Iconic Blend

Iconic Blend is one of the first scents that got me into collecting fragrances, and I've been using it as my signature scent for a couple of years now. It's great for beginners. At first you mostly get a burst of citrus and ozonic notes with a heavy hint of wood, followed by some geranium and violet leaves that add a touch of sophistication to an otherwise generic scent. The end result is a fresh and clean fragrance that smells similar to a high-end antiperspirant deodorant and lasts for around 5 to 6 hours (2017 Batch). Also, I want to stress how great this scent is on clothes. Seriously, you should try it just for that reason alone. Overall, I really like this scent. I'd give it a 10/10, but objectively speaking, it's more of a solid 6.5/10. Not groundbreaking or anything, but a great choice for an everyday masculine scent. Nobody has ever complimented me on it, but I think that's because it's so clean-smelling that people barely notice. It's like wearing deodorant, you know what I mean? EDIT: I was running low on this one and decided it was time to replenish. Unfortunately, I couldn't find it anywhere. Recently, I bought a sample of Boss Bottled Night, and to my surprise, it smells very similar. Boss Bottled Night is a bit less woody and has more floral notes, but it's still pretty close. Mystery solved—turns out it was was a clone all along.

My fave cheapie pickup of the year !!! As it’s an amazing scent on its own but this smells very similar to Boss bottled Night (which is one of my fave fragrance profiles ) This opens up very fresh,green,aromatic but also slightly sweet with the violet ! In the mid of this fragrance it starts to become less sweet and more bright as the Angelica comes in making this more soapy as well. The drydown is pretty much the same with the exception of the sandalwood creeping this is making this more smooth! This scent has nice development and is enjoyable through every stage of the fragrance!! In comparison to Boss Bottled Night I’d say that boss bottled night is more rich with the birch and smoky with the birch but Iconic blend is more fresh,green and soapy ! I actually prefer Iconic blend and this may be my new summer signature scent for work as it’s extreme enjoyable,dapper, and inoffensive!! Performance on my skin is great as this lasts 8-12 hours but the projection is only moderate for 1 hour and after that a nice skin scent !! Great bang for your buck fragrance that smells more expensive. Overall rating -8.75 out of 10 ! Almost a 9 but loses points for originality BUT this is such a great value

So... I was at TJMaxx, looking at their (bargain) EDT and parfum collection, and I picked up a bottle of Penguin Iconic Blend and sprayed myself. I walked away. Not a minute later some woman walked up to me and asked "did you just spray something?" I walked her to the shelf I was at previously and pointed out the fragrance. She gushed about how much she liked it. Another woman nearby confirmed her approval. Mind you, I just spent almost $250 at Macy's for two bottles of JPG Le Beau and Elixir, and a bottle of $16.99 Penguin has women raving. WTF. 😐 Penguin is nice and projects with purpose. If you can imagine Don Draper heading into his NYC office circa 1964, this is what he would smell like. Sophisticated, classic, and clean. It makes women take notice and isn't that what it's all about?

This is the most woodsy of the three Original Penguin fragrances and perhaps the one more suited for evening wear or fall time wear. The other two are in my opinion clearly daytime frags and maybe limited to warmer weather. This one is more versatile. Performance is average.. not too long lasting but not very weak. For the price (I paid $15 at TJ Maxx), it’s a steal and no brainer. Looking forward to wearing this one more! Very underrated, and recommended!!

For 15-20 bucks at your local Ross/TJMaxx/Marshalls you cannot go wrong with this fragrance. Bought blindly and I have zero regrets. Will definitely pick up another bottle in the future.

Solid masculine fragrance with a clean, aromatic quality that works in a t-shirt or a tuxedo. It's cheap and it smells a little cheap, but still smells great. The violet and bergamot are just perfect refined-guy vibes, making me feel like a sexy dandy gentleman. The sage and other spice/floral midnotes support this scent beautifully all the way to the creamy, woodsy, masculine dry down. Top notes last 2 hours on me, basenotes maybe 3-6, depending on weather and activity. Smells like classic Millenial preppy mall frags: think Curve by Liz Claiborne, Hollister, Abercrombie, etc, but a bit softer with it's gentleman-ly surge of floral notes. Performance is what you would expect for a lower price point, i.e. not very strong or long lasting. I find that repeated applications throughout the day is better than heavy application up front with this one. Having said all that, I consistently consider this one of the best value-for-my-money fragrance purchases. The bottle and box design are gorgeous and I paid less than 20 bucks for a 3.4oz. Not every cologne needs to last all day. Works well blending with sweeter/more citrus-y fragrances that use similar ideas in their formulas.

Original Penguin Iconic Blend Description: What’s not to love? This woody aromatic scent features appealing notes of bergamot, violet leaf, geranium, nutmeg, and sandalwood. One of the standout qualities of Original Penguin Iconic Blend is its versatility. It's perfect for any occasion, whether you're heading to the office, a casual outing, or doing a Target run. The scent is neither too overpowering nor too subtle, striking the right balance without overwhelming the senses. Type: Woody Aromatic Smells Like: Comparable to freshies like Armaf Hunter Men, Lacoste White, and Hugo Boss Unlimited, but with less citrus. Presentation: Quality frosted glass bottle with a good atomizer. Longevity and Sillage: For the price, don't expect it to last all day. Spray it like a body spray after a shower or on clothes. Keep a bottle at the office for a quick touch-up. It's perfect for around the house, post-shower, or a Target run. Cost: Amazing value under $20! Made In: USA Score: 8/10 - An excellent blind buy.

Dark, musky, woody violet leaf with a slight coolness of geranium is the best way to describe Iconic Blend (EDT). Aside from the noticeable violet leaf, the initial bergamot and cool geranium notes in the opening quickly fade into musky woods that remain dominated by the violet leaves throughout the life of the scent. It is a unique scent if not a little synthetic. This fragrance reminds me of a black leather jacket and would definitely compliment such an outfit. An evening out is the most sensible time to wear this one, and I think it works best when paired with nice casual or dresser outfits. Longevity is slightly below average at 4-6 hours. Sillage stays pretty close to the skin, but if you are trying to avoid smelling like everyone else, this is a good choice and a solid frag. I haven't had the chance to wear this one in colder weather yet, but I doubt it would perform well any time of year between late fall or early spring.

For the 15 bucks I paid for it I could’ve done a lot worse. Firstly, the packaging and bottle are very nice. The bottle is heavy and the cap is very securely clicked into place. When I first sprayed it I immediately likened it to scents like Chancel BdC and Polo Blue edp. I doubt many could dislike this scent. It’s nothing new and it’s more on the synthetic side of those listed above, but it does smell good. As with most fragrances on the low end it’s hard to discern many individual notes as it’s just a melange of accords. It’s a woodsy, citrusy, aquatic type scent that’s been done many times but it’s done here fairly well especially for the cost. I’ll likely wear it occasionally to work or for running errands so the purchase is good by me.

A simple, fun, fresh, woodsy scent that can’t be beat for the price! Like others have mentioned, the fragrance does smell a little cheap however the violet leaf used provides just enough sophistication & maturity that you can pull it off in any t-shirt/jeans scenario or even in the office. The fragrance can be worn in any season, day or night. It’s a great cheap alternative to wear when you don’t want to use up whichever more expensive Aventus clone you own. This is a refreshing woodsy scent(aquatic violet leaf, mentholated geranium & woodsy notes) that is quite pleasant, will not offend anyone, is great for layering and IMO is the best release from Penguin’s Blend series. -spray heavy, this scent will disappear after the first hour ...

Picked up on a whim while at TJ Maxx, $15. Well worth it, IMO. Other than my bottle leaks a bit from under atomizer when spraying, bottle is solid (very thick glass, feels like it would contain cologne worth more than I paid). Fragrance smells very refreshing, perfect for daytime, warm to really warm temp. Upon initial blast from spraying, immediately treated to synthetic (but still good) bergamot and some violet leaf. Seems linear though, I don't pick up any of the mid/base notes. Sadly, it stops radiating after about 5-10min and dies off to a skin scent. I noticed it lingers quite nicely on cotton tee shirts though so spray heavily and generously.

Nice, clean, fresh scent. I really like the violet leaf which you can smell throughout the life of the fragrance. Unfortunately, it's a short lived fragrance. I may get about 3 hours longevity on my skin. I wore it to the office today and I know I sprayed at least 8 times not including my clothes. Projects for about 30 or 40 minutes and becomes skin scent for about 2 1/2 hours. This could be the perfect office scent if it only performed better. Love the scent though. I give it a 6/10 rating, because of poor performance.

The dry down is better than the opening, bit the opening is pretty good. I can definitely pick out the violet leaf in the opening. And after it dries down I get this nice nutmeg/sandalwood scent. I think projection is pretty good for the first hour/hour and a half. And I think you could easily expect 5 to 6 hours of longevity. For the $15 you're gonna spend on this, you're definitely gonna get more than your money's worth. It's not a "must have" but it isn't one you're gonna regret if you buy it.

Picked this up at Ross for $15 and I’m not disappointed at all. This is very similar to Mercedes Benz edt except smoother and overall better imo. Smells like a really good antiperspirant/deodorant and not offensive at all. It’s fresh and sporty, perfect for work or school. Performance is not bad, I can still smell it on my skin after 4-5 hours. I give it an 8/10 but if it was over $30 I would give it a 6/10.

The most floral thing I’ve smelled yet in the Penguin line. Smells to me like Cerruti 1881 with the harsher woody/juniper qualities shaved off the corners. Inexpensive enough to buy a bottle if you like masculine florals. Doesn’t smell like a ton of stuff out there. Cool bottle, versatile, decent juice, good longevity, survived the shower. It can get a little cloying if oversprayed. Two does the trick.

Just grabbed this at tj maxx for cheap. First thought was that it sorta smells like gucci guilty. Performance isn’t amazing, but I like the scent. This will be used as just a lil somethin to throw in the car/gym bag/locker. This would be great for a younger dude who has never owned higher quality fragrances. I don’t think it smells synthetic, but it does have a shower gel-ish sort of quality to it.

This was a blind buy at TJ Max. This totally goes opposite of the newer typical sweeter dry downs. I get descent lasting about 8 hours. Sillage is moderate. This is a manly scent very woodsy but also very clean smelling. You could make this your GoTo for office or church. My wife likes it because it is not over the top in your face and is a manly scent.

This is heavy, heavy violet leaf, with geranium and Angelica root. An unusual fragrance buoyed by strength with it's bergamot. I put this on at bed time and could smell it on my skin 10 hours later. Longevity is huge. First 2-3 hours, the sillage is heavy, but after that, it's a skin scent. Well made and definitely worth the $20 at TJ Maxx.

Opening is a blast of fruity bergamot with violet leaf. After a few minutes the bergamot starts to fade then it's mostly violet leaf and woods. Very pleasant but nothing new. For the price this is a very good buy though. $15 at Marshalls. The freshness and type of woody notes reminds me of the Mont Blanc Legend line.

Peppery, soapy, musky, slightly aquatic and woody freshie that can work year round. Performance better than expected, so be careful with overspraying as it will linger and become headache-inducing. For the price point, very safe, very-masculine every day signature freshie.