24 Ice Gold
ScentStory FZE (2016)

Finally sampling ScentStory 24 Ice Gold, a long overdue try from the now-discontinued 24 line (that is still available), and as the “ice” moniker usually goes, Ice Gold is a fresh, sharp, citrus-dominant fragrance, quite different from most of the 24 line that preceded, much closer to the original 24 than Go Dark, Platinum, or Gold.

Ice Gold avoids the orange zest dominance of other “icy” fragrances, specifically, and feels more like a lemon/bergamot-dominant citrus opening, with plenty of woods, as well as unsurprisingly listed notes of ambroxan and white musk, as it has that rather clean dry down. And there is just a touch of apple in the mix to keep things a bit more interesting that a formulaic freshie. Still, this is an easy formula to like and enjoy, and it's an easy fragrance to wear, but it just fails to dazzle beyond being good. Still, what's not to like? This just feels like an easy winner on a hot day, especially,

Ice Gold is EDT concentration and performs decently, and is sold via FragranceX at $55 for 100ml, not a bad price, though other versions like Gold and Rise of the Superb are much better values on account of their being more creative and higher-performing.

7 out of 10

I quite liked this until the ‘melted butter' note hit me - it's not unpleasant, just odd as a scent.

This is an odd one. Ice Gold more or less wears like a fragrance of two distinct layers. The top layer is very much a bright, iced fruity concoction--more specifically lime, apple and what seems like a red, fruit punch kind of note. There are some softer floral notes blended in, and the women's "Light Blue" comparison is for good reason. The top layer comes out with quite a blast, and retains its bright, icy character for some time. While it's good, this is a pretty normal way to begin the scent. However Ice Gold's strangeness exists in the second layer. While there is a pretty apparent woody/cedar musk in the base, there is also a fairly strong "butter popcorn" note, which becomes dominant during the fragrance's second half. But especially while they're both working together, this makes Iced Gold sort of bizarre--more or less iced fruit over butter popcorn with woody/musky accents. The butter popcorn aspect feels warm and, well, buttery, with a smooth, mellow finish. It's quite a contrast to the much colder top layer.

I'm not sure how I feel about this one overall. I like its fruity aspect--I think they did a great job of creating an icy, frozen fruit accord, but the base catches me by surprise and throws me off every time I wear it. I don't know, maybe I'm the only one getting "buttered popcorn" from this, but it will take a few more wears for me to decide if it's something I really enjoy in the end or just a weird twist that feels out-of-place in the greater context of the scent. Until then, I can certainly say that Ice Gold is unique enough, and that its performance is excellent, with both solid projection and longevity. I'll probably update this review with a final verdict after the summer. As of now, I'd say that it's definitely worth sampling.

EDIT: Though I just posted this review recently, it's an old one. Since then there are a couple things I've discovered about Ice Gold that are important to note. 1) Not everyone gets the weird "butter popcorn" smell that I get. I've spoken to people who don't pick up on anything like it at all, so you may not either. 2) This is a better version of the trendy aquatic Pacific Rock Moss that sells for about $185. It smells very similar, but has stronger presence and lasts longer. So if you like Rock Moss and are thinking of getting it, check this out first.

I like the opening notes but can only give a neutral rating because of the performance, which is surprising considering past experience with ScentStory. They usually have excellent projection and linear longevity on me.

Very nice citrus/fruit opening that lasts about an hour. After that, the very soft, boring drydown is a powdery rose that doesn't hint towards 24 Gold, but at least it does last for 8+ hours, so there's something good.