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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.

Code Absolu by Giorgio Armani

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I recently requested and have now received a sample vial of the new for 2019 Giorgio Armani fragrances release, Code Absolu, and was really excited to try it out. Armani has come out with a lot of awesome scents in the past five years, including another Code flanker, Profumo.

That was one of my favorites a few years back during the wintertime, so, I wanted to see how this one would stack up. What does it smell like? What are the notes? How’s the performance? As usual, I have been wearing and testing this cologne out, and below are my full thoughts.

What does Code Absolu for Men Smell Like?

Notes include: vanilla, tonka bean, suede, nutmeg, rum accord, mandarin, apple, orange blossom, wood, and carrot seeds

Click here to try: Giorgio Armani Code Absolu EDP Eau de Parfum For Men 3.7oz

My Full Wear Review

The immediate opening of Absolu strikes me not like the original Code, rather, Code Profumo. This is awesome, because I loved Code Profumo. While there is a whole lot of similarities, the two fragrances, are somewhat distinct from one another.

But, wow! I am completely drawn into this scent, from the very beginning.

Absolu opens up with a strong mix of nutmeg, rum, suede, and tonka bean. I also catch the light citrus from mandarin and a hint of crisp apple.

To my nose, the nutmeg is the strongest at the top, along with tonka bean. This lasts for 5-10 minutes before the suede really comes in.

Even with the light touch of the fruit notes, they do play an important role, by not making the scent too dark and heavy. There’s just enough citrus for my nose to pick up on, but I love when I can pick up that underlying juiciness.

The nutmeg and rum accord, add a really fresh spice to the opening, but it isn’t as boozy as you’d find in something like Man in Black. That’s probably a good thing here, as it would distract from the overall smoothness of this cologne, and ruin the balance that it has.

The suede blending with the other notes, really has more of a leather smell, at times. It’s quite rich and just a fantastic addition to the overall composition. The orange blossom and mandarin note, are still detectable at this point.

I love that aspect, because orange blossom is one of my favorite floral notes. There’s not a lot of it, but just enough to catch my attention.

Further along, the vanilla and tonka bean, really assert themselves. Those two notes are going to be the main thrust of Absolu, so one will need to like them, to enjoy this cologne. During this dry down, there is a secondary layer of wood and the suede.

It smells fresh and darkly warm, with sweetness coming from mandarin and vanilla. It’s not as sweet as Profumo and I actually enjoy that fact, because that could be overwhelming at times, with that scent.

From there, it’s pretty straight forward, a warm mix of tonka and vanilla. Then, strong undertones of suede, wood, and what’s left of the rum spice/mandarin orange. However, in its simplicity, Code Absolu is still very seductive and enticing.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

The sillage with Absolu is quite strong, but not overpowering. It can project itself a ways away from the wearers skin, but it feels lighter than Code Profumo, and less likely to take over a room. That being said, it can be strong at first, so over-spraying is definitely possible.

The longevity is also outstanding and I’ve been routinely achieving double digit hour counts, while wearing Code Absolu. Performance wise, this fragrance is utterly great. The more I wear it, the more impressed I am by both its strength and longevity. Great stuff.

 

Seasonally, it also leans colder weather like Profumo, but I think with it smoother profile it can fit right in during the spring or other temperate days. In the heat, not really, but I’ve been wearing it on fairly warm spring nights and have had no issues with Absolu thus far.

Is it a versatile wear otherwise? Yes, it is. It can be worn from casual to formal occasions. It will fit well for men of almost any age. I do think that this one, is going to be another superb addition to the nightlife, and it will fit right in at a bar or nightclub.

It’s got the performance, but with an underlying sophistication. Code Absolu will garner complements and is a sexy type of cologne.

Overall Impression of Armani Code Absolu

Overall, do I like Armani Code Absolu? Yes, I really do. I compared it to a few sprays that I had left of Profumo, and I must say, I prefer this new release. They are very similar, so if you have one you won’t need the other, but I think that Absolu is smoother and more refined.

I love the way that the tonka and vanilla interact, the period in which the suede note gets its shine, and that nutmeg spice at the start. The more time that I spend with this fragrance, the more I find myself enjoying it. Profumo was amazing to me, and this, I feel takes it to another level. 

This is a great release from Armani and one that I’m going to be wearing a lot of, in the future. That’s saying something, as Armani has been crushing it with their new releases, in the past few years.

Update: Here in 2023, this one seems to be discontinued. Sad, as this was a fantastic flanker. Possibly the best Code flanker that Armani ever released, certainly top 3.

If you want a bottle now, you’d better be prepared to pay up for it. The women’s version still seems to have more bottles available, but the supply of this has evaporated.

I probably should’ve grabbed a bottle when Armani had its final sale and a discount code with Absolu for Men.