Here are my first impressions of some new releases I’ve tried recently.
Calvin Klein – Eternity For Men Flame: Calvin Klein continue to release second or even third-rate flankers to their 1990 classic, Eternity. Last year’s Eternity Air left a lot to be desired. The latest effort includes notes of pineapple, leather, rosemary, labdanum and amber. Sounds interesting, but it all ends up becoming a synthetic mess that fortunately flames out around the 4 hour mark. We’ll see what next year delivers, but for now my favourite flanker is Eternity Now, which is still a long way short of the original.
Burberry – Burberry Her Blossom: I’m not going to lie; I enjoyed the berry sweetness of Burberry Her from last year. The latest flanker removes all the berry sweetness of the original and replaces it with plum blossom and peony. It’s light, airy and pink, just like the bottle, but for mine I’d pick Burberry Her over this one, any day of the week. Blossom faded quick, lasting only about 3-4 hours before it was gone.
Guerlain – L’homme Ideal Cool: This one started quite positively, with the mint and almond note combining to create something a little different. However slowly the water notes take over and it becomes pretty much a clone of the weak sport version. It all ends up in generic man territory after a few minutes. A shame, and quite frankly this line should be retired by Guerlain. The cologne version is the best in the line and that was about 3 or 4 flankers back. Gone after 4 hours on my skin, not cool.
Guerlain – Aqua Allegoria Coconut Fizz: Saving the best for last, Coconut Fizz is one of three new additions to Guerlain’s Aqua Allegoria Line. The other two being, Flora Cherrysia and Ginger Piccante. Coconut Fizz isn’t particularly fizzy, instead it’s watery and fruity. The coconut is the dominant note, fortunately though it doesn’t fall into the sun-tan lotion trap. The other notes of water fruit, freesia, bergamot, tonka and sandalwood play a supporting role. The fragrance ends up smelling like a merger of Le Labo Santal 33 and Diptyque Philosykos. Nice stuff, and 6 hours of longevity makes for a great summer cocktail. A green fruity coconut that is a worthy addition to the Aqua Allegoria lineup.
Notes: All fragrances sampled from tester bottles pictured in store.