Well, not big surprises, but surprises nonetheless.
After work, I went to my local Macy's, a recently-converted Kaufmann's in hopes of finally sniffing out the as-of-yet-elusive-to-central-Pennsylvania Gaultier2 and Burberry London. Well, no G2, but I did get to try the London. I'm finally over my damned cold/flu that I had for the last few weeks, but my sniffer is not quite 100%. Also, it's that time of year that depression sets in heavily for me, and anyone who experiences depression may know that the sense of smell can really become muted.
Lucky for me, one of my favorite SAs was in, a very attractive young lady who seems to have recently started at the fragrance counters, and though she doesn't have the experience that some long-timers have, she seems really willing to help and even learn a thing or two from customers. I even told her about good 'ol basenotes, and she wrote it down to check out later.
First up was Double Black, being pushed hard with floor displays and whatnot. On first whiff, I though she may have sprayed "single" Black by mistake, but noticed it did in fact have a bit more depth and complexity, but like most scents this year, it was ultimately disappointing- too close to the original, and they really should have taken more of a chance in deviating from the "single" Black.
Next up were two under-the-radar surprises. The first of which was Valentino V for Men, which was nice and woody, but ultimately forgettable. The next one was a total surpise for me: Kenneth Cole Reaction Thermal. Seeing as how the original Reaction is, well, far from my favorite- too fruity, not long lasting, and just seemingly the definition of "mediocre." Then I though of other recent Kenneth Cole frags... and almost told her to not even bother.
Well, she took a bottle out of its fancy thermal-underwear-like bag (think Grey Flannel's bag, but thermal underwear instead) and sprayed some on a card. I took a smell. WHAT? Absolutely nothing like the regular Reaction. There's a tinge of some citrus, and it's heavy on Tonka with hints of nutmeg- very reminiscent of Armani Black Code, but I may actually like this one a bit more. If it weren't for the fact that it's a copy of Black Code, I'd take my hat off to KC for actually making a good fragrance. Still, a pleasant surprise.
The SA didn't think they had Burberry London, but I spied a tester hidden with the other Burberrys. She didn't know it was there, but seemed happy to know it was there and graciously sprayed me a card. Damn! This one's good! Having been so disappointed this year, it's nice to see one live up to it's hype. Warm, intoxicating- a perfect fall/winter scent, and one that will quickly find it's way to my collection.
Unfortunately, no G2, but overall, it was nice to see a few unexpected new fragrances.
After work, I went to my local Macy's, a recently-converted Kaufmann's in hopes of finally sniffing out the as-of-yet-elusive-to-central-Pennsylvania Gaultier2 and Burberry London. Well, no G2, but I did get to try the London. I'm finally over my damned cold/flu that I had for the last few weeks, but my sniffer is not quite 100%. Also, it's that time of year that depression sets in heavily for me, and anyone who experiences depression may know that the sense of smell can really become muted.
Lucky for me, one of my favorite SAs was in, a very attractive young lady who seems to have recently started at the fragrance counters, and though she doesn't have the experience that some long-timers have, she seems really willing to help and even learn a thing or two from customers. I even told her about good 'ol basenotes, and she wrote it down to check out later.
First up was Double Black, being pushed hard with floor displays and whatnot. On first whiff, I though she may have sprayed "single" Black by mistake, but noticed it did in fact have a bit more depth and complexity, but like most scents this year, it was ultimately disappointing- too close to the original, and they really should have taken more of a chance in deviating from the "single" Black.
Next up were two under-the-radar surprises. The first of which was Valentino V for Men, which was nice and woody, but ultimately forgettable. The next one was a total surpise for me: Kenneth Cole Reaction Thermal. Seeing as how the original Reaction is, well, far from my favorite- too fruity, not long lasting, and just seemingly the definition of "mediocre." Then I though of other recent Kenneth Cole frags... and almost told her to not even bother.
Well, she took a bottle out of its fancy thermal-underwear-like bag (think Grey Flannel's bag, but thermal underwear instead) and sprayed some on a card. I took a smell. WHAT? Absolutely nothing like the regular Reaction. There's a tinge of some citrus, and it's heavy on Tonka with hints of nutmeg- very reminiscent of Armani Black Code, but I may actually like this one a bit more. If it weren't for the fact that it's a copy of Black Code, I'd take my hat off to KC for actually making a good fragrance. Still, a pleasant surprise.
The SA didn't think they had Burberry London, but I spied a tester hidden with the other Burberrys. She didn't know it was there, but seemed happy to know it was there and graciously sprayed me a card. Damn! This one's good! Having been so disappointed this year, it's nice to see one live up to it's hype. Warm, intoxicating- a perfect fall/winter scent, and one that will quickly find it's way to my collection.
Unfortunately, no G2, but overall, it was nice to see a few unexpected new fragrances.
