Nosy

I know that the perception of fragrance is very subjective, but when comparing it to "Jardin sur le Nil," I wonder if I have something different in the bottle than others? Even as a fragrance twin?!! Quite astonishing....

The pyramid doesn't reveal much, and for my unfortunately not very analytical nose, the scent consists of only one component (laundry detergent accord?). It also has no noticeable development.

Garden of Zen is really very fresh, but not just citrusy; it’s somehow also cool, almost smelling like snow (and thus still aquatic). And then just clean and a bit like lavender. No flowers, no fruits, no sweetness.

In fact, it vaguely reminds me of Nuit Etoilée by Annick Goutal, just in a synthetic way and without the typical Goutal hay scent (strawflower?).

And yes, at first so fresh that it’s piercing if you get too close with your nose, and I can understand that it might be annoying if you don’t particularly like such scents. Sprayed on clothing, it lasts forever. A somewhat more expensive Febreze :-)

I once received a potpourri as a gift that could be sprinkled with a fragrance oil, and this fragrance oil smelled exactly like this perfume. I had already wondered back then if the oil was suitable for people and not just for potpourris, so I was thrilled when I discovered Garden of Zen at DM.

Definitely worth a test for the clean freaks, but probably not for fans of natural scents.

"Black Friday" at Douglas with 20% off, I had to go! What usually repulses me, namely overcrowded stores, I actually enjoyed today because I could test in peace without being subjected to the critical gazes and constant inquiries from the friendly staff. They were busy at the checkout trying to wrap countless 1.5 square meter Advent calendars in gift paper...

Good thing I hadn't read the reviews and statements about the Lacoste scent here beforehand! In fact, my daughter discovered the fragrance, who at 1 meter high naturally found very different bottles than I did much higher up. She held out a very well-soaked test strip to me, and my first thought was of my beloved "Airwaves Cool Cassis" gum. They have a menthol and blackcurrant flavor. I wouldn't have made that association knowing the fragrance pyramid...

Delicious, I just said, and floated in a testing frenzy to the next bottles... But my daughter insisted, and I had to smell again, and suddenly the test strip had become very vanilla and warm, reminiscent of Joop "Le Bain".

Ultimately, we stood at the checkout with the bottle, which is indeed disproportionately expensive, but bearable at 20% off.

Yes, it is sweet, but also slightly tart fruity. I can only sense the clementine and orange, I don't perceive any mango, and thankfully jasmine stays in the background. What is supposed to smell like heliotrope is not very well done and is a bit bothersome (it smells more like bitter almond). The vanilla and tonka bean in the base are very pleasant. The fragrance composition is certainly not a masterpiece, as the sweet, fruity, and soft elements somewhat get in each other's way, but somehow that also makes the scent interesting and unusual for me.

The color of the bottle, which goes from pink to dark violet, is very well done; I can imagine it is meant to evoke Poison.

Overall, a lovely fragrance that for me is a great transition from summer to winter scent because it somehow combines both.

My friend received a sample of this from the Turquoise after he bought a high-quality organic facial care product there.

Since he apparently trusts my perfume taste, I had to test the scent, and I sprayed it with enthusiasm directly on my hand. BIG MISTAKE!!!

A penetrating Axe-sweat-testosterone bomb immediately knocked me off my socks! My hand turned into a fist and metaphorically hit me right on the nose. This is how 16-year-old Kevin or Justin (sorry to everyone who is actually named that) smells when he goes to the disco at night thinking he has to impress the girls. Quite creepy.

Even washing twice with soap doesn’t get the stuff off my skin, and I call it a nasal douche because one of the notes irritates my nasal mucosa so much that my nose starts to run. Maybe it wants to run away?!

There are so many beautiful men's fragrances, so why this?

And what I especially wonder: why did the saleswoman give this to my friend?! She couldn’t have offered him a more inappropriate scent, but this once again confirms the stereotype (and sorry again if someone works there :-)

It doesn’t deserve a star...

As a fan of fresh, aquatic scents, I was tempted to make a blind purchase given the name, hoping it wouldn't have too much in common with the original Giorgio.

But it does (I'll leave out the unfortunate part for those who like the fragrance)...

I mainly smell jasmine and tuberose, which are very dominant in the top and heart notes. For me, this makes it not really fresh, but rather heavy and somewhat soapy, almost piercing. And very floral!!

Unfortunately, I don't perceive any mandarin or guava.

After half an hour, it becomes a bit softer and gains a clean aspect, becoming somewhat lighter, but it's still not aquatic.

Under "Interesting Facts," it states that it was re-launched in 2016 - perhaps the formulation was changed? When I see that "Aqua di Gio" is listed as a fragrance twin, I start to wonder, as they don't really seem similar to me (except for the water lily).

It holds very well and spreads throughout the room uninvited, and at least the blind purchase didn't ruin me financially.

One afternoon in our neighboring small town, I drag my poor daughter once again to test perfumes, this time at the Body Shop. I know I don't have much time; at 6 years old, she isn't very patient and starts to whine after about 20 minutes. So I rush through the shelves, first testing, then spraying directly on my arms, because that’s faster. It’s cramped in the little shop, more like a slightly larger closet. Next to me is a young girl who is also spraying like crazy. Meanwhile, my daughter generously douses herself with everything she can reach. At some point, you can't smell anything anymore and everything at the same time. The saleswomen are bored behind the counter. I need to step outside for some fresh air; my daughter is whining, so fine, nothing bought today...

But then a few minutes later, I find myself outside in the marketplace, and this beautiful, warm, soft scent reminiscent of a holiday in Italy spreads around me. I sniffed at all my arm parts, ah, it’s the one on my right forearm. I have to have it! That was - uh, which one was it again?! So we head back to the Body Shop. It’s important!

So, before I get in trouble for too much story and too little description, I figured out which fragrance it was.

A beautiful warm soft fig scent; you can almost smell the white sap that sits in the stems and the skin. So, no sticky dried figs, the scent is neither sweet nor too green and also not very woody. The rose is very subtle. In my opinion, it’s also quite wearable for men.

And yes, it overshadowed all the other approximately 9 scents I sprayed on my arms at the same time, and it actually lasts a whole day!