FRAGRANCE | The Eyes of the Tiger EDP by Gucci: Too nice to a fault

halfwhiteboy - Gucci The Eyes of the Tiger EDP 01

The attraction for me began with the simple but elegant white ceramic bottle, which for me, suits the line's alchemist theme perfectly. Or maybe Gucci has succeeded in selling me the idea that I blindly bought into its projected aesthetic. Either way, it's a classy-looking bottle. What I can't wrap my head around is the name—The Eyes of the Tiger— and how it fits into the whole The Alchemist's Garden concept. But then what's in a name?

The Eyes of the Tiger is basically an amber fragrance. Aha, I thought, so it's that golden color that explains the allusion to the striped kitty's eyes after all! However, it does not shed any light as to the connection to Gucci's medieval pseudo-scientist's garden. Or am I missing something here?

halfwhiteboy - Gucci The Eyes of the Tiger EDP 02
halfwhiteboy - Gucci The Eyes of the Tiger EDP 03

Anyway, the amber in this composition is given a vanilla flavor but with the sweetness carefully controlled. In the realm of amber-centric fragrances, the result is akin to how soft and tempered Ambre Impérial by Van Cleef & Arpels is, especially when compared to the louder, spice and booze-infused Grand Soir by Maison Francis Kurkdjian. Tiger also has a prolonged plasticky accord that I usually encounter when there are violets in the blend (although I don't know if there's actually any violet at all here). It extends anywhere between an hour or two from the opening up until the scent develops a mild, powdery accord, furthering the fragrance's subtle, old-fashioned feel.

The Eyes of the Tiger is a beautiful fragrance but I honestly can't find much to talk about in it. Yes, I like the scent and how easy it is on the nose. Its quiet nod to old-style perfumes lends it a classy (if not feminine-leaning) demeanor while keeping the other foot firmly within contemporary territory. However, it tends to be boring. It's too set in its being nice that there's hardly anything left in it to excite the senses. And all this is compounded by the fact that Gucci charges $330 for a 100ml bottle. But if money is not an issue for you and all you want is a few short hours of an uncomplicated but lovely scent cloud around you that will never offend anyone, then you just might be its target market.

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

LOOKBOOK | Barong Tagalog and sneakers for 'Buwan ng Wika'

Image
Looking oh, so dignified here. Although the celebrations are normally concentrated in elementary schools, August is Buwan ng Wika (Language Month) in the Philippines. Along with dressing up in various traditional Filipino costumes, schools usually hold programs and contests showcasing the national language and traditional Filipino songs and dances. Our department decided to join in the fun by designating a special day yesterday where everyone was required to wear a traditional Filipino costume reinterpreted for modern times. Two years ago when we first held this event, I found myself wearing an ethnic-designed shirt with a malong . This year I decided on a Barong Tagalog , considered our national formal wear for men. But no one wants to go all formal on a Friday, so I wore my Barong Tagalog with sneakers . I thought, if a full-on suit works just fine with sneakers, a barong would be just as perfect with this type of footwear.
Read more

FRAGRANCE | Rajo Uno EDT by Bench: An inexpensive local gem

Image
Philippine retail giant Bench has been many a high schooler's go-to shop for cheap colognes, myself included. And even during my college years, Bench has remained a staple. I remember  Bench Ei8ht was very popular with many people back then although my favorites were their body sprays Cielo and L'Amoureux . Through the years their roster of fragrances has only grown by leaps and bounds, with a lot of them made in collaboration with celebrities and fashion designers like Rajo Laurel .
Read more