Hello Lovelies,

You’ve got Portia from AustralianPerfumeJunkies coming at you! How lucky am I? A mini bottle of today’s fragrance and a couple of delicious samples arrived in with a bunch of things I bought from Birgit at Olfactoria’sTravels fragrance cupboard cleanout. I have had it on my desk to try and today is the day.

Back in the 1990’s and early 2000s you could hardly turn around without smelling some gent who was wafting the incredible, and still often on bestseller lists, Aqua di Gio for Men by Armani. It was ubiquitous and gym dressing rooms fairly reeked of it, I think a more than 50/50 ratio were spritzing with abandon. Men and women thought, and think, it smells great, is sexy, long lasting and noticeable but not overly intrusive. Some of these beliefs are untrue. I dated someone who wore Aqua di Gio and I thought that it was the sexiest smell on earth for a while too. Of course fashions and tastes change over time and we find ourselves 15 years from Aqua di Gio’s introduction, how to renew interest?

Aqua di Gio Essenza EdP by Giorgio Armani 2012

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Cold fresh water, bergamot, grapefruit, calone (melon)
Heart: Jasmine, basil, sage, floral paradisone
Base: Patchouli, cedar, vetiver, ambrox, ambergris, pepper, clary sage

Water and fruit, the idea of water and fruit rather than what they really smell like, a hint, nod or referral to what they are is exactly how Aqua di Gio Essenza opens, but not fresh water; salty chlorinated pool water. Maybe it’s the herbs coming from the heart or the words that I can hardly spell, let alone imagine their smell, or perhaps the ambergris or vetiver accord sings right through the scent but I get a definite salty twist to the citrus/melon. Maybe it’s all the visuals in the advertising campaign?

The feeling of slight sunburn on the warm, windy beach, that delicious lick of your lips as you head back towards the car on your way home. It is the fresh, warm summer air that whistles through the beach or pool pines and the needles underfoot. That glorious anticipatory scent of fresh cut fruit salad warming as it sits in a big bowl on the table waiting for dinner to finish.

Of flowers I get nothing but I do get fresh green herbaceous wafts and lovely warm woods hiding behind them having little peeks every now and then. Spicy pepper, black not bell. Now I’ve written that though I’m not so sure, it could be both peppers, spicy and wet together. Then wet wood or maybe forest in the rain is the final stage on my skin and the whole shebang is around 5 hours dabbed and more than 7 hours sprayed. Quite potent but not overpowering and still seems to generate that lovely fresh, just showered fragrance through its life. If you liked the original then this is a natural progression.

Photo Stolen deviantart

Further reading 1000Flowers gives history lesson and review. Well worth the effort to read.
FragranceNet has75ml/under $65
MyPerfumeSamples starts at $2/ml or $7/5m

Did someone special you know wear Aqua di Gio? Will you be updating them or introducing the new Essenza? What would be your ultimate masculine fragrance?

If you enjoyed this post from me, Portia, you may enjoy stuff over at AustralianPerfumeJunkies. That where I arrived from and we love to see visitors, new and old. drop in and say HI!

I hope all is good in your world, till tomorrow,
Portia xx

Here we see 3 different versions of the ad and a making of in under 7 minutes!!