No Apologies

Top 3 for me from the 155 I've tried from Alexandria, and top 3 for all the fragrances I've tried so far. This is everything a fragrance should be and more. This just blew me away the first time I tried it, I really didn't know what to expect, just smelling the bottle I didn't smell much of anything, so I sprayed it on blindly on my way out, and I was just taken back by how unique and beautiful this was. This is mature, classy, but in my opinion wearable day or night for almost any occasion. I find nothing wrong with this in the summer, I like oud in hot weather. I've worn this to work and to the gym, it's just so nice. I definitely get spices, some oud, a little chocolate, it's warm, and cool at the same time in a sharp musky assertive way. There's a little sweetness (perhaps the tonka), and a very nice touch of sandalwood. I do not however get any florals, if they're there, they are blended with other notes. This is a bold fragrance, this is a pretty linear fragrance, it's very long lasting, I get great projection, especially if it heats up it really radiates. I have not tried pardon, I do want to because I like this one so much, although even if it was a better fragrance it just seems way too pricey for just 30ml. I'm very happy with no apologies. This fragrance has also turned me to the orto parisi line by Alessandro gualtieri, I've tried all of those and have 5 bottles, if you like no apologies or pardon, definitely worth checking out orto parisi. I also want to say I'm not a fan of some of the names Alexandria chooses for their inspirations, but this one has a good name, it's a fitting homage to the original and also to the characteristics of the scent. Spectacular!

In my opinion, the very best that Alexandria Fragrances has. Before I get to the scent itself, I'll just say it's absolute BEAST MODE performance. Longevity, projection, sillage, all three. It's POWERFUL! The scent is a chocolatey, oud, woody beast. Supremely masculine, but smooth. It makes you smell like walking sexuality. The oud is there, but never overpowering because the chocolate blends in so well. It's intoxicating. And this is a compliment Kraken. Women absolutely LOVE this scent. I have never, not once worn this an not gotten a compliment from a woman. My lady simply wants to gobble me up when I wear it. When I'm out, women walk up to me to smell me closer and tell me that I smell great. I wore it to work last week and we were waiting in line to go into our yearly Xmas party. A woman turned a corner that I went around about a minute before and said: "Someone's wearing some really strong cologne! It smells amazing though!" Yeah, I went 5 sprays at work, don't do that. 4 max. When going out, I do 5: 3 on my shirt, 2 on my neck. Or the reverse, 2 on my shirt, 3 on my neck. When it heats up, it PROJECTS. I mean like a mushroom cloud. I've never smelled Nasamotto's Pardon so I can't do a comparison. All I know is that this stuff is easily niche quality. Don't bother with the 1oz, get the 2oz and smell like a god. 10 out of 10 and EASILY Backup Bottle Worthy. You'll never want to be with out it.

Love it. I think the "most popular" fragrances (or anything else") are the ones that have instant attraction. Are found appealing to most, most of the time. Middle "C", "love at first sight" (taste, sip, ), harmonious, inviting, like that. The complex, nuanced and sometime "dissonant" are those things (and experiences) that you come to love after "living" with them for a while. Musicians don't usually begin with "Jazz" or "The Blues". Bleu Cheese and Buttermilk are usually "spit out" with the first taste, but have a way of seducing a second, third and finally, devotion. I find some wines have a "barnyard" sense about them and they are highly priced and sought after by those that have grown to prefer them, but might have rejected them, at first taste. For me, this fragrance is of that character and quality. I find it in Dirty English and Regence Kolnisch Juchten, two fragrances I was "putoff" by when I first smelled them, but now consider RKJ in my top 3 and DE in my top 20, As to the characteristic or quality, I prefer it 1st in all aspects of my life. Something I rejected or found offensive at first and now hold in the highest regard. Almost a "nobility of character". I love it.

To my nose, I would say this is a gentlemanly scent that caters to the more mature age group. Oudy, chocolatey and spicy. This humble bottle has grown on me. Believed to be a clone of Nassomato Pardon, I find this one very interesting because of its overall scent quality at a reasonable price. I haven't tried the original yet but I guess I don't have to, since I am already sold on this one. If this one delivers, although not 100 % of the original, then I don't need to spend $130 or so, just to experience the original scent. Projection and performance, it didn't disappoint. I would give this nice little clone guy a 9.5/10 “Let us spread the scents of peace and kindness. The two most beautiful fragrance in the world that will cost you nothing and will get you a totally different kind of compliments” 🙏

This starts off and finishes a smidge spicier than Pardon. Pardon has a much more natural, prominent oud note and finishes with beautiful florals. No Apologies is very close when you are not testing side by side. To wear out, I prefer No Apologies as it is a bit more crowd pleasing and I received many, many compliments with it last winter. I just received my Pardon so I haven't had time to test it too much yet. I am smelling them on each hand as I am writing and Pardon is definitely very high quality in comparison but I really can't get over how much I still love No Apologies. NA has amazing performance as well.

My bottle is 5 years old and it finally matured into a near copy of the OG. Actually I almost threw this in the trash because it had a sour smell I disliked. Well, today I reached in my "gotta sell" box of fragrances and I decided to give it one more try. After all it's a cold winter night here in Beantown so why not. Well the verdict is this.... it's super masculine. No it's not a mass pleaser and that's why I love it. I'll use my bottle sparingly on cold winter nights because I doubt the current version is as good. One spray on one side of my chest and I smell it all night. Fuckin love it

Haven't tried the original Pardon, but this smells amazingly gorgeous and is a compliment magnet. It's so tastefully simple, yet also kinda complex in its originality. I really have to give it to HH for pulling this one off. Oud, chocolate, and florals are the main notes that stick out. My only criticism is that this is a little too powerful and even small doses made me feel a little self-conscious that I over-sprayed.

I rock this so hard as a woman. Gorgeous when layered with a dark vanilla like Lune Feline, or something g fruity like Lost Cherry. Such a powerful statement fragrance. People will pay attention when you’re wearing it. I spray lightly. Others still pay attention but work harder to do so 😏 It’s dark, earthy, spicy , chocolatey patchouli with a scent trail that grabs you into its wake. Grab this, or the OG it’s cloning.

Reaching for this a lot more during the colder months. A very good clone of Nasomatto Pardon with (in my opinion) even more projection and longevity. On me I get 60% bitter chocolate / 40% oud and sandalwood, while Padron is the reverse. At Alexandria's price point I make no apologies in saying it's a winner.

It's strange how the negative reviews were by people that do not own this fragrance. No Apologies isn't an exact clone maybe 80%. It's an inspiration it doesn't have enough oud but it's a fragrance that is good by itself. It is a beast very good projection and longevity.

Hate to say that but somebody is down rating a lot of Alexandria fragrances. Parfume rating (not only this one) has dropped quit dramatically in last few days. It is very disappointing to realize that data in fragrantica is fake...

I know this is not a clone of L'Instant de Guerlain but the opening is unmistakably remind me of that one. The spicy, dark, chocolatey with strong patchouli is strike me right on my nose and the style similarity is clear.

Initially put off by the smell at first sniff but it quickly grew on me and now I love it. Projection could be amped up a bit more but overall solid.

Blend this with Prada Luna Rossa Black. It tones down the spicy sharpness opening with light and airy vanilla. Lovely!

Smooth and amazing, the smell just keeps going and going. I love it!

This is very close to being a unisex scent. I'd be curious to know how similar it is to Pardon. Nasomatto is a great fragrance house and this DNA is awesome. I get a kind of luxurious, woody chocolate with a bit of spice. There's a kind of sour and masculine vibe i sometimes pick up. I think you could easily layer this with a vanilla fragrance to push it more femme, but i can't help but enjoy it as is, even though it probably leans a smidge masculine.

lots of cloves...which i didnt see in the notes break down...also cinnamon, oud, cacau and some other spices...dont get much floral....its a good cold weather scent..but id not wear it....too spicy for my liking. but great composition for people who like it spicy

If you can get past the initial blast, congratulations it was worth the wait. Amazing you go from yucky face to what just happened. I can't stop smelling it. This one takes some time to settle once it does, I believe you will enjoy it.

I put this on this morning and it's still going strong at 7pm. I get the Oud, choco, sandalwood, spicy, sweet vibe all day. This fragrance lasts and lasts, and it's very pleasant. No apologies here.

Similar to Pardon, I don’t enjoy it. A plus for AF...it’s very close to Pardon. Oud, cinnamon, chocolate, sandalwood. There is also a cumin/clove note going on here that gives it a spiced edge. Last forever...projection is average. A pass for me, but well done AF on cloning Pardon.

This is good replica of Pardon. I would say 90 - 95% identical. This also reminds me of Carven Homme (which is supposed to be a clone of Gucci Envy). It is definitely a cooler weather scent suited for fall/winter/very early spring. Projection is great as is sillage...

This fragrance takes a while to grow on you. I initially purchased this a year ago at the beginning of fall. At first I was not impressed at all. My first impression of this offering was "screechy, cork-dry, and bitter". I wore it a number of times and and while it got a little better, it found its way to the back of my collection and stayed there. Fast forward to today. With the start of cooler fall temperatures here in Denver I decided to wear it to work. (4 sprays to the chest and neck, and one to the hair.) The oud was very pronounced to say the least and for about 10 minutes I wondered If I was going to regret the decision of wearing it. My drive to work takes about 25 minutes, and as I cruised along with a window open half way I could really smell the oud and the cacao swirling around as well a faint touch of what I decided was clove. I arrived at work and the initial "harshness" was gone, having smoothed out nicely, Honestly, I forgot all about the fragrance and went about my day. About an hour and a half later a coworker comes over to my desk to ask a question about a project and says, " what are you wearing? It smells really nice." (This was from a little closer than arms length. Ok.. A genuine unsolicited compliment. I'll take it. A couple of hours later and the same female colleague and I are walking back to our desks from a staff meeting and she again compliments how i smell and asks what it is. Not bad for a fragrance I had essentially written off. To summarize: This is a dark, oud/cacao fragrance with really good longevity (10+ hours easily) and light to moderate projection. There is no sweetness here - none. Its "mood" could be described as serious, taciturn, dour, or sullen. This is a fall and winter scent only (in my opinion) and leans very heavily towards the masculine side but would be quite the head turner on a woman for sure. Occasions for this could be anything. Unless you really over spray, I can't imagine offending anyone with it. It is certainly unique, and you won't smell like anyone else to be sure.

I currently only own two Alexandria fragrances, and I only buy clones if I genuinely think they are better overall than the fragrances they are 'inspiring'. I agree with a couple of the other reviewers that the bitter chocolate is more prominent in NA and the Oud less so. There is a little sweetness and spice in here too. No Apologies knocks it out of the park with performance lasting a good 12 hours with moderate projection/silage. This is one area where Pardon fails to deliver, probably due to reformulation. Pardon is good for around 6 hours on me which is pretty poor given its price point.

I haven’t smelled nasomatto pardon so I’m only going off of no apologies here. It’s not a love for me but it’s pretty good. I get the oud and chocolate a lot and overall this is definitely a unique fragrance. I’ve never smelled anything like this before so it will stand out however I do feel like this isn’t for everyone it will be polarizing. If you like this and you wear it wear it with confidence otherwise it won’t fit imo. Last a long time from my experience. UPDATE: Yeah nevermind this is not for me it’s okay I’m not trying to bash it though

Yes, just like Pardon which let's just say, I was never a fan of. Oddly bitter, sweet just mostly strong pungent woody oudh at the start mixed with unsweetened chocolate later on. Unapologetic(!) If he replicates the one's I like and for his prices and slight and usually improved tweaks to the 'original', the scores shoot up. If he replicates the 1's I hate, the score then reflects that sadly. Pretty obvious but its all about what's what My rating: 4/10

Not a fan of this one....I have tried a few Alexandria fragrances and they do some excellent work but this is very flat, Oudy-like and I dont get alot of depth/balance to lift the fragrance....Loving the Hafez range, 1981x etc but this is a hard pass from me....

I got a sample of this with my order. It’s a male targeted fragrance , but I was curious. I can’t say anything except cough syrup. This smells like cough syrup to me and I wouldn’t want to smell it on anyone. With that being said, it definitely projects.

I really like this one as it smells like a darker soapy floral version without the fruits and incense of Chanel’s Coromandel (aka Alexandria's China Affair). Smells really natural and dark chocolate has replaced the white chocolate.

i own both, the original and the AF version. Maybe there is some variations in the batches but the bottle of No Apologies I own is a 95% copy of the original and its a beast. Love it

Copped this & fell in love!! It's been 4 years since I had the 10ml spray. I'm getting a bottle this fall & winter 🥰 . Beautiful woody & chocolate dark scent

Skanky oud Dark chocolate Sweet florals You will never guess by reading reviews. Not a safe blind buy. Reminds me of Arabian Oud Resala