>>18521387
Decided to double down in case I die tomorrow and open up my boxed Gucci Envy for Men. It starts off very sweet but a lot more modern than I expected with the ginger and mandarin. My definition of modern being post 1990s, and into the 2000s when ginger and mandarin becomes ubiquitous. Those notes are pretty strong and linear hiding other notes behind them, you get a peeks of the carnation, leather, and woodiness which is when the fragrance can rightfully be labelled as a bit dated. I'll be honest, other than the sweetness there nothing I might find offensive in the fragrance, but there is also nothing that pulls me in. It's nice, it's well done, maybe during release it was more notable but right now it seems a bit uneventful. I try not to expect much from fragrances and this is definitely something that you can wear on a relaxing evening but I want a little more of a kick. In terms of performance I can tell Envy will last and project enough, but in terms of unique and captivating notes I don't think it scratches my itch. I'll keep trying it and maybe in a chill autumn evening it will blossom. To be clear I don't think this is the fault of the perfume but of my tastes leaning into dryer and less refined scents. It's settling down into a smokier and leathery scent, just not enough. If it was a lot smokier with the ginger toned way down and maybe more indolic florals it would be more my tastes but it would also be a different fragrance, a real "if my grandmother had wheels" situation. I can see why people like it, it performs well and just works, it would make a great signature scent. Sometimes I just wish I could skip to the end. The base notes are nice and smooth, just have to eat the sweet ginger dessert on the top notes first.