Description
Perfumer Phillippe Romano (Inter Parfums) has created a new men’s fragrance, First Instinct, for American apparel brand Abercrombie & Fitch that will launch in 2016.
First Instinct perfumer, Phillippe Romano, said: “I wanted to create a modern fragrance that balances both the fresh elements of fougère with oriental warmth. All the notes together, create a scent with worldwide appeal for the Abercrombie & Fitch man and beyond.” First Instinct, an oriental fougère, is intended for “the confident man who is not afraid to express his feelings.”
op notes include an aromatic gin & tonic accord combined with Kiwano melon.
Middle notes offer spicy Szechuan pepper, airy violet leaves and tangy citrus.
The basenotes are comprised of sueded musk with raw amber.
The clear glass bottle with silver-grey juice has the appearance of undulating water. A silver plate displaying the brand and fragrance names adorns the side of the bottle which is completed by a striated silver cap.
roska-586 – :
There is new release:
Abercrombie & Fitch First Instinct Extreme
but still no page on Fragrantica
lilange – :
Blind bought because everyone loved it in here.
What a dissapointment and waste of money!
So generic and synthetic smell so I wonder have I bought the same fragrance that you have reviewed..
Maybe it’s the overwhelming gin&tonic that turns me away.
eterwesse – :
Awesome for the summertime! Smooth and fresh
xrumerseo.ru – :
This review is for First Instinct Intense:
It’s a very pleasant scent. it is a bit harsh at the beginning. may be the word harsh is not appropriate but it has a JOOP-type beginning. I was like come on this is not a summery scent, but after a minute this “harshness” fades away and what is left behind is a very pleasant scent.
I think It’s just lovely, but it’s not an extraordinary one. I also think it has some thickness to it, so I would put the regular version on a hot summer day not the Intense version.
exhalermau49152 – :
I don’t think I’ve ever owned anything A&F besides this ROSS special.. Not that I have anything against the brand, it’s just never really been in my wheelhouse. So, as far as that goes, I think it needless to say a blind buy.
Spray away, I get a fizzy melon and musk. Finally I know what tonic water smells like! Anyway… Most of the life of this fragrance that is what you’re going to get followed by maybe your typical dryer sheet mall fragrance. That’s not a negative. It’s obvious why this one would garner positive attention. It’s clean, inoffensive, youthful but not sophomorically so. I like it and for the price I got it, no complaints. Would I pay A&F’s prices? No. From what I understand, the EDP is a bit more deep with some darker tones and better performance. Highly interested in trying it as a blind grab and office friendly scent. Cheap enough!
The downside on First Instinct EDT is the performance. Not as far as quality goes, strictly performance wise, I put this in the same category as Allure Homme Sport. I can wear it anywhere during any season and it works… For three hours tops. Bummer, that… But hey, that’s how it goes in this game sometimes!
IIe4enko – :
How did this distilled water get a 4 and its blue version lower I don’t understand….
Endante – :
It’s a nice fruity scent but the longevity sucks. Projection is probably good for 30 minutes and after that is a skin scent. The dry down is a sweet sugary sort of like a bubble gum but not headache inducing sweet. I like it a lot better than the opening. All in all, it’s a good fruity scent but just wish the performance is better.
6/10
tinochka15 – :
“Musky. Piña. Colada.”
Bottle: I purchased this fragrance a couple of months ago as a blind buy due to the many positive reviews. I was looking for a crisp versatile summer scent. The 1.8 mL bottle is a sleek and nice, youthful design. I have worn it casually and to work on several (< 10) occasions.
Smelling it: When I first smell this I get the clean freshness right off the bat. Then I get this quite pleasant, tropical “Piña Colada” note that settles through the rest of the fragrance timeline. I don’t have anything like this in my currently small collection so it’s a nice change up from my current warm weather lineup.
Wearing it: Sadly, in my skin, this fragrance is a weak performer. I get low to decent projection for the initial few hours but it’s down to my skin by 4 hrs. I’ve never been able to smell this thru a full workday.
Verdict: 6.9/10
Final Thoughts: I would like to give this a higher score but it just doesn’t wear as long as I’d like on my skin. It’s a disappointment because the fragrance itself is quite pleasant. I would suggest this is a decent blind buy but I would get the smaller bottle and expect a less than stellar performance. It’s a good choice if you’re looking for a warm weather tropical scent that is clean, playful and youthful. It’s a bad choice if you are looking for a mature or sexy scent. Those are my thoughts and I’m signing off so…
SYL
olololololol – :
Ive really been on the hunt for a good tropical scent lately, tried this in store and that opening is stunning. Usually a rule of thumb on this site, if the guys on here are saying its too sweet, its probably going to be just perfect in actuality and it was. This is total tropical overload but to me this is sweet done in a very fresh way. When spraying its best to do it in a full circle, so to speak. One good blast on the neck, one on each wrist and I even go one on each ankle for a well rounded effect.
Too many sprays concentrated in one area and doing it in humid 30+ degree weather is maybe where you could go wrong with this scent. Absolutely perfect for 18-25 degrees. For young guys 14-25. And just speak to about the magic of that opening, freshly sprayed before the club last week, couple minutes in ordering drinks and I feel breathing behind me one second and this enchantress proceeds to lick my neck. Its not really needed to say what that led to but the “Britney” “Stacy” types do love it haha
apokins – :
Was looking to test Fierce as I heard good things about it but Boots didn´t have it. Hubby´s birthday is coming up soon and I want a special cologne for him. This smells like a very man man man´s cologne. A big animal in a cage trying to get out. Once he gets you…Smells like a mature animal like man, accomplished in life through hard work and sweat and his mature good looks and…anyway, this is a very masculine cologne. In a good way…
svalkaregov – :
Where’s FI Extreme? That’s what I have not this.
bados – :
Honestly in my opinion this fragrance is a smooth and fruity one. I tried it on for the first time and it surprised me because I thought it was going to be super candy sweet but it’s not in my opinion. The opening is good. The dry down is pleasant. It’s not beast mode but it will keep you smelling nice for about 6 hours. At least on skin it lasts that long. It’s worth the try and buy in my opinion.
Просто Сергей – :
A very good scent on the hotter day. Its fruity and a little bit boozy so basically smells like cocktail. Surprisingly it lasts quite long for me, i can still smell myself after 5 hours wearing it. Women reaction= vary
LAZIZ757 – :
Smells OK. Projection is pretty bad ass the first 30 minutes. But the performance is horrible. Wanders off within the second hour and then it’s completely gone. Not even a skin scent for me. 5/10
moreman1976 – :
This fragrance projects beastly off my skin for some odd reason. For not being an Eau de Toilette it definitely projects like one. I layered this with Dua’s Caribbean Waters (Virgin Island Water interpretation) and it smelled like a tropical paradise. I walked into work and every one of my female co-workers even those who normally don’t compliment me on fragrances, instantly complimented me. They absolutely loved the harmony between the two fragrances, highly recommend this layering.
Nouddirubdime – :
Definitely smells like hugo boss red with much weaker performance.
nobleman – :
Experimenting with this frag for past few days..hmmm..not to my liking, opening is okay..very lemony fruity artificial type but the dry down is bad for me… very synthetic type of scent, the suede component is bad…i dono just not my stuff, try first on yourself before committing.
dutjapedala – :
There is a new flanker to this called First Instinct Blue..released in Europe already. Nothing like the original, follows the ‘blue’ trend but still a great scent! Hopefully info will be released on this page soon!
Алесенька – :
Way too fruity for my liking. Feels like I’m wearing Banana Boat sunscreen. But to each their own.
Jackie89 – :
I enjoyed this fragrance. I like the fruity opening and the pleasant drydown. It IS a little sweet, but not overly sweet as mentioned by others. It’s the sweetness you’ll find in a piece of fruit, not one you get out of candy. I find it fresh enough for summer or spring and inoffensive enough for the office. Longevity on me is ok…definitely not as bad as others have stated. A nice scent overall.
drugspino – :
too sweet for me . i did not like it. sweet melony syrup. frag for under 18 people
moibritosig – :
At first i was really underwhelmed, smelled like a hyped sweeter Zara 8.0, but then this one started to surprised me.
Wow! It’s like you’re wearing a very summery melon-y cocktail. Sweet but always with a sparkling alcohol-y freshness. 3 sprays weirdly lasted 8+ hours for me, even though fragrances usually don’t perform on me at all. Seems I got lucky.
30ml for 19 euro’s at Etos in NL indeed, recommended!
slulleymn – :
i bought a 30ml bottle from Etos (NL Drugstore) today, i got on and got off instantly from the hype train. It smells like the other drugstore perfumes, nothing more nothing less. Uncomplexed.
Pylikjkee – :
Hello everyone!
My first review here and it’s quite a shame it’s a negative.
I’ve heared a lot of good things about it, and from a first impression it seemed unique and cool, but on further testing it unfortunately started to give me nausea. It’s too sweet for summer as opposed to many recommendations for wearing it in the summer.
The smell is “inedible” and dense and as i said it gets too much very quickly. I guess I love natural scents too much.
By the way, the same happened to me with Stronger With You by Armani. So I guess I might be too sensetive for sweet perfumes, even though I like moderately sweet perfumes like Guerlain L’homme Ideal EDP or even Spicebomb.
Joinusdren – :
Okay the first time I wore this fragrance it lasted 4hours this time I wore it it lasted 7 plus hours,if it keeps performing for 7 plus hours this is a 10 out of 10 for me
dantes_qr – :
i have seen an extreme version of this,but its EDT..
it is not listed on fragrantica.
another perfume joined the flankers game..
jekey – :
Got this very recently… Batch 6231
Wow!!!!
Just wow!!!
Melon and pepper supreme!!!
Supersweet, summery, uplifting… If you are young you will love it!!
(not for the fragrance snobs or the site’s trolls…)
I also sprayed it on my wrist today and I cannot stop myself from sniffing it.
If only it had a better performance …
If only I had space in my top 10 of all time …
9/10
EDIT: Compliment received in the park 28/03/18
EDIT: Compliment received in the gym 26/04/18
EDIT: Compliment received in hospital reception 09/05/18
ThileFrutther – :
I’ve had a sample bottle of this for so long now and ever since I’ve always wanted this. I finally got it!
This smells absolutely amazing, the melon note is the strongest in my opinion and the gin and tonic backs it up but isn’t in your face, this is best for anyone in their twenties or under.
Scent – 10/10 one of my favourites
Versatility – 9/10 best suited for spring, summer, casual and daytime. Could work anytime.
Performance – 7/10 you’ll get about 2 hours of pretty good projection and then close to skin for about 5 hours afterward.
Overall – 9.5 despite the average performance it’s still just amazing, everyone should have this especially for the price. Do NOT pay retail price for this you can get it much cheaper if you look around.
Things to remember – sweet melon, versatile, best for younger guys, good performance, must have.
strannik1959 – :
I absolutely love this juice. This was a blind buy for me due to the hype by Jeramy Fragrance and I don’t regret it one bit. This is probably my favorite fragrance in my collection along with ADG Profumo. It is sweet but still masculine and definitely a crowd pleaser. The only issue I have with this juice is that it doesn’t last as long as I would like. I get about 2 hours of projection before it comes close to the skin and lasts for about 5 to 6 hours. Great spring and summer time fragrance but best for summer. Unfortunately, like most summer fragrances it does not last long, although, it does last longer than most summer juices. This juice is collection worthy even with the lack of performance.
BEESEEWROSE – :
If the fragrance had great performance it would be a 10 out 10 but the performance is a lil below average So it’s 7 out of 10
bbrain – :
There is definitely a mens intense EDP version of this, I tried it yesterday at my local department store. The price was quite resonable. It is very similar to the EDT and the longevity is above average, but not beastly. I would agree that this is a young, fresh scent which is heavy on the melon, but not cloying, it would be very good for summer heat.
michael5195195 – :
Normally I’m a fan of strong heavy winter fragrances, but when I find this fragrance at a discount store for 23euro/50ml I’m not bothered.
It’s a nice uplifting freshie, very youthful and very pleasant for the people around me.
And since I got this very cheap, I will overspray the heck out of it to bring the projection/longevity to an acceptable point because for me, the projection/longevity is between soft and moderate.
tuthneilfunse – :
My brothers favourite and signature scent ! I get the melon and the g&t to start with !then dries down into a warm rich amber which lasts for about 4-6 hours !
I see why this is his go to scent ! I even smell some kind of sweet fig when I wear it on myself !
makado – :
Opens fresh then drys down to a warm oriental. Really a wonderful spring summer scent, simply intoxicating. I do go somewhat heavy on the sprayerer….
malvina – :
Great fragrance for younger guys. Great opening, average drydown. But smells good overall and will get compliments.
BUT LISTEN!
Dont buy now!
There will be an Extreme Version with more Perfume Oil, its already listed on parfumo.net and parfumo.de, but not here.
Dbrnjhbz – :
Worthless longevity. Don’t buy if you intend to use it as a proper perfume. If you’re just curious or need a body mist, go for it.
Pure treble scent, no mid or bass. Which would explain the unexisting longevity. The individual notes are quite brilliant – even tho synthetic smelling – you can distinctively smell the Gin/Tonic as a “note”, same with the pepper and melon.
First and last bottle I’ve bought of this stuff. Wouldn’t recommend it to anyone except a Gin & Tonic freak, just for the novelty.
Scent: 5/10
Projection: 2/10
Longevity: 0/10
Rating: 4/10
Reviewed source: I own it. Batch code: 6293
Zepter – :
Really immature scent, smells like artificial watermelon candy
zkv13433 – :
This fragrance holds the same fishy seaweed note as the Bvlgari Aqua homme in my opinion it smells great And it does have a good silage and Longevity also
ZZZZ38 – :
A mix between Beckham The Essence, YSL Libre and Coach for men, IMO.
shadow502 – :
@demonix I can’t seem to post a link or a picture. How could I show it to you?
tyapchyk – :
jossjoss
That EDP version is for WOMEN
There is no men’s EDP of this scent.
kuznec82.82 – :
I can’t believe that I couldn’t find a review for the EDP version of this anywhere. They sell it at the local mall in my city. I guess I’ll have to test it without reading a review first, and I’ll let you guys know!
dreamkeeper – :
This reminds me so much of “Good girl” by Carolina Herrera! The wood notes stand out enough to bring back memories of “Good girl” so this is meh to me. I suppose the wood notes stand out more in “Good girl” but very similar smell that isn’t that great for me to keep both
BOB4APA – :
This stuff is just another cheap chemical horror. Smells like an insect block. A typical result of lack of invention, pushing a new product at any risk and all costs.
I really wonder how these synthetic chemical reeks would smell if the same composition was made from natural, top quality components. I believe most of them would be quite good.
EregeFeepinue – :
When I smelled this in bottle it was wow for me as woman. It was balsamic, watery, slightly bit fruity, citrus and nice alcoholic. There is warm suede note. But when used on skin it represented for me some type of father figure. It smells somewhat like after shave lotions that I somehow had chance to smell in my early life. It gets mainly spicy on warmer skin. This is more for adult man. It is nice perfume, but somehow my personal resemblance with father figures bit ruins it for me, thou depends what is looked for and probably will smell bit differently on each persons skin.
bio-shock – :
Reminds me of Guess Seductive. A lighter sweeter, less grape Invictus. Dry down gets sweeter, not bad stuff, but kind of blah.
SAN94 – :
I love this actually. But as usual, the best frags do not last. This is crazy weak and the only thing keeping me from using it.
ЮЛИАННА – :
The longevity of First Instinct is an absolute joke. 2 hours and poof, it’s gone. Not even a skin scent.
It’s a shame because the scent itself is so gorgeous
aleksaao – :
Received mine 2 hours ago, for me its almost identical to Chic for men. Wich is good since chic is my signature.
banderos-1983 – :
best fragnance for teen guys
pirist – :
scent : 9/10
sillage : 8/10
longevity :7/10
70% day / 30% night fragrance
reminds me of Invictus by Paco Rabanne (not similar) with less performance
nice sea and amber scent
haircut – :
This is a pretty straight-forward freshie. Some call it juvenile. I’d call it young, but I think anyone under 40 could pull this off on a hot summer’s day or a trip to the beach. I don’t mind wearing this in my 30’s despite the fact that it’s probably best suited for college bros.
The gin and tonic note isn’t as distinctive as I’d hoped, but it’s there. There’s also sweet melon, musk, and soap. Basically it’s an uber fresh, sweet, soapy, gourmandish aquatic (which makes it sound more interesting than it is). Actually it’s a pretty simple, linear scent. I doubt it’s unique or sophisticated enough to impress any fragheads, but it is bright and cheery, gets decent reactions from the ladies, and is as clean as they come.
It could last longer, but I get five hours or so out of it. Then again I throw in a few extra sprays for good measure since it’s cheap and inoffensive. Good casual summer grab. Bring your shades and flip flops.
Cadabeaudge – :
Awesome scent. It almost smells like Ed Hardys L&L but the gin amd tonic vibe lightens it up and makes it different. Its not to heavy, kind of feminine but not too bad. The melon on top is blended very nice. I get decent performance for what it is. More than what i gage heard and expected. Very abercrombie boyish. For sure a teenager scent, but good for any warm day. I like it a lot
aspirin – :
My signature scent! Compliments, compliments, compliments! The only problem I have wih it is the longevity. I carry a decant with me when going out and it gets the job done considering its cheap price. Projects really well in he first one or two hours but quickly becomes a skin scent. Smells really really good though!
unfixAnnext – :
You ever felt like your heart has ripped out by someone you love? No? Well this is what this cologne will do to you. The opening is gorgeous but the longevity is so short it is almost laughable.
On the initial spray you get a blast of a fruity sweet smell with tropical vibe. It also has an undertone of gin and tonic which can be hard to detect at first. The sweetness will lessen to give way to the leather after 45 mins.
This is a casual indoor fragrance for warm weather. Not for work or anything fancy. You could wear this on a date on a hot day or night. Perfect for guys who are 21 and under. You can wear this if you’re older like me but it doesn’t make you feel mature and confident. You also may think this is perfect for a day by the pool or beach but no its not.
It smells like it wants to compete with Invictus (First Instinct smells better) but doesn’t keep up. This is the biggest problem with this fragrance. It does not perform well and the longevity is almost nonexistent. It doesn’t project far and lasts on my skin 3 hours. The most depressing part is this may have been the best summer clubbing cologne if it performed well and had good longevity.
When buying this discounted you get what you pay for. Its price is cheap but its longevity is short. You will smell like a teenager but if that’s what you’re going for fine. This is an easy to wear cologne so as long as you wear it indoors.
Presentation 8/10 Unique wave bottle which is nice
Scent 8/10 Makes you feel like you’re at bar on an island
Longevity 3/10 Only lasts about 3 hours then poof
Versatility 6/10 Summer and Indoors
Performance 4/10 Very small scent bubble
Silage 5/10 Just okay
Value 7/10 A 3.4 cost $30
pasha1992 – :
I am not crazy about it even though it smells good. seems very transparent and watered down maybe? Its like a candied watermelon, slightly tropical but watery and not sugary thick. A lightweight watery melon/tropical gourmand.. Nice smell.. maybe a bit juvenile or feminine? That bright candy smell settles down pretty quick and then you are left with a light melon, citrus with a touch of spice.. maybe a slight lavender vibe? I think the smell itself is pretty damn nice, but it just seems too watered down and transparent. I sprayed this on my hand no more than 20 mins ago and I can barely smell it anymore.
Scent 4/5
Performance- 2/5
blynas321 – :
Bought a bottle of this fragrance and been using it for 3 months now during the hot summer days. I’m just in love with the opening ! One of the best openings out there in my opinion ! Honestly, whenever someone managed to smell me I got a compliment. But *only* when someone managed to smell me…. Unfortunately this fragrance has a really poor projection, and it’s rare that someone smells me at all…. It lasts for 1 hour toppp with soft projection and from there it’s just a skin scent…. I wish they would release an EDP version because I really like the opening, it’s amazing !
To conclude, if you need a fragrance that smells amazing for like 1 hour with soft projection for the summer heat, I recommend this one. If you search for some better performing fragrance, there are better options.
ArtezzZ – :
A great fragrance with one of the most impressive openings but the worst longevity ever. Not more than 30 min on my skin, what a joke! I only wear it at home. I recommend you to sample it before buying
Юрик – :
I do like this juice and was even contemplating buying a bottle but far too many people say this is more for teens or very young people and after testing it out some more, it does have a very youthful vibe. Very nice scent but there are others i would rather own.
kukurda – :
Good frag. Just good, nothing more. It kept reminding me of a frag and I got eventually what it reminded me of… this is like almost identical to Ferre L’Uomo. Same gentle sweet fruity smell. This is more smooth but to me they are the same. Will test them side by side just to see but from memory, quite the same. Nice frag, fresh and smooth and gentle and woody in the dry down but nothing wooow.
click – :
Disappointed. I bought this blindly after reading so many positive reviews on how nice it smelled. When I sprayed it at 1st it’s really nice but after 5mins I was annoyed at the smell. Boring and generic. I’m going to try selling it because I will not be using it at all.
arslanov.f – :
The opening is top notch. Really damn gorgeous. But after about 30-40 minutes it becomes a generic, somewhat synthetic mall scent that you’ve smelled many times. What makes this special is the wonderful melon opening, and having it disappear so quickly is very disappointing and ruins everything that makes this scent stand out from the rest. I don’t know how anyone is getting over 4 hours of longevity with this scent. It’s performance on my skin is dismal. After just a little over 4 hours I have to really try to smell my skin to find this scent. And that’s not to say it’s great for 4 hours; it’s great for about 1 hour. It then becomes a skin scent for 3 hours, harder to detect, and eventually dies down into barely being there unless you really look for it at the 4 hour mark. As expected from A&F, it’s certainly a Highhschool/College scent, or at least one for someone who has a youthful vibe going about them. I can see more mature wearers sporting this perfume, but perhaps only in a beach or vacation type setting, or if you just look like a young, fun guy regardless of your age. I’d say Fierce is more mature than this scent is, so that should give you an idea.
All in all, it’s pretty unexceptional, poor performance, and not nearly as good as the old pre-reformulation of Fierce used to be. Had the opening been the main attraction of this scent, I’d go from a 5/10 to an 8/10 easily. Sadly, that lovely sweet melon opening vanishes pretty quickly, as does the perfume shortly afterwords. That’s what kills the scent for me. I’d be able to forgive this scent for lasting 4 hours if the gorgeous opening stayed, but it just doesn’t last.
Not worth the money, even discounted in my opinion. Not sure where all the positive reviews are coming from, and for those getting 6-8hours off this? I won’t make any assumptions, but I guess you have the skin chemistry of a God, in which case I’m quite jealous. It might simply exist on your skin at the 6 hour mark, but good luck having anyone else catch whiff of it. And to those who voted this lasting 12+ hours? Uh… right, nice try Abercrombie.
Really, the performance is so bad on my skin that I may just end up using this as an expensive air freshener or giving it to a family member. I’d use it as a “whatever” fragrance when I can’t think of anything to wear, or am going out for only a few hours, but that’s what my Versace Man Eau Fraiche is for, which is a far better scent for that kind of situation. Very disappointed. Bottle’s really sexy though. When I finish it I’ll probably use it for something else. A real shame. This would be such a hidden gem if only the opening had staying power, and if performance was a bit better. It’s a bit depressing really.
Scent: 9/10 opening, 5.5/10 drydown.
Longevity: 3.5/10
Silage:4/10
Personal Appreciation: 9/10 opening, 5/10 fragrance.
torenntnew – :
First instinct is a new superstar. The melon note, makes it so unique. The cologne is so well blended, and the dry down is heavenly.
They say, that it suits teenagers, but it is not true at all.
Im wearing this and im in my 30s. Last week i was sleeping at some hot and classy girl, that is also in her 30s, and she litteraly was all over me and she could not stop smelling and kissing my neck, and she literally said me like 3 or 4 times that i smell amazing and what im wearing. 🙂
And this week i got also 2 compliments, from some hot bartender, she was like uhmm what is that smell and then said i smell nice and my co-workerin has also compliment me. So girls do love it.
Longevity: 6-8hrs
Projection: 2-3hrs then sits close to you skin, but is still there
Versatility: casual, nightouts, mostly for spring and summer
Overall rating: 9 of 10
planchers – :
It smells phenomenal. The opening has a fruity tropical wibe. I don’t really see the comparison to CH Men to be honest. The dry down smells like amber to me, reminds me a bit of Bleu Chanel.
Unfortunately the performance isn’t good, but it works in the summer heat.
oebavaria – :
– Smell : fruity / leathery.
– Versatile : the fruity notes for the spring or the summer. The leathery notes for the fall or winter. Any age (young and mature). Easyly a signature scent.
– Performance : better than i thought. Longevity (7 hours) with a interesting projection the first 3 hours.
Over all, i love.
dmitriyjow – :
So I blind bight this, cause it’s so cheap.
Sprayed it on my hand over an hour ago, and I can see why everyone loves the opening. It’s MELON HEAVEN. It’s so fruity sweet….but not in the typical crisp citrus that’s being over done so much now a days. This is a warmer, fruity, mixed melon opening. Very different for sure.
To me this kinda has that feeling of Fierce, …which is youthful, playful, and versatile. However this frag certainly doesn’t have the Fierce performance. This performs like a typical summer freashie (4 hours), but still has that versatile all season feel…. leaning more torwards the warmer months. If you were to take a good versatile all season scent, and then water it down to a summer performing frag…..that’s what you get here. Immediately turns into a skin scent after 45min
it has the Ambercrombie vibe with a summer opening,… but it won’t be legendary like Fierce is. A good general frag for every day use.
——————————-
UPDATE: above was my first impressions when the frag arrived and I sprayed it on my wrists. Now the very next day I put it in action, spritz on a generous 6 to 7 sprays, and all the above still remains true……phenomenal melon opening, opening only lasts for about 45min and then turns into a skin scent. The one thing I must say, is that performance is a major disappointment. I couldn’t detect this frag after 3 hours even with the 6 – 7 sprays unless I have my nose buried into my skin trying to detect it with all my might.
I will not be buying this again, and probably give it away to a friend.
vtnhf123 – :
I notice review sites and YouTubers mentioning a similarity to CH Men by C. Herrera.
I get the sweetness but this, to me, is sweet fruit and not sugar itself.
Not too fruity though, I am really liking it.
There’s a tartness that does not die down after an hour or so like others where base notes like musk, woods or resins take over and finish off the lifespan of a scent.
It is still going after 8 hrs. on me.
Definetly warm weather scent and i dont feel awkward wearing it even though I am not a teen or early twenty-something.
XAMKA – :
a very good alternative to CH MEN new formulation.
mas_63 – :
This has a pretty pleasant opening but nothing special. I really don’t get the hype. Dry down is pretty average.
Samsklep – :
Yes somebody below was right. This is L’homme libre mixed with ch men. I have all of them.
doomk750i – :
“CH Men Eau Fraiche”
That’s a bit of a generalization, but it’s also super appropriate. It’s very much a 3-phase scent. The melon (which is certainly a cantaloupe in this case) remains present from the opening through the middle phase. The Gin & Tonic vibe isn’t super clear, and comes off more like a sharp or spicy citrus… and it leaves the party quite early on my skin. The leather and sweetness are not as intense as they are in CH Men, but they play a major role in the character and last until the skin scent phase.
The most summer-like notes do not last as long as I was hoping, and the sweet portions last much longer. But it’s not a clear-cut summer freshie. This is neither good nor bad, but may not be in line with what you’re expecting. I’ll have to test this in the highest heat and see if it behaves differently than it has in my first week of wear (which has been about 50-60F in the daytime).
This is a nice casual scent that comes off quite unisex and somewhat youthful. I’m 30 and feel like it’s one of the most youthful scents I can pull off. I got compliments from younger people. This wouldn’t smell out of place on a woman of almost any age.
Performance is average on my skin, and I think it’s bolstered quite a bit by the leather base. The fresh identity dies completely by the 4th-5th hour, and a lingering CH Men-ish skin scent will linger for another couple hours. If they could’ve found a way to make the citruses or Gin & Tonic notes linger for longer, it would’ve suited this fragrance well as a summer scent. One of those rare cases where I would’ve actually preferred something more linear.
I paid $30 for a 100ml tester, which is probably more expensive than it was last year. That said, I feel like that’s a decently fair price. First Instinct stands out as a good change-up amongst my warm weather options for Spring and Summer. I’ll have to find out if it ends up cloying in the hottest Summer days, but even if it is there’s plenty of appropriate scenarios for a scent like this. I can’t give it a bonafide seal of approval, or even declare it a perfectly safe blind buy for everyone. However, based on what I’ve read from the other reviews here, I think most people will be able to make an educated