Guess 1981 Los Angeles Men

"Michael Jackson, the 49'ers, and the Lakers; that's what I know about the 80's." — Dule Hill Well sit right down, Magic Head, and let’s talk about one specific place in time: the Wonder Year: 1981 Los Angeles. Everything about the 2019 Guess release, 1981 Los Angeles, nails the vibe. From the dark wood cap that echoes the faux‐wood paneling dad slapped up behind the mini‐bar with an Easy Riders calendar and a taxidermied bass, to that amber‐gold elixir that wades ankle deep like shag carpet that’s seen its best decade come and go under the feet of patent‐leather Italian loafers worn with carefree abandon. No socks, of course. Socks were for quitters. The kind of carpet that has marinated in Marlboro smoke and Rabanne Pour Homme for the better part of two decades and hasn't been vacuumed since the Carter administration. And the juice. Oh, the juice. Sweet, resinous honey that fills the room like it’s thicker than an episode of Dynasty. Syrupy on top, then diving deep into warm amber, vetiver, and leather that swirl together into a cloudy, vanillic bubble of pure delight. The kind of bubble that would absolutely float across a smoky roller rink while “Bette Davis Eyes” plays for the third time that night. This is a scent hinting at a time when smoking on planes wasn’t just allowed, it was practically encouraged. When seatbelts were merely a suggestion, not a law. Just dangling there uselessly at your side saying "good luck out there, champ!" It's from a time when detergent didn’t need warning labels because everyone assumed you had common sense or at least one functioning adult nearby who could drive you to the emergency room. It smells like waiting for your favorite artist’s music video to premiere on MTV, you know, back when music videos were glossy, sexy movies and only interrupted by commercials that you can still remember and sing the jingle today like the ghost of Juicy Fruit past. Back when you only needed a quick news break from the great Kurt Loder who was practically music royalty. It gives torn‐out Hit Parader posters covering the walls and a significant part of the ceiling; held up with scotch tape, hope, and more than a little teenage hormones and delusion. It's the forbidden pin‐ups tucked under the mattress, hidden from everyone except your most trusted ride‐or‐die. But mostly from mom. Is 1981 Los Angeles from the 80s? Of course not. Is 1981 Los Angeles of the 80s? You bet your velcro wallet it is! So grab your Trapper-Keeper and Garbage Pail kids, give yourself a couple spritzes and hop in the station wagon, loser, cause we're headed to the mall, baby! I can hear Orange Julius calling my name and you know I'm about to answer!

This a rare love at first sniff and after writing this off I’m now disappointed in myself for not getting this sooner ! To get this out of the way it is a familiar smell that does smell similar to Versace Eros and other scents that it’s similar to are (John Varvatos OG, Armani code profumo, Joop home wild ,and even Pure Hanane slightly with the tobacco note) However, despite smelling similar to those scents mentioned it also has a unique character all on its own ! This opens up very fresh, semi-sweet and a little minty (which in the opening is where this will smell the most like Eros) but when this dries down in the mid and deep dry down is where the magic lies as it goes in a more classy,fresh spicy,rich and elegant direction with the plum giving it the fresh and sweet appeal and the amber and tobacco giving it warmth and a bit of a mysterious and edgy vibe !! The mid and drydown are quite similar but in the dry down the plum note becomes more faint and the tobacco and amber take control!! I love tobacco notes when they’re done right and this tobacco note is synthetic but sooo nice and appealing !! Also worth noting is this smells cozy,rich and warm on the skin but in the air this smells DIVINE!! In the air I get a better balanced smell and the notes harmonize better making this both rich and super fresh !!! I got a compliment on the first day wearing this on an elevator. The lady said she loved the smell and it reminded her of a fancy hotel she stayed at (which I totally get) Performance on this is above average ! It lasted me 8 hours but had only mediocre projection which judging by the smell I thought it was going to be a loud projector. I also like this better than EROS as it’s more grown up,less juvenile, has more going on and is not sickly sweet like Eros was on my skin. However,EROS projected like a beast with only 1-3 sprays where I have to spray 4-6 sprays to get above average performance with Guess. But for the price I’m not complaining at all !! Overall rating- 8.5 out of 10 !! A beautiful smell for a price you can’t beat ! I think right now my best cheapies for fall/winter are Every Man Jack/Sandalwood and Los Angeles !! Will be wearing a lot of this in the upcoming colder months

*Disclaimer: I haven’t had my nose on Versace Eros yet (at least knowingly). Just a thought: I’ve never smelled any of these, but the note break down made wonder if this was the baby boy of The One EDP and Eros who happened to have large plum nuts. Surprised me. I thought the plum was only a supporting note, but on my skin it’s quite heavy in the top and mid of this fragrance. Mint is in the background adding some freshness initially, then quickly turns a bit spicy. Bergamot adds some zing to the tart and sweet plum. Ginger and black pepper creep up in the mid, making it a bit fresher and a lot spicier; the plum starts to mellow out some. The base is dry yet warm with the amber and tobacco. Vetiver helps add some slight vegetal dryness in the base, and sandalwood adds a creamy quality. For being a $20 fragrance at rack stores, this is a no brainer. An absolute steal. I was about to grab Paris Hilton for Men over this, but my friend said he’d get this one; I’m glad I grabbed it. Props to my og. Doesn’t project too loud (no more than arms length), good 2-2 1/2 hours of projection, and lasts about 7-8 hours. More of a night scent. Perfect for nights out with friends, date nights, cuddling with your significant other. It made me think of a great first date scent: nothing too loud or too challenging, but very appealing with a touch of uniqueness due to the heavy dose of plum, and it’s something you want to get closer to. Anyone could wear it: sweet enough for the younger crowd, but has some maturity to it in the mid and base. All year rounder due to the heavy notes but mellow projection; less in the summer, more in the winter. Opening is surprisingly good, the mid is just as good if not better, and the base is fantastic as well. Doesn’t smell like a $20, could easily be double the price on discounters and rack stores. Not really synthetic either; the composition is well put together. My favorite blind cheapie in 2021.

We humans are a suggestible lot. The fact that others say this is like Eros, and the inclusion of mint in the description, is apparently enough to make this "a lot like Eros." It isn't. The mint is much lower in the mix here, and this lacks Eros' vanilla. Eros also has a sharpness to it that is completely absent here. I don't like Eros. I do like this. If I were pressed to say what this smells like, I would say La Nuit De La Homme with a hint of mint, and tobacco taking the place of cardamom. It gives the same warm, friendly, lightly-sweet, ambery feel, and even performs similarly. It also has similarities to the hidden gem that is Karl Lagerfeld Bois De Ambre. But looked at by itself, this opens with beautiful aromatics of lavender and ginger, light fruit notes (apparently plum, though I doubt anyone could have guessed that without looking at the notes), counterpointed by touches of mint, bergamot and green geranium. At the 30 minute mark, the plum, tobacco and amber have taken the lead, smoothed by a very light sandalwood, but retaining all of the elements of the opening in the background. It is comforting and comfortable, impossible to dislike. It is understated, in the best sense of the word. Unisex without being feminine. I would avoid this above 80F, but below that this is quite versatile. Office safe, good for casual to semi-formal, a great pick for a date (especially if you don't know if your date likes fragrances). Just a very solid scent, and possibly the best Guess I have tried.

For the longest time I sat and huffed this stuff trying to place the subtle and very appealing background note I was detecting that was so gaht dang familiar and nostalgic to me. WHAT IS IT!? It finally hit me when I looked at this note breakdown. TOBACCO! Extremely nice, though. It smells a tiny bit like one of our old antique snuff boxes that I used to love to sniff all the time as a little kid 😂 (I'm not a smoker lol) but that's not a big deal with this fragrance. My nose kind of sucks, so maybe others can pick it up better. Regardless of that very subtle aspect, it's sweet but on the lighter side of sweet fragrances with the mint and aromatic qualities. I definitely get the comparisons to eros, but I prefer eros parfum's depth a little more than this. They are definitely not the same. To me, 1981 has just a tiny bit more designer floral aspect to it that almost makes it the teeny tiniest bit "soapy" but in a good, clean way. I think it adds balance and is welcome. And don't let what I said about tobacco put you off. It's ridiculously subtle as far as I can tell, and if it's picked up, it is pleasing, nostalgic, masculine, mysterious in a positive way. Honestly you could wear both this and eros parfum (I would spray in different spots) to add depth and it wouldn't be a mess. In terms of bang per buck this might be one of the best scents on earth. What is it like 10 bucks and I'm bothering to write a review lol. Just buy it.