Bang Bang! I couldn't decide whether to post a pic of the crazy bottle or a Nancy Sinatra clip, but finally decided on Bam Bam, which is the first thing that comes to mind when I hear the name of MJ's latest.

I'm pleased to report that the apparent new trend for men's scents is the ever-charming spiced-sandalwood combo (finally!) I'm hoping the sales jump with these so we can finally rid ourselves of the trite aquatics that seem to never go away. Bang Bang is a direct descendant of Guerlain's L'Instant Pour Homme, via Amouage Dia Man, via Cartier's Declaration, and not miles away from Calvin Klein's recent CK One Shock for Men (which technically came after BB, but reached our neck of the woods about a year earlier). All are warm & cozy, yet hint at freshness with the use of woody ambers and in the case of BB, a lovely herbal-mint note.

Derivative? Yes, but in this case, not a bad thing. Kudos to Yann Vasnier for adding yet another terrific scent to the mass-market that will (hopefully) flush out all the duds.

Year: 2010 (official); 2012 (North America)

Perfumer: Yann Vasnier

Notes: Citrus, lemon, sandalwood, cashmere musk.

Rightfully, this should have been called Violette Velours, but I guess that didn't have the right ring to it. While the lavender topnote is undeniably crisp and beautiful, it's exactly that, a topnote.

I have a certain "method" to smelling. A quick inhale will give you the general idea of a fragrance, but preceding that with an deep exhale gives you a much fuller representation. I've always found this very effective personally, but hearing it mentioned by a pro on BBC's recent documentary on perfume, I felt vindicated. Using this method, you can actually catch some lavender well into the drydown of LV, but it takes some focus. After the obvious topnote, which seems to emphasize some of the anise-like qualities of lavender, violet immediately takes centre stage and pairs up magically in a "Goodies" candy manner.

The rest of the fragrance's progression shows a dusting of iris and a nice sandalwood-esque drydown. It's not quite as natural smelling as Ylang Vanille, but I suppose that's to be expected with a violet scent. Either way, it's all very lovely, very cozy, and in keeping with the "velour" reference in the name.

Sadly, most of the best Allegorias have been discontinued, but can still be found relatively easily online for not too much money. I wish Chanel had paid closer attention to this when creating the lackluster Jersey.

Year: 1999

Perfumer: Jean-Paul Guerlain (or Mathilde Laurent)

Notes: Lavender, iris, sandalwood, vanilla

When reading reviews online for Lolita Lempicka's eponymous scent, one comparison will no doubt stand out - Angel. If you haven't tried LL, I'll agree that technically speaking, it definitely falls beneath Angel and the new subcategory it created, however, it lacks Angel's balls, so to speak, and is a lovely, wearable scent that is hugely popular for a reason.

LL has a fun, 3-tiered composition. Starting with a candied licorice, the progression dries out significantly when the heart becomes prominent, and at this stage appears the most "masculine" with the patchouli taking centre stage. The drydown is fluffier and returns some of the sweetness with an almond-biscuit undertone. I'm sure there are florals in here, but none are overtly evident to my nose, other than the dryness that violet-aromachemicals bring.

As with any successful scent, LL has several thousand flankers. I've yet to try them all, but the few that are on shelves at the moment are okay, but as usual, add nothing to the brilliance of the original. For some reason, possibly to avoid confusion (although it only increases it), Lempicka decided to rebrand LL as "Le Premiere Parfum" or "The First Fragrance".

Along with the new name, they added an Eau de Toilette flanker, which is lighter, as expected, with a lot of citrus and an interesting iris note. Very well done. The bottle for this one now has a little bite taken out of it, which I happen to think is darling.

LL Midnight is, as expected, darker and richer than the original, but I rather think the original was dark enough, so Midnight seems redundant and "thick", like a prune-flavoured cough syrup.

Forbidden Flower/Fleur Defendu, in its Granny Smith green bottle, comes across not so much more floral as more fruity that the original. Not awful, but again, not an improvement by any means. Definitely worth trying if you like apples.

The latest (which hasn't hit the shelves here), Eau de Beaute, appears to be more of a body product, and claims to contain things like "violet extract". To my knowledge, violet extract/oil is very rare and expensive, and not something I have ever come across. The likelyhood of it being in a mass-market fragrance are poor at best. I do happen to like the idea of a moisturizing perfume though, as Hermes did with their wonderful Eaux d'Abandonce.

Year: 1997

Perfumer: Annick Menardo

Notes: Aniseed, Ivy, Violet, Tonka Bean, Amarena Cherry, Vanilla, Praline, Musk.