Francesco Smalto pour Homme Francesco Smalto for men

I love all the 80's leathery powerhouse fragrances, and Francesco Smalto Pour Homme is one of the best of that lot. It's unlike most aromatic fougeres in that it smells very smoky, which is very unusual for this genre. It also smells darker than any other fougere I've ever smelled.

Fans of Drakkar Noir should really enjoy this because it shares the same strong oily leather smell as Drakkar, and it's that leather which gives Smalto its powerhouse strength. Boatloads of oakmoss and patchouli mixed with the leather set this frag firmly within the 80's powerhouse category. It smells macho and badass.

Smalto is one of the most masculine fragrances I've ever smelled. It actually increases in strength the longer it's worn, and you will wear this a long time, since the scent will stay on your skin for well over 12 hours. Sillage and projection are also phenomenal, making this a bonafide power scent without a doubt.

This juice totally rocks.

MY RATING: 10/10

I was giving this tarry juice a chance few times, but...never it convinced me of its olfactory "merrits", in all; the WORST I have, worster than Sung For Man, I'll keep on keeping it in the collection anyway.

After waiting and waiting for ages to receive order from an online seller (who shall remain nameless - but who rhymes with FlagranceX), my long awaited bottle of Francesco Smalto arrived. Woohoo.

I have been focussing on collecting powerhouse fragrances and this one came highly recommended, so I bought it blind. I am glad I did. Wow, what a magnificent cologne! It has so many similarities with fragrances I already have. There is a definite similarity with Azzaro pour Homme, but F.S. is a little edgier. I also detect similarity with Polo and to some degree Red by Giorgio Beverly Hills. If I were to pick the two closest, I would say it's like Polo and Azzaro mixed together (with, perhaps a touch of Lapsang Souchong tea). Anyone unfamilar with Lapsang - it has a distintive smoky flavour. The smokiness in F.S.is very appealing.

I was going to say I was surprised there is no artemisia but I Googled tarragon and what do you know... it's a member of the artemisia family. Artemisia along with patchouli are two of my favourite notes and they blend together with the lavender to make a potent yet attractive combination. The oakmoss is quite strong and in fact I sprayed some F.S. in the crook of my elbow, while comparing it with other fragrances and it ever so slightly irritated my skin (So I don't recommend applying it to your eyelids).

This is a long lasting fragrance and well-worthy of its powerhouse status.

Not a power fragrance akin to Kouros, and never dazzling the senses in any way.

After 2-3 minutes Smalto starts a voyage into a dry grey cousin of the original Azzaro who isn't exactly a showman himself in the formulation made today.

Smalto is comfy, but the comfiness feels a bit too metallic and lame to be top class. Don't buy it unless you can find it cheap.

Francesco Smalto pour Homme is a fantastic 1980's powerhouse fougere. It is almost as dry as Yatagan by Caron, although it smells nothing like Yatagan whatsoever. The opening is strong - a spicy, smokey lavender/leather combination with a touch of anise (the only seemingly "sweet note" during the entire development). This becomes a very nicely balanced fragrance once the initial olfactory onslaught mellows. After about an hour, the anise seems to be gone but the smokey leather is still there with the lavender coming through more distinctly, along with only a hint of some very dry florals. By the four hour plus mark, the lavender is at its finest (really nice!), the smokiness has faded, and I detect predominantly leather with some oakmoss in the base notes. This is a wonderfully masculine fragrance, and anyone that enjoys Quorum and Azzaro pour Homme is sure to enjoy Francesco Smalto pour Homme! This is without a doubt one of my all-time personal favorite fragrances.