Right off the bat, I’m starting to lose interest in Mind Games. I’ve had a hot streak of disappointment. The fragrances smell good, but the performance has been pretty poor. This one is no different. The opening is a blend of grapefruit and chestnut. I couldn’t really pick up the labdanum. Within a few minutes it already sits very close to the skin, and that’s when I start getting the crème brûlée, davana, and caramel. If I really dig my nose into the skin, I can pick up a bit of suede as well. The drydown smells like a custardy, sweeter take on Boss Bottled Absolu. Performance is disappointing. It’s basically a skin scent from early on and lasts around 5 to 6 hours on me. Most Mind Games fragrances give me very similar performance and sillage, so this wasn’t a surprise. The scent profile itself is creative and different. Some people compare it to Amore Caffè, but to me it’s not even in the same ballpark. It could have been an excellent gourmand pick if the performance matched the scent. For me it’s an 8.5/10 for the smell and a 4/10 for the performance. I do wonder if it could be a sample issue, even though I ordered from three different decanters. Has anyone else experienced this with Mind Games?

As staple for the late 90’s and early 2000’s, it seemed every guy had this one. And it was a beast. The question is raised: Are the current formulations and clones similar to the original, or must we look elsewhere to get those notes of juniper, amber, cactus, and lavender that we loved so much. Let’s dive in. Liz Claiborne’s Curve for Men. The original. I applied this today, and immediately, I was taken back. This twenty year old 5 mL bottle smells exactly as I remembered it. Smooth, deep woody, ambery, lavender, with a unique cactus undercurrent. There is also a slight peppery and juniper note. There is pineapple listed as a note, but I do not detect that at all, and I can’t say that I remember a pineapple note at all either when I wore it decades ago. So I do not think that top note has degraded over time. It must be and has been a subtle accenting note if it was even there. But did I say this fragrance is smooth? Dang, it’s good. Curve was coming out of the “complex” era of fragrances where the notes were many and well blended. So individual note details are hard to describe, and the fragrance functions as a whole. This is a strictly linear fragrance and doesn’t change much if at all over its lifespan. As for performance, it has decent projection, but not crazy. Again, this one works well in a work space, but spray heavier if outdoors or in an open space. It does lend itself to cooler weather because it does feel thicker and heavy, but it could be worn in an evening setting during warmer weather. As for longevity, it projected nicely for at least 5 hours, then it was a skin scent. It was gone in 8 hours. In 2011, Liz Claiborne was acquired by Elizabeth Arden Co. and the Claiborne name was dropped from the label. And alas, the downhill slide from there is real. Elizabeth Arden’s Curve for Men. I would like to think that I am not aggravated by many things. But this is one of them. I do not know why, but synthetic rubbing alcohol pineapple is where they thought this fragrance needed to be. The pineapple is up front, and not in a good way like Aventus DNA. Though I can’t help but think they brought the pineapple forward after Aventus’ success. The opening doesn’t smell like I remember the fragrance at all, and when compared to LC Curve, that seems truer than ever. The opening is just awful. For one hour, this is a vastly different fragrance. Then, to say something nice, it finally lands pretty close to the original late in its life as the pineapple alcohol evaporates away. Although it does seem to lean a tad bit more on the black pepper and juniper; and the cactus note seems absent. As for performance, this is right on par with the original. And as for longevity it is a skin scent after 5 hours. It actually may last just a tad longer than the original, just a tad longer.

This recent heat wave in Colorado, prompted me to try out my travel-size Sea + Zephyr by Michael Malul this week. Here are my impressions from my first wearings. The opening note is ideal for a hot summer day, featuring a robust citrus and green herbs scent. It’s perfect when you want to smell fresh and clean. After about three minutes, I notice eucalyptus, reminiscent of the summer air fresheners at Bath & Body Works. The freshness persists strongly for the first hour. After that, the scent transitions to something similar to Aqua di Gio, with hints of rosemary and musk akin to Aqua di Gio Profondo, giving a good idea of what to expect. In terms of performance, the scent is quite potent initially, projecting strongly for the first hour. Afterwards, it settles closer to the skin and lasts around five hours, though with less projection. For me, this makes a great hot-day or everyday office fragrance. In a sea of blue scents, it holds its own; however, while it’s a nice option, it doesn’t stand out significantly among other blue fragrances on the market.

These are some impressions from my first wear of these fragrances. Shoutout to our guy @Nick Clemente for making them available for me! Icon: Old school, barber-shoppy fragrance that opens fruity, floral, & herbal with light woods in the base. Projection is moderate for the first hour, then solid mild sillage afterwards to about the 5 hr mark. At 2 hrs, a nice lavendar note replaces the fruit as the lead note, but is still well blended with everything else. Decent smelling, not very long lasting, and is on the mature side. Would be an inexpensive work fragrance for a mature guy. Legend Noir: I like, but don't love ATH's Legend or Legend+. They're OK for me, but not among my ATH favorites. Legend Noir however, was love at first sniff, and the affection follows it all the way down to a skin scent. It's a beautiful aromatic, spicy, woody, light floral with a touch of smoke. Projection is moderate through 90 min, then steady mild with a nice scent trail. Amber & vanilla anchor the base, and help provide a consistent medium tone. After 3 hours it has become a light, woody-vanilla that's not too sweet, while maintaining mild sillage to 6 hrs. before becoming a skin scent. Very versatile, this is a good signature scent, office fragrance or take it at any social type of gathering. It might not work in a hot, humid environment, but some warmth definitely adds to the performance.

Dolce & Gabanna Light Blue EDP