Desire Black

This fragrance is one of the best sleeper masterpieces on the market. If you like masculine, non sweet, non ambroxan scents that feature saffron, leather and black pepper, then this is your must have scent. For the price this is going for, there is no greater value for money proposition on the market that I can name. Smooth, dark, and rich is how this smells; think of an opulent study in a royal lodge in the Scottish Highlands. Opens with a brief hit of bergamot, then runs quickly into a mild black pepper note that is balanced out by grapefruit. Opening lasts about 3 to 4 minutes. The black pepper goes dark and is joined by a smooth woody cypress which is the bridge to the long drydown. As that bridge is crossed by your olfactory senses it's accompanied by saffron and warm rose. The saffron is light and airy and the rose (Turkish?) is warm and rich but not sweet. This middle is accented with a slight oud which itself is a short lived affair that gets you over the bridge and back on terra firma to the drydown. That last trace of slight oud opens up the leather note and now we are in a saffron infused, leather, cypress and black pepper scent cloud for the next 6 to 8 hours. Every now and then depending on how active you are, you will smell that warm Turkish rose radiating off of the main scent cloud of leather, cypress and black pepper. It's exquisitely masculine. This is a fragrance that a man can wear to a business lunch or to a business dinner and feel completely at ease and confident. If you have ever heard the phrase "quiet power" then you will immediately understand this fragrance because that is what it is. If this was bottled by MFK, Tom Ford or FM, this same juice would be selling for north of $300, easily. Nothing on the market smells like this. It's a unique fragrance that sadly the men's market could use more of and it stands as a tasteful reminder of what muscular, masculine and refined men used to smell like when men had tailors and sneakers were not sold by French couture houses. To my mind, this is what Sean Connery's James Bond smelled like when he introduced himself to Pussy Galore. bon chance

I tried this the other day and was really surprised by the strong licorice-like notes that I had been looking for - I tried 8 or 9 other brands and this one stood out as unique and manly - no sweetness (and quite linear) - only that it may be somewhat two-dimensional in a serious scent kind of way.. But, it is certainly what I was looking for - and more unique and daring than say L'Eau d'Issey Pour Homme (but perhaps not as punchy as Issey in terms of the peppery hit), whereas Desire Black has that great black note (note: this is a totally different smell- and no cat’s piss, unlike Issey Intense). So, Dunhill Desire Black and the other flankers are decent non-weak fragrances, I must say, for first impressions, I really do like this one! It is certainly unique! UPDATE: A few days later (13 May 2018) Decided to purchase a 100mL bottle! AU$35 (on sale) No regrets - loving it! A unique and strong licorice-like note (not sweet) - masculine and dry., not musk-like. May need to reapply to strengthen longevity if needed, giving a stronger dry-down effect. The smell of this fragrance is just what I was looking for - great for the office, strong manly vibe, but not too sexy. UPDATE: 24 July 2019 Loving this - gets sweeter and just gets better and better - now getting a great sweet juicy and tangy lime. Fantastic value for what this is. I've got a tonne of fragrances and this continues to be one of my favourites! UPDATE: 4 Dec 2023 Has been discontinued for a few years now. Found a tester available for AU$44 on FragranceNet. Still my favourite fragrance out of many. Had to get a backup. Now too rare - a pity. If you miss this, or think you'd like something in the same vein, try Amouage Overture.

I find that Dunhill's fragrances are quite unique. Though their fragrances are not always original, they are never "generic". There is usually a note or combination that tilts even their most uninspired scents toward interesting/intriguing at worst and high quality at best. Combine that with the low price most of these can be had at, this is one of the best quality/cost houses out there, imho. Desire Black: Quintessential Dunhill- not original by any means- just another citrus/pepper/vetiver/amber scent, right? Well, no. You've smelled this combination before, but then- bam! Something quite UNfamiliar hits you. Some reviewers have called this a "medical bandage" smell. I wouldn't have thought of that if I hadn't read it, but yes, this "medical" smell is the "Dunhill" uniqueness. Now, that description doesn't sound promising, but it works out quite well. I believe it's the cypress/saffron turning this typical peppery/fresh scent into an earthier, darker, and more complex fragrance than ones with similar notes. I definitely get a light, sweet amber in the dry down. This is a mature scent, serious rather than playful. I can see it working for business/casual. Not really formal or fun, but in the middle. Overall, a good fragrance and is easily has more depth than many 2-3 time it's price. Another good offering from Dunhill. Final note: The "Desire" flankers have a lot in common (Black has similar base notes as "Silver" and they have the same DNA), but smell nothing like the original "Desire for a Man". Weird. Update: Very nice after the initial blast smooths out. Something about it- intriguing.

Dunhill Desire Black is a very unique, slightly odd but beautiful ctrus-green fragrance for every occasions. Elegant but also sporty a bit. Definitely not for everyone, but it will find its owner. Not too strong, but if you spray it also on your shirt, you'll smell it in the evening. And others even more so. About the fragrance itself: - No musk, no density, no sweetness but a little salty. - Fresh, green and slightly tart. - A very nice harmony of citruses and tart greens with a touch of florality, but I wouldn't think rose if I didn't know it was. - There's even a little lime-wasabi vibe developing from the rich interference and I'm also smelling a bit of gasoline and camphor. - The salty mineral notes are a bit reminiscent of Oriflame Ultimate, but only by a long shot and Dunhill is in a far higher league. - Terre d'Hermes doesn't come to mind (Td'H is heavily orangey, it's lime-bergamot-grapefruit that makes it very different, plus the saffron here) - The strong yet delicate harmony of saffron, cypress, and grapefruit makes it unique. - It can be good in all seasons maybe less at summer. scent: 9/10 sillage: 7/10 longevity: 7/10 price/value: 10/10 - negative: sprayer and flip-cap is ultra-crap. Overall, Dunhill Desire Black is a modern, airy citrus-green fragrance, very quirky but with an interesting and beautiful twist, far from trendy. I recommend it for those who are not averse to a bit of adventure and exploration, who like tart greens as a genre and appreciate a bit of sophisticated bizarreness.

So, first things first: What came first, Dunhill Desire Black? Or Bettega Veneta pour Homme? Answer: Bottega Veneta pour Homme - 2013 You may be wondering why? I’ll tell you! Got this fragrance a few days ago, adding to my Dunhill collection, which I love a great deal. But here’s the thing, something has bugged shit out of me all day about this fragrance, like “where tf have I smelled this before?!” 🤔 It’s literally just hit me now before I decided to write this, it smells (to my nose-imo), very similar to Bottega Veneta pour Homme, 2013. Now, don’t get me wrong, this Is an incredible male fragrance, and there are very clear differences between the two! The pine note of BV ph for a start, that’s obvious to anyone who’s a fan of BV ph, and there is only one note they both share, but even that’s a different variety, bergamot. Normal, good ol’ regular bergamot for DH db, but Calabrian Bergamot for BV ph - go figure! So far, though.. as much as I love both my Bettega Veneta pour homme edp, and the parfum, on my skin Dunhill desire lasts a hell of a lot longer, then on the dry-down it turns into something a somewhat fresher than the opening, while still retaining the musky darkness. Such a beautiful scent, and how cheap! I paid £15 for 100ml so I am more than made up with this purchase! Besides, I’m sure if I layer this with either my BV ph edp or the parfum, it will easily garner me a few extra compliments - my wife has already said she likes the DH desire black on 👍🏼