FRAGRANCE | Club de Nuit Intense Man by Armaf: A solid fragrance on its own merits

halfwhiteboy - armaf club de nuit intense man edt

My love for fragrances--or might I say, increasing obsession for fragrances--has led me to discover brands I've never even heard of before. And boy, do I enjoy these discoveries! Armaf is one of these brands, which I stumbled upon while going through an online perfume store.

This Dubai-based house intrigued me, especially with its fairly cheap price range. Convinced with reviews I've read, I took a gamble on Club de Nuit Intense Man, touted by many as a "clone" of Creed's bestselling Aventus. I haven't tried Aventus, so I'm reviewing this juice based on its own merits.

First off I was taken aback by the bottle. I find it a bit tacky with its faux diamond-encrusted cap and all. I counted and the cap alone has 10 of them, plus one more in the front. Heck, even the box has bling-bling! But I must say it's one heavy and sturdy bottle.

halfwhiteboy - armaf club de nuit intense man edt 02

Once you get past this monstrosity, however, you'll find that CDNIM has really something to offer. It opens strong with a fresh, fruity-citrusy accord with a prominent sweet pineapple note. It's all balanced, so it's not sickly sweet or cloying.

As it develops, it reveals a light, smoky note and sometimes I also get a whiff of rose in there. But that one is very short-lived, which is probably why I don't catch it often. The fragrance then settles into something woody but very light with a minty undertone. The pineapple also makes sporadic reappearances here and there.

CDNIM projects like a beast, which is validated by colleagues noticing it often. This EDT also has quite the staying power, much to my delight.

Clone or not, CDNIM is a really good fragrance based on its own merits, more so considering how inexpensive it is. It's easily a crowd-pleaser and will practically suit any occasion or weather. That said, I think it's a pretty safe blind buy.

-----------------------------
I also made a successful blind buy with Guerlain Heritage EDP. Check it out:
[FRAGRANCE | Guerlain Heritage EDP: A wonderfully blended juice with spectacular performance]

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

FRAGRANCE | Green Cedar EDT by Bench: An environmentally-conscious offering from the Philippines' premier retail brand

Image
A few weeks ago, I found myself wandering inside Bench Powerplant Mall. And what else would catch my eye but two fragrances by their lonesome twosome, positioned far away from the rest of the brand's scent offerings. They're Basil & Neroli and Green Cedar , both EDTs and part of the  Bench Better Made line . The frags are purported to be vegan and cruelty-free. They come in 125ml dark brown glass bottles and brown paper cylindrical boxes. Nice packaging there except for the cheap, plastic cap. No big deal, though, since they're just Php 428 apiece. 
Read more

Man of style: Steven Tyler

Image
What? Yes, Steven Tyler. He obviously does not fit the bill of the suited type or the GQ man but hey, the man's got style. And he's got swag, baby! Since joining American Idol , Tyler, together with fellow judge Jennifer Lopez, have glammed up the singing competition with their flair for fashion ( forget Randy; he's hopeless ). And I am more than happy to wait for what he's gonna wear each episode.
Read more