Armani by Giorgio Armani

Who knows how many times I may have smelled this 1982 Armani offering on the female persuasion. Sampling it as I am, it has an air of familiarity and it also effortlessly telegraphs quality to those in smelling distance.

This is a chypre with a dominant floral theme. It is complex, rich and has a sheen about it that you won't find in modern, feminine chypres. Armani opens aldehydic with a smidgeon of zest. There's green mixed in with the citric accord that works rather well. What I find really interesting is the contrast of Marigold and Pineapple as well in the top accord. A little bitter and a little sweet all blended to perfection.

The rose and tuberose in the heart are yet another rendition I find to my liking. These two are apparent, yet the volume is perfect and the ingredients have to be top shelf to smell like this. This is very good juice indeed. There's an assist from jasmin and orris but the entire floral heart is smooth with a capital "S".

The drydown on me is simply the floral accord becoming even smoother and lowering the volume a notch. A woody amber appears with moss and is softened even further by tonka. The rose is still present and accounted for through the life of the scent as is the quality. From top to bottom, this is flat out good and would work wonders for a conservative night out on the town.

Big thumbs up from Aromi for Armani.

Comments

Black Suede by Avon

Nutmeg, Clove, Amber, Musk, Moss, Wood Notes. Yes.........I am reviewing one of the Rodney Dangerfield's of fragrance. Black Suede has been gracing medicine cabinets, for better or worse, since 1980 my friends. If you're expecting me to inform you ( like others may have already ) that Black Suede is a nasty scrubber, you will be disappointed. On the other hand, if you're expecting a glowing review claiming it's a diamond in the rough, you won't hear that from me either. I will say though that Black Suede doesn't deserve the hate it's received and most of that is due to snobbery aimed at Avon products in general. I kid you not when I state that a close relative to this fragrance is Cacharel Pour L'Homme. The array of spice in both ensure comparison, but the "smoother" of the two is Black Suede due to its implementation of Amber. While wearing Black Suede, one can detect a hint of "drugstore". That quality doesn't manife...

Chanel copying Guerlain. Why?

Last month, I had the pleasure of trying Comète by Chanel, the latest addition to their prestigious Les Exclusifs line. This fragrance follows the release of Le Lion in 2020, another standout in the same collection. Like Le Lion , Comète is a beautiful perfume that captures the essence of Chanel’s refined elegance. However, both fragrances bear a striking resemblance to classic creations by Guerlain, leading me to ponder the direction Chanel is taking. Chanel has a great fragrance history. Not as hallowed and old as Guerlain but for past three decades it has far outshone Guerlain. In my view, no other perfume house has come close to Chanel’s excellence in this century. This makes their recent approach of echoing Guerlain classics somewhat perplexing. Have they run out of fresh ideas? Is Roger Dove at the helm of their fragrance division, or have they perhaps...

La Chasse Aux Papillons Extreme by L'Artisan Parfumeur

I read many reviews before or after I do my own and I seem to be at complete odds with the house of L'Artisan. I have previously said on basenotes that for me, L'Artisan Parfumeur is the most over-rated house I have come across. La Chasse Aux Papillons Extreme does nothing to sway that opinion. Yet another linear, floral dominant scent that does nothing to stir me up or inspire me in any way. This house has "pleasant" nailed down to an art form......but damn...can't we go beyond that? The only attempt at polarization so far has been Dzongkha ....and I found it a jumbled mess. At these prices, move me, anger me, hate me.......but please don't bore me. Extreme in a nutshell is a toned down tuberose with assorted "blossom" thrown in the mix. Is it bad? No, it's an acceptable floral scent that's very timid and just lays on my skin smelling like....well....a toned down version of tuberose with blossom this or that added to it. I'm almost a...

Il Mondo di Odore

Search This Blog