Basenotes › Basenotes Forums › Fragrance Discussion › Male Fragrance Discussion › MFD Archive › I finally experienced 7 different Creed. My take on it.
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

I finally experienced 7 different Creed. My take on it.

post #1 of 16
10/7/08 at 3:24pm
Thread Starter 
Finally, today, I had the chance to try a few Creed fragrances.
I have tried Silver Mountain, M.Imperial, Himalaya, Santal, Tabarome, Erolfa and Virgin Island water. I really wanted to try more Creeds after all the reading and all the great reviews.
I owe GIT and I like it a lot. I also owe BdP and I dont like it. I was approaching the store with an open mind but at the same time looking for that Creed that will knock me down in the first round, somehow, deep inside of me, I had the feeling that some disappointments were waiting for me.

Sillage, poor sillage, very poor in most of them, at least in my opinion. Creed is a tricky pony, it can be love or hate, or both or none. All them have a very Creedish dry down a common ground which is good. Bottom line is that Creed needs some "training" , there is not love at first "smell", period.

Silver Mountain: Rich, aquatic, cool and clean with some artificial scent, must the smell of silver. It is intriguing and annoying. Interesting fragrance that I would consider buying.

Tabarone. This one has the best sillage of them all (except GIT). It is masculine in a modern way. It smells also very artificial to me, it has that metallic smell that I detect in Silver Mountain. Ok, not bad but...I dont know if I would buy it.

Erolfa. hmmm I swear I smelled this one before, I like it, it is addictive, you want more but... there is not more, it does not change much from opening to dry down, linear?. Very cool and mint? salty? The sea? yes but calmed sea , nothing really exciting. A feel good fragrance for summer. Overall I like it and I want to but one. This one is very elegant without being very formal. Definitely I have to get this one.

Himalaya. God... I really wanted this one to be fantastic, orgasmic and ideal.My hopes were very high however it did nothing to me. It was like if my skin sucked it in 5 seconds, no longevity, nothing, nil. I have to ask my GF if she was smelling anything, she said -Of course!- I tried and tried and tried until I gave up. I don't even have anything to say. It must be a bad bottle, a joke from my nose. I wont give up though. Will give it a second try in a few weeks. Mayor disappointment, for now,

Imperial. wow this is so close to Unforgivable that Creed should sue Puf Diddy. Good but I cant stand the fact that I will be smelling very similar to many people that paid much less for the same, or almost the same. I hate to like it. Eventually this one will be in my wardrobe

Santal. Exotic, warm, fruity,sweet, my GF really like it. Next.

Virgin Island Water. Are they serious? Is this fragrance Unisex? It reminds me to Hawaiian tropic, coconut, beach. Take some tropical fruits, flowers, sugar, rum and mix it and drink it, you will be drinking Virgin Island. Nice for a girl that has been tanning under a tropical sun. Not my cup of tea, this is totally feminine.

I am sure Creed has something for me, besides GIT. Something of great sillage, masculine and provocative.
Reply
Reply

Features on Basenotes

Greatest Hits: Annick Menardo
Basenotes Reader Awards 2013 - Finalists Announced.
Petals Falling From The Sky - A Report From The Cote d'Azur's Bataille De Fleurs
post #2 of 16
10/7/08 at 3:32pm
I tried Original Santal and actually wore it out last Tuesday and loved it; first Creed that I ever had the chance to wear and it, in fact, did not disappoint at all.
Reply
Reply
post #3 of 16
10/7/08 at 6:17pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Basteri View Post

Bottom line is that Creed needs some "training" , there is not love at first "smell", period.

I agree completely - at least in my case. It has taken me a while to "get" Creeds, but I now love several of the line. In fact, my attitude toward almost every Creed fragrance has changed from when I first smelled them. The differences are often subtle, the strengths highly variable, and some of the scents are a bit unusual. They are an acquired taste. But I really believe that fragrance lovers are rewarded by going back to the line a few times, particularly if the initial reaction is a shrug. Also, it's worth it to try the ones that nobody talks about. Some of those are very interesting, and are actually the best, IMO.

I tried OS at first, and it wowed me, but then I cooled on it. Meanwhile, I discovered that I really liked BdP, Bois de Cedrat, and Floralie - all of which are so different from each other that it's hard to believe they are made by the same house.

I think it's important to try all of the line - and not all at once, but rather over a long period of time.
Reply
Reply
post #4 of 16
10/7/08 at 8:18pm
At first, I couldn't smell Himalaya at all. Barely. Probably fatigue, but I could smell the other Creeds over it. It took me a couple tries to understand and now I love it.
Reply
Reply
post #5 of 16
10/7/08 at 10:34pm
I've smelled about 6 creeds and I like SMW among them all.
Reply
Reply
post #6 of 16
10/7/08 at 11:16pm
I prefer Penhaligon's to Creed. I just like more of their fragrances more.
Reply
Reply
post #7 of 16
10/7/08 at 11:48pm
  • MFJ
  • offline
  • Gender:
like javagreen, ive always maintained that it takes acquiring of taste. and ironic but quite true, you wear if to smell yourself mnore impt than what other ard you think. which bring us back to square one - "what is the purpose of wearin g scent , to smell good or to cultivate an art and cultrue for the appreciation byond the normal appeal. so unless half ur social circle or professionla colleageues for taht matter are into hard to swallow scents, you prbably wouldnt get anythgig more than s s drndr og embarrasment. not all niche are hard. but most of the time, the masse are in instinctively attracktecd to mass apeallng scents. boils down to purpose. im safe playerwhn it comes to niche. i need the scent to work for me, not the other way. i guess i could sell off some bvlgari s and fahrenheits and start on the nich quest iwhich is extremely tempting, but i always ask meyslef whther ultimtaely i am enjoying the whole process of self realisation, there is no way u can make the ppl around feel the same. so i find more cons than pros for thzt matter. call me pragmatic or utalitarian, but think about itwhwn u finally realise how much ui appreciate the scent, ust ill go back towork with no ones else enjoying the scent. plus half an hour in and u can hardly smell urself for that mattrer. so there is the purposel. im speakng my mnind, this isnt directed to anything or anyone. i collect hard liquer and i dont even drink that much and i dont allow nyone to touch my collection of 18year whiskeys from various brands. etc. i would love to have a niche collection just for extravagant use and display. but thats a long call. i just wanna maksure i smell good for those in my breathinig porximity.

GIT for me (id rather feel bored than parnoid)
Acier Aluminium (feels like givenchy gentleman - which i love)


*sorry for 4 the multiple typos, am late for an exec metting!!!
Reply
Reply
post #8 of 16
10/7/08 at 11:50pm
Acier Alumium is the best IMO.
Reply
Reply
post #9 of 16
10/8/08 at 1:54am
Basteri, now you have a good overview of "young" Creed and where the line will be moving in the future. It doesn't do much for me. I think you missed one of the best modern Creeds, though: Original Vetiver, an improvement on Mugler Cologne.

Now ,if you have the opportunity, try some classic Creeds. These are long lasting & rich:
Orange Spice is a fruity-spicy oriental, perfect for autumn and winter, smells of Christmas and potpourri, but in a very good way
Baie de Genievre a fantastic masculine blend of peppery juniper and cinnamon spice.
Royal English Leather is a sweet luxurious leather scent, smells like the inside of a Rolls Royce (I imagine ).
Vintage Tabarome - a rich, classic tobacco-leather fragrance, very old fashioned "English club" style, but worth trying. The smell of money and power.

Also recommended:
Epicea (great citrus & burning pine ember, a winter forest)
Cypres Musc (harsh but wonderful green)
Royal Delight (you may find it too opulently floral, but it's great in small doses)

Happy hunting
Reply
Reply
post #10 of 16
10/8/08 at 2:08am
If you are familiar with Creed Imperial then you would not mistake it for Unforgivable. I tried to fool my wife a few days ago by wearing a sample of unforgivable, and she knew right away that it wasn't Imperial. She said it smelled like some cheap knock off....and what do you know....she was right!
Reply
Reply
post #11 of 16
10/8/08 at 2:09am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Redneck Perfumisto View Post

I agree completely - at least in my case. It has taken me a while to "get" Creeds, but I now love several of the line. In fact, my attitude toward almost every Creed fragrance has changed from when I first smelled them. The differences are often subtle, the strengths highly variable, and some of the scents are a bit unusual. They are an acquired taste. But I really believe that fragrance lovers are rewarded by going back to the line a few times, particularly if the initial reaction is a shrug. Also, it's worth it to try the ones that nobody talks about. Some of those are very interesting, and are actually the best, IMO.

I tried OS at first, and it wowed me, but then I cooled on it. Meanwhile, I discovered that I really liked BdP, Bois de Cedrat, and Floralie - all of which are so different from each other that it's hard to believe they are made by the same house.

I think it's important to try all of the line - and not all at once, but rather over a long period of time.



The first time I smelled Imperial I didn't like it at all. Now I am hooked on the stuff!
Reply
Reply
post #12 of 16
10/8/08 at 3:09am
Thread Starter 
Unfortunately the ones that I have tried are the ones they had on stock, I wish I could have tried the old stuff as I think they are more of my taste. You are right I know what to expect in the future from the modern Creed line. I still think GIT is the best of them all. Royal English leather and vintage tabarome will be my next target
I want to try the ones that you all have mentioned and that I missed. Thanks for your tips.
Meanwhile is time to move into some other niche fragrances praised by many in here, I wish I have availability but I dont. I have to wait until my next trip.
Reply
Reply
post #13 of 16
10/8/08 at 6:47am
Creeds hold a special place in my heart, being my first experience in niche. While I do love certain, creeds (namely MI, SMW, Himilaya, and Neroli Sauvage) I have learned that they truly are not the baromiter of niche that alot of people would have you believe. The newer ones at least ( I just cant get into anything pre- GIT, chock it up to my inexperienced nose perhaps) seem to be more of a stepping stone rather than the holy grail that niche has to offer. They are generally speaking, very approachable, and "safe" scents, however their are for more interesting, and challenging, frags out there. I have learned that I will always have one or two bottles of Creed in my wardrobe, but I will continue sniffing through the niche world to find more interesting scents.
Reply
Reply
post #14 of 16
10/8/08 at 7:34am
I really like GIT but it smells way too much like Cool Water for me to spend that much it just does not seem worth it

The only one I have not smelled is Acier Aluminium, I really want to try this one it sounds very interesting.
Reply
Reply
post #15 of 16
10/8/08 at 8:50am
I have GIT, SMW and MI but I find myself hardly ever wearing them and instead turning to L'Air du desert marocain, Penhaligon's Opus 1870 (even though it seems to cause me headache lately) and even [gasp] YSL L'Homme. Reason? Poor longevity of top and middle notes, the drydown arrives too quickly and is too similar on all the three Creeds that I have. The other thing is - the ambergris base seems to stick to my skin and rubs off on the bed sheets and pillow case, making them smell "perfumy" which I don't want. My other scents don't have this peculiar side-effect.
Reply
Reply
post #16 of 16
10/8/08 at 9:08am
Thread Starter 
Very true all your comments, I am guilty of all charges, I bought too quick the hype and promotional reviews of Creed. Creed is so highly regarded by most people that is easy to feel there must be something very special about it and therefore wanting it badly. Of course there is part true on everything and I admit most of the scents I have tried are special and elegant but .... there are not cheap, they are not easy to find and in my humble opinion far from being master pieces.
I like GIT immensely, it works perfect on my skin, great opening, dry down, sillage ... everything is in place, I am a happy customer.
What bothers me from Creed is the lack of "potency". Everything is gone too soon, leaving that characteristic powdery dry down which is annoying when what you want is more life!
Reply
Reply
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home
  Back to Forum: MFD Archive

Features on Basenotes

Greatest Hits: Annick Menardo
Basenotes Reader Awards 2013 - Finalists Announced.
Petals Falling From The Sky - A Report From The Cote d'Azur's Bataille De Fleurs
Basenotes › Basenotes Forums › Fragrance Discussion › Male Fragrance Discussion › MFD Archive › I finally experienced 7 different Creed. My take on it.