Colonia Club

Here I am at last - reviewing my signature! Reading some reviews comparing it to Green Irish Tweed and Cool Water are a wee stretch for me (sorry - I own all three and I still use Cool Water today after 20 years). Especially in contrast to what Lo-fi said. They are at best somewhat similar. Keeping it simple, to me GIT is like honeyed lemon verbena with some flowers, and thats it nothing else. CW again in simple terms is Fresh Aquatic, Lemon (not even in its pyramid), Lavender with SPEARMINT not mint in the back ground with a pinch of tobacco and coriander. Colonia Club is like a Sweet Lime Soda in a can with a pinch of tobaccy and lavender and a little musk straw to sip it with a clean mint always present in the back ground! Alternatively amazingly its also a dead ringer for Guerlain L'Homme Ideal EDT if you replace the cherry with lime/bergamot (not EDP which has less musk more cherry). I know this is almond and tonka bean in Ideal but this is what it smells like to me from a non technical point - I also own them. CC is an EDC so only has a small percentage of oil compared to CW which is an EDT or GIT which is an EDP hence higher oil content. Ironically I think it is reverse world!!! I find GIT to reek of quality but have a low to moderate silage and reasonable longevity and CW to smell cheap in construction (at least the last one i bought - infact it smells vinegary on first spray) and to have a decent longevity. CC on the other hand... after dry down (admittedly I do spray a lot) it smells of sweet lime (not bergamot) mixed with a layer of lavender, coriander, maybe cedar, amber and mint over the top after 15 minutes a bit of powdery musk presents itself . The mint does cool you but 50cm away its the only fragrance I know that just smells of all the combined. Its very textured and even though its a cologne the ingredient quality basically means that it lasts 6-12 hours for me AND its completely linear - I'm not sure that it changes. Its not an in your face perfume yet I can smell it more easily from a distance than most - I don't know why. AND this is coming from someone whom doesn't really like musk or powdery scents (not that they are dominant). Its kind of a mature scent for smart casual dressed guys in their 30's and above (imagine Panerai watch, polo top and chinos) or someone confident in a Tom Ford or Brioni like Daniel Craig, George Clooney or Alec Baldwin as Jack Donaghy as the CEO of GE in 30 Rock would wear - not loud but a mix of warm, cool, formal, casual. So I love this scent because I can wear it in winter as the musk lavender and amber are somewhat warming and the mint and lime keeps it fresh like I just got out of a shower in a waterfall with naked women (actually it reminds me of Norsca maybe lol). I recently bought Jacques Fath Green Water as someone somewhere mentioned it was like Colonia Club dialled up to 11 - he was spot on except its simpler - just Lavender Mint and Lime. I sprayed each hand before I started typing this 60 minutes ago with distractions with CC and CW. CW has already faded noticeably and changed whilst CC is still powering on at the same level with the same presentation... I have to stop myself wearing this everyday... that and L'Homme Ideal when I feel like Cherry instead...

This was one of my first full bottles. I haven’t worn it in many months because at some point, after getting deep into vintage and niche, some of my early stuff started feeling jarring. Now that I have a more experienced nose and a better vocabulary, I can pinpoint what had put me off. And I can also go back to and rediscover these early loves; maybe even fall for them all over again. Colonia Club was clearly a departure from the citrus eau de cologne style that characterized most of AdP’s variations of the original Colonia. This one seems like an homage to a certain kind of sporty green Italian masculine of the Pino Silvestre/Acqua di Selva variety, though it doesn’t quite reach fougère territory (some claim that it contains a dose of coumarin in the base, in which case it could qualify). The proposal is straightforward: a super bracing, woody aromatic composition with MINT (in all caps) at the center. This thing is so invigoratingly cooling that the opening actually stings, sort of like the icy half of Icy Hot, in a manner not dissimilar to the sensation of aftershave slapped on open pores (think Kevin in Home Alone). I personally love this. What follows is green, aromatic, slightly citrusy, and somewhat floral, featuring neroli, geranium, and, of course, lavender. The galbanum (Galbanol) makes its presence felt throughout. In the drydown, the vetiver and a salty “ambergris” accord (some kind of woody amber) come to the fore, rendering a pseudo-aquatic (as in marine) impression. I guess this is what put me off for a while, giving it what I felt was a “mainstream”, “boring”, “synthetic” feel. But I’ve come around (almost) full circle. I can appreciate this kind of composition, a modernized riff on a classic, more than before. I can now see the trajectory much more clearly. And I dig it! Colonia Club feels balanced, elegant, and modern. Frequently compared to Green Irish Tweed (for a fraction of the price) and Cool Water (though more robust and less synthetic), it’s a simple affair that gets the job done. And it’s just right for a crisp, sunny day, under a pressed shirt and a blazer, like today.

This is a beautiful green fougiere fragrance that is to Acqua di Parma what Green Irish Tweed is to Creed (although the two do not smell similar at all, and I prefer the Colonia Club). As for the scent, it's in the same genre as Amouage's Beach Hut Man and Coty's Aspen to my nose but different than both. It opens with a very beautiful fresh green accord of very natural smelling spearmint leaves (the mint in this is as natural as YSL's Live Jazz and Lush's Dirty, and is noticeably spearmint rather than peppermint). The mint is so prominent in fact that it produces a noticeable cooling effect on your skin (just as is the case with Lush's Dirty). But the mint is not the only thing there, and is united by notes of to my nose galbanum (which smells like grass), petitgrain, neroli, vetiver, lemon, and a very strong green bergamot accord that almost smells like limes. It's very green, very cooling, and very fresh. It also smells both modern yet refined and sophisticated at the same time to me, like they took the classic fougiere (fern-like) cologne formula, made it modern but also of natural-smelling ingredients so it smells high-class. It definitely leans masculine; it smells like what a gentleman in a tuxedo or someone on a golf course would be wearing. On the drydown I smell a small hint of seawater and ambergris accord that makes it sort of aquatic in nature, but in a good way. It's as if you were walking in a lush green forest with fields of spearmint and it started raining. The scent overall is pretty linear from opening to the end however. Sillage is moderate (as is the case with all Acqua di Parmas in my experience), while longevity is also moderate at about 5 hours (better than most Acqua di Parmas though, except for Colonia Oud and Leather). Overall, this is my favourite fragrance from the historic Italian Acqua di Parma house, followed by Colonia Oud and Fico di Amalfi. In fact it's one of my favourite fragrances overall of all time. 5/5

This is a beautiful but (as is often the case with Acqua di Parma freshies) a slightly short lived old school green fragrance. I also have noticed that the amount of mint varies slightly by batch. I have a 50ml bottle and a 180ml (I really love this fragrance :) )and there is noticeably more mint in the 50ml unfortunately (as that bottle won't last me for too much longer). It opens with a gorgeously refreshing blast of natural smelling fresh mint which leaves a palpable tingling sensation on the skin. I love mint in fragrances but it can often smell very synthetic (Versace Eros) or be lost within the other notes (Chanel Allure Homme Sport Eau Extreme). Not here though. It's front an center and smells incredible for about 30 mins As it moves to the mid and dry-down the mint pulls back but is still noticeable, and the ADP Colonia DNA comes to the fore. Now citruses, petitigrain and lavender are blending in to make a really classy and sophisticated barbershop fougere. It probably works better in it's intended environment of coastal Mediterranean rather than colder northern climates TBH. You do get a bit of the ambergris and musk in the drydown but after 3 hours this has lost most of it's potency and is a fresh and clean skin scent. I'm in my 30s and on a cool spring day in a shirt and shades by the coast this fragrance makes me feel like a million dollars. It's classy and sophisticated and one I'll have in my collection forever.

Green with Envy..!! Certainly the mantra of this beautiful creation from Acqua di Parma... I preface this review stating I am a huge fan of the Acqua di Parma line, housing several in my stable of fragrances. The Colonia Club edition is a blend of mint, citrus, and floral notes where the end product is a nicely done fragrance that I find intriguing and appealing. Acknowledging some of the negative reviews, this fragrance is not for everyone. Sample it prior to purchasing the bottle – AdP has historically been quite generous providing samples to inquiring minds (and noses..). I would offer that Colonia Club tends to have more of a masculine vibe, but for those that like a feminine fragrance, but daring to try something out of the comfort zone – go for it..!! You may like it..!! Additionally, I would suggest CC may appeal to a more mature audience. When wearing this gem today, I was reminded of more dated and distinguished fragrances from yesteryears gone by. Oh, to reminisce... (where did all the years go? – but I digress..) My final tally for Colonia Club is 4.2 stars out of 5. I am a fan of Acqua di Parma. That said, while Colonia Club is not my favorite in this line, it does offer something different which I like. It is very appealing, distinguished, and worthy of a test drive... For those who are “Green with Envy”, definitely recommend adding to your collection. Enjoy your day and Happy Fragrance Hunting...