Nofrost74

Since I only wear fragrances from A&F, unlike their clothing, I recently convinced myself that I was missing the model Hollister SoCal Chill in my collection alongside A&F Fierce, Hollister SoCal Cologne, and Jake.
At some point, I had tested it in the store and at least had no negative memories of it.
Since Hollister is currently (as of October 2014) offering it for 22 EUR including shipping in their online shop due to a "Sale," I simply ordered it there. Payment via PayPal, fast shipping from Holland. It's all good...

The packaging and bottle are similar to the SoCal Cologne model - only everything is in shades of blue. The cap also feels metallic again.
The scent itself - well, it's nice enough...
Somehow I remembered it being better, but it's currently not available in stores and therefore cannot be tested again.
For my sense of smell, the fragrance dissipates very quickly compared to the brown bottle - however, my surroundings see it differently. Especially women asked again (as with the last A&F fragrances, what I would smell like today?)

Conclusion: Pleasant, versatile, no complaints from those around me, not as ordinary as an ADIDAS, but also not extravagant or flashy like, for example, a BENCH EDT.
For 22 EUR straight up, you can't go wrong.

First of all - for me, A&F is overall a terrible ruckus brand that comes across as too stuffy and, secondly, doesn't quite fit my size.
However, I have a divided relationship with the fragrances (including Hollister), which inevitably makes me act somewhat inconsistently.

In 2012, I first came into contact with A&F in New York - until then, I had overlooked the brand (and I'm sure I didn't miss anything).
I was dragged into the store on 5th Avenue and found no remotely interesting clothes - however, I was pleased with the black leather chairs, in which other annoyed tourists were already sitting...(the American apparently hasn't entered an A&F store for a long time)
There was no Wi-Fi either, so I was simply forced to soak in the atmosphere...including the peculiar scent that wafted throughout the store.
I was told that this was the infamous FIERCE, which supposedly had the property that women were crazy about it!
So I tried a spray on my wrist...first impression: "Hmm, I don't know..." Then a glance at the price tag: "Are you kidding?? Do you think you're CHANEL??"
And so I left the continent again - without FIERCE in my luggage, but with a few bottles of the classic "Fabergé Brut" for my father, who was thrilled about it, and a bottle of "SWISS ARMY Altitude" for myself.

In late autumn 2012, A&F opened its Munich branch, and I conducted scent measurements, discovering that FIERCE could actually be perceived from the "Rindermarkt" (still a 5-minute walk away) under the right weather conditions...
At some point, I decided to take a look inside the store - of course on a weekday, because I certainly wouldn't line up with all the pain-free just to enter the cult site.
And it's best to wear A&F in the queue so that everyone sees, "Oh folks, I've been wearing this brand BEFORE it became trendy...just for that, I deserve to be let in first!"
The store is quite nice to look at - except for the clothes, of course... I took another spray on my hand, and immediately the memories of my past New York vacation came flooding back...

At that point, a change of heart set in, and I thought to myself that if I could get it very cheaply on eBay, I would wear it. However, this project can be safely buried - prices always skyrocket absurdly towards the end of auctions.
And after all, it's just an Eau de Cologne and not a protection against cancer - besides, I still hadn't used up my Hollister Socal that I had bought in the meantime.
By chance, I learned that an acquaintance was planning a multi-week trip to the USA, and during her stay, I suddenly had the idea to spontaneously ask her if she had already reached her luggage weight limit?
No problem - she would hit up an A&F store for me and bring me a FIERCE. She did just that...saving me about 23 EUR in the process. (As of autumn 2013)
The next day, I tried it at work, and lo and behold - two colleagues told me that I smelled really good today?!
So it really is true...
Even the toughest A&F opponents, who were already familiar with and hated the scent from the store's fog, judged positively - and were then all the more astonished that I had successfully slipped them the hated FIERCE.

Conclusion - FIERCE is a contentious fragrance. One should definitely not pay the European store prices for it, but for an Eau de Cologne, the scent is exceptionally long-lasting - especially when compared to its light version, Hollister JAKE.
The scent itself stands out a bit from the gray mass, but that doesn't mean it's a fragrance one would want to wear every day. And regarding the rumor that the scent appeals to women - there is definitely something to it!
Three positive feedbacks within 3 weeks speak for themselves…

First, a popular quote from Homer J. Simpson: "Laaaaaaangweilig"
That's exactly how you can describe OCEAN ROYALE.
It seems they just wanted to make some money in the summer of 2013, but they didn't really put in any effort.
SIGNATURE was quite nice, but OCEAN ROYALE is comparable to Pro7 shows like "Sommermädchen" or some B-list celebrities on a mountain lodge.
Sweet, not even summery-lemony, and if it’s a blue bottle, they could have at least borrowed a bit from Cool Water. As it stands, you can only disappear without a trace into the gray mass.
Maybe it will be my car emergency scent.
What a shame...

BALDESSARINI DEL MAR was once again a Christmas gift.
However, the new fragrance was not completely unfamiliar to me at that time, as its advertising campaign was running simultaneously.
A gray-streaked tough guy with a three-day beard, relaxing on his huge white motor yacht as he speeds across the sea. And in the print media, additionally with the promise "separates men from the boys." How great, I thought.
According to my parents, Werner Baldessarini also lived in their neighborhood for quite some time... possibly a fragrance with nuances of local color?

The bottle also looked very appealing, but the scent itself was almost a disappointment for me:
Mainstream again! Is this really how a billionaire smells who has just handed over the company to his sons and is now enjoying life and finally treating himself?
This is more of a scent for the head of his marketing department...

A large perfume chain describes the fragrance as follows:

"A scent that captures the vastness of the horizon.

EXCLUSIVITY, FREEDOM & ADVENTURE

BALDESSARINI DEL MAR offers the freedom and luxury of an olfactory journey: The noble, crystal-clear scent is inspired by an expedition over the azure blue sea. The cool freshness on the deck of a yacht, reminiscing about exotic places. The meditative power that arises from the depths of the blue horizon is found in BALDESSARINI
DEL MAR."

My conclusion: the scent is really okay... it doesn't stink or annoy, and it's not a loud brand - it's just mainstream.
But certainly not exclusivity, freedom, and adventure??
As a gift, you can't go wrong with it, but I certainly wouldn't spend my own money on it.

As a pubescent student, I once received a bottle of JAGUAR FOR MEN from my parents. Back then, it was still the edition with the wooden cap.
I also seem to remember that the reactions to this fragrance were very mixed.
Since Rossmann has recently been selling many Jaguar fragrances as weekly offers for €19.90 and I have already stocked up on the models "Classic Red" and "Performance,"
I thought it would be nice to treat myself to a childhood memory again…
100ml for €15.90 is okay - if you use the "10% off everything vouchers," it gets even cheaper.

About the scent itself:
You free the box from the foil, take out the bottle (now with a silver plastic cap), and press the spray button.
Immediately, you feel transported to a Bavarian Baroque church!
The priest, accompanied by two altar boys, has just passed by and swung his censer past my nose…
Yes, JAGUAR FOR MEN is still a fragrance hammer of a special kind at first, but you remember it from earlier. It is often referred to as a classic, and classics have somehow captivated me for about 2-3 years now.
When you're in your late 30s, you've seen many things come and go or smell and fade away.
Especially when it comes to fragrance, I can be very demanding and am still on the hunt for the perfect, unmistakable Eau de Toilette.
And I keep getting annoyed about the shamelessly unambitious one-hit wonders (comparable to the programming of TV channels like Pro7, RTL, and Co.) that are presented to you.
I continue to search for scents following Baldessarini’s motto for DEL MAR "separates men from the boys" - which he somehow failed to achieve with DEL MAR. Sweet mainstream…

Back to JAGUAR - one to two sprays develop from an initially clerical scent experience into a long-lasting spicy fragrance that, in my opinion, is quite suitable for mature men. I will place the bottle without any guilt next to my reissues of CHANEL POUR MONSIEUR and KL HOMME.