FRAGRANCE | Hello You! EDT by Paul Smith: Another freshie that eschews the citrus

In the field of designer fragrances, Paul Smith doesn't particularly come to mind, for me at least. When I chanced upon Hello You! heavily discounted last year, I thought I'd give it a try. The box is quite striking with its 50s pinup design set against the designer's trademark colorful stripes. The bottle is mostly clear except for the stripes on one side and the pinup facing the inside of the bottle. But what's not very common is the screw cap, as most stoppers simply snap or slide into place.

The scent starts off fresh with a fruity accord that I thought was melon but which is actually apple. It's nice except that there's an off-putting, spicy sharpness accompanying the opening, and it's quite strong. They're joined by some lavender and a touch of sweetness after a few minutes, which go nicely with the fruitiness. However, I can't help but be distracted with the sharpness. It's a little headache-inducing if smelled up close but is less annoying in the air. Thankfully it starts mellowing after about 30 minutes.

Later I get a very mild, smoky vetiver and something woody in the background. Unfortunately, on my skin they don't really get to surface and it's still the initial notes in the opening that are most recognizable. Projection is okay for an hour or so but longevity is dismal, so resprays are a must here.

Paul Smith's Hello You! isn't a bad fragrance at all. Even with the spicy sharpness, which I suppose will work better on other people's skins, it's actually a pretty interesting freshie that shifts the focus away from the default citrus notes. It's in a similar vein as Estee Lauder's Intuition for Men, which totally ditched the citrus for cucumber (incidentally, performance on that one is also so-so). That said, I can't dismiss Hello You! as an outright skipper, especially if you can get it on a bargain like I did. Let's just say it's a nice-to-have.