parfums de marly

Herod by Parfums De Marly

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So, I’ve got a ton of Parfums de Marly reviews that I need to write up, and post on the site. I received a good 10+ sample vials of this design house’s fragrances and have been testing them out. The first one, and the subject of this post, is Herod. Herod is perhaps their most popular cologne but does it actually live up to the lofty reputation?

Herod by PdM Overview

Notes include: tobacco leaf, musk, cinnamon, vanilla, vetiver, cedar, patchouli, pepper, incense, and labdanum 

Click here to try: Parfums de Marly Herod Men’s EDP Spray, 4.2 oz.

My Full Review

From the opening, Herod is an absolutely captivating fragrance, and one that is right in my wheelhouse. The tobacco note in this one is superb and reminds me of Pure Havane, in that respect.

Although, this Parfums de Marly scent has a slightly different type of tobacco and better smelling (and no honey note).

Herod really seems like an amalgamation of other scents that I’ve enjoyed. Other than Pure Havane, it has elements of Man in Black, Burberry London, as well as B Men.

Man in Black has an especially similar profile, with the spices and tobacco notes playing off of sweet ingredients. Are they exactly the same? No, but I’ve worn them both enough to recognize them as close cousins.

Herod is a warm fragrance, the vanilla note envelops you, and the cinnamon/pepper combination gives you that heated spice. It opens with those two notes being on prominent display.

Yet, it is never harsh. The smooth smokiness of the incense makes sure that the spice isn’t like a punch in the face and simply adds a relaxing texture to the aroma.

Tobacco, labdanum, and vanilla create a smooth and somewhat sweet trio which grows in strength during the wear. Another way the spices get brought under control and don’t become overwhelming.

In the dry down, it is a dark and resinous scent with a sweet heart. I really love it at this stage, as it lingers softly in the air, and I can catch whiffs of Herod throughout the day. This is where I think that the incense note shines through and earns its spot.

Ultimately, I get a mix of spicy/sweet tobacco, with smoky and resinous undertones. It’s warm, cozy, and very attractive.

Sillage, How Long it Lasts, and Versatility

Projection wise, it can be strong, but I think that it dries down into more of a moderate cologne. However, it is noticeable throughout the day. Also, the longevity is really great.

This is easily a 10+ hour wear and a scent who’s performance actually lives up to its price. Using my sample vial over the course of months, I never got a bad performance from Herod. It works extremely well with my skin and sticks around for as long as I would want.

Seasonally, Herod is one for the cold weather. I’ve been mostly testing this at night here in the summer, as it just doesn’t fit during the sweltering heat of the daytime. Update: I’ve worn this in the colder weather, or even the lighter days of autumn, and it fits perfectly.

It also has great versatility. It is a mature and refined type of fragrance that can fit well in the office but also has a level of sexiness that would work during a night out or date.

Overall Impressions of Herod by PdM

Overall, do I think Herod is worth it? Yes! This Parfums de Marly scent is a total winner in my book. I don’t personally need to buy a full bottle at the moment, due to the season, but it could definitely be a play for me during the autumn. Smooth, spicy, and tobacco laden.

Herod is one of the best PdM releases, in my opinion. Definitely a top 2 or 3 pick for me, from this designer. It smells great, has an interesting blend of familiar notes, and performs extraordinarily well for me.

Delina by Parfums de Marly

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It’s been a little while since I’ve posted a new Parfums de Marly review, even though, I think I have four more to do after this one. So, I figured that I might as well jump in and get to work. Today, we have Delina, from their women’s line of perfumes.

How does this fragrance smell? What’s it sillage and longevity like? Is it versatile? Is Delina even worth a buy? Please continue below for my full take, after wearing this scent around.

What does Delina by PdM Smell Like?

Notes include: rose, rhubarb, litchee, musk, vanilla, peony, and vetiver

Click here to try: PARFUMS de MARLY Delina, 2.5 fl. oz.

My Full Review

Before I get into my own review of Delina, let’s see how Parfums de Marly describes it:

This fragrance is an ode to femininity and sensuality. The blooming top notes of Delina hold fruity scents of lychee and rhubarb. Then the fragrance expresses its personality through a delicate and velvety Rose Essence of Turkey. Its caressing petals unveil delicious and warm musky and vanilla base notes.

So, from the opening, wow! Delina is gorgeous and a very pleasant aroma. The rose note here is prominent but soft at the same time and its a fruity powdered fragrance.

I don’t mean to suggest that this Parfums de Marly fragrance is a baby powder-like scent, it isn’t, because there is a juicy fruit elements that keeps the whole thing interesting.

The lychee is the main fruit here and it is joined by the sharpness of bergamot that sits in the background during the wear. Add to that, the rhubarb is tart, and I think gives this scent its distinct personality.

It is sweet but not overly so, as the fruit notes aren’t too strong, and there’s not much of a ‘sugary’ element within Delina. As it dries down, get much more of the peony note than I do the rose, and this is when I become even more intrigued by this scent.

Vanilla and musk emerge well into the wear and provide a base for this perfume. It’s all very well done and a pleasure.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Projection wise, Delina doesn’t have a huge sillage. This is more of a moderate fragrance, that can be worn everyday without causing a huge fuss. It’ll project itself in the 4-6 foot range or thereabouts.

However, it’s longevity is great, and I believe I got right around 9 hours of wear out of it on my skin.

Update: Testing it out again, 9.5-10 hours seems like what it is fully capable of on my skin.

Seasonally, Delina works best in the warm weather. This would be enchanting in the spring and summer months. It’s a daily wear, that’s pretty enough to be worn on formal occasions, as well as casually.

I enjoy how it smells, but it doesn’t strike me as being super ‘sexy’ or seductive, it is very appealing. It’s more of a pleasant and enjoyable sort of perfume to be around. Can really fit in well, in a wide variety of situations.

Delina will continue to be signature scent worthy for a lot of people.

Overall Impressions of Delina

Overall, do I like Delina? Yes. This is a great fragrance by Parfums de Marly. It is a fruity floral with interesting depth and character.

The performance is exactly what you would expect from a luxury brand like this and you get something that smells wonderful.

This has become one of the most popular, if not the best selling fragrance from the women’s PdM line. While it has also spawned the Delina Exclusif flanker.

The opening fruitiness is great, with the bit of a powdery finish early on, Delina develops nicely into a sweetish rose and peony perfume that is really versatile, fun, and does everything well.

This is a Parfums de Marly scent that you should try out, if you’re interested in it. At least get a sample of it, even if you cannot afford it. There are also lots of similar perfumes to this one.

Nisean by Parfums De Marly

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After this review of Nisean, I think that I have only two more write ups to do of my Parfums de Marly sample collection. This is a sample that I had to spend some more time with in order to really appreciate and see how the cologne developed before jotting down my thoughts about Nisean below. As usual, I am going to cover how it smells, performs, and whether or not it is worth a purchase.

What does Nisean by PdM Smell Like?

Notes include: patchouli, incense, cedar, rose, saffron, labdanum, lime, grapefruit, and more

Click here to try: PARFUMS DE MARLY NISEAN 125ML EDP SPRAY

My Full Review

Nisean is not one of the more well known or appreciated fragrances from Parfums de Marly. I don’t know why, maybe it’s because it’s name looks like a Japanese car manufacturer.

Anyhow, here is how the cologne sample card describes it: “A beautiful dark wood, hyper textured (majestic patchouli) illuminated by a distinguishable incense note, having the effect of a sacred nectar warming both the heart and the body.”

Sure, ok. I definitely pick up on the dark wood, which I’m guessing is the cedar. Nisean is dry and warm with the amber and the familiar smokiness of the incense note. The saffron is there but it isn’t as intense to my nose, as it was in Godolphin (which I prefer to Nisean).

However, I think that the saffron still plays very nicely off of the patchouli.

During the dry down, there is an element of sweetness (not candy-like) that emerges from within Nisean. Like a dried fruit sweetness, from the grapefruit/lime citrus combination, and a floral sweetness provided by rose.

It stays very warm and woody but there is that citric quality that just feels like it is soaking into the cedar wood. From there, I get a bit of a pepper spice and a warm/sticky amber note.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Projection wise, Nisean is toward the upper moderate end of the spectrum. Not a monster, but it is solid, and you’ll know that it is there. On the other hand, the longevity is awesome.

Like almost every other Parfums de Marly cologne, this one is hitting the double digit hour mark, without trouble. I tend to lose track of these workhorses, but I’d say somewhere in the 12-13 hour range, on my skin.

Wear wise, I’d put this in the fall and winter seasonal category. It’s a mature scent, not ‘old man’, but a guy in his late 20s and up who has his stuff together.

Nisean can be worn semi-casual to dressed up and is best in that space or as an office scent. It’s not something for the night club scene by any stretch.

Overall Impressions of Nisean

Overall, do I like Nisean? Yes, I like it. I feel like it’s probably the sixth or seventh best of this company’s line of colognes. That’s saying something about the depth of options here, as this is by no means an average fragrance.

It’s a very dry woody fragrance with patchouli, incense, and amber warmth as its base.

From there, you’ll get some bit players such as the citrus notes chipping in. It smells good but it isn’t amazing, in my opinion. Though, it is a great performer. It’s a very solid fragrance and could earn a spot in a man’s rotation, but it wouldn’t be my number one option.

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.