Mistral Cedarwood Marine

[mftoms59]

I'm doing a full wear of the Black Amber today, 2 sprays on the crooks of my inner elbows, wrists, chest and back of my neck, on the initial application my first impression was of Tuscany, Spice and either Amber and Patchouli. The first 90 minutes or so I had the Spice & Patchouli with a bit of soapiness in the background, the impression of Tuscany is gone. Now ~4.5 hours later, there is very little scent I notice, even putting my nose under my shirt collar or sniffing the crook of my arm.

I'm a bit disappointed with the Longevity because I did enjoy the dry down, even with the hint of soapiness in the background, and thought a Patchouli note would add to its staying power. The sillage was about the same as the Cedarwood Marine, ~1/2 -1 foot radius, present but not overpowering. I think this is a better scent for cooler months, Fall/Winter, and will revisit this in late October or early November. If you do like this scent, stick with the Tuscany which lasts much longer, costs the same, but is a bit more difficult to find.

[crfcom]

You could be right. The Black Amber may be a better fall scent. That might be good timing for me because I think this bar of Cedarwood Marine soap is going to last several months.
Not that I mind.

[mftoms59]

Since I tried the Black Amber and it reminded me of Tuscany on the initial application, my last wearing of Tuscany was ~24 years ago. I've ordered some Tuscany and will do a side by side wearing, one scent on each arm, after receiving it.

[crfcom]

I got the Black Amber yesterday and wore it today. Its really very nice, but not nearly strong enough. Two hours after application, I can barely smell it. Too bad, because it really is a nice scent. Maybe if you shower with the soap and use the cologne also, there might be more presence for longer.
Cedarwood marine is a different story, though. I still smell it hours after putting it on, and I'm not getting tired of it.

[mftoms59]

I got the Black Amber yesterday and wore it today. Its really very nice, but not nearly strong enough. Two hours after application, I can barely smell it. Too bad, because it really is a nice scent. Maybe if you shower with the soap and use the cologne also, there might be more presence for longer.
Cedarwood marine is a different story, though. I still smell it hours after putting it on, and I'm not getting tired of it.

Exactly my experience with both scents, since there aren't many Marine/Wood scents, I'm glad the CWM was exceptional, scent, longevity & Sillage were well-balanced. I just received my Tuscany today and will do a couple of sprays on one arm and the Black Amber on the opposite arm, to compare them side by side since smelling the BA brought back memories of Tuscany. They have the same price and are the same size, and as I recall Aramis Tuscany lasts ~9-10 hours.

[mftoms59]

... I just received my Tuscany today and will do a couple of sprays on one arm and the Black Amber on the opposite arm, to compare them side by side since smelling the BA brought back memories of Tuscany. They have the same price and are the same size, and as I recall Aramis Tuscany lasts ~9-10 hours.

I just did the test today, on the left arm I sprayed the Black Amber and Tuscany on the right arm, two sprays of each on the elbow crooks, wrists & forearms. After the initial spray, Tuscany has more projection and was a bit Spicier, the Black Amber was more mellow with Citrus.

Two hours after the application, both Fragrances were noticeable, Tuscany retained the Spice aspect and lost some of its sharpness, Black Amber was very mellow, still had hints of Citrus but it was fading quickly. Hitting the four hour mark, I have to put my nose to my arm to notice the Black Amber, for Tuscany I needed to be ~4-6 inches from my arm. The Tuscany doesn't seem to have the staying power I remember from the 80's, but it's more noticeable than the BA.

The six hour mark and BA is very faint even with my nose in the crook of my arm, Tuscany is gasping its last breathes as well but is still ahead of BA. As I wrote last week, the BA was reminiscent of Tuscany, which prompted me to order Tuscany and do the side by side. After the dry down, there is a slight difference in the scents, and after checking the ingredients, they are very similar but Tuscany does contain a Cinnamon which isn't present in the BA. Overall they're both good Fragrances, I prefer the Tuscany due to the spiciness of the Cinnamon.

The first photo is the Tuscany ingredients, second is BA

[Le Buzz]

I received samples of these two scents a few days ago. While they're very nicely put together, they aren't anything I've never smelled before. Nothing really unique about these, just reformulated or tweaked from popular mainstream scents.

[crfcom]

I received samples of these two scents a few days ago. While they're very nicely put together, they aren't anything I've never smelled before. Nothing really unique about these, just reformulated or tweaked from popular mainstream scents.

Does something have to be really unique, to be enjoyable?
I'm no expert when it comes to fragrances, but I know when I enjoy a scent. I enjoy Mistral soaps, the two I've tried now, and I also enjoy the colognes, especially the cedar wood marine. So much, that I just went and order another bottle, and two more bars of the soap as well. It won't bother me a lick if there are other fragrances that smell similar.
In fact, if I find out what they are, I might buy one of them too.

[mftoms59]

I received samples of these two scents a few days ago. While they're very nicely put together, they aren't anything I've never smelled before. Nothing really unique about these, just reformulated or tweaked from popular mainstream scents.

Since I'm not an Aquatic or Marine scent-wearing guy, I found the Cedarwood Marine to be unique, as in not something I've noticed lately. On the other hand, the Black Amber instantly reminded me of another scent worn long ago ( Aramis Tuscany in 1987). I thought the BA was pleasant though not as long lasting as Tuscany, and purchased a bottle of Tuscany because I enjoyed the BA.

Scents have been around for so long I doubt anything could be classified as Truly Original anymore, whether its twin is still in production or has long been forgotten.