Grapefruit on a windy day
Italian Love is an ozonic fresh grapefruit-flavoured fragrance. The grapefruit is quite realistic, natural and pleasant, but the sharp ozonic part takes precedence. This perfume feels not only airy, but downright breezy and windy.
The vibe is somewhat similar to that of Chanel Allure Homme Sport, a cloudy breezy day on a rocky coast. Overall Italian Love is more similar to Rasasi Hawas / Montblanc Legend Spirit, although these two are are full bodied, grounded, and centered, while Italian Love is not. It's restless and unsettling, especially with the bitter violet note. It's spring when I'm writing this. Maybe the scent works better in the summer. As of now, I think Hawas is better balanced and just better as a whole, though the fruits are better in this and it generally smells more natural.
Italian Love has little to do with the base Light Blue Pour Homme or with Eau Intense, which is opposite in character, chill and relaxed.
The longevity of this fragrance is amazing, I can smell it on skin after 24h and a shower.
The bottle kind of fits the scent.
Read more of my perfume reviews at The Scent Stories: thescentstories.substack.com
Spicy herbal rose
Toy Boy is mainly rose and pepper, as expected. What I did not expect is an incense-like quality of this scent. It's not smoky though, more spicy herbal. The closest resemblance among the perfumes I know would be Chanel Egoiste, which is a bit more brutal and "grainy" in its spicyness, and probably better balanced overall. Toy Boy smells somewhat disassociated for me, sweet rose on one hand and austere pepper and nutmeg on the other. There is space for something more, and in Egoiste that something is tobacco. Overall I like it though, certainly one of the best rose scents suitable for males, along with Dior Ambre Nuit and Tom Ford Noir de Noir. It has good performance.
The bottle doesn't fit the scent, unless you connect the dots: teddy bear, sweet and innocent vs austere, the black appearance with the light collar, incense, and the name - then it does.
Read more of my perfume reviews at The Scent Stories: thescentstories.substack.com
A savage classic cologne
This appears to be Dior's take on a classic old-school cologne featuring citrus and conifer wood. In my experience this type of scent tends to be a bit too sharp and aromatic, and Eau Sauvage has this problem too. It's very aromatic/spicy in a piercing way.
True to its name, it's not exactly subtle. It's raw, brutal, and abrasive. Young Sean Connery, hairy chest vibe. A comparison with Armani Code made me appreciate Code, which might be mediocre, but it's also smooth, cozy, and inoffensive.
If someone told me this was a $5 cologne, I would believe them, though I would probably compliment them too. With time, it starts to smell more like Dior, with gentle background sweetness. The sillage is good initially and the longevity is good. The bottle fits the scent nicely.
Read more of my perfume reviews at The Scent Stories: thescentstories.substack.com
Imagination Sport
This is a lovely citrus-floral scent. Compared with Dior Homme Cologne this is fuller and sweeter, not as airy, but a bit more aromatic/spicy. It's like a sport version of Imagination. "Imagination | Louis Vuitton" is not a typical freshie, it's a notch removed from that, and Afternoon Swim fills the gap towards the fresh side.
Read more of my perfume reviews at The Scent Stories: thescentstories.substack.com
A pleasant summer fragrance
Homme Cologne is airy and aromatic in a vibrating, scintillating way, bordering on tartness. It's a pleasant, light, non-imposing scent. Even though you can smell the citrus and white florals easily, it's kind of translucent. In that it reminds me of Chanel Allure Home Sport, but done correctly (note I haven't tried CAHS Cologne). Even closer is CAH Edition Blanche EDP, it’s more sour, aromatic, and full, though. Mercedes-Benz Cologne is the most similar to Homme Cologne, but slightly worse.
Read more of my perfume reviews at The Scent Stories: thescentstories.substack.com
