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SyDemon – :
I don’t have anything in my collection that i can compare this to…at least not off the top of my head, when i get home, i’ll try a few to see what it come to it(Update: Midnight in Paris).
I love the smokiness, fig, benzoin and spice notes.
This will be perfect for the cold winter months.
The frag maxs out at six hours, but that’s fine.
Just carry a travel atomizer and you’re good to go.
It has a strong fig note, that’s a bit sweet along with the incense note…Mannnnn!
This is a must have if you want to try something new.
But if you have never had a fragrance from the UAE or had something with Incense like Midnight In Paris.
You might not like this.
I used six sprays…both wrist, back & front of my neck, chest and front of my shirt.
Will I buy this again?…Yes(If i can get another bottle at this price).
Should You Skipped It, Sample It First or Blind Buy It? Sample it first(this fragrance is not for beginners starting there collection)
Can you use it as a unisex scent?…No(Too smokey)!
Is it the old or new formulation? New(White box and white label).
SKU Number: 33890046152
Batch Number: 09F24F139 (Production Date: May 19, 2015)
Age: 21+
From: Amazon
Size: 100 ML
Scent: 8.5/10 (Nice).
Value: 9/10 (Cost $30.59).
Sillage: 7/10 (Three feet).
Longevity: 6.5/10 (Six hours plus).
Creativity: 8/10 (Smokey, fruity & spicy).
Projection: 7/10 (90 minutes).
Versatility: 10/10 (Anytime & anywhere).
Compliments: NA/10 (None yet).
Until next time, I’ll catch you on the flipside.
Andrey86 – :
the feeling you get when you just *know*…
the holy grail in my collection, finally!
what else to say?
i tried this and the Balmain Homme for men on respective arms. it was like day and night in comparison, or rather dusk and dawn.
where Balmain Homme was loudmouthed, nightclub-vibe, literally one-in-a-million-scent; Carbone on the other hand spoke in whispers, calm and soothing; “Come closer if you are the man I think you are”
I was a little worried that the scent would disappear, but the lady at the store (or maybe the good witch?) reassured me that I wouldn’t be disappointed if I chose this.
later today when I was out jogging, the scent got even stronger (probably due to the body heat) and even after showering it’s still there, again reassuring me “I’m still here, even though I don’t fuzz or brag like the other guys on the shelves”
Finally, I am glad that I remembered to thank the ‘good witch’ saying that I was very pleased to see a cologne like this amongst all the common, well-known brands.
My new signature scent for sure!
gamer44 – :
First, I don’t get the performance issues that are most talked about, for me it’s a good longevity (7/8 hours) and moderate to soft projecting fragrance (3 hours and still catching whiffs of it).
To resume and not be redundant with the rest of the reviews here: starts strongly cedary (the pencil shavings reference it’s really accurate) and green/fruity (the fig note reminds me quite a bit of the one in JPG Kokorico); and dries into a sweet woody Iso E smoky base.
It’s quite synthetic but in a pleasant and not daring -a la Encre Noir- way.
Best suited for autumn and winter nights, surrounded by a scarf and a sleek trench coat.
Edit score: 7/10
———————————————————-
En primer lugar, no tengo los problemas de rendimiento que aquí se mencionan, para mí tiene una buena duración (7/8 horas) y proyección de moderada a suave (3 horas y todavía capturo bocanadas de ella). Para resumir y no ser redundante con el resto de las reseñas aquí: comienza fuertemente “cedroso” (la referencia a virutas de lápiz es bastante precisa) y verde / afrutado (la nota de higo me recuerda un poco a la de JPG Kokorico); se seca hacia una base de madera -Iso E- dulce y ahumada. Es bastante sintético, pero en un modo agradable y no desafiante -a la Encre Noir-.
Mejor adecuado para noches de otoño e invierno, rodeado de una bufanda y un elegante sobretodo.
Editado por puntaje: 7/10
traifed – :
A deliciously woody and sweet combo. This is as dry as it gets, courtesy of the vetiver and the incense. The fig in here is discreet, but noticeable, and it plays off wonderfully to the earthiness of the vetiver. I assume part of the sweetness is also courtesy of the elemi and the benzoin, but to me this is primarily a vetiver/fig combo.
Dry, austere, but ultimately cozy.
Smell great friends.
sanikita – :
Great scent but very weak (disappears within 15 minutes).
MIRAJ – :
This is one of my husbands favorites, and one of my top 10 on him.
We heard it will be discontinued (can someone confirm?) It´s out there for 30-40 EUR/100ml, so it´s time to hoard, all Carbone friends.
AgentDeath – :
Very nice scent, but bad performance. what a waste …..
filips – :
This is my go to-scent for sunny early spring days. Starta off with a blast of blackpepper, then proceds into incense and mellows down to a ripe fig. I know many people regard this as a mens scent, but i have no problem wearing it tough i’m a woman in my twenties.
apg_777 – :
I think this is very nice, it took me a while to decide getting it, but I am not disappointed, I got a compliment already, but I think is fading out pretty fast. The one I got has a white label, I wonder if the black label was before reformulation and if there is any significant difference on the smell and performance, has anybody around tested both?
magnate89 – :
I like it very much. It’s different, original. It smells like pencil shaving (very woody / carbon).
It’s an EDT, but to me the scent itself looks more to be like an EDP (a little bit strong), although the performance matches better the EDT standards.
Better for Fall / Winter / fresh days and evenings.
Highly recommended.
Alekc_3 – :
This is something that doesn’t suit my liking. A lot of people like it, but I am not too sure if I’ll wear it that often.
I have a full bottle of this. It’s a tester bottle.
sergemnemonicc – :
This was a blind buy for me based entirely on the reviews on this very page.
Like another reviewer I had ordered from a vendor whose image displayed the “Carbone de Balmain” bottle, but instead sent me the “Carbone”, which disappointed me somewhat because based on the reviews above I understand that there is a significant difference.
Nevertheless, I am wearing it right now and must say that I am very pleasantly surprised.
A few years back I was with colleagues at a restaurant in Tokyo when a very distinguished looking European gentleman walked past my table, and as he passed I caught a subtle aroma of the most supremely elegant, masculine and classy scent I have ever smelled in my life. Perhaps the effect was augmented by the qualities of hot sake we had been drinking, but after he returned to his table I summoned to the courage and approached him to ask about the incredible fragrance he was wearing.
From the years I spent in Europe I could tell that he was clearly one of those old-school European aristocrats who probably spent the heyday of his formative years on the transatlantic liners, as he was of a certain age, but in a way ageless, and the poise, bearing and demeanour of this impressive gentleman radiated “dignitas” and imperturbable and effortless grace that reminded me of the aristocratic couple I lodged with when I first arrived in Paris many years previously, anyhow he was delighted that I had appreciated the scent he was wearing and said that I was his favourite: it happened to be Ebene – a vintage Balmain creation that is nowadays both extremely hard to find and extremely expensive, but I never forgot the effect that even a gentle hint of that sublime fragrance had on me and ever since I have been obsessed with trying to find something that has a similar “aura”.
What strikes me about “Carbone” is that the progression is so subtle as to be almost undetectable – to my nose anyway – and the notes are so beautifully complimentary that the overall effect is to evoke the familiar and the exotic at the exact same time, creating an aura of mystery, and class.
For me, woods (done well) can be the absolute epitome of masculinity, and by that I don’t mean the garish, vulgar, chest-beating, Ron Burgundy “Sex Panther” notion of masculinity but the simple, effortless and classy masculinity of a well-tailored suit, that conjures up images of a wood-panelled library in a stately home or a smoky gentleman’s club in the 1920s filled with Chesterfield armchairs and cavendish pipe tobacco.
I like “Carbone” thus far mainly because of that woodsy mystery created by the sense of familiar and the exotic, its understated dignity, and the associations that it creates in my mind of classy refined “gentlemanliness”.
As soon as I am able I will get hold of some of the earlier “Carbone de Balmain” to compare.
fleth – :
This was a blind buy for me based entirely on the reviews on this very page.
Like another reviewer I had ordered from a vendor whose image displayed the “Carbone de Balmain” bottle, but instead sent me the “Carbone”, which disappointed me somewhat because based on the reviews above I understand that there is a significant difference.
Nevertheless, I am wearing it right now and must say that I am very pleasantly surprised.
A few years back I was with colleagues at a restaurant in Tokyo when a very distinguished looking European gentleman walked past my table, and as he passed I caught a subtle aroma of the most supremely elegant, masculine and classy scent I have ever smelled in my life. Perhaps the effect was augmented by the qualities of hot sake we had been drinking, but after he returned to his table I summoned to the courage and approached him to ask about the incredible fragrance he was wearing.
From the years I spent in Europe I could tell that he was clearly one of those old-school European aristocrats who probably spent the heyday of his formative years on the transatlantic liners, as he was of a certain age, but in a way ageless, and the poise, bearing and demeanour of this impressive gentleman radiated “dignitas” and imperturbable and effortless grace that reminded me of the aristocratic couple I lodged with when I first arrived in Paris many years previously, anyhow he was delighted that I had appreciated the scent he was wearing and said that I was his favourite: it happened to be Ebene – a vintage Balmain creation that is nowadays both extremely hard to find and extremely expensive, but I never forgot the effect that even a gentle hint of that sublime fragrance had on me and ever since I have been obsessed with trying to find something that has a similar “aura”.
What strikes me about “Carbone” is that the progression is so subtle as to be almost undetectable – to my nose anyway – and the notes are so beautifully complimentary that the overall effect is to evoke the familiar and the exotic at the exact same time, creating an aura of mystery, and class.
For me, woods (done well) can be the absolute epitome of masculinity, and by that I don’t mean the garish, vulgar, chest-beating, Ron Burgundy “Sex Panther” notion of masculinity but the simple, effortless and classy masculinity of a well-tailored suit, that conjures up images of a wood-panelled library in a stately home or a smoky gentleman’s club in the 1920s filled with Chesterfield armchairs and cavendish pipe tobacco.
I like “Carbone” thus far mainly because of that woodsy mystery created by the sense of familiar and the exotic, its understated dignity, and the associations that it creates in my mind of classy refined “gentlemanliness”.
As soon as I am able I will get hold of some of the earlier “Carbone de Balmain” to compare.
196715023 – :
scent : 8/10
sillage : 8/10
longevity :7/10
70% night/30% day fragrance
good woody scent
reminds me of Loewe 7and azzaro visit
Joker6288 – :
After the dark minimalism of Encre Noir, Nathalie Lorson’s Carbone de Balmain feels almost upbeat. But don’t let its sweetness and lightness fool you – Carbone has a definite structural similarity to its forebear. Both are works of abstract realism, and both are thick with olfactory allusions to graphic art – in EN’s case, the scent of ink, and in Carbone’s case, the scent of a freshly sharpened pencil.
Carbone’s first blast crackles with sharp pepper. It almost smells the way a brittle pencil nib sounds as it snaps against paper. The fragrance then reveals a heady accord of incense and cedar, with fig lending a sweet toastiness. Carbone also has a creamy resinous quality, but it never gets too densely oriental. There’s a surprising lightness to it, like fresh wood chips.
Sadly, it’s almost too conceptual and calculated. Carbone smells good, but it doesn’t stir anything in me emotionally. I want to connect, but there’s nothing to truly embrace. It’s too aloof, brittle, contrived. There’s nothing seductive or alluring.
The performance lets this fragrance down, too. I never tried the original, but I believe I have the Inter-Parfums reformulation. It lacks projection, and longevity is about five hours at most.
What I like about Carbone’s forebear, Encre Noir, is the way it scares me. It’s austere, but brutally so. By contrast, Carbone has plenty of warmth. It’s just a pity it leaves me so cold.
Blendos – :
A great fragrance!
On one hand, woody (vetiver, benzoin ..), on the other hand spicy (pepper, incense …).
Fully in balance! The colors of the spice woody chord harmony …
For me this is a signature fragrance! The fragrance is present throughout the day, but a discreet SILLAGE …
Unlike today’s fashion fragrance from a unique phenomenon!
Great job on his fashion house!
And the crown of the clear glass which is a bit “old” memories of times, but completely “pure” form!
Based on the color of excessive odor associate juice but not !!!
How pleasant surprise ….
Love it!!
owk247speagoessenda – :
I can definitely detect a bit of similarity to Montanna’s Graphite, but unlike other reviewers here, I actually find Graphite less complex, and sweeter than Carbone. This is a pleasant fragrance, a blind buy that was generally a winner, however I should note that I ordered from Fragrancenet in early 2016, specifically because they pictured a tester of the older bottle, (the one with Carbone printed prominently at the top). Instead, they sent a newer bottle, making them 0 for 3 now, on shipping errors and inaccurate eBay listings. Anyway, due to the pepper, pencil shaving notes, and a hint of incense, I can see why this fragrance receives comparisons to GPH (though it is only about a 60% match, in my opinion) and I probably WILL reach for it when I want to save my remaining GPH for a special occasion, but the complaints about Carbone’s poor longevity and projection are also true. I’ve never smelled the older version, so I can’t comment on whether this was always the case, but if you can find it inexpensively (especially the older bottle) I’d say it’s worth a try.
tvfilato – :
Four words: mysterious, intriguing, unique, genius.
When I smelled this for the very first time, I was blown away. I had to smell it again and again because I couldn’t name a single note of it, yet it smelled so nice. I was just lost and utterly intrigued.
To me, the incense note is the most prominent. Carbone is not very sweet, but not heavy either, its balance is just perfect. It’s “fresh in an incense way” if that makes any sense to you. And Carbone takes a certain kind of wearer, someone who does not give a sh## if someone’s eyes keep following them like “that is so weird, WHAT are you wearing?”. Carbone’s sillage and logevity are both moderate and it’s an amazing perfume, masterful work by Balmain.
I think you do Carbone justice by wearing it in spring or autumn.
chudishe – :
Another blind buy for me. I’ve been having a great deal of luck lately!
This scent is delightful. If you know what the opening of Gucci Pour Homme smells like, you will have an idea of how this will smell. Spicy, slightly sweet pencil shavings dominate and carry through the life of this scent. It never develops into the rich, incense character of GPH, but I did find the pepper note to become quite noticeable as the day wore on. Don’t take me evaluation to imply it is a straight copy of GPH, just that it shares part of its DNA. It is a warm, mature scent with a fairly linear character.
I’ve been testing this on cold winter days, projection seems restrained but I do notice it on and off through its life. Longevity is average, maybe 4-5 hours on my clothes and neck, 6-8 on my wrists. Given the price and quality of the scent, I can easily look past its relatively average performance. If this one were to be discontinued, I would stock up without hesitation!
Scent: 9/10
Sillage: 6/10
Longevity: 7/10
Price: 9/10
Overall: 8/10
linkin1819 – :
Gentlemen;
It is quite interesting how the blend of ingredients make some fragrances so similar to others, even when they share just one or two notes. Sometimes, none. Even if it is for a mere couple of seconds.
I have noticed Carnone smells close to Eau des Baux by L’Occitane en Provence when trying the first notes. I had the chance to test them side by side on skin and it was a very interesting experience.
Pepper is definitely the strongest note in Carbone, followed by incense, both responsible for its pencil shavings chord which is present in Eaux de Baux, in the begining, but very briefly because this aspect is delivered by other notes.
But things change: where Eau des Baux kills the pencil shavings chord and keeps a vanilla note dominating the wood and cypress notes, that is supported by pepper, incense and (perharps) fig in Carbone, making it keep the pencil shavings chord – its best feature. And where Eaux des Baux is joyfull, sweeter, younger and closer to nature, Carbone is nocturnal, drier, a little older, and indoors.
Longevity and projection are very decent on warm, regular or oily skin and warm weather. In cool temperatures, it calms down and sits close to skin. Suitable for those moments of intimacy with your special one, when the smell of skin and some fragrance stimulate a lot.
It is a divine masculine fragrance. Nothing agressive. Discreet, subtle and elegant; like making a statement in a low voice.
I recommend it.
kco677speagoessenda – :
Tumulte by Christian Lacroix was the last perfume before ages that blown my mind from the first sniff and was my signature scent since then but hardly to find it nowadays (discontinued)and i keep it in my collection in a miniature bottle of 5 ml for sentimental reasons. This perfume was also the reason to be a cedar note lover,really hot stuff. I was looking years and years to find something in the same vain that makes me to feel like i felt when i had first smelled my beloved Tumulte and Yes Carbone de Balmain Paris moves in the same direction (paradoxically cedar note does not exist here)and i get the same sexy,seductive,warm cedary aura. A very nice scent not loud but like a tender whisper before a warm hug surrounds you by your beloved person. A must have for me. Unique and alluring
reegermoriant – :
Very unique , I started to love it .
urit – :
I have no idea why this happens but there are some peppers I put on and immediately my whole body relaxes. It’s almost like a drug! Can’t really say what that’s about but I’ll take it!
Anyway, to the point at hand…
For me, this frag hits a lot of right marks. I love pepper, incense, figs. I also enjoy cedar as a wood note. What amazes me though is that there’s no cedar shown in the notes, but when you concentrate on what’s going on, it becomes apparent that with the addition of the elemi, vetiver and green notes joining with the fore mentioned creates a very definite cedar effect especially in the top. That said it carries on into the dry down where the elemi gives the cedar a resinous effect, and it smells dam fine I might add! Almost gummy. It’s like a rich gummy cedar. That gummy aspect is aided by the benzoin which adds a very subtle but right on the mark slight sweet vibe.
This for me is a great winter scent, it’s got a nice toasty warmness and one I have no doubt I’ll be turning too often. It’s worth every cent you pay for it and well beyond imo. Well pleased.
Ruwshun – :
Now this turned out to be quite different from what I expected.
Somehow from the name and previous reviews I had expectations of a sharp, dark and stinging scent that would give me a gloomy aura of mystique.
Agreed, the opening is slightly sharp, synthetic and edgy, a sort of graphite cedary pencilshaving with some menthol and pepper, but after a short while this actually turns out to be a nice, creamy and semi-sweet scent with a slight incense on my skin.
I was quite certain it contained vanilla until I realised this was the benzoin.
If I were to compare it to other widely known scents, I’d agree that the opening is slightly like the Gucci PH but the drydown actually reminds me more of some popular sweeter scents like, say, Muglers Pure Malt or YSL Body Kouros.
Overall it’s very nice, I really enjoy it.
german_man – :
Also this reminds me in the beginning of quorum silent. The original quorum is hideous pure pensioners paradise.
azelnov – :
This really is something special it in like sniffing pencil shavings while getting whiffs of cedar whilst sat in an incense filled conn try church holding a bowl of cut figs then when these rich and manly scent presents a peppery vetiver then when it comes to it’s end the musky patchouli puts in appearance. Altogether a classy fragrance which I have never smelled on anybody apart from my me and my brother when he steals a spritz when it’s in my summer rotation ( but I use it all year as this scent is never over powering,in fact it could be a bit stronger IMO. Definitely one I would recommended unless your a dior gimme intense or one million. What ever happend to atempting to have an air of mystery about the fragrance you were. I don’t care what anyone says there is nothing nicer than being asked what are you wearing that smells gorgeous but that’s what I have found when I wear carbon.
www.go77.ru – :
Wow. What a spicy start, a bit similar to encre noir, but while EN is interested in the earthy-rooty aspect, what is underground, Carbone is fascinated by the body and leaves, what we see above ground. Yet, this does not necessarily make it more wearable than EN.
Carbone is a pleasant surpise from Balmain whose Monsieur i love. BalMan was irritating though it is one of the colognes i got compliments for.
Carbone is bold, and proud of it. Unfortunately i have the newer bottle, and i am afraid the first one (with Carbone with big letters) is the real thing. The one i have, though still fascinating, feels somehow restrained.
A big plus is the allusion it gives me to Lacroix Tumulte – now a lost masterpiece. And i wonder why cedar is not listed among the notes. Man – this is all cedar, pepper and vetiver, with a few sweet drops. I love it, but it’s just missing the full-blown effect i believe was present in the first version.
****(*)
leon5000 – :
Carbone de Bailmain is the best successor to Tumulte by Christian Lacroix. The same vibe, even more refined.
saglaev – :
An hyper-synth and kind of sticky woody-mysky-incensey thing that sits somewhere between a Gucci Pour Homme I wannabe and Dirty English. Only sweeter (which is often a con in my book especially when it comes to vanilla type of sweetness) and slightly lighter.
I would have probably liked this some years ago, but I’ve grown terribly bored of these post-Gucci rip-offs.
Meh.
Rsting: 6/10
brerieClora – :
Hey guys, if you like Gucci Pour Homme, try Bentley Absolute.
It’s the only in production frag to Gucci Pour Homme, though it’s limited edition and not found everywhere around the world.
musichenko – :
Take Gucci Pour Homme (2003 version). Make it smoother, less deep and fresher. Then you have Carbone de Balmain.
I love GPH, it’s one of my favorites. The only issue I had with it, was that it’s a difficult everyday fragrance for me to wear to work etc. It can be quite polarizing.
Carbone is a smoother and lighter version of GPH, though they certainly differ.
GPH is very dry, where as Carbone has a creaminess to it, that is also noticeable in Bentley For Men. The incense is lighter, and so is the cedar/pencil shavings accord.
GPH is a masterpiece in my opinion, but Carbone de Balmain is no slouch, and – along with CDG 2 Man – provides a nice substite for GPH instead of paying the inflated used prices.
Rating: 8.5/10
Раскол – :
Balmain; Carbone is a scent that is uplifting,Fresh,sharp and masculine of course.The idea that it’s confident smooth.makes you feel like you can concur any obstacle.7/10 for my rating.
Traha – :
i do not like it. all I hear is the smell of graphite pencil. nothing to do with encre noir or incense church .1 / 10 low performance.
dremutiil – :
I got it in my head that Balmain didn’t make masculine or even Unisex fragrances but I was obviously mistaken.
I have to say I adore this fragrance it’s magic!
Huge dose of peppery woods and dry synthetic cedar and vetiver but that’s telling the story in reverse. The opening is a curious, aniseed, resiny, elemi, (what I assume is) fig, incense vibe then pepper coming on stronger. Very darkly fruity this one and a musky, lightly smoked effect to it also…very very interesting and right up my street.
Then it gets a little disappointing the immediate comparison on the drydown is to Encre Noire and that takes a good hour or two to progress past that opening to the familiarity of vetiver and pepper.
Not a bad thing to smell like but for me the opening shows more promise and interest.
Average longevity and subtle projection…well worth checking out for those who like a arty, not all the way dark fragrance.
kesha2011 – :
Look for the version with the label:
“CARBONE de BALMAIN Paris”.
The new version of the reformulation is the inscription:
“BALMAIN Paris Carbone”
Much worse and weaker. Too bad ..
dswwee – :
Reviews are very personal. This is a great, comforting and long lasting cologne! I will get an extra bottle!!! Lots of people with terrible taste reviewing here …so be aware!
попугайчик – :
Way way back I tested Autoportrait of Olfactive Studio and fell in love with it. However it was too expensive (maybe it sounds crazy to some people here but I have this stupid rule where a 3 digit amount of money for perfumery is a no go for me) to buy it and was searching for an alternative based on the notes. The closest I found was Carbone so I snatched it of ebay ignoring Brettyboy’s negative review whose opinion I value a lot.
At the beginning I spotted immediately the similarity with OSA, and was happy about it thus started wearing it regularly for a month. But there was something off about the scent I couldn’t put my finger on initially.
Finally my nose spotted the little tiny hitch hiker note which got on my nerves with every sniff of the way. THE FIG!!! (mind you that I adore the smell of figs and especially the leafs. There are in abundance here in Greece and in Jordan when I was a kid)
Yet the elemi, benzoin and the pepper become very ugly when combined with fig. Where Carbone is slightly buttery and swear to god close to a beef meaty kind of smell, OSA is more woody, dry and refined (Oakmoss…to the rescue!!!).
Yes Carbone was conceived before Autoportrait and maybe Mrs Lorson copied the composition but it is done waaaayyyy better and that is what counts after all. Plus any connection of this composition with the flawless GPH is excceeding the realms of sci fi. Like comparing watermelons and… I don’t know.. napkins?..
Sold my bottle after testing 15mls out of 100.
Conclusion:
I don’t like comparing scents but those two are very close and far away at the same time. Carbone is a wintery spicey woody perfume where you can spot easily most of the notes (plus cinnamon) but the addition of fig ruins the whole thing.
Cleaning – :
After more wearings of this. I have completely changed my mind from love hate to LOVE LOVE. Even my wife finds this to be super sexy and attractive and she is an aquatic fan go figure. The initial 15 minutes or so used to have me concerned that this was going to turn into some old man pepper and vanilla patchouli bomb, but the more I have worn it this fall the more I have come to realize is that after the 15 minutes of darkness comes out this beautiful fig, ivy slightly smokey and very slight sweetness from the vanilla with a Fahrenheit like benzoin notes that all mingling together is very pleasant and dances from light to dark. It’s amazing and complex yet inoffensive and a bit close to the skin as to not offend. When your lover comes close though, watch out…It’s sexy time with this one. It’s really quickly become my top 5 out of close to 100 bottles of cologne. Great stuff and such a great price. I have a feeling that since this is discontinued and bottles start to disappear the remaining ones are going to be of significant value.
sipagamer – :
Smoky and woody with a hint of vetiver. Very close to the masterpiece GPH 2003. Probably the best alternative as it has great performance as well. I agree that cedar is in here somewhere. Perfect for fall and winter.
gsmgsmgsm8 – :
Maybe not something i would like to wear on my skin, however i love to spray my couch with this parfume.
It smells so good on fabric, and it’s soooo soothing. I will fall asleep on the couch and have good dreams 🙂
mirshtor – :
just got this one today first impressions a very good scent creamy, boozy, spicey, woody all in one package it reminds me of Gucci pour home 1 so ifyou like that kind of scent you will love this one. It has moderate projection, longevity 7 hours tops a night time fragrance
aretuentits – :
a very unique scent and nice! tough to find it nowdays!!!!
UnSlayerR – :
Love hate kind of relationship with this colgne. I love the scent and wish I could wear it but the wife thinks it is repulsive so I basically can’t wear it. I am a big fan of these smoky, pepery, graphite type scents. if you like smoke and pepper, pencil shaving and figs this is for you
zzsfis – :
Probably one of the ‘darkest’ fragrances I’ve ever owned. The name tells you all you need to know about this scent – it’s coal. It’s dark, metallic, grey and dark all in one.
It’s like rubbing yourself with coal or graphite … at the beginning it takes you some time to adapt to it… because it’s strong and somehow weird, but after you let the strong spices and pepper do their work, you will know and understand that in fact you’re not wearing the fragrance… it’s wearing you.
I’m not going to lie… it is incredibly strong and heavy. It’s not for everyone, but I guess the people at ‘Balmain’ had that in mind from the beginning.
Mepin943InsuffBooni – :
Well, its quite unusual / unique concoction compare to a lot of flankers that occupied markets shelves lately… I didn’t detect so much incense and this note sounds quite mild on me. I like vetiver and black fig notes in it. There’s nothing so groundbreaking, but it still quite nice light balsamic & spicy fragrance based on respectable woody platform. It has a little bit of herbal vibe in it too. During the developing of fragrance there’s something that reminds a little bit the smell of freshly spiced and peppered raw beef steak… Thank God this stage ends very quickly! Overall its all about aromatic peppery character nicely layered with other notes in this composition. It is reminds sometimes little bit of “Encre Noir” of Lalique! The longevity is moderate