TheDupeKing

First of all, be careful when you open the fragrance for the first time. It has fallen from many hands, including mine. And the pricing policy is quite surprising here. In winter, over a hundred euros and always sold out, in summer around 60 €. What awaits you is a powerful opening. A very potent start. Very sweet, but a brilliantly strong fruity sweetness from the cherry and the apple, which is just wonderfully done. It already reminds one of a slightly synthetic black cherry with red apple. However, you have to be into sweet fragrances. All accompanied by a typical oriental spice, rounded off with gentle vanilla, but that is in the background here and it fits really well. The scent is loud and suitable for colder days; those who are brave can also try it in warmer temperatures, but then really only 2-3 sprays and not in enclosed spaces. With a fresh breeze, especially in the evening, it becomes quite amazing. The strong fruitiness fades a bit over time, the oriental notes come through stronger, but the fruitiness remains present. Not too dark like an Ombre Nomade, but also not too light, a good middle ground. Everything is well balanced, feels high quality; those who like such fragrances can confidently go for it.

Starts off beautifully citrusy, almost resembling a green apple in the first few minutes. With a wonderful salty aquatic freshness that immediately evokes thoughts of the sea, vacation, sun, and mountains. As the fruity freshness settles a bit, salt remains, a lovely gentle, slightly sour freshness, underlined by oak moss, which has a somewhat cucumber-like quality and reminds one of a mix between Voyage Eau de Toilette and "Kokain Seemann Intense | Rammstein." But with much more elegance. Not loud, but with that typical Issey signature note. A great signature for hot summer days. Stands out from the crowd without being too eccentric. Quentin has done a great job here.

Generally, I am a fan of Caline fragrances, but here I find it somewhat difficult.

Sure, we are talking about a €5 fragrance. The standards of evaluation should be realistic here. And for the price, there is really nothing to complain about.

However, when I dig a little deeper, there are a few things that don't sit well with me.
The opening doesn't impress me that much. If I compare it to "Confidential Private Gold | Lattafa / لطافة", that one comes across much fruitier and with more quality, and it only cost €12. The Confidential is somehow more pronounced and angular, with more energy, which I like. The Caline feels a bit pale. Additionally, there’s a creamy note that fits quite well after 15 minutes, but it doesn't suit my taste at all, and especially the first 15 minutes are somewhat annoying, giving it an extra feminine touch. After that, there’s a fruit cream mush that is definitely worth celebrating for the price, if you’re into that. The vanilla or cream or whatever it is just doesn’t fit for me here. But that doesn’t mean the fragrance is bad. I just found myself looking forward to the new release a bit more.

Once again, a scent with Aventus DNA; it's surprising that big brands even engage with this. Apparently, there is no longer any ambition to stand for something unique.

Anyway. This time we have a version where the focus is more on the fruity elements. There is no great darkness or smoke to be found here. Also, the masculine power that, for example, the CDNI has, is somehow missing here. They have tinkered with the Aventus DNA and didn't want to create a 1 to 1 copy. I'm somewhat torn. On one hand, I have smelled better clones. On the other hand, I quite like it on clothing, even if it's a bit different, maybe precisely because of that.

Currently on sale for €26.99. At that price, it's definitely worth picking up. Whether one ultimately chooses the Club de Nuit Intense Man Eau de Toilette or one of the others from the line, or the Explorer, or one of the twenty versions from Zara, or whatever, is probably a matter of taste. But the fruity note is quite well done here. I wouldn't call it the "THIS IS IT" clone, though. But once again, a cool scent has found its way to the drugstore, this time a little different, although everyone knows what the inspiration was. But €26 is also reasonable; €40 is a bit too much somehow.

After wearing it a few times, I must say, great scent, especially the drydown is nice.

What the scent has to do with Vikings, I don't know. When I think of Vikings, I think of something different than lemons, oranges, peppermint, and bergamot :D.

What’s great about this scent is how it connects multiple worlds.
It’s citrusy, but not a freshie. It’s bright and somewhat reminiscent of water, but it’s not an aquatic.
And it has this old-school vibe without being outdated. A bit sweet, a bit bitter, more of a men’s fragrance. For the price, I would choose 50 other scents before this one, yet it is nice and has its right to exist, especially because of what I described above. There aren’t that many scents that have taken this path. And it’s not extremely complex or special, but it is unique, and the more you wear it, the more you appreciate it somehow. But it’s not a daily wear for me, so a decant is enough. You really don’t need 100 ml of this.