acquired this sample on my saturday trip. and oh my stars am i in love. ive tried a lot of freshies before, i dont think very many come close to this one. definitely up there. opening notes are very bright and sparkly. think minty fresh mojito on a yacht. you get some citrus, mint, black currant, and a nice, soft, spicy edge with coriander. the middle notes are a very dominant, photorealistic and noticeable apricot, complimented by an herbal, floral slice of basil, carrot seed, and rose, before descending into a rich, fruity, musky base of fig and dates. this is ultimate vacation in a bottle. it’s bright, playful, yet mature with a sophisticated edge amongst the sweetness. an absolute compliment beast. i’ve gotten so many compliments from this one today. performance? absolutely amazing for a freshie. i get about 7-8 hours out of this, with fantastic projection, and that’s with just using the sample, although LV sample atomizers are genuinely amazing. only con is the price tag, but honestly after 4 months of careful budgeting, i think i could buy a full sized bottle. i’m at least looking to direct that amount of money for SOMETHING that high end, just not sure yet. but definitely consider this one.

I know many of us start out the same way. We first get caught in the clone hype by watching YouTube videos and influencers. Then, as curiosity starts to happen or by going in and sampling fragrances in boutiques and department stores, some of us tend to appreciate the originals better. I want to do a quick poll and see how many people have started with originals. I'd rather know how many people started with the clone and then decided to purchase an original right after.

Inspired by: Creed Virgin Island Water The opening off the first spray is bright and refreshing with heavy lime, bergamot and mandarin, delivering a crisp citrus burst that feels vibrant and uplifting. Running through the citrus is a smooth coconut milk note that gives the fragrance a creamy, sun-lotion style freshness rather than a sharp aquatic blast, making it feel relaxed and summery straight away. As it settles, the scent becomes softer and slightly sweeter with sugar cane and jasmine adding a gentle tropical sweetness that keeps the fragrance airy and light rather than overly floral. The sugar cane brings a subtle syrupy warmth that blends beautifully with the coconut, creating that laid-back island feel. In the dry down, rum, tonka bean and musk add a warm, slightly boozy smoothness that sits comfortably on the skin, with the musk keeping everything clean and wearable while the tonka adds a soft creamy sweetness that lingers. Performance is solid for this style of fragrance, generally giving me 6–8 hours with moderate projection, leaving a fresh tropical trail that feels easygoing and uplifting, perfect for warm weather, holidays or casual daytime wear. Overall rating: 9.0/10 Admittedly I haven’t tried the OG as of yet - but in research Aquatica is supposedly 70-80% similar to the OG in opening with the Aquatica being much more lime heavy and sharper but as it dries down it’s 85-95% similar with main differences being Aquatica has a more dominant lime and VIW is more noticeable with the rum and creamy coconut. Sounds right up my alley and do still want to try the OG.

I've had this small decant waiting for me to give it a run! Yesterday our Brother @Edward Mooney reminded me that I have been waiting for the seasons to turn a bit warmer in order to give this a try! We will have a high of around 45-50 today so I thought I would give this one a try! It definitely starts out citrus and fresh forward and you can notice the Patchouli as well. After the dry down thats where the amber floral takes hold. I'm not getting much Vanilla at this point, but we will see how the day continues. Projection is close around 2-3' and is just a "spring time" bubble sitting here for me in my office. It's the Parfum so I'm hopeful for all day longevity but time will tell. No beast mode with this one as I have 4-5 sprays on and it's not overwhelming by any stretch. So Overspray away!! 😎 Hope you al;l have a great Wednesday!!

Let me tell you, whoever made this claim this formulation last 16 hours must have been sitting in a well-ventilated room doing nothing the whole day. After just 4 hours and 8 sprays, I’m going to have to re-spray myself and I was lightly doing errands on a warm day. Don’t get me wrong; I don’t dislike this version because I enjoy The One EDT scent, but The One EDP 2025 is like an intense version. I preferred the fresher take on the EDP because it is more versatile. However, who cares when we create our own rules with our fragrances on this community? Why not use Ombré Leather to the gym, Oud Maracujá to the office, and Megamare to a wedding? Eight sprays of Megamare to a wedding sounds like a plan! Jokes aside, This formulation suffers from the same issue as the previous one: it doesn’t project for long and is more like a subtle scent on your personal space. My final Opinion: Should you buy it just because of the empty promise of a 16-hour “Longer lasting” formula? No, if you want to wait until it gets cheaper and buy it only because you like a versatile, intense version of the EDT? Yes, that’s your safe bet so you won’t be disappointed with what feels like an empty promises. Or perhaps we’ve been exposed to so many beast mode fragrances that we can’t relate to the designer fans anymore… nah, that can’t be it, right? Guys…