Galloway

This cologne was a total surprise. its beauty lies in its subtle and clean floral sillage that gently radiates from the body. Backstory: I was on the hunt for a new summer freshie. My search started with Fierce, which I almost blind bought, and I'm glad I didn't. When I tried it in the store at the mall it was gone in an hour. I was all but certain I would make up for this by buying Percival, which is known for being a very long-lasting, Fierce-like freshie. What I found interesting was reviews on Percival often include comments on PdM's other fresh fragrance, Galloway. nonetheless I headed to Nordstrom with the intention of buying Percival. I'm at the counter and sprayed Percival on the left wrist and Galloway on the right wrist for good measure. at first Percival was too sweet to my nose, like some other blue fragrances. I realized why people think this is "generic", but it really smells great in the dry down. I test drove these 2 PdMs for two hours as I walked around the mall. The Percival drydown is beautiful as it settles. however the remarkable thing to me was that I kept smelling this lovely, soft swirl of orange blossom and musc around me. The softer Galloway created a more noticeable, and more beautiful sillage, radiating from my body, even though it's a "lighter" scent. Review: though the notes seem simple, the Galloway dry down was not. the peppery orange helps Galloway project for 3 hours, and it never fully fades. Then orange blossom takes the lead, and iris provides a powdery softness, both slowly fading over the next 3 hours, leaving you with a sweetly fresh, airy "second skin" aura in the base. overall I get 6 to 8 hours of longevity. Even at 10+ hours Galloway very subtly lingers. I kept trying to convince myself I wanted Percival (which was also great!) but the fact was undeniable. Galloway unexpectedly won my heart to break the tie. The musc is gorgeous, and not at all animalic. it's creamy, soft and clean. the ever-changing introduction of notes elevates this freshie above most on the market. overall I would rate this 9/10. If this cologne had friends it would be Another 13, Petit Matin, and Neroli Portofino. NOTE: smells nothing like GIT, nor SMW. I own and love the former, and dislike the latter.

A Parfums de Marly underdog. I don't see that many people talking about Galloway, and I'm not sure why. People are saying that it smells boring because there is nothing challenging about it, but just because this frag is well constructed and well balanced in a non-challenging way doesn't mean that it smells boring. You come to Parfums de Marly for good fragrances, not for challenging fragrances. Now let me explain why this frag isn't boring. To begin with, I'd like to express this frag as a bomb that explodes in a uniform distribution of colourful, perfectly balanced shrapnels that harmonize to manifest a redolence that is strong but easy on the nose. I was expecting this frag to begin with a blast of citrus, but it's actually much less citrusy than I thought it'd be. This is a W in my book, because I don't like it when frags are too citrus-heavy. The black pepper is very masculine and disperses throughout the whole wear of the frag despite being labelled as a top note. The musk is very clean and very strong but incredibly smooth and not at all offensive. The orange blossom is heavy and animalic but not in an offputting or revoltingly pungent manner. The iris provides this mass-appealing powderiness but not in a generic manner. The amber is tenuously sweet. This frag has the perfect balance of EVERYTHING and is constructed in a way that is unexpectedly albeit appreciably NOT GENERIC OR BORING AT ALL. To me, the scent of this frag is reminiscent of a mall. Despite the fact that my skin chemistry is suitable for more heavier frags like Kalan, this frag performs great on my skin. I'm attributing this to the use and abundance of expensive raw materials in this frag, especially with the musks (which serve as great fixatives). I think this frag works best at a temperature range of 15°-30°C, with 2-4 sprays depending on your skin chemistry (I typically go with 4). Scent: 9/10 Season and time of day: Best in summer days, summer nights, and spring days. Gender: Masculine Longevity: Moderate (lasts 6 hrs with 4 sprays, tested in 25°C weather) Sillage: Strong (projects 6 feet with 4 sprays, tested in 25°C weather) Price value: Good value (taking into consideration performance, cost of raw materials, and quality of formulation)

I get why people say it’s boring and generic, especially if you’re someone that enjoys bold and unique fragrances. I get why people may expect more from PDM considering it’s a niche house selling fragrances at luxury price points. But can we normalize niche fragrance houses creating high quality well blended simple fragrances without dismissal. Sure you can find a cheaper alternative of this DNA but you get what you pay for... a cheap synthetic smelling composition. Galloway may smell “basic”, “boring”, and “generic” but no one can criticize the high quality this fragrance possesses. We all love a bold and unique, statement making fragrance but we all need a simple understated fragrance in our collection for those boring simple everyday moments in our lives. Like grocery shopping, doctors appointments, going to school or the gym etc. Surely you can’t expect to show up EVERYWHERE wearing oud, spicy, gourmand compositions. That’s tacky and obnoxious. Balance out your collection with a high quality clean, simple and “basic” scent like Galloway. It smells like crisp cleanliness. A very balanced and smooth citrus, musk and wood combo with a spicy opening. It’s not your typical clean fragrance but a luxurious clean scent. Smells like someone who bathes using the most exclusive and expensive bath products on the market and is very healthy and rich 🤑. Smells like a Doctor on their off time. Someone who’s “better” than most people but is still pleasant and humble for the sake of their career and reputation. Smells like someone who smells great NATURALLY... like they smell amazing without wearing a fragrance, just soap and water, deodorant and clean laundered clothes. Performance is great too lasting about 6 to 8 hours with a nice projection a little bit south of 2 feet. Leaves a really nice crisp but warm clean musky sillage. Also 100% genderless. The opening is a tad bit off putting with the spicy pepper, but it fades and blends in with the other notes beautifully mere minutes after spraying. TLDR: don’t be that insufferable fragrance snob who can’t enjoy or at least appreciate a very nice well made simple fragrance. Galloway is a great option if you want to smell clean and luxurious.

So after ordering samples of this a few times, the writing was on the wall, and I ordered a bottle. There are just some fragrances out there that you cannot ignore despite a 'low fragrantica rating' or 'poor reviews'. Galloway seems to be an underdog, and plenty of reviewers say that it is 'not niche' or since it is PDM it 'isn't real niche'. Well, those folks can eat shit. I buy fragrances because they appeal to me, not the brand or the house per se. Maybe, If I was trying to impress people, but no one cares. It is scented water. More often than not, the folks writing fancy-schmancy word vomit are the same schmuckos who fake their entire collection by just clicking 'have it' to hundreds of niche fragrances, then they put down the honest folks who buy clones, cheapies or maybe aren't 'niche snobs' who might only splurge on niche stuff when they deem the fragrance to be worthwhile. I am one of those guys. I love fragrance, and I can afford to buy whatever I want, really. But I try to be realistic. A fragrance has to 'speak' to me somehow. Galloway did. I don't know why, but the DNA just stuck with me. And every time I wore it, I had a smile on my face. Yes, I got positive attention with it on. I tend to get positive attention a lot, because I am a very charismatic person who just enjoys life. This fragrance is uplifting to me...the contrasts of the peppery notes and the musk with the citrus...It just works for me. It isn't a huge performer, I only get about 3-5 hours out of it, and that is ok. What it does, it does well, and I enjoy every minute that I wear it. Isn't that what this fragrance thing is all about? Just enjoying it? There is so much negativity floating around, and I come here to indulge my fragrance hobby because it genuinely makes me happy. Galloway is my kind of happy.

To me, this scent is perfect. Galloway is, and always will be, my signature scent. Its beauty lies in its simplicity; yet it doesn't take its simplicity for granted. Every note and accord is so well done, and the manner in which they are blended leaves traces of intelligence, kindness, and humility. The pepper gives the slightest bit of edge and masculinity to the combination of white florals and the white musk. To me, it's gentlemanly, but in a kind way. In an inviting way. It's so simple. But it's simple done to perfection. It's casual when I need it to be. It's formal when I need it to be. It's sexy when it needs to be. It's friendly when I need it to be. It's perfect for any occasion, literally anytime of the year, and its performance is PERFECT. Every. Single. Time. I get my 3 hours of brilliant projection, followed by my 3-4 hours of really nice projection, followed by a second skin with some additional mmph for the remainder of my day/night. I get a consistent sillage and scent trail throughout the life of the wear, which brings people in (especially if you have a kind, easygoing, charismatic personality. It gets me through my day always, but never overstays its welcome. Compliments have been near endless - this scent is me. Be it across a table while outdoors, or in close quarters with a friend or lover, people pick it out, and people identify me by it. I feel like my best self when I wear Galloway. I am my most interesting. I am my most lively. I am my most confident. I am my most high on life. I will wear this on my wedding day, on the day I become a father, and on the day I give my Oscars speech. Scent: 11/10 Longevity: 10/10 Sillage: 9/10 Projection: 10/10