212 Men on Ice (2009) (2009)
by Carolina Herrera

Great summer San Francisco fragrance all year around. I apply this in the morning for an optimal wake up consisting of citrus, grass notes and lemon. The dry down is short but I don't mind. This gives me an excuse to add another fragrance for the afternoon. Love this.

1st June, 2011.

I smell the lemon leaf although all of its bitterness is gone after a few seconds. Maybe it smells more like swiss lemonade with a spray of musk instead of a spoonfull of sugar. Anyway, I can't say there's no sweeteness here.
After 15 min the lemony scent has already evaporated and what remains is an annoying smell, a bit orangy, though. It's not a bad smell but it's not elegant. It's too linear and indiscreet, like someone who talks too loudly when you want some quiet. After about 30 min the lemony scent shows up again and tries to sing along but it's awkwardly out of tune.

Imagine you're playing with a kid. After one hour you're tired of playing that same annoying game and you suggest something else, maybe some other game, and the kid tells you "no, we'll play this again for 2 more hours". Ouf!

I regret blind-buying it. It's got a beautiful bottle and a cool name but it's got a spoiled child inside.

I use it's acrylic split box like a vase to a small cactus. That's much more fun than smelling 212 OI.

PS: I like lemon and lemony scents.

29th January, 2011.

Notes:
Top: Lemon Tree Leaf, Grass
Middle: Ginger, Gardenia, Green Pepper
Base: White Musk, Sandalwood, Lignum Vitae, Incense.

212 Men On Ice (MIC) is a fresh citrus fragrance with an internal frame that is similar to so many 'sports' fragrances that have invaded the perfume counters all over the world...and by that I mean a generic citrus top, then spices (read: ginger) followed by a uber generic woody drydown.

With such generic and uninspiring preconditions, and the fact that the most interesting thing about MICs notes listing was 'Lignum Vitae' (which in this case translates to a standard woods note), things dont look promising...unless you are someone who actually likes these 'sports' fragrances. MIC injects somewhat unique notes in each of the phases...the top is a decent lemon citrus with a subdued use of a 'mown grass' note lending a grassy effect to the citrus top. The ginger note is thankfully subdued in the hearts note, with 'gardenia' providing a sweet floral contrast to the citrus-spice accord. The base is standard woods but with a very light bitter incense note. And voila! you have a generic sports fragrance which actually manages to distinguishes itself by the slimmest of margins. MICs structure reminds of that joke where two guys were being chased by a tiger and one says to the other: I just need to outrun you to save myself! Muhahahaha...

Rating: 6.5/10.00

9th August, 2010.

I'm a huge fan of the 212 brand and I especially love the on ice/splash versions so of course I love this 1 as well a thumbs up way up.

9th July, 2009.

Wow! This fragrance screams summer. I just tried this today and I adore it. It's fresh, sweet and clean with a hint of spice. It has an effeminate sense about it which isn't all that off-putting, at least for me. The biggest downfall I had is that when I first sprayed it I got a pretty hefty dose of lemon, but when the spice started coming through it kept me interested. I thoroughly enjoy this fragrance and if you're into summery, clean, and fresh I think you'd love this. I have the feeling when it's on the skin it will really warm it up and make it all the more enjoyable

16th June, 2009.

So I was at the mall and had to try something on before I left, and this is the one I picked. I never sample more than one at a time, so I gave myself a good spraying and went about my day.

It's got a clearly defined citrusy top, which almost made me chalk it up to being just another citrus. However, I was stuck with it, and 212 Men on Ice revealed itself after a short while. On the ride home I noticed a wonderful smell that so perfectly complimented the warm spring drive through the forrest.

This has the woodsy, grassy base of 212 Men, and none of the floral top. It's a perfect non-tropical summer scent.

11th May, 2009.