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TUSCANY Cologne

A friend of mine from South Africa turned me on to Tuscany cologne. As he stated to me, "the birds love it." Well, have to say I've been wearing Tuscany for many years now. And I've never gone out that some lady hasn't commented on how good I smell. Just sharing the info boys.
 
It's what I wore in high school. Haven't had it for years. My wife (high school sweetheart) no longer likes it :mad3:
. I always got complements on it.
 
According to reviews on Basenotes and elsewhere, Tuscany Per Uomo was reformulated a few years ago; the earliest mentions I can find date back to 2009, so the reformulation would seem to have occurred within the last five years. Changes are reputed to be minimal - mainly reduced cinnamon and wood notes, with increased citrus and floral notes, but largely unnoticeable except by those intimately familiar with the original. I have not smelled the new version, and it has been years since I smelled the original. Does anybody who is familiar with both have any opinions?

I read this thread last night, and so tried to track some down today when I had a few moments. I was amazed to see that almost nobody carried it anymore - not Nordstrom, not Macy's, not Sephora, not even Walgreens (suggested to me by a helpful sales lady at Sephora). The only place that had it was Ulta, but they had no tester, so I couldn't see what it was like. I didn't really feel like dropping $60 on a fragrance I couldn't even test, despite the fact they would have taken it back were I not happy with it. Tuscany used to be available everywhere Aramis was sold. I had no idea its commercial viability had taken such a hit.
 
I've only seen it at ulta lately. The one near me did have a sampler though. Smelled the same as my memory of it, but it's been at least 15 years. Similar to azzaro
 
I've only seen it at ulta lately. The one near me did have a sampler though. Smelled the same as my memory of it, but it's been at least 15 years. Similar to azzaro

Good to know. I'm still trying to track down a tester, although knowing me, I might just break down and buy a bottle, relying on Ulta's generous return policy.
 
I found a bottle for $35 at a Ross Dress for Less, located, ironically enough, a mere five minutes away from my house. No return once open, but for the price, I figured it was worth taking the chance; so I pulled the trigger.

To my nose, this smells identical to what I remember from years back - so much so, in fact, that I immediately started flashing back to my early college days. If this has been reformulated, I can't tell any difference, and I've got a pretty picky nose. FWIW, this is the newer packaging - part of the Aramis Gentleman's Collection introduced back in 2009, the introduction of which coincides with the first mentions of reformulation*. So it's definitely not older-generation juice. (Side note: the atomizer delivers a perfect mist for good coverage.)

Thanks, Dulcimer Dan, for starting this thread and reminding me of this scent. Makes a nice, pre-Xmas treat. I've been enjoying smelling myself all evening.


*According to this article, the compositions of the reissued fragrances remained unchanged when The Gentleman's Collection was introduced. As far as Tuscany goes, my nose tells me this is true, and I have to wonder if all the folderal about reformulation was placebo effect. (It's also interesting to note that all the scents in The Gentlemen's Collection are in the same bottle, which approximates the original Tuscany bottle.)
 
Tuscany was a great cologne if I recall. Had a bottle in high school and thought it was pretty good stuff. Though I never wore cologne much. I really hate hearing whenever a fragrance gets reformulated. I don't know why they do that. To me a scent that came out the way it originally did should remain original.
 
I really hate hearing whenever a fragrance gets reformulated. I don't know why they do that. To me a scent that came out the way it originally did should remain original.

Like I said, I don't think this one was. There's a lot of talk on Basenotes about this or that fragrance being reformulated, and an almost fetishistic reverence for "vintage" versions of fragrances, without any foundation for the claims that a given scent has been changed. I also read reviews speculating that Chanel's Egoiste was reformulated, and yet a tester I smelled last week at Nordstrom indicates to me it hasn't changed since I wore it in the mid-90s. Unless such rumors can be substantiated, I now take any anecdotal mentions of reformulation on fragrance forums with a huge grain of salt.
 
Like I said, I don't think this one was. There's a lot of talk on Basenotes about this or that fragrance being reformulated, and an almost fetishistic reverence for "vintage" versions of fragrances, without any foundation for the claims that a given scent has been changed. I also read reviews speculating that Chanel's Egoiste was reformulated, and yet a tester I smelled last week at Nordstrom indicates to me it hasn't changed since I wore it in the mid-90s. Unless such rumors can be substantiated, I now take any anecdotal mentions of reformulation on fragrance forums with a huge grain of salt.

Basenotes used to be a helpful sight back about 10 to 13 years ago, but then I noticed in recent years they just got some weird members on there....too poetic for me and not very helpful. I can't translate half of what those people are saying on that site.
 
Basenotes used to be a helpful sight back about 10 to 13 years ago, but then I noticed in recent years they just got some weird members on there....too poetic for me and not very helpful. I can't translate half of what those people are saying on that site.

To wit, from Fragrantica:

"Sometimes I smell someone so wonderful I just want to bang them then and there. Then I realize that I am smelling myself. And though I can't bang myself I can make love to me. Because I am worth it."

All other reviewers can stop now. This cannot be topped.
 
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The top notes seem to strong relative to the base, but I should wear it again one of these days. I have a vintage bottle but my first impression was that it was not as good as Paco Rabanne PH but similar.
 
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