Strictly Private

I'm just starting day two of wearing this, and I love it. I discovered it on this site and read some of the reviews, including those that really want to keep women away from it. I understand the reasoning; no man wants to have his favorite new scent worn by some bubbly 20-something who ordinarily reeks of gooey fruity edts and has a braying laugh. But nothing scares me off. And I read the words "reassured class and sophisticated taste," and saw its heart notes were vetiver, patchouli, resin and rose, the center of my world. So I headed for eBay. Strictly Private is the best blind buy I've had in months, and a fabulous scent. It's a lot quieter than I expected. I don't find it anywhere as loud as Tom Ford scents, although a couple of other reviewers suggested they did. I agree that the projection isn't strong, but I don't always want that. I do want longevity, and it lasted 7 hours on me yesterday. So, it's an elegant warm fragrance, more of a rose-vetiver than a rose patchouli. It's more of an evening fragrance than daytime, but if I wasn't retired I'd probably wear it to the office too. It doesn't shout; it purrs.

Best Blind Buy ever! I think Parfumista2010's review is spot on - It is absolutely innoffensive and very sensual. Presentation is great, price is very good as well. All in all Scent: 9/10 Projection/Silage: Medium-Low Longevity: 8/10 If you love light, warm and sweet scents - try this. Highly recommended. EDIT: This scent definitely grows on you! I remember thinking when I first got it that it was much easier to like than Lalique PH which I got at the same time - while Lalique grew on me slowly, this one I came to love immediately after a few wearings. I tend to think that it's projection is limited, but its happened a number of times that someone walks into my office, or more interestingly, the cold lab where I work and goes ''what smells so good?'' - when I can hardly smell it myself. Granted it's strongest real close to you (and thats how I love my scents to be) but perhaps its just so light that you forget you're wearing it easily. Needless to say - I have found my first signature scent.

Very smooth, very very smooth. Soft, lingers, leaves a warm trail of scent that softens the hardest of hearts. It's more vanilla than amber, to be precise, but wonderful, thick vanilla, that is never cloying, rounded well to be smooth, it does have a synthetic characteristic to it, but what's the problem? some scents cannot be achieved without synthetic material, so take it easy... The scent could've been marketed as unisex if: 1- It was produced by a different house than Baldessarini, because basically if it was unisex it would conflict with their whole branding image, which basically is a house for real men, not boys. 2- If it had a better projection and lasting power. The perfume projects very good for the first 15 minutes, then dies to a skin scent for few hours and then poof it's gone. This a scent for close interactions, not for going out or clubbing or even outdoors, but for what it is, i love it.

Strictly Private is my fourth Baldessarini after the original, Del Mar, n Ambre and so far, they have all been pretty good and my respect for this brand has gone up considerably. I am actually curious now to try all the others as the quality in all the ones I have smelled has been consistently good. SP starts off with a peppery sweet citrus note and then it's pretty much vanilla rose all the way with traces of amber, Patchouli,and some mild woodiness which could be the vetiver. It shares common DNA with Burberry Brit and Tom Ford Noir, at times smelling like bits and pieces of one or the other. Like all the Baldessarinis I have tried, excellent quality blend with moderate sillage and projection. Longevity is about 5-6 hours with 5 sprays. Give it a try and it just might surprise you. This one flies under a lot of people's radar and that is a shame. I love it. 8.5/10.

I'll make this short: for a 30 dollar fragrance, this smells like a 100 dollar fragrance. Unbelievable how underrated this is, and how it has gone completely under the radar for most fragrance reviewers! I've worn this casually, and received amazing compliments with it. But frankly, I think this is worthy of a suit or a tux. And definitely best worn in the autumn or winter time. Performance is a bit weird to me. It projects great, sometimes it lasts for a long time and some times it doesn't. I'd wear an atomizer if I were to rock this. The scent itself is very sexy. Not as feminine as people make it out to be. The pink pepper and hint of vetiver makes this a more masculine scent than say, Dior Homme Intense. A strong 8/10. And a 12/10 for value. You're paying 30 dollars to smell like James Bond here