Review

Azzaro Wild Mint Review

French designer brand Azzaro has been one of the major names in mainstream fragrance for decades. While they might not enjoy the same level of popularity like bigshot brands such as Chanel or Dior, fragrances like Pour Homme, Acteur, Chrome, Visit, and Azzaro 9 are widely considered to be landmarks.  Azzaro Wild Mint is the…

Zoologist Squid Review

Canadian niche brand Zoologist Perfumes has made quite the splash in the fragrance world since its founding in 2013. Zoologist’s focus is on recreating the scent of a given animal’s environment, and sometimes even their diet.  Bat, for example, conjures up the dark, subterranean homes of the titular animal, but juxtaposes it with the tropical…

Costume National Scent Intense Review

Italian designer brand Costume National has made a name for themselves in the fragrance world with their unique, sometimes avant-garde creations. Releases like Costume National Homme (the parfum version of which I reviewed here), 21, Soul, and Cyber Garden are widely acclaimed by fragrance aficionados for their niche quality and daring scent profiles.  Scent Intense,…

Montale Vetiver Patchouli Review

French niche fragrance brand Montale has made quite a splash in the fragrance world due to their rich, powerful, Middle Eastern inspired compositions featuring oud, rose, and spice.  Fragrances like Intense Café, Black Aoud, Chocolate Greedy, and Full Incense have been frag-com (fragrance community, for the uninitiated) darlings for years. Vetiver Patchouli, released in 2019,…

Montale Intense Café Review

Since its founding in 2003, French niche fragrance brand Montale has established itself as one of the most popular and successful niche producers in the industry. Fragrances like Roses Musk, Red Aoud, Chocolate Greedy, and Full Incense have been hailed as modern-day classics for years. Intense Café, released in 2013, is perhaps the most popular…

Montale Oud Dream Review

For years, French niche fragrance brand Montale has built up quite the reputation in the fragrance world, becoming famous (or notorious) for their numerous rhapsodies upon the theme of oud, rose, amber, and spice. Fragrances like Intense Café, Honey Aoud, Chocolate Greedy, and Roses Musk have come to be regarded as staples of modern niche,…

Bon Parfumeur 003 Yuzu, Feuilles de Violette, Vétiver Review

French niche brand Bon Parfumeur is new to the fragrance world, having been founded in 2017, but has already made something of a reputation for itself as a purveyor of quality fragrances at affordable prices.  If you’re curious about the difference between a “niche” and “designer” perfume, by the way, feel free to take a…

Hermès Rocabar Review

French designer brand Hermès has been a powerhouse of the fragrance world for decades, putting out major milestones like Equipage, Bel Ami, Calèche, Terre d’Hermès, and Un Jardin Sur Le Nil. Known for their elegance, class, and discretion, a Hermès fragrance is never loud or obnoxious in any way, but rather cool and understated. Rocabar,…

Antonio Puig Quorum Silver Review

Spanish designer brand Antonio Puig has been a powerhouse in the world of designer perfumery for decades. Fragrances like Agua Brava (1968), Quorum (1981), and Sybaris (1988) are now regarded as masculine classics in the fragrance community. Although Puig doesn’t put many fragrances out these days under its own letterhead, they own a number of…

Guerlain Lui Review

French fragrance brand Guerlain is renowned for their legendary perfumes, many of which are over a hundred years old and still going strong, such as Mitsouko. Founded in 1828, the brand remains an absolute cornerstone of the modern fragrance industry, setting trends and consistently churning out high quality (and often very expensive) perfume.  Lui, a…