Five

Bruno Fazzolari lists a few additional notes in FIVE not listed above. The official note breakdown includes lemon, red mandarin, bergamot, neroli, rosemary, petitgrain, sweet woods, mineral and saltwater notes. Moreover, in a Youtube interview (with Smelling Great's Sebastian), Bruno also mentioned that it contains lime and thyme. Whoa. I took advantage of a brief sale in which Bruno was offering his “Portfolio” of fragrance samples at a reduced price, and I am so glad I did. I have been wearing Five today, and, although this is just a single day of testing, it has been one of the few scents I’ve ever tried that I absolutely loved from first sniff all the way through the drydown. Already, this is gunning for a spot on my “favorites” shelf, next to LADDM, Sycomore and Coromandel. I find that all of the poetic phrases Bruno uses to describe his fragrance are bullseye accurate: “primary colors of sky and sunlight shimmer in the crisp air. Vibrant, deep, clear.... Five has an ozonic and mineral aura... bright and wakeful....” Many fragrance afficionados equate “ozonic” freshies with bland, generic and uninteresting perfumes, but the scent of FIVE is actually quite arresting — simultaneously familiar and innovative. Rather than reproducing the tropes of classic fragrances, it rhymes with them — such as the general genres of colognes and aromatic fougeres as well as specific milestones like Terre d’Hermes. For me, the overall vibe of this scent is like a cool and refreshing summer breeze on a sunny day when the air is so pristine that you see the world with extreme clarity, in high contrast and with extra saturated colors. It’s a de-haze filter for your perceptual apparatus. What does it actually smell like? To my nose, it opens with a cool, rounded, refreshing scent -- somewhat sweet, citrus-fruity and herbal-aromatic. And, yes, it is “ozonic,” but in the most refreshing way. The rosemary, petitgrain and other citrus notes are all present and smoothly blended. After a short while I start to detect a cool (vs. warm) note of cinnamon, which is unlisted and is probably a phantom accord. Eventually this cinnamon flavor is joined by another unlisted and probably phantom note: myrrh. In the drydown, I detect a faintly pungent saltiness underlying the aromatic citrus-rosemary scent that is still very much present. Indeed, the latter seems to hang around all the way through the drydown (albeit diminished in power). This is going to sound strange, but I actually think that Five eventually kind of dries down to the *opening* of Terre D’Hermes! (minus the Iso E Super) If the lovely aroma weren’t enough, the performance has been astounding for something so bright and lively. I put three sprays of this on about 11 hours ago, and it is still not yet a skin scent. It’s projecting about 3-4 inches out right now, enough to still get occasional whiffs in a favorable wind. Projection was at least arm-length for about 3 hours. Remember, this is three sprays from a 2ml sample vial. I’m sure the full bottle puts out more juice, and better distributed, likely yielding even better performance. The caveat is that this review is based on a single wearing. The perfomance of any fragrance varies depending on weather, skin, POTUS tweets, and any number of other factors, so today might have been randomly extraordinary. That said, the scent in combination with the performance make this potentially an extremely versatile fragrance. I could easily see it worn either casually or formally, from spring through fall. Will test again, but at least based on the first try, Five looks to be not only full-bottle worthy but signature scent worthy. It is pricey, yes ($95 for a 30ml bottle after the $15 discount for having purchased the sample set). But I absolutely love the scent, and if today’s test is even remotely indicative of the performance, even 30ml should be able to last a good long while.

AN IMPOSSIBLE CREATION! Something that should not exist. I hate to describe a perfume as a bomb but this is - well - a natural sweet orange and lemon BOMB!!!!!!!!!!!!! The largely lemon is helped out by arguably an almost equal sweet orange to keep it extra ordinary. A slight petitgrain over the top heightens the lemon and stops it from becoming anosomic when nose is to skin. The clear rosemary adds a slightly dark dusty depth and a herbal green vibe somehow seamlessly growing the depth and body of the citrus over the barely noticeable woods turning it in to walloping powerhouse of a scent bowling people over when you enter the room. Delishiously fresh, green undertones on an exceptionally natural citrus with easily a record breaking sillage and longevity. A nod to barbershop and old school yet clearly made for younger people. A scent that from my experience leaves me scratching my head as to how it is that a citrus can be so exceptional in performance. All done without resorting to going all soapy. I’ve tried a number of Bruno Fazzolari and I can not believe how I have missed his amazing creations so far. Especially Lampblack and Vetiverissimo. This is now my signature.

Five is my first try from Bruno Fazzolari and it does not disappoint. A citrus/herbal blend, a little bit like a traditional cologne, but modernized with the herbal side of rosemary. Neither boastful nor shy, neither too fleeting nor too aromatic, Five is a composition that strikes a a pleasant balance seldom achieved by fragrances that seem geared toward warm weather. The citrus is definitely a blended citrus, without the dominance of any one fruit, a harmony of orange and lemon. I'm often a fan of the way that petitgrain mixes with citrus and Five is no exception, as the earthy, wheaty quality of petitgrain contrasts the very fresh citrus blend poignantly, with rosemary lingering in the background to give an herbal feel that isn't overwhelmingly herbal. Five performs pretty well, as well, giving hours of decent projection and hours more as a skin scent, so certainly above the norm for a warm weather EDP. Still, its full bottle pricing of $110 for 30ml is a bit steep, so this one I' need to sleep on and try some more before stomaching the pricing. 8 out of 10

Pristine in a word, Five is not so much a modern Eau de Cologne as it is a futuristic one. Opening with an exquisitely multifaceted citrus-herbal accord, Five’s almost classic Eau de Cologne feel –bright, fresh and vibrantly spiced – is lit incandescent with a cool crisp minerality akin to aldehydes sans the soapiness. There’s brisk petitgrain, rosemary and other citrus notes present here but they’re so smoothly blended that none standalone. Later a sweetish woody cedar note joins the composition, turning almost salt-watery as it carries through to the dry down where it marries with the mineralic note. Overall the composition is crystal clear – pristine – and succeeds in lifting the tried and tested Eau de Cologne formula to new assertive, refined, and contemporary heights. Masculine leaning. Sillage is moderate, longevity is about 8 hours on me. 8.5/10

Five smells so boring that it transcends it's own simpleton scent and becomes the pristine model of all fresh herbaceous mens colognes. The orange/lemon melts with the herbs on a woody bed supported by the "mineral/saltwater" notes while allegedly neroli romps around somewhere, which to me is a shock because I usually dislike neroli in perfume. This combination of herbs and citruses DOES smell old-school, but it's fucking fantastic. If you don't like barbershop scents don't even bother with this one. But boy oh boy $125 for a measly 30 ml is roadkill!!

Lovely citrus/herb combo with a dash of salt in the drydown...great warm weather perfume...really love all the Bruno Fazzolari scents I've smelled so far...and love the simple, artistic paper boxes the bottles come in...the bottles are small (30ml) but not ridiculously priced (as so many niche perfumes are starting to be)...

This is the longest-lasting citrus frag I've tried. It's very lemony, and I definitely get the rosemary. Overall it's a winner for me, although I usually am not a fan of citruses.

On my skin this is not the citrus scent others say it is. In the opening yes along with rosemary, but it dries down to an old school barbershop. Very aromatic on the level of Roja's Scandal, Danger, YSL Rive Gauche etc, but a good one if you're into that style.

Definitely a cologne, quite flat and harsh. Dry down stage is softer but only lasts an hour or so. Will be looking to trade.

This one is not my style, so fans of very fresh cologne type fragrances may choose to ignore me. This is after a second wearing; during the first time I wore it my partner immediately said, "it smells like a high school locker room in here." Meaning that this stuff projects and announces itself, as few citrus-forward fragrances do, but it can be a bit brash. Today I am reminded of a cologne I had as a child—something I think my mom brought me back from France. Heavy on the neroli, citrus, and herbs, it does wear as you would expect a traditional masculine cologne, but with a marine and ozonic quality that others have mentioned. Much fuller-bodied, and much longer-lasting, and a little airier. Bright yellow sun and bright blue sky—both in balance, just not to my taste. I'm impressed at its ability to conjure this image, but don't find it to be particularly novel, just well-executed in its style. As it wears down, I'm reminded of Irish Spring soap, which I can't say is my favorite smell. In fact, I find the house base to be a bit off-putting in almost every Fazzolari I've tried. It's a lightly powdery sweetness that seems to dominate after a time—but not sugary sweetness, more saccharine, like the difference between stevia and real cane sugar. Not unnatural, but it leaves a strange aftertaste. Not for me, but not as bland or thoughtless as many other citrus fresh scents on the market. (5/10)

Probably the only Fazzolari fragrance that got some of my attention. Beautiful citrus-y scent, that I would have loved, if not for its ridiculous pricing. Indeed, I'll never spend $130 for just 1oz of nice summer citrus fragrance. On positive point though: it has average performance (that is: better than most of the other Fazzolari frags). Given the amount of (cheaper and often more interesting) frags I have smelt until now, this is not unique or "stunning" enough to justify buying a full bottle, for me. At least, not at this ridiculous price point. Too bad.

Eau de Guerlain on steroids! A penetrating, radiant, everlasting citrus accompanied by stemmy rosemary. Nice update of a classic genre. Skews very masculine on me. I tried layering with SL Clair de Musc and the result was not bad. My husband objects to the strength and sillage—he smells "skeevy dude at the club." I disagree, but I'll grant Five doesn't suit me well. I'll likely swap my discovery sample.

Five is modern spin on a traditional EdC. All of the standard citrus and herbal players are present, but here they’re suspended over a prominent oakmoss-type base that gives off a slight mineralic effect. The result reads as both a critique and a corrective to the EdC genre; it’s as if Fazzolari is suggesting some tweaks and showing us how the EdC might be readjusted. It’s the citrus that gets your attention upfront, but whereas traditional EdCs often deploy abrasively sharp aromatic herbs that claw at your throat, here, claws have been clipped and manicured making for a more placid ride. This softer approach feels as though it's linked to a powder note of some kind, but it could also simply represent what an EdC’s standard materials smell like when aromatic herbs are dialed back. (It reminds a little of Bogue Profumo's Eau d'E at this point, but with less cypress.) There’s a soapyness, but it’s not shampoo-in-the-mouth soapy. I’m guessing that it’s coming from the woody notes—perhaps rosewood or teak—materials in which the natural soapyness is fairly mild. The base seems to be a variant of oakmoss—one of the synthetics, I believe. I picked up on something like that in Lampblack as well, but it feels more like a feature here. Also, if I'm not mistaken, there's even a touch of tobacco in this—but it's a very small tobacco if that's what it even is. Overall, the scent's effect is impressionistic and maybe a bit playful. So, a confession: I dislike this genre, strongly. Citrus aromatics are a total bust on me. Throw in some culinary herbs and anything that even remotely resembles soap, and I’m screaming to get away. Consequently, I can really only talk about this scent from an objective standpoint, but I will say that it’s certainly switching up the EdC form by balancing it out and curbing some of the abrasive juxtapositions that usually do my head in. But also, after an hour or so, the base becomes far more tasty with an almost dirty marine note emerging that is almost identical to the metallic watery effect at the heart of (brace yourselves) Sécrétions Magnifiques. But before you take off for the hills, the note is very subdued here, and personally, I find this metallic profile to be quite smart; I genuinely like it in SecMag. It’s essentially a nuanced, metallic, watery copper-y that compliments the remaining citrus in a clever, airy kind of way. So if you’re into stuff like Chanel’s Eau de Cologne and Guerlain’s Eau de Guerlain, then this might make a nice surrogate as its best feature can be found in its longevity—which is Herculean given the nature of materials. But even with that said, Five is still kind of lost on me simply due to personal preferences.

يقدم برنو فازولارى نفسه باعتباره فنان فى الاساس وبما انه يحمل جذوه الفن المتقده داخل روحه فهو يسعى لتجربه ابداعيه متكامله عن طريق استخدام البقع اللونيه فى رسم لوحاته ومحاوله وصلها بتوليفات عطريه يبدعها ويستخدم بها كما يدعى مكونات غايه فى النقاء. استخدم الفنان الشاب فى عطره هذا نوتات حمضيه بكثافه مع بعض التوابل والاخشاب مغلفه ببعض الاروما كيميكال والتى هى موضه عطور هذه الايام والتى تمنح العطر اشراقا وتزيد من فوحانه وعصريته. استخدم فى افتتاحيه عطره الليمون الحامض مع الروزمارى وزهر البرتقال مع تواجد رائع للنيرولى على خلفيه من الاخشاب السويتيه . العطر بسيط خالى من التعقيد ويشبه روائح الكولونيا او الباربير شوب التى قتلت بحثا من براندات كثيره كفلوريس و بنهاليجونز وربما استعاض صانع العطر عن رائحه طحلب السنديان التقليديه بمكونات اخف ثقلا واقل هيمنه . العطر كعطر جيد الى حد كبير وسهل التقبل والارتداء وبالفعل تبدو مكوناته نقيه ومحببه للانف ولكنه يفقد الابتكار والتفرد وتستطيع ان تجد له عشرات البدائل . يأتى العطر على هيئه ماء تزين فى عبوه بسيطه كعاده الدور الناشئه التى تبدو كما لو كانت دورا للهواه بسعر نيشى ٣٠مل بما يقترب من المائه دولار .

I can't speak to the historical nature of colognes, and reviewers below have done a far better job than I could! What I can speak to however is a love of citrus and herbaceous fragrances, and Five is a wonderful composition that is the best of both worlds. The citrus is definitely the predominant family, and as mentioned previously no one fruit really takes the lead, it's a melange of citrus which is less rind and more fruit. The citrus is almost bubbly, but not full on "fizzy" like CdG Soda is, for example. Rosemary is a note that I don't see often, or at least not often enough for my taste because it's one of my all time favorite natural smells. Here there is a piquant sprig that makes the fragrance lean less "citrus zest" and way more ... natural spa? There is also a definite woodsy base to everything that grounds it and, presumably, helps it last as long as it does - a good 4 or 5 hours on my skin. Impressive for the notes it's comprised of, definitely. Really enjoy this one, and I enjoyed learning about colognes as well.

Lots of perfumers attempt a long-lasting citrus freshness but very few have the appealing “je ne sais quoi “ of the short-lived classic colognes that inspire them. Five is a failure to me in that regard. It’s strong and long-lasting at the expense of charm and beauty. Perfumes that aggressively announce “CLEAN” like Five does, amusingly communicate the opposite to me by suggesting the wearer didn’t have time to shower so he needed something the strength of a car air freshener pine tree to hide the stench of his unwashed armpits.

I want so much to love this line, but this is 2 in 0... so I will keep going. The design of the bottles and descriptions speak to me on many levels. Five feels like my 2001 high school boyhood - Ralph Lauren Polo, in the gym locker room after swim class, where I was trying too hard. It's super citrusy and sugary at first, then mellows after a few hours to be acceptable enough. Maybe winter was an awful time to try this?

This is very good bright citrus herbal woody! A very interesting feature is bitter sharp dry lemon is a "top top" note & very prominent at very beginning, while juicy orange is a "bottom top" note that reveals itself as the lemon settles down. It's also very cool how the juicy orange gradually merges & transitions into sweet honey spicy neroli.

I would say this is a classic Fougere with a new school twist. There is definitely some citrus, especially in the opening. But you will immediately get the classic Fougere scent profile behind that. This part of the transition stays for the remainder of the fragrance experience. I’m interested to give this a full wearing. This might be fbw.

This is quiet possibly the perfect spring time fragrance. The powerful, but pleasant citrus smell stays strong all day. Wearing this just brightens your day. I keep a sample spray bottle of it at work so if I forget to wear something I put it on. Love it!