Ares

I am so very happy to finally own some of these wonderful natural perfumes. Greek mythology was my very first passion and to find a line of unisex (I think all scents should be unisex!), natural perfumes based on mythology is the greatest thing since the invention of the atomiser... Ares caught my attention first, as I am fond of spicy oriental scents, and this is both of those things. The god of war was virile, fierce and bold; though he never took a wife on Olympus, he had many lovers and lots of offspring. Aside from his bloody, warring side; he was also passionate and had quite a scandalous affair with the goddess of love Aphrodite. He was very handsome and acted on impulse...and Adam has caught his essence quite well in this eau de cologne. The opening of this has soft warm spiciness coupled with elegant woods and slightly bitter greens touched with the lightest floral sweetness. The heart notes are gorgeous and despite rose and jasmine the lavender keeps it very masculine, and it is very sexy. The drydown is fantastic with the warmth of bezoin and the richness of ambergris and labdanum. Ares was fond of Thrace, a very rugged, arid land in Asia Minor and I believe he would have approved of this fragrance! The styrax and ambrette give it an ancient feel and the powdery vanilla smooths it all together. It is a very dry, sweet and spicy scent that dries down to a resinous haze of warmth and virility. Sillage: good for an EDC Longevity: very good Overall: 4.5/5 Do not let the fact this is an 'eau de cologne' make you think it is weak, it is not. It has a fierce heart and an overall sexy feel that is heady and spicy, but sensual and exotic. As I smelled it again and again on my skin, it had nuances of previous notes and I just kept smelling my arm over and over, each time detecting light, subtle combinations of the listed notes. This company is natural, but the scents are not overpriced for the quality you get, and the way this EDC lasts, I can't wait to try the other scents in the EDT and EDP concentrations...

I have been remiss in not reviewing this fragrance earlier. Like all of Mr. Gottschalk's creations it is masterful. To me the petigrain, pepper, floral notes and vanilla are the most dominant. The combination of these is reminiscent of a sweet tobacco, which I like very much. The longevity is nowhere near that of Daphne, which is not surprising as it is an edc.