Ralski

IMO it’s the best anytime, any season, any occasion fragrance. Could wear to the office in the summer or a to a wedding in the winter and be one of the best, whilst still most appropriately smelling guys in either setting. It’s also an endorphin booster, that first waft gets me every time! You won’t really need to reapply during a working day, but you should, just to get that boost.

Boozy, nutty & a bit leathery. It has a synthetic-ness to it but not in a fake-interpretation-of-the-notes way, its more just that “thing” that says you’re wearing something people are just supposed smell and enjoy rather than get all artsy-fartsy about. At the same time though, it’ll still most likely be different from what anyone else is wearing at the thing you’re attending, and that a good bit of thought went into it being in your collection. Will last the entire evening with a good push for a couple hours then you’ll still get nice noticeable wafts of non-syrupy sweet boozy soft leather as you move around later on.

Trust me boys & girls, this layered with Guerlain Ambre Samar, 2:1 AS:VA. Might push a teeny bit fem but not enough that it’s unsuitable for a guy. To my fellow men, I’d say this layering combo actually leans into your masculinity to wear it with confidence but most importantly, you’ll smell incredible and intriguing. Ladies - I promise you’ll not smell like a confident man, you’ll smell like THE woman. Either way folks, you’ll smell phenomenal & that you sprayed with purpose. Not in summer though. You’ll choke yourself and anyone within a 10 metre radius.

Sharp fruits, ambers, woods - it’s a blue fragrance, but not as you know it. Maybe greeny-blue or bluey-green but it’s definitely in the blue family. Is it good though? Absolutely. It’s also incredibly versatile, you just need to be careful with the sprays if you want to be the best smelling guy in the office because it’s very sharp and very strong. 3 sprays, one across the neck, one down each arm (great atomiser, allows for nice long evenly distributed misty sprays) and its office safe. Just give it at least 30 mins for the rhubarb to calm down a little bit before you clock in. (it’s definitely blue though)

The only thing that bothers me about this is that it can’t be it’s own thing as opposed to being a flanker. It deserves to be out on its own as Armani’s Niche-killer. However, the SWY DNA is still just apparent enough for it to have to just be “the next one” of its time from the line, rather than it being “the next big thing” in its own right. But that’s just me romanticising and there’s nothing we can do about it. It’s damn near perfect in terms of the balance, retaining just enough of the instantly recognisable sweetness whilst letting a seriously masculine woodiness take centre stage, all supported by the saffron making it more for the grown ups. Bonus tip - a couple fresh sprays on the neck/jawline right before you go out in the cold is a next level experience!