24
Less helpful Review
Perfume Professionals, or - Why You Should Test Before Blind Buys!
Ah yes - The good reviews are pouring in as if a holy grail has been discovered - Givenchy Gentleman Reserve Privee. Of course, this is a fragrance WITH a whiskey note, which is supposed to make it special, but believe me - It's like advertising a Toyota and selling you a toy Yoda (Toy Yoda).
An elegant bottle, one of the most beautiful in a long, long time. No, seriously, I haven't seen such a beautiful little bottle in ages. Heavy, feels good in the hand, 10/10.
But now comes what bothers me about the whole thing - The scent. I don't know where these reviews are coming from, how some people compare it to Dior Homme, of course there is a very, very slight similarity in the background, but what dominates here is a drunken whiskey connoisseur who has rubbed himself with roasted chestnuts & crowned himself the king of chestnuts.
A scent that causes aversion. I don't know who would voluntarily want to smell like this, especially if you're under 30. Here we have a fragrance that could attract attention in the 60+ age group, a scent for older gentlemen, I can assure you of that. The chestnut sticks in the nose, the whiskey only leaves the drunken "I've already drunk whiskey" notes, as if a bottle of Jack Daniels had spilled on the carpet & you didn't clean it up.
There is no adventure in the nose, no wow effect, not the most beautiful woody notes from the whiskey, no bergamot to make it refreshing in any way, it is literally stale cheap whiskey with an abundance of chestnuts. An extremely sticky, mushy scent, sweetly overwhelming with the alcohol note that always stands out. It sits heavily, just very heavy in the nose. Here you don't feel happy, you breathe faster in the other direction so that the smell disappears quickly. Some might even call an ambulance because they think you are having an asthma attack, but the smell just has to go away quickly.
But then, after half an hour the surprise (Yes, the big twist):
Nothing has changed. The chestnut is slowly fading, now an alcoholic has coughed on my arm. Whiskey, whiskey, and more whiskey. Not a trace of anything else. But hey, it's just my opinion, what do acquaintances say?
Now nearly an hour since applying on the arm, arrived home, asked my girlfriend, acquaintances & his girlfriend - horror in their eyes. Exactly the same as in my eyes. Nothing like "Oh wow that smells great," or "What fragrance is that?", unfortunately not. The only question I was asked was "Have you been drinking?" - No joke!
I am being completely honest - I don't know what to make of this. The super reviews are misleading, unless you are a fan of shooting festivals and love to literally smell like a drunkard. Never buy this little bottle as a blind buy, I beg you! I was lucky to have tested it first, even though the reviews here are incredibly good, and there was often talk that the whiskey smell fades quickly, which many found disappointing? I would be glad if this horror would disappear immediately, that was not the "elegant whiskey note" I was expecting.
After about 2-3 hours, the penetrating alcoholic note fades, the chestnut also slowly recedes, leaving a not so aggressive familiar scent from Dior on the skin, with the chestnut still hovering in the background making everything simply disgusting. I somehow expected that the chestnut would be better integrated, and not directly blow chestnut Nutella into my nose. Here the Dior comparison comes through, as I said. A slightly bitter masculine scent, still perceivable up close, still a chestnut that bullies my nose, but no trace of sillage anymore. The sillage surrounds you only at the beginning, right where it is the worst, and believe me - You fill the whole room with it. Please never wear this around Alcoholics Anonymous.
Fortunately, I had an Acqua di Giò Homme tester here that went directly on the other arm, it's not quite my thing either but it's like a cold glass of water after waking up from a night of heavy drinking.
Compliment scale in the first 1-2 hours: 2 out of 10 if you are under 40, rising higher over 40. I believe a smoky old crow lady who is out every night in the city bar will love it, but only after she has read you a few tarot cards.
Compliment scale after 2-3 hours: 3-4, a typically familiar scent, bitter, masculine, but sillage gone, still close to the chestnut. Hence a somewhat fair rating of 4 in this case.
An elegant bottle, one of the most beautiful in a long, long time. No, seriously, I haven't seen such a beautiful little bottle in ages. Heavy, feels good in the hand, 10/10.
But now comes what bothers me about the whole thing - The scent. I don't know where these reviews are coming from, how some people compare it to Dior Homme, of course there is a very, very slight similarity in the background, but what dominates here is a drunken whiskey connoisseur who has rubbed himself with roasted chestnuts & crowned himself the king of chestnuts.
A scent that causes aversion. I don't know who would voluntarily want to smell like this, especially if you're under 30. Here we have a fragrance that could attract attention in the 60+ age group, a scent for older gentlemen, I can assure you of that. The chestnut sticks in the nose, the whiskey only leaves the drunken "I've already drunk whiskey" notes, as if a bottle of Jack Daniels had spilled on the carpet & you didn't clean it up.
There is no adventure in the nose, no wow effect, not the most beautiful woody notes from the whiskey, no bergamot to make it refreshing in any way, it is literally stale cheap whiskey with an abundance of chestnuts. An extremely sticky, mushy scent, sweetly overwhelming with the alcohol note that always stands out. It sits heavily, just very heavy in the nose. Here you don't feel happy, you breathe faster in the other direction so that the smell disappears quickly. Some might even call an ambulance because they think you are having an asthma attack, but the smell just has to go away quickly.
But then, after half an hour the surprise (Yes, the big twist):
Nothing has changed. The chestnut is slowly fading, now an alcoholic has coughed on my arm. Whiskey, whiskey, and more whiskey. Not a trace of anything else. But hey, it's just my opinion, what do acquaintances say?
Now nearly an hour since applying on the arm, arrived home, asked my girlfriend, acquaintances & his girlfriend - horror in their eyes. Exactly the same as in my eyes. Nothing like "Oh wow that smells great," or "What fragrance is that?", unfortunately not. The only question I was asked was "Have you been drinking?" - No joke!
I am being completely honest - I don't know what to make of this. The super reviews are misleading, unless you are a fan of shooting festivals and love to literally smell like a drunkard. Never buy this little bottle as a blind buy, I beg you! I was lucky to have tested it first, even though the reviews here are incredibly good, and there was often talk that the whiskey smell fades quickly, which many found disappointing? I would be glad if this horror would disappear immediately, that was not the "elegant whiskey note" I was expecting.
After about 2-3 hours, the penetrating alcoholic note fades, the chestnut also slowly recedes, leaving a not so aggressive familiar scent from Dior on the skin, with the chestnut still hovering in the background making everything simply disgusting. I somehow expected that the chestnut would be better integrated, and not directly blow chestnut Nutella into my nose. Here the Dior comparison comes through, as I said. A slightly bitter masculine scent, still perceivable up close, still a chestnut that bullies my nose, but no trace of sillage anymore. The sillage surrounds you only at the beginning, right where it is the worst, and believe me - You fill the whole room with it. Please never wear this around Alcoholics Anonymous.
Fortunately, I had an Acqua di Giò Homme tester here that went directly on the other arm, it's not quite my thing either but it's like a cold glass of water after waking up from a night of heavy drinking.
Compliment scale in the first 1-2 hours: 2 out of 10 if you are under 40, rising higher over 40. I believe a smoky old crow lady who is out every night in the city bar will love it, but only after she has read you a few tarot cards.
Compliment scale after 2-3 hours: 3-4, a typically familiar scent, bitter, masculine, but sillage gone, still close to the chestnut. Hence a somewhat fair rating of 4 in this case.
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17 Comments
Vom Gentleman Reserve Privee hab ich mir jetzt eine Probe bestellt und muss sagen, dieser schmeckt schon viel angenehmer. Zwar auch sehr nach alkohol, aber nicht so penetrant. Trotzdem ist der Duft eher was für Ältere.. mMn. 40+ würd ich sagen.
Ein wunderbar weicher, nussiger und süßer Duft von Beginn an.
Ich dagegen finde, dass der Whisk(e)y nur sehr milde in Erscheinung tritt und leider auch überhaupt nicht lange hält. Für mich ist dieser hier nur kurzzeitig(sic!) ein etwas alkoholgeschwängerter Duft, der ansonsten komplett mit dem "normalen" Gentleman EdP (der ganz schwarze Flakon) übereinstimmt und somit keinen zusätzlichen Kaufgrund abgibt!
Tipp für dich: NIEMALS den Bentley auftragen! ;-)
Den Duft gefällt mir schon, bleibt allerdings trotzdem hinter den Erwartungen zurück