Creed Windsor disappointment

We both have the minority opinion on Windsor, but I completely agree and disliked it immensely. I was looking for a great rose scent and instead got rotting pine and eucalyptus surprise... One to skip for sure, IMO.

I can appreciate you did not like it, but with many fragrances, we all get and feel something different.

Myself, I find it to be a great fragrance, and am so glad I own it.

I think we have to accept that different people will have different opinion about things and a scent won't ever be judged only by the way it truly smell.
For example, I think majority of Amouage Man line is over-priced and not creative and Tom Ford Noir de Noir is a shameless copy of Bond No9 West Side, I know many out there would disagree with me

This is on my to try list. If I ever get around to acquiring a sample I will judge it for myself. However, I'm glad you are not another Creed fanboy and can have an honest opinion. That I can respect.

I am one of the biggest Creed fans in the world. IMO, they are the best fragrance house there is. However, I don't rave about all their offerings. I love some, I hate some.


Windsor is close to being very nice. I can see it is almost there. But each time I wear it, I get more and more of a buzzing note (probably the eucalyptus?). Once my 10ml split is gone, that will be it. I love and own many Creed fragrances. This is not one of them. I think it is ok, but there are many better rose fragrances. And I can see how some would completely dislike it.


I'm willing to bet that there will be people in here soon talking about how it was once great, reformulation killed it, etc. I wouldn't know - I only smelled the recent formulation.

I think it's a phenomenal scent, sorry you didn't like it. Give it a few more tries, the first time I smelled it I thought it smelled like mothballs.

I think your assessment of Creed fans is a little unfair. So because I like Creed I'm cosidered part of a "cheer-leading squad", or a "Creed snob"? Perhaps we should lump you in with the "hipsters who like to hate on things just because they're popular squad", that seem fair?

The way I read it was, that he was referring to those who think Creed's offerings are the greatest thing since sliced bread and will praise it every chance possible.

If I think something is the greatest thing since sliced bread, should I not have the right to praise it at every chance possible without being labelled a fanboy? I don't understand what you're getting at.

It was part of the Limited Reserve line, so unless they start to produce it again, won't see much of it out there. I got the very last bottle that NM had.

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No different than many people who slobber all over Montale. I happen to think most of their stuff isn't worth purchasing, but I am not going to start thread calling it appalling or find any thread that has the mere mention of Creed in it and find a way to interject a negative like some people on here.

If I don't like something that I tested, I keep it to myself unless asked for an opinion.

It was never available ove here in the UK, so I have never had the opportunity of experiencing the disapointment of not liking it Trouble is, it sounds like my kind of scent. Going by your description, it sounds similar to SMN's Pot Pourri, which I love.

Personally really like Windsor quite a bit although there are others I like more in their line.

I disliked it at first. Now, I like and appreciate it but don't feel I'd ever wear a whole flacon of it. It was the rose that put me off initially but have grown to understand its importance in the fragrance.

I hear what you are saying. Sometimes it becomes a bit too monotonous. Aventus is a great fragrance, like it or not, but it is not the best thing since sliced bread, and it does not cover everybody's needs.

I think Creed has some great fragrances, but like any line, to me, not everyone will be a winner.

Whether you feel it is overpriced or not, it is one of the few high end houses that has found its way into the gray market big time and can be purchased at a price a little higher than many designer scents at retail. You cannot say that for many niche houses. Heck, most can be purchased cheaper than Montale, so all in all it can be a bargain when compared to others.

If someone judges a scent more harshly because others rave about it, that's ridiculous not to mention unfair because it means the reviewer isn't judging the juice. He's judging others' opinions of the juice. I don't understand the whole 'joiner' thing where people choose what to like based on the need to be part of the group. But I also don't understand those who let their opinions be little more than a reaction to the praise of the group. It's all so silly.

I don't enjoy Windsor at all. But that's just me. I don't think it's tragic that some people pay a ton of money to buy Windsor. In fact, I think it's great that they found something they enjoy enough to pay that much... but it's definitely not one for me.


A: Dude. Sliced bread is SO overrated. God, I can't stand the sliced bread fanboys. They're the WORST.
B: I agree with you, 100% - except for the part about the sliced bread, of course. F sliced bread

I disagree. I wore sliced bread for a whole week - not one compliment. Except from a pigeon.




Creed may get the most praise, but I don't think I have noticed anyone who completely praises every fragrance they make. I feel they are far and away the best house overall, but they have many offerings that I don't like, and many that I feel very "meh" about. I don't really notice people going way off topic on threads just to mention "Creed!". I do notice that with the haters though.

Would you have started this thread if it were Mona Di Orio Windsor?

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I get that. But it's not just Aventus (it's the new hot thing, so that's to be expected). People swoon over Dior Homme Intense the same way. And Creed MI all summer long. And anything vintage once it's been reformulated. That's just the way it seems to be when someone tries something that they really like, they will have to talk about it, so the newer ones get a bit more buzz than they would otherwise if they are universally liked.

It did nothing for me. But on a side note, why were you obsessing over it and almost blind buy a 600 flaccon of a scent you have not smelled from a house you criticize?

Now that is a good one.

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I must be slow today, because I missed that one. You make a good point.

I was commenting on this:


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Don't get me wrong... I hate the fanboyism too. I'm just saying that anti-fanboyism is equally as bad. They're two sides of the same coin. You don't like reviews that are more positive than they should be because of fanboyism, but you said you review things with extra negativity if the house has fanboys.

Fanboyism sucks, but only you can decide if someone else's immaturity will alter your honesty.

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How hot was it?

...I mean the bread, not the pigeon.

You're probably not reading enough threads then. I've lost count of the number of threads where someone has asked for fragrance recommendations and given some specifics (which would tend to eliminate things like GiT, Aventus, etc) only for someone to post and tell them to get/sample GiT/Aventus.

That said in all honesty this happens with other fragrances too, and probably has less to do with the house and more to do with things being the flavor of the month.

Top notes were just ok. Terrible sillage. The pigeon on the other hand, was delicious. Like a large Chicken McNugget.



I normally base my opinions of a fragrance on the fragrance itself - regardless of the house. I don't work for or own stock in any fragrance company, so I have nothing to gain either way. Also, I have found something I like and something I don't like from almost every house. And oftentimes the ones I like are not the ones that get the most love on Basenotes. It just seems like Creed is in the center of these things since about half of all the [over?] hyped fragrances are from them. All the positive hype seems to surround the fragrance itself. Most of the negative hype surrounding those same fragrances is foucused on the house, not the fragrance.

I still don't know (or care) if Creed is French or English. I honestly don't know much about many of the fragrance houses for that matter, whether they are niche or designers, where they are located, etc - just the fragrances they put out. That's all I really care about anyway.

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That is the key.

When I first smelt Windsor, I thought it was okay. I got a burst of rose and lasted throughout. As I wore it more, I got to truly liking this fragrance. The rose note is superb and very natural to me. To be honest, i don't get many of the other notes people talk about, such as the lime note. I pretty much just get rose, and I really like it.

Regarding Creeds, I'm a big fan of the house. For the most part, I either love or like their fragrances. However, there are some that I'm not fond of. Such as Tabarome Millesime and Royal Water. Erolfa is okay (really enjoy it sometimes, other times I want to scrub it off).

Excellent post.


I'm a huge fan of Windsor, especially in it's even more green and luscious original formulation. But I can see how the medicinal and pine aspects can make it seem "old" or "ointment-y" to some. But to me, that eucalyptus just adds to the fantasy of a cold, sparkling morning dew on a rose/tuberose garden flanked by lime and pine trees. LOVE this scent, and always will.

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I've always found the textured pleather bottle with the stick figure horsey to be the ugliest in the creed lineup by a country mile.

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I've always found the textured pleather bottle with the stick figure horsey to be the ugliest in the creed lineup by a country mile.

I love it, I would put it aside and visit it later on down the road!

Creed Fanboys are most likely Apple fanboys too... lol jKING I enjoyed this fragrance

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Sorry to go a little off topic here, but why is it that whenever a Windsor thread pops up, the majority of the thread is people arguing and debating. Just something I noticed lol.

Interesting comparison, but Windsor and PotPourri have very little in common. Pot Pourri is much more herbal and resinous, while Windsor is unabashedly floral. Windsor has quite a bit more in common with Carnal Flower, including the pairing of tuberose with eucalyptus. The main difference is that Windsor is a bit greener and lacks CF's coconut accord.

What I find underwhelming about Windsor is its longevity. I get about four hours out of the newest release, which is disappointing given its considerable pricetag.

Because I'm allergic to gluten!!!

I own it and I like it. It grows on you. Give a it few more wearings. It's really very nice stuff.

It's all class to me. One of my favorites.

Walk down the baked goods aisle and tell me sliced bread does not smell awesome! That's what I thought. I'm an unabashed bread fanboy. Deal.

tell me about it...I love the smell of fresh baked bread

Why? Just because you like them...and not Windsor? Does that make you an Aventus/GIT fanboy then?

Wow, that went well!...lol

I am glad that after sampling a few times this was not my style and for that my wallet says " Thank You!"

I had a similar reaction to Windsor the first time I smelled it. I actually thought I must have received the wrong sample because I thought it was so medicinal and Ben Gayish. And, interestingly, my nose (like yours) smelled something similar to Original Vetiver in the scent (which you also are particularly offended by). It was suggested to me that maybe my nose is particularly sensitive to Lyral, so maybe that is the reason you, too, are so offended by Windsor and OV. The difference between you and me was that I didn't "hate" it, I was just surprised by it because I had never smelled anything like it before. It was shocking, really. THIS is the acclaimed WINDSOR? Impossible, I thought!

I will say this. If you find Windsor truly repulsive and KNOW you could never like it, fine, don't bother with it anymore (smoky fragrances do that to me). But if you aren't at the point of HATING it, I would recommend giving Windsor a few more tries. I say that because I've been where you are. Many of us have. Windsor is a fragrance that tends to become especially enjoyable the more you wear it. We "learn" about fragrances just as we do anything else. And, no doubt, we learn to appreciate things, when initially, we couldn't appreciate them in the least. For instance, I had to "learn" what "rose" in a fragrance smells like. I never thought I'd enjoy Windsor the first time I smelled it, but I now do.

After I gave Windsor a few more tries, I found the dry down to be fantastic. It's one of those fragrances that I couldn't stop myself from smelling. I love going back and smelling my shirt the next day after I've worn Windsor. It just smells so good to me. What IS it that makes it smell so good?!?!

So don't be too hasty to write it off. The more you are in this fragrance game the more your nose learns and appreciates.

It's one of those fragrances that I couldn't stop myself from smelling. I love going back and smelling my shirt the next day after I've worn Windsor. It just smells so good to me. What IS it that makes it smell so good?!?!

I guess I'm one of those lucky guys who fell for Windsor on the first sniff. It was my first rose-based fragrance. I have explored numerous other offerings since then but still find it to be the best of the group. I can relate to RedRaider430's comment above--the more I smell this scent, the better I like it. It is almost intoxicating to my nose. It lasts a good 12 hours on my skin
and remains even longer on my shirt though I never spray it on my clothes (2 shots to the chest and one to the nape). I don't get any lime in it either, as previous posters have said. Nor, however, do I get any rotting pine as some apparently do. I get some eucalyptus, but for me it is almost completely a fresh rose scent from top to base. This is one of my all-time faves--unique, distinctive and memorable.

I am a Creed fan, but these descriptions make it sound bland. Pass.

I think most people can appreciate your stance on this. As the old adage goes, that is why Baskin Robbins makes 64 flavors, there is something for everyone. Perfumes are no different, there is something for everyone.

You do not find Windsor appealing, whereas I find it so. You have New York Amber as one of your top 5, to me, it is not something I would have as part of my collection and I am a big time Amber fan, and generally like Bond No.9. That doesn't make either of us right or wrong, just means we have different tastes like most people who are part of basenotes.

Possum, I agree about the amazingly different takes 2 different noses can have on the same fragrance. I don't have any definitive explanation for it other than climate, skin and possibly batch differences, but I am really sorry that Windsor doesn't work for you. I have been there too with other fragrances, wondering why they got so much love on BN but not "getting it" personally. Completely agree also that you should be happy with the longevity on any fragrance that you pay top dollar for.