Mr. Blass

Now this is a fragrance that also deserves a lot more recognition. An American fashion brand but made in Italy, it reminds me of many very classy 'suit and tie' fragrances from both sides of the Atlantic, and has a pedigree that really shows through - even at this extraordinary price-point. (As a matter of fact, I honestly do not know how they make this fragrance at this price.) The more animalic dimension to this is evident at the very opening, but that should not turn you off this fragrance. The dry-down - even early on - becomes very nice and all of those notes seem to work together to give something which is characteristically masculine, seemingly fairly generic - but yet quite unique when deliberated upon. I have smelled a lot of fragrances like Mr.Blass and yet nothing quite the same (though it approximates quite well at some points to Chanel's Cuir de Russie). I think they have used what is literally a Greatest Hits of some of the most usual of masculine fragrance notes here, but yet the result is a tune unlike any other. I also get the Escada PH reference that other people experience, but again this is still a very different fragrance from that 'tuxedo-and-cognac' masterpiece.) When I wear Mr. Blass I can't help but think of an American corporate setting from the old times, 1950s or so. It is redolent of that kind of environment - which is no bad thing - and does give a reassuring and trustworthy vibe, without getting loud or offensive. This latter point assures the wearer of a more timeless feel to the fragrance. I would highly recommend this to anybody who is looking for something which meets those standards - at a really great price. Furthermore, if you are looking for something like Cuir de Russie, it is definitely worth investigating. Only drawback for me is that the longevity is not great and you may find yourself applying more than usual amounts on skin and clothes to make up for this.

Mr. Blass is a very, very nice retro scent profile that harkens back 20 years from its release in 2009. And generally a familiar scent profile that was part of the late 80's and early 90's zeitgeist. It's in the same general DNA wheelhouse as Escada Pour Homme, Ralph Lauren Safari, YSL Jazz, Salvador Dali Salvador, Tsar by Van Cleef & Arpels, and maybe even Sergio Tacchini - all from that time period. And also probably a scent profile curtsy to the 1972 Pierre Cardin Pour Monsieur. It's got a nice masculine woodiness and earthiness with the accord formed by the cypress, vetiver, and dusty nutmeg. Just a slight bit of smokiness with the incense, and of course the soft leather. All of the edges are smoothed out with the slightly sweet amber and vanilla. Just really smooth, elegant and soft, yet completely masculine. I do get the somewhat harsh, synthetic opening as reported by a few, but as it dries down, it gets smoother and smother. The magic of Mr. Blass is in the drydown. Performance is mediocre, but I sprayed a few dozen times on skin and clothes. Heavy spraying elevates the performance to near satisfactory, as I would get natural wafts to my nose for a good while. And with the inexpensive price I can afford to spray very heavily. This will go in my "Office Scent" collection due to the pleasant, unchallenging scent profile and modest projection. Mr. Blass is a great value and can serve as an occasional everyday wear so I can conserve my discontinued bottle of Escada Pour Homme and Tsar. I've upgraded this to a "love" and put it in my favorites collection. I'm wearing my Escada Pour Homme today, and I'd have to say Mr. Blass is actually a near-clone of Escada Pour Homme. Escada is the better representation of the scent profile, but in terms of scent profile, they are very close.

This is what a mature man should smell like, leather,incense, amber and musk with spices in the mix. A wonderful rich, quietly confident masculine fragrance that has incredibly grown on me more and more. projection is good for the first couple of hours. Longevity is a moderate 4-5 hours with 4 sprays though it stays close to the skin most of the time. Do not let the fact that Mr.Blass can be found at throw away prices make you dismiss it out of hand as a cheapie. It is anything but that. It is similar in spirit to Escada Pour Homme and Aramis and if you like either, chances are you will like this as well. This was a blind buy that was a total winner and the average longevity is the only gripe I have.Please Go give Mr. Blass a chance, he is all class.More people deserve to smell this wonderful fragrance. A total unexpected goodie for me and I love it. 8/10 Edit/Rant- I have been reading some of the reviews of Mr. Blass written after I wrote mine and I have to say, I am surprised. This is a great fragrance for it's price. I wish people would put a cap on their expectations. You cant seriously expect to pay 10$ for a bottle of perfume and expect Amouage or Dior level quality. Get real. This is a great fragrance and value for money as long as your expectations are reasonable.

Always on the lookout for cheap/good, I bought a 40ml bottle for, uh, like 7 bucks. I do not think it's a masterpiece, niche quality, etc--that's just my inexpert opinion. I do think it is above average and terrific as a work scent. The leather is like a much higher quality GBH Red (for men): enough similarity to notice but much less artificial and loud. On me, that leather note showed up and stayed within arms length from 1/2 hour to about 4 hours. After that I actually picked up a vetiver note right next to my skin for maybe 2 more hours. Though I like vetiver, this isn't the best rendering of it. BB manages to balance "unlikely to offend" with "good" about as well as a designer fragrance can. There's basically no risk in buying a bottle, and there ARE rewards, though not exuberant ones. Scent: 7/10 Sillage: 5/10 Longevity: 5/10

Oh, wow! Look at that! They reformulated this cheap but good stuff. What used to be an oriental/leather/incense fougere with yuzu in the forefront is now an oriental/leather fougere with incense in the forefront. For me, it's sort of like going from a boozy L'Eau d'Issey to an incensey Fendi Uomo. Who were the noses for this stuff? They both smell great! I'm very happy with both results. My only problems, albeit very minor, are the longevity of the earlier edition and the aldehydic drydown of the current one which smells like my mum's Charlie. Otherwise, I'll keep buying this. It's definitely worth the money I paid for it...and then some!