Presence Cool by MontBlanc

Bergamot, Apple, Bamboo.
Geranium, Jasmine.
Amber, Patchouli, Sandalwood, Tonka Bean, Musk.

As I wore this fragrance today, I naturally had Mrs. Aromi take a few whiffs minutes after applying it. Once I see her cringe and wrinkle her brow ( which happens 99.72% of the time ), I awaited her reply. "Soap.......but not good soap".........and that was that. Like always, I walked away and headed to my office, chuckling under my breath so she can't see my face nor hear me. There's only one other reviewer I know who is just as tough on fragrances and that's Trebor from Basenotes.

I've taken the time to read opinions on this fragrance. They're not favorable for a variety of reasons, but I suppose what the naysayers have in common is the generic quality that's abundant these days. I can't say I disagree, but where Presence Cool loses me is the base and drydown stages.

The opening accord is promising, generating a fresh blast of citric fruit. I like its vibrancy and after a few minutes, it affords the wearer a smooth transition to the floral heart. All this transpires within 4 minutes or so, then Presence Cool breaks down on the side of the road like my old 1966 Ford Mustang used to. Well, that may be a bit dramatic on my part, but suffice it to say that Presence Cool doesn't do its base accord any justice whatsoever. Have we run out of gas.........or perhaps the battery is dead? I can get my car repaired, but I'm at a loss to fix a scent that can't make it to the finish.

What Presence Cool does do during the base and drydown is exhibit a fruity-floral character that's not exactly a conventional representative. It does behave as a masculine scent, but it feels stuck and the base notes, that held promise, don't deliver at all on my skin. Too bad because I was expecting to enjoy them.

Sillage is average with longevity approximately 3 hours on me before reapplication. Neutral rating from Aromi for Presence Cool. Now please excuse me while I go play detective and find out if my wife is somehow having an internet affair with Trebor and doing perfume reviews behind my back.