Concept No 18 Pal Zileri for men

A more complete notelist:

TOP: ivy, geranium, bergamot, lemon, tangerine
HEART: star anise, pink pepper, cardamom
BASE: patchouli, sandal, ambrette, vetiver, musk

This scent is something that came in a collection of three bottles. I just wanted Sartoriale, but the "fragrance bar" (boxed set of three one ounce bottles) was actually cheaper than a 1.7oz. of any of them! (The 3rd was PZ's signature scent). On first spraying it, I could not pick out the individual (or any) citruses; but they do keep the spiciness and heavier basenotes bouyant. The ivy and geranium are green, slightly elegant and subtle. The anise is the star of this show, although the cardamom adds as soft smoothness and the pink pepper keeps it lively. This has a spiciness, but is never sharp. C18 is fresh AND spicy, a very nice blend. It reminds me of Masaki Masushima;very male, also: LL Au Masculin without the sweetness or boozy rum note. If MM;very male is wearing a tuxedo; C18 is wearing a pair of tweed shorts and a sleeveless cashmere hoodie. The drydown is refined but rich: woody musky ambrette, patchouli is on its best behavior and the vetiver, sandal and musk work together to bring out the best in each other:earthy and divine. None of the notes in this are really that much "louder" than any of the others. Of all the three FB scents in this collection, I have worn this one the least. That is about to change! This is actually one of the best anise frags I have tried (to date), and if you think that LL is too much and mm;vm is too "uptight", Concept 18 is one that may change your mind about anise scents in general, it SURE did mine...

Sillage: moderate
Longevity: very good
Overall: 4/5

Pal Zileri makes great clothes, and his fragrances (of what I have smelled so far) follow this general trend (Modern yet sophisticated). It is amazing to me that these scents are so underrated (or just not heard of)! If you get a chance, give Pal a chance. You will be glad you did, I guarantee it!!