Customer Reviews:
 elegant, subtle, and masculine April 17, 2008
almosthappy (San Diego, CA, California)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Prior to encountering this elegant, subtle, yet masculine cologne, my preferred cologne of choice has been Eau d'Orange Verte for men, by Hermes. Over the years, I've been pretty much committed to these two and alternating between them for different occasions.
In many ways, there are many similarities between the two: both are refreshing, with complex fruit and spice notes, not macho in an Old Spice in your face musky manner, yet subtle and confident with unmistakable masculine characteristics. Also, this cologne really does synergize with body heat very well. More heat seems to mellow out the scent and adds a clean and woodsy dimension to it. My first bottle was actually picked out by my wife, who is extremely picky with colognes. In fact, it is a rarity that she has picked out a cologne that she actually LIKED. I think the uniqueness of this cologne is partially due to the fact that it comes from a Japanese designer. There are definitely Asian sensibility and aesthetics at play here.
I know when it comes to fragrance, everyone is entitled to have his opinions. But frankly, sometimes certain opinions are just wrong, like the rather harsh two-star criticism given by the other gent. In short, I wholeheartedly recommend this cologne - it is mellow, clean, not in your face, elegant, and definitely masculine in a mature way. But a bottle of cologne lasts a long time, I definitely recommend any potential buyers to try it out at their local mall before ordering one from Amazon.
 Gross! It's Potpourri!! March 1, 2008
Mark Twain 27031 (CA, USA)
1 out of 3 found this review helpful
I took a chance on this based on word of mouth and reviews/description elsewhere (and excellent price here). Oooops. Very first time I've bought a cologne that was sooooo far off from expected and that I expect to be virtually unusable.
This starts off with a very strong, almost pungent citrus much like the very popular L'Eau d'Issey, and settles into a sickeningly light and sweet sugary, flowery smell. The woodsy deep chocolate amber I was expecting? Uh, no. Maybe with the men's Eau de Parfum, which some say is much better than this Eau de Toilette?
If I were to smell this blind, I'd frankly say it was for women, or at best unisex, much like L'Eau d'Issey. I might see wearing this with a silk kimono while wandering around smelling cherry blossoms. I suppose if I were the kind of guy who had an occasion to wear a silk scarf, I could even see this going with that. I can appreciate it as a scent to some extent, but I don't want it on me. It screams "This guy is wearing cologne."
For what it's worth, this seemed very very familiar to me, and it took me a little while to place it -- it's almost just like the potpourri aerosol we sprayed in our bathroom when I was a kid to neutralize odors, and I think that's the function this one is going to end up serving. Fortunately, with such a strong scent this should take very little for such use, and I'm hoping the expense more-or-less balances out with what would be a set of potpourri aerosol deodorizers.
Make sure you try this out somewhere first, and also make sure it's not the men's Eau de Parfum you're seeking. For me, this is one of the super rare scents I have a hard time imagining any guy actually wearing. I'd be more likely to skip around with a bright pink cherry blossom behind my ear.
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