Onyx

This was once one of my favorite fragrances.It's sad that they discontinued it because I didn't love the classic PS.It had good performance, lasting 8 hours.It was something sweet and spicy.

Paul Sebastian's Onyx is a very clean-smelling men's cologne. It combines an old-fashioned cool and bright, alcohol-doused vetiver aftershave opening with a middle and base of sweetened and spiced sandalwood, an unexpected timbre and temperature combination that works surprisingly well. Onyx keeps a polite, formal, old-fashioned edge, while dabbling in delicious woodsy warmth and spices beneath the surface. This is not a cologne that is woody, sweet, or warm with reckless abandon: rather, this is a restrained exploration of some of the facets of wood and spices, while fundamentally still being quite a clean, gentlemanly, old-fashioned composition. Although the fougere, that clean barbershop aftershave scent, has been a classic accord around for centuries, something about Onyx harkens back specifically to the 90s. It's very much a formal and professional fragrance and not a clubbing scent, but the way it screams bright and clean in its opening and fades to something less detectable is reminiscent of the initial loudness and relatively polite drydown of some calone-aquatic scents of its time. Something about that toothpaste-y clean green camphor- or menthol-laden opening brings me back to images of young men getting dressed in the morning in a time of fashion minimalism punctuated by unexpected, cringey-yet-nostalgic bits of oddness and loudness, driven by an authentic enthusiasm for new ideas and a simultaneous urge for cool simplicity. Onyx does, thus, feel a little dated, but I wouldn't call it "old": there is something distinctly youthful here, in a very 90s way. I'm not sure whether many young men these days wear fougeres, but I can see ambitious young professional men splashing this on in the 90s, taking themselves so very seriously, aspiring to an image of old-timey sophistication and class. Wearing Onyx is like trying on the ambition and hope of these men, who were, in turn, trying on the sophistication of their grandfathers. As I spray Onyx, the first thing I smell is a hint of bergamot, before the toothpaste-y rush of nondescript "men's clean fragrance base" alcohol floods my nose. There's a minty freshness to it that I suppose might partly be the sharpness of pepper. This quasi-mentholic coolness carries into the rest of the scent, and I'm surprised there isn't any particular note listed in the pyramid that might explain it. Perhaps this is the aromatic power of vetiver, bent into a very barbershop-clean, minty-and-bright sort of style. Still, it feels like something in the listed pyramid is missing compared to the true opening: something slightly green, perhaps cyprus, or some similar cool, aromatic wood with a timbre towards menthol or camphor. At first sniff, it appears that, somehow, the effect of the supposedly-warm spices pepper, cardamom, and nutmeg in Onyx is cool and refreshing rather than warm. Then I realize that they are couched underneath that cool, clean blast of mentholic vetiver alcohol, peering their heads out timidly along with the sandalwood and a hint of slightly sweet vanilla. Perhaps there is just a touch of patchouli earthiness adding depth and dimension to the sandalwood. It's more texture and grit than it is real dirt: the overall clean-ness of the scent drowns out any true earthiness. Within half an hour, the hold of the clean barbershop vetiver scent starts to lift, revealing the middle and base of sandalwood and spices. There's no smoke here, nor anything remotely dirty; this remains a very clean scent, even as the barbershop fresh smell fades away (though never entirely). In an hour, the scent is still quite clean, but the warm nature of the sandalwood and spices finally really starts to become prominent, rising to a volume equivalent to that of the opening coolness. There's a delicious slight sweetness to the sandalwood and vanilla, delicately spiced eith nutmeg and cardamom, that feels almost gourmand, but without any overwhelming sweetness or edible facets. A tasty creation from someone's spice cabinet has been brought into the barbershop: not a baked treat, but perhaps something like a slightly sweetened chai latte served in a delicious sandalwood mug. (Yes, I know there are no mugs made of sandalwood. This is a hypothetical.) This is a scent entirely unlike and opposite the cool fougere opening. Both warm and cold temperatures simultaneously enter your nostrils. Somehow, these two sides of Onyx play nicely with each other; it is too restrained to let either half enjoy an exploration of extremes, yet the combination and synergy of two distinct, contained scents is interesting, authentic, and new. Throughout the drydown, the signature of Onyx is this combination of cool aromatic freshness and warm spiced sandalwood, with almost cinnamon-like woody nuances, hints of sharp pepper and warm cardamom and nutmeg. On me, Onyx lasts some seven to eight hours, with overwhelming loud projection for the first half hour and fairly intimate sillage for the rest of its life. It feels like a bit of a costume piece, likely best-suited to the men approaching middle age now who had bought it in their youth, or, perhaps, for a young person with some great nostalgia for a time before they were born (after all, 90s nostalgia seems to have been in vogue now for longer than the 90s actually happened). Difficult to find and likely discontinued ahead of the emergence of Azzaro's Onyx to avoid confusion, Paul Sebastian's Onyx is a fascinating study of the excitement and over-serious restraint of its time. It makes a great office fragrance, with an opening that will wake you up in the morning and a quiet drydown that won't disturb anyone. It's unlike any cologne on the mainstream shelves today, and is a unique fragrance for the lover of both the old-fashioned fougere and the indulgent warm, spicy scent.

PS Onyx by Paul Sebastian opens with a rich Bergamot citrus with a touch of Cypress for sharpness. The top is bathed in a green leaf accord that has a smoothness similar to a rich avocado-like note. The heart is spicy Cardamom-Nutmeg with just a hint of fresh ground black pepper. The base is a woody Sandal and Vetiver accord on a lightly sweet Musk. There is a very light Patchouli aura mixed in throughout the base. This one can have very powerful sillage, but it can hide itself from the wearer. I was wearing it one day and after about 2 to 3 hours I could still smell it, but it seemed to have settled down. I then talked with someone and they commented that my cologne was very strong. I thought it was over, but it was just hiding from me. Be careful not to over-spray. I love the opening and heart of PS Onyx. I wear it dressed up or casual. Average longevity on the skin, but it lasts forever on clothing.

I'd like to see Paul Sebastian KINETIC added to the data base... I have a new and full bottle of it and it's a very interesting fragrance for sure.

nice sophisticated woodsy blend perfect for formal wear