AFTERSHAVE: Michael Bublé Pour Homme

When it comes to celebrity fragrances I tend to steer well clear, they often smell cheap and nasty and I'm convinced (with zero evidence to back up this feeling) that more often than not it's just cheap stuff whacked in a bottle and flogged to the gullible. I've had to kind of reassess this after being asked by the wife to review Michael Bublé Pour Homme.

 At £39 for a 70ml bottle or £55 for 100ml, this I think sits in the mid-range for aftershaves - anything over £60 and I take a serious whiff of it before forking out my own cash. The attractiveness of the bottle, with its sharp angles and lines, are said to have been inspired by the microphone with the shade of blue being a reference to Buble himself and his usual choice of suit (or so I'm told).

MB Pour Homme is described as a rich signature scent for the sophisticated modern gentleman. The notes to Pour Homme are:

• Head: Grapefruit, bergamot and pink pepper
• Heart: Geranium, neroli and blond wood
• Dry-down: Patchouli, sandalwood and musk

Almost as soon as this left the bottle I was in love with the fragrance - it's unique, fresh and has a depth of fragrance that sits right in the middle of the woody and spicy fragrance family. The freshness of the citrusy notes really make this fragrance for me and blended with the Patchouli, you have an aroma that seamlessly takes you from day to night and one which is suitable for absolutely any man in your life.

My only question is if you've sold 55 million albums worldwide, why would you branch out into aftershave? You can't be short of a few quid. The many questions that run through my head aside, this is a lovely fragrance that isn't too heavy or warm on the nose. If you are looking for something a little unique this summer then you can do a lot worse than this. 

In terms of celebrity aftershaves and fragrances, this stands head and shoulders above any other I've had the chance to sniff at. 

Perfect for any occasion, this is one where throughout the day you'll close your eyes and think "mmm, yes, this is actually a good fragrance" and you'll be feeling good.

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AFTERSHAVE: Pure XS by Paco Rabanne

Paco Rabanne, one of the first ever aftershaves in my collection and the original XS version of this aftershave was a staple for a good five years in my early 20s. Invictus was another triumph so when Pure XS fell into my collection after the good lady wife paid a visit to Disneyland in November I was mightily pleased. The massive velvet box of Pure XS by Paco Rabanne also looks the part with something of luxurious start to the testing process. 

Is it worth £47 for a 50ml bottle of the stuff? 

The notes to Pure XS are:

• Head: Green sap and white thyme
• Heart: Ginger and cinnamon
• Dry-down: Vanilla and myrrh

With notes like that I'd have expected a very heavy fragrance, earthy in nature with a sweet base, but I was astounded by how it played out after spraying it liberally across myself. 

First up, it's quite potent, anything more than four sprays and people around you will be gagging for a good hour after you've applied it. The green sap does give something of a earthy fragrance at first and weirdly, I found that it came across a little spicy for the first five minutes, with a warmth on the nose that brought a wry smile to my face - it doesn't give the impression that this is a complex blend but as it starts to evolve and dry down I swear you'll wonder how you did without this in your collection. 

The ginger is barely noticeable but you can pick up hints of cinnamon but only for again a few minutes before the warmth intensifies and it becomes very heavy, but again, for no more than thirty minutes. I started to think this was a little too heavy for my tastes, I'm more of a light, fresh citrus kind of aftershave wearer but just as I expected to be panning this for being a bit too blokey, it lightened and actually becomes sweet, on a par with Eros by Versace. Wheres Eros uses tonka beans for the sweetness, the use of vanilla means that this lasts and lasts on the skin. 

Just four sprays of this and you'll be smelling lovely all day long - it's strength plays out on the skin for a good ten hours plus making it a very hardwearing fragrance. Yes it does come across as a bit too heavy at first but the sweetness of the vanilla takes the edge off making it a perfect blend between masculinity and sweetness.

Nearly £50 for a bottle is a bit steep but this is a perfect fragrance for day wear around the office and with the excellent sillage properties mean you'll be badgered in a good way about what you're wearing today - those around you will be able to smell it, and if like my experience, at least 95 per cent of people will have a positive reaction. It's hard wearing, a bottle will last for months even if using daily which in my view makes it a decent mid-range aftershave.  

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GIVEAWAY: Bois De Vetiver by Karl Lagerfeld

It's all the fault of the Mail on Sunday, yes, the Mail on Sunday. Casually browsing the paper in a cafe while having breakfast a couple of week ago I saw an advert for Bois De Vetiver by Karl Lagerfeld. The offer suggested that a 50ml bottle was available for around £30 and bing, that was me sold. After wandering around the shops I came across a 50ml bottle at The Perfume Shop for £15 (it's £16.99 now)! Being prepared to spend £30 I ended up buying two bottles and in a pique of Christmas spirit I have a bottle available to give away to one lucky reader.

But do you really want to win it? After all, it could smell a bit rank, and considering it's well.....cheap, suggests that it isn't that popular. I got my sniffing tackle around my bottle and this is what I think to the aftershave.

Bois De Vetiver is a new fragrance for 2017 and is sold as a powerful yet cool fragrance. Personally, after reading the notes to this I had no idea what to expect. The notes are:

Head: Blood orange, pink grapefruit and mint leaves

Heart: Ambrox, geranium and rose

Dry-down: Patchouli, musk and Vetiver

Taking those notes into account, I'd expect a really light fragrance, citrusy and fresh that dries down to something of a floral and woody base. What I encountered was quite possibly the best fragrance find, ever. 

The first two sprays really did fill me with a sense of joy, yes, it's light and you can only really detect the grapefruit. It's sharp on the nose for a good five to ten minutes before the crushed mint leaves take the edge off. After ten minutes the the head notes fade and become really subtle and the rose takes on the driving seat. Rather than becoming overly floral like Man Rose by Etro, the heart notes blend beautifully to give a smooth mix of citrus and rose - weirdly, this is where the fragrance starts to become more and more like Grey Vetiver by Tom Ford and when I say like, I mean it's nearly identical! 

After about thirty minutes the fragrance becomes so very subtle I can hardly notice it on my skin, but after thrusting my wrist at the other half she assured me it was still strong and when wearing this around the office it's obvious from the compliments that it has excellent sillage properties (it's like a lovely scented trail that follows you around). 

An hour in and this is basically the same as Grey Vetiver - I honestly can't tell the difference, if anything, it sparks more comments (positive of course) from those who surround me. Result! 

The patchouli and vetiver provide a really masculine base with a warm woody twang with just a hint of the floral notes that sits on the skin without being powerful or overbearing on the nose. It's lush - no, it's actually better than that. I love it. When you consider that this lasts on the skin for well over ten hours it makes it perfect for daywear, nights out or those special romantic occasions. It's perfect for any situation.

So, for under £20 you can pick up an aftershave that is on a par with more expensive variants from Tom Ford (Grey Vetiver can cost up to £85 for 50ml), and if you're lucky, you can pick up a bottle for free if you enter and are drawn as the winner of my giveaway. If you're not lucky, you really should pick up a bottle or two of this while it's on offer, and I promise you will not be disappointed.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
   

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The giveaway is open to people with a UK postal address

Random fact: I met Karl Lagerfeld in a lift at the Munich Hilton when I was twelve years old.

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AFTERSHAVE: Joop! WOW! Eau de Toilette

Those folk over at Secret Scent Box have a lot to answer for, I'd like to blame my aftershave addiction on them (like a true addict) but alas, my obsession has been going on for many decades, yes decades. That said, I'd had no desire whatsoever to try or buy Joop! Wow Eau de Toilette until a sample dropped through the door as part of the Secret Scent Box in April of this year.  

The original Joop! was  staple in my aftershave collection when younger, from the ages of fifteen to twenty four I would always have a bottle of the purple goodness on the shelf and it never failed to deliver compliments as the warm yet sweet tones wafted off a young Stephen. The missus put pay to me wearing it with any regularity - she claimed women liked to too much. A bottle has sneaked into my collection again thanks to my brother and his penchant for buying me aftershave for Christmas (thanks Joel).

Anyhow, I digress, I received a 9ml sample of this in the Secret Scent Box, sprayed it three times, let it dry and then went in search of a bottle of Wow to call my own I am that impulsive, much to the dismay of the other half.

The notes to Joop! Wow are:

Head: Bergamot, Cardamom and Violet

Heart: Geranium, Fir Balsam and Vetiver

Dry-down: Cashmeran, Tonka Bean and Vanilla

Now this section is copied from my previous thoughts as after all, first impressions count. So here goes some cracking copying and pasting!

First impressions literally are "wow" - this has a strength that defies how light it actually is on the nose. It's instant spice at first that fades gently into a slightly heavier floral earthy note. It's almost as if the vetiver is battling the heart notes to keep this smelling masculine. As it starts to progress through the heart it gets lighter and lighter on the nose as the sweetness from the tonka bean and vanilla give hints of sweetness that linger on the nose and remain evident to those around you for hour after hour.

I expected something of a teenage fragrance when looking through the notes but actually it's so incredibly refined. This would make an excellent aftershave for daywear or nights out on the town. It's unique, I really can't say "it reminds me of......" because it doesn't, and that's rare nowadays. After five hours of being on it finally settled and stayed evident to me and those around me for another eight hours. It's got legs people, it has legs.

Lush.

Those were my first thoughts and I have to say they haven't changed much. A bit of the shine has worn off over time but I still find this such a unique and hardwearing fragrance that it is just perfect for daywear, around the office or for events where you want to stand out from the crowd. A floral spice with sweetness that just rests on the nose - perfect.

At just under £40 for a 60ml bottle this would make a perfect gift for anyone aged sixteen to forty five in my opinion and represents great value for money.

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GIVEAWAY: Ralph Lauren Polo Red

Nearly two years ago now I wrote about Ralph Lauren Polo Red for the blog. In a fit of almost unimaginable generosity I've picked up a gift set of this lovely fragrance recently while out shopping and will be offering it to one lucky reader. 

So why should you enter this giveaway? Well, it's free for a start so what do you have to lose, but even better, Ralph Lauren Polo Red is a lovely aftershave.

‘Polo RED is announced as a ferocious and energizing fragrance which includes ingredients fitting the red color. The composition opens with red grapefruit united with cranberry and Italian lemon. The heart of the composition emphasizes accords of red sage, red saffron and lavender, while the "red notes" in the base are described with red wood, hot amber and fragrant coffee beans! The spicy red composition of woody-spicy character is signed by perfumer Olivier Gillotin, carrying the scent of strength, masculinity and character.'

• Head: Red grapefruit, Italian lemon, cranberry
• Heart: Red saffron, lavender 
• Dry-down: Redwood, amber, coffee

What you can look forward to is a light yet hard-wearing fragrance that is a blend between a citrus and fruity head that dries down to a lovely warm floral with a gritty edge. It should be too light and fruity to be a masculine fragrance with so much citrus and berries within the notes but the amber and coffee balance this out beautifully. 

So what's up for grabs? One Ralph Lauren Gift Set which includes a 75ml bottle and 30ml travel sized bottle of the bottle of the Eau de Toilette.

Any terms and conditions? Well yes, sadly due to postage restrictions this giveaway is only open to residents of the United Kingdom (sorry everyone else, I'll look at doing a global giveaway soon). You must be aged over 16 to enter, or have parental permission to enter as I'll need to contact you to obtain your home address if you win. No cash alternative is available and the winner will be drawn randomly using Rafflecopter.

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The draw will be open until midnight on 4 February 2017, which means that it will be posted out in time for Valentine's Day (just saying).

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AFTERSHAVE: Tom Ford Grey Vetiver Eau de Parfum

Christmas is well and truly over and the pact made with the other half of dodging Christmas presents and instead just going for a single solitary anniversary present (we got married on Christmas Day 12 years ago) fell on deaf ears (thankfully) and instead I was presented with not just a new iPod and a new laptop (she went well and truly overboard) I also received a bottle of Tom Ford Grey Vetiver Eau de Parfum. I’ve been dropping lots of very unsubtle hints about this fragrance for about twelve months and now, finally, I have my greasy mitts on a bottle.

Originally created in 2009 this stuff is not a budget brand and while it exudes luxury it doesn’t particularly have a price tag that puts off us common folk. I would say it’s actually mid-range – it’s not as expensive as Creed let’s put it that way. A 50ml bottle will set you back around £65 and can be picked up at any decent perfume counter. I’m trying to think where I first saw this and I think it was Selfridges in Manchester but I didn’t really fall in love with it until I applied loads in Duty Free at London City Airport and then spent the next twelve hours being refreshingly reminded of how good it smells!

So, what does the marketing blurb to Grey Vetiver say?

‘A fragrance that captures the essence of his menswear philosophy, TOM FORD GREY VETIVER is a masterful new rendition of the cool and intriguing possibilities of Vetiver, an ingredient that Ford says has always been a hallmark of a classic, tailored, and unabashedly masculine man.’

The notes to the fragrance are:

• Head: Grapefruit, orange blossom, sage
• Heart: Nutmeg, Orris root, pimento
• Dry-down: Vetiver, amber, oak moss

So, what do you get for your money? You get a nasal sensory overload experience, that’s what you get. It’s a fragrance that will leave you in a place where you are supremely confident that you smell fantastic and will continue to do so for hours on end. It’s awesome!

The first few sprays, and a few sprays is all that you need result in a citrus explosion in the room. Unlike other citrus based fragrances the citrus is subtle without the sharpness you would expect and the two head notes of grapefruit and orange blossom combine to produce a beautiful light scent that seems to fade in and out over the course of the day.

This fading in and out of the citrus is interspersed with a more masculine earthy note that comes from the nutmeg that after around an hour becomes almost spicy as the pimento note starts to become more dominant. For me though there is no real change in how I feel through the entire dry down process and the solid base of amber and oakmoss provide that perfect balance to such light top notes.

As I sit here sniffing away at my wrists (looking like a complete mentalist) some five hours after using three sprays I can still pick up the scent but it isn’t overpowering at all. Subtle is the key word here.

As always, the first thing I did on my return to work was ask for the opinion of our trusty HR department (it’s the HRT – human resources test) and they have given this a measly eight out of ten, whereas I personally would rate this as a solid nine out of ten as I simply cannot get enough of how it smells.

It’s not cheap, but it’s also not that expensive and I guarantee that if you wear or gift this you be flavour of the month. You can take that to the bank (dodgy reference from 1990 Steven Seagal film Hard to Kill). If you like Silver Mountain Water by Creed you will love this!

FORGET THE REST, TRY THE BEST

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