One Man Show Ruby Edition by Jacques Bogart

The One Man Show scents never go unnoticed. They are powerful and polarising, which makes them fascinating. Very affordable and 100% synthetic. Here, the aim is to make a statement, and I think this Ruby Edition is the most playful of the bunch. It starts sweet and pleasant before turning complicated. My current ranking of OMS, from my favourite to my least, is: 24K, Oud, Ruby, Gold.

The opening is phenomenal and super addictive; not a minute passes without it changing slightly and smelling better. However, at 15 minutes it changes again (I was struck by those three rapid shifts). Although it smells good, it reminded me very much of Joop Homme, but without that bitter base note (I like Joop, but that medicinal note makes me hesitate). Honestly, this final phase didn’t appeal to me as much, and I’ll need to wear it longer to be convinced. If not for the dry-down, I’d give it five stars.

Brutal, there’s no other rating for this authentic masculine bomb. It’s not for the fussy ones accustomed to current sweet and identical fragrances. Another marvel from the Bogart/Lapidus house, a pity it’s so hard to find.

An incredible sensual and masculine perfume. Within a few days, you’ll notice girls showering you with compliments. To start, this isn’t for babies; if you’re into soft, clean colognes like lemon, don’t even try it, as it was made solely for rough men. Despite many people not liking it because of its potency (people used to commercial fragrances with more alcohol than perfume), every nose perceives it differently. For me, it was the best surprise: a treasure just for the bold. Who would wear it? Imagine motorcyclists, heavy machinery operators, racers, mining workers, seamen with plenty of testosterone. A refreshing slap of incredible ingredients that initially confuse with anise, but combined with oud, woods, lavender and honey, make it a unique and scarce jewel worth its weight in gold. Unfortunately, it’s very discontinued and hard to get; I brought it back from a trip and will use it on the coldest days.

It’s a synthetic clone with a spicy kick of Ted Lapidus’s Black Soul Imperial. It shares the same opening, dry-down, trail, and boasts a brutal longevity; the differences become noticeable after three hours, as this OMS adds a spicy, animalic touch with a hint of vegetal civet (oud wood??), whereas Lapidus’s BSI features coffee and amber for greater complexity and refinement. It’s a powerful and pleasant scent, with a younger vibe than Lapidus’s and much more synthetic… and slightly cheap, but only in the dry-down, since its opening is very interesting. Ideal for someone who wants to make an impact, positive or negative, due to the perfume’s potency.

I owned this and gifted it to my father. It’s a nice scent, but overly synthetic. Performance-wise, it’s a beast—lasting over 12 hours with immense projection. For the price, it’s a very good option.

The opening is quite bold and youthful, featuring fresh lavender and the acidic note of green apple. Incense follows, and in the dry-down, there’s a hint of the famous oud note (it reminded me slightly of YSL’s M7), finishing with an unexpectedly ambered and musky trail, despite those notes not being declared—perhaps due to the honey, labdanum, incense, and woods. It offers excellent value for money. The initial trail is a bit heavy for its own good but settles to a moderate trail after about three hours, persisting on the skin for over 10 hours. It works well as an oriental fougère and feels appropriate for winter and informal occasions. It’s one of the better ‘red’ fragrances (in this case, Ruby) I’ve tried, certainly superior to Polo Red, for example.