FCUK Friction Him by French Connection, 2012

Decent scent - but below average projection, sillage, and longevity... Okay - I did a double take at the label (designer) when I first spotted this cologne... I am sure there are others... To quote one of my golfing buddies on a trip in years past, "Harry, your coffee ain't bad - but, it is not that good either..." When trying Friction, that was my first thought. This same guy is also noted for saying, "golf is just something you do while drinking beer.." Not sure I have tried a cologne that will fit that quote - but you never know..!! Friction is not a bad fragrance - it starts out with citrus and musk notes that finishes into a decent spicy fragrance. It is generic and is a "copy cat" to many fragrances out there. The longevity, projection, and sillage are below average - lasting only a couple of hours close to the skin. The fragrance does offer flexibility or versatility as it can be worn to any event at any time of the year - just take the bottle with you to reapply (frequently) as needed. No compliments on this one thus far and it may not be worn enough to provide any follow-up down the road. I do like the bottle and packaging - it gives the impression of an expensive and high-end fragrance. Additionally, the price/value is above average. My tally for Friction is 3 stars out of 5 stars. It has a "catchy" name (designer), nice looking bottle, and comes at a bargain price. Only if you are the avid collector would I recommend. Always finish what you started - you will be amazed at what you can accomplish..

Setting aside the obvious marketing silliness "FCUK" launched with, French Connection's Friction burns me up. Here we have yet another in the long, long line of pedestrian masculine fragrances that declare men should smell of bitter oranges to project their masculinity. Calvin, Polo, and a dozen other houses that now haunt your local pharmacy or Sears already wrote the book on this, and it has never been a happy ending for me. A truckload of citrus crushes the few other detectable notes in this mess. Green banana is occasionally there, a few wilted pieces of lavender also gasp their last breath - smothered by the citrus, and someone spilled their booze over the top. The other elements are false advertising. Black coconut? In your dreams. (In fact, layering this with suntan lotion or a bottle of that Coconut Vanilla body spray Walgreens sells would improve this.) Amber? Leather? Magnetic Musk? The joke is on us. The marine note you detect comes only after you chuck your bottle into the sea. The geranium leaf is also there, mostly to remind you citrus isn't the only thing unpleasant thing about this. This fragrance would be in good company with Adidas' sports scent line. I found a few giant 100ml bottles of Friction at Marshalls for $17. It's still overpriced. What was I thinking? Don't make the same mistake.