Adonis Awakens

I've just been really getting into this hobby over the last few months, and one of the first niche fragrances I tried was the Argos sample pack, after I saw the gorgeous bottle in a YouTube video. I went to their website and looked at the options they had for sale, and was instantly impressed with their prices. I had been looking at expensive brands like Creed and PDM on Amazon, and was shocked at the $500/100 ml pricetag on some of them, so the Argos prices around $250/100 ml seemed like a better place to start. I ordered the sample pack, that cost $80 and included 11 different 2ml samples, and each one is presented in a bright, colorful card with the related fragrance information. I really appreciate that they include all of that information with the samples. I've gotten other sample packs since then, and feel overwhelmed with theirs, like the Bond No 9 one, for example. I had to make my own spreadsheet just to even decide where to start with sampling them. So I just went through the Argos sample pack and tried them all, and just used my own senses to decide which one to order a full bottle. I could tell that these fragrances weren't like the ones I'd tried at Sephora or Ulta. They all smelled unique to me, and I especially enjoyed Adonis Awakens and Bacio Immortale and Love Triumphs Over War and Thrill of the Chase. I've only ordered the one full bottle so far, which was a 100 ml Bacio Immortale, and it smells almost identical to Tom Ford Tuscan Leather, but I think Adonis Awakens is my second favorite from Argos. Adonis Awakens has a really bright, uplifting opening citrus note, that dries to reveal some nice pink peppercorn and rose, that dries down to oud and kind of a powdery scent, that just works amazingly for my nose. It seems like a more feminine leaning fragrance, but I would definitely wear it myself.

Got my bottle of Adonis Awakens by Argos today. As everyone is entitled to their own opinion, I personally find this fragrance truly unisex, not feminine as some have suggested. It opens slightly sweet, which I assume is why some perceive it as leaning feminine, but to my nose that’s not the case at all. For comparison, I’ve always found Creed Aventus to lean feminine by the same logic, even though many describe it as masculine. To me, Aventus is a very light, citrusy scent with minimal longevity unless you reapply generously every few hours (as I’ve mentioned in my previous reviews). The same reasoning (feminine/masculine) could apply to Spiritueuse Double Vanille, Angélique Noire, Planifolia, Diorama, and several others. Fragrance, after all, is highly subjective as it depends on one’s skin chemistry, pH balance, perception, and personal taste. Coming back to Adonis Awakens, it opens with a sweet, fruity freshness that’s not heavy or cloying. I applied just two sprays, and the sillage forms a soft aura around me which is about an arm’s length. I’ll be testing its longevity throughout the day and will update this review later. So far, Adonis Awakens feels far less sweet and feminine than the much-hyped Bal d’Afrique (not referring to the Absolu version, which may smell different). Overall, it comes across as an office-safe, fresh floral scent—semi-sweet yet slightly woody as it dries down. So far, so good. I’ll report back later on its lasting power. -Update after 6 Hours: The scent has totally toned down to skin level. I can only smell myself at this point. It is worth noting that i applied only two (2) sprays to see the projection and longevity. It could remain longer on clothes or more sprays on skin. Overall I liked this perfume from Argos, especially after it dried down. Tomorrow i will try Fall of Phaeton.

This is such a rich, pleasant and accessible rose, which while might not be mind blowingly unique, has been smoothly blended. The citrus opening is rather fleeting on my skin and is almost unnoticeable, bar the slight lingering bitterness of the grapefruit. Quickly you will be hit by the rose and raspberry combo, which is neither overly rose-y, such as in POAL, nor too fruity from the raspberry itself, however you will clearly be able to notice both of them. This on my skin remains the main composition of the fragrance, which is masterfully supported by the creaminess of the sandalwood and the deep chestnut note, which make the fragrance much more mature and complete, and in fact, more interesting than a common rose/raspberry combo you can find elsewhere. I'm not big fan of the price of this fragrance, but on my skin this concoction is nuclear and a 100ml bottle will probably last me a lifetime. Do NOT spray directly on light-colored clothes, especially up-close. It will very likely stain them. Spray on skin, the scent is strong enough to fill the room, without using clothes projection. I'd happily wear this all-year round but predominantly in the evening, and definitely not in intensive heat, as I can see it becoming headache inducing for the wearer and the surrounding people. If you do not posses any "mature" rose scents in your collection, this is will be a great starter! Also, I love how the Argos scents are getting review-bombed out of existence, including by a person who allegedly did not get his order, because it was cancelled, but he had to scrub the fragrance off of his skin anyway...

Runner up for my favorite from Argos. This is excellent! Very beautiful of course, but the scent itself is just what I always wanted from a "masculine" rose. I've tried several fragrances in that vein but never something made me want a bottle like this did. Opening is very delicious, invigorating, rather fitting with the juice color and the whole art behind it. Very much like an awakening for the seasons to change, like I recall the mythology behind Adonis. This is a great transitional fragrance, not too bight but not to heavy, while still having great performance. This is Argos' freshest (if not, then just behind Pour Homme) until Neptune's Trident hits, probably. Very wearable, even signature worthy. Performance is no joke with solid ~10h longevity o skin with strong projection for the first few hours. Never an undetectable skin scent for the whole life of the fragrance, so I'm probably undershooting with the 10h longevity. More masculine take on a rose fragrance like the EDP of Oud Satin Mood - without the presente sweetness and that great wearable oud. Parallel fragrances at most, but that's the closest I could get. Haha! Worth a sample at least, even if you're not into rose fragrances. Price point at retail is very high but anywhere between $150 and $200 is game with Argos and this is one of the best in their lineup.

This one opens citrusy, fruity, not overly bright or sweet with a noticeable pepper note, just right, but a lot softer than I imagined, after a few minutes it settles in to a sweet rose that leans a little feminine but very elegant nonetheless. I was expecting a much stronger rose forward fragrance,even though it’s very noticeable it’s definitely not as rosy as other fragrances out there. The mid stays that way for about 2 hours and then start settling in to the more masculine soft woody base that last a very , very long time, after 24hs I can still smell it on my skin. This is a fragrance I imagine an Italian man with a summer suit or a southern gentleman wearing it , there’s an elegant sexiness about it .I even picture my wife wearing it actually I can’t wait to go home and try it on her skin 😄. Bottom line if you’re an avid collector and you like rose fragrances, you’ll love it, but a spray on the wrist doesn’t do justice to this fragrance like a full wearing. Edit: after several tries the projeection is still extremely weak, just barely above a skin scent. I’m letting this one sit for a few weeks to see if it improves. Tried it on my skin and my wife’s skin with the same result...absolutely gorgeous, but weak.