Paradox For Men Green by Jacomo, 2003

My first impression was "where have I smelled this" I looked back at the reviews and Soleil hits it right on the head with the comparison to Un Jardin en Mediterrane. Only difference is that it's not Hermes, so it's not as natural feeling or as earthy smelling. It opens up with a huge burst of energy and has GREEN written all over it. I try to compare fragrances that are less known to more common ones, so with Paradox Green it reminds me of Gucci PH II, Diesel Green minus the sweetness and a little bit of Tommy Bahama. It doesn't project incredibly yet has good sillage. Now realizing the dramatic differences between projection and sillage, I place my wrist 4-6 inches away from my nose to test projection, and I do the same for sillage only I wave my wrist and arm up and down and all around. With Paradox Green there's definitely more sillage than there is projection, longevity is at least 6 hours, but sometimes I get up to 10!

Can't go wrong on this one, it can be found very cheap, and it's different than most stuff out there, especially stuff in its price range. As Soleil says, it's not entirely unique, but it is different. If you put this next to Cool Water, AdG and Curve.. this would turn the most heads. For its price.. yes it's unique.. but for fragrances in general.. it's nothing super special.

More into the notes -- It's hard to say what's in the opening.. smells a little bit like seaweed or sea salt, but very subtle, lots of leaves for sure, grassy and very very green and fresh. As it dries it begins to remind me of Gucci PH II, I actually get a tea accord coming out of it, the pepper is also noticeable and it's not a very synthetic pepper like the stuff in L'eau par Kenzo. The rosewood lingers there behind it all, it's something you don't really notice until the end of your sniffing. Cardamom is very subtle, not overdone like in many fragrances, I smell a little nutmeg or possibly even ginger.. the only thing I don't get from the middle is the red berry. The base incorporates woods, moss and tonka bean yet still maintains much from the middle and that same green feeling that was so refreshing in the top. This actually makes for a pretty complex fragrance that still isn't all over the place. It's complex yet still somewhat linear, it switches phases very very smoothly which makes it seem linear. It's very precise at what it does and very well balanced, one of the best green fragrances I've ever experienced, and with a low price tag.