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.

Comments

DK Men by Donna Karan

Citrus, Juniper, Pineapple. Ambergris, Almond. Sandalwood, Lavender, Musk. I felt compelled to revisit DK Men ( Fuel for Men ) after perusing through some older samples and then reading my previous review from 2009. Wearing DK Men again has caused me to revise my original post. I liked it three years ago and have a new found appreciation for this extremely smooth fragrance. My perception of it has changed slightly, but my opinion is still extremely favorable. This time around, I get less of a petrol vibe and much more of a fruit and suede theme. The pineapple note is integrated so well that I am surprised I couldn't previously esteem its deft implementation like I can now. The magic of DK Men is in the blending of chosen notes. The citric opening is very good indeed in spite of its quick dissipation. The pineapple and amber quickly pick up the slack. They are rich, full bodied and manage to keep a respectable presence while offending no one. The volume is intelligent. ...

Newport by Caswell Massey

Bergamot, Mandarin, Lemon, Lavender, Geranium, Muguet, Rose, Ambergris, Cedar, Sandalwood, Vanilla, Musk. After wearing Newport by Caswell Massey a few times and then reading what others had to say about this recent formulation, I found some of the opinions harsh. I have no way to compare it to the heralded vintage formula, nor can I use memory as I've never tried the original. Enter the current version. I do agree with some reviews that this rendition does not bring about the sense of beach and salt, but there's a long line of fragrances that fail to represent their depictions. However, Newport isn't so far off the mark that it's a complete misrepresentation. I can imagine wearing Newport ( or something similar ) in a beach setting. It smells classic due to the way Citrus, Lavender and Geranium are implemented. It's assuredly retro, but it seems to have that intangible I like that keeps me sniffing. Newport, at least on my skin, is top heavy in the sens...

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...

Il Mondo di Odore

Search This Blog