GIORGIO ARMANI PRIVÈ FIGUIER EDEN & THÉ YULONG

FIGUIER EDEN

Pink Pepper, Bergamot, Mandarin Orange. Fig, Grass, Tea, iris, Amber

I'm powering through the last of my birthday haul because I've added a ton of decants to my Surrender to Chance cart, which I am very excited about. Loads of indies that I cannot wait to try.

Citrusy, peppery, and grassy with tea freshness. Not a fan of the citrus because it's sour, bitter, and old/musty-smelling. Smells like pencils on me.

I don't think I'm getting Fig. The citrus, grass, and tea notes express themselves most loudly on me. They won't let others get a chance to speak. I expected something powdery with the iris and all, but not getting that. Slight ambery poking out, but it's shy. 

No wow factor. It's a clean scent reminiscent of something I've already smelled before. Possibly Villa Nellcôte by 19-69. Feels oddly nostalgic. The Aldehydic quality gives me a headache when I smell it too much and long. It vastly improved after I got water where I applied it.

Laundry detergent, household cleaning agents, pressed blue or white linen button-down shirts, and using woven baskets as storage bins all over your house. Stark white kitchen and bleached wood *shiver in disgust* modern farmhouse vibes. Coastal grandmother goes to the Hamptons once and centers their entire personality around that fact. Loves TikToks about quiet luxury or rich girl favorite/go-to ____.

It's a boring clean fragrance! The only exciting thing it has going for itself is its unisex quality, an unremarkable trait when you look at the vast sea of unisex fragrances.

Given it's an EDT, the sillage and longevity will be weak, which sucks since it's almost $200! It's a S/S fragrance, but don't expect it to hold up in the heat. A PSA to my fellow smell and stinky friends: this is not for you!

It doesn't project well, smell spectacular, or last long. Worst of all, it's not worth your money.

THÉ YULONG

Mandarin Orange, Petitgrain, Cardamom. Green Tea, Black Tea, Jasmine, Orange Blossom. Vetiver, Ambrette (Musk Mallow), iris

I don't know whether I should have hopes anymore [for fragrance.] It's essentially Figuier Eden: identical citrus and tea notes but with more aggressive florals and musky vetiver. This is just looking at the notes without smelling it yet. 

As someone who typically goes for the same profiles, it's not uncanny why all the fragrances look and smell alike. I acknowledge that I am part of the problem. 

Definitely get tea and citrus. Super lemony opening. Grassy, musky, and slightly bitter base with just a tinge of medicinal herbiness. I remember smelling something reminiscent of a hosed-down Bvlgari Le Gemme Tygar the first time I tried it, but it was not as present the next couple of times I tried it. It ends as a sweet musk. It's a transformative rollercoaster with peaks and valleys. It smells slightly different every time I tried it. Because of this, it's more interesting than Figuier Eden, but I don't like it more than the other.

Pleasant Jasmine and orange blossom musk, but overpowers the tea after a while. Even though it overwhelms the tea, it's not incredibly loud to the point it's the only thing you smell. It is unlike typical oppressive white floral perfumes. The tea notes still come through. This fragrance is suitable for daily wear or the workplace year-round.

Who the employee is: diligent, put-together, and calm, but they can be too feisty when provoked. They like to kick back with Margaritas and Long Island Iced Teas while watching crime documentaries. 

Thé Yulong lasts somewhat longer than Figuer Eden because of its musk, but it doesn't have the sillage and presence I want. While I wear perfume for myself, they're too skin-intimate for me to even smell throughout the day. 

Figuer Eden is for those that want a grassy, sweeter, and clean tea scent. Thé Yulong is for those that like powerful citrus, floral musk, and light tea. Of the two, I prefer Eden more.