Acqua di Giò Essenza Giorgio Armani 2012

AdG Essenza is a good example of a cologne that has been done many times over: aquatic woods, with adornments added for a small twist. Nothing particularly wrong with it, but its been done somewhat better, and at a more economical price point in many cases. It also suffers collateral damage from being the sibling of the original, over-exposed, AdG, despite the fact that it stands on its own as a separate fragrance.

The fact that it ships in an EDP concentration is one of the few things that make it stand apart from the crowded field of aquatic/woody fragrances. The strength is as expected for an EDP, and it lasts accordingly. This at least gives it real viability as an all-day work fragrance. I get full day wears out of it, with no touch-ups.

As for the fragrance itself, it opens with aquatic, slight citrus and woody notes. This transitions to a stage where the woody notes come to the fore and it remains pretty linear from that point to conclusion. Thankfully, it maintains a nice dryness throughout, nothing sweet or gourmandish sneaks in late on the game.

It is work-safe, flexible enough (read that: mainstream) to function "ok" in a number of scenarios.

I'll continue to rotate it with my other fragrances, mostly for work-wear, but won't buy again. Alternatives at a much more favorable price point, with similar scents include Polo Blue, various Issey Miyakes and Nautica Voyage. Between them all, I'll only re-buy the Nautica again.