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My Way Parfum by Giorgio Armani

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My Way Parfum is the 2023 release from Armani in this My Way line of fragrances. I bought a sample of this a few months ago to test out and see how this edition held up and even if it was worthwhile to check out. After putting it through its paces, how did Parfum stack up? Does it last long? Is it any good?

What does My Way Parfum Smell Like?

Notes include: iris, bergamot, orange blossom, vanilla, tuberose, ambrette, cedar

Click here to try: My Way Parfum

My Full Review

It’s been a long time since I’ve tried the original My Way. I wanted to do a comparison between and this Parfum version, but wasn’t sent the sample that I ordered. As such, I don’t want to try based off of memory alone.

This one opens up with some incredibly light citrus (bitter orange mostly) , that will be overshadowed by iris, orange blossom, and musk. Tuberose comes out more for me, later on.

However, it’s a musky and powdery mix, on my skin in the early stages. Between the bitter orange and muskiness, I’m not too keen on the opening.

But, the tuberose and vanilla move in to replace much of the influence of these opening notes, and I start to like Parfum much more.

It’s mostly about the tuberose and iris from here on out. Vanilla, is third and all of the other notes just provide various levels of support for the rest of the wear.

At some point, the tuberose takes the majority of the weighting from the iris, though.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

This one does indeed have some power. While it’s not as heavy as Si Intense by Armani, which I also tested, it does have a better ability to project and leave a scent trail.

Parfum doesn’t degrade as fast as that one and it also has a higher peak, in terms of its reach.

On skin, this one gets me about 9 hours of wear. On clothes, it’ll go on and on like many other fragrances. But, it’s still very good just on skin alone.

Seasonally, this one is great pretty much year round. Probably avoid wearing Parfum on the hottest days. Outside of that, it has enough substance and balance in the colder months, but not getting bogged down when its slightly warm.

It’s nothing that’s going to be for the nightlife or that is particularly sexy. However, it’s good for day to day wear, work, casual, and things of that nature.

Overall Impressions of My Way Parfum

Overall, do I like My Way Parfum? Somewhat. The opening isn’t all that great, but I do like the dry down. The musk and iris in the beginning, is not something that I really liked. Even if, I tend to love iris as a note. Just doesn’t work for me here.

It does get better when the iris and tuberose start to blend and the other notes fall by the wayside. It’s a lovely white floral perfume at that point, with some cedar freshness, and less of the ambrette.

The performance seems to outstrip the actual smell itself. Like, the performance is quite good, but the scent is pretty good but nothing remarkable.

It’s worth a try, if it sounds interesting to your personal tastes. But, I don’t think that this Armani is going to be one that everyone needs to get a bottle of. There nothing here that most people would miss out on, but not trying My Way Parfum.

Si Intense by Giorgio Armani

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Si Intense is one that I hadn’t covered before. I did review the original here, but wanted to catch up a bit on the series. Well, this is going to be on the edition of Intense that was released back in 2021 by Armani. How does it smell? Does it last long? Is it worth a try?

What does Si Intense EDP Smell Like?

Notes include: blackcurrant, patchouli, florals, benzoin

Click here to try: Si Intense by Armani

My Full Review

Here’s how Armani describes Si Intense: encapsulates the confident energy that characterizes the Sì woman. Empowered, feminine, and free, she embodies an irresistibly modern femininity, which through the prism of this new intense scent takes on a sophisticated, seductive air.

Apparently, Armani has done a few versions of Intense. One, came in a black bottle. However, this review is not about that edition, even if they overlap in notes.

Anyway, this one kicks off with a warm, fruity, and syrupy blend headed up by the blackcurrant with some davana herbal aroma, early on. On my skin, this and the patchouli, really prevent the blackcurrant from being too tart or overwhelming.

It strikes a good balance.

Then, the rose notes comes into play. Again, on me, this doesn’t jump out with its strength. Si Intense just becomes slightly less fruity and loses some of that light bitterness of the davana.

It’s a fruity amber with patchouli and rose. The amber and rose will creep in on the fruitiness, as it dries down. But, Si Intense remains sweet and warm.

Throughout, you will get periods of earthiness/woodsy aromas, but it’s underneath the thicker blackcurrant, jammy rose, and benzoin notes.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

This one has some heaviness to it and an ability to project itself well. But, Si Intense doesn’t ever feel overwhelming to me. Great scent trail for an hour or two and you’ll for sure know that it is there.

But, nothing that is going to blow you out of the room.

The original Si, got me around 6-7 hours of wear on skin. This one will bump it up to an extra hour or two. It does seem to be completely gone by 8.5 hours for me, though.

Here, again, this one is going to be for the autumn and winter months mainly. I wouldn’t go too warm with Intense, as it will probably get bogged down and get kind of messy.

It is safe enough to wear to work or school, but attractive enough to wear on a date. I would definitely enjoy smelling this scent on a woman.

This Armani does basically fit the bill, as a ‘one size fits all’ kind of perfume. It is more limited than the original in terms of the climate, but pretty much its equal in any other use case.

Overall Impressions of Si Intense

Overall, do I like this one? Yes, there’s plenty to enjoy here and I’ve thought that the original Armani Si, is a really good mainstream fragrance. This obviously has overlap, but I think that Intense can stand on its own as a fragrance.

The original Si had more of a greenish smell, than what I get with this one. Still, lots of the amber and patchouli here, but more warmth and the rose influence.

I do like the syrupy sort of start that Intense gives me, as well.

The performance is decent, you get good strength, but the longevity is only slightly above average. Though, I really don’t think that this one has too many flaws, at least none that are glaring.

It’s worth a try. It’s probably a safe blind buy, but the price may be a limiting factor for some to want to go that route. Try it if you can, beforehand to make sure you love it. Si Intense is a very good entry from Armani, so it shouldn’t be that difficult.

Stronger with You Oud by Emporio Armani

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Stronger with You Oud is one of the latest samples that I received, from this long running series of men’s fragrances by Emporio Armani. This one was released in 2022, following two years after the release of the Leather edition. How does SWY Oud smell? Does it last long? Is it worth a try?

What does Stronger with You Oud Smell Like?

Notes include: vanilla, oud, lavender

Click here to try: Stronger with You Oud

My Full Review

Stronger with You Oud actually reminds me a fair bit of The One Luminous Night in the opening act. It’s a sweetish, smoky, and woody blend that is very reminiscent of that D&G release.

Now, not the same, as the sage and date notes in Luminous are a lot stronger. Another aspect here, is there is a slight rubbery smell from the oud that I get early on. Much like what I got from A Midnight Stroll by Gucci.

I was expecting a stronger and perhaps dirtier oud note. But it’s more like a blend of those two aforementioned scents and SWY Leather, which also had an oud note. It’s sweet with some lavender and vanilla influence and a oud note that isn’t grabbing for attention.

This one is smooth and the leather note is definitely still here too. I really think they just swapped the strength of the oud and leather notes in SWY Leather, added some touches, and called it SWY Oud.

The dry down is a slightly powdery aroma with less sweetness, but a greater focus on lavender and the general woody notes (along with the light oud). You still get a of that Stronger with You DNA coming through, the chestnut, and it feels ambery.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

For me, this one seems to match the projection power of the leather edition, which was good. It’s not too heavy of a fragrance either, but Oud does have some density to its aroma.

Sprayed on clothes, I can detect this from like 6-7 feet away, at its peak. Thereafter, it will gradually draw closer to where you sprayed. However, the decline is pretty slow, and I never felt like I couldn’t detect it on myself.

The longevity is better, I can get up to 11 hours with this one. It seems to fall in that 9 to 11 hour range, each time that I have tested Oud out. So, it certainly delivers the performance if this is a cologne that you’re interested in.

Seasonally, I’d stick to autumn and winter with this. Colder weather is better here. Though, it can function well in moderate temperatures as well.

I’d keep this more as a nighttime wear. I don’t think that it is particularly sexy, but it can be used for more than a casual cologne, while still not being entirely formal. That rubbery aspect, early on, might not have the widest mass appeal of this SWY series. But, it will settle into something palatable for a larger audience.

Overall Impressions of SWY Oud

Overall, do I like Stronger with You Oud? Sort of. It’s not my favorite from the series, but it’s better than releases like, Only or Freeze. Personally, I’d go with Leather before this one, Absolutely, and Intensely too.

It’s fine, but it does begin to grate on my nerves after a period of wear. I’m not a massive oud fan and this, while not being a heavy oud fragrance (despite the name), just isn’t that great of an example.

That’s also a reason that I’d go with Leather versus this, as they do have a whole lot in common, but this has a slightly heavier weighting towards oud (while still not being dominant). Plus, that blend just smells much better overall.

It’s all nice enough, performance is really good, and this will for sure have plenty of fans. Me? It’s not something that I want to grab and spray on. If you’re a fan of the series, you should give it a try if you can, but might not want to blind buy.

Stronger with You Only by Emporio Armani

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Stronger with You carries on as a series, producing flanker after flanker cologne to the original. A 2022 release from this line was Stronger with You Only, which I picked up a sample of a month or so ago, to test out. How does Only Smell? Does it last long? Is it worth a try?

What does Stronger with You Only Smell Like?

Notes include: grapefruit, geranium, chestnut, vanilla, lavender, labdanum

Click here to try: SWY Only

My Full Review

Stronger with You Only starts off with its grapefruit note, out front and center. It’s definitely not on its own, but it does have the leading role.

Early, I get a good deal of lavender with it, geranium, and that signature chestnut. Later, the vanilla will come more into play. However, I don’t find it all that powerful, early.

This one feels cleaner and less of the heavier sweetness of some of the other entries from this line. Only is streamlined and has a balance that the others can also lack.

That balance will initially come through, once the grapefruit takes a step back. The lavender and geranium come into an equal distribution with the citrus note.

The next phase, it’s lavender and vanilla in the driver’s seat. The chestnut is no longer super noticeable, but I do still get grapefruit and the tail end of geranium.

That’s essentially what this is. A mellowed out SWY blend (the labdanum playing a dampening role. Softer, less sweet, and a good one to reach for if you like this line and want a more relaxed edition.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Only isn’t a heavy feeling fragrance, but it is one with good projection and will leave a scent trail. That being said, it’s a step down in terms of strength versus others in the series. That’s by design.

Still, I think this one is solidly above average versus the average cologne out there and doesn’t disappoint.

The performance is solid enough. I get right at about 8 hours, each time that I’ve worn it. Doesn’t seem to want to go any further than that, but it’ll work for most use cases.

What are those use cases? Well, this one can venture into the warmer weather better than other Stronger with You offerings. Not quite a summertime fragrance, but this will do nicely in the spring. Autumn, too.

Not particularly formal. Only is a good clean and casual daily wear sort of scent for the mild to warmer parts of the years.

Overall Impressions of Stronger with You Only

Overall, do I like SWY Only? It’s okay. I’m not a massive fan of this Emporio Armani line and this is in the bottom half of my preferences.

It’s fairly bland and there’s nothing here that is all that new. Again, if the original is one of your favorites, you might enjoy this lighter edition of the SWY formula.

I enjoyed parts of the wear, but then, it could start to feel annoying to me. That’s how the original was with me, also. That’s what Only is like, just again, a cleaned up and toned down version.

If you’re a fan of that, you’ll almost certainly like SWY Only. I’m not sure that this would change too many minds, if you haven’t liked the others. It’s probably better than Freeze is, out of the lighter variants of this series.

Acqua di Gio Absolu by Giorgio Armani

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In today’s review, I have another release from Giorgio Armani, and one that is a flanker fragrance to the best-seller Acqua di Gio called: Acqua di Gio Absolu. It was released back in 2018 and has flown under the radar, compared to some of the others in the series.

I am going to explore, what it smells like, how it performs, when it should be worn, and if it is actually worth a try. Please continue below for my full take on Absolu.

What does Acqua di Gio Absolu Smell Like?

Notes include: patchouli, marine notes, labdanum, tonka bean, wood, bergamot, grapefruit, lavender, rosemary, apple, pear

Click here to try: Acqua di Giò Absolu Eau de Parfum Spray 4.2 fl oz Men

My Full Wear Review

Upon the opening smell, Absolu immediately smells familiar to me, and has quite a bit of overlap with Invictus Aqua. Namely, the share the woody notes, marine aspects, and grapefruit.

It’s mostly at the beginning that they smell alike and this Armani fragrance is much better in my opinion. Aqua can have this stinky dry down of the sea notes, but the Armani doesn’t.

Anyway, AdG Absolu, opens with the citrus notes, some pear/apple, wood, sea water, and tonka bean. It’s a very fresh aquatic, but is grounded with the woody notes, and doesn’t get too far into just being a citrus water fragrance; like so many others.

A few minutes in, Absolu begins to take on a resinous smell, thanks to the labdanum. There is also a hint of patchouli which brings in some earthy spice into the mix. The patchouli isn’t super heavy or anything, but it does play its part within the composition beautifully.

This is older than AdG Profondo as a release, but that resin, woods, and marine aroma have significant overlap between the two. Profondo is just a better scent overall.

Absolu really has that ambery sort of smell throughout, I know the labdanum is playing a big part of that, but I wonder if one of the wood notes is amber wood? I haven’t seen it listed, but I do think so. It is a harsher aroma versus the more naturalistic amber notes out there.

Another interesting aspect of this cologne is the herbal undertones that peak through during the wear. It doesn’t seem to be consistently there, but I catch distinct rosemary, at times and it plays off really nice in this aquatic fragrance.

Ultimately, what I get with AdG Absolu is a citrusy marine cologne with a woody base that is covered in amber resin. Then tonka bean and light spices peppered in.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Projection wise, the sillage starts out fairly powerful, but settles down into something that is more moderate but steady. You won’t need more than a few sprays for this stuff to do its magic. For an (semi) aquatic kind of cologne, it does have great power versus many others of this ilk.

Longevity is also quite good, but not amazing. 8 or so hours is what I get out of it on my skin, it can go a bit longer, depending on the climate that day. Update: Testing it out further, it can go up to 9, but that’s rare. Expect 7-8.

The versatility for Absolu is perhaps its biggest selling point. While it seems like it’d be one strictly for the summertime, it can actually fit in during any time of the year. So, guys who are looking for an all purpose scent, should give this one consideration.

It is also versatile in terms of when it can be worn. It can go casual or for something to wear at the office or out for an evening on the town.

It’s not really a mature scent, but not one that would only appeal to teenagers or college guys. I’m not sure that I’d wear this one on a formal occasion, but it would fit for everything else, no problem. Skews younger, but a cologne that can get a lot of use for that demographic.

Overall Impressions of AdG Absolu

Overall, do I like Acqua di Gio Absolu? Yes, I do. I get the similarities with something like Invictus Aqua, but it’s so much better than that, and doesn’t have the same level of synthetic smelling ingredients. I

t’s a very nice all-around cologne and one that should enjoy more popularity than it does.

It’s closest comparisons are that Invictus, Profondo, the original AdG, and I guess Absolu Instinct (but I haven’t tried that out).

Is it my favorite scent? Nope, but it is one that I could see myself wearing sometimes, even if it’s not really my style of cologne. Armani did a great job with this one and men in their 20s will probably really like wearing Absolu.

However, I’d would rather wear almost any other of the Acqua di Gio line (outside of Profondo Lights). Profumo, EDT, and Profondo are all better. As such, I don’t have a need to grab a full bottle.

I’d recommend any of those before this. Unless you really love this style of cologne, get something else. But, if you have one of those already and want something a little more unique, Absolu can be a very nice pick up.