A friend was generous enough to send me samples of Parfums de Nicolaï - New York, Armani Prive - Oranger Alhambra, and Creed's Virgin Island Water to evaluate.
My observations are not those of a professional, rather I am an enthusiast who finds beauty in almost every fragrance. The ratings I give belong to me, in that they respond to how well these "fit" on me. If some of the more seasoned noses could either concur or totally disagree.. or even just add observations, anything.. I'd be honored. These reviews were written in "real time".
1)
I'm just into the dry down of the Armani Prive - Oranger on one wrist. Citrus parallel with AdP!!! WOW, bang on. I'd say the citrus here is a bit more refined than in AdP Colonia or Colonia Assoluta - brighter and "fresher" (hate that word).
You know what else I smell a bit of here? Green Jeans by Versace - perhaps reminissent a bit of that lime/pine accord. I'm hesitant to give this anything more than a 3/5 perhaps because of a cynicism I've developed towards the citrus/herb or citrus/spice genre. I could see it being an excellent, fresh summer scent - though the longevity on me appears to be paltry. Update - citrus fades away and it's a light but intoxicating herbal.
2)
PdN - New York. Whoa! Not what I was expecting, though I kept an open mind and gritted my teeth. A less refined, feminine version of something vaguely similar to BdP. Ann Coulter could wear this one successfully.
Opening is quite sweet to my nose - there's musk in here, I'm sure of it. There also seems to be a fig note, though that could be blended with woods - I'm unaware of the pyramid for this one, but it's predominantly a musky, fig overature that dances its way into gourmand territory. There's also a note in here that is offputting and cloying - sweet, sweet amber/musk? You can tell this is quality juice - it's got a bit of booze in the opening, like one of those cherry-vanilla liqueurs that brings massive hangovers.
Ahh.. not for this gentleman, as the comparison to BdP is almost absurd to me. It's not redundant, though, because the blend seems like it could really evoke headaches. It's a bit like the drydown of Lalique PH mixed with a whiff of bad breath and amp'd up on the sweetness (musk?). Silage and projection? Impressive.. though unappreciated. I'm going to be brutally honest and give it a 2/5 and resign to the fact that I'll never be able to wear this one.
3)
Creed - VIW. Well now.. I had a tiny vial (.5ml) from Les Scenteurs and now have a generous decant. Initially it's 50/50 lime and coconut cream - maybe a bit more lime in the initial whiff. Silage/Projection? Awesome. I'm starting to enjoy this one more each time I use it. Now the "cream" part I mention must be the rum note. Ever tried Malibu rum? I despise the taste of the stuff - but throw some Malibu on ice, splash a shot of cream in there and squeeze a dash of lime just to be sure - and that's VIW to me. It actually makes me salivate a bit, longing for a hot sunny day somewhere exotic.
And I think it NEEDS sun and heat.. but it's quite a departure from Erolfa, MI or SMW. Muted ambergris - no "Creed signature" to it. I'm now getting the very muted sea salt component - not a dirty "marine" note, but salty. There's something a bit erotic in this one for me - maybe some olfactory association that was programmed into me at some point in life.
If I lived in the climate I wish I lived in, instead of the one I do, this would be a fragrance in my weekly rotation. If I did Hawaii or Cancun.. I'd probably use a 1 oz bottle during one vacation alone. Sadly, I don't... this is very pleasant to wear but seems a bit out of place in my circumstance. 3.25/5 is my final verdict - though I'd be persuaded to go up to a 3.5 if I could learn to love it after getting the privilage to wear it in the context of a tropical paradise.
My two cents - hope to read yours!
My observations are not those of a professional, rather I am an enthusiast who finds beauty in almost every fragrance. The ratings I give belong to me, in that they respond to how well these "fit" on me. If some of the more seasoned noses could either concur or totally disagree.. or even just add observations, anything.. I'd be honored. These reviews were written in "real time".
1)
I'm just into the dry down of the Armani Prive - Oranger on one wrist. Citrus parallel with AdP!!! WOW, bang on. I'd say the citrus here is a bit more refined than in AdP Colonia or Colonia Assoluta - brighter and "fresher" (hate that word).
You know what else I smell a bit of here? Green Jeans by Versace - perhaps reminissent a bit of that lime/pine accord. I'm hesitant to give this anything more than a 3/5 perhaps because of a cynicism I've developed towards the citrus/herb or citrus/spice genre. I could see it being an excellent, fresh summer scent - though the longevity on me appears to be paltry. Update - citrus fades away and it's a light but intoxicating herbal.
2)
PdN - New York. Whoa! Not what I was expecting, though I kept an open mind and gritted my teeth. A less refined, feminine version of something vaguely similar to BdP. Ann Coulter could wear this one successfully.
Opening is quite sweet to my nose - there's musk in here, I'm sure of it. There also seems to be a fig note, though that could be blended with woods - I'm unaware of the pyramid for this one, but it's predominantly a musky, fig overature that dances its way into gourmand territory. There's also a note in here that is offputting and cloying - sweet, sweet amber/musk? You can tell this is quality juice - it's got a bit of booze in the opening, like one of those cherry-vanilla liqueurs that brings massive hangovers.
Ahh.. not for this gentleman, as the comparison to BdP is almost absurd to me. It's not redundant, though, because the blend seems like it could really evoke headaches. It's a bit like the drydown of Lalique PH mixed with a whiff of bad breath and amp'd up on the sweetness (musk?). Silage and projection? Impressive.. though unappreciated. I'm going to be brutally honest and give it a 2/5 and resign to the fact that I'll never be able to wear this one.
3)
Creed - VIW. Well now.. I had a tiny vial (.5ml) from Les Scenteurs and now have a generous decant. Initially it's 50/50 lime and coconut cream - maybe a bit more lime in the initial whiff. Silage/Projection? Awesome. I'm starting to enjoy this one more each time I use it. Now the "cream" part I mention must be the rum note. Ever tried Malibu rum? I despise the taste of the stuff - but throw some Malibu on ice, splash a shot of cream in there and squeeze a dash of lime just to be sure - and that's VIW to me. It actually makes me salivate a bit, longing for a hot sunny day somewhere exotic.
And I think it NEEDS sun and heat.. but it's quite a departure from Erolfa, MI or SMW. Muted ambergris - no "Creed signature" to it. I'm now getting the very muted sea salt component - not a dirty "marine" note, but salty. There's something a bit erotic in this one for me - maybe some olfactory association that was programmed into me at some point in life.
If I lived in the climate I wish I lived in, instead of the one I do, this would be a fragrance in my weekly rotation. If I did Hawaii or Cancun.. I'd probably use a 1 oz bottle during one vacation alone. Sadly, I don't... this is very pleasant to wear but seems a bit out of place in my circumstance. 3.25/5 is my final verdict - though I'd be persuaded to go up to a 3.5 if I could learn to love it after getting the privilage to wear it in the context of a tropical paradise.
My two cents - hope to read yours!
