Apex

Okay, so. I went to a penhaligon's store in Covent Garden just before Lockdown, as I was just starting out on my fragrance journey. I tried out a selection of their samples, and Blazing Mr Sam really stood out to me. Not because I liked it, but because to my mind it was the very worst of the lot. Anyways, as time went by, my nose matured, and tobacco scents started popping up on my radar in the winter of 2023. I saw Ash from Gents Scents name check Apex, and thought I'd give it a go. Unfortunately, when the bottle arrived and I tried it, I really didn't like it. It was quite a mess, and very very synthetic. I tried it several times but just couldn't get into it Anyways, fast forward to this winter, and as I changed my bottoes over from Spring/Summer to Autumn/Winter, Apex was sat at the very back looking all sad and lonely. This evening, I decided after 2 years in the wilderness to give it a light quarter-spray on my forearm. I expected my usual olfactory response from 2 years ago, but colour me purple, I was shocked. The scent immediately took me back to that store in the West end of London, all those years ago. After 2 years sat in the dark, everything smells exactly where it should, and seems exceptionally well blended. The synthetic overtones are completely gone, and it smells like a very well dressed refined gentleman, sitting by the fire, swirling a glass of brandy. I've had it on for 5 hours now and it's still pushing very well. I can see this being a night time Christmas banger this year, although I will definitely be going light on the sprays as this is a total beast. To summarise, after a 6 years journey with this fragrance profile, I have completely fallen in love with something I once detested. Fragrance World have done exceptionally well here, especially for one of their slightly older releases. My tip. Buy a bottle, spray it a dozen times down the toilet, chuck it in the back of your wardrobe and come back to it a couple of years later. Your future, and slightly older self will most CERTAINLY appreciate your past self for doing so.

* Brilliant hybrid tobacco/fougere/gourmand fragrance * Smooth blend of sweet, tobacco, spicy, herbal, vanilla, woody and patchouli musk aromas * Fresh but deep and complex aroma * Niche quality for discounter price * A tobacco fragrance that is actually good for younger users * Good performer * Very masculine despite the smoothness * Good for outdoor activities and social occasions * Cool presentation * May lean too masculine for some female users * Not good for those dislike sweet fragrances * Not good for those who dislike tobacco fragrances * Herbals and spices may come off a bit sharp to some noses, especially the cardamom Fragrance World's Apex is a clone of Penhaglion's The Blazing Mr. Sam. This is a brilliant fragrance, combining a classic tobacco DNA with fougere and gourmand touches to come up with an incredibly smooth and cohesive whole. This is a smooth blend of sweet, tobacco, spicy, herbal, vanilla, woody and patchouli musk aromas. In fact, Apex will remind you of being out in a fresh tobacco field which is actually a very pleasant smell if you've ever experienced it and doesn't smell anything like a cigarette or a cigar which is what most people think of when they recall a tobacco aroma. Apex is quite fresh for a tobacco aroma, yet is still quite complex. This is a great tobacco fragrance for younger users, which is not something I'd ever say about any other tobacco fragrances in my collection. It does lean quite masculine, maybe a bit too much so for female users, but certainly is much more useable by women than many other tobacco fragrances. The herbal and vanilla notes soften it quite a bit, especially the sweet cardamom, though it may come off sharp to some noses. Performance is good, this is niche level fragrance for a discounter price. Presentation is cool with a metal embossed wolf head emblazoned on a glass bottle and a display style box. Highly recommended.

I have the Apex for more than a year and it's in the top 5 of my collection. I bought it after discovering The Bazing Mr Sam with a decant that I was given. I absolutely loved TBMS from my first experience and I freaked out because I couldn't bring myself to pay its exorbitant price (Very expensive, even at discounters). So, I looked for an alternative and decided to try the Apex. I was not disappointed. It is honestly very close to the OG. There are slight differences when comparing them side by side and if you smell them very closely to the skin. In the air, I find it difficult to tell them apart. The differences I perceive are the following: TBMS is a little brighter, fresher and I can identify the black pepper note more easily. Also, it seems to radiate slightly more from my skin. The Apex is warmer and darker. It seems more woody to me with the patchouli note being slightly more noticeable. In summary, I smell the same notes, but not at the same intensity. Both have a projection a little above average. For longevity, both have good longevity, but surprisingly, when I did the tests to compare them side by side, the next morning, I could not find the TBMS on my forearm while I could still smell the Apex on the other arm. Conclusion: although I always prefer to have the original fragrance in my collection, I can't bring myself to pay 10 times the price of the Apex to get the original.

This smells very expensive. All the notes come together there’s no clashing of notes, or over powering scents. I’ve smelled Penhaligons Mr Sam and that was the only one I liked from the collection. Let me tell you as soon as I smelled Apex it was gorgeous. It’s smooth very manly. This is my style so I would wear it all day anytime of the season. For most people it’ll probably be more of a date night scent. If you don’t like fruity scents or smells like soap and appreciate men scents this is the one. This is a good blind buy not offensive at all. I do get the smell of body wash I don’t remember that from Mr Sam so I have to revisit. But I’m sure if you like this you’ll love Mr Sam. Last thing the presentation is nice for this price almost luxurious you don’t even see that in $200 perfumes. It doesn’t perform very well probably about 1 hour of projection and like 6 on skin the most. After revisiting Mr Sam I can tell you it’s the exact same fragrance. You’re not missing much, if you are I couldn’t tell the difference. Mr Sam might last long because Apex has pretty poor performance on clothes it does alright. After revisiting Mr Sam, I can tell you right now it’s the exact same. And that is coming from two noses.

If you love spice and tobacco and you're on a budget, give this one a shot. This fragrance is a total hidden gem that I blind bought. At first before maceration, it smelled like gasoline. Now, when spraying the opening is boozy/warm spice/tobacco BLISS. I'd say this one would be a great purchase if you're on the fence about Blazing Mr. Sam. This and it's more expensive brother don't last that long, I'd say 2 hours working and skin for 6. Projection just meh. I'm a sucker for this scent profile for the cooler months, so I can guilt-free reapply as needed. For the 30+ crowd. Pro-tip, layering this with His Confession by Lataffa for chef's kiss combination. No gatekeeping over here. 9/10 scent profile 6/10 performance