Scentemental

I recently got a tester of this fragrance as it sounded unisex and I liked the idea of a vanilla that was not congested. This one is definitely fresh and has the pleasing quality of having the character of vanilla without it being cloying. I have never tried salt water taffy, but I could imagine that it might be similar to the salty toffee that used to be made on Guy Fawkes night in England when I was a child.

The other notes in this composition support the vanilla without exerting their own character, they give the vanilla enough space to do its thing without getting crowded. The result is a subtle and gentle vanilla, suitable for men and women.

I first had a bottle of Gold when it was made by Yardley, over 20 years ago. I loved it at the time as I had really only experienced a few fragrances. Recently I bought a bottle again. Despite the fact that this is not an overly expensive fragrance and is essentially a chemist/drugstore scent, it is not very common. It can be found in England for around 7 pounds Sterling for 100ml. In Australia, where I live, it is much more expensive.

The best way to describe this is by an equation:

Aramis + Worth pour Homme + baby powder = Gold. It is a warm woody,spicy, boozy scent with lavender being quite prominent. It has good projection and longevity. It has been described by some as generic and dated, but I disagree: it is a pleasant 1970s or 80s style perfume that represents great value for money.

Every now and then one hears of someone discovering a masterpiece of art forgotten in an attic or in a second-hand store. When I was at Art School I heard tell of someone local, who had stumbled across a famous artist's painting in a second hand store. This is somewhat like my experience with Preferred Stock. Walmart is not known as being the centre of culture (unless it is a culture growing in agar in forensics lab); however since I visited America for the first time and went to Walmart there, to me the place is somewhat exotic (there are no Walmarts in Australia, where I live). It is at Walmart that I blind bought a two pack of Preferred Stock (for $14.84 US not including tax). I had heard that it was a worthwhile fragrance, for those who liked old school or powerhouse fragrances and so on this basis I bought the two 50ml bottles. I wish I had bought more. To say this is a great fragrance is an understatement and it easily 'blows away' 95% of my fragrance wardrobe.

The scent is a citrus and lavender fragrance of great strength and pleasing longevity. Fans of Worth pour homme, English Blazer and other similar fragrances should love this one. It is clean, crisp and classy and has a simplicity that makes it a very 'honest' perfume. It is not pretentious and undoubtedly masculine.

This is one of those fragrances that many people claim has suffered as a result of reformulation. Well I never tried the older MEM version, so I can only go on what I smell in the newer version. I bought a huge 240ml bottle for $19.90 ( about 13 Euros) and it can be found even cheaper. I only have the aftershave version, but it is still worthwhile. It has a soapy, leatheriness that I find very 'comfortable' and attractive. It reminds me of a soap called 'Imperial Leather' available in Australia. It also reminds me, of Guerlain vetiver (2000's version) minus the vetiver.

This fragrance is one I have owned for quite some time, but rarely wear. I generally choose Cool water of Aqua Quorum if I am looking for an aquatic fragrance. Really I like this one much more than either of those two as it has more personality. It reminds me a lot of Dunhill Fresh, probably because of the violet note in it. I like violet a lot. The violet is quite sweet in this it reminds me a little of "Parma Violet" candy I used to eat as a child. This is definitely a masculine floral and has a lot going for it.