French Defense

Update: I think it's fair for me to be honest, after leaving a rave review, that I've fallen out of love with this one. Being that this was something different for me, I went head over heels, and then realized this is actually quite thin in feel overtime. And then I made a similarity that kind of killed it for me: black cherry kool-aid (an expensive and high-quality kool-aid, mind you)... over an amber base, with some florals. My romance with French Defense is over, lol. It's still very nice, though. I ended up preferring Sissa and Queening more. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I see there has been a surge in cherry perfumes, lately. I'm game for cherry, but I haven't been impressed until I smelled French Defense. THIS is the truest black cherry fragrance out there, and I can't get it off of my mind. I will not rest until I have a full bottle of this. I'm sorry but... Tom Ford, eat your heart out. This is deep enough to where it is genuinely unisex. Don't let the floral notes deter you from trying this, gentlemen. The black cherry is served on a woody amber base. It may just be my chemistry, but those florals are simply background noise on me. French Defense stays true to itself for a couple hours, and its main con is this: as it fades, the cherry note starts to smell synthetic and plastic-y. That can be remedied with re-application, though. Cherry is generally a tricky note to play with, but Mind Games did it the best. Lasting power is lacking a bit, but it's such a uniquely done cherry that I'll put up with consistent reapplications. So, so, so good. Note: I layered this with Queening, and it was an interesting combination. A bit like cherry vanilla coke with rum, if you want to be experimental.

A few personal thoughts after spending a couple of months with my new bottle, taking into account that this is a costly fragrance purchase ($375 +tax): * First, don’t go into this fragrance with the mentality that it will be “ultra-niche” smelling or challenging in any way... which might be an easy mistake given the price tag. This fragrance has designer sensibilities (albeit high-end) meant to appeal to almost everyone. * At its core, it is still something you find at Dillards, Nordstrom, etc. (where it is sold). Most will appreciate the wearability, but some who have been heavy into fragrance for years may want more. Ultimately, it's very good at what it's intended for... smelling damn good to you and those around you. * Now the obvious... A WOW CHERRY. There is no question that this is very cherry-centric. You definitely won’t find yourself questioning, “I think I can pick out the cherry note,” as sometimes happens with many other fragrances. * If you’ve ever opened a packet of black cherry flavored Crystal Light or Koolaid and inhaled a blast of the powder that floats up in your face, you’ve smelled French Defense’s opening. This smell lasts through the duration of the fragrance as it melds into a designer-esque amber wood. * Layering options are fun with this one. Apply with "Chocolate Greedy" for a cherry cordial, "Tonka Cola" for a Cherry Coke, "Reflection Man" for cherry blossoms, etc. If money is no option and cherry is your thing, I'd recommend French Defense without reservation. Rating: 8.75/10

Got a decanted tester of this and oh my... Smelled on blotting paper, the first note is that deep, dark cherry. If anyone remembers Cherry in the Air by Escada, think the opposite of that cheap, synthetic sweetly sour cherry. This is deep and juicy, like discovered in a deep forest. I assume it was the violet leaves that made me raise my brow a little bit, they we're harshly masculine for a split second, but it got pressed down very quickly, melding into this fruity, sophisticated floral scent with a deep, warm amber presence with not too dry or wet wood. This is what I would imagine smelling on a weeknight when playing a casual game of chess after work at a leisurely club, against a highly intellectual, rich, yet down to earth professional. It honestly feels like the chess opening it is supposed to represent. I could totally see Alexandra Botez, who plays the French, wearing this. Will update when I test on skin, but just two sprays from a high quality atomiser on paper made my whole bedroom smell beautiful, I had to take the paper outside the room and air out, because the scent really lingered. It still lingers, even though I washed my hands, only put two sprays and took the paper into another room. It is potent, but not strong or harsh. It just likes to create a solid position. I think this would be a two, even just one spray type of deal.

UPDATED REVIEW: First things first, my price expectation for this was absurd haha Around 200-250 is what I can find the Mind Games I have enjoyed, and this was no different ~$250. Very much worth the time it took to actually see it down to this price, which is significantly below retail. This is my favorite cherry forward fragrance. A beautiful wear and one that I can see many women gravitating to, but leans quite masculine on my skin. Second cherry fragrance I'd own, still way behind this one, would be Bodacious - though they smell NOTHING alike - French Defense still stands rather unique and is one I encouraging everyone to sample first! ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- OLD REVIEW: Coming up on 8h with a noticeable presence in the air. This lingers in the air more than it takes over the space in projection. BEAUTIFUL dark cherry, leaning a bit more masculine than even I expected. Great scent profile and development, with an interesting approach to a dark fruity amber that does carry good versatility year-round aside from summer and warmer transitional days. Cost-benefit = not for me. I'd love to pick this up for around $150 as I would Blockade. Great presentation but need to see the price coming a bit lower, though plenty of quality is present here.

Recently picked this up last Friday while vacationing in Denver and I have always been a little apprehensive to dig into this brand solely based on the price of admission. I initially stopped at Neiman Marcus to smell the new creeds as well as anything new Xerjoff had released but ended up with French Defense... So to the scent itself It starts off with a juicy/syrup-y Cherry ( not candy like, think of maraschino cherry ) with a mildly sweet vanilla backbone, the cherry starts to die off around the 1 hour mark but it stays noticeable throughout the entire life of it. but then the "blonde woods" kicks in and it has a really nice soft woody note to it that keeps it on the masculine side ( although I think this is totally unisex ). I did not expect to love this as much as I do, I rarely find one with such juicy fruit in the top as well as such a soft warmth at the same time. I have been wearing this to the office for the last few days and have had a handful of compliments which isn't usual so that only tells me I made the right choice. I would say you can wear this day or night and in almost any weather just don't go too heavy because this stuff lasts a while. total: 9/10