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Azzaro Visit - Too Spicy or Just Right ?

post #1 of 16
10/18/06 at 12:27pm
Thread Starter 
I have just received a 1.7 oz bottle of Azzaro's Visit. I love the cool, crisp, clean scent of Chrome, so I decided to give Visit a try. I really love it. I think it is an amazing scent. It does go on very spicy and very strong, similiar to Gucci PH. However, it dries down into a lush musky, slightly spicy scent. I think this makes a great nighttime scent or even a bold daytime scent, if you are feeling strong enough to pull it off. I think it is different enough from Gucci PH that I can personally smell the difference. GPH smells more woodsy, like brunt woods or charcoal. Whereas Visit smells more powdery/spicy/aqua, if this is even possible. Others here may disagree and smell something different. This is the best I can for now to describe the scent.

I have a couple of questions I would like to bring up here.

1. Can you smell the difference between Visit and Gucci PH, or do they smell almost the same to you?
2. If you say they smell different, which do you prefer and why?
3. If you like them equally well, how would you describe the difference and which occassion would you wear each?
4. If you love Visit (like I do), what other spicy, manly scents (besides for Gucci PH) would you recommend? (I am always looking for top notch scents to expand my collection with.)

Thanks for taking the time to read this poat and I look forward to some inspired responses!
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post #2 of 16
10/18/06 at 12:40pm
no inspiration here but,

I think Visit and Gucci pH smell quite different - I own both. Visit has a peppery note, which GpH does not. Gucci pH smells much more woody beginning to end.
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post #3 of 16
10/18/06 at 1:02pm
To me, Visit is Gucci PH minus the firewood smoke note and plus a very strong nutmeg note. Obviously, there are many other differences in the natures of these two, but those are the most outstanding. Not very similiar IMO. The only thing they really share are the strong wood notes.

I prefer the Gucci by a mile, personally. Seven miles. It's softer (and by soft I do not mean weak by any means...just more comforting I guess) and far far far more refined to my nose. Plus I don't like nutmeg. Bleck. After smelling these two side by side for awhile, all i smell from the Visit is pepper and nutmeg. and this weird hot wet asphalt thing...which is actually a little interesting.

As for occasions, either could be worn daily in cool weather. I wouldn't wear the Gucci out at night.

As for other recommendations...well the Gucci is actually a top pick for me, but here are others that put Visit to shame:

~Caron 3rd Man- near perfect in every way
~Chanel Antaeus- spicy, refined, a little weird, a little sweet, very manly
~Chanel Platinum Egoiste- spicy manliness in a bottle.
~Gucci Rush- much closer to Gucci PH than Visit is, but much shorter lasting than either of them
~Gucci Envy- well liked by nearly everyone.
~Diptyque Tam Dao- if you like Gucci PH and/or Rush, you will LOVE this. You'll judge every other wood fragrance you smell by it.
~Tauer's L'Air du Desert Marocain- think hot rocks (literally, hot rocks on the ground) and spices. Amazing fragrance!!
~Anything from the Comme des Garcons Incense Series
~YSL Rive Gauche- old school spicy manliness. Pretty much worshipped as a god on Basenotes. A bit overrated, but good anyway.

I'm sure i'm missing some obvious ones, but others will fill you in more. Good luck!
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post #4 of 16
10/18/06 at 1:28pm
Gucci PH has that extremely strong incense aspect to it - which everyone likens to the smell of a church which is quite accurate.

I find Visit to be a very, very dry woodsy smell with a little bit of spice. It has a cooler feel to it as well, in my opinion while Gucci PH seems to warm you up a bit. I don't find it very spicy at all.
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post #5 of 16
10/18/06 at 3:38pm
Azzaro Visit is a just right. I love the cedar notes in this and it smells great.
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post #6 of 16
10/18/06 at 3:46pm
Visit is what Gucci PH wants to be. Visit is the big brother that smooth with the ladies and cool as hell. Gucci PH is the little brother who is trying to butch up and be as cool and sexy as his big brother. Gucci PH is just trying to hard to do that Visit is already doing. Too spicy? Depends on what you mean. There are things that are much spicier that I enjoy very much. So to me isnt that spicy.
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post #7 of 16
10/18/06 at 4:02pm
Gucci PH and Visit are quite different, but there are very noticeable similarities between Gucci Rush and Visit. They're almost the same when you first spray them on, but Visit has more complexity (in the way of spice) when it develops. I think all three scents are nocturnals, Visit and Rush for colder weather, Gucci PH you might get away with when it's warmer.

I would wear Gucci PH and Visit for different reasons and wouldn't say one is inferior to the other. Visit is more modern and urban, possibly richer and more instantly likeable, whereas Gucci has a more classical feel. It's one whose merits reveal themselves over time. When I first tried Gucci I wanted to sneeze, but I soon got over that, and discovered a very fine, evocative, woody scent.
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post #8 of 16
10/18/06 at 4:05pm
It's funny -- Visit is much dryer on my body, and Gucci more cedar-y and spicy. I love them both, but they are -- whilst related -- two horses of distinctly different colors, IMHO. Visit is woodier in a guiacwood kind of way, whilst Gucci PH is FAR more "cedar-y" than "guiac-y."

If you like spicy scents, I don't think you can beat good old Fendi for Men. Another blast from the past that's great (and cheap) is Benetton Colors for Men. Another still yet is Benetton's (equally cheap but good) Paradiso Inferno (black bottle, NOT the blue).

Moods by Krizia comes to mind (discontinued but reasonable and available), as does the (discontinued, wonderful, but exorbitantly priced and very hard to find) Versailles by Jean Desprez.

Finally, you have two more old Eighties "spice" scents to consider (one of which is discontinued, the other of which is not): Gianfranco Ferre for Men (the original), Armani Pour Homme (also the original).

If all else fails, you can't beat a good quality bay rum. (Laugh if you will, but Trumper's is great, as is Royall's, as is Burt's Bees.) Some even like Old Spice (yes, I hear you laughing, but indulge me here).

Spice is my great love, so I'm pretty conversant with most spicy scents.
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post #9 of 16
10/18/06 at 4:16pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by tvlampboy

If all else fails, you can't beat a good quality bay rum. (Laugh if you will, but Trumper's is great, as is Royall's, as is Burt's Bees.) Some even like Old Spice (yes, I hear you laughing, but indulge me here).

Can someone tell me what the heck a bay rum is?

oh and if you like spices, tvlampboy, you must try L'Air du Desert Marocain, god of spice fragrances.
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post #10 of 16
10/18/06 at 4:46pm
L'Air du Desert Marocain sounds delish -- do you know where to find sample or decant?

Bay rums, btw, are old-fashioned eaux de cologne (sometimes eaux de toilette) that have heavy notes of clove, bay, etc. They were mostly used in barbershops and haberdasheries at a time when only the wealthy could afford imported scents. They tend to be very spicy (obviously) and a bit boozy. You either love or hate 'em -- I love 'em, but wear them very seldom. If you're going to try a bay rum, I recommend Trumper's or Royall's -- avoid the Michelsen's that Caswell-Massey distributes in this country. It's pretty pallid in comparison. If you like it SUPER spicy, try Burt's Bees (now discontinued) bay rum. (A little bit of that stuff goes a LONG way.)
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post #11 of 16
10/18/06 at 5:32pm
Ohhhh i LOVE Burt's Bee's stuff!! I imagine the bay rum smelling something like their hand salve: "The Defender" i think (smelled it?)...very very herbal and pretty spicy. One of the more natural smelling concoctions i can think of. Can you get their Bay Rum online or what? How much would the Trumper's cost me?

I got a sample of L'Air du Desert Marocain from Andy Tauer's website (he also sells perfumes from it). They're only like $3.50 or something, and his samples are decent sized spray vails. I got Lonestar Memories and L'Air, both great. Shipping was cheap very quick from Switzerland.
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post #12 of 16
10/18/06 at 5:56pm
For spices, I recommend Balman by Pierre Balmain, a much overlooked fragrance. I bought this blind and this might be my best buy so far in 2006. The nose is Antoine Maisondieu, who has given us Gucci Envy and Burberry London for Men. That should give you an idea.
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post #13 of 16
10/19/06 at 12:04am
Quote:
Originally Posted by LiveJazz

To me, Visit is Gucci PH minus the firewood smoke note and plus a very strong nutmeg note. Obviously, there are many other differences in the natures of these two, but those are the most outstanding. Not very similiar IMO. The only thing they really share are the strong wood notes.

I prefer the Gucci by a mile, personally. Seven miles. It's softer (and by soft I do not mean weak by any means...just more comforting I guess) and far far far more refined to my nose. Plus I don't like nutmeg. Bleck. After smelling these two side by side for awhile, all i smell from the Visit is pepper and nutmeg. and this weird hot wet asphalt thing...which is actually a little interesting.

As for occasions, either could be worn daily in cool weather. I wouldn't wear the Gucci out at night.

As for other recommendations...well the Gucci is actually a top pick for me, but here are others that put Visit to shame:

~Caron 3rd Man- near perfect in every way
~Chanel Antaeus- spicy, refined, a little weird, a little sweet, very manly
~Chanel Platinum Egoiste- spicy manliness in a bottle.
~Gucci Rush- much closer to Gucci PH than Visit is, but much shorter lasting than either of them
~Gucci Envy- well liked by nearly everyone.
~Diptyque Tam Dao- if you like Gucci PH and/or Rush, you will LOVE this. You'll judge every other wood fragrance you smell by it.
~Tauer's L'Air du Desert Marocain- think hot rocks (literally, hot rocks on the ground) and spices. Amazing fragrance!!
~Anything from the Comme des Garcons Incense Series
~YSL Rive Gauche- old school spicy manliness. Pretty much worshipped as a god on Basenotes. A bit overrated, but good anyway.

I'm sure i'm missing some obvious ones, but others will fill you in more. Good luck!

LiveJazz hit it right on the dot.

Gucci is more comforting, sophisticated, and complex.

Visit is bold and brutish.

Each has its own time and place, though I much prefer the Gucci.
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post #14 of 16
10/19/06 at 3:25am
Live Jazz wrote: "Ohhhh i LOVE Burt's Bee's stuff!! I imagine the bay rum smelling something like their hand salve: "The Defender" i think (smelled it?)...very very herbal and pretty spicy. One of the more natural smelling concoctions i can think of. Can you get their Bay Rum online or what? How much would the Trumper's cost me?"

Reply: Burt's Bees' Bay Rum is very, VERY spicy -- forewarned is forearmed. (Some like it; some don't. It literally seems to "burn itself off" the skin.) LOTS of ginger and cinnamon and bay here. You can only get their bay rum on eBay (still only about $25 to $30 for a 4 oz. bottle).

The Trumper stuff goes for more, of course, usually $40 to $60 on eBay, and not much more than that online (on retail sites). Problem you get into buying it through sites is that most of the sites in question are English, and so the shipping can kill you.
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post #15 of 16
10/19/06 at 3:48am
This thread has sparked my interest in Gucci PH. If I did not have Visit I probaly would be loving towards Gucci PH. Visit has alot of spices, and that is what makes it smell so great. Cedar is such a great note and Visit gives off such a great woody smell. The only thing that I don't like about it, is that it is a fall/winter frag only. I would never wear this during the hot months. I am gonna miss this frag during the summer time.
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post #16 of 16
10/19/06 at 4:16am
I'm with you on that -- Visit is definitely a cold weather fragrance, as is Gucci PH -- IMHO. If I want spice in the summer, I sometimes wear Benetton's Paradiso Inferno (black bottle, not blue) -- it's cheap, widely available, and a darn good buy. Another spicy scent that works nicely for me in hot weather is Bois de Portugal. (That one's a favorite ALL year 'round.)
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