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aleks1980 – :
Mark Birley starts with light citrus with some violet and something else? I can’t just get my finger around it, but overall I feel something familiar, but it’s not something I wanted to smell like. Then again I only get it when I bury my nose to the scent and try to figure out what it is.
As the fragrance dries down citrus subsides I get more violet/carrot seed with something bit woody and musky, I wish I could get better grip of individual notes but I take that just is mark of a good blending, at least that’s what I tell myself.
The fragrance ends up feeling cold with light musk if that makes any sense? Likely it’s the violet, carrot seed and musk that are left. It is nice enough, but “nice enough” isn’t what I’m looking for with so many fragrances out there.
Longevity is good with this one. I can easily smell it from morning to night, no problem. Sillage might be on the lighter side, but I do get wafts every now and again to remind I have something on. This does feel more upscale and formal rather than casual and fun, now that I think about it might be just that why I don’t care that much for it.
Though I believe this accomplishes what it set out to do, upscale scent that goes well with suits and formal settings, not sure if this one is actually versatile or not. What I know is that this is not what I’m looking for from fragrance nor is it made for me.
DjoNig – :
Not much I can add to these very accurate reviews and opinions below. Amazing citrus fragrance, there’s much more than Bergamote 22 🙂
Dimitriy109 – :
I agree with Jeff. It dries down very similar to Avignon. The top citrus notes fade after about a half hour or so and then it’s a soft incense/woody base. I have only had it on for about an hour so I like it up to this point and will use my sample until it’s gone but I don’t have a need for this type of scent.
ejo603speagoessenda – :
Really nice citrus scent that’s versatile for the warmer weather.
As others have said though, the longevity is lacking, and I get a few hours at most before it becomes a skin scent, then a few hours after that it’s gone.
Not the best atomizer either, very weak blast of the scent that does not travel far.
The scent itself is quality, but I don’t think I will be buying this again due to the poor longevity.
Trunk – :
They should change the name of this to Febreze, Tide, or even Lysol.
1/10
zomby16 – :
Ahhhh…Mark Birley For Men, it’s amazing that this fragrance has been around for nearly 20 years and yet you never see it anywhere…I mean who sells it?
For a British brand it’s not exactly readily available in Britain.
Just briefly on Birley himself I kinda like the idea of a multimillionaire creating his own fragrance and tasking two of the best in the business with the challenge of getting it right.
Oh how they got it right!
This fragrance is wonderfully fresh, masculine, refined and with a hint of mystery. The opening to me is a lovely blend of citruses, leaning more towards lemon but still with accents of bergamot & orange. Then after the initial few seconds the sweet, refreshing citrus is bittered by musk and it’s then you realise Mark Birley is a little more complex than your run of the mill citrus.
The primary players in this fragrance are vetiver, Cedar, carrot seed and incense which give a subtle spice but ultimately an overriding clean quality. I can’t say I detect violet (listed here) or that this is particularly powdery.
The smell is very addictive and nods at a more balsamic, incense type fragrance but with the light touch and cleaness of a vetiver/citrus combo. It’s great and in my book is worthy of the praise it receives.
To echo other comments regarding longevity and projection which are not good but acceptable at about £60 for 125ml which is around a higher end designer price such as Dior or Chanel.
Just treat it like a cologne and spray more, also put some on your clothes to get the lasting effect.
Really keen to try the other Birley fragrance now, which is leather based.
sumerki17 – :
What a terrific fragrance, nearly perfect! It is complex, not sweet, full of crisp notes and charm but not forward or potentially offensive in any way. It’s distinctive and exudes full of confidence and mellow on the dry down. Wear it with a suit or simply with jeans and at shirt, you’ll love it!
replicaw83993 – :
FLEETING UPSCALE CITRUS
Others have commented on the poor longevity. I was hoping they were wrong. Nope. Not wrong.
However, I really enjoyed the few hours I got to pal around with this well blended citrus. Not cloying. Not too sweet. Not run-of-the-mill. It offers a more mature and refined experience of a fragrance one could easily choose as his scent du jour.
(The dry down with the remaining hint of citrus is particularly infectious.)
smilodon88 – :
Mark Birley is such an intriguing scent, whatever you read about it will engage you. I certainly was so I blind bought.
The first time I wore it I was sitting next to a girl who was bowled over by the unique aroma. I myself must admit that it was like nothing I’d ever smelled, and the different notes played on each other and changed by the minute.
Citrus sharp opening (not sweet though), drying down to a smokey, dry elegance. And the more you wear it the more you’ll love it.
I’ve had it for years now and true, the sillage is not strong but something this special can’t, and shouldn’t leave a lasting trail – quite simply Mark Birley would have found that offensive – so it’s close proximity only.
It also lasts 3-4 hours on me. I agree with another review though that spraying on clothes makes it last all day long.
It was expensive if I recall, and I could only find it in 150ml. There’s something very reassuring about Mark Birley, like you’re wearing a secret that only you know about.
P.S. I just bought Encre Noir by Lalique and I think it’s very similar, both inky and dry.
fffffffffffff – :
Smell Nice Too. Very refreshing and well blended but not last more than two hours on the skin and projection 0. A pity he had everything to be a great fragrance.
I sort like this:
Smell: 8/10
Projection: 0/10
Longevity: 0/10
b_edison – :
Further to the below, the fragrance somehow in middle to base notes reminds Creed Neroli Sauvage, this citrus combination is similar indeed.
Generally and wearing this for 2-3 days, is a nice masculine perfume but with very limited sillage and longevity. It’s a pity and i dont beleive that i will purchase it again due to this. someone can smell you (although you smell yourself for hours) for only 2 hours maybe..after that, it has to came close to your skin to smell the perfume with zero sillage and i wear this in high temperature as now is summer in Cyprus.
Update:
The sillage and longevity is so weak that does not deserve the purchase of this although is a nice perfume, unique and classy…and despite this weakness, i like it a lot. but is not the strong perfume…is something in the power of Eau Sauvage….not in that of 1 million….
anna-1983 – :
I was trying to learn some things about the life and death of Aristotle Onassis, the greek billionaire and also, i wanted to know which perfume we wore. Accidentally, i found a site “HOW TO SMELL LIKE A BILLIONAIRE” and the main idea was two perfumes that were used by two very wealthy individuals. The one was the Cypres Musk by creed which was used by Aristotle Onassis and the other was Mark Birley for men. Mark birley used Pierre Bourdon and Frederic Malle and they had 180 attepts to satisfy Mr Birley. The final product is this. I was very courious about the perfume so i blindly bought it…and arrived today.
I have to say that on the initial spray, i was more or less dissappointed as it was almost a light citrus fragrance, nothing remarkable. After about 10 to 20 minutes, the whole thing turn towards a woody incensy perfume but not an arabic style one. i beleive the whole combination is strongly influenced by carrot seet. From this point onwards, i fall in love with it. it is indeed a luxury high class perfume…i put two sprays on my had and indeed is a light fragrance but i smell it…it not strongly at the begining like other perfumes and then fades away…is light a calm from the begining and stays like this for hours. I do not recall any perfume that is similar to this. Others said that reminds terre d’hermes or D&G…no…this is not true. it does not remind anything and is among the few perfumes i smelled the last years which does not remind anything else. There is a touch of violet as well in but not the violet you get from GIT or grey flannel…it is much more silent. Definitely for those that they need a masculine extrordinary perfume, this is a must try and it is suits your skin, you are in love with it….formal wear, office wear, professionally mastered!
UPDATE: 3 hours after the application and still smells very nice….the sillage is very low and the longevity of the perfume about 3 hours…then becomes a skin scent.
skinart – :
This reminds me of the orignial D&G for men, before it got reformed to crap. Great work scent!
10/10
Update! I have been rocking this for a couple days now to really get a feel if this should be in my rotation. RIght now I say HELL YA this bad boy is perfect for work and may become my sig. frag. Imagine an aqua based perfume mixed with “kyoto”, if you like clean italian aqua’s with a light woody, incense in the dry down give this a try.
alkosot – :
I really like scents that stay on my skin, quieter and not making a statement. This one smells great, soft, very mellow, and it is quieter, but it is completely gone after 2 hours or so.
cortezzzaur – :
Top notes: Mandarin, bergamot, lemon
Heart notes: Violet, carrot seeds, vetiver
Base notes: Cedar, sandalwood, incense, musk
The rarest of all birds, Mark Birley for Men is a modern masculine that’s sophisticated, dignified and uplifting. Light and reserved, it’s truly a gentleman’s scent that invites others to draw near for delightful conversation or to close a business deal.
Mark Birley employed two masters to create this fragrance: Pierre Bourdon (Green Irish Tweed, Kouros, Cool Water, Live Jazz) and Frederic Malle. He ran them through their paces before deciding that their 180th version of this scent was perfect.
That tenacity and dedication to quality, start to finish, prompts rave reviews:
“The best ever? I can’t think of a better one.”
“Whenever I sample other fragrances, I’m always reminded why I only wear Mark Birley for Men.”
Imagine a scent that’s lightly sweet, predominately orange and earthy, as experienced through a silver foggy mist.
Yes, longevity may be an issue for some (it lasts 5-6 hours on me), but that’s easily solved. When spraying your chest or neck, allow some spray to catch your shirt. On fabric the scent remains vibrant for over 12 hours.
liocha67 – :
….decisamente troppo agro per me.e’ comunque un profumo classico lineare ed elegante.agrumi e sandalo all’inizio,l’incenso a tratti e un po’ di pelle e vetiver di coda.e si distinguono tutti…
piu’ da giorno.abbastanza persistente ma soprattutto o00ver 50!
yca331speagoessenda – :
Classy, refined, and elegant. A scent for gentlemen! Definitively on my wish list.
Vascoo – :
mirk birley = ted baker pride of england.
definitely not my style.
056pavel056 – :
I think of this one as a highly refined version of Uomo? Moschino (which was introduced two years later, apparently). What’s really interesting is how this makes MB wearable for me, whereas U?M was too crude and harsh. Anyway, they both have a lot of notes which seem to be crowding each other out. The theme is a lemon meringue kind of smell. In other words, there is a bit of lemon with a slightly sour quality, and it’s also a little creamy. It’s a touch woody, and as you might expect, sweet, but definitely not very sweet. After an hour or so the projection/”sillage” drops off significantly, but it seems to be linear otherwise. Longevity seems good if not great. If this is what you seek, I doubt you can get it in a less expensive fragrance, though as I said if you don’t mind a crude version of it, you can go for U?M. If I took price into account, I’d give it a neutral, but since I don’t I think it deserves a positive, especially considering it’s not to my taste at all yet I do like it on some level, and would wear it as a change of pace once every month or two.
UPDATE: I bought a bottle of circa 2000 U?M and it’s great! No need to look around for something else, though “vintage” Mustang by EL is similar and also solid.
gerysh – :
I totally love this one! It’s a very classic yet extremely modern scent. I find it to be one of the most refined and complete male scent ever created. Unmistakable, fresh and at the same time deep, very versatile. If worn by a 50 years old gentleman it’s very classy, otherwise on a 30 years old turns to be modern, and yes, even unusual! Lasting power it’s not among the best but you can bypass this problem by sipmly wearing it on both skin and clothes so that it stays for more than 8 hours..
Rating: 9/10