Viseron

Now that I can finally own a bottle of Colonia Oud, it's time for me to write a commentary on this great fragrance.

First of all I would like to answer the question how I got this fragrance. Well, I am a lover of fresh citrus scents. On the other hand, I also like oud very much as long as it is non-animal and "stinky". But I hadn't seen citrus and oud as a combination in one fragrance until I came across Colonia Oud. I have to say that I hadn't tested a single Acqua di Parma fragrance at the time of testing, somehow the brand completely missed me, as I had certain old associations with the brand in my head. This was probably due to the fact that my nearby perfumery has various Acqua di Parma fragrances on offer, but they are mostly aimed at older men. Well, that's how you can be wrong.

So because of this very interesting and unique combination of citrus and oud, I ordered a bottling. And that was when it was all about me. Exactly this Holzig freshness I have been looking for a long time!

When the notes contain oud and leather, one may tend to think of autumn or winter. But I think this fragrance is perfect for spring and summer! This is mainly due to the soapiness, which makes the fragrance appear very light and airy (is that the added coriander?) Don't get me wrong, it's always dark and mysterious, but at the same time it's airy and soapy. That's what makes it so special in my opinion. After an initial explosion of citrus fruits, the darker wood comes into its own after an hour. However, the wood and the supporting leather accord are always accompanied by something orangey throughout the fragrance's life. The fragrance is very linear - the only development is that the citrus-like character is pushed a bit more into the background, and oud and leather become the main protagonists of the composition.

I am really enthusiastic about the longevity of the fragrance, especially because this version is designated as an eau de toilette. 8 hours and more are easily in my case. The sillage is already strong in the first hour, but then it gets closer and closer to the skin, and then settles down very pleasantly, which makes the fragrance very wearable in the office. Here is another advantage: Colonia Oud is simply incredibly versatile and unobtrusive. I can't really imagine a situation in which this fragrance doesn't work. In my collection, Colonia Oud takes the place that an Oud Wood by Tom Ford would. Please don't stone me, but I've never been enthusiastic about Oud Wood and would prefer Acqua di Parma in direct comparison without hesitation. I can understand that for some people this fragrance is too one-dimensional, not complex enough, lacking depth. For me, not every fragrance has to have a 3-page list of notes and show new facets every minute. With this fragrance you know what you get when you test it briefly.

Who can I recommend this fragrance to? Try it out if you're looking for a serious, woody-fresh fragrance that's incredibly versatile. If you want to test oud without getting the full buzz, Colonia Oud is also great. You should also have a certain level of maturity to appreciate the fragrance. It is not suitable for teenagers or young men looking for the well-known "panty-dropper" scents, because it certainly doesn't fall into this category. I think there are some women out there who don't like this fragrance very much. It feels to me like it was made for me. You don't wear colonia oud for compliments. You wear it because you want to.

I once read somewhere about "church bank" associations, and somehow I can understand the comparison quite well. But don't let that put you off. For me, the scent is the first 10/10 that I give away

One more small side note: I know that Acqua die Parma has launched the new black bottles in the eau de parfum concentration. But as far as I know, Acqua di Parma's Oud EDP is one and the same fragrance. Correct me if I'm wrong.

Rojas Elysium Cologne is one of the fragrances I have loved from the beginning. If it weren't for the poor performance that has unfortunately thwarted my plans to buy such an expensive bottle. In general, I would describe myself as a lover of fresh, fruity fragrances, insofar as they don't take on that typical "shower gel character". In my search for alternatives with better staying power, I came across the house of DUA Fragrances, which probably offers qualitative dupes - or in their words "interpretations" - of famous niche fragrances in their range. At first I was deterred by the many different opinions about these fragrances and the - compared to other Dupe houses - very high prices (80$ with shipping to DE for 30ml Extrait without discount). But if you research carefully you will find that there are almost always discount actions (30%), which push the price in an acceptable direction, so that I finally bought a bottle of Supernova. Since this is not a review of DUA per se, we now come to the fragrance.

Immediately after spraying on, a mix of all kinds of citrus fruits, mixed with some berries, comes flying around my ears. This is really a fragrance explosion, which I have never experienced before in such a form - even with the original. Single notes are difficult to filter out, the most likely one is a tart grapefruit paired with lemon. If I would describe the fragrance with colors, it would be orange/yellow in the opening, with a bit of blue and red in the background. It is also a bit pungent, but not unpleasant. This explosion disappears over time, but a wonderful fruit cocktail remains on the skin, which really impresses me. For me, the fragrance doesn't develop very much either, it remains relatively linear over time, only becomes a bit "smoother" and not as sparkling as at the beginning. For me the fragrance is never really sweet, but simply refreshingly tart with a very slight sweetness in the base.

But for me, Supernova is a great example of the kind of fragrances that smell much better in the air than directly on the skin. It surrounds the wearer for the whole time a sillage that is perceived as very pleasant by people in the surrounding area. Also the staying power of Supernova is - at least on my skin - many times better than the original. It lasts for 8-9 hours on my skin and the Sillage is also available for 2-3 hours. So for a fresh scent definitely one of my best in this respect. I can't imagine any occasion where this fragrance doesn't serve its purpose. Whether in the office, at home, when going out or just to create the image of a green oasis in the sunshine - Supernova does a very good job.

At the end a little statement about the differences to the Roja. I myself have never been able to test the perfume version of Elysium, only the Cologne perfume. Supernova is supposed to be a hybrid of both. In any case, you can smell that the Roja is qualitatively on another level, but that doesn't bother me. Yes, Supernova smells somewhat synthetic - no, it doesn't bother me. I would recommend everyone to meet both if possible. For me the differences are not strong enough to pay the full price for a bottle of Roja. Also Supernova with much better performance. In the end, everyone has to make their own picture. In any case, I'm looking forward to spring to finally be able to perform this fragrance regularly again!

Welcome to the age of self-optimization! It's about becoming the most successful and best version of yourself, being successful and good looking, going to the gym 4-5 times a week if possible, plus being smart and charismatic. At least that's what a young man would suggest when he looks at the social media. You're no good if you're average. This is not the only reason why it is difficult for young people to find themselves in this society.

I think the term "average" is a very interesting term when we talk about Bleu de Chanel. A fragrance that probably everyone has smelled at least once, which is absolutely nothing new or extraordinary. Therefore, I will spare myself the exact description of the fragrance at this point, as I am not good at describing it anyway. Just a fragrance with a fresh start and a woody base, everything seen before. That's exactly how I thought when I first tested the EdT of Bleu de Chanel a few years ago while walking around town. "I like it, but it's nothing special," I thought to myself. At home then I could not take the nose off my wrist. Outside the perfumery environment, where my nose is massively overstrained anyway, I liked the scent more and more. Yes, still nothing unusual, but incredibly "smooth" and soothing. The image of a successful man described above shot into my head. In the end it's funny, because average and success somehow don't go together. At that time, however, at the beginning of my studies, I decided not to buy the fragrance and chose Dior Homme Intense, which was quite exceptional.

So a few years later, the Bleu de Chanel appeared in the perfume version, and I became curious again. So I looked at Parfumo to see the rating and was surprised that this is so high in contrast to the EdT. This time I snapped at it and was really excited about the scent. According to my untrained nose it is not very different from the EdP, but there are significant differences to the EdT. I simply feel good with the fragrance, whether at work, at university or at sports. In addition, the fragrance seems to me very balanced and simply somehow "harmonious", natural. It harmonizes with my skin in a way that other fragrances in my collection do not. Chanel fragrances have something that makes them so incredibly fragrant on my skin. But I don't know why this is especially the case with Chanel.

Of course, there are also some negative aspects here. I don't think I'm going to get a bottle of that perfume version. Why? Firstly, as I said, I don't smell any significant differences to the EdP. Second, we're talking near-niche prices. Just under 130€ for 100ml is already an announcement. It would even be worth it to me, if the Sillage wasn't so incredibly weak. And that's really the saddest thing here. What good is the scent if I don't notice it after an hour? Very close it really lasts for a long time, but does not radiate at all. This makes the EdT/EdP better.

If I had to choose a fragrance for my life, the decision would probably be BdC. I would also like to end this commentary with my question in the title. In various forums you can read again and again that the Bleu de Chanel DNA is slowly becoming outdated and that you should get something individual and newer. Therefore my question: Does it always have to be extraordinary? I'm average, and I'll stand by it!