Golcher
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Golcher
just a quick first impression
I just got mine from Maxaroma which I believe was the last one as it became 'out of stock' right after which makes me feel so lucky cause I'm a sucker for discontinued fragrances and ATH fragrances.
Aaron Terence Hughes' Christmas Fake is (as far as my understanding goes) a limited edition version of Fake for the holiday season in 2021 with a very limited release and little to no recognition from the fragrance community.
The first thing I got was oud, the oud is front and center in this holiday treat and if you see the note breakdown you'll find it as a top note and yes, you get slapped in the face at first spray. Also, the oud is a little funky, a little barnyardy so beware! however it is very well balanced with the other notes so it's not offensive or annoying, in fact it's very very nice! I also get the cinnamon and cloves a little and something lighter that gives a Coca Cola feeling but not sure what it is. Please note that my first impression was not on skin so...
I'll update and discuss performance once I've test it further.
Aaron Terence Hughes' Christmas Fake is (as far as my understanding goes) a limited edition version of Fake for the holiday season in 2021 with a very limited release and little to no recognition from the fragrance community.
The first thing I got was oud, the oud is front and center in this holiday treat and if you see the note breakdown you'll find it as a top note and yes, you get slapped in the face at first spray. Also, the oud is a little funky, a little barnyardy so beware! however it is very well balanced with the other notes so it's not offensive or annoying, in fact it's very very nice! I also get the cinnamon and cloves a little and something lighter that gives a Coca Cola feeling but not sure what it is. Please note that my first impression was not on skin so...
I'll update and discuss performance once I've test it further.
the 'Invictus Aqua' before Invictus Aqua
I tried 1M Cologne like 2-3 years ago and I liked the opening but didn't enjoy the drydown, not one bit so I discarded it right away however, I've wondered if I should give second chances to some fragrances considering that 4 years into my fragrance journey my nose and my taste have changed a lot. Some fragrances I loved now I can't stand and some I was unsure about now are placed firmly in my rotation.
This was launched before Invictus Aqua and I guess it was somewhat unsuccessful as nobody seems to talk about it and Invictus Aqua became the reference for this whole subgenre of bubble gum fresh summer fragrances. Personally I find the sweetness overpowering on hot summer days so instead of sweet bubble gummy aquatics I rather go salty citrus, like Light Blue which to me is a milestone in the fragrance world. I used to own Invictus Aqua (2018) and I liked it but it is on the younger side and I think I no longer pull that off also, I found it a bit too sweet for hotter days and decided to sell with no regrets. I just wasn't wearing it so, with that in mind a 1 Million Cologne shouldn't sound at all appealing to me, in fact it didn't but I guess I'm just a sucker for underrated, discontinued fragrances and decided to pull the trigger as I found one at the right price.
1MC opens with a very nice mandarin note with very subtle marine hue, it's a really nice opening that is then followed by a tender 'urine' accord (not really, I read some people mention it has a smell of urine which it hasn't but there's an undertone somewhere that I could understand why someone would misinterpret as 'urine'). The mid is powdery and floral, the rose is present and centerstage but it's not overpowering it goes along great with the cinnamon and leather in the base. Even though it's supposed to be a summer fragrance I feel that with this rose and leathery backbone it's a little more formal than Invictus Aqua and others in the subgenre, in fact I feel it's a very good office fragrance. It is also on the younger side but it can be worn by anyone under the right circumstance.
Performance is fine, projects moderately and you can get 7hrs longevity easily, also presentation is very nice so would I recommend it? Yes, just not as a blind buy.
This was launched before Invictus Aqua and I guess it was somewhat unsuccessful as nobody seems to talk about it and Invictus Aqua became the reference for this whole subgenre of bubble gum fresh summer fragrances. Personally I find the sweetness overpowering on hot summer days so instead of sweet bubble gummy aquatics I rather go salty citrus, like Light Blue which to me is a milestone in the fragrance world. I used to own Invictus Aqua (2018) and I liked it but it is on the younger side and I think I no longer pull that off also, I found it a bit too sweet for hotter days and decided to sell with no regrets. I just wasn't wearing it so, with that in mind a 1 Million Cologne shouldn't sound at all appealing to me, in fact it didn't but I guess I'm just a sucker for underrated, discontinued fragrances and decided to pull the trigger as I found one at the right price.
1MC opens with a very nice mandarin note with very subtle marine hue, it's a really nice opening that is then followed by a tender 'urine' accord (not really, I read some people mention it has a smell of urine which it hasn't but there's an undertone somewhere that I could understand why someone would misinterpret as 'urine'). The mid is powdery and floral, the rose is present and centerstage but it's not overpowering it goes along great with the cinnamon and leather in the base. Even though it's supposed to be a summer fragrance I feel that with this rose and leathery backbone it's a little more formal than Invictus Aqua and others in the subgenre, in fact I feel it's a very good office fragrance. It is also on the younger side but it can be worn by anyone under the right circumstance.
Performance is fine, projects moderately and you can get 7hrs longevity easily, also presentation is very nice so would I recommend it? Yes, just not as a blind buy.
it's starting to feel like a witch hunt
I don't understand all the hate this fragrance gets, of course I'm basing this on my personal experience which so far and after wearing for the first time has been actually very good.
Andrés Croxatto is a beloved fragrance youtuber and people was very excited for his fragrance, the first red flag was when he announced the cost of the fragrance which was very expensive for an emerging brand we had no previous experiences with so it was a leap of faith but nothing to concern about however, it was after it was released in Spain where things started to sour when he just could not accept any criticism and dismissed everyone stating the fragrance was too complex for people to understand it and that's when became targeted by most of his followers.
Nevertheless, share our passion for fragrances and discuss our experiences with them and not to assess based on whether you like the brand owner or not so... I finally got ahold of Andrés Croxatto Man and want to go a bit deeper than I usually go because of how divisive this fragrance is so let's go in order:
Presentation: Based on the videos I was VERY disappointed by the presentation, I know it's all about the juice however you don't get a Rolex in a plastic bag right? If you're selling quality you need the feel that, unboxing should be great experience and for that I believe Redolessence's Navitus is a great example on how to do things however, when I got my bottle I was surprised, yes the box is an average box just like the one you'd find on an Armani or a Hugo Boss but the bottle is really nice. It's minimalistic but it's nicely shaped and doesn't feel cheap at all (without being luxurious) it's just nice, the cap on the other hand does feel cheap and could use an upgrade so all in all it's fine.
7/10
The Scent: It's actually really nice! I believe the opening is the most interesting part however fleeting it is. It opens very green with a classic feel, like one of those old fougeres but with a modern twist, this is my favorite part of the fragrance so it's a shame it really does last like 10mins and then turns into a fruity vanilla that is nice, just not as fun as the opening.
7.5/10
Performance: This is where the issue seems to be but I don't see a real issue.
I get a decent (above average) performance. I can easily smell it on myself within 5th hour, after that if was harder to smell but every once in a while I got whiffs of it every now and then. By the 7th hour the scent bubble was closer to the skin but if you were close you could smell it and it was strong (based on girlfriend's opinion) and by the 10th hour it was pretty much gone. This is no beast mode and it's not even close to what Andrés mentioned when describing it but if I can get 9 hours out of 7 sprays then it's good enough.
8/10
Pricing: Yeah, there's no defending it, it's too expensive for what it is even if it's pleasant and performs fine. 100 euros would've made much more sense.
4/10
So, should leave angry comments at Andrés for this? hell no, I believe this is a good first release by Andrés and Chris Maurice (Carbonnel). Should you stay away from it? no, just try to get a decant and test it for yourself as this isn't the scam most people make it to be
Andrés Croxatto is a beloved fragrance youtuber and people was very excited for his fragrance, the first red flag was when he announced the cost of the fragrance which was very expensive for an emerging brand we had no previous experiences with so it was a leap of faith but nothing to concern about however, it was after it was released in Spain where things started to sour when he just could not accept any criticism and dismissed everyone stating the fragrance was too complex for people to understand it and that's when became targeted by most of his followers.
Nevertheless, share our passion for fragrances and discuss our experiences with them and not to assess based on whether you like the brand owner or not so... I finally got ahold of Andrés Croxatto Man and want to go a bit deeper than I usually go because of how divisive this fragrance is so let's go in order:
Presentation: Based on the videos I was VERY disappointed by the presentation, I know it's all about the juice however you don't get a Rolex in a plastic bag right? If you're selling quality you need the feel that, unboxing should be great experience and for that I believe Redolessence's Navitus is a great example on how to do things however, when I got my bottle I was surprised, yes the box is an average box just like the one you'd find on an Armani or a Hugo Boss but the bottle is really nice. It's minimalistic but it's nicely shaped and doesn't feel cheap at all (without being luxurious) it's just nice, the cap on the other hand does feel cheap and could use an upgrade so all in all it's fine.
7/10
The Scent: It's actually really nice! I believe the opening is the most interesting part however fleeting it is. It opens very green with a classic feel, like one of those old fougeres but with a modern twist, this is my favorite part of the fragrance so it's a shame it really does last like 10mins and then turns into a fruity vanilla that is nice, just not as fun as the opening.
7.5/10
Performance: This is where the issue seems to be but I don't see a real issue.
I get a decent (above average) performance. I can easily smell it on myself within 5th hour, after that if was harder to smell but every once in a while I got whiffs of it every now and then. By the 7th hour the scent bubble was closer to the skin but if you were close you could smell it and it was strong (based on girlfriend's opinion) and by the 10th hour it was pretty much gone. This is no beast mode and it's not even close to what Andrés mentioned when describing it but if I can get 9 hours out of 7 sprays then it's good enough.
8/10
Pricing: Yeah, there's no defending it, it's too expensive for what it is even if it's pleasant and performs fine. 100 euros would've made much more sense.
4/10
So, should leave angry comments at Andrés for this? hell no, I believe this is a good first release by Andrés and Chris Maurice (Carbonnel). Should you stay away from it? no, just try to get a decant and test it for yourself as this isn't the scam most people make it to be
2 Comments
Sophisticaded, modern, classy, unique and decadent
I didn't always see eye to eye with Aaron, I tried some of his frags and they were nice but I always felt they were missing a certain something to become all they could be (my humble opinion). Arabica is real nice, real interesting note breakdown but there's some thing missing, that 'oomph' that would take it to the next level. Same thing with Blood Orange, Ozone and Neon, they are very good but something is missing so, I wanted to try something else and didn't want to go all in on a bottle so I got some 10mls and among them I got Boss Bastard.
There is something about Boss Bastard, it has some brightness in the opening, some citrusy notes with just the right amount of sweetness that works wonders for the top but then comes the woody notes supporting the opening and the tobacco here is done wonderfully, tobacco is just right to turn it darker. This is an alpha man fragrance for sure, he who wears this is a man with a plan, a boss, a gentleman, a player, someone with ambition, confident, in control. This is a man who dominates every room he's in because Boss Bastard is gentlemanly, sophisticated, modern, classy, unique, commanding and not sure if it's the way the tobacco is done or if it's that 'dirt accord' ATH uses but there's some decadence to it and it's just amazing.
Performance is awesome, you may want to wash up before going to bed cause other wise your pillow will constantly remind you how you wore Boss Bastard a few days ago. I'm ranking the pricing as 'average' cause this is an expensive scent however it's worth every penny
There is something about Boss Bastard, it has some brightness in the opening, some citrusy notes with just the right amount of sweetness that works wonders for the top but then comes the woody notes supporting the opening and the tobacco here is done wonderfully, tobacco is just right to turn it darker. This is an alpha man fragrance for sure, he who wears this is a man with a plan, a boss, a gentleman, a player, someone with ambition, confident, in control. This is a man who dominates every room he's in because Boss Bastard is gentlemanly, sophisticated, modern, classy, unique, commanding and not sure if it's the way the tobacco is done or if it's that 'dirt accord' ATH uses but there's some decadence to it and it's just amazing.
Performance is awesome, you may want to wash up before going to bed cause other wise your pillow will constantly remind you how you wore Boss Bastard a few days ago. I'm ranking the pricing as 'average' cause this is an expensive scent however it's worth every penny
2 Comments
It's worth the while if you give it a chance
When I first got Shades of Kolam it was a little disappointing, it wasn't bad at all but nothing extraordinary or exciting so it went to the back of the fragrance cabinet however, me being a Issey Miyake fan I decided to revisit it today.
Man, was I wrong about this fragrance! I've been getting whiffs of it all day and it's heavenly. The bergamot and grapefruit team up with the tea giving it a fresh but soothing feel, very nice, in addition to that I get a strong fig milk with a creamy coconut feel which is strange as this is what I get the most and none of them are listed in the notes and then there is the cashmeran which feels a little synthetic but Kolam pulls it off alright.
Performance on this is very decent for a freshie, I get easily 7 hours just spray freely and don't be shy. Projection is also real good, I'm impressed. This is certainly a spring/summer scent, it's ideal for warm days I just wouldn't recommend it for scorching hot days as this milky note may be a little heavy in the dead of summer.
A very nice release by Issey Miyake, I'm really glad to have it in my collection specially since I've read many comments about this being discontinued.
Man, was I wrong about this fragrance! I've been getting whiffs of it all day and it's heavenly. The bergamot and grapefruit team up with the tea giving it a fresh but soothing feel, very nice, in addition to that I get a strong fig milk with a creamy coconut feel which is strange as this is what I get the most and none of them are listed in the notes and then there is the cashmeran which feels a little synthetic but Kolam pulls it off alright.
Performance on this is very decent for a freshie, I get easily 7 hours just spray freely and don't be shy. Projection is also real good, I'm impressed. This is certainly a spring/summer scent, it's ideal for warm days I just wouldn't recommend it for scorching hot days as this milky note may be a little heavy in the dead of summer.
A very nice release by Issey Miyake, I'm really glad to have it in my collection specially since I've read many comments about this being discontinued.
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