Aventus Creed 2010

Ah yes, Creed Aventus. You are indeed someone. Above all, you have always been my enemy; I could never relate to this fruity fresh shower gel cocktail, especially since every freshie afterward tried to smell like you. Sometimes in the heart, sometimes in the base, sometimes as an overall concept. But you were always the trigger for everything. You made it a trend. You shaped an entire generation of fragrances; you were one of "them." A star who became a role model for countless people.

And I still don't like you. When I tested you back then, you were already overwhelmingly strong. Intensely fresh, woody, fruity, still a bit smoky somehow. You had something about you that all the imitators lacked. That made you, despite being so overused, still special. I didn't like you, but I realized that you were indeed something special, that you were worth it. At least for those who appreciated your style.

But now, with a very recent sample, you are just a shadow of what you once were. You open with your pineapple, citrus, apples, musk, only 10% of what you used to deliver. Briefly, you remind me of the past, but with strong dementia.

You cling to the skin for 10 minutes, with exactly the same opening, and then you are gone. As if you were an EdT from the discount store. After those 10 minutes, you have 1% of the performance that you still had after 10 hours back then. I can hardly smell anything on the back of my hand, poof and gone. There are remnants of the top note clinging to me, traces of wood, pineapple, pepper, lemon. And with every second, 1% more disappears. After half an hour, you are almost gone. Occasionally, Aventus can still be perceived, a brief glimmer, but just as quickly, it is gone again.

The king has fallen; new kings reign. Rest in peace!