Jannemann33

"Kenzo? Is that you? No...I don't believe it now!"

How are you doing? We haven't met for ages! That's right, you were in a few courses with me and in the parallel class back in the sixth form - or were you a year above or below me? Oh, I don't remember exactly.

Yes, we never really had much to do with each other, but we knew each other from before.

And we met up here and there, usually just in passing or fleetingly, sometimes more or sometimes less. Sometimes in the break or at one of the graduation parties.

Oh man, you've gotten so thin! Almost thin compared to before. To be honest, I didn't really recognize you at all. Only now that you've spoken to me and told me.

Compared to today, you really carried a lot more around with you back then, you were already a really young guy, well-built, strong and that suited you well! You were an athlete, a swimmer, I think.
Now you're skinny, my dear. Wow, you've become slim. But hmm...

Back then: those were the days. Oh here, graduation party and all that: You remember late at night when the party went on and how long it lasted. You were always there - full steam ahead and you could always be relied on at the end, you never went home early!

Well...it was nice, maybe we'll meet again sometime! Take care, nice to have met you again and see you again sometime!

Ciao!"

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Now to the subject of fragrance:

So...
I don't know whether the Kenzo Homme Eau de Toilette is still really the Kenzo pour Homme Eau de Toilette from back then. I think I can only recognize it to a certain extent, because back then (even if it wasn't my fragrance) it was a very catchy and significant scent that still picks you up immediately today because you know it, just like some other fragrances.

Is this fragrance an aquatic marine scent? As it is advertised.

I don't really know. I recognize something fresh and summery, no question about it. Watery, seaside somehow less but more green, needled wood. More like a grove, maybe the sea in the distance and the wind always brings some of the sea air with it.

But this is not a "beach" fragrance, not Aqva pour Homme Eau de Toilette, but a fresh, green needle fragrance. Not as green as an Acqua di Selva Eau de Cologne, by no means, but fresher, but again with a hint of synthetics that cannot be denied.

I find it quite long-lasting for a fragrance of this genre. It's not bad and it's not sticky or annoying, but it's still there, even after a few hours, when other more expensive fragrances in the category have long since gone.

Which brings me to the last point: price. I wouldn't buy it at the regular price, it's usually available everywhere for well below the recommended price from all suppliers and you can put 40 ml in your bathroom for "from time to time". The bottle and spray head in particular are nothing. The sprayer is more like a jet from a garden hose.

Another association:

I spent a lot of time in Sardinia in my childhood and youth. And back then, as a teenager, we didn't go to the beach on vacation, but went to "la pineta" nearby. A small wood with conifers, a chiosco in the middle and benches. We always met there in the shade of the trees from four in the afternoon, with towels and blankets, a guitar, played cards, boules (yes, 90s, no cell phones and all that), lay, sat, smoked (as a teenager, secretly, also 90s! - good thing I got rid of that a long time ago).

And when we saw or met each other beforehand, we would say: "Andiamo in pineta!" And everyone knew.

I think the fragrance has a little bit of that. But that's how individual and subjective it is with perfume.

It's like this when you (like me) get to grips with aquatics: they are either citrusy or fruity or want to be extremely salty. For me, this is actually all aquatic, but then again not an "aquatic" as I imagine it.

Well, it sounds strange, but it is.

Personally, when I'm looking for an aquatic, I want a summer fragrance that I can spray on from April/May to October (Indian summer) when the temperatures are right. And then when it gets colder and darker and windier, it goes into the cupboard.

And yes, there are beautiful cologne fragrances. When I reach for them, I want exactly that citric quality. Or the fruitiness. But just then!

But when I look for and pick an aquatic, I want to be by the sea. Rough, windy, breezy.

Ok, we can of course differentiate olfactorily between the Baltic Sea, the Maldives, the Caribbean, the Atlantic or the Mediterranean. You could certainly describe it accordingly. And, for example, Green Irish Tweed is different from Virgin Island Water or Épice Marine is different again from Acqua di Giò pour Homme Eau de Toilette

But well, back: I want water, I want freshness, I want sea, I want wind, I want saltiness (no saltiness), I want (sea) spice and so on.

And when I go out into the city and fight my way through the perfumeries and see what's on offer, I'm always a little disappointed that they don't deliver what they promise: Neither a Pacific Rock Moss nor a Wood Sage & Sea Salt Cologne or a French Riviera or Aqua Wood . Too volatile, sweetish or woody or citrusy and often not at all cheap or special.

In the 00s, there were plenty of these aquatic fragrances.

Many have disappeared from the scene again and only a few have established themselves like this Aqva pour Homme Eau de Toilette here. The bottle alone was new and different and then an aquatic that is justifiably citrusy in the opening, but then presents a marine spiciness. It is not oppressive or overwhelming but aquatic and spicy, reflects the sea and the beach and is pleasant.

A salty spiciness remains towards the base. And the longevity is absolutely decent for a fragrance of this genre. I think some hotspot cash waters can take a leaf out of this book.

Less is sometimes "more": not so many ingredients, the essentials, a little durability and sticking to the theme. If you prefer even more sparkling freshness, you could try the younger brother Aqva pour Homme Marine Eau de Toilette, which is a little fresher due to the grapefruit in the top note.

So if you're really looking for an aquatic, seasonal product that doesn't have a lot of frills, give this one a try.

Even if it's not super new or innovative, there's a reason it's still around, because it was one of the first in this field. Basically, I'm not a fan of the brand, too much, constantly new, then something comes and goes all the time, I miss the line. But the series of flat flacons here is at least worth a test.

Let me just put it this way: I wrote a review of Dior Homme Cologne (2013) and when I got my hands on this one and tested it, yeah, what can I say?

The two fragrances are not necessarily like brother and sister but maybe like a cousin of the same age who you grow up with and who also lives just "down the street".

I think you definitely know what I mean...

Dior Homme Cologne (2013) is more citrusy and remains linearly the same. In terms of freshness and intensity. The Versace Man Eau Fraîche Eau de Toilette is also citrusy, but is somewhat sweeter due to the star fruit instead of grapefruit seeds or bergamot. Attention, sweeter, not sweeter. At times, the Versace water is a little more idiosyncratic, which is due to the fact that from time to time a surge of sweetness - caused by the star fruit in the top note and sycamore wood in the base note - fights its way through and makes a slight appearance.

The Versace eau is simply more composition in itself. The freshness of the lemon in the top note remains throughout, the citrus also remains persistent throughout and to be honest (if you've read my review of Dior Cologne) it's also exactly what matters on these warm and hot days of the year.

The Versace Man Eau Fraîche Eau de Toilette does this absolutely flawlessly. It is fresh, stays fresh and stays fresh. Here, however, the fixed citrus alternates with some fruit and a little sweetness (subtle). The fact that it contains more than just musk and lemon fruit in comparison, but also wood or cedar, means that there are always parts of it and a slight progression is created in which these notes alternate more or less. But we are really talking about nuances here, where you have to smell very carefully to really notice them. The other simply stands like a board from start to finish! And it lasts longer!

So, of course I mean the Dior Homme Cologne (2013). Tell me :-D

There is simply no gradient: On, citrusy fresh, freshness fixed, a linear level and off you go. It's a little different with Versace.

In my opinion, however, this is not the selling point for those who have one, because if you have one of the two, you don't need the other. With all due respect, nobody would really smell it. You would have to apply both at the same time and then smell them all the time.

I just think the fragrance is in line with others, because there is also Allure Homme Sport Cologne, which is very similar, but the lovage note bothers me personally. There are more of them, Mercedes-Benz Cologne also comes to mind. In the end, they are all similar and absolutely good fragrances that must appeal to me personally. But I am also of the opinion that if you are looking for a fragrance for the few hot days, you don't have to buy price bangers in the niche (who wants to, please!) but these fragrances will do. They are light and pleasant, refresh you and your surroundings, are pleasant and smell good, above all fresh, clean and well-groomed. And that's why this one is also good value for money and I would certainly recommend it for purchase.

I stood in the perfumery and smelled here and there. I thought to myself, there's the Mercedes-Benz Cologne. Oh, you put that on your face.

And before I knew it and the sprayer was spraying, I realized that it wasn't Cologne at all, but The Move

It was a mistake that haunted me until the final shower that evening. But really!
I don't really like it when people rip on fragrances like that, but here - I'm sorry!

Synthetic. Very, very synthetic. I think the term was invented specifically for creations like this. Then there's sweet, very sweet, sweet as pop, synthetic sweet as pop - but really unpleasantly sweet and oppressive.

Such a women's drugstore 80s sweet fragrance. A bit like this Impulse deodorant or whatever it was called, which grandma had in her bathroom and which was even more floral and sweet. This one is just overpowering.

So... i don't know, there are certainly different preferences and it's always very subjective, especially when it comes to fragrance. Personally, I wonder why people do this. Why do you create this fragrance? For whom and who wants to smell like this? Sticky, sticky-sweet, synthetic to the point of "no more"...no idea who really needs that. There's already so much on offer, do we really need it?
Maybe for car interiors? No, you wouldn't want that there either.

There are beautiful sweet fragrance creations and those who like them will find what they are looking for. Synthetic compositions can also have their charm, especially aquatic ones.

But this one...unfortunately not. For Dominique Ropion, it's actually far below his capabilities!

A word about the course: it doesn't exist.

No, this fragrance doesn't really need to be described in detail - olfactorily at least. We've had enough of that now.

But what you have to consider with this type of fragrance is when it was created. Which guys were "real" men back then? I think the example of James Bond in his role over the decades shows quite well what "a real and attractive man" was socially. Attention, please don't take what I'm writing here too seriously :)

But somehow Daniel Craig is not Roger Moore. One certainly smells different from the other. One might smell fresh and clean, the other like classic aftershave. No, I've never smelled either of them. Which is a good thing :-D

But maybe you could imagine it that way.

In any case, when I think of the smoky bar in the 80s, when my parents still smoked in the car - unthinkable today - fragrances were pithy, mossy and had a kick. Because they had to. Sweet men's fragrances were unthinkable.

but Antaeus Eau de Toilette was almost a little different from what was available at the time. It is animalic and pithy, woody and leathery, a powerhouse that Magnum or Byrt Reynolds could wear, but also soft. It has something feminine about it. Later came Égoïste Eau de Toilette, which was never really able to build on the success of its direct predecessor. This fragrance is a kind of sequel to Antaeus Eau de Toilette. Here it is softer, smoother, sandalwood, ambrette seeds, light, woody, cuddly. But anyone who knows and likes both fragrances will understand the connection and the story.

"Antaeus (eau de toilette) | Chanel" is a board. A banger from the 80s. A fragrance for men. Not for sweet-loving boys. From today's perspective. Even after what feels like the thousandth reformulation.

But back then it was (almost) new, revolutionary, uncharted territory. It carried the animalism that was also present in Kouros Eau de Toilette, which was to follow in Boss Number One Eau de Toilette or in Arrogance pour Homme Eau de Toilette. But paired with a delicacy; a fine softness, an accessibility.

If you like, put them side by side: the Greek god and the egoist! You'll see what I mean. Anyone who understands the fragrance from this perspective will see it differently. It is a masterpiece and will always remain so. It is also still wearable today because of this softness and because of the softening. That's where I have my limits with Kouros Eau de Toilette in terms of suitability for everyday wear, or at least my environment in particular :)

But not so much with Antaeus Eau de Toilette.

If you are looking for something classic and dare to wear it, go for it. People won't run after you screaming. But ehy, I don't wear perfume for that either. I have to like it and I still do from time to time!