell Like?

Notes include: orange blossom, cedar, lemon, lavender, patchouli

Click here to try: Gucci Guilty Platinum Edition Eau De Toilette Spray for Men, 3 Ounce

My Full Wear Review

Upon smelling the opening notes of Guilty Platinum, it struck me as being the same as the original Gucci Guilty. Is this the same fragrance in a new bottle?

I was trying to find the answer online, and it does appear, that this was a limited edition version of Guilty Pour Homme. Interesting, guess I’ll be reviewing this for a second time, then.

So, the opening is that familiar lemon and lavender blend, along with the warm pink pepper note. For me, the lemon/lavender combination is better in Luna Rossa Sport, versus this Guilty line. Still, it’s hard to dislike the bright citrus note with calming lavender, and an overall warm mood.

As it moves along, the orange blossom and lavender begin to take over, more of the composition. The lemon note is still present, just not as strong as it was, at the top. The fragrance is quite floral, very smooth and clean, and pleasant to wear.

Further along, we get some additional outdoorsy aroma from a solid cedar base, and light patchouli which gives Guilty Platinum some more depth. That’s about it for this fragrance, as it’s pretty linear overall, in its presentation. You get a floral sweetness, with elements of warm spice, and cedar.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

The sillage is not that powerful from this one. It’ll project around the area immediately surrounding you, but doesn’t take over the room.

Again, what reaffirmed for me that this was indeed just a re-packaged Guilty Pour Homme, was not only the smell but the performance. I get that same 5-6 hours of wear, on my skin, that I did with it.

One thing that I appreciated about Guilty, is its versatility as a fragrance. I like it in the warmer months of the year, but it is honestly, a nice scent to wear year round. Plus, you can wear it in pretty much any situation, and it’ll be fine.

It’s got enough attractiveness to be worn on a date, it can go casual, a night out, or even to the office. It doesn’t overpower and has a subtle touch, that can simply fit in.

Overall Impressions of Guilty Platinum

Overall, do I like Gucci Guilty Platinum? I mean, yes, it’s just Gucci Guilty. I’ve always thought that it was a pleasant scent to wear, but wasn’t a spectacular must have, for me. Why would you want Guilty Platinum?

I guess, if you wanted the limited edition bottle? Who knows? It’s already had its run, so perhaps, you can pick up a cheap bottle and save some money on your Guilty Pour Homme needs.