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RussianBoy – :
Resembles GPG Le Male Essence de Parfum/ Paco Rabanne 1 Million Prive; a toned down version of the former. Excellent value for $$$.
shturman_lp – :
This was the gift for Christmas I got from my wife …
The scent itself is not a novelty experience, but my wife likes this scent!
Unfortunately, the head note is almost “One Million”. At this point I was a little disappointed. : /
The heart note and the base light are a bit lighter for me than wearing and lovable.
Fortunately, Puig makes the quality guaranteed in the background!
It’s not a flamboyant phenomenon between the Banderas scents, but since I got my wife and I love the Banderas brand, it is for me that “good” category is ……
Instead of “One Million” craziness, it is a more interesting and affordable alternative
still brings Spanish habit and quality (Puig!)
Disezisuava – :
I have to say that after a blind buy and a first wearing of this stuff, I like it. I’ll add more to my review as I get to know Antonio Banderas’ “The Secret” a bit better, but here are my first impressions.
The Bottle: classy and understated. Elegant in its simplicity, and not tacky. Sprayer works nicely.
Paper Smell Test: Sweet, bubblegummy spice, very similar to but a toned down version of 1 Million to be sure.
Skin Smell Test: Again, very sweet, almost feminine to my nose. Confusing notes of mint and citrus mingle with the cinnamon and pepper, producing something not terrible but just a bit unbalanced and unsatisfying. Spicy bubble gum.
Early Drydown: Citrus and mint subside very quickly, leaving behind a still sweet but not cloying spiciness behind. My concerns of femininity fall away into unisex territory – which is perfectly fine. A fine, subtle ghost of creamy leather emerges, and pepper begins to assert itself just a bit more on the skin. Scent settles and fades to a small bubble – which given my propensity for being a bit conservative on the sprays (at least at first), is not unexpected.
Early Verdict: Not bad, but a bit shy. I like the scent but in retrospect would probably have been better off buying a bottle of the stronger version of this scent, “Golden Secret.” It smells spicy, but not too (old) spicy, sweet, but not too sweet – like a toned down cinnabon with a dash of fresh black pepper, all wrapped up in a leather jacket. Smooth and warm at the same time…
Note: My first skin test was actually to spray this on one arm, and Bvlgari Man in Black (EDP) on the other. Predictably, the Bvlgari provided more punch given its relative concentration – but you know what? I actually like the smell of “The Secret” better, as it’s more focused on the spice notes without the diversion of tobacco getting in the way.
I will also add this: this actually layers quite nicely with a number of dry, woodsy type scents, providing sweetness and depth – for example Bentley Absolute and Montana Graphite. For under $20, I think “The Secret” has a place in a gentleman’s olfactory arsenal.
PeSanepefaf – :
Well if you want a tamed 1 Million smelling fragrance for fall and is 90% of the scent and costs under $20USD, look no further than Antonio Banderas The Secret. You can forget about Prime Gold from EAD, Multi-Platinum from Prefered Fragrance, Pure Gold from Diamond Collection, Gold Bullion by Sandora, 1 Billion by Secret Plus, No 1 Millionaire and countless others, this is a really good 1 Million smell alike in a non-gaudy package for maybe a few bucks more. Before anyone asks about Cuba Royal, well to me, it smells more like 1 Million Privé meets 1 Million Cologne, rather than 1 Million to my nose.
The Secret is a far lighter 1 Million smelling scent due to the mostly copied DNA. It don’t project nearly as loud, nor does it last as long but, who really cares when you pay of two thirds of the price at most for this? This is a little more of a casual night scent than the 1 Million grenade for clubs.
The cinna-bomb, is there like in 1 Million but it is subdued. It has a nicer smell to it, especially as it dies down at about the three hour mark. The cinnamon, grapefruit and leather are the main notes I notice.
The packaging fits the theme but unlike 1 Million and most clones, it isn’t gaudy. The gold brick looks unique but it is on the gaudy side. This looks classy and traditional with elegance as a lock.
Overall, I do like The Secret. I have to give it a 7.6 out of 10 for price, smell and decent performance. It’s defiantly an upgrade to 1 Million clones and a cheaper, even better 1 Million (especially if it faces performance-hindering reformulation…)
Update as of December 13, 2016: I think if you want a better dupe of 1 Million, The Golden Secret (a flanker to The Secret.) That is far more of a heavier night scent like 1 Million is. This is a little more flexible, especially in colder Fall days and the Winter. It can be used as a day scent at those times. Golden Secret cannot.
Zemerix – :
my second fragrance, I’m blind buy this just from reading here
But really… I don’t have any regrets!
It smells nice, sits on my skins for 3 hours nad have good sillage, although it decrease very quick when I’m sweating
I like the leathe note, feel classy and make me confidence to interact with people
Maybe I will buy it sometimes in the future, because I want to try another frags first
But I really recommend this if people ask!
romawkin – :
As we all know celebrity fragrances are poor, the just have the name but no quality. this one however is pretty good. The smell reminds me of 1 million but a softer version, very pleasing to smell. The sillage and longeivety on this are poor tho. The smell only lasts for about 1-2 hours on my skin. and sillage is pretty average. You have to stand very close to someone to smell. But for the price it is a great fragrance for your collection.
aquackarp – :
Celebrity frags usually suck, no question. They usually have horrible longevity and silage, no doubt. They usually imitate another fragrance, true….
The Secret, though, does not make the same mistakes as other celeb frags. The Secret is very alluring, seductive, mysterious, & sensual.Bargain bin price tag, designer quality. I find it 90% DIFFERENT than 1 Million. I’ve gone thru 10 ounces of 1 Million so far so I know the scent VERY well. Yes, there are a few similar notes but many fragrances share notes. In fact, the only reason that 1 Million tops The Secret for me is because it’s performance isn’t quite on 1 Million’s level. The silage is good for TS but the longevity isn’t as good.
Fall 2013 was one of the best times in my life and The Secret is very much tied to those memories. I purchased TS on clearance at Wal-Mart for like $10/1.7 oz bottle one October afternoon. Had no clue what it smelt like. Easily one of the best blind buys I have ever made. It really made an impression on me and the girl I was seeing at the time. In fact, I owe this fragrance addiction of mine to The Secret, Burberry London, and Burberry Sport. Both Burberry’s being my day time #1 & #2 weapons of choice, The Secret being my midnight magic potion. Those 3 scents ignited an obsession unlike any I have ever had in my life. The Secret also brought me to this beloved site. I owe my wonderful journey into the world of fragrance to The Secret and The Secret will ALWAYS be in my collection.
Don’t let the name or the price tag on the bottle steer you away from TS. Don’t let comparisons to 1 Million scare you away. TS is so underrated that it is a truly tragedy.
A+++
bosss777 – :
More modest and i would say serious version of 1million. I really like musky woods here.
Longevity – 7
Sillage – 6.5
Scent – 7.5
Price – 10
tonaj – :
Last summer i was wearing the sample. It ended, and I want to buy a full bottle. In my opinion, it smells the best in warm and hot days.
Василисий – :
Underrated..!! I tried Antonio Banderas’ The Secret today and am pleasantly surprised. The Secret is a blend of citrus, musk, and with a hint of cinnamon notes that is very easy on the nose. As with other reviewers, there is a remarkable similarity to Paco Rabanne’s One Million. The Secret is easy..!! Average performance – lasting about four to six hours at about arm’s length projection – and perfect to wear at the office, leaving you with a fresh spicy aura most of the day. Additionally, I would suggest The Secret offers the flexibility to be worn any time of year and to/for most events. The Secret is modestly priced and is a great blind purchase. I am generally not a fan of the “celebrity endorsed fragrances”, but The Secret is totally wearable – while not in my Top 10, it is definitely a keeper. My final tally for The Secret is 3.9 stars out of 5 stars. Maybe not a buy for the serious collector, but not a bad blind purchase to the collector adding a new (decent) fragrance.. Enjoy your day…
masakari – :
I like it. Smells like a lighter version of 1 Million, but not overpowering and doesn’t make an impact when you enter the room. You need to get closer to smell. It gives you that cinnamon/bubblegum hint, a sweet and enjoyable vibe. The price is very affordable, too (at least here in Brazil). I guess any ages between teenagers and men in their 40’s can wear. Wouldn’t wear to work, but to lighter parties and meetings.
Ross – :
i like it, more than one million but it has no longevity and poor projection, a pity
Pantershik – :
Thereis no cinnamon, I smell dry woodsy notes, a little bit of mint, stronger pepper and leather maybe, cause I don’t know how real leather smells. I don’t get much of grapefruit too. I could say it has maybe kind of dry vetiver scent.
Assence – :
Bloody hell, I was thinking to myself, I wish there was a perfume that smelled like a new car…
THIS IS IT!!! It smells exactly like a wonderful, high end, leather seat CAR!!!! The type that goes fast, sporty and expensive!!! LOVE IT, LOVE IT, LOVE IT!!!!
Owned by a girl of course cause it’s kinda sweet…
Definitely a must have!
вадим17041995 – :
I just bought this perfume for $40 retail at mall in Jakarta. (you can buy this for $20 at local online shop)
Opening = fresh orange
Middle = Wood Soapy
Drydown = Wood Soapy, Spice
I like the Evaflor Origin better.
Agito2 – :
Bought it for 20 euros; can t speak good enough for this one!!! I´m a big fan of Antonio´s fragances. The Secret is very elegant, sofisticated and clean. It holds a very long time on me and everytime i´m wearing this people asked me about it and how good it smells. Lucky me i never seen this in Sweden so i feel like a king!!!!
kqr244bedyWelty – :
I received a sample, I liked it, passed about 4 months and today I tried it again, it is amazing, oriental, sweet, a little spicy. Mint gives great freshness, you should try this. Ummmm, when you smell this, you feel adventurous and romantic, free soul… It’s for men, but when I smell this on men, it’s funny, cause it smells like women perfume. So I wear it.
opidlinouspic – :
I was skeptical when I was given this…but you know…never look a gift horse in the mouth…just coming from Antonio banderas…a mediocre actor by the way…was a bit tricky to me…however and even when I do not like 1 million..I have to admit they’re quite similar…it has that vibe indeed and even when much cheaper…I cannot say it smells neither cheap nor dated…a nice affordable fragrance for a third of the 1 million price….
alinapankevich94 – :
Scent 5/10 , nothing special , has a paco 1 million vibe , but the scent dont smell like 1 million at all.
Longevety 3/10 verry verry poor , only 1-2h on my skin.
Projection 3/10 10-20 min strong then verry weak
Overall 3.5/10
Pass it , i found this at 25$ for 50ml and over 30$ for 100 ml . You can find something more simmilar with 1 million , like cuba royal … cheaper and much better.
sanko_182 – :
This is a bold, masculine, young scent. Often seen in big box stores for ridiculous low price. Cheap looking bottle. Terrific sprayer. I’m out, and miss it. Definitely buying more, this is a bargain that smells as good as fragrances costing triple the price.
Martin1976 – :
very nice fragrance for giving someone a cheap but nice present. smells a bit like one million, but a little soursweeter like it has green apple in it. When sprayed 2x/3x from a distance and walking trough the cloud, it smells almost perfect for half an hour till one hour. on thin cotton clothes it smells average-good and it sticks around like 5-7 hours . Better don’t spray on thick clothes like a scarf!
I like the aftershave better because everytime you blush or get warm it produces that perfect smell without getting too heavy and this effect sticks like a whole day when not washing your face too often. I never got more compliments on any fragrance compared to the secrets aftershave!
It s a nice fragrance when you re at a place with not too much wind with people close to you, like at home,cinema, bowlingnight etc. When going out with it, combine it with the aftershave and you’ll enjoy the whole night and a lot of people will notice the smell!!
You might consider filling a small diffusing bottle so you can reapply one or two sprays every 2 hours, because when sprayed more or too close from skin, it gets a little offensive for 30 minutes.
Спиноза – :
I like the warmth of this well priced frag. It has a similar hint of 1million.
gky063Diobtetty – :
Like other reviewers, I do find it similar to 1 million, but softer and less spicy. I do find it pleasant, although sillage and staying power are not that good.
temich333 – :
Warm, sweet, sexy, elegant! I think it is more for special occasion.
I personally hate all too fresh fragrances. All these pure, rain, cool..
So this is very nice and I like it. Similar to 1 million, but I do not think about it, because I like this too and maybe some other 1 million brothers. :))
ROKKE – :
Excellent value here, and definitely not a synthetic mess. The listed notes are present but all keep their places nicely. The liqueur in particular is quite nice, though after a few hours or so it gets less dimensional and interesting. I like the combination of notes here, and the quality is just good enough to keep a bottle on my shelf! This lasts a long time but at lower volume and with less complexity, so newbies may think that it’s gone but the aroma chemicals are persistent, and if you get it on clothes it will last more than a day.
Mrakgard – :
If you don’t have much money to buy 1 million P.R. or 212 VIP C.H.,buy this fragrance,puig creates another one same fragrance…..
anton_kac – :
una versión mucho mas suave , vestible y barata del one million.no critico la calidad del one million mas su dulzura lo vuelve desde empalagoso hasta ofensivo, para uno y quienes lo rodean.en resumen: si eres fan del one million u los perfumes cálidos y espaciados vale la pena tratarlo. no decepciona y seguro y te gana par de cumplidos.
Drako3 – :
You know it is sweet. I like its start, probably more than 1 million. That’s may be because I find it less loud, but in its not long life (I think that), it turns to something more close to the vanilla based scents I was used to smell (and I know this note isn’t listed here). In this sense the middle and the base is a bit different from 1 million and Golden Secret. Yes, not expensive at all.
sde2010 – :
به دلیل وجود فلفل یک مقدار کمی بوی تندی داره اول که بعدا ملایم میشه
با بوی گلدن سکرت متفاوته کمی و یه جورایی اصلا شیرینیه اونو نداره
بوش واقعا خوشمزه و لذت بخش
متاسفانه دوام خوبی نداره اصلا روی پوست من
polovinchenkov – :
I love One Million. Why would I want another watered down version of this scent that has a slightly different drydown which may last half the time on my skin?
Generally you get what you pay for.
No thanks. I will pass on this one.
Temka34rus – :
huele como one million, pero quisa con mas menta, mas fresco y menos empalagoso, es una copia del one million, podriamos llamarlo light million.
alexeyst – :
A good scent. Yes, it IS similar to 1 million. If you want a fragrance not so invasive like the golden bar, but with a very similar scent, that’s what you’re looking for. And the price is very attractive. Go for it.
Only con is about longevity. Lasts on me 4-5 hours max.
Denser708 – :
اولش که تست میکنیم یکم تنده و بویه الکلش زیاده ولی بعدا خیلی ملایم میشه.کاره متوسطیه.ولی خب اینم ارزشه تست کردن داره.
upi769speagoessenda – :
No es exactamente igual al onemillion, pero si bastante parecido, no soy experto en fragancias pero este huele un poco mas intenso, aunque es agradable.
VapHeasem – :
Sweet and nice like Burberry London a cheaper option but surprisingly as good. 8.5 / 10.
debuter – :
If you think that The secret reminds 1 Million wait and see to The Golden Secret, already available here in Brasil.
Everything that miss in The Secret to be a millionaire Banderas puts in the Golden Secret.
san3333 – :
Alrighty… I finally picked this up, and I discovered something. Which I also posted in my review of KISS for him. This is very very similar to that fragrance. It was the first thing that popped into my mind after I applied secret to my wrist and started to study the scent.
I have never smelled 1 million, but from what I am reading right about the reviews here, and what I seemed to have noticed from smelling secret, then KISS for him might also be another poor mans 1 million.
Interesting that KISS him came out in 2006, and 1 million in 2008. Granted I have not smelled 1 million as of writing this.
marinavitalik – :
Another good fragrance from Banderas. Yes it resembles Paco’s 1 million but Secret is better. I love fragrances with Cinnamon note if done well. The cinnamon in Secret is done well just like in Spirit (another by Antonio Banderas). I also detect floral notes though I cannot quite put my finger on it. Geranium maybe? The sillage is above average, longevity is ok 4-5 hours. If you like sweet men fragrances with a spicy edge this one will make you happy. 7/10 Overall.
leosko – :
well has any body smelt the newest version of this called the”golden”secret…it smelllllss soooooo good cant believe its drugstore stuff lucky us YAY
slavyni – :
Got The secret for $9.99 (3.4 oz.) under the buy one get the other for $9.99 at Perfumania Puerto Rico. I believe the regular price is $29.99 for the 3.4 oz.. Yes, it is a tone down version of 1 Million, the first 30 minutes are virtually identical, and then The secret moves into a little different direction, more subtle, less projection. On my skin, The S lasts for 7 hrs, 1 Million for 10 hrs.
Now, my 1.7oz. 1 Million cost me $56.99. In other words, it cost me 11 times the price of The S. 1 Million is not 11 times better than The S, without a doubt. Nowadays, I use The S a lot, and just keep my smaller bottle of 1 Mil for special events.
My conclusion; if you like 1 Mil, buuuuuuyyyy The Secret,even for $30 bucks, it would still be a great deal.
morro09 – :
If you’re curious, spy through the keyhole and you’ll just see that golden bar… but without its all bright.
🙂
pepebtelpicle – :
I know this is a man’s perfume but it’s so good, and lasts for hours! the drydown is the best, a little sweet but not to much. The musk in this is delicious too =D
Meash624Diobtetty – :
very good,
like 1 million, but more masculine
kind of reminds me of YSL L’Homme also
Suefrerfack – :
Finally tried it. As most reviewers said, it’s a watery copy of Paco Rabanne 1 million – this is the truth. But you should take into consideration that The Secret costs 3 times cheaper than 1 million, but, surprisingly, smells more expensive. 1 million was too much for me: too sweet, too strong, too synthetic. AB The Secret is still that 1 million, but without all these problems.
Definitely, The secret is a good scent for those, who want 1 million without overpayment
artist34 – :
1 Million was sickening to me, just smelling it from the bottle. Doubt i’ll be able to handle this then.
Although i was a great fan of the mint found in Blue Seduction.
EDIT:
so i finally tested it. Actually, smelled 1Mill on a friend of mine and it wasnt nearly as nauseating as i remember 1Mill to be, so i went out and tried a tester at the cosmetics counter, and The Secret smelt good!
So good i now own a bottle 😀 it has average to good longevity and although it goes through its stages to drydown, the smell stays constant. I like it.