Mainstream Monday: Sniffing a Popular Fragrance
Launched in 1976, Z-14 is a fragrance that contains every note in the universe. It’s loud and it throws. Because of this, it’s a polarizing fragrance. You either love or hate it. Or love it 50% of the time and hate it the rest of the time. I’m in the “love” team of Z-14. It’s a wonderful manly scent, very Boogie Nights, a perfume on the prowl in a discotheque.
BAM! That’s Z-14. This is some loud stuff. It’s an “evergreen and citrus thunderstorm”. I also get something that reminds me of Thai basil. It’s green with a hint of licorice. This opening is a refreshing blast of herbs and citrus. With time the fragrance gets grassier with a dry vetiver and dried lemongrass. This compliments the Christmas tree farm of Z-14 very nicely. Under all of this, is a slightly unusual cinnamon incense and a Jägerbomb. The dry-down of Z-14 is my favorite. It’s a smoky, manly-man leather with tons of dry moss and woods. It’s so dark and mysterious. And manly.
Like I said, Z-14 throws. It lasts and lasts on the skin. If this was an EDP concentration, one could smell it from around the world. I’m certain of that.
Notes listed include bergamot, lemon, basil, cypress, gardenia, vetiver, jasmine, patchouli, coriander, cedarwood, cinnamon, geranium, amber, leather, olibanum, benzoin, moss, musk, and tonka. PERFUMERS – Vincent Marcello and Max Gavary
After smelling Z-14 again, I realized that this fragrance has been copied. And how couldn’t it be? It used to be so popular and it has such a wonderful “retro” feel. A few of the Tom Ford Private Blends remind me of Halston Z-14, in particular Italian Cypress and Arabian Wood. So if you like those, then try Z-14. It’s so much cheaper! Give Z-14 a try if you like old-school masculines or mossy/leather scents. And for one of the few times in my life, I’m going to admit that this fragrance is too masculine for me to wear. I’m going to declare this one as a masculine.
Halston Z-14 comes in some large sizes considering its massive strength: 2.5 oz and 4.2 oz. It’s a “lifestyle” of a fragrance. Check out Fragrancenet, Drugstore.com and Perfume Worldwide for bottles under $30. Buy it while you can. It seems all the good stuff gets discontinued.
Victoria’s Final EauPINION – A super masculine fragrance that conjures up a sweaty disco playboy at Studio 54 with a Giorgio Moroder mustache. You decide if that is a good or a bad thing.
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Your EauPINION reads like: “this is a hypermasculine fragrance for hypermasculine gays.”. 😉
I like this one a lot- don’t think I love it s much of you but it has a lot of appeal. I do get sort of a weird note when I first apply (borderline urinous?) but it settles down into a (to me) very obvious old-school chypre with a heavy dose of evergreen. Considering it’s the fougere family, not the chypre family, which is classically masculine I find this interesting as I wouldn’t classify it as anywhere near a fougere.
Haha, you have no idea how close I was to typing such a thing, but I refrained. One can “read” that line how they wish. It’s um, disco.
It does have some “human” notes in it. Slightly urinous and sweaty. But, what does one expect when wearing leather pants? But, mainly it’s evergreen and herbal. I have no idea what family this scent is in. I have mixed feelings. Sometimes I think chypre and then I feel that is “not right”. Since it has every note on the planet, I’ll go with whatever people tell me.
Next time you’re out, sniff TF Italian Cypress. It’s like Z-14 without the “out all night clubbing in leather pants” opening accord. But, the TF is like $300 bazillion dollars 🙂
I need to lend you DSH’s straight-up Chypre (coty chypre recreation) – it “feels” like z14.
Do you think I should order a sample of it? I guess I really do need it as a chypre reference.
Great review! I enjoyed watching and reading it.
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Thank you!
Great review! Love watching your video reviews.
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