Royall Mandarin

I felt, for a long time, that buying this scent was a waste. Upon initial receipt of this cologne, I quickly unscrewed the pewter cap and inhaled with all my might, only to be disappointed at the lack of orange I smelled. I continued to sniff at the cap throughout the night and for the next few days, wondering how this could have happened. I decided to put it on the shelf and all but forgot about it up until a about a week ago. Since it became warm, I have been wearing out Tommy Bahama's welcome. So I decided to go back and retry this scent. When I did my first re-sniff, I was shocked! What I could not smell in the fall when I got it was there now. There's a freshness that reminds me of Acqua di Gio and the beginning and then a softness that I'm currently unfamiliar with. Then, I get a feeling that reminds me of eating orange hard candy. I now rub this into my beard after a hot shower and it stays all day and sometimes even through the night. I am glad that I can now see what everyone was on about when they talked about it.

Disclaimer: I use this solely as an aftershave, and am reviewing it as such Next to Royall Lyme, Royall Mandarin is my favorite citrus aftershave. Much like Royall Lyme, Mandarin does what it says on the bottle. It's mandarin, pure and simple. However, unlike Royall Lyme, Mandarin has a few additional notes - coriander and thyme. These work very well to give the fragrance some warmth. In true Royall fashion, the glass bottle with pewter cap is striking, and is a great addition to any shaving cabinet. This is firmly in my rotation, however I haven't found a suitable cologne to layer it with as yet. Longevity is average, I get around 3 hours (not bad for an aftershave, though). However, there's very little sillage - this is a skin scent on me.

Smelling this from the bottle or paper strip is very different from having it on your skin. From the bottle it smells sweet, like mandarin syrup you'd stir in water to make a tasty summer drink. Once applied to the skin, it shifts into a drier citrus accord. This is a simple fragrance, but refreshing. Terrific for warmer days. If you can pick up yourself a 4oz bottle for about $20 or less, you won't be disappointed. 7.5/10

The Royall Mandarin is exactly what you might expect. A clean, fresh citrusy splash, perfect on a hot day and after a shave. The negative reviewers seem to want to compare it (and the rest of the line) to complex and expensive fragrances. It's NOT. If you wish to apply an EdT later, you'll have no competition from the Mandarin. Go in with your eyes wide open and you won't be disappointed.

When my 7 year old wants to put on one of my colognes, I put a few drops of this on him