5
Very helpful Review
A Gentleman's Necessity
We all have our own image of what a gentleman should look like. Confident, well-spoken, kind, and well-mannered. Draped in a flawlessly tailored navy suit, perfectly over his broad shoulders; a crisp white shirt, paired with a silk tie that adds a sharp contrast, and polished leather shoes that complete the ensemble. Every detail is immaculate - except, what good is elegance without the right scent? That's where Gentleman Givenchy Réserve Privée comes into play.
The opening is immediately sharply boozy, with a hint of crisp bergamot, which fades away pretty fast. You then are met with a smooth dose of ambery sweetness and a nutty, creamy chestnut accord, which is beautifully balanced with the iris - arguably the star of the show. Similarly to Dior Homme Intense (2011) and Valentino Uomo Intense , the iris note brings a very powdery feel to the fragrance, and it also resembles lipstick in one way or another. I've seen many say that they also get baby powder, to which I won't object. At this point, you'll either love it or hate it. I, for one, like it, as it is not too powdery and just nicely blended with the other notes. But still, it could've benefitted from a little more smoothness. As the fragrance dries down, its sweetness is toned down a bit, and the base notes of vetiver and patchouli give it a slightly drier and warmer feel, although the vetiver is rather subdued. It's a pleasant, refined and mature scent, with that touch of sophistication of a true gentleman. However, here it is evidently done in a mass-appealing fashion, and as things dry down, you're left with nothing really special anymore. Just a sweet patchouli with a creamy undertone, as well as remaining powderiness from the iris and ambery warmth.
There are some issues here, however, and those are regarding performance. On my skin, Gentleman Réserve Privée lasted for about 6, maybe 7 hours, which is not exactly great for a fragrance of this kind. However, I do have a pretty poor history when it comes to fragrances and their longevity on my skin, so I guess I just have a bad skin chemistry. Nevertheless, I haven't heard other reviewers praise Réserve Privée for its excellent longevity. And same goes for the projection. For the first two hours, it was alright, maybe about a foot of projection. But afterwards, it would settle very closely to the skin. I asked a couple of friends if they could smell it on me, and unless they shoved their nose on my wrist/neck, they could barely sense it. So it's unfortunate that such a nice fragrance has such poor performance. In this case, you can spray anywhere from 6-8 sprays, but do test it first with fewer sprays; maybe you're one of the few lucky people who's skin chemistry works well with Réserve Privée.
For occasions, it's pretty self-explanatory. Anywhere from a dressed-up event, like a wedding or a work setting, Gentleman Givenchy Réserve Privée will fit in the vibe just right. It's the fragrance to wear when you truly want to feel like a gentleman, when you want to leave that nice impression of a confident, mature and classy person (which you probably aren't, you just want to be perceived like that).
Unfortunately, given its poor projection and not stellar longevity, it won't be easy getting people to notice you. But in the end, this is not a clubbing fragrance. This is not a fragrance that is made to get people's attention from 5 feet away. Subtlety is another trait of a true gentleman, and a subtle, pleasing scent is what you're looking for, not an intoxicating and extremely powerful scent bomb. While you might get some better performance with Dior Homme Intense (2011) or Valentino Uomo Intense , I believe that Gentleman Givenchy Réserve Privée is well-worth considering and trying if you want that one fragrance that once you put it on, you'll feel like the gentleman you wish you were.
Overall Rating: 7.1/10
The opening is immediately sharply boozy, with a hint of crisp bergamot, which fades away pretty fast. You then are met with a smooth dose of ambery sweetness and a nutty, creamy chestnut accord, which is beautifully balanced with the iris - arguably the star of the show. Similarly to Dior Homme Intense (2011) and Valentino Uomo Intense , the iris note brings a very powdery feel to the fragrance, and it also resembles lipstick in one way or another. I've seen many say that they also get baby powder, to which I won't object. At this point, you'll either love it or hate it. I, for one, like it, as it is not too powdery and just nicely blended with the other notes. But still, it could've benefitted from a little more smoothness. As the fragrance dries down, its sweetness is toned down a bit, and the base notes of vetiver and patchouli give it a slightly drier and warmer feel, although the vetiver is rather subdued. It's a pleasant, refined and mature scent, with that touch of sophistication of a true gentleman. However, here it is evidently done in a mass-appealing fashion, and as things dry down, you're left with nothing really special anymore. Just a sweet patchouli with a creamy undertone, as well as remaining powderiness from the iris and ambery warmth.
There are some issues here, however, and those are regarding performance. On my skin, Gentleman Réserve Privée lasted for about 6, maybe 7 hours, which is not exactly great for a fragrance of this kind. However, I do have a pretty poor history when it comes to fragrances and their longevity on my skin, so I guess I just have a bad skin chemistry. Nevertheless, I haven't heard other reviewers praise Réserve Privée for its excellent longevity. And same goes for the projection. For the first two hours, it was alright, maybe about a foot of projection. But afterwards, it would settle very closely to the skin. I asked a couple of friends if they could smell it on me, and unless they shoved their nose on my wrist/neck, they could barely sense it. So it's unfortunate that such a nice fragrance has such poor performance. In this case, you can spray anywhere from 6-8 sprays, but do test it first with fewer sprays; maybe you're one of the few lucky people who's skin chemistry works well with Réserve Privée.
For occasions, it's pretty self-explanatory. Anywhere from a dressed-up event, like a wedding or a work setting, Gentleman Givenchy Réserve Privée will fit in the vibe just right. It's the fragrance to wear when you truly want to feel like a gentleman, when you want to leave that nice impression of a confident, mature and classy person (which you probably aren't, you just want to be perceived like that).
Unfortunately, given its poor projection and not stellar longevity, it won't be easy getting people to notice you. But in the end, this is not a clubbing fragrance. This is not a fragrance that is made to get people's attention from 5 feet away. Subtlety is another trait of a true gentleman, and a subtle, pleasing scent is what you're looking for, not an intoxicating and extremely powerful scent bomb. While you might get some better performance with Dior Homme Intense (2011) or Valentino Uomo Intense , I believe that Gentleman Givenchy Réserve Privée is well-worth considering and trying if you want that one fragrance that once you put it on, you'll feel like the gentleman you wish you were.
Overall Rating: 7.1/10