Smell Me!

Week Four! Versace

Mon, 17 Mar 2008 19:11:56 -0700

For week for it is Versace Man. I love this scent. It is a relatively new one for me. I asked Jeff to get it for me for my birthday last year. I even ordered it into the store special because it was selling so fast and it was fairly new then. But as luck would have it he waited to long and the SA (sales associate) sold it out from under him. NO MORE SHOPPING AT THE LYNNWOOD NORDSTROM’S!

The first thing that I get when I put this on is a huge whiff of Whitney! This scent reminds me of her perfume. She wears D&G Light Blue. Apparently there is Blue Bamboo in both. But whatever it is I get Whitney every time I spray this on.

Initially I get a intense fresh scent. Not unlike Nautica with the metal, but far less edgy and much more sophisticated. It then turns to orange peel. Not mandarin or the full fruit but just the peel. After that it turns to fresh cut grass with a floral overtone. I think I will try Nautica on one hand and Versace Man on the other to compare the two side by side.

It lasts quite nicely. I sit here at 7:30 pm after put a few squirts on this morning at 6:30 am and I still have some small subtle aroma left.

More tomorrow.

David

Bring Back the '80's

Sat, 15 Mar 2008 20:52:33 -0700

Classic, classic, classic. Oh and by the way for those of you reading these posts it does give me some of that 1980’s after club magic!

Really this scent is a great one to bring back the memories of my youth but it is of a certain time and certain place. This is probably just for me and I would in-courage anyone who has not tried this scent to get a bottle. Especially since it is so cheap at the discount stores.

You must also try the aftershave balm. The texture and color are unique and the scent stands up. It does remind me of a certain something, but I will let you figure that out on your own.

I have to admit that I did not get through a whole week with Grey Flannel. I do love the scent but after day 4 I was done and needed something new. The Seattle Barney’s is now carrying Serge Lutens and I had a great time there smelling the ones available. Plus Kristen and I went to Nordstrom’s to smell the new Chanel Exclusives and while there tried Jardin sur La Nil and Terre from Hermes. It got me thinking that perhaps my week with Grey Flannel was a bit dated.

What will I wear next week?

David

A Classic Re-visited

Mon, 10 Mar 2008 21:48:33 -0700

It is the third week of living with one scent a week and it is time to re-visit a classic scent that is not only unique but also inexpensive (4 ounces for $13.69 at Overstock.com!)

This scent reminds me of high school. It was one of the first scents (along with Eau Savage) that I wore. It reminds me of GQ magazine, which I read religiously back then. It reminds me of thin ties and black pants with knife creases and David Bowie!

Geoffrey Beene’s Grey Flannel is a classic in every sense of the word. It won the Fragrance Foundation “FIFi” award in 1976 and for years afterwards was a standard scent in any man’s wardrobe. It has a flowery start, but immediately turns to wood. This feminine start with a masculine finish is an oxymoron that makes it unmistakable.

The moment I sprayed it on the memories of that time came back to me. The lavender or violet notes that immediately rush for your nostrils reminds me of the Hudson’s Bay fragrance counter in 1981! The musty smell of Oakmoss and to my mind old books reminds me dancing at the Queen’s Head in Esquimalt and of the happenings after the clubs closed.

I think I will put a bit more of this on tonight and see if I can re-create some of those club closing days!

David

The Last Day of My Voyage

Sun, 9 Mar 2008 21:30:22 -0700

I am not sure if I just got used to the metal note in Nautica Voyage, if my skin adjusted to the scent, or maybe it was the cold grey of Zagreb, but after a few days with Nautica Voyage it seems that the metal edge was gone and a warmer almost candied orange peel scent took over.

Also adding the Nautica Voyage deodorant, which is much more powdery than the eau de toilette, also helped mellow the scent and calm the cutting edge.

All in all I am not sure that I would wear Nautica Voyage on a regular basis. This is a scent that is great after the gym. I makes me feel like I am clean and have a good work out. And of course it would be great on a sailing trip with Carter!

On to my next scent.

David

On the Voyage

Tue, 4 Mar 2008 22:23:20 -0800

Right now I am sitting on the plane. Many times in the last few hours I have heard the words “Bon Voyage” many, many times. I guess that is what happens when you fly Air France. “Bon Voyage, mon amie!” Every time someone said it I was reminded that I was wearing Nautica Voyage and that I was on a Voyage!

The marketing spin on this cologne says it is “created from a cool rush of green leaf merged with deep aquatic notes, anchored by a rich, deductive fusion of dewy moss and woody amber”. They also talk about the “sailcloth” notes. Of course the advertising is around sailing and the sea and of course the amazing look of Carter Oosterhouse. That amazing man with overalls and tools. What are they trying to say with the above scent descriptions and the images of the sea and a beefy man in control of his boat?

To me the scent is much lighter than the strength of the boat and the man with his hand on the tiller. It is for sure about the sea and wind and of course the sailcloth accord would definitely be reminiscent of the fresh laundry scent that I spoke about in the last post.

The marketing also says “the woody drydown is a mix of moss, cedarwood, musk and amber.” I have certainly had this on long enough take in the scents of the drydown and I cannot get ANY moss, cedarwood, musk or amber. I get citrus metallic. Maybe it is just my skin. The one thing I do smell above the ding of the metal is the scent of fresh sliced apple. BUT when I think a little more about it fresh cut apples sort of reminds me of steel and an odd apple acid. NOT citric but apple acid. It is much sweeter than citric to my sense.

You can find some interesting information on the Nautica Voyage at Beauty News NYC. This is were I found out that the Perfumer is Maurice Roucel for Coty. And when it was first released, March 2006.

At design taxi there is some interesting information on the bottle design. The Chief Creative Officer and President of Hirst Pacific Limited, Kenneth Hirst, designed the bottle. The bottle is pretty amazing! It goes very well with the image of the sail boats and sail cloth. The cap is supposed to be inspired by the sail boat tackle.

That’s all for now.

We shall see how I react to Nautica Voyage once I am in Zagreb.

David