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Stronger With You Absolutely by Emporio Armani

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Stronger With You is a series that I’ve been working my way through, as far as posting reviews for the site. Today’s entry is SWY Absolutely, another one of the flankers off of the main original EDT formulation. How does this one smell? When should it be worn? Is it worth a try?

What does Stronger With You Absolutely Smell Like?

Notes include: glazed chestnut, rum, lavender, cedar, vanilla, elemi

My Full Review

Here’s how Armani describes it: Stronger With You Absolutely parfum is an addictive fragrance for men, inspired by the power of absolute love. This powerful and sensual fragrance is boosted by an addictive new rum accord, while lavender, sustainably sourced in France, is irresistibly enhanced with liquorous and fruity facets. Warm vanilla, harvested in Madagascar while supporting local communities, and smoky cedar wood, carefully extracted in Virginia, USA, round up this powerful scent. 

The opening spray gives me a blast of the very short-lived bergamot and some of the other fruity sweetish notes, that seem to be associated with the lavender accord.

This is met with some spice and warmth. Not overly so, however. Armani talked something about pink pepper being here, I think that may be a part of this initial mix, since that is in Stronger Intense as a note.

But, this one also strikes me as being quite resinous from the get go. Elemi or the ‘glaze’ of the chestnut note is something that really sticks out after that top blast.

The Armani website mentioned cinnamon in addition to the rum accord. Yes, there is some warm spiciness and booziness , but this is a lot smoother composition than a heavily spiced boozy rum note.

Much different than something like Man in Black or the intensity of the cinnamon in Spicebomb Infrared.

Once we’re past all of that, the chestnut will ramp up. The warmth of the blend, the woody influences from cedar (bit smoky), with the vanilla and lavender playing support. Not as boozy at this stage, at least its been drained of any spice.

I think that when the chestnut really has the lead, as the strongest note, that’s when this one is at it’s best.

Yes, later in the dry down, it’s still the strongest. However, the lavender seems to start creeping up more on my skin, for the final run.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

This one has some definite strength. Though, it’s about the same as some of the others in the series. You get a few hours of a scent trail and solid projection off of the skin.

The projection is really good, able to reach pretty far across a room. Then, it’ll become a 4-5 foot scent bubble, and finally a skin scent. Not the heaviest or most beast mode projection out there, but I wasn’t disappointed.

On my skin, Absolute lasts up to 11 or 12 hours. This and Intensely are the same in terms of their performance and somewhat better than the EDT.

Like the others in the series (other than Freeze), this is an autumn and winter wear. It can probably do the early months of spring as well, particularly evening wear. Though, this isn’t one for the summer months.

This is a casual, nightlife, and date night kind of fragrance. It’s sweet, so, I’d not really wear it to the office or as a super formal cologne.

Overall Impressions of Stronger With You Absolutely

Overall, do I like this fragrance? Yes, it’s among the best of this line. Though, I personally prefer Intensely over this one a little bit more. It’s pretty neck and neck, but that gets the nod.

I do like the chestnut note, in this one, in particular. The elemi, cinnamon, and rum are all nice touches. Maybe could’ve had more of each to really distinguish and make Absolutely an even bolder scent, but it’s nice enough for what it is.

The performance here is on equal footing with Intensely and about what you get with the rest of the line. No issues there.

If you like the rest of the series, this is also one that you’ll enjoy, also. It’s not super different, but it does have its distinct qualities about it. But, if you already own other SWY fragrances, you don’t necessarily ‘need’ this one.

It’s a very good scent, on the whole. An enjoyable wear and one of the better options out of this lineup.

Stronger With You Intensely by Emporio Armani

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Stronger With You continues to roll along as a fragrance series for the Emporio Armani label. I’ve been going through the releases over the past little while, in order to give each of them full reviews. Today, I finish up my thoughts on Stronger With You Intensely. How does it smell? How long does it last? Is it worth a try?

What does Stronger With You Intensely Smell Like?

Notes include: pink pepper, cinnamon, toffee, lavender, sage, suede, amber, violet, vetiver

Click here to try: Stronger With You Intensely

My Full Review

Here’s how Armani describes it: This addictive fougere scent features notes of pink pepper, vanilla and an ambery wood accord. It reflects the personality of today’s young man in search of an intense fragrance that lights up his profound love story!

Intensely really kicks off with its spicy notes blazing. That pink pepper really commands attention, a dash of sage, and even a little bit of the cinnamon, as a part of that toffee accord, and that’s found in other fragrances from this series.

But, it’s not a complete spicy takeover, since the sweetness it there early on too. It’s got more of a caramel aroma early on, that will shift more towards the vanilla end of things by the end of the wear.

That initial spiciness isn’t a long lasting affair. Stronger With You Intensely shifts to a warmer and sweeter overall aroma. But, the lavender note becomes more noticeable to me after the opening is done.

In Absolutely, the lavender comes on strong in the end.

The good news for me, is that lavender will get weaker in favor of the amber note. Toffee and vanilla. Plus, a bit of suede giving it a smooth leathery finish.

The pink pepper and other spices are basically gone for the back half of this one, on me at least.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Sillage wise, this one is well above average, and will leave a scent trail behind in one’s wake for a few hours at least.

The projection is really good, able to reach pretty far across a room. Then, it’ll become a 4-5 foot scent bubble, and finally a skin scent. Not the heaviest or most beast mode projection out there, but I wasn’t disappointed.

On my skin, Intensely lasts up to 11 or 12 hours. It’s really got fantastic performance for a designer mass market fragrance. Now, those last few hours aren’t really that strong, but the cologne is still there.

Seasonally, this one has autumn and winter written all over it. You can probably venture into the spring, since this is a great choice for the nightlife, but I’d stay out of the heat with Intensely.

It’s a sweeter fragrance, a nice one for romantic wear, nightlife, and such. Probably not what most will want to go with to the office.

It probably does skew younger in its appeal. But, it doesn’t strike me as being completely immature or only a teenager’s fragrance.

Overall Impressions of Stronger With You Intensely

Overall, do I like Stronger With You Intensely? I do and it might be my favorite from the whole series. Though, I like Leather, also. Kind of a toss up with those.

Just on performance alone, you already get the awesome longevity and sillage of the original EDT, but amped up and with a better smelling formula.

While the spices don’t last that long on my skin, I do like that bold kick to start off. Then, with the toffee/caramel aroma comes in with the suede and vanilla, that’s when Intensely is really a joy to wear around.

This one is sweet. Which, I get can be too much for some people. I find this to be more tolerable to wear than the original, which I found much more cloying.

So, if you don’t want the sweetness to the same extent, maybe try out Absolutely. That Stronger With You fragrance is almost as good to me, but I like Intensely slightly more.

But, I do think that I prefer The Most Wanted by Azzaro to this one, which often gets compared to Intensely. That has a simpler aroma, more cardamom, but really works on my skin.

Encens Satin by Giorgio Armani

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Armani Prive is the upscale line of the Giorgio Armani brand. I’ve tried some of them out before, but not the entire range. I really wasn’t checking for Encens Satin, but when I had the change to buy a sample as a part of a lot, I went ahead and added it on. How does this one smell? Does it last long? Is it actually worth the high price?

What does Encens Satin Smell Like?

Notes include: incense, amber, woods, spices

encens satin review

My Full Review

Here’s how Armani describes it: Celebrating a new vision of legendary, sensual, incense. Blue satin, as fluid as the Mediterranean. A midnight blue, refined and modern, one of Giorgio Armani’s most emblematic colors. Satin that caresses as it envelopes the body, always in motion. It is this opulence and radiance that inspired Giorgio Armani to create Encens Satin, a fragrance where each note is wrapped in a deep, luminous embrace.

This is an absolutely smooth, warm, and rich incense fragrance. many other perfumes which use that note, have a harsher and smokier incense. This one is hot and almost like it hasn’t been burned in a while, and yes, somehow feels like it’s wrapped in satin. Weird.

With that, there are some generic spice notes up top. Not very distinct in how they come across, almost like they are sprinkled within the amber itself. It feels like they used labdanum here too, along with the amber note. It’s sweeter, spicier, and deeper than I’d expect otherwise.

The wood here is quite light. I get brief hits of it throughout, but this really turns into the incense and amber show. Sure, some hints of spice remain, just not to the same extent as the beginning.

Again, since the smokiness isn’t heavy, Encens Satin actually comes across as clean and very dry. I get the same deep darkness impression that I get with another Armani scent, AdG Profumo, just on the opposite end of the spectrum.

Water based incense versus this dry aroma. Oh, the frankincense is way higher quality here, though.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Encens Satin isn’t a super heavy fragrance. It has depth, but it very wearable. I don’t find it to be blow out a room powerful. It projects itself well above average, in the first few hours, and will leave a nice scent trail.

But, never made me feel as if it were dominating absolutely everything.

The longevity is great. I got well above 10 hours on my skin. Probably in the 12-ish hour range, at least as a faint amber note. There is no disappointments with how this scent performs.

Seasonally, this is going to be autumn and winter. Maybe the early part of spring, at night. But, I really wouldn’t go too warm with when I ventured to wear Encens. It works in the cold and crisp weather, but can fall apart completely in the heat.

This Armani is indeed a true unisex. Doesn’t lean too far in either direction. Perhaps, a slight bit more traditionally male. Not enough to make a fuss over.

This isn’t a daily wear for most people. Sure, cold weather and out a night, it’s great. Maybe not a daytime fragrance to go with in many office environments. Some folks, might have jobs where it’d be fine.

Again, not too intrusive and not obnoxious. Just kind of depends on your own circumstances.

Overall Impressions of Encens Satin

Overall, do I like this fragrance? I do. I’m not a major fan of the incense based fragrances of this sort, but this Armani is fantastic for what it is.

The amber and the incense lead the way, with only hints of spices and wood throughout. However, it simply works. Not too complex, but you get a full array of sweetness, spiciness, smokiness and just a great perfume all around.

It projects strongly, but isn’t so overpowering as to make it off-putting. But, it also lasts a long time, helping to make the cost of entry with Encens Satin more palatable.

I am pretty sure that Encens Satin has been discontinued, as it’s out of stock everywhere that I’m looking, at the moment. As such, you’ll probably have to track down a bottle in order to experience it…or grab a sample first on eBay, if available.

That being said, if your an incense fan or just think that this one sounds interesting, Encens is definitely worth a try.

Acqua di Gio Profumo vs. Profondo

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Acqua di Gio Profumo has been the best release from the AdG series to me. However, 2020 saw Armani bring Profondo to the market, and it has gotten plenty of praise. Which of these two fragrances smells better? Which lasts longer? Which is the better buy? In this post, I am going to compare these scents, before declaring an ultimate winner.

Note: Profumo has since been replaced by Acqua di Gio Parfum (very little difference at all, if any, other than the bottle).

Tale of the Tape: Acqua di Gio Profumo vs. Profondo

Acqua di Gio Profumo

Notes include: bergamot, sage, patchouli, incense, geranium, rosemary, and marine notes

Click here to try: Giorgio Armani Giorgio Armani Acqua Di Gio Profumo 75ml (2.5oz) Parfum Vapo., 2.5 Fluid Ounce

Read my Review: AdG Profumo

Acqua di Gio Profondo

Notes include: mandarin, bergamot, lavender, marine notes, rosemary, cypress, lentisk, patchouli, musk

Click here to try: GIORGIO ARMANI Acqua Di Gio Profondo for Men Eau De Parfum Spray 4.2 Ounces, blue

Read my Review: AdG Profondo

Opening

The opening act of Profumo is laden with bergamot and the salty marine notes. It is darker and has a mysterious quality to it. Also, featuring a incense note that adds a smoky layer to it, as well as a very nice sage.

Profumo is going to develop with this smoky, herbal, and mineral smelling aroma as it develops. You’ll get plenty of the original AdG DNA, but it is much more distinct from that than is Profondo.

Meanwhile, Profondo starts off quite a bit like the original Acqua di Gio. The bergamot note takes the lead and is flanked by a slight mandarin orange note. The main difference is that Profondo is more marine, with less of a salty quality, and a resinous aroma from the lentisk. 

Profondo has the impression of water and less of an oceanic feeling. They wanted to design it to be like diving to the depths and it does have that refreshing quality…but not a salty ocean scent.

It will get smoother and a bit creamier, as it wears on. 

Which fragrance is better? Eh, it’s a close call. However, I would lean more towards Profumo, since it has more originality than does Profondo. But, I enjoy both of them.

Edge: Profumo

Projection

Profumo was never a powerhouse for me. It starts of pretty strong, but is much more moderate past the first few hours.

Not weak, but it hangs around. I do notice that it’s more of an intimate once you get past that bolder start. Usually, within a 3-4 foot radius for much of the wear.

As a parfum, it has the higher fragrance concentration between these two scents.

Profondo is an EDP and the lighter sillage of the two. Again, this one also hangs around nicely but it won’t be an in your face experience.

It’s better than the original AdG, in terms of strength, as well as Profondo Lights, but doesn’t hit that same Profumo level. Probably, 2-3 foot projection with a normal amount of sprays. You can get more from either if you start doubling up the application.

Profumo takes this category, as it was designed to do.

Edge: Profumo

Longevity

Profumo will stick around for over 8 hours on my skin. Usually, it’ll be under 10 and those last few aren’t really that strong. Not an elite fragrance, but still a nice wear. 

Update: I did notice a slight decline with Profumo, with its later bottles before it was basically rebranded as AdG Parfum. Nothing drastic, but not the same level of potency.

Profondo gives me 7-8 hours before quitting. It comes fairly close to Profumo, but still can’t get the win.

Both of these fragrances for having marine/aquatic characteristics perform well and don’t just completely evaporate off of the skin. Though, Profumo is the more intense and long lasting of the line.

Edge: Profumo

 

Versatility

Both of these colognes are very versatile spring and summer wears. That can be worn by men of all ages. Can be worn casually, lightly to the office, out on a date, etc. Since they do overlap so much, it would be easy to call this category a draw.

However, I think Profondo gets the edge, because it seems like it will hold up a bit better on the hottest days of the year.

Profumo is a bit thicker and has the incense smokiness and more of the mineral accord, so, it’s not as great at the extremes. Though, it’s not completely awful or anything, and still very much a summery type of cologne.

Edge: Profondo

Overall Scent

I really enjoy wearing Profondo. I think that it is close enough to the original, but has enough difference to stand on its own. Especially, during the dry down stages. It becomes smooth and fairly nuanced, with woody notes and a nice sweetness.

Profondo is sort of the midway between AdG and Profumo. So, if you think Profumo is a little too much, Profondo will be a better bet for you. It’s a deeper and more marine Acqua di Gio.

You don’t need both of these (though, I might personally), really, as there is overlap between them.

As such, only picking one. I’m going with Profumo. It has more of a unique vibe and gives a better performance. It is slightly better than Profondo, in my mind. 

Update: Profumo has been ‘discontinued’. Meaning, they’ve released a newer Acqua di Gio Parfum, which is basically the same thing, with maybe some slight alterations. I might now be tempted to go with Profondo, as I’ve seen a lot cheaper bottles of that floating around than either Parfum or old bottles of Profumo.

Many guys will enjoy Profondo more, however. If you weren’t sold on Profumo and liked the original AdG, I’d go with Profondo. Also, if you live in a really hot and humid region, Profondo may be a better buy.

You’ll get a smoother and a somewhat cleaner scent with Profondo. No huge herbal notes or incense. I really do like this one, just not as much.

Winner: Profumo

Code Femme Absolu by Giorgio Armani

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Armani Code is a best seller in both the men’s and women’s space, with each respective version. Usually when the men’s Code spawns a flanker, the women’s gets one as well with the same title. In 2019, we got the Absolu versions of Code, include Code Femme Absolu. I received a sample of this perfume, when I put in my last order with Armani. How does it smell? Perform? Is it worth a buy?

What does Code Femme Absolu Smell Like? 

Notes include: ginger, tuberose, jasmine, orange blossom, orange, tonka bean, vanilla, sandalwood

Click here to try: Code Femme Absolu Eau de Parfum Spray 50ml/1.7oz

My Full Review

Code Absolu Femme kicks things off with a hefty dose of ginger, the floral blend, and citrus. All of this together with vanilla undertones.

At first, I pick up mostly orange blossom, with tuberose and jasmine following. Together it feels slightly waxy and like it has a sweet fizziness. I can certainly recall smelling portions of this fragrance in the original Armani Code.

As it moves along, I pick up more jasmine and tuberose versus the orange blossom. Still, there’s enough citrus fruit to keep the feeling of orange alive. Though, it’s not an overwhelming citrus type of perfume.

Still further, the ginger fades, as does the orange. Tonka bean and vanilla really emerge to join the floral bouquet that is dominating. Not too complicated: flowers, with vanilla and tonka bean, and the hint of a sandalwood base.

Actually, smells quite similar to Dior Addict, at times. That and the original Code. But, a creamier and more enveloping version of each of those perfumes.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Code Absolu Femme has a strong sillage, well above average, but not super extreme. I’d say it has the ability to venture across a room, with the right number of sprays, just not one or two. The strength and projection won’t disappoint.

Nor will the longevity. On my skin, it seems to stay in the 8-10 hour range. Which for most purposes, is all you will need. Again, not an elite performer, just a very good one.

Seasonally, colder to moderate temperatures and climates. I’d avoid higher heat and humidity with this one, as it does have a certain amount of thickness. Not a sheer beach wear or anything like that.

Absolu Femme also feels geared more towards adults rather than younger women. It’s well put together and confident. Less of a casual fragrance, but it could work well in the night, just as well as at work (so long as you go easy with the spraying).

Overall Impressions of Code Femme Absolu

Do I like this fragrance? I do. It not only reminds me of Code Femme and Dior Addict. But also, it has elements of the men’s version, which I love. This version? I only like. I’d certainly find it attractive on a woman.

Code Femme Absolu does everything well. It has an intensity that not everyone will find appealing. Very floral and when the vanilla/tonka bean comes in, it can be too sweet and creamy for the tastes of some folks.

Overall? It’s certainly a perfume that I’m not disappointed by. If you’re interested in getting this, do so now, as Armani has discontinued it. A very short run from its late 2019 release date. Kind of odd that they sent me a sample, as it was already being halted.