Creed Aventus - My Critical Review

Hello readers and fragrance fans alike, thanks for joining me again. It's 5 AM and I've spent the past two days wearing Aventus both on my neck and wrists and it really has just been a pleasant experience from start to finish. Official notes are as follows

Top note: Finest blackcurrant, Italian bergamot, French apples and a burst of royal pineapple.
Middle note: Exquisite roses with a complement of dry birch, Moroccan jasmine plus a hint of patchouli.
Base note: Musk with a touch of oak moss for depth, then ambergris and a dab of vanilla.

A great thing about this fragrance is that it only took one evening for me to get used to. That is to say that I enjoyed it as if I had been smelling it for a long time. While I could not find every note in a single wearing, over time as always I found more and more coming to the surface. From the two decants I've had, it starts out with a seriously authentic pineapple note but the pure pineapple only lasts a few moments. Very quickly a smoky scent comes in that is quite dry, dark and harsh, which as stated in my previous review I attribute to the birch and blackcurrant. After about two hours on me there is a new sweetness though that gradually works it's way in. The scent of the french apples becomes clear and sits beside the pineapple while the blackcurrant continues it's harsh impression making for an overall fresh yet deep and dark fragrance. It is extremely masculine and evokes the feeling of strength. All of this promotes a feeling of energy within me as I catch it drifting around me for the first hour or two. At the ending stages, I detect an awesomely sweet ambergris mingles perfectly with my skin for a clean and natural scent and if the weather is warm, the vanilla is there too.

I have found that this fragrance must be applied while my skin is freshly washed and clean otherwise it turns into a terribly nasty smell...which is quite unusual for me. Another note is that while I have received compliments on this, they have been compliments from afar, point being that when my wife smells this she doesn't give me the wow factor that I was expecting from all the hype. It appears that this is a fragrance to be enjoyed from a distance rather than having your face right up in it. The strength in this fragrance is also quite surprising. On my skin it just goes and goes and...oh wait, yep it's going some more. I can apply it at 9pm and I will still get a compliment at 3-4am and the person won't exactly be, "all up in my business."

If you're into fragrances, give this a try...but do not blind buy because this one is risky business. As always I hope you have enjoyed reading my blog and I hope you join me again soon.

Thank you for reading!

Creed Aventus - Power and Energy

Hello everyone and welcome to an entry that may rival my Original Vetiver and Terre d'Hermes posts. As stated in the title, this is the infamous Creed Aventus. Claimed by the company itself to be the most popular and sought after fragrance in the perfume house's current 254 year life span...and I can quickly begin to understand why. Before I say anything else, this fragrance has been reviewed over and over again, each with a different take on the scent and no two quite the same on overall results. With this fact in mind the first time I sampled it, I thought I knew what to expect as far as top notes go because usually those are quite similar on each person...although at times different notes come through at different times. Aventus shocked me and not in a good way either. It was right around noon and I had worked the previous night but did not shower after work so my skin was still quite dirty. I excitedly took my 3 milliliter decant out of it's packaging and applied two sprays to my wrist. It was god-awful. Dry and pungent, smoky and dirty in the worst way with no hint of fruit as the notes claim. It reminded me of the wooden floor smell of an old rollerskating rink. This was literally the most bizarre fragrance I had EVER smelled and was sincerely disappointed from the start. I continued to smell my wrist on and off for the next hour to the point of having a headache, so I took some medicine and went to bed and it was still so strong that it wafted up through the bedsheet. That night I woke up headache free and got in the shower. Over and over in my head I asked myself, "Take the chance...or go with Terre d'Hermes?" I made my mind up, one more try for the legend that is Aventus...bingo.

One spray inside each elbow and one on the back of my neck to play it safe with my previous headache and I can safely say that I was almost literally blown away. My olfactory senses were so bedazzled that my brain went into joyous overload. Surges of energy were flowing through me as I drank my coffee and smelled the bright, fresh pineapple float into my nose. Soon after it was joined with a dark, smoky smell that I can only attribute to the finest blackcurrant and dry birch combining with each other. Smoky, birch-like pineapple now mingling with rich french apples, another sensory overload in the best way. I got to work with a sensation I had never known. Was the scent actually fueling my adrenaline? Without question, I knew I smelled good...end of story. An hour passed, I'm on the floor stocking my freight, blood pumping causing the fragrance to gently project throughout my entire area. A group of younger folks come within 10 to 15 feet of me, one immediately looks up and points at me, "You smell GOOD! That is you, right?" An older woman at least 20 feet away in another direction looks to him and says, "Yes that's him, I smelled him when I came around the corner and it is amazing." I was blushing profusely and could only say, "thank you," a few times as they continued on their way. I was ecstatic.

Same night, new area which was a little more confined, still stocking freight on the main floor and now aware of how powerful this fragrance is. A group of girls and a middle-aged woman come through but say nothing which is the usual case. However, they wouldn't leave. Two of the ladies kept walking back and forth in front of me over and over again, never speaking to me yet hovering somewhat quietly. A literal 20 minutes went by and they were still there simply pretending to stare at the same shelves time after time. It was when I noticed the time and how much freight I had stocked that I began smiling to myself once again, having to stifle a few laughs. I left the area to take a break with my co-worker and came back to an empty area...almost thankfully.

Folks, I have never experienced a fragrance such as this one. It is quite simply the best personal experience I have ever had with a fragrance. The compliments themselves are nice but they will eventually stop and that is when it is up to you to decide whether it is worth it or not. This fragrance is. Each time I wear it I appreciate it for hours on end. It gives me a boost of energy throughout the night and it just feels good to know that I am wearing and smelling of something that feels as if it is of the highest caliber.

I will bring you a post with how the notes work with each other later on but I felt that this entry was a good start. You can at least imagine slightly now how this smells in the beginning and how powerful it is. I do hope you enjoyed as I know this was a longer post than usual. Please join me again for my critical review of this incredibly refined fragrance.

Thank you for reading!

A Look Back On My Favorites

Hello everyone, I'm back again with an entry that will focus not so much on a review of a specific fragrance but more of what I've learned about my favorite fragrances in my collection. As time has passed I have actually began to wear my fragrances based on the weather and my mood, which the weather has a profound impact on. It seems in my collection/rotation of fragrances I have developed a taste for strong and unusual yet pleasant smells, all very different from each other in terms of scent yet all equally pleasing to myself and those around me. In light of my love for writing about my collection and fragrances I have sampled, I have actually started to approach my coworkers and ask them directly what they think of what I am wearing/sampling that night. To this day I have yet to openly offend anyone with any of my fragrances or receive a terribly negative comment and I believe that is due to the amount of research I put into each bottle before purchasing/sampling. This is why I always tell people that if they want help choosing a scent or even simply get started, to let me know...I am sincerely enthusiastic and glad to help.

Now to start with my first fragrance love, Terre d'Hermes. I have worn this fragrance more than any other in my entire life. It is indeed the first full bottle I have ever gone through and I am now enjoying my second. This fragrance along with one other which I have not reviewed, is the scent I want people to know me by. It's strong and brash in the beginning and then dries down to a masculine scent that keeps going and going. In my review of this fragrance I describe it as having heavy wood and mineral notes and while I still hold that opinion as being the driving force of this fragrance, I have since learned to pick out the more obscure notes that make this one so unusual and likeable. In the initial stage on my skin I can now smell a strong grapefruit note which seems to sit on top of an old-school vetiver note. It makes for a predominately sour and smoky scent that I believe makes this fragrance so powerful and masculine in the beginning. As time goes on, cedarwood comes out and takes over as the vetiver calms down. Along with the cedar, a mineral type of scent described as gun-flint also comes out. I can now make sense of this note because of the underlying smokiness of the vetiver, giving the mineral note a burnt smell beneathe the cedar. The three working together continue to make this fragrance cut through the cold wind of fall and winter. To wrap up on this one, those notes hold true until the end when an effervescent type of scent which I believe now is a note of benzoin comes out. The smokiness now gone, it takes on a fizzy feeling to your nose as the cedarwood becomes sweet and the grapefruit reappears bringing back that delightful sourness which ends in a fizzy-like, predominately sweet with a touch of sour scent. This fragrance is a masterpiece.

On to Original Vetiver from Creed. First and foremost, this vetiver is different from Terre d'Hermes. It is the vetiver leaf and not the root, which gives it a green and grassy scent. When I first smelled this on my skin I simply could not detect a damn thing other than it's amazing green smells that wrote stories in my imagination as time went on. Now that I have had time to wear this over and over again I can now detect the most predominant note on my skin, ginger. Yes, on me this fragrance is a sweet ginger bomb and I love every single moment all the way until it is gone...and then I want to wear it again. Upon initial spray, the vetiver leaf dominates with it's superb natural earthy and green grassy scent for about 30 minutes...and then...oh man this stuff is magic. The vetiver takes a back seat and supports the amazing ginger for the next few hours. I have never smelled ginger in another fragrance and I probably never will simply because I will always have this bottle in my collection. As time goes on the spicy ginger is sweetened with cedar and ambergris and the combination is nothing short of astonishing. The quality of this scent is unrivaled in it's smooth refinement. There are no other words for this second masterpiece in my collection of fragrance.

I will end this entry for now but soon there will be a second part featuring one fragrance that I have wrote about and another which I have not. As always I hope you have enjoyed and if you have any questions about fragrance please feel free to contact me.

Thank you for reading!

Pino Silvestre - Tried and True Classic

Where do I begin with a fragrance that is older than me...? I wasn't totally sure how to judge this when I first started thinking of writing up a review because this is another one of those more deep, mature fragrances rather than a fresh, light and easy-to-compliment one. Well to start I'll give a bit of history.

Pino Silvestre, as the name and bottle suggest, is scented with conifers and wood in mind. It is the Italian name for the Scots Pine tree which is native to Europe and East Asia, covering a huge mass of land in between the two. The original formula was introduced in 1955 by Lino Vidal. In Italy, it became a huge hit for what I can only imagine is it's classy quality combined with a fairly cheap price. Like Stetson in the States, Pino Silvestre could be found on the shelves of pretty much any normal drug/grocery store and often was sold in the same package as it's bodywash counterpart...which allegedly is also top quality in the scent department. One day I'll get around to trying the soap out.

Pino Silvestre is marketed as a masculine fragrance and from the first spray until the end of the day, it's obvious why. It has top notes of bergamot, lavender and apparently...lemon. Might as well throw the lemon out and make way for the lavender and bergamot because let me tell ya, the lavender is strong and about as fresh as any I've ever smelled. I keep a vial of lavender essential oil in my medicine cabinet and the beginning of this fragrance smells as pure as the oil in that vial. Now as you would assume, the scent moves on to it's heart note of pine which is balanced out by hints of geranium and clary sage. For the less discerning nose, just imagine a very pungent pine sap scent with other deep and mildly fragrant greens to smooth it out while the lavender continues it's soothing role in the background. Towards the end, notes of cedar-wood and musk come out and are again somehow very elegantly balanced out with even more green foliage notes that you would find in the woods.

I've never been completely baffled by this scent no matter how many times I apply it and I think that is due to it's cleverly disguised simplicity. That is not room for dismissal though. In my opinion this fragrance is extremely soothing to the mind and under an equally relaxed scenario I believe it could provide a substantial background for entering a creative scene. I believe this would make a fantastic fragrance to wear with your loved one out to a nice restaurant with another couple...or even by yourselves. The lavender in this fragrance suggests in my mind that the best time for wearing it is in the evening when you want to unwind or take a relaxing night with someone. The pine, cedar-wood and musk help add to the masculine side while it's extra notes keep it smooth and seductive.

All in all, this is a year-round fragrance with decent performance and a couples mindset (meaning those close moments may last just that much longer =D). The woodiness allows it to work in winter while the lavender and bergamot give it a refreshing quality that will suit even the hottest summer days. A well thought-out fragrance that deserved the attention it got. Give it a try and wear it a few times to really get to know it. It's cheap and I sincerely doubt you will be disappointed!

Thank you for reading!

Tommy Jeans

Hey fragrance fans, today I want to write about a fragrance that I've been familiar with since I was a child. My father got this probably 12-13 years ago during one of the first few summers we lived in North Carolina and it was a complete departure from what I was used to smelling on him. I was very used to the musky and more deep scents from his Polo aftershaves and small collection of others that I can't remember which I believe is why this stayed in my mind year after year. A fitting name for a fragrance in his collection too because he most certainly was a jean-wearing kind of man.

There is not much use in listing a makeup of official notes for this fragrance because it seems to be extremely linear (not in a bad way though). This is a pure and sour type of citrus directly on your skin which doesn't seem to sit quite right with me for an extended period of time. I think this might actually be the only cologne I've ever worn that I cannot wear for more than a few hours before washing off...which speaks for it's lasting power and projection. The ending drydown seems to be very strong on me and my nose just cannot take it. However, this is also one of the only colognes that I do not become anosmic to in the slightest (meaning that my nose does not ever get used to it) which again speaks for the power of the formula in a good way.

For the summer time, this scent is damn near perfect for those dry sunset evenings spent at a ballpark with your friends or when you want to host a small outdoor bar-b-q for your family and neighbors. An extremely pleasant scent that has enough power to get you noticed but not so powerful to make people keep their distance. The few times that I have worn this, I have received compliments on how nice or clean I smell. I really feel it does evoke the sense of warm, blue skies in the summertime with it's extremely bright and sour citrus notes.

Unfortunately this fragrance is no longer in production so if it sounds like something you may like, make sure you get it from a reputable source as I'm sure bottles are scarce and some may be fakes. I hope you've enjoyed another entry from me and please leave a comment below if there is a fragrance you'd like to see reviewed or if you have any questions about any of my previous reviews.

Thanks for reading!

Polo Double Black - Stylish and Smooth

Hello everyone and thanks for taking another moment from your day to read about what I believe to be the superior of the two fragrances from the Polo Black line. Take everything I said from my last post, except for the iced mango, and throw it to the wind because this fragrance, while it maintains the Black in it's name, does not resemble much of it's sibling. I'll list the notes early on here, although I still believe them to be quite irrelevant in the overall effect.

Top Notes

Mango, Pepper

Middle Notes

Roasted Coffee, Indonesian Nutmeg

Base Notes

Rich Woods, Cardamom, Juniper Berry

Now right off the bat I will say that again this smells like a well-blended fragrance that doesn't change much on my skin. Keyword there is much. Unlike it's little brother, Double Black actually has some complexity to it and it's not only worth noting for a review but also noticeable to the casual wearer (When I first started using it I had no mindset of reviewing any fragrance ever and considered myself a casual cologne user). Upon the initial hour or so of wearing it, I get the notes of mango, pepper and coffee...and it smells fantastic. It's strong, masculine and classy without being invasive. Like it's predecessor, Black, the mango note here feels icy and pronounced but the pepper and coffee quickly come in to balance out that icy sharpness with a warm and inviting, "come here and touch me," feeling. I have had a few compliments along the lines of, "sexy and subtle...I love it." As well as a few strangers simply telling me I smell good or ask what it was that I'm wearing. Again, like most of my fragrances, this one most certainly appeals to a female crowd older than myself which I am perfectly ok with.

Now on to the stage where it settles down and lingers on you for the rest of the day/night. The mango scent is pretty much gone at this point as well as the pepper. From here on out for me it's a mix of dark roast coffee beans, nutmeg and a nice tame woodsy scent. Not a dirty woods, more like that of fresh cut lumber that has a very deep and rich scent. At this stage, Polo Double Black is an absolute winner in my collection. My wife loves it, women elsewhere have never said anything bad about it and men alike appreciate it's rich coffee-like aroma. What's more is that this scent will last for a solid 8 hours on my skin.

Unfortunately when I smell this, a lot like regular Black, I do not have images or stories summoned into my imagination. To me this is just a great smelling fragrance that will please your partner and those around you and is sure to be a crowd pleaser for many years. As a final note, I also have the full sized matching bottle of aftershave and deodorant and all three go hand in hand. The quality really seems to be there in the entire line.

Thank you for reading!

Polo Black - Come and Get Me

Hello and welcome back if you are indeed joining me again in reading about our world of smells. Tonight I've finally decided to write about Polo Black, a scent which has brought my ears and mouth more attention than my nose. I'll start by saying that this cologne is not the usual enigma of smells in which I need to spend hours with pulling apart every discernible detail in order to make sense of what I'm smelling. No, this is a nice blend of notes that on my skin project almost perfectly to those around me and I can safely say it has drawn a surprising amount of non-solicited verbal compliments.

                                                                   Top Notes 
                                        Iced mango, Spanish sage, "Green effervescent accord" 

Middle Notes 

Silver armoise, "Lush Liquid Accord". Hedione 

Base Notes 

Patchouli Noir, Sandalwood, Timberol, Tonka Bean (provided by basenotes.com) 

Now as far as all those notes go, I seriously doubt you'll ever smell all of them. In part because of it being blended well together so you can't single out every one of them but also in part because this cologne does not seem to evoke a sense of, "I must smell myself!" This is most certainly an attention grabber and holder and more than likely will be popular among certain types of men for years. I however am not one of those types. What I and others seem to smell though is the very first note of iced mango. It's a very strange sounding smell, I know, but once you've worn this enough times to be completely used to it, you smell the cold that's worked into that mango note. It's like taking your first step out of the door on a cold winter day and inhaling quite deeply...the cold sensation going from your nostrils to your throat is in that iced mango scent. Unfortunately I've not gotten much more out of this scent than that as far as smells go. As time goes on, the patchouli noir and tonka bean seem to calm the intensity down without destroying the projection. All in all, this is a perfect scent for attracting a woman who already knows you. It adds an air of mystery in my opinion and I completely endorse this is an occasional/long lasting fragrance.

P.S. The aftershave is a perfect compliment or even stand-alone in this line. The deodorant on the other hand, sucks. 

Thank you for reading!