One of the most popular lines in the blue genre, with a clean, versatile, and mass-appealing profile. It was released in 2010, the first release from Chanel since 1999's Allure Homme. Created by the now retired master perfumer Jacques Polge, a Woody Aromatic fragrance, it blends traditional masculine notes with a contemporary, citrusy freshness. It opens with an sharp, energetic burst of grapefruit, lemon & mint, accented by the subtle heat of pink pepper. This opening is fizzy & bright, with an immediate sense of cleanliness. As it transitions into the heart, the citrus softens to make way for a spicy aromatic blend of ginger, nutmeg & jasmine, which adds a nice layer of warmth. The dry-down is where the fragrance reveals its woody character, settling into a smooth foundation of New Caledonian sandalwood, cedar & vetiver. An infusion of incense & labdanum gives the base a smoky, slightly resinous depth. For an edt, it performs rather well, lasting almost 6 hrs with good protection for the first 90m. After this it becomes more of a intimate scent. Its equally effective in a formal office setting as it is at a casual gym session. While it can be worn year-round, its bright citrus profile makes it particularly shine during the spring & summer months. Whether you are dressing up for a black-tie event or heading out for a weekend brunch you can't go far wrong with this. My Rating 7/10 Scent 2 Longevity 2 Sillage 2 Y/N 1

I didn’t see this coming!

I recently gave the men’s style brand Intelligent a go when I picked up their fragrance tester set (OK, I kind of gave into the hype from all of TLTG’s glazing). What I found was a nice little line of relatively good quality inspos. I ended up using the gift certificate that came with the set to buy a bottle of Iron (which to my nose is an inspo of ADG) but they had several others that I think were full bottle worthy at that discounted price. Well today, I noticed that in Intelligent sells on Amazon and they are having a 30% off sale on most of their line. For 50 to 60 bucks, I think a bunch of their frags are worth it. For what it’s worth, here are my raw notes on all of their offerings. I have a nose that’s pretty sensitive to certain notes, and I think a few of their frags have a musk that rubs me the wrong way - so take my notes with a grain of salt. - Intelligent Platinum: nice but not quite fbw for me. Lightly juicy sweet fruits, aromatics. Kind of like Polo 67 / Coach EDP - Intelligent Silver: cusp of fbw. Aromatic woody soapy. Some bite/sourness in the mids that takes away a bit from the experience. - Intelligent Iron: full bottle worthy. Woodsy aromatic earthy green, kind of like a more earthy ADG. - Intelligent Neon: cusp of full bottle worthy. Very bright citrus. But something bitter - the musk choice? Open is a bit harsh otherwise a very hearty citrus - Intelligent Carbon: full bottle worthy? Earthy lightly rich warm leathery, very easy to wear. Reminds me of a Moncler. But super weak performance on my skin. - Intelligent Cobalt: meh but interesting. Zingy musky aquatic aromatic. Loud and kind of grating, possibly the musk choice. - Intelligent H2O: full bottle worthy? Yep it’s a sweet smooth aquatic scent, a higher quality take on Invictus Aqua. Faintly fruity. Easy to wear. - Intelligent Hydrogen: meh but interesting. Aromatic tangy musky. Something offputting and animatic - musk? orconox? - Intelligent Argon: cusp of fbw. Lightly sweet elegant aromatic lavender cinnamon and spice. Like a more elegant and refined Spicebomb EDT, but easier to wear. Also a bit like Rehab