Mr. Blass by Bill Blass

If you’re hunting for a retro masculine scent that defines the man between 40 and 59 this is it: classic yet contemporary very much of the eighties (think Azzaro Escada or Puig) without copying them. It showcases maturity at its finest—neither for lads nor for the elderly; it’s what Al Pacino’s ‘Lefty’ would wear in ‘Donnie Brasco’. An excellent fragrance with a clear purpose warmly received by mature women (35+). It demands presence and personality. Notes of leather incense nutmeg beautiful cypress and a touch of musk create a refined virile combination. Made in Italy by an American designer it’s versatile for any season though I prefer it for evening wear. Hard to find but not discontinued. Scent: 9.0. Projection: max 2 hours. Longevity: 7-8 hours. Recommended.

This perfume explodes with bergamot and nutmeg flooding the room instantly although the projection drops quickly to moderate within the next hour. I sense the leather as wet but I love it that way blending perfectly with the incense. The cypress gets a bit lost amidst the bergamot and the finish features long-lasting vanilla amber and an attractive musk. It reminds me of the old-school Avon classics but with my favourite note: the nutmeg. It just needs a bit more projection; I wouldn’t mind if someone else smelled it while being transported.

I needed to test a fragrance shipping website so for the trial I chose an economical scent meaning if anything went wrong I wouldn’t lose much money. On that site this was offered at a great deal and after reading the reviews on fragrantica.com all of which were positive I decided to take the risk and have found one of the best (if not the absolute best) price-quality ratios. Now this fragrance is quite special as it contains no declared floral notes (and I didn’t perceive any either); it is exactly what it claims to be an aromatic-spicy scent. At the beginning the combination of bergamot and nutmeg is felt strongly which would be the top notes. By the hour of application the cypress note feels quite intense reminding me of the cypress in Encre Noir (with whom it shares 3 of its 4 notes). At the seventh hour of application I perceived the incense well along with soft leather and vetiver. I believe these would be the middle notes. The finish is somewhat classic with amber and musk but not sweet. The note I didn’t perceive was vanilla. In any case that cypress note accompanies it until the end. Despite this the nutmeg takes the lead and the fragrance is soft with the woods. As a curiosity all the notes of this fragrance fit into Givenchy’s Xeryus but the latter has a greater load of woods and overwhelming florals. This Mr. Blass is like a more minimalist version ideal for the office given its moderate trail which nonetheless feels good for many hours and surpasses 12 hours of duration with the last three feeling closer to the skin. The fragrance is made in Italy and truly has performance that more famous brands and fragrances charging 100 or more dollars for a bottle would envy. This one with expenses included came to something like 15 dollars a ridiculous price for the quality it displays. Being an aromatic-spicy fragrance I would say it has multi-seasonal capacity with the exception of an excessively intense summer. Its use is clearly for the office and for the day. If for some reason you don’t like floral notes you like soft spices want something for daily wear and seek a quality-price ratio that is practically unbeatable this could be a good option.