Apparition Homme (2005)
by Ungaro

This fragrance, while not being an infamous or particularly mediocre creation , exudes lack of complexity or better absence of real distinction in a way it pales in comparison with its great predecessors, in particular Ungaro l and Ungaro lll. I find it youthful and sparkling in a way it reminds me a bit the taste of some vermouths or some italian light liquors. I smell basically a fresh aromatic green-woody scent with a common woodsy masculine base and a sort of aquatic and fruity tart initial temperament which lasts for less than an half part of the development. The initial blast is very fruity, citrusy and kind of lavender with its aquatic link of mandarin-cucumber-tea soon flavoured by a touch of aromatic and mentholated anice. This kind of starting is a bit too crude and synthetic in my opinion. The link of rhubarb, anice, black pepper and licorice wood creates a sort of herbal-liquorous smell that reminds the taste of some digestive liqueurs and sets immediately an aromatic gummy-tarry barrage for the advancement of the aquatic feel which is too faint to resist at clash. As well as the initial fruity-watery aromatic beat starts fading and the influence of the tea note and prickly liquor plays its role, the watery feel slows down and the masculine touch of cedar, wood and vetiver envelops the elements. The aromatic taste of anice and licorice, turned prickly and sparkling by the note of black pepper, influences broadly each stage of the trip. The dry down is a bit common being a light remembrance of the final development of some classic aromatic fougere or chypre. I smell the association with GIT by Creed and Cool Water with a less aquatic temperament and an addition of bitter-sweet liquor. Well balanced. Longevity and sillage are in the average.

7th September, 2011. (Last Edited: 13rd December, 2011.)

Somewhat dissapointed with this fragrance, I expected a lot more from Ungaro and Polge. Not a bad fragrance but less than expected.
It is fresh but doesn't qualify as aquatic either, the opening is very fruity with the tart rhubarb and mandarin but soon the anise takes command with the peppery background to end in a somewhat pleasant vetiver note.
Again, not a bad fragrance by any means, but not good enough for my thumbs up either, my wife loves it so maybe your spouse/partner will too.

10th May, 2011.

Maybe it's not something new, but it's really nice summer scent with very good longevity on my skin. I like middle and base notes. It's delightfully balanced fragrance.

15th December, 2010.

I get a sweet and soapy pear/papaya opening. Very synthetic too; the opening is decent but once it fades a little it starts to get more chemical in smell.. the result being something that smells like glue for about 25 minutes before the base notes kick in. For me, I picked up on the base notes about 25-30 minutes after having this on my skin.. at which point, I picked up on the woods and vetiver. While at the same time, the base still smells soapy as well. Dare I say, that between the middle notes and base notes of this fragrance, it smells a little bit like Green Irish Tweed.

Definitely not as bad as others have made it out to be. Longevity is 2-4 hours, and projection is below average, but not entirely a skin scent. However, I feel the way this projects is adequate because it may be too cloying if it projected more. Good scent for the office, granted you like it enough first. To me, this fragrance reminds me of Usher UR. Synthetic fruity opening, soapy, woodsy drydown, but not really very woodsy. This isn't bottle worthy for me though.

5th August, 2010.

This is the only Ungaro I've ever smelled.
The only reason I own this, is name recognition upon seeing it for $10 at T.J.Maxx.
It's overly sweet (like something from DIESEL), berry-like, and prominently showcases black licorice. Each one of the previously mentioned attributes creates for a mediocre (at best) recipe.
My ex claimed to love this on me (the six times I actually wore it). I never told her what it was (in fear of her buying me more).
The 3-tier rating system does no justice in cases like these, as this falls between thumbs-down and neutral.

7th March, 2010.

Apparition Homme's lavender and citrus opening is both sweet and soapy, though also a bit chemical and crude in its execution. The instantly recognizable cucumber-melon flavor of Calone comes forward after a few minutes, but it is not conspicuous enough to impart an aquatic character to the composition. Instead what evolves is a pleasant, if ordinary, tangy-sweet fruity fougère accord in the Green Irish Tweed/Cool Water mold. It's neither better nor worse than any of its countless peers, so whether you buy it over another is just a matter of how much you prefer its bottle.

From Ungaro II to this...

11th December, 2009. (Last Edited: 29th December, 2010.)