Set Sail St. Barts for Men (2007)
by Tommy Bahama

Many a times it happens that rowdy young men make ridiculous claims of one uppance ...its only later during a group shower session that the truth hangs out and the claims of superiority are exposed. The Set Sail St. Barts for Men (SSSB) vs. Virgin Island Water (VIW) was one such, albeit short lived, bout on Basenotes. Lets just say VIW leaves SSSB hanging upside down in the school playground and steels its lunch money in the process.

SSSB opens with a very good juicy lime and tequila accord...the tequila accord is suitably boozy with just the right level of alcohol. Thats about the only height this juice reaches, as the heart notes introduce a demure salty note of sorts with the tequila accord rapidly fainting before a mind numbingly pedestrian backend of a cheap vanilla and musk note materializes and spends 80% of the 5 hr lifespan of this fragrance radiating off your skin. There's also a coconut note of sorts in here...its the type which immediately elicits cheap suntan lotion vibe and provides a clear demarcation between the coconut note that lives within SSSB and the subtle, milky smooth variant found in VIW, Carnal Flower and Datura Noir.

SSSB isn't bad, its just deceptively mediocre. Its very top loaded with a fleeting heart and a drydown that was delivered on a 10 rupee budget. Compared to the slick melding of lime, subtle coconut, ginger and florals in ViW, SSSB just smells terribly exposed and underfunded.

Rating: 5.75/10.0

So I got this for Saturnalia and although I've sprayed it a bunch just for kicks, I've felt it was almost always too damn cold out to really give it a go. Well, there was a heat wave last week and the temperature hit about 50, so I bathed in St. Barts (due to my being aware of its "weakness") and proceeded to go about my New York day. 2 unsolicited compliments in one day equals a damn fine cologne.

In conclusion, we have a weak yet pleasant lime, coconut, and tequila fragrance for a reasonable price. Even if you use ten sprays per wearing you're still ahead of the game. Others will like it, and that's good. It smells better than Virgin Island Water, but maybe that's because my smell buds aren't fancy enough for Creed.

Very fresh and lovely! My husband is the type to really get after it when he puts on fragrance so I have to be careful what I buy him. It's just perfect for the man with a heavy hand! ;) It's very limey(in a good way!)! HA! Love it!

Longevity's a bit of an issue, yes, but I for one really enjoy this powdery, musky lime concoction. It's not my normal cup of tea, no, but I'm awfully impressed with it considering its low price tag and wide availability. There is certainly a strong "cocktail" vibe here, with the coconut and lime notes (and, to a lesser extent, the "tequila" notes) clearly distinguishable

A good, casual choice for the under 25 crowd.

The opening splash of lime is sensational. The tequila is there from the start and doesn't dry it out exactly, but gives the lime an acrid sweet twist that is very pleasant, and for me stays with this salty-sweet cocktail to the last drop. A freshet of fragrant leaves comes and goes. There is nothing urbane about this scent, it's a Florida Key, not Sutton Place. But it's terribly fun, audacious really, for a weekend at the beach, or an occasional pick-me-up if you happen to live there.

I have to definitely agree with some of these guy, coconut, margarita, alot of agave and lime, great for summer, or just as a signiture scent. I perfer this in my collection along with set sail south seas, nautica voyage, and my favorite, Issey Miyake.