Touch for Men by Burberry

Even though it came out years ago, it’s still a solid option for the office, especially on rainy days. Its profile is very pleasant and functional.

Total disappointment. I bought it blind based on good reviews and hated it. Let it dry for 10 minutes, 30 minutes, and even up to 3 hours, but it still didn’t impress me. It smells like ‘clean old man,’ not an elegant gentleman, but that nice, talkative guy who goes unnoticed. It reminded me of a private clinic. Price 9/10, Longevity 7.5/10, Sillage 5/10, Scent 6/10.

A fulfilling blue fragrance and a fairly safe blind buy. It’s cheap, around $20 on some sites, and offers a lot. Smells fresh, clean, with a masculine touch from the base woods. Perfect for the office or school, though watch out: it’s not as youthful. Good longevity for an EDT, around 6-7 hours on skin, with light-to-moderate projection of 1-2 hours. It can earn you some compliments for its safe and familiar scent. Compliments 6/10, Price 10/10, Longevity 6/10, Projection 6/10, Scent 7/10.

I’m sure that, like songs, scents transport you to certain chapters of your life, and this fragrance is one of them. Currently, I have several gems of superior fragrances above TOUCH on my list, but I couldn’t resist buying it too soon. What am I going to do? I’m a slave to nostalgia.

The first time I smelled this fragrance was 20 years ago, in high school, it was my father’s. Back then I knew nothing about perfumery, but I already noticed it was an exquisite scent radiating cleanliness and freshness. I’ve had it for a couple of years, though not with my father, and that’s why it will be a permanent part of my collection because it brings back very good memories. Beyond the sentimentality, I recommend this fragrance, it’s a 10/10.

I picked this up for about $35, and for that price, it’s a great find for hot days, the university, or work. Ideal for everyday wear: it doesn’t stand out, but it smells clean.

Great for winter; woody and fresh with a hint of vanilla. Use it in moderation, or it gets tiring if you overdo it. Lasts about 6 hours on my skin with a moderate sillage.

Perfect for rainy days, especially when it mixes with the smell of wet earth. Features fresh pepper with woods and a herbal-aquatic finish. Smells neat and formal, though the pepper makes it a bit classic; be careful not to overapply or it’ll sting your nose. Works well with casual or suit attire, conveying seriousness and poise without being flashy. Lasts about 6 hours with good initial projection. Outside department stores, it’s worth it for under 1,000 MXN. Don’t buy blind, but it’s a great gift for dads or grandparents. I’d rank it in my top 10 for warm climates. Rating: 7.2

Bought it blind because it was half price and came with an extra 50ml. It’s a clean scent, like freshly laundered clothes or a baby product, with a modest 6-hour longevity, though movement can push it to 8 hours. Simply pleasant and not overly commercial.

Another blind buy that failed. It smells like TELETUBBIES. I was looking for something soapy and high-end for men, Prada style but cheap. I can’t distinguish any notes. The opening is pleasant, a familiar scent I can’t identify. What I do know is that it smells like walking into a drugstore to buy bulk candy and serving yourself. At 10 minutes, a woody cedar note emerges; that’s good. But later, in the dry-down, something powdery and rancid appears. Imagine a baby’s clothes that just vomited milk on, with that stain fermenting under the autumn sun. I’d define the dry-down as MILKY. If perfumes at Corte Inglés have this vibe, I don’t know what to think. I can’t picture James Bond or Austin Power in Burberry Touch (though Brit for Him might work). Performance: excellent projection. Longevity: WAY too long, over 10 hours; it’s a pest. If you want to wake up your kid’s teacher or the moms, this is your perfume.

Let’s say Touch isn’t a conventional perfume, nor does it even seem like one. If someone gets close, they won’t say ‘that smells good,’ but rather ‘you smell great.’ I don’t underestimate this; it has class, style, it’s elegant for a gentleman, though it works well for women too. It smells like expensive cream but not exactly; it gives a sense of cleanliness without being soapy. Another way to put it: freshly laundered and ironed clothes in an elegant wooden wardrobe. If you’re looking for something scandalous for hooking up or a party, this isn’t it. It’s for the office, formal or casual dates, and enclosed spaces. I recommend it for daytime; it’s not as refreshing as ADG or CK One. It smells like clean powder with a sober musk; you can tell the musk is there, which is why it works for intimate dates. It also works for night, but you need to apply more. Longevity: 7-9 hours. Projection: 1.7 meters for the first 2 hours, then under a meter until the 7th hour, then skin scent. Note: you have to be a ‘Gentleman’ to wear it, otherwise it doesn’t work. In two words: ‘Too classy’.

A shy, soft fragrance. The opening is hypnotic and promises more than it delivers in terms of projection and sillage. It has a lovely scent (I wouldn’t say ‘charming’); it resembles cold, milky, slightly sweet chai tea, staying close to the skin as if it weren’t even there. It’s cute, but causes olfactory fatigue and has weak projection, so it’s easy to stop smelling it. Longevity: about 5 hours, more or less depending on the weather. Minimalist, living up to its name: it’s a touch for the skin, like the wearer’s own natural scent. Ideal for everyday wear in mild climates and relaxed situations. At this price point, it’s a safe blind buy, though it’s becoming harder to find; I assume they’ll discontinue it soon.

What a wonderful fragrance with an enchantingly lovely opening. Fresh, clean, slightly spicy, with a sweet tonka bean touch that smells more like coumarin and white musk. Reminds me of Prada Luna Rosa Black for that sophisticated semi-sweet clean feeling. The projection is strong at first, then softens, but the scent is addictive. Perfect for formal gatherings, the office, or romantic dates. If you like scents like Givenchy Gentleman Only or YSL Libre, even Prada, this won’t disappoint you, especially regarding skin longevity: I was surprised, it lasts an incredible 12 hours.

The opening, weak as it is, isn’t special at all. You can smell the violet and some tangerine, but after half an hour, a spicy musk dominates with a cloying sweet base. It smells like a cheap department store perfume. Performance is a 3 out of 10. I think the fair price for 100ml should be between 50 cents and a euro.

Touch will likely be, along with Baby Touch, the only perfume I like from this house. In the late nineties, spiced waters of violets, grapefruits, woods, and musk became trendy. That scent of a diplomat-suit office worker, a Gucci watch, and untied Prada shoes. Touch is an allegory for that snob style who, after work, drinks vodka in a perpetually cloudy New York. It smells like skyscrapers, glass, silverware, and polished steel. It also smells like a storm and electricity, a mix of city and countryside, blue coldness and country relaxation, a running washing machine, and dark earth on asphalt. I think it’s one of the best from that family to have aged; you visualize something that no longer exists, and it holds up without smelling like mothballs. Ozonic musk, electric violets, metallic flowers, and a delicious dry-down reminiscent of Manley wax with sparks of waxy musk. Spiced, powdery, woody, violet, and musky, with a cold light tone. It’s not a masterpiece, it just smells very, very good. P.S.: It could be a Bvlgari from that era; it has the entire style book of the brand.