Gucci Guilty Intense pour Homme (2011)
by Gucci

Totally generic. It’s not nasty, but it’s definitely got a liquid hand soap / shower gel vibe to it. It doesn’t have me constantly going back to get another sniff. Very meh. There’s no real excuse for buying or wearing something so unimaginative - for the similar money or much less there’s Vera Wang for men, Baldessarini concentre, Varvatos artisan pure, shay and blue Sicilian limes, Ferrari bright neroli, all of which are slightly different but all knock this out of the park. There’s even Armani’s eau d’aromes if you can find it!

The absolute version of this is in a completely different league altogether, but also a completely different fragrance (a clean amber leather).

Generic but pleasant

Well, I suppose everyone goes back to edit their first Basenotes review as their tastes develop. Still, Guilty Intense remains a solid thumbs-up and my "dumb grab" of choice for the days when I don't even want to think about what I want to smell like.

I think it does this fragrance a disservice to just sniff the sprayer of a mall tester - it will smell either aggressively generic or like nothing at all depending on how many other generic men's freshies you've smelled that day. But if you at least spray it on a strip and take it home with a few others, the next day you'll notice a pronounced patchouli presence. Even though it's sort of an idealized "mall patchouli" minus the earthy, rooty stuff, it still manages to give Guilty a nice leafy herbal backbone which plays well against its other facets - an orange-lavender creamsicle note and some dusty, almost incensey spices. To be sure, the sum of all these parts doesn't smell particularly groundbreaking - there is an aquatic / watery presence throughout and the dreaded "cedarwood" base - but it's a shade darker and moodier than most fresh offerings for men. It doesn't have the ozonic-metallic qualities that are so pervasive in fresh men's scents right now. It won't be mistaken for a woman's perfume and doesn't smell cheap (others have suggested the possibility of at least a few natural essences floating around in there which wouldn't surprise me). Performance is above-average if not beastly - I get a solid 8 hours every time.

eh...it smells good. its just...one of those fragrances that everyone will get because of the brand and it will become generic. it smells good buy...it's "generic bound". I see this being bought by non collectors and other small bands copying this. Not worth the money, but worth a buy IF you have the extra money, want to just buy a new cologne, and just want something more fancy than most normal day fragrances.

longevity: eh...7 out of 10
projection: 6 out of 10

would i keep this in my collection: eh...yes but onl as a young man until im 35.maybe 40...tops. this is a young beginners fragrance. a person who is trying to clean up his looks and style.

The citrus/lemon opening with the added neroli makes for a fairly simply classic, pleasant opening impression. Alas the drydown is less impressive, with a dull and generic-synthetic patchouli being on the underwhelming side. Still, it has a touch more character than many of the insipid juices this a house has produced of recent.

I get moderate, adequate projection with five hours of longevity. 2/5.