Real

I love love love this smell on my boyfriend. I does have an alcohol-y smell at first but it fades amazingly. I like it when its been on him after a few hours. It changes from the first spray through the next couple hours to a softer smell. As a girl I can't really describe it, but of the three AE colognes for guys this is my favorite. It is a young adult smell.

My ex-girlfriend used to work for AE so when she tested out this fragrance, she bought it for me immediately. Usually, I'm someone opposed to fragrances from stores as such, since the quality of the fragrances they produce tend to be lacking, but this one is actually quite a treat! It's very light and crisp and mildly woody and fruity. Amber, woods, and citrus with small hints of spice. I don't see anyone hating this or being offended by it, even if one decides to bathe in it. It's just a simple, fun, casual fragrance perfect for those days where you're just hanging out at home and really have nothing special to do. On a good wearing I get about 4-6 hours and for the low price and great aroma, that is good enough for me. Sometimes keeping it simple is all we need. Also, Gucci by Gucci Sport smells extremely close to this.

This fragrance was my one of my first "real" masculine fragrances, and by that I mean that it didn't come in a plastic bottle. The green marine notes dominate over all else, and while the combination of amber, sandalwood, and resins seems to promise a spicy-sweet, cozy kind of dry down, Real stays fresh throughout its entire scent life. It is lightly masculine in a soccer playing, tomboyish kind of way. It doesn't scream FOR MEN, to me this is a light and fresh unisex - a fragrance for a clean-faced, sun-loving woman or man who probably spends a lot of time on a boat or a surfboard. I wouldn't go out of my way to purchase it again, mostly because I don't think it has anything unique to offer. Perhaps its heavy mall associations outweigh its charm, or maybe it's just not very interesting. I'll guarantee a similar-smelling fragrance at most any retail store, which makes its discontinuation easy to bear.

Smells like being a high schooler in 2007. Reminds me of the mall. It's a relic of sorts. I've tried to wear it recently, and it's just so out of vogue for me. I'm sure others will or do feel the same way. I chose to wash it off, even after years of not wearing. It certainly defined an era (just like Hollister), but for me, it doesn't transcend it. Its time has come and gone for me. I'm 28 and feel this way. I wouldn't recommend this to anyone. There are better fragrances for high schoolers these days. :)

I had this frag for a while and wanted to give my honest review. My opinion of AE Real cologne has changed over time. When I first purchased it in the store it was pretty good (8/10). But since they spray it everywhere in their stores- now it gets to be a normal scent (not really special anymore). In my opinion this is a good scent for men ages 16-20 (mainly high school, maybe upper middle school). There are a lot of fragrances to choose from and this is easy to purchase and not too expensive. I think that another frag would be a little better Burberry Brit Rhythm by Burberry. Burberry Brit Rhythm by Burberry could easily be worn for upper high school, college, and possibly post college on fun, relaxing occasions. Overall Scent (college and above): 6/10 Overall Scent for high school: 7/10 Longevity: 8-10 Hours Sillage: 8/10

This is a legendary scent and I disagree that it smells only for teens . There are actually 2 formulations and the original one (2011-12? and prior to my memory) in the completely clear bottle was the bomb and Definitely mature and gorgeous. Funny there arent many reviews here. Everyone who shopped at AE owned this at some point, if it was in stock. Everytime I saw it, it was selling out fast. The canned body spray is 100% stud. Buy the canned body spray if you want this. A great and truly unique scent. What happened with the later formulas is they got sweeter/younger leaning and watered down. I liken the sweet note to a ripe cactus. Maybe even bit sour candy-ish, which was kind of a redirection off the master blend. All in all, I have no idea why they discontinued it. Fierce gets all the love but AE dropped some masterpieces that went under appreciated for too long. Ridiculous.

This smells very similar to Gucci By Gucci (Gucci Pour Homme). You get blast of cardamom in the opening and it transitions to a woodsy dry down. Smells masculine. I don’t recommend getting this, get the Gucci instead. Gucci by Gucci is like it’s older brother kicking Real’s teeth in. Real still smells pretty good, a total mall fragrance, but it’s just weak and not worth what it sells for.