The Forward

Imagine...you have prepared some citrus fruits to take out for a coastal walk, particularly pomelo and grapefruit, and have sprinkled a little salt on the sliced fruits to remove the bitterness and bring out the natural sweetness. You head out and enjoy the now slightly salty-sweet fruits near a blooming jasmine vine that is gently filling the air alongside a soft sea breeze. You feel refreshed, relaxed and calm. The Forward is a versatile interpretation of a citrus-sweet-woody fragrance where all aspects are refined and controlled. It starts with a fresh blast of crisp citruses and white florals, then moves to a salty, sweet tonka bean and vanilla combination, and ends with a powdery yet creamy sandalwood. Whilst not a “groundbreaking” scent profile, the quality of ingredients and presentation are very high and well thought-out. This is an excellent offering from Mind Games and one of the best in the Soulmate collection. Who? - I think this is unisex. When/where? - I think this is extremely approachable to wear all year round, for any occasion/setting. This reminds me of? - I get aspects of Jo Malone’s Wood Sage & Sea Salt and Xerjoff’s 40 Knots and Torino22.

This is the pinnacle of the Mind Games collection in my opinion. It is versatile and can be worn all seasons. It is mass-appealing, I can’t imagine anyone being put off by this scent. It’s sweet but not overbearing like in Le Male Elixir. It’s salty but not polarizing like in 40 Knots. It’s creamy like Chanel Allure Homme Edition Blanche but more interesting and it has much better longevity and sillage. The bottle, concept, and presentation are all fantastic. Nathalie Benareau got her inspiration for this fragrance from her trip to Madagascar, where she saw women proudly extracting mandarin near the ocean in a salty breeze. “The Forward” came to her as a name of empowerment and motivation. This takes facets from multiple popular fragrances and spins it into a unique combo that also smells very simple due to how well it is blended.

The Forward is such a wearable, easy-going fragrance. My first foray into Mind Games, this was a good first impression of the brand. As others have stated, the pomelo is a unique note compared to most of the contemporary offerings out there, very smooth yet bright. The salt, sandalwood and tonka bean combo in the heart takes me back to chilling on the beaches in Barbados, just leaves you wondering "why can't life always be this easy?" Project and performance on me is very good. It does remind me of Miami by City Rhythm but it's smoother and more refined, which is expected given the price difference. My only regret is that I only got a 5ml decant when I should've gotten the 10ml. If you're looking for a summer time fragrance that could be your signature, The Forward may be it. 9/10

the opening is bright but the middle is so sexy. I'm not a white floral girl but the jasmine in here really holds the citrus and the vanilla, tonka, and cashmere base notes together. The vanilla and tonka are sooo rich and creamy, but not too cloying for warm weather. This feel suitable for all seasons. For many this is masculine leaning but on a woman, I feel like that's what makes it so sexy. It's like a grown woman citrus gourmand and I fw it!! I have a decant right now but I want a full bottle so I can go beast mode with it. Definitely need this for summer! It's giving me kept housewife who vacations to France solo to remind her husband that she is still THAT girl. I definitely feel like THAT girl when I wear this!

Someone sell me a bottle for cheap plz I really love this smell def my top 3 scent of all time. I want I want I want I want I want I want I want I want I want I want I want I want I want I want I want I want I want I want I want I want I want I want I want I want I want I want I want I want I want I want I want I want I want I want I want I want I want I want I want I want I want I want I want I want I want I want I want I want I want I want I want I want I want I want I want I want I want I want I want I want I want I want I want I want I want I want I want I want I want I want I want I want

I'm not normally into Gourmand. I'm a freshy fan for Summer but this offers another dimension to my nightime Summer rotation. Sweet, creamy, salty, some citrus peeks out. Its sexy. The notes lend themselves to a colder weather wear but you can taste the saltiness. I'm testing it in near freezing temperatures, and it is warming. It works in cold weather. Really looking forward to seeing how it plays out in hotter weather. My 1st experience of Mind Games and its a good one. Longevity is 8 hours plus on my skin. And it's a great scent and blend. Unisex- 9.0

I love this scent profile. It’s nothing unique, similar options can be had ranging from Chanel’s Allure Homme Edition Blanche to Xerjoff’s Uden, but The Forward is my absolute favorite out of them all. Beautiful blend of smooth citrus, a dash of salt and jasmine against creamy sandalwood and a bit of gourmand sweetness from the tonka and vanilla. Incredibly soothing, this never fails to brighten up my mood when smelling it. Exceptionally expensive, but the blend is sublime with excellent performance. Great summertime gourmand.

I get compliments every single time I wear this. This is the perfume I grab when I'm off meeting clients and want to smell fresh, clean, bright, modern and polished. It's more sophisticated, nuanced and longer lasting than Jo Malone's Wood Salt and Sage, it's maybe a distant cousin. The Forward lasts and lasts on me and is easily layered with other scents and body products. I especially like this sprayed over Jo Malone's Lime Basil and Mandarine body cream. One of my favorites from this house.

If you enjoy citrus, salt or tonka in fragrances then this is a must-try. This is unique and beautiful. Opening is salty citrus then the tonka starts to come out as it dries down leading to some of the powder aspect that people are getting. It’s unisex but leaning slightly masculine. It almost smells like there is a touch of lavender in this causing the slight lean of masculinity. I love it, but not sure if I would prefer it on me or a man..

Another great offering from the Mind Games. Not looking into the notes I’ve tried on my skin. And at first I feel a strong beach vibe with a bit of coconut and tropical flower on the salty skin. However it developed quite unexpectedly into beautiful somewhat masculine mix of myrrh and vanilla. After checking the notes I was a bit puzzled but I understand how this well blended concoction can reveal an array of notes.

Beautiful. Elegant simplicity with a smart twist. Pomelo and lemon sparkle over a saline breeze, then the sweetness of Madagascar vanilla and tonka folds in. That tension between tart citrus, salt, and creamy gourmand is the hook. It feels refined yet easy, office-safe and versatile, totally signature-scent material and a true dumb reach. I actually prefer it over Blockade. Among the best from Mind Games.

Very good. I agree that it opens like Bal d'Afrique but evolves into a more spicy/vanilla/woody direction. The dry down is more jasmine-y, but still fresh. Whereas the Byredo becomes more green and fruity. Both smell amazing. The MG lasted a bit longer. MG might be slightly more versatile. The spicy/woody/vanilla gives a bit of that edge for different occasions. I would use interchangeably. 8.5

Actually a 10/10 for me. You could pull this off in summer due to the freshness and citruses, also during winter due to the spicy vanilla. Lasts 8/9 hours for me and sillage is insane. It’s one of those fragrances where you just feel the bubble surrounding you the whole day. It’s very wearable and easy to like. Not overly salty at all to me & worth it if you can get a good price!

My favorite scent from the Mind Games house. Opens with a burst of clean masculine citrus that dries down into this sensual creamy, yet still clean cashmere and vanilla smell, wrapped in salt. The dry down leans feminine, which I find so interesting when the opening is the opposite. Young yet sophisticated and supremely unisex in a way that my bisexual ass really appreciates.

I love this. Beautiful cross sectioning between subtly sweet citruses, sea salt, creamy vanilla and tonka and airy florals. Great performance and longevity and I think both men and women could pull this one off. Great for warmer weather, but could be absolutely year round. Dressed up or casual versatility. Cost is high, but the quality is absolutely there.

Beautiful, bright and fresh, perfect for spring/summer. It's the creamiest citrus sandalwood out there, with a pleasant vanilla tonka bean base that doesn't go too sweet. I get a bit of sunscreen, but quite different from other suncreen accords. Has very chill vibes, I would wear this on a vacation or a day by the pool but not at the office.

So...I'm obsessed with Ellis Brooklyn body spray Sun. I'm looking for a perfume that smells exactly like that and this one is it. Unfortunately the body spray does not last on me. I don't know if I should bite the bullet and buy a full bottle,it's just so expensive but if anybody wants to sell their half bottle message me please.

I see a lot of men's reviews here and also men's fragrances have crept up to front of the "Reminds Me Of" section - but this is a gorgeous fragrance on a female and didn't smell masculine at all on me. Really nice quality. Ladies don't be afraid to try this one.

Perfection! Mind Games executed every note in this fragrance, but the tonal bean salty vanilla dry down is chefs kiss! Glad I opted to test this and Queening before blind buying Queening. I prefer The Forward over Queening but both a beautiful vanilla scents.

Finally figured out what it reminds me of. EOS Vanilla Cashmere lotion & body wash. I do quite enjoy it allot but definitely not worth the retail price to smell like something in Walmart that’s $10 but will pick it up once I find it for a good deal.