Darley

#949 in my "Tour de Fragrance" So I have JPG "Le Male", and this is a little similar, though much, much smoother and better performing. I'd certainly love a more potent EDP take on Le Male, but enough to pay $250+ for PDM's version of that scent? Especially since i already have Sedley which is not wildly different except for no cinnamon. I'll have to macerate on that a couple of months. I also have Amouage "Reflection Man." Not minty. I suppose I could layer it with Azzaro Homme "Wild Mint" and come close. It is a little more similar to Roja's "Scandal Pour Homme" Also mint. But if I had to choose, I'd choose the Roja, which I've tried but don't yet own. It's more complex and actually a less expensive scent. But for me Amouage "Enclave" has no peer in the mint category, though it weighs in at a whopping $380, and there are reasonable clones out there (Abraaj "Enclosure"). For the budget conscious you could actually go with Ralph Lauren "Polo Sport." It's nowhere near in performance. But if you do not already have Polo "Cologne Intense", which is an EDP, and you want something with mint that lasts, that's where I would start. Not with this. That said, this is car pool, elevator and close space safe. I suspect great date wear. Definitely masculine though. I'm thinking it over. But if you're listening Maison Alhambra, and you're picking another PDM to dupe, this would be a good one!

Why, why, why are we not talking about this more? Minty, sweet, clean. It smells like a slightly sweeter shower gel, with brightness with some sparkle. This is an excellent people-pleaser that you can wear in any occasion. I've been looking for a fragrance like this for a while to wear during the summer, and I'm happy I found it. Most of the best summer fragrances are aquatic and quite generic compared to winter fragrances. However, Darley is like a sweet, minty garden with a handsome, masculine spine. The florals are there, but they are subdued enough let everything else in the profile shine. As I've said in a previous review, Parfums de Marly executes lavender like no one else. Just the right amount. I don't think Darley smells that much like JPG Le Male. Yes, there are some similarities, but not enough to say this is another version of it. I strongly prefer Darley over Le Male. Darley is more versatile, sophisticated, and mass-appealing in a great way. Performance is great, with projection and longevity above average. I say performance is great because with a scent profile like this, "monster projection" wouldn't be appropriate. This fragrance is quite easily one of the easiest wears in my collection. If you're looking for a dumb reach that isn't an aquatic or "blue" fragrance, this is it. All-year scent and performance, inoffensive, not boring. Perfection.

I have to say that I really love this one. It is more or less in the same style as Amouage Reflection Man but it's definitely not close enough to say that one is redundant if you have the other one. Reflection is more on the fresh and sweet side and I would say it stands out more while Darley is more mature, easy going and kind of dry if that's the right word. I am not sure how it compares to JPG Le Male as I acutally never smelled it but I do have Le Male Elixir and there are some similarities between that and Darley. Darley is obviously far from being so sweet and smells higher quality. I guess it makes sense given the comparisons with the original Le Male. In my opinion Darley is a perfect signature scent, very versatile, all year round for every occasion. Wearing it makes me feel clean, fresh and maybe not exactly classy but well groomed. Having said all of that, I am still on the fence about buying this. While I love this fragrance, it does smell kind of basic, and the performance on my skin is so-so. I would have to spray at least 5 times and most likely re-apply during the day to be happy with the performance. Doing so at USD 200+ for the 125ml bottle doesn't sound like a good deal. Sidenote: I don't see it on the official PDM Website, has this been discontinued?

First impression, it’s nice and enjoyable on the opening but it smells simple. The opening has nice notes of amber and spice with light notes of a woody vanilla with a bit of mint and floral in it. It has a very warm feeling as well. As it dries down Darley keeps the same notes but they blend together even better than the opening. To note; when I say that Darley smells simple I mean that in the best way, it is perfectly blended and the different notes are in perfect balance; combining into what is basically a singular note. The longevity is good, it lasted 6 hours on my skin and clothes. After the initial dry down it stayed the same for the next 6 hours, fading out to complete gone in the 7th hour. I would say a 8/10 for longevity, both because of the 6 to 7 hour performance and also because I’m very impressed with such a mildly easy wearing scent lasting as longs as it did. Projection could be a little better, this was a skin scent for me after the first 30 minutes of dry down. 6/10 for projection. This is a gorgeous simple well balanced easy wearing scent that is a dead easy reach for cooler days. 8/10 overall!

The LeMale and Original Santal vibe is spot on. If I had to pick a side, I would say it leans more LeMale but has some of the Original Santal spiciness facets to it as well. I don't hear this one talked about much which is a shame.....but I can see why since it does share similarities with LeMale and Original Santal. It's definitely creamy and refined rose/mint/lavender. Blended together it gives this luxurious spiciness that gives this scent bubble that everyone will want to know more about. This can be worn just about any time of the year and to just about any function you're going to! In terms of complements, I would put it above Percival....and that's saying a lot since Percival always garners attention. Longevity......I put this on the other day at 6am right out of the shower on my t-shirt (4 sprays). I picked up wafts the entire work day and could easily smell it into the evening. Who can wear this? Because it has a bit of that playful LeMale thing going on I think someone in their early 20's can pull it off. I'm in my mid 40's and wear this occasionally throughout the year. Cheers!

Love at first sniff! 😍 This to me doesn’t smell like Le Male or Reflection Man. I’ll concede that they could be considered to be linked to the same scent profile, but that is where it ends. This wouldn’t be an inessential purchase if you already own Le Male or Reflection Man. (I own both) This is an excellent fragrance, worthy of holding its own! A perfect addition to the PDM spring/summer collection. A soft, but masculine scent that you & others will enjoy. Projection: 1.5-2 good hours of projection, about 1metre, then settles in closer but it radiates off your skin beautifully. You get wafts throughout the life of the fragrance. Sillage: scent trail is light after 2-3 hours, however it remains for the life of the fragrance, just closer. Longevity: 8+ Becomes a skin scent around the 8 hour mark but as you move around you will catch wafts for the duration of the fragrance. Versatility: Almost any occasion, especially a climate controlled work environment. The only season that I don’t believe would work well would be winter. (Not strong enough) Very underrated! 11/10

An absolutely beautiful and highly underrated scent. It might be similar to some others, but to me this is more refined, perfectly blended and stands apart from the rest. I don't think anything but good thoughts when I am wearing this because it takes the negative ones away for me, and I can spend more time reflecting on the beautiful things in life. This is probably near the top of my collection, if not the top. To me, this smells like fresh linen hanging out to dry on a warm summer day as the Sun begins to set and cast all of its colors throughout the sky. The Sun is bright and the clouds are reflecting it's dazzling reds, purples and yellows as far as you can see. Butterflies are in the air as the gentlest wind envelopes you and gently shakes the flora. Everything is just perfect and you sit there knowing that the days don't get much better. Throw in some vanilla and this is what you get. Very classy and elegant, and smells just how I like to feel. Really fucking good.

I must love this genre of fragrance. I own Amouage Reflection Man, JPG Le Male, JPG Le Male Le Parfum, and Creed Original Santal as well as Darley. I agree with some of the comments below - this smells like a combination of Reflection Man/Le Male and Creed Original Santal. Is it original? Nope. Does is it smell great and can you wear it almost all year round as a signature scent? Yes. There is a lot of love for other PDM scents - typically ones that are a little heavier - Herod, Layton, Pegasus, Oajan, Carlisle, etc. I like all of them, but I find most (outside of Layton) I reserve for Fall/Winter. Darley is a bit more versatile than the other PDMs I have listed. I prefer it over Le Male and Reflection Man and right up there with Original Santal.

I got a sample of Darley with my purchase of PDM Althaïr and it was quite honestly love at first sniff. I can see what people mean with the whole “Niche Le Male” thing, however to me, Darley smells very very similar to the Little Trees Fresh Shave air freshener, which to me is a good thing because i love that smell and have been looking for a similar fragrance for years. As others have said, Darley opens Citrus and Mint forward, however it quickly becomes a creamy sandalwood/fougere fragrance. The silage and longevity could be better for the price but it’s not as if it’s dissipating like JV Artisan or something like that. As of May 2024, I love this Fragrance and will be picking up a full bottle.

This is a beautiful Spring time scent! I always receive a compliment whenever I wear it. And Contrary to popular opinion, this smells nothing like JPG Le Male. This is a far more refined and elegant fragrance in comparison. Surprisingly, no one has pointed out that this is near identical to Refection Man (which is also amazing). I've tried both on skin, and although the opening for RM is a bit different, the dry downs are near indistinguishable. In the air, no one will be able to tell the difference. This is a perfect blend of lavender, mint, and sandalwood that will last forever. I highly recommend this fragrance.

Its hard to describe how darley smells, but i like to think JPGs ''Le Male'' smells like a cheap clone of this, even though le male is more than 15 years older. This just smells more natural to me, more so walking into a barbershop but also walking through a field of flowers. Lovely summer scent that DESPERATELY needs more attention. The only thing that isnt perfect about this is longevity. I get roughly 1.5 (2.5 MAYBE 3 if im sweating lightly) hours of mid projection, followed by one hour of mediocre projection. This absolutely isnt so bad for a summer scent but i'd still wish for more

A grown up version of Le Male (not that I don’t wear Le Male). I love this entire genre of fougere DNAs...this, Refelection Man and Le Male. Darley opens up mint forward. Begins to blend with the lavender on dry down. Sandalwood then takes over to make a smooth sexy mature fragrance. It’s fantastic. Projection and longevity are above average. Perfect for every occasion although the others could be considered more playful for weekends or going out. Highly recommend, although always get a sample to try it out before going all in with full bottle.

I see and understand the comparisons to le male and reflection. This could be a sibling of both. However, where reflection has a spice kick to it, this does not. Darley seems to have a very smooth quality to it. Of the three, this is my preference. I get phenomenal projection for 4 hours - after that, it still projects - but not as far - and I'm talking about 1 spray y'all. 1 spray. Go easy. This will give you a sore throat. G'head and throw this to the top of your rotation. A worthy blind buy if you're a fan of reflection or le male. 6/10

Layton, Herod, Sedley, Carlisle, etc, get all the attention, and it is well deserved. But when you get into PDM, you find this criminally underrated scent. Similar to how PDM took Abercombie and Fitch's Fierce....made it higher quality and longer lasting...then called it Percival, I can see the similarities here with Le Male and Darley. Great year around (except may be winter) fresh minty scent, that can be a very unique signature scent if you have the money. Performance is very solid, not quite Layton or Herod, but solid performance.

Take Le Male, replace the vanilla with a creamy sandalwood, and this is the result. As someone who was never a fan of the sweeter vanilla dry-down of Le Male, Darley stands as the perfect replacement. The initial dry-down is kind of funky to me, not sure why I get that. Thankfully, that goes away after 15 minutes or so and goes back to that wonderful opening aroma of Le Male we all know (maybe a just me thing?). 1-2 hours in and the creamy sandalwood really starts to reveal itself, providing an excellent all-around fragrance.

Love this scent and find myself reaching for it whenever I want to feel clean and uplifting . I get the profile isn’t the most original but the quality of the ingredients speak for themselves. This is a kinda go anyway do anything scent.. traditional barber shop style not a typical PDM DNA. Definitely a sleeper from the brand. This has become my signature scent and one my partner loves on me. Wouldn’t say it would appeal to younger crowd as I can definitely see the demographic of the wearer being 30+.

Still my favorite and probably will be for a long time. Hopefully I don't ever get tired of it. Anything else is an also-ran. This is definitely my most worn warm weather fragrance, but I still don't get to wear it enough because I have to cycle in all the other stuff too. Maybe once a week at most. This will work for some time because then I don't really have the chance to get sick of this one. To me, this smells like a most comfortable day full of love and leisurely fun. A perfect day.

It’s what Mont Blanc individual smells like if it got turned into a niche perfume. I got to smell a lot of niche fragrances today in Beverly Hills perfumery store, they had pretty much most niche houses in the store with most of their products from each house on display. I walked out with this as my top pick. It has this vintage fougere yet this smooth ambery/vanilla dry down. This is a must grab as far as I’m concerned. This is top 3 fragrance from PDM.

really great versatile scent. Sweet but not too sweet at all. I pick up the woodiness and the vanilla most, with a white floral touch. This is a super easy fragrance but I feel it's super unisex. I would still wear this, but I would totally enjoy if a woman wore this too. The tonka and sandalwood do a lot of heavy lifting for the scent profile, and it just does a great job. Seriously this is awesome, works for all seasons and occasions, great experience.

Gorgeous ROSE-Mint perfume! Darley is such a darling perfume, surely not only for men.. I found this one the most unisex out of the Marly's. It is warm, herbal, rosey, minty and the dominant cinnamon note reminds me of advent time:) a little early now in august, but winter will come..the overall impression is a heavy oriental, creamy oily spiced up rose! I am very short of falling in love with this scent. Could have been an Amouage..