Phelicia

A small spritz is instantly followed by the first shock. This scent cuts through the air. Not for the shy.

Sweet like a gourmand, with aquatic and even green notes on my skin, it burns itself into my senses with its synthetic touch. I develop a love-hate relationship. I’m actually just waiting for it to fade from my skin, but somehow I keep wanting to smell it again. Over time, the vanilla becomes more subtle and the sweetly warm green tones dominate.

For all the ambivalence I feel towards this scent, I must give it one thing - it is not boring.

It’s Christmas time, but he has never been good with cinnamon stars. Much too mainstream, he thinks. But how individual is he really?

He would like to be a dominant type, but in his heart, he is a cuddler. He smells of his bakery, and his favorite spices are clearly recognizable. He works with nutmeg, cardamom, and bay leaves, baked over cedar wood. Nothing else goes into his oven, even if he adorns himself with more; he wants to be special. And modern. Meanwhile, he has taken over the family business from his grandfather and hardly changed the recipes. His baked goods do taste a bit old-fashioned. You can buy them; his cardamom rolls are better than the standard goods in the bakery chains next door. But gourmet food can indeed be found elsewhere. Solid baking craftsmanship, simple recipes. Just for a little hunger in between.

On my skin, Terre Initiale comes across as herbaceous, yet rounded - with an earthy-metallic note and a hint of berry-like fruitiness that I unsuccessfully try to find in the fragrance notes.

The pepper remains very subtle in the background - but my skin has the magical ability to soften men's fragrances. Therefore, one should not generalize too quickly. Unfortunately, Terre Initiale also has synthetic undertones, which slightly dampens the enjoyment.

Overall, a nice scent, nothing special, but more interesting than some competitors.

Armani distances itself - both in price and scent - from the mainstream. With this fragrance, they have succeeded, even taking a step further than usual, I would say. Until now, I found the Armani perfumes to be very good, but also quite straightforward. However, that does not detract from their effect. (For example, I love vetiver on men!)

Bleu Turquoise is more multifaceted than I am used to from Armani. On my skin, the scent comes across as soft and herbaceous, which is why I would definitely attribute a unisex character to it, even though it appears quite masculine. But in a gentle, almost warm way, despite the aquatic notes. It truly has a beautiful ambivalence, which I greatly appreciate.

Personally, it is a bit too much on the herbaceous side for me; the gourmand child in me needs a certain sweetness in the base even in masculine scents. ;)

Lastly, the big but: I have to concentrate to smell this fragrance, and I can almost watch it fade away. I find it massively lacking in intensity and longevity. I would probably have to bathe in it to achieve a sufficient effect. Admittedly, I have scent-eating skin, but still, the Armani is so weak that it is worth mentioning. What a shame.

You might think that vanilla perfumes are about to get on my nerves. But a little gnome inside me gets huge eyes whenever he has the chance to get a new scent into his big nose. And his tiny arms immediately reach for fragrant perfumes, and under his hat, he pulls out a big wallet to pay with. Wait - that's my wallet. And it only looks big because it's held by a gnome...

This vanilla scent does not trigger a grabbing reflex in my loyal little gnome. I find it boring, one-dimensional, and a bit sour on my skin. Good for my wallet, acceptable for my gnome, because in my closet there are at least 15 vanilla perfumes that are worth their money more, even if this one is cheaper.