The Visionary by Gap

Caraway, Fennel, Geranium.

One of the Gap Individuals series, The Visionary has been in my wardrobe for years now. I wear it in rotation with all the rest and even now, after all this time, it still smells more like a linear niche offering than it does an economical designer. I have the series and each one is a viable scent that either gender can pull off. While not my favorite of the Individuals series, the Visionary is still something I reach for when I want to smell just a bit different.

The scent is fully developed from the initial application and is the epitome of a linear fragrance. That aside, the Visionary has this persistent quality inherent in the composition that permits it too smell full bodied for an impressive length of time.

What blankets my skin is some heady, herbaceous spice and Geranium. I won't say that this is a conventional rendition of Geranium, but the floral component is there nonetheless and the result is positive. The Visionary somehow conveys a lightness, yet wears much heavier ( at least on me ). It never wavers or transitions. It simply diminishes its volume and presence from the passage of time. I can detect this scent the next day, but the realistic longevity is perhaps 8 hours as a noticeable fragrance. Perhaps something about my skin embellishes The Visionary or it simply possesses impressive hang time. You will have to be your own judge concerning this.

The Individuals by Gap were released in 2007 and as far as I know, consisted of the 5 fragrances I'm familiar with. I could be wrong about the year and if so, my apologies. The Visionary, The Natural, The Original, The Lover and The Artist all seem to have that full bodied texture that could pass for a more upscale item.

Sillage for The Visionary is good and the throw is perfect, for all intents and purposes. Longevity is approximately 8 hours on me, with a few of those being relegated as a personal space scent. It doesn't have the WOW factor for me to love it, but a thumbs up is definitely warranted. As always, a sample wear is highly recommended.

Comments

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...

Lanvin L'Homme

Lord knows the world has enough fresh woody citrus fragrances. It's a hackneyed genre of masculine perfume, having been done to death by countless designer firms cranking these things out since the 1990s, and there doesn't seem to be an end in sight. Lanvin L'Homme, released in 1997, is one of the early woody citrus releases, but it (along with Essenza di Zegna) stands out because it's one of the best. That may sound like it's not saying much, but Lanvin L'Homme really is excellent. I won't get into a long treatise about all of the notes contained in this and how they evolve. Lanvin L'Homme is sparkling, spicy, woody, transparent and dry. What I love about this scent is how brilliantly it uses vetiver - the vetiver gives Lanvin L'Homme a woody, dry and somewhat bitter smell, but it also manages to create an effect of sustaining the citrus top notes for several hours. This results in a fragrance that smells fresh and cheerful from beginning ...

Il Mondo di Odore

Search This Blog