[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] I wear fragrances daily and I’m very partial to fougères, aromatics, and amber/woody/spicy ones, so trying Gucci Guilty Black was very exciting because I’m always on the lookout for a good ‘green’ fragrance.
At first spray, the top notes of lavender and coriander are readily apparent, a very soft, well blended, and fresh opening. It gradually transitions to the middle notes after a short while, the neroli and orange blossom starting to creep it’s way through. Patchouli is present throughout but it doesn’t hit you in the face like a ton of bricks like Puig Quorum. I smell a bit of lavender and there’s a hint of sweetness and spiciness after the drydown at least on my skin.
Performance is middle of the road. It lasted about five or so hours on me, turning into a skin scent around the two hour mark. Sillage is moderate depending on how much you spray. It isn’t cloying with two sprays, one behind each ear, but that’s really the maximum I’d recommend.
My only complaint with this cologne regard the small noticeable bursts of syntheticness that occasionally break through. If you’ve tried out some of the more niche fragrance house offerings, you’ll find this to be a huge dealbreaker.
Another thing to consider is that the fragrance seems to skew more towards mid-20’s to 30 year old crowd. Younger folks might be able to pull it off, but the versatility and wearable occasions drop off significantly.
I feel it’s a safe blind buy if you’re just starting out with fragrances, you’re looking to try out the different aromatic fougères out there, or you’ve tried some of the other Gucci Guilty fragrances. Skin chemistry is different for everyone though, so it’s highly recommended to sample first if you’ve tried similar ‘green’ fragrances and have had bad experiences.
On a scale of 1 to 10, I’d rate this a solid 7 due to versatility. I can see myself wearing this throughout most seasons, except I’d go light on the sprays during Summer. It’s inoffensive, true to it’s note breakdown, and smells very clean.
I’d buy it based off the sample I received. It has a scent profile that’s simple and powerful enough to take some of the guesswork out of what you want to wear when it comes to fougères.
