Perry Ellis m

I wanted to revisit this one again for a review. The more I wear this fragrance the more I am impressed with it for both quality and longevity. Truly... if you are telling us that this is no more than a skin scent, you either have a ph that destroys fragrances, or you didn't really give it time in public to get a reasonable response. Nope... maybe it is not a heavy scent, but I am telling you it does project well... maybe even more noticeable than some of my other "heavy hitting sillage bombs of the 80's" Many people confuse projection with nose wrenching power, and that is not the case. Don't believe me... just think of Shalimar. Shalimar can be wafted and sensed and anchored across a large room, but no one calls it a strong perfume. It's pleasant and it makes you want to find out where it's coming from. To my knowledge, this does not have any tobacco note ingredients in it, but to me it has a very strong resemblance to a fine sweet pipe tobacco. Perhaps it is the same kind of vanilla that would be used in pipe tobacco. Also on the "late" dry-down it has a very strong kinship to the smell of obsession in it's late dry-down. (I am talking about the original vintage obsession of the early 80's)I contribute that to the spice combination. And honestly, looking at the ingredients listed I would even dare say that Obsession was the target competition in the creation of this fragrance. But to me this is a much better fragrance than Obsession ever was to me, especially any current version of it. So when I want something pleasant and warm or inviting, I am reaching for this fragrance very often. This is like GOLD in a bottle... a very poorly designed bottle. Especially the cap... what silliness. The juice inside deserves something much more spectacular in presentation. But then... who knows... we may not be able to buy it for under 20 dollars a bottle.

I got a tester of this a couple years ago for $17 on Fragrancebuy.ca after Ash from Gent Scents talked about it. It was during the first Covid lockdown, so I had to blind buy it and for once, it worked out great. Perry Ellis M is a great cheapie with great performance and a great overall scent. The opening is a bit scratchy and sharp I think because the anise and the cinnamon are battling it out for dominance with cinnamon finally winning within the first 20-30 minutes. Then the vanilla starts coming out more and makes an awesome bed for the cinnamon to lie upon for the rest of the life of the fragrance. There's also a powdery woodiness in the base but the cinnamon and vanilla stick around and stand out the most. I think this is awesome, especially for the price. It could be a bit smoother in the opening but overall if you're into cinnamon and vanilla, then you'd probably love this fragrance. It projects enormously for the first 30 minutes or so and slowly dies down to about within arm's reach. The sillage is fantastic for almost the length of the fragrance. I can smell the trails when I walk around 6-8 hours into the life of the fragrance. The longevity is really quite good as well. With 6 sprays it lasts about 12 hours before it's no longer detectable to me but I'm sure if someone came close to my neck where I sprayed, they'd still be able to smell it. Scent : 8/10 Projection : 8.5/10 Sillage : 8.5/10 Longevity :10/10 This stuff is seriously underrated. If you get a chance to get a batch from a couple years ago, grab it. I can't really speak to newer batches but whatever batch I own, it's freakin' great. The sticker on the bottom is so small, I can't make out the batch but I definitely got a batch from before 2020.

I like to think of this one as my "dirty, spicy caramel". I detect all the listed notes except the fir and bergamot. The tonka and vanilla create a pleasant sweetness that softens the cinnamon blast. Vanilla, tonka, cashmeran means this is a seductively soft scent (Visit for men is my other seductively soft scent currently in rotation, which is just slightly spicier than M because of nutmeg and pink pepper). The alchemy of all these sweet notes presents a syrupy fresh caramel scent, which gets a little roughed up by vetiver, anise, and musk. It's not "wow that's caramel!" but it does remind me of making fresh caramel or of the centers of box chocolates. This is very sweet like 1Million, and, no offense, far more complex and less reliant on cinnamon to maintain its allure. From my novice understanding of the type categories, this fragrance sits at an interesting crossroads of balsamic, aromatic, and gourmand. I would not recommend a blind buy unless you regularly blind buy sweeter scents or have to have every cinnamon-vanilla there is. I got this in a lot and will more than likely finish it, but I would've been a little disappointed if I sought this out specifically, but then again cinnamon-vanilla are not a favorite accord of mine, though I consider it very nice to have this type of scent on hand. Update: this scent has really grown on me, and I reach for it more than any other winter frag because of the seductive caramel musk. I'm getting great sillage for the first two hours but I can't exactly comment on longevity because I keep layering it with so many other cool weather scents.

A Hidden Gem of Fragrance Success! ____________________________________ A wonderful blend of sweetness and woods, and a bit of an underrated secret in the perfume world. To those who say it resembles Allure, you are partially correct, as it is quite comparative only in the top notes, or within 5-10 minutes of spraying. You get the same spicy woody notes from the get go, but this soon fades down to a warm woodsy with some spices that really give it character. All in all, this cologne is a great deal for the price, and is frankly better than some of the more high dollar fragrances. If this was made by any other name, you could easily expect a $70-80 price tag set on it. As is, this one is a definite BUY, since you are getting quality, sophistication, and a mature scent with tones of playfulness within. This scent lasts for a good 6+ hours on my skin as well, and projects decently for the first 1.5-2 hours. After that, it resigns to a playful skin scent with the original tones. Spray recommendations: one to the chest, two to the neck, and one to each arm for best projection and enjoyment. One can also be added to the back of the head for better trail and cloud, but it's optional as this one does a decent enough job. Longevity: 6/10 (6+ hours) Projection: 6/10 Versatility: 7/10 (Formal/ informal...spring, fall, winter, possibly summer on a cool day) Smell: 9/10 (Sweet, woodsy, and done right!)

Sometimes I buy perfumes just because I am curious about them, after reading a review, or hearing a well stated opinion. When that happens and the perfume is inexpensive (like "m"), I just buy the flask. Porsuing a sample or a decant may be tiresome and sometimes the final expense is bigger that the cost of "the real thing". Many times, when a blind buy of an inexpensive perfume happens, I just end up with another unused scent in my closet. "m" is really inexpensive, hard or impossible to find in my country and has been extensively recommended by a Youtube reviewer that I don't really care or trust. So... I just blind ordered it a couple of years ago! "m" turned out to be a gem and I still really like it a lot. It has a strong vibe of Allure Homme, although I don't consider it a clone, with an all-around type of spiciness and sweetness that makes it particularly eclectic and versatile, besides having a scent that I particulary like. On top of it, the flask is really handy to carry in one's pocket. It could be another very aromatic gourmand with cinnamon, vanilla, tonka and star anise, but the seasoning with fir and cashmere wood proved to be very effective. All the people around me like it and it turned out to be an unexpected compliment getter. The performance isn't great, but not too bad either. Happy whiffs!