Monument

I'll put my review of Mascot for Men here (same company, Eclectic Collections), because there is no listing for it. The bottle is nearly identical to SpiceBomb's but the liquid is a light blue, so perhaps the idea was to do a "clone" of SpiceBomb Eau Fraiche? I haven't tried that one so I can't say, but some of the notes to that one seem consistent with this one! What I can say is that Mascot does has a strong spice element, but it's missing some things that SpiceBomb possesses, such as that soft quality. Instead, Mascot goes on with a cheap aroma chemical blast, which includes lavender (but not in a fougere accord). After several minutes, what I get is a combination of that cheap/fresh quality (definitely of the "drug store scent" variety) and the spiciness that lacks SpiceBomb's softness. There's not more than a hint of sweetness and it's only a touch musky. I almost like it! The problem is that the "cheap" element, while not a dealbreaker here, is likely to lead me to wear something else, and let's face it, when you can get dollar store "clones" of SpiceBomb that are better than this, even if they don't last as long, why spend more on the "fancy bottle?" UPDATE: Over time a synthetic/Western oud accord emerges and gets stronger and stronger relative to the other notes. At this point I'd say it's similar to M7 Fresh (from what I can remember of that one) after a few hours, but this one has the stronger oud and M7 Fresh has a more natural-smelling quality and is more complex. Not bad though, if you can get it for a reasonable price and it's what you are seeking. The perfumer shouldn't have put the cheap opening in here because it likely will lead many to think it's just "drug store dreck." Oh well.