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domaha – :
Smells very close to Dark Rebel.
I get a bunch of cocoa, some resins and a touch of saffron in the opening. The saffron disappears very quickly and you are left with Cocoa and resins for an hour or so. After 2 hr mark this is hard to detect, have to put your nose in to detect.
I would rather use it as a lazy night time scent. Stay in the house it last about 4-5 hours. Its a very personnel scent, does not scream its presence.
Its cheap to even consider a sampling it, I bought it for the looks, i guess.
– Sniff it a couple of times with the dark rebel, then decide.
gla_w2501 – :
not loved by women and extremely weak lasting power. Dark rebel is a better buy for sure-have tested both. WEAK SAUCE!
Deuschland – :
I didnt have much trouble getting along with this friend. He’s reliable, not over the top, it’s probably the most long lasting JV fragrance and one of the best.
Leather, resin, cacao powder, so many other stuff, vanilla in the background with cedar wood.
This is a strong one, a friend you call at the beginning of fall. You can trust him until spring. Not always available for terrible weather. It holds on pretty well. I’ve been getting hours until I stopped counting.
Seriously, if I had to make a choice between Dark Rebel and Dark Rebel Rider, I would go straight for Rider. Dark Rebel seems mild compared to Rider. (I bought both though. Dark Rebel is the side-kick friend I dont call much.)
Rider is rich, potent, spicy, generous and elegant. Bold, of course, and wide but not annoying. It’s not rebel that much, but if you spray it on your leather jacket, you might get good results. Im not sure how you can be rebel when there’s aldehydes in your scent though! Im joking, if you forget about the rebel tag, it’s just an AMAZING scent. Add to that a wonderfully done black violet to the mix. Add resin to the mix, a bitter vibe with well crafted balance. Many floral notes are trying to make their way past the leather. They are giving the scent the perfect kick it needs to stand out. They give it just a bit more of elegance which is much appreciated in this generation of sweet perfumes.
Just holding the bottle is fun. JV makes wonderful bottles and we must salute that.
If they can come with something even darker than Dark Rebel Rider, im in anytime. Those are the kind of friends you can call for taking care of trouble!
Please JV, do a leather jacket bottle with SPIKES! They can be sharp, im okay with that.
Thanks for reading my review!
234fff – :
Really enjoyable when I first sprayed it on.
Sadly, the dry down is headache inducing and gave me a bad taste in my mouth. It’s too bad because it was really promising at the get go.
I returned this to the store.
Not recommended
4/10
gsus – :
My husband bought this as a blind buy. Upon spraying it has a resinous leathery scent that is very masculine and mysterious at the same time. Definitely don’t sniff straight from the bottle as it is quite strong and can be off-putting but on the skin it gives off that wonderful leather scent that just smells really good!! Not sure with longevity as my husband hasn’t worn it long enough to see but so far a great scent for colder weather.
Update: This has monster projection! When my husband sprays it on I could smell the fragrance 3 metres away and it polarises the room. The longevity is quite good with over 6 hours and the sweet leathery scent is as strong as ever. A great buy!
34364877 – :
I was trying to remember the fragrance that this reminded me of, and after seeing ‘rubbery smoky’ in the comments I remembered, Bvlgari Black. When I checked I could see the leather and rose notes listed on fragrantica for both. Not ‘the same’, but to my nose there are similarities.
vytenis – :
This was a big surprise for me. Lots of people like to rip on this fragrance for whatever reason, but thats just proof to not listen to what other people think and do your own research.
I will say that this is a very unique blend of notes. Sure, leather has been done a million times over but when you look at the supporting cast of notes, that’s where this stuff stands out. Performance was ok at best, kinda typical for John Varvatos frags but whatever. The bottle is kinda gimmicky and lame in my opinion.
FeEfenoblof – :
amazing juice to me. Dark-sexy and also can be churchy incense wise. Very comforting.Great stuff
ustanovka – :
This is a perfume to use when you are wearing jeans and a leather jacket. Paul Newman and James Dean would probably use it in their youth if it was available. Clint Eastwood probably uses it.
It’s manly, a bit dark and drives crazy the gentle sex. My wife loves it on me.
Astonishing bottle.
GameZitiste – :
To me, this is not as much of a fragrance as it is an attitude. I really have to be in the right place to put it on, and with the severe lack of longevity or projection, it’s perfect for that.
This is a beautiful composition of leather, chocolate, and wood. However, it makes you FEEL like a total bada**. The biker, dark rider, leather jacket thing is no joke. It’s hyper-masculine and needs that dress and attitude to survive.
Again, as a warning, the performance is GARBAGE, so a carrying a decant might be necessary. If you can get over that, BUY THIS NOW. You won’t be disappointed.
vpnwd741 – :
@Greg258
1st trick – 3 sprays above ears (yes, do wet your hair/beard). 1 spray in the back and another in your chest. 2 sprays in your leather jacket. Result = 50% more performance.
2nd trick – Apply a bit of a moisture oil or vaseline on your skin (neck and chest) and then apply 4~5 sprays. No scent change and you almost double the performance.
heaskWeva – :
Probably as nice a leather as I’ve ever smelled. It’s such a shame it becomes nose to your wrist skin scent within an hour. Tried spraying it on cloth hoping for more “oomph”. No luck. Dark Rebel Rider my eye. This is more Nerd’s Mom Drives Him To Church. Too bad. This could have been a winner because the scent is THAT nice.
1 out of 5
dimon_se – :
Dark Rebel Rider is a flanker to the very heavily brooding Dark Rebel original, a fragrance that was loaded down with weighty smoke and black leather, an angry (and very aromatically pleasing) scent quite appropriately named.
How do you follow up on that? “Rider” goes in a slightly more gentle direction. Even though the bottle comes at you defiant and sneering, literally wrapped in a zippered leather jacket, it has a good heart that opens up when you spend time with it.
The initial blast is very much the original John Varvatos scent, but something darker very quickly takes over, something almost oud-like, sour, mouth-watering. There are indeed “wood” notes here, but not sharp like cedar — this is dank wood, with musty character.
We are less than five minutes into the opening when the wisps of smoke begin to fill the room, developing into hazy clouds of incense. This is church-like incense, heavy on the resin, myrrh, and olibanum (frankincense) — powdery, but with depth, and not too sweet.
As the opening act concludes, we are left with the smell of a leather jacket (still somewhat sour and dank) that has absorbed and now carries the smoky residue of incense. Apparently the Dark Rebel has attended High Mass?
As with most John Varvatos scents, unfortunately, while the construction and complexity is beautiful and breath-taking, the projection and longevity leave much to be desired. This fragrance needs to be experienced, but its proper environment is the subdued one: spray some on just before going out to a candlelit dinner, or while settling in for the final quiet hours of the evening at home.
Pappan – :
Just like its brother Dark Rebel, this fragrance is a case of loving/hating a scent at the first sniff.
Dark, dirty, smoky, boozy, dark cacau, black leather, rubbery vibes and some oud and tobacco although they are not on the listed notes; very manly scent…
This fragrance will have a flanker called VERY DARK SUPER REBEL RIDER EDP INTENSE EXTREME that will double the current performance and it will be the best gents fragrance ever.
Performance does not suck but it’s average at the most, just a bit better than Dark Rebel. You get an enormous projection for 15 minutes and 6 feet sillage; then you get average projection with 3 feet sillage for one hour. After 2.5 hours you get a skin scent and with 3 or 4 inches sillage. It does not get much better if you apply on clothes, unless you apply it on your leather jacket. On leather the performance is 50% bigger in every aspect.
Let’s see the maths for John Varvatos Dark Rebel:
– Scent: 9.5 (fantastic – my judgement)
– Longevity: 6.5 (under average for the existing notes – less than 6 hours)
– Sillage: 6.0 (6 feet at its peak with 3 sprays; projects for less than 2 hours)
– Uniqueness: 9.0 (preetty unique, considering the existing fragrances that I am aware of; But you get strong vibes from other scents like Pure Leather or Parfums de Cuir)
– Wearability: 7.0 (Winter of course but also colder Spring or Autumn days; with its mild sillage you could even try it in cold summer days but performance will become relly lowsy with hot weather. It’s clearly – or should I say “darkly” – a night fragrance)
– Versatility: 6.5 (everyhere where you can use a dark fragrance, but it’s probably the best fragrance for clubbing while wearing jeans and a leather jacket); You may share it with your wife if she wheights more than 250 pounds, 6.2 feet high, wear a beard and has a hairy chest.
– Quality: 9.0 (my judgement; it’s not a 10 due to de mild performance)
– Presentation: 10.0 (simple but very bautifull and effective)
– Price: 10.0 (100 ml tester for 22 Euros + VAT)
Average: 8.17
Will I buy it again?… yes – because the scent is fantastic.
Turnarounds for the mild performance:
1st trick – 3 sprays above ears (yes, do wet your hair). 1 spray in the back and another in your chest. 2 sprays in your leather jacket. Result = 50% more performance.
2nd trick – Apply a bit of almond oil or vaseline on your skin (neck and chest) and then apply 4~5 sprays. No scent change and you almost double the performance.
SapysypeVaw – :
JV note breakdowns astonish me. For a start I think if you piled ‘em up you’d end up with an ACTUAL PYRAMID there’s so many of ‘em. Then there’s that to this day I ain’t sure if I can make out a single bloody one. That ain’t a knock. I think this house don’t want ya to sit there with ya thinkin’ cap on goin’, “Oh this mid is awash with [INSERT FLOWERY BOLLOCKS HERE].” They want ya to appreciate the overall BLEND an’ the journey it goes on as a WHOLE. Take THIS Tate Modern installation for example. It’s conceptual. It’s meant to make ya think of a new leather jacket. An’ when I sniff it, that’s EXACTLY what I get. But the thing is, I dunno if I’m gettin’ leather because there’s leather IN IT or if they just blended a million soddin’ things together until they got that scent character. I get the feelin’ I might be stood in the presence of ACTUAL ALCHEMY. Some wizard threw a bunch of random stuff into a pot an’ made A COW.
An’ can I just say that gettin’ a full-blown conceptual fragrance from a designer house blows my mind? In the year 2017 we’re trippin’ over indie houses tryin’ to convince us it’s a good idea to smell like Rasputin’s anus but comin’ from somewhere with stocks an’ shareholders an’ shirts they’d quite like ya to buy is somethin’ else. An’ it WORKS. It ain’t somethin’ you keep in a bottle on ya shelf an’ pull out when you’re pissed and got the lads round an’ think it’d be funny to show ‘em somebody somewhere thought someone’d want to walk around smellin’ like a pig pen. You can wear it out IN THE WORLD an’ not feel like a parody. It’s AMAZIN’. It might be my favourite pick-up of the year.
tvinis23 – :
not a huge projection- got told Obsession right off the bat…. never smelled it- can’t compare.
but once its settled i get a very strong “Bert’s beeswax” vibe. Very nice subtle scent for the price.
update-
the more sprays that go out of the bottle, more air, it starts giving off a more leather belt with campfire opening with bitter orange, possible Fir. Still get that bert’s beeswax Vanilla balm feel but with a more pronounced bitterDark cocoa powder for the complete bottom notes which becomes a close skin scent…like someones nose practically has to be on you.
huge projection first 30 minutes
sillage-couple hours
Denis799 – :
First try and a good impression so far, it got my attention and it is an identifiable fragrance, so that I like, and will check on longevity, well so far one compliment when my friend smelled me up close, I think not to much of sillage on it, anyhow will need a review update.
loveboy – :
First, smell some marjoram. If you hate it then I wouldn’t blind buy this one. If you love it and you like “dirty” fragrances, this is likely for you. Initially it’s like some dried marjoram leaf was thrown into a vat with some industrial substances, but not unpleasant ones. Think of things like tar and motor oil.
Other impressions (2 sprays to the chest about an hour ago):
It’s not like vintage M7 (I haven’t tried later formulations), and I haven’t tried TF’s Tobacco Oud (the TF’s I’ve tried have been a lot stronger than DRR).
No aroma chemical overloads (I don’t detect any iso e super).
Nothing “barbershop,” no detectable lavender.
No detectable oud (“Western” or otherwise).
“Bitter dark cocoa powder” never “came forward.”
Not in any way smoky, other than perhaps a “clean” musk, and not like TF’s Extreme for Men.
It does not smell like “cedar and birch tar,” and I’ve worked with wood essential oils too.
A touch of sweetness but not a sweet scent, though I am a gourmand fan.
Not similar to what’s in my vintage bottle of Dirty English.
It is on the weak side, in terms of projection, so I probably do need to spray more, as others have said.
There isn’t much note separation/clarity here, and the base is weak. Layering with something like Molinard’s Patchouli might be the way to go.
The drydown is nice but smells like one accord (I do understand the comments that there’s a touch of Shalimar here), the idea here seems to have been balance and discretion, but of course the name and bottle suggest otherwise.
Verdict: I can’t say I regret the blind buy, as I got the 125 ml tester for about $20.50 total. If I have to spray more than usual, that would be acceptable here. On the other hand, I would likely swap it and keep 10 ml for myself, if I could get something I knew would be more defined, stronger, but along these same lines.
UPDATE: Over five hours after application I can still smell it clearly but the projection isn’t good. I get more of the cocoa now, as the other notes have receded more, so it’s a kind of “dirty” gourmand. I think it’s worthy trying to layer in order to make it stronger, perhaps just a touch of vintage Leather Oud by Dior might be the answer!
Further update: I went ahead with layering DRR with Leather Oud and I think this is a great combination, but I can’t be sure because just a little of LO largely overwhelmed the DDR, though I can tinker with it and see if I can get it just right.
Yet another update: After a few wearings, I think this is strong enough and definitely unique. However, I also find it quite pleasant; otherwise I don’t wear a fragrance becausee it is “artistic.” I think of it as one of the best inexpensive releases of the last decade or so.
Meuvu240intitytek – :
The 1st 30 seconds after spraying this I was alarmed by how foul smelling this is. Within minutes, it settles down to just the smell of a man wearing M7 who has not bathed in weeks and is leaning up against a camels ass. I do get a similarity to TF Tobacco Oud which I also own and for the life of me can’t understand the favorable comments that vile creation gets. When did smelling bad become good?
Edit- The 2nd and 3rd wearing were so much milder and better, I can’t explain the difference. It has a sweet yet dirty vibe, I think wearing this with a leather jacket in cool weather may be an excellent choice.
Biakinwaf – :
This stuff is fantastic. I get a dark, rubbery leather smell with a background that reminds me of Tobacco Oud
sheikh – :
I have on a black leather jacket as Im writing this review. Nothing beats this with black leather. I stepped into the casino elevator and heard a woman tell her man how good I smelled. I prefer this over TF Tuscan leather especially for the money. It performs and projects well too. Love it !
wrf437speagoessenda – :
Just bought this recently as my current winter fragrance and I have to say I’m very satisfied with it. It’s a frag I would describe as dark, intense, somewhat floral, slightly powdery, and very much leathery. The difference between this and Dark Rebel is that Dark Rebel is smokier whereas this is more floral. The projection is average and I get a longevity of 4 hours with 5 sprays. Its a very masculine fragrance that’s definitely not for kids. For sure, a standout in cold weather.
major – :
It’s an interesting one.
Dark, yet floral
Smokey and sweet
With a whisper of leather.
To be honest it…the blend Of smells gives off a bit of a bit of a tobacco Oud smell.
Which is a bit odd. My girlfriend has a hard time telling apart TF Tobacco Oud and this. It’s the leathery Smell that gives it a away in the end.
SergeiT – :
Great black leather jacket frag. Tom Ford quality at a fraction of the cost. I think this is a more wearable Tuscan Leather. I wore this last night and could still smell it when I woke up this morning. I have rebel and rebel rider I highly recommend.
masterofflamaster – :
Not so much a review but just wanted to respectfully add my dissent to the opinion that others have expressed that this smells very similar to Tom Ford Extreme. IMO, it is nothing at all like Extreme. In fact, the only Ford fragrance that, in my opinion, it does indeed resemble is Sahara Noir – due to the very strong focus on frankincense (Olibanum) in both.
Just wanted to add my voice since I’m a huge fan of Extreme and bought this one blindly based on the strong opinions here that it was practically a dupe. When will I learn??!!! 🙂 🙂
zot301bedyWelty – :
A leather aromatic masterpiece by Rodrigo Flores Roux. Initially it’s orange and spices. The leather slowly reveals itself once your skin temperature heats up the scent.
The drydown with patchouli and cacao adds a bit of bitter to the resinous smell.
Once you’ve smelled it you can be sure it’s by Mr Flores Roux. There’s the DNA of Artisan Black lurking around in the background. I’d peg it for the 30’s and above crowd.
It seems to say that the wearer is serious, yet has a wild side that can reveal itself at any moment. If I can pick a guy to which this scent would fit perfectly, I’d say the T-1000 (Robert Patrick) in Terminator 2.
liverbull – :
I’m liking Dark Rebel Rider. I get leather, some resinous incense notes and a whole lot of oud. I’ve only sampled JV Oud once so far but didn’t get any oud in that, go figure.
It smells like some others already in my collection (Lalique Encre Noire A L’Extreme, YSL M7, etc) so it’s a bit redundant and unnecessary but I found it for a good price and you gotta love that it comes with its own leather jacket.
I still see complaints about longevity but this one, along with JV Vintage, is pretty beastly for me. I get 12+ hours with it and pretty strong projection with 3 sprays or so.
I think the smell of Dark Rebel is more interesting and unique but I like this one a lot too.
gena00 – :
Extremely similar to Tiziana Terenzi’s Laudano Nero, though this one lacks the strong boozy cognac opening of Laudano Nero (which is a positive for me). The longevity is better than other Varvatos frags, but leaves much to be desired in this regard. If you like this scent, you might try getting a sample of laudano Nero for the excellent longevity.
LauraGim – :
I totally agree with the Tom Ford comments below. I’d say it 90+% similar. Personally, I love this frag. From the first time I tried it. It works beautifully with my body chemistry. Total compliment getter. Smooth and sexy. Turns into a low projection scent on me after about 4 hours, but oddly I still get random but consistent whiffs of it even at 7-8+ hours. Maybe I just have the right skin. On clothing it easily lasts 8+. In fact it’s moderate projection (great for close spaces when you want to be noticed in a good way, but not offend) is 4 hours…then Low projection 4-7…skin scent 8-10. Sweat or water seem to reactivate it as well even at the 6-7 hour mark. In any case….it’s oud…which I love…soft smooth and smokey…a little booze/whiskey note, touch of sweetness….not too sweet….to the point of feminine. Feels very masculine…(which is a must for me)..so just a touch of sweetness. It says I’m all man…and I’m kind of a bad boy/rockstar…but your still safe with me. Love it.
Ostkar – :
I’d say this is 90% the same as Tom Ford Extreme for men, maybe closer.
It’s just the smallest touch smokier (perhaps this is more to do with the leather note), a couple of notches less sweet, and I expect it to fade sooner, but they are extremely close.
plurnexamnner – :
Genuine leather jacket smell. Soft, classy and attractive. Not offensive at all as many leather scents are just too strong, IMHO. As with JV Vintage you need to spray plenty of juice to really enjoy it.
I wore it the other night, I went to an upmarket steakhouse and sat at the bar mostly, drinking whisky. I put 5 sprays on my skin, 5 on my black shirt, 5 on my black suit jacket. Lasted around 10 hrs and I got 3 unsolicited comments from semi-drunk women who past by my chair at the bar. So far, so good, I like it.
Thumbs way up!
Kyk – :
Smells like a boozy, dark leather and oud! This goes on like a ton of dirty leather BRICKS! (in a good way)
Imagine a black leather jacket that’s right in the peak of its life. It’s been worn about 300 times, but still looks new, and still reeks of leather. You’ve been sweating in it a couple seasons, but you take good care of your things. Add to that a dark tobacco, a bit of forest vegetation in the background, a pocket full of oud hiding in there, and a glass of rum held up to your mouth. That’s what this smells like.
This is very inky, but it still reminds me of a dusty attic like Dirty English does, but this is thick, heavy, and sultry, with the same boozy notes that are in Fahrenheit Le Parfum. This is much nicer than I anticipated!
I originally mistook my decant of this for being the original Dark Rebel because of the notes, but this is actually sweeter and more boozy than the original.
UrgegreriDeer – :
John Varvatos please produce a flanker that performs at least an hour, the top notes are killer, afterwards it fizzles,this has the potential to become a really tolerable fragrance if you made it a par-fume, what a waste of quality notes not being put to proper use.
Andrey231094 – :
Goa Hipster Scent instead of Urban Rebel Rider.
The look of the John Varvatos Perfumes caught my eye but I got a sample of Dark Rebel Rider first and recommend You do the same.
The first impression was quite rich. Dark, a bit Leathery but somehow it mainly smells like Incense Sticks.
After a few minutes it changes a lot while the base still reminds me of burning incense sticks it becomes also more warm and powdery. 1 hour later it caused me headache and around 5 hours later the smell was gone (I didn’t apply much)
I wanted a mysterious Leather alternative to “Fahrenheit, Dior” or “Tuscan Leather,Tom Ford”, but it’s nothing like that.
It’s not unpleasant but I don’t want to smell like those Hippie stores selling Goa accessories and burn incense sticks in from of a Hindu god statues. For what Dark Rebel wants to be and how it advertises itself, it fails
riv-manu – :
My husband just got this for the amazing leather scent. All we could smell. I couldn’t help but think I had something similar but couldn’t pinpoint one. Then hours later I realize it smells just like Chanel’s Cuir de Russie( to me anyway). Well I had to try it for myself because as much as I love Cuir de Russie,the dry down on me smells a bit skanky,and if there is anything that improves in the drydown,I’m interested! So have put one sprays worth on my hand and God it’s good and yes it is very CDR. It’s drying down to gingerbread- also good in my eyes. While I have a few more hours to let it work it’s magic,I have high hopes for this one.
Ryjkoff – :
Initial impressions-
I wouldn’t recommend sniffing from the bottle as it smells vile that way. Have to admit, I smelled this at a fragrance counter recently along with many others and this one stood out as being more unique and interesting than the rest. I remember a very resinous note which immediately reminded me of Arso by Parfumum Roma. However, after grabbing a bottle, I found it to be dissimilar. This does have a very strong leather and the resins contribute to the scent of a well worn jacket that has seen its fair share of bars and cigarettes… and sweat. Punk show or dive bar approved, for sure, but otherwise perhaps not so veristile.
Does smell pretty damn good with CdG Black, the smokeyness really helps it out.
Also agree this is in no way similar to Dirty English. I would say that one smells cheap and a bit screechy. The only similarity is the demographic.
Siviren – :
@AlexFox
I find the longevity to be ok. On skin it’s pretty good and on clothes it’s fantastic.
I agree with you on a bit of an oud in the background, but I find this well done.
Deroxavoqn – :
This DOES NOT smell anything like dirty english, which I own and like very much considering I’m not a huge fan of Oud. Dark rebel rider reminds me of Tom Ford Tobacco Oud more than anything. Kind of a dirty ash tray smell with incense.
I would say that this is not a safe blind buy at all for those of you considering it but that’s just my opinion. Still testing to get a grip on the longevity and projection but so far it’s very conservative in that regard.
arer – :
I have a rather full cabinet of men’s fragrances and am always on the hunt for something that isn’t similar to something I already own. This is a deliciously distinct scent that stands out in your collection versus “more of the same.”
Reminiscent of a new leather jacket and fresh car smell, combined with a sweetness, Dark Rebel Rider is also a bit warm and smoky. The bottle itself mirrors the sentiment by wearing a leather jacket of its own, complete with a masculine zipper.
I can’t say it’s an everyday scent, although it does wear comfortably under a coat or jacket, but something I’m so far saving for special occasions.
One thing I discovered just recently is that it stacks phenomenally well with just about anything. Earlier in the day I was wearing CK Dark Obsession and decided to add some of this scent, since it was also a “dark” fragrance. Instead of competing with it, it blended beautifully almost like a charcoal.
I tried stacking some with D&G Sport for the hell of it, and although I expected it to conflict, filled it in with a wonderful richness. The same applies to Dior’s Sauvage. I can hardly wait to try it alongside Prada Luna Rossa Sport.
This was my first experience with John Varvatos’ line, and it’s been a positive one. Not only is this fragrance an enjoyable one, but it’s also quite versatile for people like myself who like to experiment with fragrance stacking.
sokol80191 – :
Either my skin accentuates leather fragrances like this to the extreme, or my nose is just keen on picking up leather in fragrances, but I have to say that the longevity and sillage are beast on this one. I like this fragrance but it can be off putting and polarizing to some. Understandably so.
snaipermoldova – :
This is like an old cigar smoking biker decided to wear Shalimar for some reason.
vass – :
Although I liked the original D/Rebel this is waaaaay better!! And lasted so much longer. JV best work to date. Nuff said.
Lifan520CAR – :
I smelt this one at the mall and eventually sprayed it on my wrist. It smells very much like leather, more than the original Dark Rebel. This one is much more resinous with the amber. The amber is similar to the kind used in perfume oils like Auric blends or Kuumba Made. It’s very nice but sadly didn’t last long on my skin at all and the projection was gone after an hour. This was a first impression on the skin so I’ll give it another wearing to be sure. I did work a full shift and sprayed it on after that so maybe on fresher skin it would be better. So far I like it a lot. Definitely not as sweet as the original Dark Rebel so that’s a plus although that one lasted a while on my skin. Try it out for yourself. I work at the fragrance counter and customers don’t really take to it very much due to the strong leather accord. The bottle is very much a representation of what’s inside, and not every man is the leather jacket, motorcycle, or bad boy type.
I would say if you like the original Polo but want something more modern and light, in a sense of not knocking out everyone by walking in the room, then give this a try. Gives off the same masculine/big cojones vibe
fil2009fil – :
Christmas wreath. Or the swag adorning a sweet grandma’s mantel. The wood is very evergreen and crisp, taking the lead in this fragrance. Leather and amber are subtle. As far as anything dark, rebel, or rider…just…no. Go out riding and come back smelling like fresh salty sweat, stale engine oil mixed with dust (the mixture gets kicked up from the road and sticks to your face, clothes, and hair), and an almost solar/airy smell from all the wind in your face. They could probably bottle it, but this isn’t it. Longevity lacking. Enjoy it, but not for the false image.
nds592speagoessenda – :
I deal with a lot of essential oils, so I can say for certain that it smells like cedar and birch tar. It’s a bit sweet in the dry down.
kanunon – :
SAUVAGE by Dior??????????? REALLY PEOPLE?? NOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!
vache2000 – :
Smells just like prada luna rossa extreme. Also weak like it
baucionok – :
Although I think dark rebel has just enough sweetness and other nuances to balance out that dark, masculine vibe and to make it more pleasing in general to normal people. This one goes to far, its just to much.
Basically I got a warm spicy saffron and leather. Very thick, that slowly as it dries down more of a bitter dark cocoa powder comes out mixing in.
I guess a lot of the frag com loves this dry, dusty, chalky if you will fragrances. But they are lost on me. Just not enough of a balance to make this generally wearable and pleasing imo.
andrjei72 – :
I have been wearing this one for a while now. And I get that it is a highly commercial fragrance, but I just really like it. As the reviewer said below, yes I do feel like it is familiar and have smelled it before, but that doesn’t take away from the fact that I just really like it. It is almost a love.
lemnocuga – :
I was really exited for this one,
but that was until first spray, what
first came to mind was that i had surly
smelled this one before, i was disappointed
as i whished for a new experience but to me
this is a weaker davidoff leather blend, dont
get me wrong the scent is good but davidoff is
stronger longer lasting and has better longevity
so it was a waste of money, should have sampled it
first tho.
badrei – :
i got the most beautifully sweetened, lightly powdery/floral dirty leather from this. i didn’t get to test longevity on this yet, but it truly worked wonders on my chemistry; nice projection too. probably my fav designer release of 2016, great improvement on smoothing the harsh edges off dark rebel. totally loving this.
edit: i sprayed it from a sample today and it wore off within an hour, totally disappointing. i’ll blame it on sample syndrome (i got a particularly cheap SA with the sam