A Masculine Gem: Fragrenza Ferrara Gardens Review(Clive Christian L for Men)

Source: www.fragrenza.com

Hello, ladies and gentleman! I hope everyone is having an amazing day today! I have another new and upcoming house for you today. I have seen this house around for a while and they made me curious due to their unique bottles and their selection of different fragrances. I also enjoyed the Italian vibe they have mixed with Arabic influence. They are a clone house, but they also have some originals. This fragrance is a clone of Clive Christian L for Men. The owner did contact me and ask me if I would review some fragrances if he sent me some and I agreed. My opinions still remain my own and I was not paid or influenced to do this review in a positive manner. Let's get into it!


Presentation

Fragenza's fragrances only come in one size currently, 60ML. Their prices are on par with other clones companies and they are slightly cheap than Alexandria and the same price per ML as Genre Parfums, for the clones at least. Their originals are slightly more expensive.

The bottles come in a mirrored silver finish. It is reflective. As other reviewers have stated, it is a fingerprint magnet. So, keep a cloth around to keep your bottles looking clean. I do enjoy the different look though. It makes this house unique.

The cap is plastic and mirrored as well. They aren't anything too special, but they fit the bottle aesthetic. They aren't super dense or flimsy plastic. They do fit snuggly on the bottle, but I wouldn't suggest picking them up by the cap because they don't click into place on the bottle.

The atomizer is crimped on instead of screwed on. This gives it a much more streamlined and high-end profile. The atomizer distributes a good amount of juice in a wide spray pattern.

The label is black with silver writing. The older labels did have an Italian style graphic in the background, but I do think the black labels look much better with his new silver bottles.

The box is white with a gray pattern on it. It has a foiled gold text and design with the Fragrenza name and logo on it. It also has the fragrance name on the front of the box. A nice touch, as most clone houses don't have fragrance names on the boxes. I don't have a picture of it, but the lighting hasn't been great because of the rain we are getting, so I will have a picture of the box in my next review. My apologies for that. I will also take a picture of the actual bottles.

Overall, I enjoy the time and care that they have put into their presentation. It shows that their goals are to be more than a clone house, but an actual serious fragrance house. Which I am not saying other clone houses aren't serious, just that Fragrenza takes their image seriously.


Notes

Top 

Grapefruit

Heart

Oud, Rose, Petitgrain

Base

Vetiver, Atlas Cedar, Fir Balsam, Musk


The Scent

Opening

Ferrara Gardens opens up with a bright and tangy grapefruit note that is only slightly bitter. It's more on the fresh side, like it was sliced around 30 minutes ago. That grapefruit note is paired with a very green and slightly floral petitgrain. I can detect a bit of the green and soapy vetiver from the base a few minutes after spray it. It opens much like a classic citrus fragrance like an Acqua di Parma.


Dry Down

As the heart notes come out you start to detect a fresh rose with a slight bit of soapiness. You also get a slight hint of smoky oud in this. It's not overbearing or very Arabic in nature. The strong vetiver and fir start to peek out a bit here as well, but they are more prominent in the dry down. It leans more towards keeping the fragrance more masculine with a bit of smoke.

When it totally dries down, you get a lot more of the fir balsam, which is slightly sweet and woody. The soapy vetiver is very noticeable in this phase, along with a slight hint of clean musk. Some peppery cedar is also a main player in the dry down, but it doesn't overtake the greenness. It's used mostly as a buffer to the smoke from the oud to keep this masculine.


Performance

Ferrara Gardens is a good performer. I get around 10 hours of longevity and 2 1/2-3 hours of projection up to 6 feet before it sits around 2 feet from the skin for another hour, after which is becomes a skin scent. It leaves a very respectable sillage trail. People will smell this around you.


When to Wear it

I think Ferrara Gardens is signature scent worthy. As long as you go easy on the sprays, then you could totally wear this in the summer. It is more suited for the spring and fall, though. I will wear it all year long though, because I think it's super versatile. This can be worn casually with a flannel and jeans or dressed up in a suit. This is certainly an overtly masculine fragrance and I couldn't see a woman wearing this.

Overall Impression

This isn't my favorite fragrance that I received from them, but I do think it's the most versatile. I do really enjoy it. It's a modern masculine fragrance with some classic notes that are updated to keep it wearable today. You won't smell like a grandfather with this one, but it does lean slightly mature. This is a gentleman's fragrance. This is something I could see James Bond wearing.

I haven't smelled Clive Christian's L for Men, but I can say this is a well-composed fragrance and it is something that I do find myself reaching for, even in this 90+ Fahrenheit heat we have going on right now.

For a $60 price tag for 60ML, this is a steal. Especially considering the price of Clive Christian fragrances. It smells way more expensive than what it costs.

Overall, if you are a fan of Green Irish Tweed and Guerlain Vetiver, then I think you should try this one out. It doesn't smell like either of them. It's a fresher fragrance than both of those, but it's in the same genre of woody green fragrances with a classic touch.


Conclusion

Ferrara Gardens is just a single example of what this house puts out. I have tried 6 of their fragrances. I will tell you right now, I enjoyed all of them. Some more than others, but they are all solid offerings. This is a house that I think you folks should take a look at. The owner actually has a Ph.D. in chemistry and knows scent profiles very well. So, I am expecting big things to come out of this house, especially in his originals line.

I hope everyone has a great rest of your night. Keep smelling great and being positive! Feel free to sign up for email notifications and hit the follow button!


Buy Ferrara Gardens here ($59.99)

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