I had heard Gucci Envy was very similar to Azzaro Visit, which I own, so I waited a while to try it. Also, I don't want to distract myself too much with discontinued frags since they are so expensive and/or hard to get.
Well, I finally got the opportunity to sample it, and I really liked it. At first I was really confused that it had been compared to Azzaro Visit, then I remembered it was Bigsly that made the connection there. He only likes base notes; it sounds like he just kind of ignores the first 3 hours of everything he tries. Great guy though, we've done like nine hundred swaps. So, I waited as it dried down on my skin.
The sandalwood really stands out to my nose. I think Envy must have a solid dollop of Mysore in it; newer fragrances, certainly desigers, never smell that natural when it comes to sandalwood these days; Diptyque's Tam Dao is a notable exception. But Envy has a lot more going on with its crisp herbs, dry florals (cf. Esencia Loewe for another great use of very subtle dry rose), musk and cedar.
The fragrance that comes to mind for the opening the most is the rightly vaunted yet obscure Jaguar Mark II. It's pleasing to me that Envy is available for a lower price than that mid 90's treasure since they are so similar. Since I find Mark II lies directly between Boss Sport's round green musk and Shiseido Basala's dry rose and sandalwood, those two also merit mention in connection with Envy. (I found layering the two to be an excellent simulation of Jaguar Mark II.)
Then came the drydown, which is indeed very reminiscent of Azzaro Visit's cedar thickened with amber and musk, and laced with sticky yet spiky Iso E. The Visit-esque cheap thrills felt a little out of place after Envy's superb heart accords. Jaguar Mark II's drydown beats it by a mile. (Perhaps a three-way layer of Boss Sport, Basala, and Visit would give an interesting simulacrum of Envy.)
All that aside, I'm tipping my hat here to Gucci's talent in the 90s. Envy is a solid effort, full of classic touches and pleasant naturalness. Well done.
Well, I finally got the opportunity to sample it, and I really liked it. At first I was really confused that it had been compared to Azzaro Visit, then I remembered it was Bigsly that made the connection there. He only likes base notes; it sounds like he just kind of ignores the first 3 hours of everything he tries. Great guy though, we've done like nine hundred swaps. So, I waited as it dried down on my skin.
The sandalwood really stands out to my nose. I think Envy must have a solid dollop of Mysore in it; newer fragrances, certainly desigers, never smell that natural when it comes to sandalwood these days; Diptyque's Tam Dao is a notable exception. But Envy has a lot more going on with its crisp herbs, dry florals (cf. Esencia Loewe for another great use of very subtle dry rose), musk and cedar.
The fragrance that comes to mind for the opening the most is the rightly vaunted yet obscure Jaguar Mark II. It's pleasing to me that Envy is available for a lower price than that mid 90's treasure since they are so similar. Since I find Mark II lies directly between Boss Sport's round green musk and Shiseido Basala's dry rose and sandalwood, those two also merit mention in connection with Envy. (I found layering the two to be an excellent simulation of Jaguar Mark II.)
Then came the drydown, which is indeed very reminiscent of Azzaro Visit's cedar thickened with amber and musk, and laced with sticky yet spiky Iso E. The Visit-esque cheap thrills felt a little out of place after Envy's superb heart accords. Jaguar Mark II's drydown beats it by a mile. (Perhaps a three-way layer of Boss Sport, Basala, and Visit would give an interesting simulacrum of Envy.)
All that aside, I'm tipping my hat here to Gucci's talent in the 90s. Envy is a solid effort, full of classic touches and pleasant naturalness. Well done.
