360 Degrees For Men by Perry Ellis, 1995

Influenced by Eternity, Kenzo and Hugo Boss and their blending of herbs, citrus, spice and fresh accords, Perry Ellis 360 smartly takes the lavender, sage and juniper of Hugo Boss´s Hugo and Calvin Klein´s Eternity and then layers a strong front of cardamom and synthetic sensual woods on top to create something quite unique and top heavy. 360 is aggressive, harsh and bold but it never oversteps its boundaries, coming dangerously close in the opening but calming quickly to a fairly linear lavender, juniper and woods juice with just the right amount of cardamom spice to stand out. Perry Ellis 360 takes a bit of time for your senses to adjust and appreciate. This is not the type of scent you will immediately fall in love with, but something that requires a few wears or a more experienced and tried nose to fully appreciate its originality and solid blending of organic and synthetic notes. This is a strong and aggressive fragrance that can come off a bit harsh and astringent at first but dries down into a wonderful sensual wood accord that is neither harsh nor natural but smells quite attractive never-the-less. I wasn´t impressed with Perry Ellis 360 at first, but grew to appreciate it as I explored other 1990´s fragrances inspired by Calvin Klein´s Eternity. This is certainly one to be appreciated by for anyone who enjoys Hugo by Hugo Boss, the original Kenzo, Polo Sport or even Davidoff´s Cool Water. The herbs and spices are done very well in this one, it reaches a nice balance of synthetic and natural that is very hard to pull off. Not for everyone, given the roughness of the juniper and cardamom against the lavender and sage, but for those looking for a bit more daring and boldness, Perry Ellis 360 is a great affordable option with solid projection and longevity (6-8 hours).

Call me silly, but I think this is a wonderful fragrance from start to finish. The opening is definitely citrus, enhanced a bit by the juniper berry - sorry folks, but I don't smell alcohol at all as others have mentioned, just a bright/sweet citrus - and then after an hour or so the drydown becomes a nice woodsy smell (but not overbearing at all) with just a hint of the citrus. That hint of citrus eventually disappears, as 360's waning hours are filled with the woodsy sweetness. The longevity is great - many hours - and sillage is moderate. I have other colognes that cost 10+ times more, but I don't want price to cloud my judgement about what smells good and what does not. I would abandon some of those higher-priced fragrances before I would abandon 360 - simply because, in my nostrils, it has a better fragrance. I even like the watery blue color and the tall cylindrical bottle. Like I said, call me silly - but 360 is a winner in my book. For those of you that gave it a neutral or a thumbs-down, you're apparently in good company - my wife isn't all that crazy about 360, either. She says it's "OK", but nothing to write home about. The nerve of her. (Just kidding, she's a sweetie!!).