One of the things that usually irk me about most mass market designer scents is the inevitable wave of innumerable flankers and seasonal releases that follow. This summer, however, I was very pleased to find quite a few very well made ones. Sport and summer epithets do not necessarily mean bad…as you will see.

 

I live in a small college town, and (luckily) we do have ONE “high end” department store. I know all the girls at these counters on a first name basis and have the store on speed dial. Usually most seasonal releases pass us by or (worse) we receive testers but no stock. I was flabbergasted when I walked in last month and one of the girls called me over and lined up not one, not two BUT EIGHT new scent in front of me. This was truly amazing, for my area, since it took this store six months to even get RL Polo Red White & Blue after it came out.

The first ones that caught my eye were D&G’s Light Blue Pour Homme Living Stromboli and Light Blue Dreaming in Portofino. Light Blue and I go way back. I wore the original 2001 release long before the men’s version came out. When the men’s came out, I liked its incense and woody moss blend more, but tired of it halfway through my large 125 ml bottle. This version, Living Stromboli, is everything I loved about the original and smells even better to me. A truly Mediterranean opening of sweet and clear citruses catches the nose as soft pink pepper adds a spicy kick. The “watery notes” sweetness is cut by a dry geranium, adding a floral air of elegance. The vetiver in the finish is superbly dry, with some amber and the lightest touch of patchouli. Sillage: above average. Longevity: quite good.

Dreaming in Portofino is very different from the original Light Blue. An opening of juicy lychees and a floral-musky ambrette seed immediately imparts a sheer sweetness that is refreshing, not cloying. As this begins to unfurl, osmanthus (with its fruity honeyed aroma) is paired with iris to create something as cool and smooth as it is delicious. The base of light patchouli, clean musk and amber hints at oriental, without going resinous or overboard. Yes, this is another “fruity floral”, obviously synthetic and mass marketed; but it is worth sniffing. My mom (who is in her sixties) wants a bottle for herself.  The men’s is 75 ml and the women’s is 50 ml, which is refreshing. Now, for a change, you do not have to buy yet another HUGE bottle, just because it is a limited edition. Sillage: slightly above average. Longevity: very good.

Armani Code Pour Homme Summer, rather than being just another summery watery-citrus amalgam, adds more of a delightful herbal note of tarragon and aromatic olive leaves to the mix. A soft breath of rose adds a hint of passion and seduction to a balmy cedar wood breeze.  There are zesty citruses here, of course, but they are tempered with a salty sea spray and a very clean orange blossom. The guaiac wood base of the original is still present here but cooler, almost shadier. The listed musk and amber are more like a warm skin musk kissed by sunshine. The SA said it was the same as the last years, but I disagree. This is better! Sillage: very good. Longevity: average for a summer scent.

Usually “Sport” means “watered down to within an inch of its life” with a few spices thrown in. Givenchy’s Play Sport deviates from this by putting the emphasis on the bergamot and a cold Amalfi lemon and its leaves. Refreshing and invigorating, this combines fresh ginger and warm green basil to keep the citric notes from fading too quickly; and this imparts a nice aromatic quality. The amyris (torchwood) note is here, as it is in all the Play releases, but it has just a few twists of white pepper, the subtlest of the peppers. Intriguing and vaguely resinous, this continues to change and is an exceptional example of “sport” done correctly. All that remains, after it fades, is the lightest whisper of musk. This is clean (NOT soapy), enticing and beautiful. Sillage: good. Longevity: above average.

Few scents have as many flankers as L’Eau d’Issey does. I liked the original Pour Homme version and loved Bleue and Intense. L’Eau d’Issey Pour Homme Sport takes qualities from both the flankers I loved and combines them while adding nutmeg and leather! A splendidly balanced opening of yuzu (Japanese grapefruit) and bergamot is minimalist and artful. As the bergamot takes over, a smooth nutmeg warms on the skin beside a strangely subtle leather note. Leather in a sport scent is virtually unheard of, and is a welcome change of pace. More of a woody aromatic than the original, this captures the spice of sporty, without getting aquatic or boring. A green grassy vetiver combined with red cedar brings a balance and utterly masculine strength to this scent found in few others of its genre. Sillage:  average. Longevity: above average.

Dolce & Gabbana is one of my favorite clothing companies. Many of their older scents were true works of perfume art (up there with Tom Ford’s Gucci and YSL days), but many recent ones have been rather lackluster and “perfume by numbers”. D&G The One Sport opens with an intense aromatic blast of rosemary, growing on rocky cliff by the Italian seaside.  Cardamom with its clean, almost creamy, spiciness is joined with redwood (sequoia) in the heart, creating something powerful yet refined.  Patchouli and musk adds earthiness and sexiness to this streamlined scent that has almost nothing in common with its namesake, other than cardamom and wood. Clean and sexy are hard to do, at the same time. The One Sport nails it! Sillage: average. Longevity: above average.

LACOSTE L.12.12 Rouge is neither a summer nor a sport scent, but would do well in summer’s heat. A slightly citric opening combined with red roiboos tea is sheer and suave. As the mango liqueur appears it delivers a thicker, warm slightly boozy feel. A spicy heart of ginger, pepper and cardamom is not piquant or too warm, but complements the fruits in the opening. The base of benzoin, acacia flower and wood sound almost “too much” for warmer temperatures, but this works. A fruity and spicy warmer woody scent for men, it’s about time! Sillage: below average. Longevity: good.

Honorable mention: NAUTICA Aqua Rush is also not sporty or a summer release. It is however a step in the right direction after Pure Nautica and Pure Nautica Discovery. An amazingly GREEN scent, akin to the original nautica (pre-reformulation), this combines sage, lush violet leaves and coriander with juicy yuzu and teak wood (used for centuries in the building of ships). Marine amber and salty musk complete this masculine marine romp. Sillage: very good. Longevity: above average.

Disclosure: Reviews based on complimentary samples from The Bon-Ton.

–John Reasinger, Editor