Giorgio Armani - Emporio Armani He (1998)

"I can say it's a variant of 212, except with the bitter orange notes with a duller in character.." 

 

He; also known as Lui, is one of the better fragrances Giorgio Armani had produced lately. It was launched in 1998 and a citrus aromatic type scent. Although being heavier on the woods.

Emporio Armani He's blend consist of:

top notes: pineapple, mandarin orange, apple, sage, yuzu, bergamot, cardamom, lemon

middle notes: cyclamen, nutmeg, orris root, jasmine, rose

base notes: sandalwood, tonka bean, amber, musk, oak moss, cedar

I said it's one of the better fragrances armani launched lately because, either giorgio or emporio had been launching very mediocre, even low quality synthetic fragrances, produced with economical concerns. He or Lui in this respect, a better fragrance, though not being as high quality as say an armani eau pour homme, but still close to that familiar quality of older Armani fragrances. Syntheticness is limited, not too generic. Has some problems with strong notes like sage. Those sometimes can be too dominant over the whole scent. So it's kinda a pointy blend rather that a homogeneous, smooth one. Thus blend is barely satisfactory.

How's the scent? Despite it's being a lighter fragrance, you don't get fresh and acidic scents like lemon, apple much. Rather that bitter scents of sage, nutmeg, cyclamen and orris dominates the opening at first. But no need to worry all the mix of these kinda smells like a nice black pepper tree. After some time passes, nice woody notes arise from the bottom, mellowing the scent thus making it a bit more likable. But because of the potent sage note, notes like tonka beans and flowers are being outdone. Personally I don't like strong sage note in my fragrances, as it's generally very potent and can easily dominate the whole scent. So this fragrance kinda has two characters, one wants to smells like a clean, smooth woody scent with a bit fresh citrus opening, the other with potent aromatics with the leadership of sage. I'd really like that lemon and yuzu notes to be stronger at the opening. They smell quite fresh and bright, but diminish very quickly.

In summary, scentwise I can say it's a variant of 212, except with the bitter orange notes with a duller in character. Sometimes, in cooler hours that nice lemon and yuzu notes appear clearer, then fragrance turns something more likable. But this is rare, as sage always wants to be the dominant note. I really wish this fragrance would be produced more dampy, with stronger citrus, pepper and moss notes. Then it could be a really successful one. Still, not too bad as it is, but just a mediocre, modern woody scent.

Silage and longevity are both good. I'd suggest this to users between 18-22. With its peppery, slightly darker woody but not heavy character it can be used anytime in the year. Both indoors or outdoors. I suggest using in second half of the day, especially night time. Maybe in clubs or so.

Olfactory group: Citrus Aromatic

Scent: good  7/10

Silage: good  7/10

Longevity: good  7/10

Quality feel: average  5/10

Recommended: Not so much, as there are much better balanced fragrances out there in the same style. But if you can keep your expectations low, you can give it a try.