Condorpilot1

So here it is now for a few weeks, the second fragrance from Fragrance One. I resisted buying this fragrance for a long time, particularly because of the price of €220, I admit. However, I found it at a reasonable price and decided to go for it. I want to evaluate this fragrance completely impartially, without letting myself be influenced by the almost exclusively negative comments regarding my first impression. I don't like that and would find it unfair. First of all, I ask myself: What is my subjective expectation of a fragrance created for the man who is supposed to wear it on a date? - For me, a date fragrance must be dark, seductive, profound, mature, thoughtful, woody, with a slight sweetness, preferably (a hint of) oriental (e.g. through rose, jasmine, cardamom, incense, sandalwood, vanilla, tonka or oud), pleasant sillage (not overwhelmingly strong but also not too weak) and created with dedication. I would also like the bottle to suggest that it is a date fragrance. I wouldn't mind a dark red/burgundy presentation - by the way, this is one of my personal criticisms of Fragrance One's presentation, as all bottles seem to be and remain black. I would wish for more color appropriate to the theme of each perfume from this brand. Black, for example, for an evening fragrance for a "Black Tie Event." By the way, I found the transparent bottle of the second batch of Office for Men much more fitting in color for the theme "Office" than the current one, just as a side note...

Now, onto the fragrance. First, I always like to smell the sprayer and the cap to get an initial impression of the perfume before it goes on the skin, a bit like opening a bottle of wine. I did the same this time. "What is this? Is the oud really noticeable here, contrary to what the comments have claimed so far?" I thought. Indeed, I detected something at the sprayer that smelled like oud. Apparently, this expensive oud from Laos that Jeremy always talked about in the videos. "Not bad! This could go on," was my positive attitude. However, when I first sprayed it on my forearm: BOOM! Fruit bomb! "What just happened?! Oud, where are you?" was my next reaction. Honestly, I couldn't have perceived that it was a composition of citrus notes like lemon, bergamot, and mandarin in the top note. What I smelled was a fruit salad of overripe synthetic fruits that overwhelmed everything. Really everything. Lemons and the like can be wonderful when they smell natural, Allure Homme Édition Blanche shows how it's done in the designer corner, for example (even though the scent character is not comparable)... No, this fruit bomb was too much of a good thing, too much at once and overly eager in its creation. And yes, the comparison to JPG Ultra Male is definitely there. So I grabbed my Ultra Male from the shelf and quickly sprayed it on the other arm to compare the two side by side. Somehow, Date also had a pear-like quality like Ultra Male in the top note, but obviously created with so-called "aroma chemicals" that are supposed to leave your impression of citrus and pear but are mixed in the lab... Everything feels unnatural, synthetic, and unbalanced. In direct comparison, Ultra Male is, however, more pear-heavy and even sweeter than Date in the opening. In any case, I did not like the Date top note at all. But cardamom, patchouli, oud, and vetiver are supposed to follow. After about 30 minutes, I still smelled the top note, still fruit salad. After 45 minutes, still, after 1 hour still top note - but stop! Kardamom has indeed crept in after the sweetness has slightly retreated. But not sweet cardamom like in La Nuit de L'Homme, but spicier. And the rest? Well, the heart note is practically skipped, and I honestly can't perceive the base note, not even after 5 hours because this top note just won't disappear. Date for Men won't hold out much longer, it seems to quickly become a skin scent. The highly praised Laotian oud is probably gone or perhaps never appeared. I only smelled it once at the sprayer and never again. Not even after the second testing.

I don't know exactly what ideas Jeremy Fragrance had for a date fragrance. Perhaps they don't even overlap with my ideas. But for my taste, Date for Men unfortunately missed the theme. I want to make it clear that this is not a catastrophic fragrance; there are far worse ones. It is certainly very safe and mainstream, but my senses tell me that it is not a date fragrance. The points I mentioned earlier (dark, seductive, mature, thoughtful...) that, in my opinion, define a date fragrance were not met. The perfume is, at first, especially shrill and loud and then persistently sweet. From its DNA or what I can perceive, it is an absolutely suitable fragrance for the club. Hence the title of this comment. If it had more sillage and longevity, it would be top-notch, honestly! Especially for the young audience, if the price were more reasonable, it could become popular. Of course, I am curious whether the community would see it similarly to me or perhaps has completely different ideas and opinions about it. I have also been wondering whether it was right to bring Alberto Morillas on board again. Nothing against Alberto Morillas, he has truly created great works. But he creates a lot for designer houses, and they want mainstream and mass appeal. Perhaps that's why there is simply a lack of a sense of "uniqueness," which is urgently needed in the perfume industry, even among designer perfumes! Creativity is so important, and many releases in recent years have simply been too flat. Fragrance One has a great opportunity as a young company. But their fragrance DNAs are still steering a bit in the wrong direction. Couldn't Jeremy reach out to other perfumers? There are certainly plenty of good, creative, and open-minded individuals who can work freely without "budget limitations." This way, at least in theory, great perfume masterpieces could be created.

Date for Men is a fragrance that is character-wise suitable for 16-25 year-olds, but for the age groups above, it is simply too sweet and playful, not mature, not profound, and youthful-naive. After all, a date shouldn't take place in a club ;-) I will keep the fragrance, and I will use it. My Ultra Male is almost empty, so at least I have a sort of alternative. I can't say anything about compliments; I'm not really into that. I also wish for more courage, edge, and risk from Fragrance One and am looking forward to the next creation for men.

Visiting the perfume department of the Duty Free at an airport has become obligatory for me. So, I was indeed surprised by the sight of the new Aqua di Gio Profondo on the shelf, which I hadn't expected to see for sale yet. So, of course, I went straight over, sprayed it first on the test strip, then on my wrist. In any case, on my skin, scents can differ significantly, and compared to the test strip, they can even be a disappointment...

Well, the first thought when spraying Profondo - finally, a successful release again! I'm not a fan of aquatic scents, but I had high hopes for this one, and it has certainly captivated me. Compared to Profumo, it initially feels cooler and fresher, yet the green-spicy Profumo DNA is still noticeable throughout. What stands out, however, is that alongside the freshness at the beginning, there is also a hint of sweetness. I had to think for a moment about what it reminds me of - definitely Invictus, but for me personally, even more so Rasasi Hawas, the latter of which I even have on my shelf! But the sweetness of Profondo is not overly sweet; rather, it remains subtly present. This sweetness lasted about an hour on me, and the dry down is strikingly similar to Profumo. Hence, the younger brother, same base but a bit more playful. Unfortunately, the longevity and sillage leave much to be desired; on me, the scent quickly becomes a "skin scent."

I can well imagine that younger customers would find this quite appealing if they find Profumo too mature but don't want a scent that is too sweet. I would also wear the new Profondo more for casual occasions or leisure, while Profumo feels more elegant.

Personally, I prefer Profumo, but I think Alberto Morillas has created a good release here. So, thumbs up for that.

My instinct told me: "You absolutely have to have this!". My head said: "Is this really what distinguishes Acqua di Gio?".

I longed for Armani's Acqua di Gio Absolu Instinct after watching numerous videos from American perfume YouTubers. The initial impressions and tests back then were all positive, so my expectations for this release were correspondingly high. Dark woody notes paired with the AdG DNA was mentioned in the videos more or less - that sounds like a fragrance for the evening. Ultimately, I also see it as an evening scent for cooler days.

The bottle is really beautifully designed, next to the Profumo bottle, it is the most elegant for me, especially the golden lettering on dark brown glass.

The opening is really good citrusy, in my nose a hint more mandarin/orange than lemon. Honestly, I find the opening of Absolu Instinct the best among all AdG perfumes. I just wish that these citrus fruits lasted longer; more than 5 minutes is not in the cards.

Quickly, a subtle sweetness with a woody character joins in. It may smell a bit synthetic but is definitely mass-appealing. "Ebony" is mentioned in the base. Whether it really is ebony, I will leave open. I don’t have comparisons with other fragrances containing ebony, and I’m not familiar enough with the various wood types to distinguish them all individually. The dry down is darker and more mature than its predecessor and I like it very much despite its straightforwardness!

Now the question remains: Has Armani done himself a favor by expanding his Acqua di Gio line with Absolu Instinct? With the predecessor Absolu, they already launched a product extension that aims to attract a broader customer base with its sweet-woody character. Absolu Instinct continues this but, in my opinion, is more refined and elegant. And still, I’m not really sure if the word "Acqua" fits so well. Both Absolus are not aquatic-fresh enough for me. I miss the maritime classic AdG DNA. It only flashes briefly at the opening. I really hope for Armani that they don’t overdo it with (potential) future product extensions of their Acqua di Gio line, otherwise, I fear the AdG line will soon be exhausted.

The longevity of the perfume was about 8 hours at room temperature, and in the warmth outside, rather around 5.5 hours. The sillage is unfortunately a bit restrained; it could be stronger.

I am not surprised by the better ratings compared to the predecessor Absolu. However, I consider the predecessor to be rated too poorly. But tastes are particularly subjective, especially when it comes to perfumes!

I would definitely recommend testing it, as I believe most people will like it.

Amouage Interlude Man really surprised me. Yesterday, I had the opportunity to test it on my skin in a perfume store and let it work on me for a few hours.

Speaking of testing on skin: Do you know that feeling when you want to test not just one scent on your skin, but four? Each on both wrists and the inside of each elbow? :D That was exactly my situation.

I sprayed Interlude Man on my left wrist near my watch. The opening started off a bit fresh but immediately came with a dose of oriental spice. It became clear to me quite quickly, "No, this is not my scent." Then I let Interlude Man sit for a while. When I wanted to sniff my wrist again, I thought, "Oh my... What is that?! My entire wrist was stained black; the stuff actually transferred from the leather strap of my watch!" "Great... I can hardly walk around like this," so I wiped it off and then carefully sprayed it on again.

Within a few minutes, it was clear: Interlude simply overpowers everything else that was on my skin for testing. This smoke bomb will be detectable from kilometers away. The incense is pleasant and natural, but there’s also an earthy-dirty character (is that Opoponax? Please enlighten me). And smoke, a lot of it. It's actually quite penetrating. Respect to anyone who can wear this scent; for younger people like me, it's really not for us. Interlude Man needs to be worn with a lot of self-confidence.

In the drydown, it becomes much more pleasant, even slightly sweet-chocolatey, probably from patchouli. Still not my scent. But it deserves full respect because:

In the first paragraph, I mentioned that I wanted to let the scent work on me for a few hours yesterday. This afternoon, I visited my friend, who wondered what was smelling on my wrist. Indeed, Interlude Man had lingered a bit on the strap of my watch. Right now, I’m coming back from a restaurant after dinner, and even in the restaurant, I could still smell the perfume I applied 36 hours (!) ago from my watch! This perfume is just crazy; the burning smoky fire just won’t go out. On my skin at the wrist, it lasted a solid 12 hours yesterday.

Conclusion: To be enjoyed with caution, definitely test beforehand. Pure niche!

Well, it's actually hardly worth writing anything about Aventus, so much has already been said about it everywhere. I haven't been in the "Fragrance Game" for very long, so I can't make statements about older batches. Speaking of batches - for me, Creed Aventus is somewhat like this: There is the science of perfumes, fragrance notes, compositions from all areas, etc., and then there is the science of Creed Aventus. It's almost so fanatical that it feels like a cult within the Fragrance Community, and it is referred to as the "King" of all scents - woe to anyone who says something against Creed Aventus.

As mentioned, I have no comparison to older batches (if I can believe the batch nonsense), I can only describe my impressions of the current 2018/19 releases. And these are, across the board, disappointing for me. I don't know where the hype comes from. Yes, the scent character is really pleasant, fresh, fruity, pineapple, simply great. But when I think of Aventus and what I read or hear about it, it is this pineapple character paired with smokiness. Perhaps comparable to a grilled pineapple over a campfire? Well, I hardly perceive any of this smokiness. It seems as if the scent is simply diluted. And due to this lack of smoke, it quickly drifts into a mainstream direction, at least in my opinion. But no wonder, Aventus is by far... Longevity and sillage are unfortunately mediocre on my skin.

It remains pleasant throughout the entire scent journey, and I can imagine wearing it. But do I really want to do that for this high price? No, I think not. Go ahead and criticize me, but I actually prefer wearing my Armaf Club de Nuit Intense Man, and maybe soon also Pineapple Vintage Intense, who knows... As long as the clones of Aventus don't become annoying at some point.