24 Gold by 24

In my sweet perfume trials, this 24 Gold by Jerry Drake was a real find. I was told it ‘doesn’t perform excessively’, and indeed, despite its previous reputation for potency and the reformulation raising suspicions, I gave it a go. The concept is simple and effective: a very powdery ambered vanilla, almost like wearing talcum powder, which I adore. It has a certain carnality from the amber and a tiny medicinal hint, presumably from the oud, just enough to add exoticism. The scent stays exactly this throughout; if you’re looking for that, it delivers. Performance on my skin has been very acceptable, with high-to-moderate projection lasting hours. It’s not a monster as they claimed, but it’s totally recommended. If the original version was stronger, this is a phenomenon.

I bought this fragrance blind; impossible to smell them all in person, I can’t find them. It was cheap, around 25 euros, and the price and story encouraged me to take a risk. It’s not that it’s sweet; it’s very, very sweet; imagine coffee with two sugar packets, this cologne is like putting four or six in. It’s cloying to the point of being boring. I don’t smell oud or jasmine, just amber and vanilla, those boring kinds; perhaps the anise shows through when it dries on skin, so you tolerate it better, but until then, hours have passed. It’s impossible to wear in summer; you wouldn’t last; it’s made for winter, night, and for those who love sugar. It’s not for offices either; you’d overwhelm your colleagues, I repeat, it’s very heavy. It has good longevity, normal for high quantities of amber and vanilla. To date, it’s the sweetest and most cloying in my collection; I don’t think I’ll finish the bottle, I can’t stand it.

24 Gold by ScentStory proves that in this industry, what matters is the juice inside: never judge by the cover. People doubted a fragrance inspired by a TV show, and everyone was surprised! This shows how much we value big brands; if it were from a French house or Tom Ford, it would be everywhere, but it comes from a small Middle Eastern company. The scent is primarily sweet amber, with a blend of amber softened by vanilla and musk, plus soft woody notes like sandalwood, guaiac, and oud (subtle, not dominating). It is a sweet, woody, and musky aroma, very warm and sensual. Especially good for winter. If you can’t test it, buy it: the longevity is monstrous, the dry-down exquisite, and you will turn heads. It has suffered the cost of success and the price has risen, so if you find it at a reasonable price, buy it. 9.5/10.

This perfume is indescribably beautiful; I wore it today and it left me intoxicated. In the opening, the woody notes invaded me with just a hint of jasmine. When the heart notes reached my nose, I fell in love: that delicate anise scent, wrapped in woods, before blending into rich vanilla and unmistakable amber (the dominant notes throughout 24 Gold’s evolution). It has a slight sweetness, is intense yet not intrusive, with personality, very captivating, enigmatic, a whole mystery wrapped in charm. I recommend it wholeheartedly; its longevity and sillage are impeccable. A fragrance most suitable for cold days and evenings. Rating 10/10.

An amber leaning heavily towards vanilla with the dirty woody touch of oud. The performance is nowhere near what is claimed on English Fragrantica (again), but well, it’s there and smells moderately okay. I don’t know, the first time I tried it I gave it a miss, and today it hasn’t said much to me either; it doesn’t add much for me. Neutral feeling.

Well, after reading the previous reviews, it seems there is a division of opinion, though more negative than positive. I really loved this perfume. Soft oud with a touch of jasmine in the opening. Then a somewhat creamy dry-down due to the sandalwood and sweetened by vanilla. Finally, the amber is quite noticeable and a note I can’t quite identify, but I suppose it must be the ylang-ylang as it smells somewhat floral. To me, it seemed exquisite, not synthetic or cheap. I won’t judge whether it smells niche or not; simply, it smells good to me, to those around me, and it doesn’t make me sneeze. Performance, as already said, excellent. For cold climates.

With this fragrance I had the exact same experience as I did with Beyoncé’s Heat: suddenly the word ‘cheap’ popped into my head. After reading the reviews I knew there was a hype surrounding it and although it’s not perfect it doesn’t disappoint me. It smells commercial and catchy fitting the show 24 perfectly. It could be unisex as the brand claims. Gourmand? I hope it’s like Freakmotion describes it with honey and popcorn but to me it smells like synthetic maple syrup the kind used for cough syrup with a touch of soft wood. It lasts about five minutes on the skin before vanilla amber and lots of stick sandalwood emerge. In the end there’s a powdery ylang-ylang that reminds me of Givenchy’s Ange ou Démon which isn’t my favourite. After fifteen minutes everything blends into a sweet sticky powdery scent very much in the style of Heat. It’s like a catchy song blaring at full volume in a young person’s car driving at night. I wouldn’t feel attracted to a man wearing this but I’m sure many will love it. The Oud Edition flanker is better; it smells more like oud and has musk; it has that disco and flirting vibe like Paco Rabanne’s 1 Million and turns out it’s sweeter than this 24 Gold. Both in excess can give you a headache so I’d use them in moderation.

In my humble opinion it is an extremely overrated fragrance. A hype was created around 24 Gold that makes you think you’ll like it before even smelling it. At first I detect something mentholated I don’t know what it is and at times it smells like Canel’s white chewing gum haha. I applaud the longevity and sillage; just touching the sample my hands smelled hours later even after washing them. For me it tends towards the feminine due to its extreme sweetness to the point of feeling sticky. I wouldn’t want to smell like a man using 24 Gold I’m sorry. It’s too similar to Lattafa’s Raghba which I prefer because it was gentler on my nose more balanced and less pretentious.

I know what a niche perfume is and I feel the concept has gone off the rails. Many brands call their fragrances ‘private blends’ to justify outrageous prices even though inside there’s little perfume and lots of alcohol. For me a niche perfume must stand out from the rest and have excellent longevity. If it just smells nice I won’t pay 150 or 200 euros for the bottle because there are options with a good scent for less.

I disagree with your review of this little Drake perfume because for me it is practically a niche. Of all I’ve tested this has the greatest longevity. Yes the potency can overwhelm the olfactory bulb but it’s magnificent; not even an A* Men surpasses it in potency and longevity. There are many niche perfumes that cost a fortune and last barely five or six hours. I don’t pay for whether the scent is artificial but for a good aroma and longevity. That’s why I don’t buy Chanel: it seems like a rip-off to pay 90 euros for something that lasts four hours even if the ingredients are natural. For me a niche perfume must last a long time and please me. This creation by Scentstory is a real perfume bomb cheap and ideal for those who like sweet perfumes.

It is an American fragrance dedicated to the famous TV series starring Jack Bauer. It has the particularity that without being a niche brand it offers a non-expensive perfume with niche qualities. Basically it’s sweet very sweet from the oriental woody family with good reviews on most websites. It could be perfectly unisex. Recommended for cool nights and cold climates. No one will go unnoticed if they wear it. The handling of the oud is remarkably subtle. It’s a great oud fragrance! Age range +25. Ideal for very cold climates or cool nights in any season. Occasion: quite versatile goes well with formal wear or something casual without losing elegance. Unisex fragrance. I’d give it a 4.5/5.