Victorinox Swiss Army House Review

Image source: www.pixabay.com

Hello ladies and gentleman! I hope today is finding you in good spirits! Today I am reviewing a house that is normally associated with a multi-tool style knife like you see in the above picture, but they have tried their hands at making fragrances. I have two fragrances from them which I will briefly cover in my review. Let's get into it!


The Fragrances

Victorinox Swiss Army(VSA for short from here on out) has come out with a line of fragrances for both men and women.  Their first fragrance was released in 1997 and goes by the name of Swiss Army. The fragrance house seeks to encapsulate the smells of the outdoors to recall you back to those times of wonders and triumph.


Swiss Army Forest

Presentation

The bottle is pretty cool. I like the whole wood(although it's not real wood) cap and base theme and the pine colored bottle. The atomizer works very well also. No complaints as far as that goes.

Notes

Top
Lemon, Juniper, Nutmeg

Mid
Clary Sage, Violet, Cedar

Base
Cypress, Siberian Pine, Wood Moss

The Scent

The official VSA website describes this fragrance as such, " Inspired by the forest and suffused with a sense of adventure, the Swiss Army Forest Collection combines the fresh, uncompromising air with the unrelenting strength of the trees. So you can enjoy nature, wherever the journey takes you."

Going off those notes...this sounds like a nice foresty fragrance. I mean how can you mess this up? Well, sadly they did. The opening isn't bad. It's actually decent with a blast of woods and lemon. However, the dry down smells like a cheap knock-off of Irish Spring shower gel. Granted, Irish Spring is very budget friendly already. I do like Irish Spring, but this one just smells worse. I mentioned some of my distaste for this one in my "5 Least Favorite Fragrances in My Collection" post, so I won't go into massive detail here. You can read that article here if you'd like.

It's just overall a messy fragrance to my nose that doesn't resemble anything in the natural world. Some people seem to like it and it does have good longevity and projection. It's just not something I am going to wear. I tried to love it, as you can see by the juice level, but I just couldn't. Maybe if I go back to it in the warmer months it will be better.

Swiss Army Rock

Presentation

The bottle looks nice. However, the VSA shield at the bottom is supposed to look like a rock. It's cheap plastic and it was glued on. So, the glue gave out and now there is a sticky residue on the bottle and around where the emblem was placed. The atomizer also sticks in the down position after you spray it. I get that sometimes a fragrance company might have an issue and bad bottles do get out, but 2 problems with one bottle? That is poor quality control to me. The atomizer does spray well for the first spray, until you have to pull it back up to spray it again.


Notes

Top

Artemisia, Lavender, Cumin

Mid
Nutmeg, Cedar, Incense

Base
Leather, Benzoin, Patchouli


The Scent

The VSA website describes this one as such, "Elegant, strong, authentic – ROCK brilliantly combines all of these virtues. The fragrance impresses by its vibrant, spicy note with a mineral accent that gives it a distinct elegance."

This fragrance isn't as disliked as the Forest one. However, it's still not good. To me, it smells like stale bubble gum that has been sitting on a rock in the sun. There is nothing elegant about it to me. It does have a mineral accord and I am not sure which note is making that happen. It has a sweetness to it, but not a good kind. It's a subdued kind that hides behind the mineral accord. Some people might enjoy this one. It is somewhat different, but it's just not for me.


Overall House Impression

As you can tell from my reviews, I am not a fan of this house. I have only tried two of their fragrances though, but these two did leave a bad taste in my mouth based on fragrance quality and the quality control of their bottles. Such a shame that a company that is known for revolutionizing the knife industry did this in the fragrance industry. These bottles retail for $56 for 100ml. You can get them on Fragrancenet for much cheaper. Around $20 each. I would advise against it, but maybe you will like them and have a better experience.

I will say this though, I have Cuba Prestige Black, which is supposedly a clone of Swiss Army(the original fragrance that they made). It's okay. It's a pretty safe and generic scent, but it smells good. So, if Swiss Army smells like that then maybe I just bought the worst ones from the house. I will have to pick up Swiss Army and test for myself at some point.


Sorry folks, I normally don't do negative reviews, but I thought people should be made aware of my issues with this house. I hope you enjoyed it as always. If you want to support my blog you can hit the blue follow button on the right-hand side of the page. have a great evening everyone! Until next time, keep smelling fantastic!

Valentino Uomo Review

Image source: www.fragrantica.com

Hello ladies and gentleman! I hope today find in a fantastic mood and very blessed! Today I am going to review a fragrance that I actually finished a decant of(which is somewhat rare), so it's one I like, but no longer have. So, forgive me if I forget any of the notes in this one. Let's get into it!

Okay, it's not quite finished, but almost 💔

Presentation

I only have a decant from Scentbird. No, this video is not sponsored by them because I don't suggest them. Most of you folks know what a Scentbird decant looks like so I won't go into it. The actual bottle of this fragrance is certainly unique and aesthetic though!


Notes

Top 
Bergamot, Myrtle

Mid
Hazelnut, Dark Chocolate, Coffee

Base
Leather, Cedar


Scent

Opening
This fragrance is all about the mid notes in the opening. It gives off an almost Nutella type vibe. Given the notes in the mid, it's understandable. I only get a slight bit of coffee, it's used more to round out the chocolate I think. Very nice sweet gourmand opening with a slight nuance of bergamot.

Dry Down
This is where it gets interesting. It gets less gourmand-y(yes, I know, Nutella was great while it lasted) and more masculine. Some refined, woody, and tame cedar add a touch of elegant spice, while the smooth leather adds its masculine punch to the mix. Wait, what's that? Some sort of soapy accord? Yes, this fragrance does have a bit of soapiness to it. Not like the intense version and it's not dominant, but it adds elegance to it. The myrtle is responsible for it. You know...I grew up in SC and have been to Myrtle Beach many times and I don't recall myrtle trees smelling like that. Oh well...What you are left with it a somewhat sweet leather with some soapiness and a bit of spice and wood. It's pretty nice.

Longevity
I hear the 2018 batches are weaker, but I cannot attest to that. The batch I had was good for at least 8-9 hours with a nice arm's length scent bubble. Also leaving an impressive sillage trail, considering it's an EDT.

When to Wear it
Cool to cold weather. This fragrance will cut through the cold. I think in the warmer weather it would be too sweet and the leather would come out too strongly. I would wear this mostly dressed up a bit. Even if it's only business casual. This fragrance has some class and I don't think a t-shirt and jeans embodies its style very well,

Overall Impression

This is a very good fragrance. It's not one of my favorites, but I certainly think it's full bottle worthy, even though I don't have one yet. These days it often gets overshadowed by its younger brother, Uomo Intense, and its resemblance to the ever popular Dior Homme Intense. I don't think that is fair for this fragrance. It has character and can stand out its own. The gourmand-y feel certainly makes it feel different. Some people say this smells like Dior Homme, but I disagree. Dior Homme is much more powdery, whereas this is smooth. The whole makeup vibe in Dior Homme isn't in Valentino Uomo. They are completely different fragrances to my nose. One day I will do a comparison of the two.


That's it for today. I hope you enjoyed! If you want to support my blog then you can hit the blue follow button at the right-hand side and +1 my content through Google. Thank you so much for the support!  Have a fantastic day and keep smelling amazing!

Myfragrancesamples.com Giveaway Winner

Hello everyone! Thank you to everyone who participated in the first giveaway on my blog! I appreciate all of the support! I hope those of you who followed with find my content informative and entertaining!

Now for the winner...

Number 13, which is Julie Hua! Julie, if you would be so kind as to send me a PM on Facebook then I will give you the code for the voucher. My name is John Harper on there. You have 48 hours to claim your voucher. So, until 7PM EST, Monday, January 7th.

In case anyone is wondering how I counted 13, some were double comments and only the first one counted. Roland replied to another comment, but he still followed the blog, so I counted it.

Thank you, everyone, for participating and until next time, keep smelling good!

My 5 Least Favorite Fragrances in My Collection

Image source: www.pixabay.com

Hello ladies and gentleman! I hope everyone is having a fantastic day. Today I am going to cover my 5 least favorite fragrance in my collection. I have around 85-90 fragrances right now and these are ones that I regretted blind buying or I just never wear them. Let's get into it!


Number 5: Burberry Weekend

This one is at number 5 because it's not a bad fragrance, it's just okay. I just never find myself reaching for this one very often. As you can see from the fragrance level in the picture...I have tried to love this one, but I just can't. Which is sad to me because I love Burberry, but this one just doesn't do it for me. The ivy note just throws me off every time and I worry about people thinking I smell like a citronella candle. On a side note...I wonder if this fragrance would repel mosquitoes? Further testing will be needed in the summer 😋

Number 4: Avon Tomorrow for Him

This is admittedly one of the better Avon fragrances as far as quality goes. However, I had had this bottle for probably 8 years now and look at the juice level. It's because it has anise and licorice in it. Which I really dislike. I can handle a little licorice smells in the background, but it's front and center in this one. Just not my cup of tea. It would probably be nice for someone who enjoys those notes. The cocoa and amber are nice in it though.


Number 3: Coty Aspen

This is not a bad fragrance. It's good even. It's only like 8 bucks as well. However, I never reach for it because I have a decant of Green Irish Tweed and Tres Nuit. I also just received an inspiration of GIT from Genre Parfums. So, I have even less of a reason to wear it now. It's just redundant in my collection and it can't compete with any of those other 3. It is a good fragrance that you can just spray and go, but ultimately it just doesn't win out for me. Even though the take on GIT is a more foresty one, which I do enjoy. It's just not something I think of when I am picking out my fragrances, so that means it doesn't have a big impact on me.


Number 2: Avon Black Suede

Old formulation on the left. New one on the right

This fragrance has somewhat of a cult following to it. I actually like this one. I just never wear it because it leans mature. The old formulation on the left is a bottle I have had since high school in the early 2000s/ My mom sold Avon, as I stated before, so I wore this in high school. I haven't really touched it since I got into collecting fragrances. The new formulation is nice. It still leans mature to me, but I do wear it every now and then. It's smoother than the old one. So, for clarity's sake, the one on this list is the old formulation which I don't care for anymore.


Number 1: Victorinox Swiss Army Forest

Alright, this one...I was so excited to get this one. It was a blind buy. A fragrance that an outdoor company made to smell like a forest? Awesome! I got it and sprayed it. It was synthetic, but it still smelled okay, so I was still down with it. Then came the dry down...The foresty quality left and it turned into this gross Irish Spring type shower gel. Very synthetic and cheap smelling. Don't get me wrong, I love the smell of Irish Spring, but this...It was just torture to my nose. Unfortunately, this fragrance is rather strong and has good projection and longevity, so even scrubbing it off hardly helped. I don't usually bash fragrances very often, but this one was just a complete mess. Maybe you will get a different vibe. It has some good reviews on Fragrantica. To each their own, but this one is certainly not for me. I might do a review on this house at some point. I also ordered their Rock fragrance, which I don't care for. The sprayer sticks on that one(Rock) and the glued symbol came off it in shipping. Very poor quality control. So, I caution you to try out samples from this house before buying a full bottle.


I hope everyone enjoyed the review! Sorry that this one was a bit more negative than most of my reviews. I hope everyone has a good day! Hitting that blue follow button or +1'ing the article really helps my content get noticed so I would be very appreciative if you did!

The giveaway for the $50 gift voucher to myfragrancesamples.com is still going on until Saturday, January 5th, until 5 PM. Here is a link if you want to get in on it:http://musingsofafraghead.blogspot.com/2019/01/myfragrancesamplescom-review-and.html

Avon Blue Rush Intense Review

Hello ladies and gentleman! I hope this day finds everyone in good health and very blessed. Today I am covering a fragrance by a company that quite honestly is known for making generic fragrances. However, I believe this one, Avon Blue Rush Intense, is pretty decent.

Presentation

It comes it a dark blue glass bottle with a cheap plastic cap. Blue Rush Intense is inscribed on the top of the cap. The atomizer works fine. If you look at the inside of the bottle at the base, you can see this water ripple type effect. Overall, I think it's a pretty cool bottle, even if it's not a high-quality one.


Notes

Top
Kiwi, Bergamot, Clementine

Mid
Lavender, Geranium, Water Notes

Base
Cedar, Sandalwood, Vetiver

Scent

Opening
This fragrance opens with a blast of kiwi, clementine, and water notes. The vetiver comes into play as well. It gives it this whole deep ocean feel. It smells like it has depth, unlike many of the Avon fragrances that I have smelled. It's fresh, but it also has some depth to it. This fragrance also has an ozonic feel because of the water notes.

Dry Down
On the dry down, this fragrance is a pretty nice casual aquatic. Still maintaining depth, but more of the woods come out in the phase. It still smells like the deep waters of the ocean, but with a bit more character now. The lavender is used beautifully in creating this sensation.

Longevity
I get around 6 hours with this one. 1 1/2 to 2 hours of projection (about 3 feet), then it nestles to the skin. This is pretty decent considering I get 2-3 hours from most Avon fragrances, although it's still not impressive. It's just okay. It does leave a decent sillage trail as well.

When to Wear
This fragrance is for the summer. It could also get by in spring, but it's best suited for summer. It could be worn in the daytime or at night. Casually only, as most aquatics are.

Overall Impression
It's good, but not great. It is one of the top 3 Avon fragrances I have smelled for men. I have smelled a bunch too. My mom used to work for Avon so, I have around 20 fragrances from them. It's deep, has some character and is great for casual wear. This one was worth the purchase price for me. Sadly, it is discontinued now and near impossible to find. If you do find it, the prices are outrageous. It's worth around $25 to me, so if you can find it around that then give it a shot. Not many collectors will have this one.

Thank you once again for the support! It means a lot. Welcome to all of my new followers! I hope you enjoy my reviews! Until next time I hope everyone stays blessed!

The giveaway is still going on until Saturday, January5, 2019 at 5pm EST. So, if you want to get in on that, check it out here:
https://musingsofafraghead.blogspot.com/2019/01/myfragrancesamplescom-review-and.html

Myfragrancesamples.com Review and Giveaway

Hey there ladies and gentleman! I hope this day finds you blessed and in good health! Today I am going to bring you something I haven't done before. A review of a website and a giveaway of a $50 gift voucher to that site. Let's get into it!


The Story

I thought before I get into anything I would tell you fine folks about how Mark and I "met"(when I say met, I mean on Facebook, not in person). Every good thing that happens usually has a good story behind it. I don't know how entertaining this one is, but it is how it happened.

I had seen Mark Mobley(the owner of Myfragrancesamples.com) around the FragComm a lot. He seemed to always be a gentleman and people spoke very highly of his decanting services. I tend to notice when people get a lot of glowing reviews in the FragComm. I read most of the posts from people in the groups I am in.

Well, I checked out his site one day and wanted to order something to try it out, but I opted to buy something else at the time. About two weeks after that I made a post about amber fragrances and he commented on it. He said that he had a really nice amber fragrance in stock. It was Davidoff Amber Blend. I went to order it, but with myself being technologically inclined at times I couldn't find it. I ended up ordering a decant of Royal Oud instead. I told Mark that I couldn't find it, so he sent me a sample of it with my Royal Oud.

After that, I started my blog and I was talking to him about some of my plans for it. I said I might do some giveaways on it. He said that he would be happy to sponsor a giveaway for me to help attract people to my blog. Keep in mind that he didn't say I had to review his site to do so, that was my idea. I planned on reviewing his site anyways, but this just made more sense to do it this way. So, here we are...


The Site

Address- www.myfragrancesamples.com

Facebook Page- https://www.facebook.com/myfragrancesamples/
(It's a good idea to join the Facebook group because Marks sells partials, offers new releases on here. He also hosts his giveaways on here. Make sure to like it to show him some love.)


My Impression

Cost
Mark's prices are competitive with most online decanters, even cheaper in some instances. You also have to factor in that he does not charge taxes and he offers free shipping and a free sample with each order. The price you see it marked at is the price you pay. I bought 15ml of Penhaligon's LP No 9 for $14 I think it was. That's a pretty good deal to me.

My 15ml of Penhaligon's LP No 9(left) and 5ml of Creed Royal Oud(right)

Presentation
It's a pretty simple presentation. Nothing fancy or overdone. The bottles are labeled clearly and the atomizers work fine. They are glass bottles as well. Although the samples do come in plastic bottles, they are used up quickly, so no worries about that.

Shipping
My first order from myfragrancesamples.com was shipped 2 hours after I ordered it. Yes, 2 hours. That is the fastest I have ever had anything shipped. He's not always this fast, but he does get them out as quickly as he can. His shipping is always free, regardless of the order amount. So, you can spend $5 or $200 and the shipping will be free. Take note that he only ships to the continental US and Puerto Rico. If you want him to ship somewhere else you will have to message him directly and inquire about it.

Fragrance Selection
Myfragrancesamples.com carries over 700 men's, women's, and unisex fragrances. These include indie, designer, niche, and even new releases. He adds new fragrances every week, so be sure to check back often. I know he recently was selling some Bond No 9 Lafayette Street and Versace Eros Flame. Sizes range from 2ml up to 50ml. He also sells some full bottles. So, he has plenty to choose from. If you can't find what you are looking for send Mark a message. He might be able to work something out.

Free Samples
He gives you a free sample with every order. No, these aren't carded samples you get from Belk. These are 2ml bottles with atomizers. It's like a mini version of the 5ml of Royal Oud that you see above. They are good samples too. He doesn't just send you something generic like Sauvage or Bleu de Chanel. My first order he sent me Davidoff Amber Blend(which is not a super cheap fragrance and it is quite difficult to find in the US) and my second order he sent me Robert Graham's Valour. He knows I like amber, so he is sending me stuff that he thinks I will like. So, you will most likely get a sample of something that he thinks you will like based on what you purchased.

Passion
Mark is a stand-up guy who is passionate about fragrances. He is well spoken and a perfect gentleman. I don't imagine he makes very much from this business. His main goal seems to be spreading the love and joy of fragrances to others.

I think his alter ego is Santa Claus. He randomly decides to give stuff away at times. I am not talking about little samples either. He has given away $100 gift vouchers, full bottles of fragrances, and other things away too. He also did a raffle around Christmas time to help some FragComm families in need. While others were worried about what fragrances to put on their Christmas lists, Mark was thinking about "How can I give back?".


Conclusion
I wouldn't agree to work with a business unless I believe in it and like the person who runs it. I am all about integrity. Mark has shown time and time again that he has plenty of this. There aren't enough good people in the world these days, so I try my best to support and help those small businesses that are run by good-hearted people.

You won't go wrong dealing with him. His value, shipping, and customer service are top of the line. If you are on the fence, then just buy a small decant from him and you will see what I mean. Even better, enter in this giveaway for a $50 gift voucher and you can try his site out for free. Which leads me to...


The Giveaway
I am giving away one $50 gift voucher to myfragrancesamples.com courtesy of Mark.

Rules
All you have to do is follow my blog by hitting the blue follow button at the top right-hand side of the screen. If you have any issues finding this or you don't know if you have done it correctly feel free to PM me on Facebook. I will be glad to make sure it worked for you.

The second thing you need to do is name a fragrance that you have been wanting a decant of the most in the comments section. You have to post in the comments section on this blog post, not on my Facebook post. That way I can know if you follow my blog and that you want to be entered in the giveaway.

This giveaway will end on Saturday, January 5, 2019 at 5pm EST. If you comment more than once, only your first comment will be credited. I will be using a random number picker app to choose the winner. The number will correlate with the order that I see the comments on my screen. I will make a new blog post announcing the winner and will post it in the fragrance groups that I am in. If you want to receive updates on my blog you can put your email address in the box at the top and it will notify you when I post.

Note: In case you didn't read everything above, myfragrancesamples.com only ships to the continental US and Puerto Rico. 

Thank you all for tuning in. Have a great day and good luck with the giveaway! Thank you for your support and a very special thank you goes to Mark for his outstanding generosity to make this happen and believing in a small-time blogger like me.

My Fragrance Goals for 2019

Image source: www.pixabay.com

I hope everyone is having a fantastic start to the new year! I was going to do a  New Year's resolution post, but I decided to just do this instead. I am going to cover some goals I have for fragrances and this blog for 2019. These are not in numerical order, they are just numbered for cleanliness. Let's get into it! 


1. Spend Less

Isn't this a goal that most of us have? To save more money? I am sort of frugal to begin with because I wouldn't spend over $200 on a fragrance. Some of the higher priced fragrances just haven't overly impressed me. Sure, some niche brands like Creed and PdM make some great fragrances, but their price to value ratio isn't as high as one would expect. One of my most worn fragrances(Burberry Touch) cost me around $25. Yeah, it's nice to have a fragrance like Royal Oud to wear for a special occasion, but I don't need 40 special occasion fragrances. Even though, being a review I should still get decants of them for review purposes. So, I am speaking more or less about full bottles.


2. Less Blind Buys

This one is hard for me since I live in a small city. We don't have very many fragrance stores here. It makes it difficult to go out and test fragrances, especially niche fragrances. So, I often have to opt for decants to see if I like something first. Which I know, most of us do anyway. My problem is researching a fragrance that costs $20 bucks and seeing that it has good reviews and say, "It's only 20 bucks." and blind buying it. Then that fragrance isn't one that I really like, so it sits there and collects dust. Usually, it's not very cost effective to get decent of $20 fragrances. I am not sure what the solution to that is.


3. Expand My Collection

"Wait a minute, John! You just said you want to spend less money!". Yeah, I know you are probably thinking that, but as a reviewer, I need to expand my collection and try to bring new content to you folks. It gets hard sometimes, especially when you are not working(which I should be working again here soon), to afford fragrances to make content with. I do need to expand my collection and get a better variety of fragrances. I am thankful to a few dear friends of mine who have sent me some decants and stuff as well, so that helped out a lot.


4. Give My Blog an Identity

Some of the fragrances that I have reviewed you can find on any major reviewer's channel. I want to branch out of that, even though those are fragrances that I enjoy. I want to find more under the radar gems and cheapies that are worth more than their price indicates. That is what really drives me. Finding a diamond in the rough. I want to make my blog more budget friendly.


5. Buy More Clones

Yep, clones. I know how some of you loathe that word. I like clones. No, they don't always smell like the original. In fact, none of them do. They are called inspirations for a reason. They are inspired by the fragrances, not a carbon copy of it. Most of them give the same vibe or can be very close to the average nose. They are also very budget friendly. I will be doing a review on a clone house that some of you might not know about in the next week, Genre Parfums. He charges only $25 for a 30ml bottle. So, stay tuned for that sometime next week.

I understand why some people like the natural quality of the original fragrances and there is nothing wrong with that. There is nothing wrong with clones either. I just prefer to not have to shell out an extra $150 to get the real thing when I am content with a clone. I don't know, maybe it's the Scottish blood. People say we tend to be frugal.


6. Reach 100 Followers

Yes, I know. I only have 10 followers right now, well 9 to be exact because one of them is me. It would be really cool to be able to hit that this year though. If you are interested in following my blog you only need to hit the blue follow button at the top right of the page. It's like how a subscription on Youtube works. It helps give me some exposure and helps other people find my content. So, if you enjoy my content, I would be most appreciative if you would. I will probably host some giveaways at some point when I reach certain thresholds of followers.


7. Get a Better Camera

Yes, I know. My pictures are pretty lame and low quality. Once I start working again I plan on getting a better one to take higher quality pictures for this blog. It would also allow me to stop using image hosts for some of my pictures and taking more of my own.


Okay, ladies and gentleman, that is all for today. I hope you enjoyed this post. Feel free to hit that +1 button if you agree with my goals. Also. leave me a comment below this post if you want to see anything from my blog this coming year. I hope everyone has a fantastic and successful new year!