Wario

Cold, bright, and fresh. There is the usual Eau Sauvage citrus notes, this time however, they are sitting underneath a blend of basil and mint up top. I actually get a bit more of the basil on my skin, then I do the mint note. Herbal, sort of a menthol kind of effect, when put together.

I like it. The fresh spiciness doesn’t overwhelm and still has balance within the composition. It’s held in check by the lavender note and the resinous elemi, which was also a big factor in Eau Sauvage Parfum. Here, it has less of a long-term influence.

After a while, the basil and mint will calm down and the citrus starts to come through more clearly. Lavender, elemi, cedar start to follow in gaining strength. Less green than the opening act, but the basil and mint do stick around at a lower level.

Patchouli breaks through a bit after this. It’s not heavy, but it does dirty up the scent somewhat, for at least a little while. Nothing too intrusive, but it plays well with the general green and woody aspects of Extreme Intense.

For me, the rest of the way is a cedar, lavender, elemi, and citrus affair. Very little spice and patchouli left. More of a clean and somewhat fresh aroma. Some moss thrown in for good measure.

Bright, sweet, fruity tart opening. The early stages are definitely leaning to the fruity floral end of the spectrum. The pineapple leads the way and is fantastic. Reminds me of the same note found in Coach Platinum for Men.

The pineapple is flanked by citrus notes, think lemon. The pink pepper is present giving it some further warmth and kick of spice. Fresh opening but the sorbet aspect of the pineapple, keeps Coach Floral feeling cold at the start.

It will quickly turn into a white floral with sweet fruity highlights. The gardenia will actually play the largest role, to my nose. The rose tea is the second strongest and not the actual focus.

Finishes into a fairly creamy white floral with woods and musk. Still sweet, just a pretty far distance from the opening act, but leans more tart to my nose. The shift from fruity/floral to the floral notes leading the way is fairly drastic, but it doesn’t completely change.

Illicit Green starts out lighter and cleaner, in my opinion, versus the original Black Opium EDP. With that, the opening has always felt pretty messy, especially compared to this.

Here, I get the green mandarin note, some of the pear. But, what really comes through from the jump is the fig/fig leaf. This opens greenish, somewhat fruity, with plenty of the coffee note already peaking through.

Really, the pear and mandarin are adding a sparkling brightness to the mix and some sweetness. However, those two note are never particularly massive on my skin.

I dig its freshness and its less heavy and cloying than many of the others in this Saint Laurent series.

As we move along, the fruitiness that is there will tone down. You will get more of the vanilla and coffee that the original has. For me, the coffee is the stronger of the two throughout.

That, with: fig, jasmine, orange blossom and some patchouli.

The final dry down is a light coffee aroma, with the vanilla, and what’s left of that fig and jasmine note. Kind of sweet, soft, with a bit of a powdery feel to it all.

The real standout is the osmanthus note which gives this one its sweetness. Fruity sweet, but still with that darker masculine edge. It’s the same note that gives Flowerbomb its opening burst.

After 5 minutes or so, is when I really start to notice the honey note and its accompaniment by the vanilla. It is a smooth and somewhat thick creaminess, that pairs so damn well with the cinnamon.

The spice is there, but it takes a backseat to the sweeter notes. Honestly, the entire profile of the scent reminds me a lot of 1 Million Prive. The cinnamon fades as you get deeper into the wear, but it does hang around throughout.

Oajan has this sort of apple cinnamon aroma to it just like the Paco Rabanne scent. It’s quite straightforward but very intriguing. The sweetness just comes from the honey, osmanthus, tonka, and vanilla rather than any apple.

Nonetheless, it is different from Prive, with less sweetness and more of a warmer impression with benzoin tones. It also gets quite dark with a deeper richness, than the Paco Rabanne fragrance. Great resinous finish.

The amber and labdanum are in control towards the end. The fuzziness of benzoin has calmed, the osmanthus is gone, and you get a mix of vanilla and tonka bean in support.

Galloway struck me as a unique yet somewhat familiar experience. It took me a while to figure out which cologne I was being reminded of and finally came to the conclusion that it was Set Sail Martinique.

Why the reminder? The musk, citrus, and floral combinations in both fragrances. Though, Martinique has a muskier and saltier aroma, than this one does.

Now, I am not getting a direct comparison between the two. Martinique is heavier on the musk, feels watered down, and without spice. It is like a dulled down and cheaper version of Galloway in some regards.

In Galloway, I get that grapefruit aroma of the hesperides blended with that great orange blossom note, that I have been liking a lot lately. The musk is there but is well balanced by the pepper note which gives this Parfums de Marly scent a nice sharp kick.

As it dries down, Galloway reveals much more of the iris and warmth of the amber. It feels less spicy to my nose at this point, but still retains the musk.

At the end, it is quite fresh floral notes with just a dash of citrus lingering around, added to a peppery musk. You get some hints of powder, due to the iris, but it isn’t ever a main feature for this fragrance.

It’s fairly unique, for a men’s fragrance, but still retains plenty of elements that I have come across before. Pretty nice, though.