💸 Althaïr by Parfums de Marly | Unboxing Series 🎁 VANILLA / PRALINE / CITRUS

[@millenialbroadcast]

You are naming names and the criticism is well deserved. Thank you for pointing out the conflicts of interest some of these influencers try to get away with. But I believe in the end, and it may take a long time, the real reviewers with integrity will stand the test of time. And the others will either implode or be exposed. Keep grinding and setting the standard for accurate, independent fragrance reviews.

[@robes08]

✊️

[@jamesnash7262]

…really enjoyed this gloves-off review Marc ! i have the MB Club Black, vanilla, some spices, too sweet and doesn’t evolve…nice bottle, winter appropriate, $-good…

[@robes08]

Thank you so much for sharing!

[@Piper-Aaron]

Thank you for your honesty! I’m new into collecting fragrances and it’s hard to find reviewers to be as honest as you are !

[@razvanyke]

Back in the day, Demi was adding Layton to literally every possible video of hers. I even got influenced by that and Jeremy to give Layton a try, but it was good, the 78% variant. Marc, you got great nose there, I sense exactly the notes you mentioned. It does remind me a lot of MB Club Intense, which has an ugly bottle but it smells so good and it´s done by Olivier Cresp. Take care !

[@robes08]

Love a good Cresp fragrance! I recall those days of Demi having a top list every single day with her smaller collection trying to get traction in her channel. It was literally everyday for months.

[@pandafragrance]

Yeah, it's a pretty basic, decent quality vanilla scent but it's wild for the cost. For vanilla-focused scents I prefer Lune Feline, SDV, Vanilla Diorama, Eau Duelle EDP, & Celine Black Tie. Before I finished my bottle, Cologne of the Missions was one of the best vanilla scents that hit the SDV mark so well! Too bad that's gone.

[@robes08]

I never smelled that Missions, and it was on the list to buy. I am good at finding scents so I won't give up the good fight.

[@dio2u]

Knowing your reviews are honest, I was really curious how you would perceive this fragrance. I do agree with almost all the points. I had the same impression about this fragrance. I found it overly sweet when I tried it and the vanilla was so persistent that I wanted to get home faster and take a shower to get rid of that smell. So thanks for providing equidistant opinions and information.

[@jeffkoons001]

I got gifted this a few days ago and I'm not sure I will really want to wear it. I don't think Althair has a relationship to the other vanillas you mention (like SDV for instance) as it is much sweeter and has a weird bubble gum gestalt that doesn't sit terribly well with me. PDMs are in general a bit too loud for me.

[@ronnieip3407]

good truthful review. much appreciated

[@robes08]

✊

[@RobertLaTuso]

What Masculine spicy Vanilla fragrances would you recommend? Encens Suave? Has it been 12 years already? Thank you for your continued integrity

[@ceesjanmol]

Plus: Ashton has basically one criterion: agility. Fragrances can smell however they do, as long as you can wear them everywhere all the time. Which is like, errr..., mostly possible with any fragrance ever especially if you don't care what other people think

[@LOUDERthanU]

PDM was kinda my gateway and i love Layton/Layton exclusif but they just didn’t last for me. Frustrating. I’m going to try Lune Feline by Atelier Des - its half the price of Althair where i am

[@robes08]

Good choice to get away from the brand!

[@LOUDERthanU]

@ i can’t get a bottle of SDV down here in New Zealand (or Tonka Imperiale) so that will have to wait

[@caesarn7]

I really like the dna , unfortunately I have not bought the original . I have 2 clones one is vanilla stallion from Alexandra fragrance and liquid brun I love both , great performance and complemented often , Just don’t know if Original is bettter , have to Sam-le and try …..but so far my 2 are awesome

[@basilfabian05]

I am really not a fan of PDM. Not to say that the frags are bad cause they are decent but their prices are mad and as mentioned in the video, most of their stuff is basically available in the Designer realm. Plus with their recent fiasco of raising the prices, lowering the frag percentage and trying to pull a chanel by removing their frags from discounters... Not worth it. Love all the PDM videos on this channel cause they deserve the shade. Thank you for legit reviews and letting people hear what they don't want to hear but should hear 👍

[@robes08]

Just being honest, appreciate it my friend.

[@angelmelendez2468]

I purchased Layton exclusif and was completely confused. It wasn’t something to me at least that justified the price . It is just ok to me . I found myself trying real hard to line it up with a lot of reviewers saying it was all that . To each their own I guess .

[@wazzabanzook5028]

I got the woods collection Dusk, just because didn’t want to pay Layton money, and love it

[@angelmelendez2468]

@@wazzabanzook5028 Have to check it out

[@robes08]

Everyone needs a AH HA moment to figure out that reviewers push what's free to them. You really need to take your time and find reviewers that actually review. It's hard to find these days.

[@STAMPEDFRESH]

I have this and instantly it made me think of Material by Amouage. So much so it feels redundant since I have both. A cool fragrance that will extend the life of the other but nothing to write home about for sure

[@robes08]

Thanks for sharing. I'm actually sampling that one next month from Amouage. Let's see what it gives me.

[@Mr.Cologne]

I wanna buy this, just waiting on the right price

[@robes08]

Free 😅

[@GingerSpice37]

I feel the better PDMs get 0 talk while the generic ones get all the hype. Darley, Habdan and Oajan are actually pretty good. They're basically forgotten. This Althair thing was hyped to death.

[@robes08]

Anything older does not get love because it's not free. Brands send the new toy for sales.

[@The_Fuzz1]

SDV is still the vanilla king, but if you haven't tried Lune Feline, give it a shot. It's my second favorite vanilla fragrance behind SDV. It's a spicy vanilla, none of that fluffy nonsense.

[@pandafragrance]

Lune Feline Extrait is one of my all time favorites.

[@robes08]

weird you mentioned Lune, a month later and the video is up lol

[@wailali5646]

No way her latest video is “the best men’s fragrance” it’s her friend Curly’s Fragrance release😅

[@wutru3142]

Absolute trash! Both female and fragrance..

[@wutru3142]

The bottle looks so cheap but so does she

[@robes08]

I scratch your back and you scratch mine mentality.

[@wazzabanzook5028]

PDM fragrances would be perfect between $90 and $120US

[@robes08]

Yes 100%

[@MauroBooBoo]

I was really waiting for this video. Clearly the Free Bottle Brigade cannot be trusted and calling this "Niche" couldn't be further from the truth. I don't understand, these releases are more designer than niche and with a hefty price tag. Aren't people tired of smelling the same? Thank you for your impartial and valued opinion!

[@robes08]

No problem!

[@fussballmeister301]

I agree with you 💯. If this was Guess, Hugo Boss, Calvin Klein, or Versace. The same reviewers would've been saying that it's an okay fragrance but nothing new.

[@Leonard_Washington76]

You not pulling no punches. And I like it! The PDMs I really enjoy enough to be in my collection “Layton, Percival, and Carlisle”. I really enjoy them fragrance. Other than those fragrances I’m good on…PDM. I think this house have sooo much potential to not give high quality niche fragrances with excellent blending. They have a few gems(Layton, Carlisle) but other than that. Big let down from this house. Sadly😢

[@robes08]

Potential... I guess. I feel like they need to destroy and rebuild. There's no much to grasp on when someone says PDM.

[@sergemunitz1153]

Orange blossom and sweetness in the opening reminded me of Love by Killian, while the deep dry down reminded me of A*men a lot 🤷🏼 Not a bad fragrance at all IMO, as much as I am not a big fan of the brand in general. I like it!

[@robes08]

Thanks for sharing!!

[@miamiballin305]

Amouage is my favorite house, I feel the same way you do about PDM, Layton Exclusif I do enjoy though. If you like Amouage and middle Eastern scents I HIGHLY recommend sampling PDM Shagya, if you haven’t already. It’s like a fresh take on Epic Man. Lime, clean Oud, woody and a nice creamy muskiness. Would love to know your take on Shagya. I think you might actually enjoy it.

[@robes08]

I'm always open to sniffing more. I'm sure I'll stumble upon it in my journey at some point.

[@anUntouchable]

I remember one of her early videos I asked her if she was sponsored by PDM and she responded in the comments with a "NO". At the time I thought she must be sponsored because of the way she kept pushing the brand

[@robes08]

technically she isn't sponsored as she is family.

[@anUntouchable]

@@robes08 true 😂

[@short2go]

Waiting for your top 10 videos

[@robes08]

Aren't we all

[@AndreLon3762]

Do you also have the letter A behind the batch code, on the box ?? When I fill in my batch code with the letter A the website give me error, but when i do it without the A than it’s original….. strange. Why the letter A behind my batch code ?

[@robes08]

No idea. Not really a big batch code kind of guy tbh

[@MrSoejab]

SDV and TV still the best vanilla for me ❤

[@robes08]

good choices!

[@BO-2016]

What does SDV and TV stand for

[@MrSoejab]

@@BO-2016 spiritueuse double vanille and tobacco vanille

[@anUntouchable]

What is your all time fav PDM?

[@robes08]

honestly I don't have one. I own 3 and all three are underwhelming.

[@justbenny84]

I really cannot relate to this review. I think Althaïr is the most wonderful release for cold weather we have seen the last few years. It is dark, complex, and still likeable. It is really dimensions above “Stronger With you Intensely” in terms of complexity and craftsmanship. I also own the Armani. And what’s wrong about a niche brand making fragrances that are crowd pleasers? People want to smell good and people want other people to like the way they smell. Stinky oud fragrances and inscence fragrances may be more “exclusive” and “niche”, but I just don’t want to smell like this. And I am not the only one :-)

[@robes08]

Have you tried Mercedes Club Black by chance? To note I have zero issues of crowd pleasers in the niche realm but when the quality does not match the price is where I have the criticism. Just like any other reviewer on this platform reviewing cars, electronics etc... I will have good, great, okay and bad reviews based on my experience to help others.

[@justbenny84]

@ hi, i actually have a decant of MB Club Black. It is a really good one, smells much more expensive than it is. But for my nose it is closer to Herod than it is to Althaïr. By the way, Herod is an example of a PDM fragrance that does not justify its price. I really like how it smells, but the longevity of the latest batches is just too bad.

[@MuddyGreenMonster]

Layton & Herod were pretty good, but I've not been interested in buying a full bottle since. Sampled them & they're nice, but not for me.

[@robes08]

Muddy has spoken!

[@viggenone]

Not for me, I'm really not interested in these new releases from PDM or the one from Initio. Thanks for the Unboxing Marc!!!

[@robes08]

No problem my friend.

[@sharfalor4244]

I don't mind this as a woman, definitely unisex, but in the realm of just sweet vanilla. My daughter likes it too but will only buy a decant as, like she says, "I could buy a Guerlain or Dior for that price." 😂

[@robes08]

I really nice guerlain or dior too 😆

[@ryanjones99]

Just get stronger with you OG

[@joshsawyerstreamvods]

pegasus is nice. carlisle is cool too but id rather get a bottle of argos' bacchus

[@robes08]

Thanks for sharing!

[@Crypt0n1an]

Althair to me is their third best release since Pegasus way back in 2011 and sadly I cannot yet justify a purchase. PdM to my nose is one of those brands that is pretty good at producing solid fragrances but rarely blow your socks off level good. I only own 3 with Sedley being the my last purchase. I won't go too deep into the copycat debate wrt the PdM but suffice it to say that I think they are a mixed bag. Have been known to jump on a few bandwagons but have also produced some fantastic original stuff. I believe the quality is there, most of their fragrances are longevity beasts and tend to smell high enough quality. Another thing people forget to factor in is that their bottles are 125ml. So a 265 EURO bottle is actually 212 EURO per 100ml. That is cheaper than virtually all the major niche brands. Now I understand that in the US they go for $365 which is significantly more expensive and at that price I may start to have an issue with them but I believe we need to judge a fragrance by their price at region of origin. I don't know why they are priced so high in the US and that is unfortunate but in Europe they are quite a bit more reasonable. Having said that I was very disappointed with Perseus, what a hot mess! Sure there is a faint resemblance to TdH but is a fail on multiple levels for me. And that is what I'm getting at, they keep disappointing me, not because of shills, I couldn't care less about that nonsense, I only care if I like fragrances and if a shill brings something to my attention great, that doesn't mean I'm going to rush out and buy it though. You know there is a little thing called sampling and testing a fragrance before you buy. If you run out and buy something because some idiot online told you it's the next big thing then that is a you problem. I have been alerted to some pretty good stuff by fragrance influencers and some not so good stuff. Actually 9 out of 10 are not for me but considering that 99 out of 100 fragrances are not collection worthy then that 1 in 10 gem they may bring your attention to doesn't sound so bad by comparison. PdM disappoint me because they often get very close(Herod, Percival, Althair, Carlisle, Greenley) but don't quite hit the mark(as in Pegasus, Godolphin, Sedley). I'm not a fragrance snob, I'm in this for the smell and the enjoyment, period. I don't concern myself with who is shilling who is promoting, what the brand name is(though that may be a good indication of quality), the hype, or the popularity. My main concern is the smell with quality, longevity, projection, silage and price(unless it is stupidly expensive) coming in a distant second. Everything else is just politics which I don't care about, I'm into fragrances for a bit of escapism and enjoyment, if I want politics I just open the newspaper.

[@Adam_StefaniakSaltea_Moonspell]

I own Oajan, Herod, Layton, Carlisle (which I like the least). A week ago I bought Althair (paid for the 125ml around 250$) because I wanted to have vanilla base PDM. I like the scent so far, a lot. Its subtle delicate and well blended to my nose. Works well as base layer for Mandarin base stronger fragrances.

[@Crypt0n1an]

@@Adam_StefaniakSaltea_Moonspell All the fragrances you own are very solid by PdM and at $250 that is quite reasonable(i’m assuming a discounted 125ml). My issue is that if I were to buy every solid fragrance out there I would have over 1000 fragrances. I think that is ridicouls and have decided to cap my collection to 150 at the very most. Which means i have to be incredibly selective and I’m soon arriving at the point where I would have to exit a fragrance from my collection in order to include a new one. Althair as i said is quite good IMO, their 4th best offering so far but not quite at the threshold for me to buy. Also the fact that it reminds me of Armani SWY and Azzaro TMW parfum, I feel might make it a little redundant for my collection. Of course that may change in the future as i have yet to properly sample Althair(for a full wear that is, so far only strip and wrist). If i feel that Althair brings something new and special to the game in that style, even in some nuanced way, or turns out to be better than the aforementioned frags then I might pull the trigger somewhere down the line.

[@Adam_StefaniakSaltea_Moonspell]

I honestly think they are really solid as well. Believe it or not (I live in Europe) I had Heard sent from the US, to get the 78% version which I ended up paying 350$ but I am happy with the performance. I got myself an issue, I've collected quite a collection throughout the last five years and I am now very picky about what I wanna buy. I'm basically trying to focus on some classics which I might like and be of value when it comes to aging. My recent focus is on Muglar for example but I wanted w Vanilla based fragrance and went for PDM.

[@robes08]

Thanks for sharing!

[@baysidedlove3427]

Great review as always God father 👍🏾. Unfortunately for me my 24 yo son loves this fragrance and I have to buy that BS for his birthday but I agree with your review because it's just an ok fragrance nothing special at all.

[@robes08]

Nice birthday gift 🎁, well price wise 😆 scent wise I'd buy em a sample set of better scents lol

[@baysidedlove3427]

@@robes08 Great idea sir!! I have until August to turn him around 😅 LoL, Lune Feline fragrance you just posted sounds promising and cheaper than PDM! I will order a sample for him. Thank you for the suggestion 👍🏾

[@Polyfusia]

PDM isn't like actual niche brands. It's oversweetened swill for high prices.

[@Teeb2023]

Carlisle is "oversweetened swill"? Byerley? Kuhuyan? Hamdani? I swear most of you bad-mouthing PDM in here are just sucking-up to Marc, and have barely touched their entire line of frags. There's more out there than Layton & Herod you know.

[@Polyfusia]

@@Teeb2023 Carlisle is okay but it has too much of the apple-cinnamon thing going on which is a running theme in PDM fragrances and redundant as well as too gourmand for me. Byerley I have not tried. Oajan is okay but also apple and cinnamon heavy and too sweet. Layton is too sweet and smells like apple cinnamon pastry with a mint meant to evoke cold vanilla ice cream with apple pie. Haven't smelled a PDM that I love. They don't do complexity and they don't do challenging. Maybe Hamdani is good. I've not tried it.

[@robes08]

Not all sweet but mostly not unique.

[@petbull7038]

I'm so tired of all the inauthentic slime balls in this KZbin community. Thanks for talking about this honestly. There's others that pretend to address it but don't, and then try to sell something the next video

[@robes08]

Truth!

[@javoneldridge8046]

I smell too much Ambroxan for me! I was turned off at Saks.

[@robes08]

I hear ya!

[@riddleoffeels4518]

It doesn’t smell at all like Mercedes Benz Club Black. Sure they both have vanilla but not even the same type. Frankly Althair smells much more like it has Nishane Ani influence. The cardamom in this doesn’t work for me and I felt like it was missing some spices or woods for a masculine edge. I have to say it’s starting to feel like the PDM hate is going overboard. How much of this video was just brand ranting or reviewer hating? How many videos lately have been exactly the same way? The trend on this channel is getting a bit stale. Let’s refocus on the fragrances themselves please.

[@robes08]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts on the MB and this one. I think the price vs the quality is justified in the hate especially looking at the competition in that price point. Also in social media it's nice to balance things out a little bit with this brand with someone with actual thoughts instead of trying to sell the product. I always intro about a brand and it's history etc.. for all the scents I review and some haven't showed me personally that they are worth and I feel also to ensure to inform some newer noses in our community that this kind of stuff happens in the community. I'll be reviewing some Guerlain and some Tom Fords next which don't have that issue, we will be going back to the regularly scheduled programming at that point.

[@wutru3142]

Too sweet and I hate Ambroxan

[@robes08]

💯

[@kiethuu7734]

Can’t wait until PDM clones LV so I can get the scents for $100 less

[@robes08]

Ew. Both brands are poop imo. Cavalier at LV does his designer recipes with the huge upcharge.

[@pastichiorocker]

A$h from Gents Shills isn't a reviewer anymore; He's a fragrance peddler. Hard to believe people are still gullible for his lies.

[@robes08]

It starts honest but once you get that taste of free bottles and money for your services, it's over.

[@OmarZ77]

People think more expensive = higher quality. Definitely not in this case.

[@robes08]

💯

[@MK-mu7pf]

You were smelling back of your right hand the whole time, even though you didn’t spray there .. 😂

[@robes08]

I did, the graphic was hiding the hand. Thanks for coming out.

[@MK-mu7pf]

@@robes08 it was a very nice review though 👍 I blind bought Althair today & decided to watch some reviews. Thanks!!

[@MattyS54]

why does homie keep mentioning the price? you're meant to say it's a higher quality riff on designer DNA, a dumb reach, a compliment getter. another hit for the prestigious house of PdM 😜

[@pandafragrance]

Because it is way too expensive for the slightly higher quality (debatable) basic vanilla scent. I think mentioning the stupid price is appropriate, just like a good reviewer would in any review. Price-to-quality is a pretty key review item to most people. Maybe you disagree.

[@MattyS54]

@@pandafragrance i'm guessing you missed the sarcasm sorry, there's even a winky face...

[@robes08]

😆

[@kingjojojo1]

Still waiting for pdm Kalan review, the chosen one that will finally convince you 😂

[@wutru3142]

No it will not haha

[@kingjojojo1]

@@wutru3142 have you tried it?

[@robes08]

😅 one day it'll make on the channel.

[@wutru3142]

Hamid Merati-Kashani is by far NOT my favorite nose. All his fragrances of late smell the same. Overly sweet and synthetic. Even Amouage King Blue is terrible!

[@siddharthnaik1849]

Love Percival though!

[@robes08]

From what I smell from him, not really a nose I'd be actively looking for his creations.

[@jameslovie2260]

It's a dupe for Mercedes CB on the dry down. I predict this will die a death because of it.

[@robes08]

Lol love the prediction, it'll have it's limelight as the new shiny PDM, once the free bottles dry up the influencers will stop talking about it. Actually now that Perseus has been dropped, it already has slowed down.

[@ericgordon4746]

Juvenile man sugar

[@robes08]

accurate.

[@m.houston6643]

PDM is definitely an overrated house. I’ve given their scents many chances and they never stay in my stay in my collection. When I see them winning polls I just know it’s people that got fooled by influencers to buy at a “discount” and they are clinging on to that. Probably their first niche memory. Their scents really aren’t that good. Okay.. but overrated in a major way.

[@robes08]

okay is a good way to describe.

[@brenlynch4811]

Cheers Marc , another over priced cheapie by all accounts , I will give one in my collection a good solid pass ,Kuhuyan it’s from that dark brown collection an animalic offering that did not bode well with the PDM faithful lol 😝 ergo I actually gravitate to it like a moth to a flame hahaha. Great stuff appreciate you honest approach and review brother ✌️🙏👍

[@robes08]

I have my eye on that Kuhuyan. Might be the winner for me.

[@Indecencealicia]

Tfs

[@robes08]

👍

[@No_Dice200]

The whole PDM Line is way overpriced. All of them smell like designer cologne. Huge pass.

[@robes08]

He ain't wrong.

[@zjadaczkitu]

This is the worst vanilla scent I have ever smelled (not like I have smelled a lot of vanilla )

[@arianex2575]

ddaaaaaaamn. okkkkkk XD

[@robes08]

😎