Skin by Trussardi, 2002

A fragrance that's so unobtrusive it's impossible to really hate, in spite of the clashing base of cedar that throws the whole rest of the balance of notes completely off. Here you have a fruity-aquatic-floral story consisting of bergamot, violet leaves, mandarin, orange, apple, jasmine, lily of the valley and just a smidge of pink pepper for liveliness and warmth. Sounds perfectly nice, right? Nothing too heavy or offensive, just in need of a firm but complimentary basenote or two, perhaps something a bit resin-y or else clean anfd gentle. Instead, though, you get pencil shavings, closet fresheners, hamster cage - in other words, cedar, and far too much of it. All the sweet notes from the fruits just bring out the cedar even more and make it all the more medicinal and pungent. It just seems so wrong to me; I get the pairing of cedar with straight citrus, a combination that shows up in at least half a dozen popular scents, but mixing it with other fruits strikes me as a mistake. That being said, I have put up with the bothersome cedar and gone through several bottles of this because it is so light and casual, great for the weekends or whenever you just want something low-key. Recently, though, I stumbled on another fragrance that takes all the positive aspects of Trussardi Skin and combines them with a fabulous soft white musk base that is just such an improvement on the pencil shavings scenario. That fragrance? Victoria's Secret Body by Victoria. If you like Trussardi Skin, definitely try out the Body; it's amazing.