Shades of Seduction

This is my first time reviewing Galleria Parfums. I do have other scents from the collection but this is my favorite of the bunch so far. The main reason is because I'm a fan of spicy woods profiles. So SoS is right up my alley. The fragrance starts out as a well rounded version of PdM's Layton, it's not as harsh and surprisingly on the smoother side. I really do love how it's sweet yet refreshing. After about 30 mins or so, the Layton feel drops, and it becomes more of a amber woody fragrance with hints of cardamom, the amber is what holds this whole fragrance together. I'm currently wearing this for a whole week now, and I've gotten compliments constantly. Here in AZ we're obviously still warmer than other parts of the US, however, this fall scent really does bring about the joy and sensation of the holidays to come. My rating for SoS: Longevity: 9/10 (It's not a perfect 10, only because the fragrance doesn't do all that well when you're in open air. We've been getting dust storms and lot's of wind lately in my area, so the scent loses it's grip around 4-5 hours of walking around outdoors. The redeeming factor for the high score, however, is when in an air conditioned room, the scent lingered and lasted a solid 10 hours+) Projection: 8/10 (This isn't a mega powerful projection beast. Although, if you're spraying it around family, keep it to 3-4 sprays. It WILL overpower the whole room when you first spray this. About 30 mins later it'll be a scent that lingers at arms length.) Uniqueness: 5/10 (I can't be bias on this point. This scent really reminded me of too many other fragrances that have gone this route. There's nothing special or unique about SoS, however, it's still an amazing scent for those who haven't owned the many other hyped up fragrances.) Price: 10/10 (Hands down, the best value for quality you can find. You're getting a beast of a fragrance, that performs on par with PdM's Layton. for a fraction of what Layton goes for. I only spent 125$ on this bottle. While Layton on the other hand, was a whopping 230$, and that was at discounters. Even when you're lucky and get a great discount, you're still looking at 200$ if you're buying Layton. So if you're a beginner just starting your fragrance journey, I'd say grab a bottle of this if you're trying to save some money.) Overall: 8.5/10 (I would recommend blind buying SoS any day. I'll be buying another bottle of this just to have on back up. Because at the price they're selling, it's an awesome deal, for an amazing Fall/Winter scent.)

I absolutely love this fragrance. To my nose this is a very high quality blend leading to gentle and natural spicy vanilla forward scent. I don't get as much Layton vibe as others since the bergamot sticks around for a bit and makes this a more citrus vanilla than Layton, but in a very pleasant way. This is an intoxicating smell that I much prefer over Layton. Unfortunately, the projection is really not there beyond the first hour or two, so this is definitely an intimate scent that is discovered rather than announced. My wife has sat next to me and not realized that I was wearing it until she was hovering directly over my skin. I find that strange because I easily get 10+ hours on my skin, and I personally pick up the scent that entire time. It is just seems to be a skin scent very quickly, and if there was anything I would want to improve it would be that. I would not want to improve it at the expense of the scent though. I find this very warm and comforting, and have already put a significant dent in my bottle after just a couple of weeks owning it... At the current holiday season price (135), I think this fragrance is actually a very good value, and I may actually get a backup before the end of the sale given how much I am over indulging myself now...

Sweet Warm Spiciness. There is a sweet, vanillic gourmand accord shared by multiple Galleria perfumes, and Shades of Seduction (SoS) is one of them. SoS is a sweet, spicy, warm, ambery scent. Cinnamon dominates with it's sweet, warm spiciness. It is softened by a mellow, lightly-sweet, and slightly-woody amber accord. Another dose of sweetness is added with vanillic benzoin. This sweet spicy amber accord is then freshened with clean lavender (just like in Dream Woods). Then, it is freshened and spiced further with a clean, cool cardamom note. The guaiac adds some light weight to the fragrance's woodiness. Very sweet, warm, spicy, ambery, vanillic, cool, clean, lightly-woody. The fragrance it reminds me of the most is Antonio Banderas Spirit Night Fever. The same warm, sweet cinnamon but in SoS the sweetness is doubled. I mean it is so gourmand, it does indeed smell like a Mugler A*Men creation. It also reminds me of a sweeter Burberry London for Men. SoS smells like Spirit Night Fever + London + vanilla, you may say. This is a very likeable, masculine, gourmand fragrance. Perfect for cool weather. Very good performance, like the rest of Galleria creations. Big "Like".

Think D&G The One but different, niche, better made with variety of notes. The familiar side of this fragrance comes from the use of lavender-cardamom-bergamot combo (which will invoke a feeling there is a trace of La Nuit de l'Homme in here). Also, almost more than half of the notes in this perfume are common with Layton. The distinct part here, IMO, comes from the unusual use of pink pepper, cinnamon and black vanilla orchard which creates an accord similar to cherry or cranberry syrup (just slightly reminiscent of Pure Tonka or NoS N001). The latter, however, is more prominent and therefore this is really a sweet fragrance that has some spicy, woody and aromatic elements. Sweetness has also some woody aspect to it (similar to La Nuit and Layton) and in general this is a well done likeable niche scent, border lining designer. I like it and this is definitely a must try but you must love dark fruity sweetness. Everything else is done in moderation here but sweetness will get you if you are not a fan. This is my second purchase from Ashton's line. Cognac Cafe is still rated highest in my book but this one is a very close second!!!

This is really good, as the other reviews describe it definitely smells similar to Layton. It's very smooth, and the quality is very good. Ignore the fact that it's a failed-Youtuber venture, and you have yourself a very good fragrance here. I just wanted to leave a review to recommend picking this up before it's gone, Galleria is selling off all their stock and they have testers of this left for $41 + shipping. The original price point of $205 was way too high, but at $41 this is a great buy. The fragrance is like a more mature version of the Layton DNA. The other reviews nailed it, I'm just adding a recommendation for this one since its cheap and smells high quality. This one doesn't last the longest, but it still smells great, and i think it's worth grabbing before it's gone. I would say this fits the 30 and up crowd, but anyone can really wear this one. It's definitely a date night scent, cooler weather. Not cloying but the sweetness warrants cooler temperature wear.

I love this because it smells so much similar to PDM - Layton. It doesn't smell exactly like Layton, but it's close. It's not apple sweet in the opening at all (which you get with Layton), but the smell of this is how Layton smells after the opening. This has richness at the top and the mid (not as much as Layton), but at the base it gets a bit dull and more woody. If you want to keep that richness, then you can easily just spray on your clothes and you'll have it all day. On me this lasted about 6-7 hours maybe less. It smelled strong for about 2-4 hours and then became weaker afterwards. I believe this projects about 6 feet, or it travels but it gets weaker the further it travels. I will have to test again in a week and see how much more I notice. I hate that I am comparing this wonderful fragrance to Layton, but it helps get the picture across.

As others have mentioned, this smells extremely similar to Layton... I am actually curious what the 48 people who said it doesn't smell like Layton are looking for when they say it's not similar. Is it identical, nope... But it is really close (For the record, I wear Layton a couple times most weeks). Considering you can pick this up from $50 right now, it's a safe "inspired by Layton" fragrance. Off my skin, it's more citrusy (you are giving up apple for bergamot), but the woods, lavender, and vanillic (not listed above, but it's there) notes are all there. I prefer Layton, the vanilla and lavender project a bit better. However, for $50 this is a nice cheap alternative.

Shades of seduction—I quite like this. The first time I used the tester, I thought it was just so-so but that's not true. It is a dark, sophisticated date night scent. Spicy but not tickle your nose spicy. The image I get is of sitting in a very quiet, classy hotel bar and having whatever you’d consider to be a splurge cocktail. The people-watching is fine, the room is gorgeous, and you just feel lucky to be having this night. It’s that kind of scent. Oh, and I also want to point out that in my opinion this has the bonus of being a unisex scent AND, strikes the balance of something memorable but not challenging—I feel it is hard to dislike

I haven't really tried Layton tbh. But this is one of the best from this house aside from dream woods. At first i thought the performance on this also sucks so i put on 8 sprays all over my neck and shoulders. And to my surprise, it was projecting strong. Like on the 5th hour of applying, i was complemented like about 2 to 3 meters away from me. They told me my perfume was enveloping the entire kitchen with the smell of food and all, they still think my perfume is strong. This one and cognac cafe has the best performance

A sweeter, less spicy version of Layton. Overall great quality and good longevity. This line is fantastic but unfortunately discontinued. This goes well when layered with a leather fragrance to counteract some of the sweetness.

This one smells like seduction. Honestly its kind of one of those inviting and enticing scents. A mass appealer for sure

This is a dead ringer for CH Men. A bit softer and warmer, but the same vibe. Smells like money. Wonderful.

A perfected Extrait version of YSL LNDH, but superior and more quality and nuanced.

This is my first wearing of Galleria Parfums Shades of Seduction, an aptly-named warm, sweet, spicy scent that’s cozy and alluring in a modern, unisex fashion, with some of the standout notes being vanilla, cardamom, pink pepper, patchouli, and woods. It definitely leans more sweet than it does spicy—it’s not as spicy as Dusk to Dawn or Victorian Tobacco, for example—but it’s not as creamy and bright as Dream Woods. It’s a very easy-to-wear, relaxing but interesting yet still not overpowering semi-spicy option that’s quite unisex and contemporary while not being too quirky for the mainstream crowd. Shades of Seduction might actually be the most agreeable of the scents from the line that I’ve smelled so far, just ahead of Dusk to Dawn. One needn’t be a fan of gourmands or a prominent tobacco or leather, for example, to like this, but rather just enjoy the modulated spiced vanilla vibe that is the dominant feel of the fragrance. The retail pricing is $205 for 100ml, in extrait concentration, the same for all seven initial entries in the line. It performs quite well, not as strong as the very strongest of the line that I’ve tried so far, Victorian Tobacco, but still nicely for a scent of its type that leans toward more cold weather use. Overall, it’s roughly on par with Dusk to Dawn as far as creativity and utility, still not quite as outstanding as Victorian Tobacco but nonetheless well-executed and, like Dusk to Dawn, quite versatile. 7 out of 10

This brings peace, my friends. Sexy, mysterious, alluring and soothing too. It won't only make you feel confident it helps the apple of your eye feel calm. So if love is on your mind this won't alienate your audience. This parfum has quality ingredients and is mixed by the perfumer who created Amouage's Reflection Man so you can bet it has taste. It's spicy, too, for those who like a little growl in their seduction. If you're looking for a new scent to get closer with the one you love to love this Galleria fragrance should be explored. Shades of Seduction dries down to a soft orchid accord so this one gets close to the skin. You may want to spray a little extra to make the love go farther. Yes, I won't be changing my mind about this Galleria Parfums line. It's good stuff. Peace

This is the second Galleria Parfum I have tried. Again, it is very nice. The quality of the blend and constituents is apparent. Shades of Seduction does open up very much like PDM Layton. Surprisingly similar. But that similarity only lasts the first 15 minutes on my skin. After that, the amberwood and black orchid come up to add a TF Noir or TF Black Orchid vibe. Because of this, it truly is a unisex fragrance. Serious date night option. I really like it, and would not hesitate to also recommend for a women, age 25+

At first I didn't think it was close to layton, and then half year later, now I spray again. It feels like similar to Layton without juicy apple and also with less spice. Vibe is similar though. Is it better than Layton? No. Worth 40USD on tester clearance price? Maybe, unless you feel other middle-eastern clones are better quality.

People that said that this is like Layton... No way! While it has some of the same notes... it's not and dont think you are picking this up as something similar. I really like this one though. Lasts maybe 5-6 hours on skin for me.

Take four parts Layton, one part YSL LNDL, mix together, and... BAM! You've got Shades of Seduction.

When I first smelled this, I loved it! It had a sweet, fruity character amid a warm & spicy backdrop. Reminded me of something along the lines of L'Homme Ideal (either EDT or EDP). Upon first wearings of all of them, Shades was instantly my favorite from the collection. ...Then someone pointed out that it has a similarity to Layton. I didn't believe them, but I humored the thought and pulled out my decant of Layton to compare them side-by-side. To my shock, they do indeed both have that menthol/Vicks Vaporub-type note to them. Unfortunately, this instantly ruined the fragrance for me. Now I can't help but smell that medicinal note and it kinda makes me dizzy. Needless to say, Layton is not one of my favorite scents and now neither is this one. Really sucks cause I actually enjoyed it that first time.

Smooth and well blended for what it is, I just don't enjoy this style on myself. This is sweet lavender and smooth patchouli in the typical fashion, traditionally more masculine, if you're into sweeter scents. Clean, pleasing, inoffensive and office appropriate if you don't overspray. Review of official trial size spray sample from discovery set. UPDATE This just keeps growing sweeter on me as it wears. Now it's coming across very young, like a club or date night frag. The kind that would attract those who enjoy extremely sweet, almost sticky, scents. Still smooth but definitely not something I'm interested in.

From the moment I sprayed to it settling down to a skin scent, this screamed Layton to me. It has that same effervescent, peppery, light woody vibe. Not a terrible thing. It's approachable and easy to like, but it's not new. Performance was middling. I don't hate Shades of Seduction; I actually quite like it. I just have a hard time not straight up comparing this to Layton, which tops it in every way.

75% Layton + 25% La Nuit de Lhomme + make it smell cheaper and lower quality than either of those and you’ve got Shades of Seduction. Again, another derivative clone / mish-mash of two popular fragrances which is a shame.

I got the sample box. For reference, my favorite is Cognac Cafe, I think it's phenomenal. I also liked Victorian Tobacco enough to buy a bottle. Not a fan of Dream Woods, something in it, I think the Guaiac Wood smells like bile to me. Now, Shades of Seduction: I get all the reviewers comparing it to Layton with a touch of LNDL. I am right now wearing Shades and Layton side by side and they are very close. I will tell you though, that I am not a huge fan of Layton, I just think it's OK and IMO, the difference between Layton and Shades is what makes Shades a better fragrance. I think it has less of that infamous menthol note, although it is still there, but that is enough to tip my preference to Shades. It could definitely go the other way to a different nose, it's just my preference. But, I think Shades of Seduction is definitely full bottle worthy, a suitable substitute for Layton, and for less money. Edited to add, in the far dry down, Shades of Seduction settles in to a beautiful sweet and spicy vanilla. Layton at the same stage still smells a little bitter and sharp by comparison.

I don't know how I forgot to review this one. This is such a beautiful fragrance, I had my heart set on layton for the longest time until a friend of mine bought a bottle of this and I was able to smell it. To me it is like layton but amped up a little bit and it somehow just feels like slightly higher quality. I never thought I would say that about any Parfums de Marly fragrances but here we are. When I did sample Layton I feel like it never really stuck around very long. This one definitely gives me a little bit more longevity and just makes me feel good every time I wear it. I'm SOOO GLAD I got a bottle before it was discontinued. If you're lucky enough to find a bottle I would highly recommend, especially for around 1/2 the cost of PdM

The cardamom note is reminiscent of La Nuit, but the rest of the fragrance is nothing like it. It also has absolutely no resemblance to Layton to my nose. Sweet, smooth, and at times even a little smoky (probably due to the Guaiac wood)—SoS is probably the simplest of the line. Easy to wear and mass-appealing, it's the closest to a designer you'll find, but with higher quality ingredients.

It's a great scent. It's essentially Layton with the menthol aspect toned way down. Doesn't project or perform as monstrously as Layton though, but that's not a con.

A spicier version of Layton by Parfums de Marly.