Almost three years ago, I came across Jacomo Aura for Men, and the price was cheap that I blindly bought it. I found the very sleek modern bottle design to be intriguing and thought well why not give it a go? An inverted U-shaped square plexiglass shield, which encases a neon greenish and opaque bottle. The overall effect is sumptuous, charming to see. And the fragrance did not displease me, either. Just a tip. To appreciate Aura for Men, you should enjoy the smell of tea and tobacco leaves in all their forms and expressions, which I do.
It is a beautiful sunny and breezy late summer Sunday morning, but today is not the day to go out and do things. Today is a day to stay in bed longer, to sip a cup of tea and read a book and not let the world stand in the way. The first light of the morning that filters through the open windows, outside there are open grassy meadows all around is silent, and the warmth of the sheets wraps around me like a second skin. As soon as worn, Aura makes me think of that atmosphere so full of light-heartedness and idleness. Bravo to the nose of Henri Bergia, I think he did a magnificent job here, with its smooth greenish touch of woods, and that airy vibe that blew me away the moment I smelled it.
At first, Aura for Men looks incredibly unsettling, confusing, and complex, rich in sour citrus and aromatic herbs. Unripe lime and piquant ginger combine with a swift of fresh sage leaves and juniper berries that give bitterness to the whole top notes. I don't care for the initial blast. A little too bright, citrus, fruity, and sour, but not like a creamy lemon. The sourness is like acid cream, tangy and gamey. The accord is not at all as green as one may assume, perhaps misled by the greenish package, but after things settled down a bit, the result is a little mellow, tender and fresh, very pleasant and contemporary. It has the same opening as Gucci II, though they are not comparable to one another. It is approximately unconventional, the mixture of freshly cut tobacco leaves and juniper berries might cause piercing to someone. Instead, ginger and sage give freshness to the initial stage.
Let the head euphoria calm down, and a sour green tea mixed with honeyed tobacco and toasted tonka bean come into play. This leafy-sweet accord combines with the spicier cinnamon and nutmeg, which are rather mild and pleasant here, to complete the heart notes. The spices are not dominant and do not cover the grassy hints of the foliage. Tobacco leaves are very amiable, not like the smoke of a burning cigar, instead of the dried one you find in a pristine pipe's tobacco. I perceive both green tea and tobacco nearly dominant in the middle stage, yet some people say they don't feel them at all. Sweet tobacco mixed with tonka, I see the tobacco accord is on par with Trussardi Inside, that vibe, but again, not a clone of that.
In dry-down, we meet a traditional combination of musk, sandalwood, cedar and patchouli. This grade is warm and comfortable, like a good cup of espresso after a long and pleasant meal. The scent here is akin to CK Shock, maybe a little better, the mix of patchouli, musk, and tobacco smells alike, yet there is something about it that reminds me of Narciso Rodriguez for Him. At this last stage, the scent is still powdery and soapy, but sandalwood is good in this one. The redolence is not sweet by any means, and I would say dry. When you wear it, the scent turns warmer, more intimate and pleasantly becomes part of you, does not disappear, but it blends with the natural odour of your body. Aura is a very appropriate name for this fragrance.
Aura for Men turns out as a non-linear cologne, the three stages are detectable and different from one another and creates a light atmosphere around you with sweet background notes. It's green, herbal, and spicy, but nothing over-powering. Aura for Men truly is a hidden gem in today's world of mostly amber, aquatic and citrus scents. It is shockingly enjoyable despite the ridiculous price, and the dry-down somehow reminds me of that sweet, agrestic, coumarin aroma of walking through a meadow on a summer evening. For that alone, I am hooked. Aura for Men is a gorgeous scent with subtle longevity for such light cologne. It can be an exceptional perfume for office and daily use, Spring and Fall mornings and also evenings, maybe a bit too much in the summer heat and a bit too flat in the winter cold. No comparison can be made, in my opinion, on this one, albeit I have mentioned a few likenesses with other colognes. It's a unique fragrance which has its personality and outstanding quality, an underrated exceptional scent that deserves a tad of more attention.
I base this review upon a 75 ml (2.4 fl. oz) I own since March 2017.
- Elysium
Top Notes 
Ginger
Juniper
Lime
Clary sage
Heart Notes 
Green tea
Nutmeg
Ceylonese cinnamon
Tobacco
Tonka bean
Base Notes 
Sandalwood
Cistus
Cedar
Musk
Amber
Patchouli
Elysium
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