Acqua di Giò Absolu Instinct

This stuff is just nice! There's no other way for me to describe it. It's definitely got the Acqua Di Gio DNA and takes that and adds some sweetness, a good bit of spice, a good bit of woodiness, and makes it all very modern and very versatile. It's not quite as versatile as Profumo, which is still my personal favorite in the line, though admittedly it's least like the original Acqua Di Gio. But this one would definitely be my second choice, followed by Profondo, then Absolu, then the original, and lastly would definitely be Profondo lights. That one is just a mess in the opening and it never really gets itself together, even in the drydown. And I've never tried Essenza. But back to Absolute Instinct, this one is very well done. It's well balanced, it has a nice transition from opening to mid and from mid to drydown. I'm getting really good performance as well. The longevity, projection and sillage are all well above average with me clocking in about 10hrs in longevity. I'm getting projection pushing out at least an arm length and a half, and sillage is a good 6 to 10 ft behind me when walking according to my wife. Also, it's not common for her to really thoroughly enjoy a fragrance I buy, but I can hardly keep her off of me when I'm wearing this stuff, and she says I'm not allowed to wear it anywhere but here at home!!! That's how good this one is so if you think that you might enjoy it don't go by the ratings or reviews here because they definitely do not match up with the quality, performance and smell of this awesome fragrance.

Blind bought from a retailer in Europe. Very nice! Much better than Absolu, this is what Absolu should have been as it smells more like Acqua Di Gio, And is like Profumo with Woody notes instead of the incense, while keeping the fresh signature Acqua Di Gio opening that can be found in the Original, Essenza, and Profumo (I find Absolu to be much sweeter to the point where it isn’t clear that it’s an AdG flanker, and I think Absolu should have been the flanker to this). After you spray it and as it dries down you can smell the woody notes slowly appear as if the Woods were submerged in the aquatic opening, and you get the slight touch of amber and ebony woods and patchouli fills in the scent creating a very comforting yet freshly invigorating scent. The woody scent almost makes it feel like you have the sun shining on you with the aquatic freshness making this an experience. (I can’t stop smelling myself as I’m writing this) The sillage and projection on first spray is very good, and it for me, has very good longevity. I sprayed it on my hand and arm before going to sleep and it was still there when I woke up. This is just in time for summer, and with the woody notes and in my opinion is extremely versatile (might even be more versatile than Profumo) and could be worn year round even in the winter. Highly recommended, especially if you are a fan of the Acqua Di Gio Family, and particularly Profumo. When this comes to North America go and try it and snatch it up if you can, because this fragrance is going to be huge.

I blind bought this after finding a bottle at too good of a price to pass up. I'm really glad I did. I have no idea what ebony-wood smells like, in life or in perfumery, but what I do smell here is amber wood, and lots of it. On first spray, I get hit with lemon, cinnamon, amber wood, and a slightly sweet and synthetic vanilla. All together, as other reviewers have noted, all of these notes come together to translate to something like a fizzy cola. I love cola, so I love this opening. After a few minutes, this all calms down to showcase the amber wood. It's there, front and center, but is backed up with the lemon, the vanilla, a touch of synthetic patchouli, and a small amount of the ADG dna. On my skin, after a few hours, this saline/seaweed note starts to really shine and it mixes really beautifully with the amber wood and patch. It's very refreshing, but it's also dark. This is the true dark blue of the ADG flankers, something that is still appropriate year-round but would really shine in the fall. Contrast this with Profumo, which is also year-round friendly, but shines especially in the summer because of its blue-shower-gel backbone. I'm decently impressed with the performance. This lasted about 8 hours on my skin and projected about a foot throughout its whole life. I honestly love Absolu Instinct. This could be signature-worthy for someone who wanted to stand out from the crowd but still smell crowd-pleasing.

Really nice blue/ green blend scent. I like the opening a lot like a citrus/ seaweed sucker punch to the nose. It's supposed to emulate seaside woods which I guess it does kinda bring me there mentally. Great stuff. Then it settles down to some nice woody undertones and still get some whiffs of the citrus opening. My only complaint is performance. I sprayed 5-6 times and smells absolutely amazing for the first 20 min or so until it dries down (more sprays doesn't really matter either). Becomes a skin scent shortly afterward and then almost to nothing after a few hours. Wish this had the same Parfum concentration/ performance as the Stronger with You line; one spray is plenty, I get whiffs all day and into the following day. 11/10 for the scent 3/10 for performance Update: This is very much discontinued and hard to find anywhere even on ebay. I found that Parfum Belcam makes a clone and I have to say it smells very similar to this; especially the citrusy seaweed opening which I love. It's essentially that throughout. Very pleasantly surprised. No it does not last long on skin but if you overspray your shirt, it lasts me the rest of the day. I've put on the same shirt the following morning and still got whiffs of it every now and then which is awesome.

I am surprised that this adg version has not received more love and appreciation - especially as most love the Profumo - which also differs significantly from the typical EDT version. I wasn't interested in this because of the reviews, but today I managed to trade Tom Ford Oud Minerale and I'm very pleased. Actually, this ADG could be in Tom Ford's line just as some variation of wood/ Minerale. I agree that it is a niche adg- other than the rest - 9 people votet YSL Y - it's joke nothing in common Very woody, quite strong, I wouldn't use it in the summer especially during the day, but why not in the colder evening. I don't detect strong seaweeds etc or they are hidden in the top notes - which adds a bit of freshness to the whole. The top notes are not strong, but are a fresh addition. Really interesting composition and I am pleased that finally completed the entire collection of adg. Nice bottle, box, and cap It's not for beginners but for collectors, because if you have just 5 frags and looking for somthing fresh for summer - better chose any other ADG.