Icon Dunhill 2015

It was the time before Parfumo when I left the Karstadt on Mönckebergstraße with a few fragrances. In my bag, I found a sample of Icon. Since I knew the fragrances I had purchased and acquired them purposefully, I hadn’t tested anything further in the store.

Short anecdote:

I stopped testing fragrances in stores a long time ago when I already knew which one(s) I wanted to buy. The risk for me is simply too great that it could get out of hand. Like many of you, I have sworn off impulse buys. And that’s a good thing. Patience is a virtue, but in my opinion, it should actually be a prerequisite when it comes to perfumes.

Dunhill had completely passed me by until that point. I had associated this brand with prejudices like "old-fashioned, pretentious, boring, it doesn’t suit me anyway" and therefore never tested it (if there was ever a Dunhill tester available anywhere). So, I sat in my car with my bag, and since I hadn’t tested anything beforehand and my limbs were therefore receptive, Icon was placed on my forearm. 2 sprays should be enough to change my perception of Dunhill. Of course, a fragrance cannot represent the entire brand, but this Icon was so good from the second I sprayed it that I had to hold myself back from buying it immediately. Throughout the day, I kept smelling my arm. The scent was perceived as very good, and after the sample was almost empty, a bottle was acquired. Over the months, other fragrances joined the collection, and somehow Icon was forgotten. To make space, I even sold it, which was foolish. Why does one do such a thing? My patience back then was not what it is today. It’s good to learn from one or two mistakes… My luck was that I had also forgotten the sample. It was lying somewhere far down in the sample jar. When I was cleaning up recently, I came across this (remaining) sample. I have rarely been so happy to find a sample and immediately entered a state of fragrance ecstasy. I was instantly transported back to that late summer when I discovered the scent. Wow. Rarely have I felt such a guilty conscience. It sounds crazy, but it’s true. So, I ordered Icon again right away. Good thing, it will stay.

The scent starts for me very fresh, spicy, citrusy with a nice pepper note. Not sharp, rather invigorating. Neroli, lavender, and sage quickly join in. They make Icon warm, flattering, cozy. On the other hand, I perceive the scent as very masculine, energetic. The listed base notes are less noticeable to me in the rest of the development than the heart notes. I don’t smell oud, just minimal leather nuances, and the vetiver is very light, bright, and fresh. An understatement scent. For me, it is wearable all year round, just not when it’s too hot. Preferably with a shirt rather than a T-shirt, better with chinos or jeans than with shorts. A certain (age-independent) maturity should be brought by the wearer. The longevity is very good for me, and the projection leaves nothing to be desired. An absolute bang for the buck.

In a certain way, Icon opened the door to neroli for me, albeit on a selective basis since everything about the scent must (for me) fit. My current signature scent is Opalon; without Icon, Opalon would have passed me by.

It’s beautiful how one’s own preferences develop and change over time - some faster, some slower - and sometimes you have to return to something to experience a certain level of happiness.

Icon smells to me like understatement with a bit of bad boy charm!