07/30/2023
Elysium
808 Reviews
Elysium
4
The Salty Spray Of Seawater
I have five Adolfo Dominguez fragrances in my collection, four of which are from the Agua Fresca series. The bottle is very pleasant, in sapphire blue glass for this variant, with rounded upper edges, as if to imitate a liqueur bottle. I took them all together, blindly, and I liked them all right away. I wanted to wear this a few times before writing my impressions, to see if it’s true that it looks like SoCal Cologne. I state that SoCal is one of my favourite perfumes. I’ve loved it since I first smelled it in the air in a mall when Hollister stores sprayed it profusely all over the store. I notice that some people associate it with this one, which is true in one respect. When I smell the sprayer, but also the very first notes, the two perfumes appear similar. But they’re not identical, and Agua Fresca Extreme isn’t blatantly SoCal-inspired.
Agua Fresca Extreme is mainly an aromatic fougère that opens with fresh, airy accords, a little herbaceous and musky, salty, but above all fruity. The aldehydes are waxy, like a candle, and create this sort of clerical feel without the smoky look of incense. Thanks to the apple, there is a fruity nuance, which helps to bring the aroma closer to that of the pineapple present in Socal. What I feel as waxy is probably because of a marine accord, which wonderfully blends with other notes and turns out as something in between salty and waxy. But I get vivid marine water, not a calone-like accord, which intertwines with a musky touch. The green grass is perceivable during the first minute, while the resinous rosemary is muted.
In the heart, the waxy note intensifies and takes on a sweet and flowery tone. I don’t get the dewy, green undertones of violet leaves, while the white, fleshy jasmine reigns supreme. Fresh spices contrast these flowers, pepper abounds, and a grating of nutmeg completes the work. I honestly don’t understand what the connection is between the name Agua Fresca and the fragrance. I don’t find anything extremely watery or fresh in it. Instead, there’s a riot of floral and spicy accords, surrounded by this waxy aura. Here, I’m sorry to say, but now Agua Fresca and SoCal are two distinct things that can belong to the same band, but totally different from each other. The heart dominants are floral and spicy.
Everything changes in the dry-down that becomes vanillic, sweetish, amber and a little salty. Well-balanced oakmoss does not overshadow the other notes. The woody aspect is rather dry, typical of cedar wood, without invading the sphere of sawdust too much. Patchouli is subdued, almost imperceptible. Instead, the resinous tones of the fir are more accentuated, and the mossy and animal ones of the oakmoss and musk.
To my nose, Agua Fresca Extreme does not resemble the original or the other flankers. Maybe, every once in a while, there’s a whiff reminiscent of SoCal, but that’s not enough to make them similar. This essence contains all the power and majesty of the sea. I would classify this as a daytime scent for the warmer months, spring and summer seasons. Unfortunately, on my skin, it is a little weak. It feels good as soon as you put it on, but then it becomes a skin perfume after the first hour. I consider it of mediocre projection and duration and I can't entirely agree with the votes assigned. Definitely suitable for leisure time, before and after sport, but its discretion allows me to wear it at work too. I love it, of course.
I'm basing my review on a bottle I've owned since July 2018.
-Elysium
Agua Fresca Extreme is mainly an aromatic fougère that opens with fresh, airy accords, a little herbaceous and musky, salty, but above all fruity. The aldehydes are waxy, like a candle, and create this sort of clerical feel without the smoky look of incense. Thanks to the apple, there is a fruity nuance, which helps to bring the aroma closer to that of the pineapple present in Socal. What I feel as waxy is probably because of a marine accord, which wonderfully blends with other notes and turns out as something in between salty and waxy. But I get vivid marine water, not a calone-like accord, which intertwines with a musky touch. The green grass is perceivable during the first minute, while the resinous rosemary is muted.
In the heart, the waxy note intensifies and takes on a sweet and flowery tone. I don’t get the dewy, green undertones of violet leaves, while the white, fleshy jasmine reigns supreme. Fresh spices contrast these flowers, pepper abounds, and a grating of nutmeg completes the work. I honestly don’t understand what the connection is between the name Agua Fresca and the fragrance. I don’t find anything extremely watery or fresh in it. Instead, there’s a riot of floral and spicy accords, surrounded by this waxy aura. Here, I’m sorry to say, but now Agua Fresca and SoCal are two distinct things that can belong to the same band, but totally different from each other. The heart dominants are floral and spicy.
Everything changes in the dry-down that becomes vanillic, sweetish, amber and a little salty. Well-balanced oakmoss does not overshadow the other notes. The woody aspect is rather dry, typical of cedar wood, without invading the sphere of sawdust too much. Patchouli is subdued, almost imperceptible. Instead, the resinous tones of the fir are more accentuated, and the mossy and animal ones of the oakmoss and musk.
To my nose, Agua Fresca Extreme does not resemble the original or the other flankers. Maybe, every once in a while, there’s a whiff reminiscent of SoCal, but that’s not enough to make them similar. This essence contains all the power and majesty of the sea. I would classify this as a daytime scent for the warmer months, spring and summer seasons. Unfortunately, on my skin, it is a little weak. It feels good as soon as you put it on, but then it becomes a skin perfume after the first hour. I consider it of mediocre projection and duration and I can't entirely agree with the votes assigned. Definitely suitable for leisure time, before and after sport, but its discretion allows me to wear it at work too. I love it, of course.
I'm basing my review on a bottle I've owned since July 2018.
-Elysium