Not exactly “sexy” positive, but “unique” positive, in a good way. All you need is the ’78 Firebird and to unbutton your shirt revealing a hairy chest to complete the Polo Ralph Lauren t shirt picture. Smells green all day long – if you would like something more cleaner and less daring then floris 1962 is an option. A true Masterpiece of art in fragrance.
The opening is very, very strong and a little offensive, but it does dry down into something decent. Now, I’m willing to endure a bit, just a bit, of a stinky opening for a good middle and closing act. Although the opening is quite hard to handle for me, polo dress shirts the heart notes and the base notes are a delight. Just got a 2.0 oz splash bottle of the Cosmair version of After Shave. It smells exactly what I remember back in the day, but the silage is only several hours if that, not quite as long as the the EDT.
I just never really have a good chance to wear it, and can’t think of any good situations that Polo would fit. A mystical blast of tobacco, peanut and turnip, “Polo for Men” is the ultimate “look inside my pants” fragrance. I moisten squares of toilet paper with it before wiping my bottom, because you never can be too cautious. It is a projection beast that has received celebrity endorsements from the likes of Don Knotts, Burt Ward and Meredith Baxter Birney. Who could have imagined that a lighthearted bet would morph into a men’s classic?
When it dries down to the its basenotes, the pine gives off a damp sweetness. I first smelled this on my friend who wore a Chaps Ralph Lauren brown leather jacket. It is burned in my memory as having a relation to leather, yet the green notes of pine seem to dominate this wonderful scent.
Hopefully, it will stay around for a long, long time. Workplaces and society in general are less tolerant of fragrances than they used to be. It has impacted Polo’s wearability in 2019, and you don’t smell it as much as you used to. Supposedly, it’s been reformulated to reflect this and I’ve read that a lot of men prefer the vintage Cosmair formula to today’s version.
But where Polo shines is in longevity and projection. It lasts 4-6 hours on my skin with 2-3 sprays, and 8-10 hours with 5-6 sprays. Projection is at least arms length throughout.It even has lasted 2 days on fabric.