4711 Acqua Colonia Cotton & Almond

Out of the bottle and at the first spray this is very misleading and chemically. This doesn't bother me because almost immediately, this settles down to an airy floral almond. Very light and comforting. I didn't expect this to be a powerhouse, and it's not-- more like a cologne. I'm not willing to pay an exorbitant amount for a cologne, but I got this for 15 pounds so it's definitely worth it. It's nothing complex or challenging, I like the simplicity, but I would say it's unique because it's different than other almonds I've smelled. I find that almond scents are usually too heavy and sickly sweet, so I appreciate the lightness of this. I can wear this in summer. I've been on the hunt for an airy, fresh skin scent, and it's hard to find one that's not citrusy, fruity, green, or sharp. This ticks all my boxes-- soft, airy, mildly sweet, a little powdery, simply lovely almond.

Keyword: clean It simply reminds me of the smell of clean laundry, soft and light, but not very impressive.

The almond turns into nutty field grains and the cotton into cardboard–exactly like the bottom of a can of Old Fashioned Oats. The label touts the word “Comforting” in several languages–and a nice bowl of oatmeal with brown sugar and cinnamon is a lovely comfort food–but sadly this has none of that indulgence. Healthy, dusty and earnest.

The opening is synthetic, after some minutes it turns into a soft and clean fragrance with a touch of powder and a light sweetness. It’s not bad, but it is unimpressive. Final note: 3/10