Unbound for Men (2002)
by Halston

This strong aquatic seemed to have such promise from my sample vial, but only after buying two minis did I start to notice its drawbacks; I think the juice was different. From a mini, the comparisons with Acqua di Gio are obvious; even out of the splash bottle I recognize the same salty sharpness of seaweed-plus-flowers. Here, though, there's a lot of that Cucumber Melon Body Wash thing going on, which makes a noticeable difference--not with any sweetness but with a sickly dose of stagnant rubbery vegetables. I remember less harsh sharpness and more pleasant fruitiness (i.e. more accurate melon) from the sample vial, hence everyone's comments about watermelon. The melon is still here in the mini, but as such a thin, metallic caricature of itself that it's just depressing. By the end, the base is such a sour, sappy mess that I can't believe I bought 15 mL of the stuff at less than $1/mL. And if I'm right in thinking that my vial smelled better than my two minis, such a huge inconsistency should not occur in a low-end designer fragrance because it's built from mostly inexpensive synthetics. If you want AdG, just get AdG...hell, I like it and I admit it. If you want more fruit, get Hugh Parsons Traditional or spring for Millesime Imperial. If you want more storms and seaweed, get Bulgari Aqua. All are great aquatics, and none are super expensive.

14th August, 2011.

Much more subdued than other inexpensive Halston fragrances such as 1-12 and Z-14, Unbound hugs the skin and shakes off it fleeting and ephemeral top and heart quickly, making it a good choice for office wear. Pleasant woody/amber drydown on the verge of being too boring and short-lived, but refined enough to warrant a neutral ranking.

1st June, 2011.

Unbound is a good fragrance for its price. Even if they price it at the same level as Bvlgari I would still feel the same. The opening reminds me of AdG in an instant, but as it progresses, 360 Red comes to mind. There is a spicy accord in Unbound and 360 Red, but none in AdG, making Unbound a little bit more mature. To compare these 3 scents, Unbound is in the middle between the other two and have a good balance of being a fresh and spicy fragrance.

360 Red is sweet, while AdG is all the way fresh and watery.

For longevity, I find Unbound okay. It's a skin scent for me, and I get a whiff of it whenever I move.

6th April, 2011.

I think it's a really good fragrance and strongly different from Aqua di Gio..So much better than that. Where ADG is too strong and obtrusive is, there Unbound is smooth and fine.

Unbound lacks that terrible,cloying citrus blast what ADG produces from beginning to the end. The fine fig,the light tomato leaf and white birch notes make Unbound like a fresh,spring wind. That's true it's not a heavy fragrance,you can use more from it to last longer.

But if someone mentions the word "clone"..yes..Unbound's bottle is...a really perfect copy of Ralph Lauren Romance for men..just watch them :-)

22nd March, 2011.

Unbound for Men is a traditional aquatic, and a holdout of a 1990s theme. It can be had for anywhere from $12 to $30 a bottle, marking it as one of the cheaper scents in this genre. For the money, it's a great bargain. Unbound is not one of the cheaper formulations, and its quality is apparent from the outset. A well-blended, surprisingly naturalistic watermelon and sage, mixed with aromatic gin and tomato leaf, greets the nose before rapidly drying into a vaguely fruity ozone and salt accord. The sweetness of the melon never really disappears, but blatantly synthetic calone is nowhere to be found. Longevity is fleeting, at around 5 hours max, but with this kind of summer scent, that isn't a problem. If you are a fan of fruity aquatics and hate dropping $60 on Acqua di Gio, Unbound for Men may be worth trying.

5th February, 2011.

An interesting aquatic. I once would have thought that an oxymoron, but I'm open to surprises of all kinds. The use of blackcurrant makes me think of Creed's Silver Mountain Water. The lime, pepper, tomato leaf combo in the opening is well executed and very refreshing. The heart notes read much like 360 Red but they aren't nearly as strong here. The drydown has them all beat, though. It's warm, creamy, and invitingly original. If you have to wear an aquatic, I nominate this one before any of the dozens like it.

2nd February, 2011.