Gucci Pour Homme II (2007)
by Gucci

I've recently purchased this locally. Gucci II is a lighthearted ozonic when applied on my skin ( the black hole that it is) and I have yet to detect violet in my multiple wearings ( for which I am grateful)

It is subtle while it moves from opening to middle and I do find (also) that it lingers on the top notes for quite some time. What I perceived to be pimento barely reared its head, but was accounted for along with barely perceptible cinnamon.

I found the basenotes to be odd in the sense that this is the first designer frag I've worn to be as subtle with woods as this. Not a bad thing mind you, just different. I have enough powerhouse scents if I want to go down that road.

All in all, a very good bottle of juice, albeit light, suitable for winter or summer.

Fantastically-blended, very subtle frag with slight oriental and ozonic leanings but never ends up firmly in any one camp. Fresh enough to be a warm-weather scent, and spicy enough to be a cold-weather scent -- yet adroitly avoids being a total spice bomb. As for the purported tea note -- I find it difficult to determine whether what we're smelling is truly tea, or a combination of spices that evokes tea through clever olfactory manipulation. Despite going fairly heavy on the cinammon -- an ingredient that is quite difficult to weave in without going overboard -- it never completely becomes an oriental because whatever vanilla that there is just whispers at you, and there's an interesting saltiness (probably caused by the pimento) to the mix that offsets the sweetness nicely. In fact, the entire experience is a chorus of whispers, and that's what makes it so different.

I don't get how people can dismiss this as just another mainstream frag - I can't think of anything that smells quite like this. And for the record, it is TOTALLY different from GPH 1 -- which is an admirable scent in its own right, but a bit of a one-trick pencil-shavings pony and in no way comparable to its little brother.

Having said all this, the opening is a tad bright, dry and strident -- much like Sander Man, which has a different makeup but a similar dry brightness, this juice can sizzle your nose-hairs and fry some nerve cells if you inhale too deeply. The upside is that sillage is outrageous, if that's what you are after.

BTW, you know what would make this one absolutely perfect -- a tiny dollop of meow-mix (civet). Rrrrrrrr.

Nice opening: Well-balanced, clean, masculine, slightly aromatic… I like it in spite of the violet leaf. And the opening seems to last impressively, which is a tribute to the blending where the opening notes slowly dissolve out while the middle tea and spices dissolve in. Without realizing the movement, I’m suddenly aware that I’m smelling pimiento and cinnamon is a sea of tea. Nice. It has a solid drydown that is smooth and richer than the typical modern designer releases. Nthny is absolutely correct in that this is a lighter version of Lalique Equus. I prefer this one because of the muted violet leaf and the cleaner, less aromatic woods. One of the better modern releases…

When I wear this I smell two things...

Tea, which I love, and pimentos. which I I love...

TO EAT.

So far, the two tea inclusive fragrances I've tried have had an additional note that ruined it. This had pimentos, and the other one had burnt rubber, and we all know which one that is.

I don't know if it's my skin or my nose, but sour notes really seem to stand out on me. Don't get me wrong, interesting is great, but at the same time a smell should immediately convey a desire to get closer and smell more, at least to me.

I wanted so much to love you because of that black-tea and cinnamon sensation that sold me at first sniff...but the musk made it impossible and you went back the very next day.

This is one of those fragrances that's been sitting on my shelf, and though I know I like it I never quite find the right day to wear it. To start off with, it's quite strong sillage wise, and the first time I wore it I OD'd, requiring a wash-off during my lunch break from work. Perhaps this soured me on wearing it for a while.

Having given it another chance today I remember why I liked it enough to buy it. As with other Gucci offerings, GPHII is fairly linear and serves as a great, wearable, all-day scent. My initial reaction is to the semi-sweet, strong floral violet note. The primary accord is a three way balancing act between this violet, (the strength of which subsides fairly quickly), cinnamon that provides sharpness, and a base of strong black tea. Secondary notes of musk provide powder and tobacco and woodsy notes lend depth. The tea/spice/violet mix lasts for hours (6-8) on me, and as I mentioned before, throws very decent sillage. As many as 12 hours after application I can still sense woods and musk lurking closely to the skin.

GPHII is definitely a 'try before you buy' because if you don't like it's sweet-sharpness there would be no compromising and 'sort of' liking it. This could comfortably be worn anywhere and in any weather, and as someone mentioned below, women seem to dig it. Thumbs up for Gucccccci!