HIM (His Imperial Majesty) Private Stock

The better of the two British Sterling H.I.M. releases in my opinion. Intended to be worn during the day while its brother in the black bottle during the night. I find Private Stock to be the more versatile of the two. I can wear this at any time, any temperature. A pleasant citrus first scent w/good performance on me. I get 3-4 hours before it becomes a skin scent & silage is good as well. As I stated in my review of its brother "Reserve". I feel these two releases have been largely overlooked because of image. Most people under the age of, say 50 or so, will dismiss them due to their association with classic British Sterling. It's not their scent, it was their dad's or their grandpa's scent. In reality I don't think they have much in common with classic British Sterling. Just my opinion though.

HIM Private Stock is a decent fragrance, especially considering its price. It touches upon the sweeter scents of today's fragrances without fully committing to them. I particularly enjoy the juniper and cypress notes, and I can definitely identify the white tobacco that subtly complements the tangerine, which is reminiscent of the tangerine note in Navy for Men. Overall, it’s a pleasant fragrance that is well-suited for casual settings in the spring and summer. I like it and recommend giving it a try.

good stuff this, Ironically hard to find in the UK. Agree with the other reviews on here, very old school classic masculine scent, subtle but noticeable. Nice for all year round, I've wore it a few times and find it lasts quite well. Fresh, clean and has a spicy bite to it, quite classy! Nice :)

I got it at discounter for $8, it smells like shower gel and cigarette. Even though I like how it smells, it barely lasts 2-3 hours, can't recommend.

Bears no resemblance to the original but wasn't intended to. Good: light, inoffensive, 100% safe and clean smelling with near zero complexity. The note description above seems generally accurate, but despite that... Bad: perhaps my bottle is old and weakened but it wouldn't be unfair to call it nondescript, uninteresting, even boring. It evokes that same blandly generic men's body wash miasma you've smelled a thousand times, and nothing - not even plain unscented soap - is more boring. Performance: weak all around. Final drydown is a slight improvement over the initial stages but no nose will get close enough to detect it. Reviews that advise safely showering in it are correct, but it's so bland there'd be no point. Upside: neat bottle, good sprayer. Looks nice on the shelf but the bottle deserves much better juice. Bottom line: Bad? Nope. Insipid? YES. Weak? YES. It makes Old Spice seem exciting because it smells just like a dozen lower end frags and body products you've sniffed and decided you didn't need. Buy it as cheaply as possible if you're curious.

Fresh, shower gel vibe on a budget, although smells more expensive. This is not a clone, but if you enjoy fragrances like BdC, Dylan Blue, Aim High, then you really should give HIM Private Stock a chance. Does not smell dated at all, but the juniper gives it a more mature vibe than a typical high school scent. Citrus aromatics give way to a pleasant, slightly creamy woody base after about 4 hours of good projection, lasting twice that long. Private Stock does have a slight mall cologne vibe, but garners compliments nonetheless, just wait for it to calm down for about 15 minutes after spraying. Another gem that many will never try, but glad that I have it.

Bought from fragrancenet for about $10. The smell is quite nice with nothing in common with the old British Sterling aftershave. It's pretty mild and approachable; the lime and "white tobacco" make it a little different than others. The problem is that it is very weak, even for a cologne-strength fragrance. I put on 10-12 sprays (!) and it still was gone mid-day, and did not project much the entire time besides. Update: while not an outstanding performer, the performance seems to be better than I initially described, especially with an outsized number of sprays. This fragrance is fairly unique.

I bought H.I.M. from fragranceX (USA), over a year ago. Initially I did not like it because it smelled just dry tobacco like when you open a pack of cigarettes. (I do not smoke). So, a year later it became more pleasant and aromatic although the dry tobacco is still there. At least now it's much better! The price is very good and I think it deserves a try!