Saturday, June 07, 2014

Fathers Day Fragrance Gift Ideas

Personally picking a gift for Father’s Day is a nightmare. More often than not I opt for the easy answer of a card and a promise of a gift at a later date. 

As the day (15 June people) fast approaches instead of leaving it to the last minute I’ve actually put some thought into potential gifts this year and while doing so thought I would categorise them and share possible ideas with my readers. 

As a bit of an aftershave freak I’ve narrowed down the type of dad to help me break this down and hopefully be a bit more helpful to potential consumers out there.  

Going back through the various reviews of aftershave I’ve done here and previously under a different guise for an opinion website here are my recommendations for gifts this Fathers Day. It's worth noting, these recommendations are good all year round for birthdays and Christmas.

The categories are: Trendy Dad, Earthy Dad and Sporty Dad (it‘s like a bastardised version of the Village People/Spice Girls).


Trendy Dad


The dad that doesn’t want to grow up (this is my dad, pushing 60 and still clinging onto the hope that he can behave like a 30 year old. He dresses in the latest trends, tries and fails to remain hip).

L’Eau D’Issey Pour Homme by Issey Miyake

An extremely light, sweet and fruity fragrance. Carnation and lily are the top notes that fade fairly quickly. Personally I can detect a hint of lemon and citrus but the notes make no such mention of such an ingredient.

Although it seemed to fade, that first initial blast from the bottle always gives me a fresh feeling and is like a fragrant wake up call. It’s a pleasant assault on the senses.

Although the smell is light it is strong and starts to get heavier over the course of the day. With woody earthy undertones of nutmeg and cinnamon I find that over time it becomes so subtle that it doesn’t leave people around you gagging, in fact you’ll be surprised by the compliments. 

With longevity, a few squirts of this will last for well over 10 hours. 

At around £30 for a 75ml bottle you can’t go wrong.

My full review of L'Eau D'Issey can be found here.

Acqua Di Gio

One of my own personal favourites you can’t go wrong with this beautiful citrus explosion. This light fragrance on contact with skin changes dramatically. The light fresh smell of citrus is still evident, and a woody undertone starts to work its way through the top notes. The major thing for me is that as it sits on the skin the strength of the fragrance magnifies making it incredibly hardwearing.

This stuff smells so good I have to remind myself not to smell my hands whenever I've used it at night. It's addictive!

This is an ideal gift and at £32 for a 50ml bottle it isn’t that expensive when you consider that it lasts, and lasts, and lasts some more. 

My full review of Acqua Di Gio can be found here.

Bvlgari Pour Homme

A massively biased entry here from me - bar Prada Luna Rossa this is my favourite fragrance of all time and at just under £30 for a 100ml bottle it represents not excellent value for money it is one of the freshest and lightest aftershaves ever.

A few sprays will fill your bathroom with the gorgeous aroma. 

On application it hits you that this is a light, citrus fragrance similar to CK One with hints of lemon and lavender. 

On dry down it continues to become lighter but much spicier on the nose.  It is such a delicate fragrance that after only a short you can’t tell that you are wearing it. 

Three tiny sprays of Pour Homme or one/two of the Extreme version cover me in a light citrus fragrance that became spicy with only the mildest of woody undertones for in excess of 10 hours. Now that is a result.

My full review of Bvlgari Pour Homme can be found here.


Fathers Day Fragrance Gift Ideas



Earthy


The dad that loves the outdoors, the man who is expert at DIY, loves to potter in the garden and is a general all round mans man.

Fahrenheit by Dior

Don’t be put off by the rather bland looking packaging to Fahrenheit, it is a hidden gem that really doesn’t get the credit it deserves. It’s reasonably priced at under £20 for a 50 ml bottle and the warm sensual fragrance with hints of hawthorn, honeysuckle, sandalwood, cedar and patchouli are to die for. 

As soon as it is applied you are struck by the warmth that this gives off on the nose and it has delightful woody overtones. On dry down you can detect hints of honeysuckle that take the edge off the warmth and stop this from being overly masculine. 

Although this is marketed as a sensual fragrance I wouldn't say that it's one of those aftershaves that will make heads turn (not unless you put too much on) in the street but it is very pleasant. 

This is a quality man's aftershave for daywear.

My full review of Fahrenheit can be found here.

Bvlgari Man Extreme

I’ve been using Bvlgari Man Extreme for just over a year and the people I work with share my view that it is one of the best hardwearing fragrances around. Unlike most of the male fragrances from Bvlgari this doesn’t have the light citrus tones, instead it plays up it’s warmth and woody blend of notes to create something completely unique.

When first applying it has the freshness of Bvlgari, light on the nose but quickly becomes heavier, warmer and with hints of spice it screams “I am man” without going too far.

60ml will set you back just over £40 but as this is the concentrate a little goes a very long way. I have found a 60ml bottle will last well over 6 months when using nearly on a daily basis.

Invictus

Invictus, an aftershave I’ve only had for around two months and bought solely on the notes advertised. It sounded great on paper and far exceeded my expectations. This is the must have for any dad who wants to be ever so unique, smell masculine while turning heads in the street. 

Not only does the bottle allow you to pretend you are lifting the Champions League trophy (yes, I can be that childish) it is an aftershave that will make you stand out in the crowd. 

The top notes of grapefruit zest provide a fresh and zesty intro to the fragrance as you prepare for the immediate dry down to warm amber and then patchouli.

50ml will cost just over £30 which can seem a touch on the expensive side but remember, when it comes to writing wills and dividing up assets, when he is torn between leaving you the house or his frankly poor collection of antique gardening tools, you’re going to get the house (please note this is gallows humour and not to be taken literally - there you can‘t sue me now)

My full review of Invictus can be found here.


Fathers Day Fragrance Gift Ideas



Sporty


The dad that hit’s the gym, likes to be fit and healthy while also trying his best to be trendy.

Ralph Lauren Polo Sport

My love affair with Polo Sport started in my late teens (sad to say nearly two decades ago now) when living with a cousin. 

The scent is strong, fresh yet very masculine. 

While the notes to Polo Sport state that this aftershave has a clean and invigorating scent that energises the skin with natural citrus extracts, soothing agents and protective emollients I don‘t find anything that stands out as soothing. 

This aside, it does have a hardwearing citrus zest that dries down to more earthy and woody undertones. Without looking at the actual ingredients, once blended I find that I can detect hints of moss and cedar wood which give it legs in the lasting power stakes.

For just over £20 you can pick up 75ml of this beauty and you will be flavour of the month. 

My full review of Polo Sport can be found here.

Chanel Allure Homme Sport


A quick confession, I adore the female version of Chanel Allure. I can be stood on a train platform and detect it from 20 paces it is so lovely so when the male version was released I just had to have it.

The initial shock of how much it costs is blown away, as are the senses as soon as you smell it. It is awesome. It does actually do what it says on the tin (well, the bottle) and blends from a fresh fragrance down to a warm and spicy hardwearing aftershave.

After around an hour you can almost feel the warmth on your nose while hints of freshness remain. It is a sensory master class with a zest that dries down to an earthy yet light woody undertone. Slight hints of spice take the edge of this making it sportier.

A few sprays and hey presto, you have a good 10 hours of coverage that will turn heads for all the right reasons wherever the wearer goes. That you can’t argue with.

At nearly £50 for 50ml this is one of the most expensive aftershaves on my list but well worth a look if you want that dazzle as your dad opens this gift from you. Chanel oozes style and quality and Allure Homme Sport does this with ease.

Armani Code Sport


With heart notes of Spearmint and Peppermint you’d think that this would leave you smelling like a lump of chewing gum - you couldn’t be more wrong. The minty top notes blend wonderfully with the mandarin and lemon to create a light citrus that is both refreshing and light. 

While it dries down to become more sensual, the ginger and base notes of rosemary give it an edge that says yes I’m sporty, but I’m also a rugged manly fragrance. 

Personally I like the initial application and the smell that lingers in the air for well over an hour before it becomes warmer. A few liberal sprays of Code Sport will leave you with an air of confidence that you smell divine.

At £45 for 50 ml again this isn’t a cheap aftershave but as it lasts for well over 12 hours from just a few sprays it has longevity making it worth the initial outlay.


Fathers Day Fragrance Gift Ideas

As always, thank you for reading and I hope that I've given you some useful ideas for a gift for your dad.

What would you recommend for a trendy, earthy or sporty dad?

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