Men’s Fashion

Gone Swimming in Caribbean Waters by Dua Brand

by

Gone Swimming in Caribbean Waters was a Dua Brand scent that I was really excited to get a hold of. I bought it earlier in the year and wore it during the summer, completely forgetting to do a full review for the site. How does this one smell? Does it last long? Is it worth a try?

What does Gone Swimming in Caribbean Waters Smell Like?

Notes include: Bergamot, Lime, Mandarin Orange, Coconut, Sugar Cane, Ambergris, White Rum, and Sicilian Orange

Click here to try: Gone Swimming in Caribbean Waters

My Full Review

Gone Swimming in Caribbean Waters is a blend of Dua’s inspired versions of Louis Vuitton’s Afternoon Swim and Virgin Island Water by Creed. So, how good this one will be really came down to how the did the blend exactly.

The opening here is a citrus explosion with a very tropical vibe. Orange, lime, and coconut truly stand out. Early on, this leans heavily towards the Louis Vuitton scent, much of what you get from the Creed is restricted to the rum, coconut, and ambergris.

It’s got that pina colada vibe, sugary highlights, but I love that they favored Afternoon Swim in use of its fruits. I’m not a huge fan of VIW, but Dua captured the best of that fragrance, and added it to the Louis scent (which I really liked).

As we dry down, the fruit notes get less pronounced. Some of them are still around for the duration, but it becomes more about the coconut and amber here. Fresh, boozy, and has somewhat of a lotion vibe…just not overwhelmingly so.

This is a pretty simple fragrance, not too much development.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Gone Swimming in Caribbean Waters starts off strong. Especially for a summertime casual scent, this one really jumps off of my skin. For the first hour or two, you will get really good sillage, leaving a trail behind you.

Then, it is much more moderate, but still highly noticeable.

The longevity here is great. For me, it easily sticks around for 10 hours, even during the height of summer. Now, it obviously doesn’t have the same sillage throughout, but it does keep chugging along. I can even get it above 12 hours.

Seasonally, obviously summertime. Spring, if it is warm out. This stuff shines in the hot weather and is great to wear along the beach or wherever.

This is a true unisex fragrance. A lot of tropical fruit scents can get way too girly, but this is true to its inspirations and holds that line perfectly. Anyone can wear this, no problem.

But, it’s not the most versatile wear. This is a casual scent. Limited to the warmer parts of the year. Favors the daytime, but I could easily wear this to a beachside bar at night, while on vacation. Really, that’s what this perfume is, a lovely vacation fragrance.

Or, if you happen to live in a tropical region, and like to be outside a lot.

Overall Impressions of Gone Swimming in Caribbean Waters

Overall, do I like this fragrance? Absolutely. This is a fantastic blend, that I wore throughout the summertime, and will continue to make my way through the entire bottle.

It is an accurate representation of the great fruity blend of Afternoon Swim and the boozy coconut found in VIW. I’ve never been a massive fan of the Creed scent, but when paired with a clone of the Louis Vuitton fragrance, it becomes great.

But, beyond just being a great inspiration of each of those scents, the performance is way better and at a steep discount to either of the originals which inspired it.

If you like either of those fragrances, this is one to try. Or if you want a tropical beach fragrance, that is safe for men or women, this is totally one to try out.

Armaf Club de Nuit Intense vs. Dior Sauvage

by

Two of the best selling fragrances for men right now, came about reaching that status in different ways. Sauvage EDT really propelled the ambroxan heavy mass appealing scent into the mainstream. So much so that it is the best selling fragrance (for men or women) in the world.

Meanwhile Club de Nuit Intense, got to where it is by being an inexpensively priced and similar scent to Creed’s famous Aventus. Now, each of these are two of the last colognes that some men often need to decide between to purchase. Which one is actually the better choice?

Tale of the Tape: Club de Nuit Intense vs. Sauvage EDT

Sauvage

Notes of Sauvage: bergamot, ambroxan, lavender, pepper, wood notes

Click here to try: Christian Dior Sauvage for Men Eau De Toilette Spray, 3.4 Fluid Ounce

My Original Sauvage Review

Club de Nuit EDP

Notes include: lemon, apple, blackcurrant, birch, jasmine, rose, vanilla, musk, ambergris, patchouli

Click here to try: Club de Nuit Men EDP

Opening

Luckily for this post (not so much for my other work), I was accidently sent a new sample vial of Dior Sauvage EDT, instead of the Eau Sauvage the brand has been producing since the 1960s.

So, I have both of these fragrances on hand in order to compare them directly, instead of just off of past experience.

Club de Nuit EDP is very similar to the EDT release, which smells a lot like Aventus. It’s fruity, less smoky, and the birch comes across as more of a dry wood, without the same amount of leathery facets it will develop later.

To me, the EDP comes across as being a bit smoother. Less of the lemon note, but with a more pronounced apple, which I enjoy.  Also, the birch here is smokier early on and does give it that leathery aroma to a greater extent.

The opening of Sauvage gives off an aroma of amber, pepper, and the bergamot note. There is a bit of spice to it but I do get a lot of the ambroxan. It’s nice and dries down to a clean/soapy scent with some slightly spice wood notes and the bergamot.

One thing I notice with this Sauvage EDT sample, is that the bergamot doesn’t seem as sharp when paired with the Sichuan pepper, as it has in the past.

Actually, it’s much smoother than it has been on me before and more so than Club de Nuit Intense.

I’ve never been a fan of the opening act of Aventus and don’t particularly care too much about its cheaper alternative’s either. So, this category is going to go to Sauvage.

Edge: Sauvage

Projection

The sillage for both is very good. You get a very good scent trail coming off of the skin for hours on end, before it settles into something more intimate.

I’m not sure that there is much of a difference between Sauvage and Club de Nuit Intense EDP. Maybe it’d be noticeable with the full bottle sprayers, but with these sample sprayers, 3-4 sprays come across as being the same.

Perhaps, Sauvage’s projection reach stays around for a tad longer, but it’s not clear to me that it actually does.

Edge: Push

Longevity

With Sauvage EDT, it’s always lasted between 6-8 hours on my skin. But, it will usually be closer to the 8 hour end of things.

Club de Nuit Intense EDP will go for 7-9 hours. So, a higher floor and a bit better ceiling, in terms of how long it will last.

Not a massive difference and some might get better performance with the Dior. For me, the nod goes to the Armaf.

Edge: Club de Nuit

Versatility

Both are extremely versatile as to when you can wear them. Seasonally, I’d give the edge to Club in the autumn/winter and Sauvage in spring/summer.

Neither is great in the high heat, and actually, I’d use something else in the extreme cold as well. But, Sauvage does perform a bit better in the warmer weather, while still having the ability to be used in the colder months.

Both are good casually, out at night, etc. Neither is much of a formal fragrance. Club is probably better than Sauvage in dressier situations, but it doesn’t have the same Creed quality as with Aventus to make that certain.

Really, this category is kind of equal.

Edge: Push

Overall Scent

Overall, which one of these fragrances do I prefer?

With Sauvage EDT, it’s never been one that I loved. I liked it when it came out, got completely sick of it for years, and now…it’s fine. Doesn’t bother me, but I don’t really enjoy wearing it that much. I get the appeal, but it’s just nothing all that special.

By the same token, I’ve never been an Aventus fan boy. I like it more than Sauvage EDT, find it nice to wear on occasion, but I don’t personally need to have it around.

If I had to pick between the original Sauvage EDT and one of the Club de Nuit Intense options, I’d go with the Armaf. I do prefer the mimicry of Creed Aventus a bit more than that particular Sauvage release.

Plus, Armaf is significantly cheaper than what you’re going to spend versus Dior.

However, if I can choose any version of Sauvage, the decision would definitely change for me. Here’s what the list would look like then:

1a. Sauvage Elixir

1b. Sauvage EDP

2. Sauvage Parfum

3. Club de Nuit Intense EDP

4. Club de Nuit Intense EDT

5. Sauvage EDT

So, it’s really only when compared to the original Sauvage formulation, do I have a preference for the Armaf colognes. I really do like Sauvage EDP and Elixir provides a unique experience versus all of them.

Winner: Club de Nuit

5 Best Smelling Mercedes-Benz Colognes

by

The auto manufacturers, particularly the luxury brands, have all seemingly gotten into the fragrance game as well over the past decade or so. To me, Mercedes-Benz and Bentley, are the one’s that have done the best job at developing quality perfumes and not just slapping their logo on any old thing. On this page, I want to keep a running update of what are my favorite and what I consider to be the best Benz colognes for him.

What are the Top Smelling Fragrances by Mercedes-Benz?

Select Lavender and Vanilla

Select Night– Right off the bat, a lot of Mercedes scents seem to be inspired by popular fragrances, but give each of them their own unique twist. Select Night gets compared to Noir Extreme by Tom Ford (one that I personally wear a lot).

While the resemblance is there to an extent, they aren’t exactly the same, by any means. Nonetheless, Select Night is an enjoyable cologne to wear in its own right. I think most of the comparisons come from the heavy use of vanilla, cardamom, and orange blossom here. Outside of that, the details are different.

This one kicks off with a blend of cardamom, lavender, orange blossom, and vanilla. It actually has a fizziness to it which reminds me of Armani Code Profumo. The dry down is more of a woody fresh blend with plenty of lavender and vanilla. The cardamom and orange blossom fades.

Select Night never comes close to hitting the same level as something like Noir Extreme, but this is a very nice wear and one of the highlights of the series.

Fresh Top Oud and Saffron

Le Parfum– I was intrigued by Mercedes-Benz Le Parfum, as it supposedly smelled just like Ombre Leather by Tom Ford. But, when actually getting to try it out, it struck me as being much closer to Ombre Leather Parfum with its violet leaf note.

Yet, this Benz scent actually has its own personality, outside of just being a clone fragrance. The opening here is actually bright, fresh, and watery. Watery, like biting into a fresh piece of fruit. That is due to the presence of the cascalone note, which produces that vibe.

The cascalone, bergamot, and a dash of pink pepper kick things off. There’s not actually an official leather note here, however. It’s mostly an effect of how the potent saffron and oud notes play off one another. And to me, a bit of that cascalone, as well.

Even then, it doesn’t come across as completely ‘leathery’.

Further use of ambergris and vetiver continue to lend to its freshness. Yes, it does have a resemblance to the Tom Ford fragrances, but not entirely. Nice performance here and this is an absolute gem from Mercedes.

Violet Citrus

Intense– The closest comps to Mercedes-Benze Intense are Dior’s Fahrenheit Aqua and Cologne. It’s been years since I’ve experienced Aqua, but I reviewed Fahrenheit Cologne recently, and this one seems to split the difference between the two.

But, I like this Mercedes more than the Dior Cologne version of that formula. This comes across as being less green, which I do enjoy about it.

It opens up with its mandarin orange note leading the citrus accord. This is joined by a solid heaping of black pepper, which gives it a kick, but doesn’t overwhelm. As it moves on, it becomes a cleaner scent with greater use of vetiver, amber, and the violet/violet leaf notes.

Very nice and versatile style, that works well in the spring and summer heat.

Refined Amber Woods

Private– A spicy woody fragrance with notes including mugwort and cardamom up top. It’s not super spicy, but rather smooth with a bit of a leathery like aroma early on. As it wears on, you get a warmth and resinous quality from amber and labdanum.

This is rich with depth and classy, the cypress note adds a fresh layer, but overall this has a balanced mix of its differing facets.

Mercedes-Benz Private is one of the more formal fragrances in this line. It exudes confidence and refinement. Not completely overpowering, but the sillage is solid and this one will last long.

Join the Club

Club Black– A cold weather standout, which opens up with a bright bergamot citrus backed by the smokiness of incense and clean floral highlights of jasmine.

The further we get into the dry down the more resinous and balsamic this one becomes. Vanilla gives Club Black a creamy sweetness, but the fuzzy benzoin, amber, and smoke provide a classic Oriental feel to this cologne.

In the end, it’s a smoky vanilla and benzoin gem, that is relaxed and cozy to wear during the winter months. Moderate with the projection and enough staying power to last a work day.

Kouros by Yves Saint Laurent

by

Kouros is one of the most famous men’s fragrances of all-time. Released in 1981, it has been a topic of discussion, both positively and negatively ever since. It’s one that I’ve had familiarity with in the past, but never did a full review for the site. Recently, I grabbed a decant of one of the more modern batches in order to finally put something to record. How does it smell? Is it still super strong? Is it actually worth a try?

What does Kouros Smell Like?

Notes include: clove, coriander, ambergris, sage, artemisia, leather, cinnamon, jasmine, musk, moss, and more 

Click here to try: Kouros by YSL

My Full Review

Note: I am only reviewing the latest batch here. I don’t have a time machine or 40 year old bottle that’s still good handy, so, that’s what is being rated/described here.

So, Kouros was one of my earlier fragrance encounters, while trying out parts of the old YSL lineup 15+ years ago. This, Opium, and Kouros Body were among those that I tested out. The latter two, were the one’s that I ended up purchasing. I wore both for a long time.

I think to the less experienced me, Kouros came across as being too bold for me to really want to wear. However, I didn’t dislike the scent either, and it’s one that I’ve come across every few years since.

Nowadays, I doesn’t garner the same shocking reaction to it’s strength and uniqueness when compared to modern scents. I’ve gotten used to a lot of the colognes of decades pasts and the ingredients that don’t get much use any longer with the popular scents.

Plus, if it has indeed been modernized and reformulated, maybe it doesn’t pack the same punch as the 1981 version.

The opening spray of Kouros is fresh, dry, with a spicy kick. Aldehydes and musk, really come through to my nose. The aldehydes remind me quite a bit of Chanel No. 5. Same sort of cold brightness (maybe a touch of bergamot?). The musk gives this a rough fuzziness, which is enhanced by the spice notes.

I’m going to go with mostly coriander, sage, and patchouli for what I’m smelling. It’s pretty balanced and I’m not getting too much in the way of cinnamon. At this stage, it’s an earthy/musky aromatic sort of fragrance.

Maybe because they weren’t actually using civet for this newer era of batches, Kouros doesn’t really come across as being all that ‘dirty’.

Some earthiness, yes, but it’s more of the plants/leaves (geranium for a time, comes out) than the earth itself or any sort of animaliac influence. It’s a modern musk with some roughness to it.

A lot of the spice burns off pretty quickly. Whatever molecule they’re using to represent oakmoss nowadays, is what begins to come to the forefront. Kouros starts to smell cleaner, smoother, and with soapy touches.

After that spice has gone, you do get a good dose of artemisia. I smelled Luna Rossa Ocean again, a few days ago, and do pick up on their shared ingredients, including the artemisia.

The dryness remains throughout the wear, Kouros does however become sweeter and a tad more floral. Honey, carnation, and tonka bean. Still fresh with the aldehydes now combining with the moss and an emergent leather.

‘Urinal cakes’ is something that often gets used to describe what this smells like. It doesn’t. I think people have some associations with that due to the interplay of the musk, artemisia, and jasmine.  That clean fuzzy floral, probably triggers the association for some people, but it doesn’t actually ‘smell’ like a clean bathroom.

The final stages of Kouros is a slightly leather musky floral/herbal fragrance. There’s sweetness to it still, but it comes across as being very much a barbershop type of finish. Nothing too outlandish, but attractive and classic.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Sillage wise, this still absolutely brings it, but it isn’t insane. I remember it having much more projection and ability to leave a scent trail. Nonetheless, it is still a powerful fragrance, just nothing extreme.

This modern formulation also has really good, just not totally elite staying power. 9-ish hours, on my skin, with an ability to just cross the ten hour mark at times.

Spectacular? Not really, but still better than a lot of stuff currently on the market.

Versatility wise, this one does have limitations. First of all, it can indeed be something folks either love or hate. I think the talk of it being hated, got extreme, and it’s really not going to cause poor reaction from others in most situations…if they even notice Kouros at all.

Seasonally, this YSL is awesome in the cooler weather. It’s above freezing right now in November, but walking outside brings Kouros to life and it hangs very well in the cold air. I would avoid wearing this in high heat and humidity, though.

It’s a solid business scent, casual, semi-formal, and even possibly date nights for some guys. It wouldn’t be out of place, as a romantic fragrance, as there is a certain sexiness with such a masculine fragrance.

Kouros definitely skews older, but isn’t ‘old mannish’. If you’re younger and want to try it, I’d probably not wear it to school or something like that. Just know that it’s going to be quite different from what almost any other guy is going to be wearing. Classic, but not anachronistic.

Overall Impressions of Kouros

Overall, do I like Kouros? Yes, I do still enjoy this one. It’s never been a total love for me and I don’t really understand the repulsion that others can have for it. Personally, I always liked Kouros Body more, as that was such a unique and awesome flanker.

Kouros is without a doubt a classic and an important men’s fragrance historically. Pierre Bourdon deserves plenty of credit for creating this one (his Live Jazz was also another banger, now lost to time).

The opening act is nice enough. The spices and aldehydes do their thing well, but I prefer the dry down, once you get some sweetness and leather involved. Neither ever truly overwhelms the muskiness, but I like what those notes bring to the table.

This is a cologne that still has plenty of life, solid performance, and isn’t just some museum piece that cannot be worn out. It’s not going to be for everyone, but Kouros will still get plenty of new fans, out of those willing to give it a try.

Gucci Jordaan GG Blue Velvet Loafer Review

by

Every once in a while, I will do reviews of other fashion products other than fragrances. Not too often, but it is something that I like to do, when I happen to purchase something that a lot of people are looking into. The Jordaan GG loafers by Gucci are one such designer product that I want to take a closer look at here. I purchased the blue velvet edition of these a few months back and will use this page to review and share my thoughts on them.

Reviewing Gucci Jordaan GG Blue Velvet Loafer

The Fit (Sizing)

Before, I get into anything else, I do want to talk sizing. With sneakers, I usually wear an 11.5-12, and there are many times that I’ll have to go with a wide version of a shoe.

So, I was pretty skeptical of Gucci’s sizing guide and initially ordered a Gucci 11 (11.5 US), despite their size guide telling me to get a 10.5 (11 US). They were correct.

I ended up having to return my initial pair in order to size down. These do run large, have an elongated toe, and no laces in order to tighten further. If it’s your first time ordering a pair (like it was for me), do stick to the Gucci sizing guide, as it is accurate.

Buy the Black GG Loafer at Saks: Black Gucci

Buy the Blue or Black from Gucci: Blue Gucci

It is confusing to wear a 10.5 Gucci, while it also says 11.5 for US sizing, but just go with it.

That being said, once I got the 10.5 size of the Jordaan’s on my feet, the fit was great. No sliding, but also not a complete pain to get on.

Unboxing GG Jordaan Loafers

Each loafer gets its own cloth covering and a canvas Gucci bag to store it in.

Here’s the individual cloth covering:

I do have a full unboxing video on my phone, but I cannot currently upload it to the site for some reason. I’ll try to sort that out and get it posted.

The Look

The main thing that attracted me to this version of the Jordaan was the Blue velvet. I loved the look matched with the beige GG monogram pattern.

It’s listed as beige, but actually does strike me more as a golden shade. The horsebit is gold and helps lend to that effect. Nonetheless, the beige GG looks like a pale gold or white gold.

The blue here is quite a deep and dark blue velvet.  The lighting in the pictures on Gucci’s website are also accurate. That’s exactly what I wanted, as many of the blue velvet shoes that I’ve come across, were always a much brighter shade.

On the back of the loafer there is a blue leather trim running vertically from the heel. The rest of the leather itself is a darker brown on the half inch heel and along the sides. While the bottom and interior of the shoe are a very light brown-orangish leather.

Pricing

The current price as of publishing is $920 per pair. This year’s price increase unfortunately happened, while I was waffling back and forth, as to whether I was going to buy a pair or not. I believe that the GG Jordaan’s had been about $840 before the increase.

The price for the black version is also the same. Though, that color is available from other stores which carry Gucci, while the blue is a Gucci exclusive. So, keep that in mind if you have any gift cards/discounts to other retailers.

Are Gucci loafers worth the price?

I’m not a Gucci fan boy. I don’t like a vast majority of their clothes and sneakers. However, I do seem to like a lot of the loafers. Obviously, you’re paying a premium for the brand name, but I don’t think it makes sense to buy unless you’re getting a unique style.

I wouldn’t pay the price for regular black or brown leather loafers, as their are plenty of other brands with the same look, for a fraction of the price.

The Jordaan loafers from Gucci, do seem to have unique patterns and colorways versus other designers. The blue velvet immediately jumped out to me and I wouldn’t mind having the black ones either.

That’s a lot of what I look for when jumping into a luxury designer purchase, long-term quality and something that has a pretty unique aesthetic. I don’t just want a giant logo plastered for full display, but I like the subtle GG pattern.

Cons of These Loafers

With blue velvet, there’s a time and a place to wear it. The color itself, presents more of a styling problem than the more ubiquitous black of the same style. Color coordination is a bit more limited with this blue.

Not a huge issue.

The velvet aspect does further limit the usability of the loafer. You need dry conditions, if you’re going to venture outside with them. Depending on where you live, that can be more of an issue.

Rain days, colder days, snow melt, wet walking areas, etc. Protecting the velvet takes more foresight than your average pair of shoes.

As such, these aren’t going to be daily wears for most of us. More of a statement piece. Is that statement piece in your collection worth $920? For me it was. I know I can make these last for as long as I want to