IdleExpatter

Let's get right to the point: I love, love, LOVE this fragrance.

But it didn't start that way.

I got a sample decant of this a while ago and at first sniff nearly recoiled. I was thrown back to my high school days in the '90s, surrounded by would-be hippies who spent their nights marinating in cheap nag champa incense sticks at the local head shops.

Beach Hut Man doesn't actually smell like that, but it's reminiscent of how I remember those aromas.

This is a VERY green, somewhat earthy powerhouse with a robust patchouli base and a thick layer of fresh, naturalistic greens with prominent mint leaf and just a touch of florals.

I tried it, didn't care for it, and tossed the little bottle into my sample graveyard.

Then a few days later I was like "I should give it another shot." This time, it opened up more for me. The patchouli didn't seem quite so overwhelming; the mint was less aggressive; I picked up a fresh-cut grass note that I'd missed the first time; the craftwork of the entire composition started to reveal itself.

Then I couldn't stop thinking about it.

Then that little decant made the cut as one of only two fragrances I brought with me on a trip to Morocco, and on that trip, I fell in love with it.

It's the richness here that I came to most love. This is a full-bodied fragrance, make no mistake. The way this stuff drapes itself across you and hangs out around you is just incredible. It lasts and lasts and lasts, and the longer it does, the more you're able to pick it apart while coming to appreciate the blending.

(And by the way, SPRAY LIGHTLY and wear carefully: this is among the strongest bottles in my collection. It's a one-and-done for me, and it'll be with me all day and then some.)

It's more sophisticated than I thought at first sniff, too. The ingredient quality shines (as tends to be the case for Amouage), and gives this a certain...I hesitate to say "elegance", because that puts me in mind of tablecloths and crystal and tuxedoes, and this is NOT that. But it's a fragrance that I think does give off a certain vibe of wealth, somehow.

I do agree with others that it's probably best suited for somebody a little older and more mature, although those are always artificial distinctions and you should absolutely wear whatever you like.

I'm gonna DISagree with the consensus on the name, though, and say that I think it makes sense. I understand the point that "beach" might make somebody expect an aquatic, and this definitely isn't that. But the name isn't "beach" or "beachy man" - it's "beach hut man." I can 100% imagine this on the guy who rents the beach hut for a vacation: shoeless, five-day scruff, hut looking out onto the beach but backed up against the tropical tree-line. That guy would rock this.

So there you go, turns out I adore the smell of a rich former hippie. Who'da thunk it.

This is not a zesty fragrance. It's not zingy. It's not in-your-face (or anybody else's for that matter). It's not a "blast" of anything, and it's not a "bomb".

What it IS, though, is a mellow, calming, and sophisticated experience that will stay cool and collected, all day long.

The vibes, as the kids might say, are immaculate.

I know this comparison has been made a million times before, but this is iced lemon tea served in a spa.

The smoothness you get from this fragrance cannot be overstated, and for me is key to appreciating Wulong Cha's charms. This is smoooooooth. It has an almost sensual mellifluous quality to it.

There are no sharp edges anywhere in this fragrance - just beautifully citrusy, ever so slightly tannic, incredibly well-blended juice that manages to be both rich and light. You get a bit of soft fruit from the fig in the base, and while there are no florals in the notes and it doesn't smell like flowers, there is a sort of floral quality in the airy way that it lifts off of skin when you wear it.

While this is a fragrance that could easily work as a warm-weather daily driver and in my opinion is a very safe workplace or office option, do spray with caution. Don't let that lightness fool you: this stuff projects, and it LASTS. It isn't offensive, but it IS noticeable.

And on me the longevity is exceptional, especially for a fresh scent - they really nailed the concentration levels here.

I truly love this stuff. A standout from a great brand and a staple in my warm-weather rotation.

Forget the notes.

If you get wrapped up in that endless list of notes on this fragrance, you'll miss the forest for the trees.

Yes, it's got citrus; yes, it's got florals; yes, it's got some musk.

But focusing your attention on any one of those elements means you risk trying to put this fragrance into a box in which, once you wear it, it stubbornly refuses to stay.

This is a masterful, sensational blend that envelopes you in a breezy, almost gauzy veil of soft and delicate aromas that also lingers and projects far beyond what you'd expect for something so bright.

It's transportive, evocative, and even intoxicating. I can't overstate how SOFT the aroma itself is. I don't mean "soft" performance: I mean that there's something so sophisticated and elegant, something round and gentle, about the way this fragrance approaches you. But once it draws you in, it refuses to leave you. It stays with me for hours and hours - easily one of the best-performing fresh scents in my collection.

I know the name seems to point toward water, and there is something somehow watery about this - but for me, this evokes air. "Oceania" also refers to a region, and this fragrance does put me in mind of a warm, heady floral breeze in some idyllic tropical seaside.

This was such a surprise. On the page, it doesn't necessarily read like something I'd love. But on skin, I just can't get enough of this stuff. Easily a top 5 fragrance for me, and makes a serious case for itself as my absolute favorite.