Over the course of the year I have
been lucky enough to receive a few new aftershaves to try, some through
samples, but mainly as gifts from friends and family. While I will write them
all up individually, what better time to pick out my five favourites from 2015.
While this may be a little late
for Christmas gift ideas (er, massively late), the five below are actually perfect and in my opinion
timeless, meaning they would be great at any time of the year, and would suit most tastes in one way or the other.
Rather than just picking five
fragrances from Creed (they are all lush) I've gone for a considered selection,
and there should be something for everyone with prices ranging from £35 to
"Holy mother of God".
So, on with the show, and in no
particular order:
Penhaligons No 33
Months and months ago I was lucky
enough to be invited to the launch of No33, and even luckier to receive a
bottle of my own to try. On the night itself I took one long whiff of this and
thought, my, that smells just like Acqa di Parma, but after about thirty
minutes realised that it’s much better. Yes, it has those top citrus notes that
make it smell like Acqa di Parma but it’s like it’s been on crystal meth for a few
days – it has an intensity and lasting power that I’ve yet to experience for
something with such light head notes.
The orange and grapefruit really
do make this blend into more of a summer fragrance, but it actually varies over the
course of an hour from light, to having a rather warm heart to its final
fragrance once it has dried down.
Once dried, the Tonka bean provides sweetness not to dissimilar to
Eros by Versace but only for a few moments as the amber and tobacco balance it
out to leave a stunningly refined fragrance.
Head: Bergamot, Orange, Grapefruit, Armoise, Coriander, Clary Sage, Cypress
Heart: Lavender, Black Pepper, Ginger, Geranium, Saffron, Cardamom
Dry-down: Amber, Vetiver, Musk, Moss, Tobacco, Tonka Bean, Vanilla, Cedarwood
At £95 for a 100ml bottle this
baby isn’t cheap, in fact it’s nearly double the price of Aqua di Parma but
it’s so much better making it actually better value for money.
I wrote about this back in April
after receiving a bottle to try. At £35 for a 100ml bottle this is firmly in
the budget category for aftershave in my view but price isn’t everything and
you can pick up an excellent fragrance for under £50, as Gruhme EDT clearly
demonstrates.
The marketing blurb gives an
overview of the notes, and like No33, this starts off with light citrus notes,
but quickly becomes heavier as the lemon and lavender blend with the
peppercorn. You can read the full review of Gruhme here. Personally I have used about half
of the bottle as a little goes a long way – and I tend to only wear it when I’m
suited and booted in the office.
‘Sensual aromatic woody accord
with top notes of juniper berry, organic black peppercorn, bergamot, lemon and
lavender, a heart of patchouli and cedar, on a base of oakwood amber musks
interlaced with traces of cumin, celery seed and petitgrain.
Go on, at £35, you really can’t
argue.
This is another aftershave that I
had seen the advertising for, mentioned in passing to my wife that I would like
to try before a bottle mysteriously appeared (cheers wife). I actually wrote
about this back in March here and sadly, the bottle ran out just a month ago.
At just under £50 for 50ml this is a touch on the expensive side, buy hey, it
is Chanel and it’s worth every penny.
This and as you’ll read later,
Creed Aventus are the two aftershaves I’ve worn this year where strangers have
come up to me on public transport (awkward) and in bars (step away, you are
slowing down my drinking) and asked what it is because they like it so much.
Head: Citrus accord, Vetiver, Pink pepper.
Heart: Grapefruit, Dry Cedar notes, Labdanum.
Dry-down: Frankincense, Ginger, Sandalwood
Rather than being light like a
citrus this feels almost heavy on the skin and it certainly is invigorating,
it's like being punched in the nose by someone holding a bunch of flowers. The
Vetiver gives it a floral aroma and the pepper ensures that there is no danger
of this being mistaken for a floral perfume. That deep body straight away
screams that Bleu de Chanel is a man’s aftershave.
As the dry down starts the
grapefruit heart takes the edge off the floral scent, it does become lighter
while retaining the sharpness of pepper. It’s lovely, each stage of the process
is, and personally I like smelling it evolve.
If you want random strangers
wandering behind you and sniffing your neck than this is for you.
Dior Sauvage
What they were thinking when it came to marketing this I don't know - you can imagine the real blue sky thinking - we've got an aftershave to market, what will really bring it to life? I know, lets get Johnny Depp digging holes in the desert.......genius (cough, not).
Crap advertising aside, I only really said I wanted this after someone asked me what it was like (thanks Tom), and so I badgered the other half for a bottle. I have to say, it is rather good, but it started off so, so badly.
This is the other guff they come up with at the Dior site:
'A radically fresh composition, dictated by a name that has the ring of a manifesto. That was the way François Demachy, Dior Perfumer-Creator, wanted it: raw and noble all at once. Natural ingredients, selected with extreme care, prevail in excessive doses. Radiant top notes burst with the juicy freshness of Reggio di Calabria Bergamot. Ambroxan, derived from precious ambergris, unleashes a powerfully woody trail. Sauvage is an act of creation inspired by wide-open spaces. An ozone blue sky sprawled above a rocky landscape, white-hot beneath the desert sun.'
My first experience with this was slightly weird, after removing the lid I thought it smelt a bit like cat wee.....yes, fragrant, but not in a good way. Being persistent as I am, I continued and am thankful that I did. Personally I don't think this has a 'radically fresh composition', actually to me it is light, but fresh isn't a word I would use to describe it.
It has a deep, warm body that seems to come through from the head through to the dry down, that sweeps between woody and then an oriental spice. It's rather strange that it manages to continue to pump out a warm fragrance while being very subtle to the wearer.
While not an aftershave for all occasions I do like this a lot for daywear during the autumn and winter for long nights out. It has staying power that few aftershaves can match and smells lovely ten minutes in, and the same ten hours later.
It isn't cheap though, and you can expect to pay upwards of £50 for a 60ml bottle. That said, it's worth it.
Creed Aventus
I think I have probably saved the best (and most expensive to last). While it is simply the best aftershave I've ever wrapped my nostrils around, to buy a 120 ml bottle will require a defibrillator on standby for your wallet - that'll be £215 (f*****g how much?).
That said, for the price you are getting one of the most exquisite fragrances around in my opinion. From the moment it leaves the bottle to some ten hours later this oozes class and sophistication, with a subtle fragrance that will have people stopping and asking what it is. This has happened to me at work, on the train to work and in the pub. It seems to catch people from early twenties through to their fifties.
However, every time I spray this on I get the (rather tired now) comment "that's another £10 gone".
So, what does it smell like? Apart from heaven, the notes to this fairly old (it was released in 2010) aftershave are:
Head: Bergamot, Blackcurrant, Apple, Pineapple
Heart: Juniper Berries, Birch, Patchouli, Jasmine
Dry-down: Musk, Oak Moss, Ambergris, Vanilla
If I had been asked to describe the smell without the notes, I would easily pull out the blackcurrant and bergamot as they give it a rather tart, fruity aroma almost immediately, and the jasmine is clearly identifiable but I could have sworn this had a base of tonka bean for the sweet lingering aroma it leaves, but alas no, that is all down to the vanilla.
After learning what was actually in it I have tried so much to try and identify the notes but some simply blend in to give this an incredibly unique fragrance.
So, it smells so nice you'll want to lick yourself, it has the staying power of an unwanted guest at Christmas but costs the earth. Well boo hoo, you can't have everything and if I could, I'd have a bottle of this constantly on the go - it's perfect for every occasion.
These all come highly recommended from me, and if you get the chance, expand your collection in 2016 and give one, or all of them a try.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
The Creed bottle looks so tiny in comparison to all of the others, but it is by far the best x
ReplyDeleteI love that I always get perfume for christmas! Great idea. I got a bottle of amor amor, and loved it! Have a lovely new year xx
ReplyDeleteI bought Sauvage for my boyfriend as one of his christmas presents and he loves it :)
ReplyDeleteCreepers & Cupcakes
My eldest had Sauvage for Christmas and he loves it. May have to tempt him with a couple more of these over the year too
ReplyDeleteNeed to get hubby a new aftershave so will check these out and see which is my favourite (I mean his obviously)
ReplyDeleteThe Creed one sounds incredible - although it'd want to be for that price!!
ReplyDeleteI love the sound of the Penhaligons No 33 as well :)
Jess xo
http://just-jesss.blogspot.co.uk
I am intrigued by the use of tonka beans in Penhaligons No 33. Must get some for hubby.
ReplyDeleteI don't think I could bear to spend that much on a bottle of aftershave for my hubby as I don't think he'd appreciate it ;-)
ReplyDelete(Don't tell him I said that though) x x
I literally cannot get enough of Bleu de Chanel its all ive been wearing for years now! its one of those scents i cant get over
ReplyDeletewww.beautyandtheboy.com
It is amazing stuff, although I was creeped out when someone wandered up behind me in a bar and literally stuck their nose into my neck to have a 'proper' sniff!
Deleteive only heard of the dior and chanel ones but they all sound lovely
ReplyDeleteWow I'm intrigued now, I need to smell that Creed! Wish we had smell-o-vision :D
ReplyDeleteI want to smell Creed now too! I think that you really need to sample aftershaves as they smell different on peoples skins. The husbeast is a Channel fan
ReplyDeleteChanel Bleu and Dior Sauvage are two fragrances I will constantly be repurchasing and gifting
ReplyDeleteSophia Meola | A Beauty, Fashion & Lifestyle Blog
My hub has recently started using Sauvage and loves it but Creed sounds awesome.I don't mind paying more for a good quality scent. x
ReplyDeleteLove the way you review. Makes me want them
ReplyDeleteI was just telling my husband (who no longer wears cologne) that I wish he would start again. I will have to check out some of these fragrances to see if any pair well on him!
ReplyDeleteOh great post and I love the look of the No 33 bottles, gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteThis has been a really useful post, as I am pretty clueless when it comes to aftershave. I also like to see the bottles, which probably sounds a bit bonkers, but aesthetics matter!
ReplyDeleteThat's how I started out Lucy, I would buy my aftershave without smelling it and based entirely on how the bottle looked. I ended up with some real lemons (and not in a good way lol). Stephen
DeleteI REALLY need to get my hands on some Creed perfumes...I've heard so much about them but I've yet to try them!
ReplyDeleteBleu de Chanel is my handsdown favourite!
Bleu de Chanel is lush, it's one of my all time favourites and one I need to replace (quickly). Stephen
Delete