Silver Shadow

AN ECONOMIC ROLLS ROYCE DESIGNED BY KURKDJIAN [short review] The name Silver Shadow stands for an expensive luxury car from the British car manufacturer Rolls-Royce. It was a revolutionary car and was produced for 15 consecutive years. For many enthusiasts, this 55-year-old four-wheeled gem still deserves the title of the best car in the world. It took me a long time to buy Davidoff's Silver Shadow. I have always been suspicious of any product that has the same name as another established product. But I also thought I couldn't go wrong with Francis Kurkdjian's nose and his list of notes. I just wanted to avoid another wasted blind purchase. In the end, I bought it blind some time ago and... I'm glad I did. . It opens with a very nice deep orange note. It's not a fresh, tangy young orange. It's a classic, ripe orange, as if it had been blended like a Terre d'Hermès flanker. In the heart, there is cedar. The spices, which are also present in the heart, are just right. Yes, there's saffron, but I could swear there's also a little red pepper. This phase defines the fragrance as a very well blended oriental EdT, and this impression is reinforced in the base notes. In the base, I found an ambery accord that seemed to encompass all the other notes. The finish is very pleasant, with sweet, woody amber and well-behaved patchouli. As for performance, I can only say that it is average for this type of fragrance. The presentation is subtle but perfectly acceptable. Also because of the very low price, my expectations for this fragrance were exceeded. The pleasure I get from this fragrance is above average. It is indeed a very good budget perfume. The low price may contribute to the underestimation of this Davidoff fragrance. I paid 17 euros for it and it is not a test. I like wearing it just as much as other perfumes that cost 5 times as much. I highly recommend it. For people who like comparisons, I would define it as a better version of Ambré by Baldessarini. My wife immediately noticed I was wearing a new perfume (great - it's different from any mainstream scent) and gave me lots of compliments. I must also say that only one time in ten does she make a comment about one of my perfumes. My daughter came out of her room and just asked, "Who smells so good?" Not bad for the first 5 minutes of wearing Silver Shadow. It also brings back memories of the lost V pour Homme (Eau de Toilette) | Valentino that I used to love so much. MY OPINION: I can hardly call it the Rolls Royce of perfumes, but it is a very good blend of citrus and woods. It's really easy to pick up for a very low price, and you can benefit from an all-round fragrance that's suitable for many situations. If you can get it as cheaply as I did, it's certainly a bargain. MUSIC: Dire Straits - "Walk Of Life"

When ever I hear the two words Silver and Shadow put together I remember that wonderful Rolls Royce in the opening of “The VIPs”. Paul and Francis Andros are riding in the back of a Rolls from where their private helicopter has just touched down on the Heathrow tarmac. It is but a short trip from the helicopter to the sleek and modern main terminal but even this transit is done in high style. The beautiful and slightly hung over Francis is planning to fly off to Bermuda with international slightly shopworn over the hill playboy Marc Champselle leaving Billionaire tycoon husband Paul Andros in the lurch. In the back of the Silver Shadow Paul Andros unaware that his wife is leaving him gives her a parting Bulgari bracelet; it is a trifling little platinum and sapphire nothing bauble really. Later in the film as he takes his leave of her he whispers: “I hope the rubies were a success?” “Rubies?” she says in the most innocent yet biting way. Confronted yet again with the fact that he is too high-powered to have bothered to pick out his parting present for her himself. Somehow it all seems incredibly extravagant, luxe and as if it might have really happened in the real life of Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton. Silver Shadow by Davidoff is just as extravagant, luxe and rich as anything you might see in that film. Let’s just say it is a bit of a Rolls Royce in a bottle at a Chevy price. It is resplendent in its Orientals, sturdy in its wood accords and beauteous in its presentation. The flacon is pure top of the line elegance. It is architectural with a rather deco feel and look to it. The substantial cap that clicks like it was sterling is really impressive. The juice within this ravishing bottle is nearly perfect. The bitter orange it what hits you first in the opening but fades almost instantaneously into the cedar and coriander. This lasts maybe a good ten minutes before the heart of the elixir is released. Oriental splendors abound in the heady yet never cloying display of patchouli, saffron and clove. This is what makes it smell so incredibly expensive. The dry down is equally elegant and refined in the notes of Oakmoss, benzoin, cinnamon and an affluent amber that holds and holds. It has a stunning projection and lasts a substantial 6 hours. It is so incredibly warm and comforting like a snug den in a gentleman’s club or the cozy formal comfort of the back seat of a Rolls Royce Silver Cloud. FIVE PLATIUM AND RUBY...I MEAN SAPPHIRE STARS *****

The radiant sunlight flitters through the dense fog enveloping the beach alcove. You pull away for a moment just to catch your breath. The space between you feels infinite, even in its brevity. Her sweet skin, an ambered orange and cream in hue and taste - your bodies heaving in a sweat that recalls the dense earth after a saturating spring rain. You taste each other in every breath; you gaze keenly into the universe found only in the depth of a passionate embrace. Everything leading up to this moment seems inconsequential - you wish to get lost in these euphoric waves, forever. A moment of stillness seeps in - the fragrant salt water nips at your moss speckled feet as the world settles back into view. Your mind is swimming in the ambered hues of the sun glistening off her curves...this is where you belong. She playfully traces the outline of your chest as she bites her lip - this time you make her wait as you catch your breath. You lie on your back and breathe deeply - the moist patchouli mingles with the animalic clove of carnal touch...it eases your wandering mind. You gently caress her face and pull her closer for a tender kiss....her lips taste of a delightfully sinful cinnamon. You don't let her go....never let me go. Day 83 - Embrace the Madness Listening to: Florence + The Machine - Never Let Me Go Notes: I don't know what is in this that makes ladies go crazy, but it is the only fume I have ever worn that has garnered several unsolicited "you smell soooooo good" out of any other fragrance. From what I can pick out, this is a very humanesque and fleshy orange cream in the opening followed by a slightly peppery and humid clove (and saffron?) heart that lingers for hours on end. Every so often, I pick up a delectable mix of rich spices and sweet amber, while other times I get a very crisp cedar note. Up close this fume smells of strong humanesque oils from the clove and oakmoss combo - it seems a bit unsettling but it really is magical in the right setting/moment. The whole of it lasts around 8 to 10 hours and projects well throughout. Again, this is an intimate experience and remains genderless - I hope you find it as alluring as I do!

It took me a long time to buy this fragrance. I allways thought that with this notes and the nose of Francis Kurkdjian, I could not go wrong. But I was just trying to avoid another blind buy. I ended up blind buying it this week, and I am glad I did it. It opens with a very nice deep orange note. It's not a fresh zesty teenager orange. It's a classy orange as if it had been blended in a Terre d'Hermés flanker. You also feel a hint of cedar that grows in the heart notes. The spices you detect in the heart notes are just right there. Yes I can notice the strong saffron but I could swear that there is some red pepper in it as well. This stage defines this fragrance as a very well blended Oriental EDT and that impression only becomes stronger with the bottom notes. Both the cedar wood and the saffron notes endure till the bottom notes. I experienced a magnifig amber and benzoin that seemed to embrace all the other notes. The dry down is quite pleasant and consists mainly of sweet woody amber and a well behaved patchouli. As far as the perfermance is concerned I can only say that is average for this type of notes. Presentation is discreate but nice. My expectations for this fragrance were clearly exceded. The pleasure I get from this scent is quite above average. It's a VERY GOOD fragrance indeed. The low price (I paid 17 Euros for it and it's not a tester) may contribute to the (under) rating that is usually associated to this fragrance. I do enjoy wearing it as much as some fragrances costing 5 times more. I heavilly recommend it. My wife noticed imediatly that I was wearing a new fragrance (great - it's different from any mainstream scent) and just gave me a big compliment. I must also say that she only makes any type of remark regarding any perfume of mine one time out of ten. Not bad for the first 5 minutes wearing Silver Shadow. I would rate globally this fragrance with 8.0/10.0

Silver Shadow is now a cult classic, a true masterpiece. The bottle is strikingly solid, more beautifully made than one would expect. In fact, it is good enough to house a feminine perfume. This is quality stuff, and Davidoff wanted everyone to know. The fragrance? Composed by an absolute genius master perfumer, it takes its place among the half-dozen best masculines of the modern era. In structure, it flirts with the virtuoso modernist complexity of Tom Fords and the muted candied-fruit colors of Hugo Boss. Where it differs is in an interesting, powdery sweet top note and a drydown like an attenuated version of Amber with a cinnamon twist. I've never suggested any sort of fragrance to be blind-bought. But this fragrance is so criminally cheap that makes me think that I've been scammed by this industry for years! This perfume smells ten times more expensive than it actually costs, lasts twice as long as any legit fragrance Chanel and Dior ever released! Refined, elegant, and most of all a textbook example of successful top-down design. I'm not sure when exactly this perfume faded away from people's radar. I remember it had such a bombastic lunch, one that made it a must-own fragrance for any man. These days I hardly hear anyone mentioning it. I guess that this product actually became the victim of its own success. Just a glance at the notes listed above and you will realize that most of them can only be found in the niche class perfumes. Saffron is extremely expensive and you won't get a decent version of it in cheap fragrances. A High-quality clove note plus a synthetic yet comforting amber note in the base is a recipe for such a fantastic DNA that pulls compliments from total strangers yet the smell is so deep and complex that will make fraghead/snobs lose their minds over it!