DE FLORE

Youtube/video review here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2-OqQl4N88 Now that I have ordered two more bottles, I can finally post a review without it being out of stock because of the coming hype. I bit the bullet initially and ordered it, despite lack of reviews and shipping being horribly overpriced with DHL but glad I had done so; now I will pay the shipping gladly for the next two bottles. Why? The reason is below: Well folks, this is it. This is the closest you can get to Rive Gauche without owning a tin can bottle. I own two tin cans of the OG and am guarding them like a hawk. Now that I will have three bottles of this cologne, I can finally relax. I can't give you the notes, nor do I care about what notes are in them. All I know is - I spray this stuff and in 30 minutes I have Rive Gauche projecting through the roof. The initial spray is harsher than actual RG. RG has fresh blast of licorices and star anise, but De Flore has much harsher opening..lavender?? But then it dries down and becomes the same old shaving foam smell of RG. I could not quite believe it. Someone managed to resurrect it. The projection is there, but I find it projects more if sprayed on clothes than skin. Longevity is 4-5 hours. After that time this becomes a skin scent, or my nose goes blind to it. The reason I said "this is the closest" is because I own most, if not all of Rive Gauche clones/impostor: River Fougere by Dua Invasion Of The River Barbers by Dua Maison Margiela Replica At The Barber Italian Barber's American Barber cologne Phoenix Artisan CaD cologne, aftershave Fine American blend aftershave Irving Park aftershave Azzaro pour homme The only other that came close was American Barber, but it's harsher. Is De Flore THE clone? I'd say yes. If I had to round it up - 95% Rive Gauche.

I never had the opportunity to smell the OG but, this is my current favorite fragrance to wear. I am an older male so my tastes may not reflect the current trends and I wouldn't recommend this scent for younger guys who like vanilla and sweet scents because this is none of those things. Athena quality to price ratio to me is a great deal. This gives you the opportunity to smell a masterpiece from a different time at a price that is very affordable.

I bought this one because I was looking for a fougere to use for work. I am actually quite surprised by the quality of this fragrance. I really dig this one. Never tried the OG though. All I can say is that this is a very good fragrance by itself. Highly recommended.

"Is this Rive Gauche?" I had the same question, but since my last bottle was from over a decade ago, I can't give a definitive answer. What I do know, however, is that I loved that scent, and this clone immediately transports me back to the days when I wore it. The initial blast is much harsher than I remember - very citrusy and almost chemical. But don't be fooled, the perfume is of high quality and fortunately that opening only lasts for about 5-10 minutes. Where it starts to shine and get really close to Rive Gauche is after about 30 minutes. How close, you might wonder? Well, it’s hard to quantify, but I’d estimate about 85%-90% in total and damn close in the dry down. That is more than good enough for me tbh. It captures the same sophisticated, slightly mature barbershop, spicy-shaving-cream aura of the original. And in a world where the original is discontinued and bottles exceed $300, this clone - while probably lacking some of the smoothness, density and refinement of the original - is an absolutely stunning and excellent alternative. Well done Athena and thanks for bringing back this masterpiece! If this re-interpretation of Rive Gauche is anything to go by, then I'll definitely try out some of their other perfumes. P.S. Regarding longevity and projection; longevity is great and projection seems to be moderate and adequate. With normal application, this projects well for about 2-3h at arms length and then sits closer to the skin for quite some time (around 5-6h in total). I wouldn’t go nuclear with this, but a little overspraying helps to boost its projection.

Surely someone has tried this by now? Comparisons to Rive Gauche would be appreciated.