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Elysium
Helpful Review
6
For Those Still Looking For Their Foothold
Ungaro Fresh for Him is the latest in the popular men's fragrances from Emanuel Ungaro follows its predecessor Ungaro For Him, they share a similar fancy bottle, but a different scent. When sprayed on the paper strip or sniffed from the sprayer, you immediately get a blast of citrus fruits blended with earthy and dirty vetiver, the mixture raptures your mind. It perfumes like the best shower you ever had in the poshest spa you ever stayed in. Fresh for Him is for those still looking for their foothold.
Instead, on the skin, the initial aroma is abundant in citrus fruits. The bitterness, aldehydic, and slight sulfurous odor of the grapefruit peel is overpowering and nearly mineral as if the freshly cut fruit were juiced over a hot stone. The sourness of the grapefruit is seasoned with spicy ginger, and just to make the opening a bit sweet some velvety green bergamot mingles. The result is surprisingly fresh with a lot of sourness, the citrusy bright and crisp character shines and respects the perfume's name.
I cherish this initial stage, and I reapply more and more to get the mineral-bitter vibe of the citrus mix. The vetiver is recorded as a base note, but it comes up immediately upon applying, it adds a green, deep, grassy, and earthy accord, which provides the fragrance with a classy and old-school touch.
In the heart, a sort of unmentioned spiciness kicks in and gives it a kind of bite, it is a mild spice a bit sweet and pleasantly reminiscent of pink peppercorn. The violet leaves are metallic and mineral, there is no powderiness, but a strong dustiness akin to stone's powder as mentioned above. The geranium and peppery things are just a soft floral and spicy accord.
The drying down is wholly oriented towards the class vetiver, here green, lemony, grassy, wet and earthy, very captivating. Not smoky and not hard at all. It is durable and hitting my nostrils hard. Just to give you an idea, the vetiver used here reminds me of the Cartier Declaration. The most apparent changes from opening to drying down are the almost total dissipation of the citrus accords, and the woody accords become more prominent towards the final stage. But the vetiver is not the solid note in the base. In case I didn't love it enough, there's even a dab of my beloved oakmoss in it to keep me faithful for life, and the whole aroma is soiled with a few drops of modern patchouli. There also may be a more particular incense note during the dry down, which gives the fragrance more of a pricky, smoky, and exotic feel. I could imagine being in a Moroccan bazaar during this phase.
Lately, if I have to tell the truth, there are a lot of similarities but even differences to Terre D'Hermes Eau Intense Vetiver. The brightness of the citrus and the green touches make them fit in the same ballpark. This isn't Encre Noire, it's not Creed Vetiver, and neither is Guerlain Vetiver. It's not that kind of vetiver, but it still is. I find a little resemblance to the perfumes mentioned above.
The Summer season and all through Fall are the most suitable time for wearing it. Longevity is not bad at all. It did seem to quiet down fast and disappear, but then it returned as a soft but continuous aura, and it stayed with me for quite a long time. It lasts pretty long on clothes too. Sillage is there. According to what other people reported to me, there's a beautiful scent trail following you around all the time. You'll notice when you're walking around and suddenly stop or sit down. The air around you will still be moving, and the scent will be very noticeable. Very clean, classy, and masculine. High quality does not smell cheap. I would wear it to the office; still, it works better for evenings and nights, but daytime is ok.
This review is based upon a 100ml (3.4 FL.oz) I own since July 2020.
-Elysium
Top Notes 
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Elysium
