Reviews on several scents - Trois (very long)

Yet more from my list of recently tried scents:

• Creed / Virgin Island Water - Virgin Island Water (VIW) is a fresh, sweet, unisex fougère based on the notion of a coconut island drink - sort of like a piña colada but lighter and fresher. As a different sort of scent - I like it; it has an excellent summer-on-the-beach quality about it and one I would enjoy in that type of environment. Cindy also liked it, but cautioned me against wearing it to work, as it's unsuitable for our place of business. One observation I did want to share; VIW does *not* contain the Creed house note of ambergris.
  
  
  Rating: Cindy gives it - 7.5/10; I give it - 8/10
  Longevity: 6 to 8 hours for me.
  ​
  From Basenotes:
  Top Notes: Bergamot, Lime, Mandarin, Coconut Toddy, Copra
  Middle Notes: Jasmine, Hibiscus, Ylang-ylang, Ginger
  Base Notes: Tonkin Musk, White Rum, Sugar Cane
  
  =====================
• Murray & Lanman / Florida Water - Florida Water is a citrus/cinnamon based splash, reputed to have been one of the earliest unisex scents ever produced in the US (1808). However, Murray & Lanman advertise it as the best thing since sliced bread, good for:
  
  • Aftershave
  • Bath scent
  • Rubdown
  • Astringent
  • Skin lotion
  • Deodorant
  • Room scent
  • Pre-shave
  • Headaches
  • Insect bites
  • Hot weather
  • Perfume
  • Exercise
  • Jangled nerves (seriously)
  • Hair tonic
  • "Boudoir Daintiness"
  • Head colds
  • Tired feet
  • Bad complexion
  One thing is for sure; it's longevity is better measured in seconds, rather than minutes. I think this may beat G.F. Trumper's / Extract of West Indian Limes dry down time of 5 minutes on me.
  
  Rating: Cindy gives it - n/a; I give it - 3/10 (Longevity and strong cinnamon blast)
  Longevity: <5 minutes for me. YMMV.
  ​
  From Basenotes:
  No fragrance notes listed.
  
  =====================
• Caswell-Massey / Verbena - Verbena is a pretty straight forward scent of just that - the lemony fragrance of verbena. Most citrus scents are gone in a flash, but this one does a good job of hanging around for awhile. Basically a one note composition, but it does it well.
  
  
  Rating: Cindy gives it - 7.5/10; I give it - 8/10
  Longevity: 4+ hours for me.
  ​
  From Basenotes:
  No fragrance notes listed.
  
  =====================
• Royall Lyme of Bermuda / Royall Lyme - Royall Lyme is a citrus chypre that *used* to be a lime lovers dream. I bought my first bottle of this back in college, some 30 years ago. Back then it was *much* more invigorating, with an intoxicating level of pure lime in it. Now it's spicier and less limey - a mere shadow of it's former glory. Still... Not bad. Good enough for me to keep a bottle around, and I don't allow anything I rate below an 8 to grace my shelves.
  
  
  Rating: Cindy gives it - 8/10; I give it - 8/10
  Longevity: 2+ hours for me.
  ​
  From Basenotes:
  No fragrance notes listed.
  
  =====================
• Art of Shaving / Lemon Essential Oil - Lemon Essential Oil is a citrus chypre. More of a creamy, sweet lemon rather than a crisp, dry lemon. It has powdery dry down to it that kills the scent for me, otherwise it's got good longevity and smells good.
  
  
  Rating: Cindy gives it - 5/10; I give it - 6.5/10
  Longevity: 3+ hours for me.
  ​
  From Basenotes:
  Top Notes: Lemon, Mandarin Leaf, Bergamot, Petitgrain
  Middle Notes: Cyclamen, Jasmine, White Lily
  Base Notes: Vetiver, Oakmoss

Still more - yes, more - yet to come.

Good work again, Mitch. The only one of these I've tried is the Florida Water, which, to me, has a kind of stinging sensation, which I wonder if this is due to a high alcohol content, which might also explain short longevity?

jakespoppy said:

The only one of these I've tried is the Florida Water, which, to me, has a kind of stinging sensation, which I wonder if this is due to a high alcohol content, which might also explain short longevity?

Click to expand...

I expect you may be right about the alcohol. However, Florida Water has a cinnamon content that goes over my threshold limit for the stuff, so I can't wear it.

WhosYerBob said:

I expect you may be right about the alcohol. However, Florida Water has a cinnamon content that goes over my threshold limit for the stuff, so I can't wear it.

Click to expand...

Now that you mention it, I do recall the cinnamon being over the top, and that might even be what was causing the sting that I noticed.

Yeah, I don't know what it is with me and cinnamon now.

I loved the stuff when I was a kid, even to the point I would suck on cinnamon toothpicks until they were just wood pulp, chew on cinnamon sticks right out of the Spice Islands jar and stuff my face with Big Red chewing gum. Cinnamon buns (the ones from Cinnabon's especially - yum!) and cinnamon mulled cider were always my favorites, too.

Then something changed - something physical. When I had *any* cinnamon - by nose, mouth or skin - I gradually morphed into getting hot flashes and indigestion. Sometimes it's so bad I think I'm going to pass out.

So these days I really watch my cinnamon intake, especially with scents.

Great reviews - thanks for all your work.