¶ Reviewing Fragrances
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Hey , ladies and gentlemen , welcome to another episode of the Cologne podcast . I'm Mike and I'm Ryan . We're going to be doing two best friends giving their uneducated opinion on the world of fragrances . That's correct . Today we're taking a look at Anthony Hopkins fragrance what's it called ?
Ah , it's just A8 , so I'm assuming that's what it is .
Yeah , it could be short for Anthony Hopkins . Yeah , there you go . Okay , let me tell you what Mundo , from Frank Grazica , has to say , using a decant . I got it recently and this is a much improved version of Neuroli Portofino by Tom Ford . You're pretty versed in that one , right , yeah , okay , this is full bottle worthy , in my opinion .
It's Neuroli cranked up to the 10th degree Interesting , and I actually have . I think we have Neuroli Portofino here . So if we , if we want to compare it , we have that option . But first let's take a trip back in time , okay , to when we joined the boys , we went clubbing . We went clubbing with Ralph Lauren . Hit it , todd . Yeah , one night stand review .
Well , after spending the night with Ralph Lauren , it's club full of homies .
Dude , he took us to some seedy club man .
Yeah , here's what we kept saying . We did the episode and then we just kind of sat around and pouted for a little while . Our frustration was when you think of like a sort of exclusive club that you get into . You don't think it's going to be like this wide reaching mass appeal sort of a thing . You think it's going to be something that's like set apart .
It's going to be something that's intriguing and dark and mysterious . Only a few people get it . That's right . It only applies to a few special individuals , maybe a members only club if you will . Yes , I'm talking like speaker box and the love below . In this case it just smelled like they were trying to go after the Savage type market .
It's funny I didn't smell it first , but then when we went off air we went radio silent , okay , and we were pouting because we weren't mad . We're a little upset about it because it's a cool ass looking bottle .
And it's kind of hype . Yeah , ralph's club . Yeah , yeah , yeah .
So , yeah , we were just we were really excited for it . It was going to be hopefully something different , but when we sat there and we patted for a bit , I smelled my hands some more . I was like it really does start to smell a little bit like something that's similar to Savage . It's like good God , I don't know man .
All in all , it was just a big disappointment . It really is . This is something that they're going . Okay , we're starting a new line . This is going to be some completely different . It just kind of smelled like something else we've smelled before , and maybe I'm spoiled .
Okay , I'll admit it , maybe I'm a little bratty here , okay , well , there's no arguing that , ryan , but when I smell scents like this that are ridiculously safe and super soapy clean , that smells cheap to me . Instantly it smells cheap .
Yeah , especially if you're buying it at retail .
Dude , if you didn't tell me what that was and you just , whatever , try to get me a guess . The price might be like , man , that's like probably a $30 cologne or something .
We need to compare it against Prada Lome . I've never smelled Prada Lome , but I hear Prada Lome is just this soapy , squeaky , clean-ish sort of a thing .
Hmm , I probably wouldn't like it then ?
If you like these types of smells , it does hang on . It is pungent , potent , performing . Yeah , all the PPs , you're going to get them . But for us , when we're trying to give you listeners something special , we're just a little bit bummed out when it's something that feels pretty generic and it's a new , hyped sort of .
Yeah , it's what we were kind of running into for a while . We kind of ran into a snag with you know , it was Ultramall and One Million and Azaro's wanted the most wanted . Yeah , they , once you start smelling , they all start smelling the same . It gets really boring and it's hard .
It really is hard to describe something when you feel like you've smelled it a million times and that's what this smelled like .
Just smell clean . Well , let's get on to our Neroli . Portofino extraordinaire , anthony Hopkins .
Anthony Hopkins is a cool cat man . He really is , without a doubt . You know he's done composer work before . Do you ever seen that shit on YouTube ? No , like , compose the music , yeah , like an orchestra , wow , like I'm talking like a .
It was a big deal and he got to hear a composition he fully composed from a huge crowd for the first time and so on YouTube he looked at it was pretty cool man , that guy . I'm trying to be easy with this .
Yeah , this one doesn't come with an atomizer . It's one of these little vile yeah .
You're going to get it all over you , but it is what it is , and you're versed in neroli Portofino , is that what it's called ? Yeah , so you tell me me . Personally , I'm kind of liking it , but keep it 100 . Give me that 100 emoji , dog , yeah .
See , neroli . Portofino , to me , has more of a like a citrus vibe to it . Yeah , the citrus is not the neroli note .
Yeah , if I need to get technical , ryan , basically from what I've learned from kind of reading about neroli is that it's an orange blossom , that they use a special type of compression with something , yeah , like certain pounds , and I don't know . Austin was trying to tell us about it , that's right , the scent room the other day , but yeah , basically it is .
Neroli is a specific type of extraction process to get the aroma of oil out of the orange blossom . Gotcha , that's what I'm getting from .
Well , as a person that's not versed in any of that , and when I just hear orange blossom , this is what I would think smells like orange blossom .
It smells really good to me it smells like an old timey soap . To me it does . I'll agree with that . And I mean , that was what , like whenever I smell like a neroli rich sort of a fragrance , I'm kind of like , yeah , it kind of smells like grandma soap . Yeah , I don't hate it . I wonder if this dries into anything . I don't know , we just sprayed it .
I think the thing is when we well , first of all , we didn't spray it , ryan , there's no atomizer , we dapped it . But smelling it , I wonder if it kind of settles into anything interesting , because I'm trying to sniff it and imagine Anthony Hopkins .
I will say one thing cool about this . First off , it's $75 for 100 ml and if I understand it correctly , I think you can also put in and all caps , save 50 and get 50% off of it . So it's like already discounted and it's like 3750 , I think you can get 100 ml of this . Wow .
I mean coming off of the haunches of Ralph's Club .
I think this smells way better than that , or pure excess , for that matter .
Well , I think it's just it's different , yeah , and that kind of excites us . It does .
It's a pretty scent and oh , one other thing I was finding out with this . So this or and he also makes candles , by the way , this would probably be a pretty bomb candle , oh , for sure . So if you buy any of his products on his website , he actually donates to a I think it's like no kid goes hungry type of thing .
So anything you buy , he donates personally to this charity for children so they can be fed and all this stuff . That's cool , it is kind of cool , so it does have some kind of good going behind it instead of just purchasing something
¶ Anthony Hopkins' Fragrance and Comparisons
. You know what I'm saying .
Well , I mean it's nice to see somebody who one has been super successful in their career and sitting on millions of dollars that you know they say once you get up to the top it's nice just to send the elevator back down for everyone else . You know what I mean . I agree and I feel like that .
Seeing people who kind of give back and be a part of that , that's pretty awesome , very altruistic .
I'm going to say this right now whatever this is drying down to on the card stock , I find it absolutely amazing . It is super gorgeous to me .
If you honestly get this for 35 bucks , well , we'll hold off on that . I will say this I can see Anthony Hopkins wearing this For sure when I smell it on the skin , and that I don't know if Naroli is a note in here , but since everybody said it in the reviews , I'm just going to go with that .
Okay , but when that kind of dips down because I feel like it dips down a little bit on the skin , I can smell a certain masculinity to it , but there's definitely some maturity to it as well .
There is . I like it . I'm at least on the card stock . I'm actually loving it on the card stock . It's really pretty to me . It's an interesting one . Now this is unisex too .
Do you want to smell on the Roli Portofino , or you think it would be ?
Throw it on there , let's smell it . I mean , when people start making accusations that it smells like a better version of something I kind of personally want to smell .
Well , we haven't done an episode on this , we haven't .
Oh , we did noir Day noir , didn't we ? No , what ? Which one do we do ? We did one more besides ombre leather Oodwood that's a man . I got confused . Man , this smells good as hell , God damn .
Yeah See , I don't know if I can go with old Mongo here if he says it's better than Naroli Portofino . Dude , he's a goddamn liar man . We might need to do an episode on Naroli Portofino my friend , you know what .
I'm just going to go ahead and say it next episode we're doing this one .
Okay , next episode , naroli Portofino . But still , let's keep cruising with Anthony Hopkins . Okay , naroli Bomb .
Let's just go ahead and say it . Mondo's a liar . He doesn't know what he's talking about . It's nowhere . It's nowhere in the same hemisphere . It's a good scent , but it's not in the same hemisphere as Tom Ford's Naroli Portofino not even close .
Yeah , and now it's almost a disjustice to go back to . Yeah . What are people injustice ? Sorry ?
I guess that's what's so interesting about people's noses and how they take incense , because I don't know how somebody smells that , then picks this up and then they go .
Oh yeah , exactly the same , only better .
This is a lot more mild . It's not , as in your face , as the Tom Ford you just sprayed just now .
Yeah , and also Naroli has , at least from what I can tell my uneducated nose . Yeah , it has kind of a stinkiness to it . Yeah , has like a little pungentness .
I'm going to say this still this is a pretty fragrance .
Yes , it is . I do like it . I do too . I think it's an interesting one .
If you are more mature , let's say I agree , I don't think it's for a young man , no , but I'd say somebody in their fifties Late fifties , yeah , or older , and highly intelligent , sure , probably surgical or the scalpel .
Oh , yeah , yeah , maybe loves raw meat . Yes , let me say rare meat , because I want to say he was cooking it a little bit . I know where you're going with this one , ryan , and I'm assuming we're talking about Hannibal the one and only Sir Anthony Hopkins .
I like the smell it's . It doesn't do any justice compared to something that heavy with Tom Ford , but I will say this is a really pretty scent on its own .
Yeah , it is not a scent for everyone .
No , I think it's leaps and bounds over what we just smelled . The past two ones for sure . I agree with that . So bravo to Anthony Hopkins .
This is an amazing outing . If this is the first fragrance , it is his first one , yeah , so I love it . I'm glad he didn't go with something safe .
I am too . That's what I keep saying . I want at least take a gamble , you know .
I can see it , like smelling it . I could see it go . Oh , I could see where this comes from the heart , soul , mind , imagination of Anthony Hopkins . Yeah , the knighted Sir Anthony Hopkins . Hi Ryan , skip it , sample it , buy it . What are you going to do ?
I'm going to say this , and maybe this is kind of this is probably frugal and cheap of me , but if that's , say , 50 really does work on this already , a $75 bottle , that's 100 ml , and so would a perform . If I can get that for 3750 , I'm on my mind , man , that's a pretty good set .
If you're listening , we have a very small minority of listeners that are kind of 55 and above . Yeah , but if you're listening and you're 55 and above , I think this is one that you should get a sample of , like Ryan did , and check it out and see what you think about it . It's very distinguished .
I think you got to have some hella swagger to pull it off , like you got to be saying something you can't . Just , this isn't going to be like your standard fragrance . You just kind of splash on this yeah , this isn't a t-shirt and whatever walking out . No , this is your dress . A little bit nicer . This is . You're wanting to say something with your fragrance ?
Yeah , go that route . Man , really anybody 50 and under . I think there's other options out there for you dropping 35 bucks that would be better suited .
I agree , so I want some more here while you're going on . For anybody that's 100 or up , I will say go to the website . It's like anthonyhopkinscom or something , but go there and you can get a free sample of this . I think . All you do is just pay the shipping , which was like a dollar . It's worth doing Check it out .
Seriously , it's pretty cool and , mark , if you're listening to this , maybe grab a bottle to offer some bigger decants for those who are interested With an atomizer , yes , that are interested in getting a sample that they can actually spray on and enjoy . Yeah , especially good for 37 bucks . Yeah , thank you guys for listening .
If you want to help us with this podcast , one thing you can do that we would really appreciate is share it , that's all we need .
Look , I'm neither going to confirm nor deny that . Mike and I search to see if people have shared our podcast . We're watching you , but I know we haven't been shared .
I've shared it a couple of times . I'm in a couple of groups . Here's what I do I wait till it's relevant . It's a relevant thing . Yeah , we're not the type of guys that go out blasting Look what we're doing . I think I've did one or I did one post like that . But typically we're not like look everybody , we made a podcast .
But if somebody goes , what do you think about Versace Dillon Blue ? I like to say , hey , me and a friend did an episode on it , did it in depth , 16 minutes long . Yeah , kind of tagged that up there for the person asking . But we don't do large broadcasts . Check this out .
So if you're in a conversation and you feel like it's relevant , please share the podcast .
We'd love that For sure , and for me I'm kind of a little bit more behind the curtain , chill , kind of hiding
¶ Fragrance Enthusiasts Discuss Funny Collection Comment
. I lurk , yeah , like I need to give me a bottle of tic-tacs to hang around me so you can hear me coming . I call him Kermit the Hermit , but I've been following our boy , john and one of those little fragrance communities and I , todd , bleep out that last one . But John old Johnny boy , he actually says something pretty funny about his collection .
Somebody was saying I hope my kids , I have something to pass my kids down to . And he's like , well , I've got a daughter so I guess she can sell it .
That's hilarious . I made you see that .
Yeah , I made sure to laugh at it . It was pretty funny . That's awesome .
Well , if you appreciate our podcast , like our friend John does , be sure to catch us next episode when we check out Neuroly Portofino by Tom Ford . There you go , Spray it up y'all .