Acqua di Giò Profumo (2015)
by Giorgio Armani

It's classy, it's elegant, it's mature and modern at the same time.

To me, it's just a masterpiece, it took me a while to add it to my collection, but I always knew I NEEDED IT. Better late, than never.

Longevity and projection are very good as well.

Easily top 3 in my collection

It's rather difficult to objectively review this fragrance for me as it seems to trigger a 'scent memory' of the negative kind, for me.

I had terrible travel sickness for all of my childhood until I reached the age of 19 or so. This fragrance distinctly reminds me of a hanging air freshener that my dad kept in his car. A smell that I very much associate with nausea. So this is unlikely to ever be my signature scent!

However, it does perform very well (unfortunately for me) and projects well. My other half complimented it, too.

Cannot give it a thumbs down as it isn't a bad fragrance, just isn't good for me.

Oddly enough, given my age and preference for freshies, the original Acqua di Gio was just something I never wore. Somehow as an Elder Milennial/Last of Gen X, I skipped straight from CK One to Issey Miyake L'eau D'issey Pour Homme, largely because I didn't want to go from one ubiquitous fragrance to another.

The DNA, of course, is familiar... it used to be in all of the places, permeating all of the things. What surprised me is how much fun it is to revisit with its more balanced composition. Right now this has to be one of the most solid all rounders on my shelf and certainly one of the stronger designer fragrances.

Initially I had some doubts about the value, but I've been quietly pleased with my purchase. Thumbs up.

I was really hoping to like this one a lot. It's still pretty nice but not exceptional. I've worn the original AdG a lot. I'm not a freshie guy at all but AdG does it well. My complaint with the original is a hint of soapyness and poor longevity.

This was described as (and is for sure) the original, just made richer and darker with incense and patchouli. Not sure if those are the two notes I would have picked for the job, but I still do like it more than the original. Didn't last THAT much longer. Faded from my arms in about four hours. But all in all I enjoyed it. Certainly worth a shot if it sounds interesting to you.

I have to say, Alberto Morillas really did a bang-up job making the original better.

I was never able to wear the original -- and a bunch of other aquatics -- because dihydromyrcenol, the big "aquatic" note in many aquatics, does not wear well on my skin. Conversely, incense works very well for me, so I was most certainly intrigued to try this as I was curious to see how it would play out.

The initial spray was a blast from the past, and it's apparent that Morillas wasn't trying to change the DNA of the original. It still smells the same as its predecessor, up front, with an underlying incense note that becomes more prominent as the super-bright -- almost piercing -- top notes that the original is known for start to die down. If you're familiar with the pour Homme version, and you can imagine what that smells like with the addition of a woody incense, you'll know what to expect, as that's all this really is. When flankers come out, you'll often get a perfumer's "fresh take" on the original, many times sharing little if any resemblance to the original. Not this one. It stays true to its roots, but now becomes a beefier version that can function in the colder months as well, thanks to the incense note.

I'm not going to be purchasing this, but only because the dihydromyrcenol is still there, and my body chemistry still reacts the same way with it. That being said, if you enjoyed the first, then this one is a no-brainer. With a relatively simple adjustment, the original has been drastically improved. AdG pour Homme was a monster seller and had and still has many fans. There's no wonder, then, that there's so much hype about this fragrance, and it's not difficult for me to see why. Definite thumbs up on this fragrance, even if it's not something I can wear.