Blue Ridge

Fantastic mass-appealing fragrance. Had a travel size a while back and loved it. Took a while to actually buy a full bottle, but I recently popped into a Perfume Palace where a whole bunch of Michael Malul fragrances were set out as testers. They had Blue Ridge for $95, considerably less than the full retail price, and they also had a "buy one get one half off" deal. So I grabbed this "Joie de Vie Blush" for my fiancée. Effectively it was $75, which I think is a good value for this. Anyways, it's a blue fragrance. Fresh, and very long lasting with the freshness. Super appealing and likable. A bit of juiciness mixed in with the freshness. It gets compared to YSL Y, and Ashton of Gents Scents was open with saying it was similar to Y. And it's clear from his videos that Y EDP is one of Ashton's personal favorites. So it shouldn't be a surprise that he drew inspiration from tat. But I think it has enough of its own identity to not just be a Y EDP clone. Anyone coming down on Ashton for not being creative... come on. He polled his audience for what they wanted him to make next, they said a blue fragrance. If you don't want a blue fragrance, if you wear fragrances for reasons other than compliments, then get something else. Couple of comments about the bottle. The atomizer is really nice, gives a steady pressurized spray. It uses a lot of juice in a full spray though, so there's no real need to use more than 2 or 3 sprays. Also, someone commented that the cap is really tight and threatens to pull off the atomizer when taking it off, and that's also the case with my bottle. It does seem that this fragrance has been renamed "South Slope" on Michael Malul's website. Maybe there was some trademark issue with the name "Blue Ridge". In any case, it was still being sold as "Blue Ridge" at Perfume Palace.

OK, so I have had this on my list of wants for a while, but wanted to smell it first - no blind buy. I happened to be at a Perfumania while traveling on business, so I finally could smell Blue Ridge. I was very impressed and purchased it. I wore it the rest of the trip and received a couple of compliments. When I got home and sprayed it on, my wife immediately complimented the smell. It's fresh, soft, and consistent - a great Spring/Summer scent. It's not even close to being a clone of YSL's Y EDT because of the Aldehydes that Y has. It has similarities to all blue fragrances, but it isn't as offensive to my nose as Y EDT is. I don't like YSL Y EDT, and I like Blue Ridge. Two updates. This gets tons of compliments, and the cap is too tight. As I pull the cap off it pulls the atomizer up out of the bottle, almost off... One of these times, I'm gonna pull it completely out. I told Michael Malul support about this issue - they agreed it was a problem... and then, that's it. Another UPDATE: This is great cologne. I think it does smell similar to Y EDP, but not EDT. I wear this one a lot. It has great longevity 8-10 hours easy. It's a compliment monster, and great for Spring.

The opening on this is amazing. There is something in the opening that becomes very faint through the dry down, and it's the one thing I wish persisted in the entire life of the frag. The remainder of this is also very nice. I see what people are saying about Y EDP, but I don't think it's as close as others say. Given what my last statement was, I would probably go with YSL Y EDP over this, simply because you can find it at discounters cheaper, the longevity of Y EDP is beastly compared to this, and they are close enough that I don't think you'd reach for this over Y EDP because of the performance. Don't get me wrong, I really love this scent, but I got the 15ml tester when they went on sale, and I have YSL Y EDP, and I'd reach for Y every time. I actually prefer YSL Y Le Parfum over them all, but I'm a little older, and Y EDP is a little bit of a younger mans frag.

Smells like Y on the opening but thats it to me. More patchouli heavy on the dry down. Just alright of a scent. Doesn't wow me at all. Performance seems bad. I've used it multiple times and even with spraying heavy (10 sprays) I got maybe 4 hrs. And I'm talking about 4 hours and it becomes hardly noticeable on clothes. Pretty much completely gone on skin. Not sure on sillage but I feel like I don't get much of a scent bubble at all with it. I pretty much have to directly get a whiff on skin. So I'll classify it as "intimate." Don't bother purchasing this one at any price imo. It's way overpriced for a full bottle. The other 2 Gent Scents signatures are better.

So this to me smells like, wait for it...... a designer Aventus cologne, but with a sweeter smoother opening, man i love this stuff, finished a 15 ml, and I never do that thanks to my huge collection, seriously I have a problem and the credit card bills to prove it lol . But anyhow this is my favorite dumb reach compliments , not always in words bit people will smile at you when you're wearing this, it's that kind of scent it reminds me a bit of ysl y eau fraiche, but less screechy, so if you like that it's a great buy, look for it on ebay you should be able to find it for 80 to 90 bucks I find retail on it a bit outrageous.