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First impressions of Rive Gauche, Antaeus and Terre d'Hermes

post #1 of 24
4/4/08 at 5:24am
Thread Starter 
Hi guys i'm new to the world of colognes and a friend of mine recommended basenotes as a trusted authority on cologne reviews, So I've been reading reviews looking for what would be my signature cologne fresh and citrusy. So based on rave reviews here on basenotes I eventually zeroed down on Terre d'Hermes, Antaeus, Rive Gauche ph, and Allure Homme sport. The Allure was abit costly so I bought the Terre, Antaeus, and RG.

Terre: I'd used it before, and is still as powerful as ever, I also noted that the bottle has been redesigned as it has the letter H printed allover unlike the one I first had which looks like those images here on basenotes (sorry I cant post an image)
Antaeus: Well to be honest am trying so hard to like this as it has loads of positive reviews on here, all I can say is that as someone mentioned in the reviews its seems old school.... I'll give it time the jury's still out...
Rive Gauche ph: Now this is the real deal, its everything I hoped it would be and more... what a fragrance, it oozes class. Like I said am not good at fragrances so if any basenoter can kindly recommend a fragrance in a similar domain I'd be eternally grateful.

Verdict: Terre and Rive will be my signature colognes for now ofcourse until I find something more powerful. please advise on alternatives.

PS. I also have Platinum Egoiste, M7 Fresh, Kenzo Jungle, Lacoste pour homme (which gives me a headache) and Issey Miyake (which I gave to a friend as he stopped short of swearing by it).

I'm thinkin of Kouros, Issey Miyake Intense, Guerlain Vetiver and Heritage... I also dream of Bois du Portugal and Green Irish Tweed but for the price..
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post #2 of 24
4/4/08 at 5:59am
Glad you got 2 / 3 that you like I bought a bottle of Rive Gauche a few months ago, and have to agree on it 'oozing class.' Id suggest trying Egoiste, if you can find it. Got a bottle of this yesterday, and it oozes class AND romance. Spices in the top, then rose, and finally sandalwood and vanilla after an hour or two. Cant wait to properly try some more Chanels...

If you want the 'basis' of GIT and BdP, then try Davidoff Cool Water and CK Obsession for men respectively.

Im trying to choose between Envy, Terre d'Hermes and Kenzo Air as my next purchase... But its going to have to wait til I finish a bottle of something!
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post #3 of 24
4/4/08 at 7:16am
Thread Starter 
Thanks Tony, Ages ago I sampled Cool water and wore Obsession and I must say they are very nice frags, I remember Obsession being very Strong and having alot of sillage, If GIT and BdP are in this category then I think I'll like them, still they are priced way outside my pocket at the minute.

Another friend recommended Envy so I'll probably check it out... take it from me Terre d'Hermes is a MUST have you wont be disappointed its in the same league as Rive.. Havent tried Kenzo Air so cant comment
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post #4 of 24
4/4/08 at 7:43am
First impressions...
I wonder, how long does it take to understand a Scent? 1, 2 days? a week? sometimes years. SOme a re love at first sniff. My advice, sample before you buy otherwise you will end up buying bottles of stuff you initially like and then get disapointed. OTOH, give Anteus a chance to grow on you, to my nose it is the grand dady of RG. I also recommend Habit Rouge.
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post #5 of 24
4/4/08 at 9:36am
  • Ged
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Similar to RG would be Azzaro PH (cheap), Tuscany, and Narcisso Rodriguez For Men.

Your interest in Guerlain Heritage is warranted, as it may be a reasonable but by no means identical substitute for BdP. However, if you think Antaeus is old school you may feel the same way about Heritage and BdP.

Well done you have some great ones there!

Ged
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post #6 of 24
4/4/08 at 9:43am
Those are great fragrances you have chosen; Rive Gauche ph is a big favorite of mine and TdH is my new love as well. Those two are going to get a lot of play this summer, particularly as a day/night combo. Antaeus is another really excellent scent; it's a powerhouse and works perfectly for evenings and formal occasions. I'd put that one on the shelf for a bit and then try it out for a nice evening date / dressy affair. You might just love it, and if you don't, then that's fine too.

Good luck!
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post #7 of 24
4/4/08 at 9:52am
Those are great fragrances you have there,i have all 3 in my wardrobe.Just leave the Antaeus for a while & then try it again.
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post #8 of 24
4/4/08 at 10:00am
I think you have the limited edition bottle of TdH.

This one, right?



If it is....I'm jealous!
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post #9 of 24
4/4/08 at 10:06am
As a former Antaeus-only wearer (almost from the day it was lounged, from 1982 to 1995, more or less) I doubt if in this day and time I would be all that impressed by it as I was then.

Not even talking about the possibility it has indeed been reformulated, as so many say. I myself haven't really made up my mind about this. Sometimes I think it has, while at another moment I think it has more to do with the fact that there are so many other frags that I prefer at the moment. So the truth is, I don't know.

You know what I would really like though? That one of these copy cats (no need to name them here) would come out with their version of 'Antaeus', made entirely of (mostly natural) extreme high class ingredients, that could be really awesome I think!
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post #10 of 24
4/4/08 at 10:15am
Antaeus is a great perfume, but I have to confess that when I smell the first burst of notes from it, I get slightly disgusted. I don't know what it is exactly, I think it is the combination of many strong notes.

As soon as the fragrance settles, after 10 minutes approximately, I begin to like it much much more. It is a classic leathery fragrance. It smellls expensive and refined.

.
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post #11 of 24
4/4/08 at 10:28am
I'm not surprised if you didn't quite like Antaeus, since you were looking for something "fresh and citrusy," whereas Antaeus is a leather-based fragrance. You might like another Chanel, though: Pour Monsieur. It comes in two versions, the original (more like your specifications) and "Concentrée," which is more spicy than fresh. The first comes in a tall, square bottle, the second is in a tall rectangular bottle, and has the label "Concentrée" in small letters at the very bottom.

I think you might like the original version, if you get a chance to try it. Most department stores have the other one, but the original can be found at Chanel boutiques and at places like Neiman Marcus and Barneys.
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post #12 of 24
4/4/08 at 10:32am
Jaime,

I do have a bottle of concentree (which I love) and I plan to buy a bottle of the "regular" PM.


Lucius
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post #13 of 24
4/4/08 at 11:04am
Quote:
Originally Posted by reneirwold878 View Post

I think you have the limited edition bottle of TdH.

This one, right?



If it is....I'm jealous!

What?! That is horrible, the original bottle was marvelous, why mess with it?
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post #14 of 24
4/4/08 at 11:33am
Well done on persevering with Antaeus, I can't get beyond the end of the top notes before wanting to wash it off, I don't like it at all.

Terre will always serve you well.

I don't get it with Rive Gauche Homme. It's fantastic for the first ten minutes or so and then becomes I think very derivative (at least on my skin).

As to Heritage, I'll go as far as to say I think it's better than BdP, which lives off a reputation more than anything else. Heritage doesn't need a list of celebrity wearers, it commands understated class - it also lasts way longer than BdP.

I agree with JaimeB too, Chanel pour Monsieur is lovely, if a little short lived, you might want to investigate the Concentree version. You could also try the original YSL pour Homme which is another classy and fresh scent (don't get confused with L'Homme which is more recent and is like a million other scents).
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post #15 of 24
4/4/08 at 11:52am
Quote:
Originally Posted by pault View Post

Hi guys i'm new to the world of colognes and a friend of mine recommended basenotes as a trusted authority on cologne reviews, So I've been reading reviews looking for what would be my signature cologne fresh and citrusy.

Welcome!

For fresh and citrusy have you tried Aqua di Parma Colonia, or one of its offshoots - Colonia Assoluta or Colonia Intensa?
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post #16 of 24
4/4/08 at 12:17pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by irish View Post

What?! That is horrible, the original bottle was marvelous, why mess with it?

The picture is a limited edition launch bottle IIRC. Don't worry, you won't be seeing any of that bottle around...but if you do point me towards it!
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post #17 of 24
4/4/08 at 12:39pm
If you were looking for something "fresh" Anteaus is a bad place to start.

For something that's like Rive Gauche pH, look to Azzaro pH. I believe this is the frag that inspired Rive Gauche.
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post #18 of 24
4/5/08 at 7:15am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by reneirwold878 View Post

I think you have the limited edition bottle of TdH.

This one, right?



If it is....I'm jealous!

Yes reneirwold878 thats the one, must say the Limited edition bottle looks better...
--------------------------------------
Guys thanks for all your comments,

@ petruccijc ..... No I haven't tried Aqua di Parma Colonia yet but from the reviews I've read it seems to fit the bill I'll give it a try, I'll also check out Azzaro pH

@ HDS1963 .... Heritage better than BdP? wow I must give it a good sample. Will also check out the pour Monsieur and pour Homme (YSL).

Any word on Kouros? does it fit the description (fresh, citrusy)

@ JaimeB .... If I had only known.. thankfully its only a 50ml bottle and like I said the jury's still out on it, I'll try it on an occasion and note how it performs on me.
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post #19 of 24
4/5/08 at 12:22pm
When I first smelled Rive Gauche, I fell in love with it. After smelling it more, I think it smells like shaving cream or some sort but I can't get enough of smelling it!
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post #20 of 24
4/5/08 at 4:12pm
i've been smelling rive gauche a little on the street over the last month, and i still can't translate it to mean anything other than bone dry to my nose. i don't get anything at all classy (for class, see gft eucris). it lacks something...

glad it works for you though! scent is truly subjective.
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post #21 of 24
4/5/08 at 9:48pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by pault View Post

Hi guys i'm new to the world of colognes and a friend of mine recommended basenotes as a trusted authority on cologne reviews, So I've been reading reviews looking for what would be my signature cologne fresh and citrusy. So based on rave reviews here on basenotes I eventually zeroed down on Terre d'Hermes, Antaeus, Rive Gauche ph, and Allure Homme sport. The Allure was abit costly so I bought the Terre, Antaeus, and RG.

Terre: I'd used it before, and is still as powerful as ever, I also noted that the bottle has been redesigned as it has the letter H printed allover unlike the one I first had which looks like those images here on basenotes (sorry I cant post an image)
Antaeus: Well to be honest am trying so hard to like this as it has loads of positive reviews on here, all I can say is that as someone mentioned in the reviews its seems old school.... I'll give it time the jury's still out...
Rive Gauche ph: Now this is the real deal, its everything I hoped it would be and more... what a fragrance, it oozes class. Like I said am not good at fragrances so if any basenoter can kindly recommend a fragrance in a similar domain I'd be eternally grateful.

Verdict: Terre and Rive will be my signature colognes for now ofcourse until I find something more powerful. please advise on alternatives.

PS. I also have Platinum Egoiste, M7 Fresh, Kenzo Jungle, Lacoste pour homme (which gives me a headache) and Issey Miyake (which I gave to a friend as he stopped short of swearing by it).

I'm thinkin of Kouros, Issey Miyake Intense, Guerlain Vetiver and Heritage... I also dream of Bois du Portugal and Green Irish Tweed but for the price..

The TdH Bottle is a limited edition, IIRC.
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post #22 of 24
4/6/08 at 5:27am
The first time i did test rive gauche i didn´t like it. It was summer and i did test other frags too. Then i liked it much more but have 2-3 other similar frags in my wishlist. So i have to choose 1 or 2 of those:

Rive Gauche ph
Azarro ph
Rochas Lui (kicked gucci ph)
Antaeus
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post #23 of 24
4/6/08 at 6:08am
Good choice kicking Gucci ph, smells like trees and "unwashed mens private parts" to me.
Test them all out and get some opinions yourself, however, in my opinion:
Rive Gauche and Antaeus hands down.
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post #24 of 24
4/6/08 at 8:34am
yes i like antaeus of them a lot. Need also an leathery scent.

Neroli from rochas lui could be too much. I have to test it again.

& i am not sure which of them could be worn in sommer too ?
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