Connected Kenneth Cole Reaction

While at the only "high end" department store fragrance counter in my town last week, I saw THIS, after the SA (who was obviously new!) said it was not there yet. I was really surprised to see this, so soon; as Fragrantica had only, just the day before, sent me the Press Release! Where I live (an hour from any real city) we only got POLO Red White & Blue in June of last year and it came out in January! Being a big KC fan (especially all of the REACTIONS, which I own FBs of) I grabbed it gleefully and sprayed away with abandon. WOW! NICE...and then, since they had no samples on hand-I decanted my own! (With the permission of the store manager, of course) The following review is from ONE spray from a 3ml decant sprayed on the back of my hand (with clinging drops on the sprayer wiped on my neck) There is something (to me anyway) about any perfume that is created in the "old school" style of the three "chords" (containing four notes each) that comes across as extremely well balanced and really shines on my skin chemistry; CONNECTED KC REACTION is, indeed, one of these! This opens with a gorgeous tart sweet and somewhat juicy fruitiness that never goes into the "fake plastic" or sickeningly saccharine section, like some modern perfumes can. Mandarin is bright and sweet, red apple is crisp but juicy, and persimmon is smooth and delicious (the main non-citric fruit note in Acqua di Gio, by the way). Violet leaves give this a superb green complement for the refreshing summer salad! As the fruits and leaves make way for the wonderfully balanced heart, cardamom's smooth spiciness blends with clary sage creating a masculine, but not overbearingly "macho", accord with the sweet-sour lemon and warm thick sap of the pistachio tree giving it a nutty, slightly "piney" twist. This is where it kinda "poofed" (got way lighter, but still made its presence felt, albeit subtly) on me until the drydown. It was there, but lingered almost bashfully, despite its obvious beauty. Upon finally settling on my skin, it becomes this beautiful manly scent composed of tobacco (the leaves, not cigarettes), refined rich mahogany and mossy warmth. Having a rather large collection already, and needing to be quite discerning on just what I buy in full bottle size; suffice it to say that my 75 ml EDT is already on reserve, behind the counter, waiting for my "best girl" to be there and get her much deserved commission. Despite the "Woody Spicy" label, this has much more than just woods and spices...it has some sweetness, some greens, and just enough warmth to behave well in just about ANY season (even summer), climate or for almost any occasion. Kenneth Cole (IMO) has done it again! Sillage: good Longevity: above average Overall: 4.25/5 In answer to the musings posted here: this has a definite KC vibe to it (subtle, well-done and very balanced) but it is somewhat warmer than the original Reaction (but NOT a "sport" scent, even though the flacon looks like a reusable aluminium water bottle!) but not near as strong, woody or sensual as KC SIGNATURE (with the magnetic wooden cap). This has fruitiness IN it, but is much more refined and elegant than REACTION T-SHIRT is. T-shirt is more of a casual fruity and fresh interpretation of the original where this is more like a woody, somewhat herbal/spicy version. Regardless of what you MAY think of flankers...this is wonderful, and worth a sniff and a spritz on your skin. NB: If Vintage Black left you skeptical of KC's flankers, as it did me; do NOT let that keep you from experiencing this one. Here is a very well-done and quite impressive fragrance, actually!

Connected reminds me a lot of KC Reaction. It seems to be a bit more intense with a definite kick. As a woman I enjoy smelling the fragrance. It is impressionable. You can't really smell it coming but as the man walks away you defiantly know he has been there. It strikes me most as a more summer day wear fragrance. Though it would also stand out in a club type atmosphere. It remains unique and unlike other things on the market.

Maybe its just me but there is nothing "sweet" smelling about this fragrance. Its more of a fresh/woody scent..i got a sample today. it lasted 3 hours on me but hey, its like 33 degrees outside, its defenitly a summer fragrance The note that stands out the most is the lemons.. 7/10 grade...

Love it!! Approximately 1000x better than the original KC Reaction. It has a deep, oceanic melon vibe that is hard to get enough of. Is not so sweet that it gets cloying in very hot weather, and is rich and complex enough to hold up during the fall as well.

It's good but since it only lasts about an hour or two just trash it