Ralph Lauren New York (1/3)
I have been seeing this a lot in the brotherhood lately and finally decided to try the sample that has been sitting on my shelf for a month. It opens with blackcurrant, orange and bergamot. The opening is bright, fresh, juicy and sweet. The mids list lavender, sandalwood and geranium. The sandalwood and lavender sit quite neutral, while the geranium gives a touch that reminds me of Y EDP. The sweetness continues through the sandalwood. The base has bourbon vanilla, fir and moss. I get little to no fir or moss, but the vanilla is potent and sweet. There is also a bit of ambroxan that is not mentioned, and it comes through in a way similar to Dylan Blue. Overall, this is a sweet, mass appealing fragrance that feels like a mix of Y EDP, Dylan Blue and Myself, but with a blackcurrant twist. People call it a four season scent, but I think it suits colder months better. Performance is strong. I easily get 8 hours and it still projects well in hour 7 at about half a foot. In the first four hours, projection was around two feet. Full marks for performance. It feels a bit too sweet for me, almost borderline cloying. I did 5.5 sprays, so that may be the reason. It gave me a slight headache similar to what Hawas Ice does. Next time I will tone down the sprays. If Y EDP feels too sweet and youthful for you, and Dylan Blue feels too old school and common, this sits right in the middle. I can summarise it as a blackcurrant, sandalwood and vanilla fragrance. Overall, it is an 8.5/10 for me. Not much to love, but nothing to complain about either. The issues I had were likely my own doing, so I will not factor them in. I think everyone should try this. It is a fairly safe blind buy and for the price, it is a strong value. Great addition to the collection. What do you think of this fragrance and where does it fall in your versatile list?