Aramis Cool Blend
Aramis (2010)

Genre: Aquatic

Once in a very great while (Heeley's Sel Marin, Bulgari Aqua, Beth Terry's Mare,) there comes around an aquatic scent that smells as if some actual thought went into its composition. I'll add Aramis Cool Blend to that small set. Cool Blend is also exceptional in that the published pyramid actually gives a pretty good idea of what you'll smell.

Whatever you do, don't dismiss this scent without giving it a full wearing. On paper, a tidal wave of Calone capsizes the whole structure and leaves an acrid chemical spill in its wake. That's not so much the case on skin, where the scent's performance is far more gratifying. The lemon-lime top note is great: effervescent, naturally rounded, and perfectly offset by some soapy aldehydes and a handful of aromatic herbs – most conspicuously, sage.

It appears I'm not alone in finding the arrangement that follows oddly amorphous, though cinnamon and a clean, green jasmine are readily detectable. The Calone mostly hovers in the background, providing the “cool” in the blend, and while I wish it were even more subdued, other noses may be less likely to take offense. Besides the jasmine and sage, I smell little by way of obvious references to the original Aramis's herbaceous green leather chypre structure.

What saves the composition from inanity in my view is an ample dose of labdanum in Aramis Cool Blend's leather accord. The warm, animalic tang of labdanum offers an ideal counterpoint to the brisk, squeaky-clean Calone note. Granted, Aramis Cool Blend is neither potent nor all that long-lasting, but it is a happy, pleasant scent in a genre plagued by harsh, crude, chemical compositions.

Unlike most of the other fragrances with "Aramis" in their names, Cool Blend is a true flanker. The underlying basic Aramis accord comes through clear as day. With Cool Blend, imagine Aramis with a much crisper, drier edge. It is also a little bit lighter.

The problem with Cool Blend is the middle and drydown stages. The Aramis scent is still there, but over time it gets overpowered by a weird, semi-dirty chemical smell that I truly cannot describe. What results is an unpleasant mess, like a fragrance that's trying too many things at once, and doesn't know what it wants to be.

Aramis Cool Blend isn't quite terrible, but it's confused, and in the end it smells overly synthetic.

MY RATING: 4.5/10

There is a strong sense of nostalgia with this one. It starts with a very strong but pleasant citric blast. These top notes hang around for some time before the heart comes through, but they never really leave. At first I don't really sense the jasmine floral note in the heart, but I definitely pick up the sage & spices. The jasmine note then comes through quite prominently and smells for a time exactly like fresh jasmine flowers.

Later on in the drydown, I'm getting the amber & sandlewood notes quite prominently, but not really much leather; maybe just the smallest hint of the original Aramis leather accord.

Overall, I think I would class this as citric/spicy/floral/amber fragrance that should appeal to men looking for a fresh Spring or Summer scent.

Longevity: 3.5/5
Sillage: 3.5/5
Value for money: 3/5 - just a touch overpriced in my opinion (in Sydney Australia anyway - much cheaper on-line)

This fragrance does actually have a rather 'cool' sense to it. By that I don't mean cool as in 'hip', I mean cool as in a cool/fresh sensation that it leaves with you. So I guess that Aramis have actually chosen a rather fitting & appropriate name for this creation. It gets my thumbs up!

Not bad; smells surprisingly similar to the original Aramis. Sort of a lighter, more citrus-infused version. Worth checking out if you are a fan of the original and would like to experience it from a different angle. Between the two, I prefer the original.

Cool Blend seems to be pitched at those that crave a contemporary,calone imbued fragrance, produced with decent ingredients, and emboldened by a marquee brand. It does indeed produce a cool feeling as it evolves, but the title is most likely an attempt at attracting the hardcore Cool Water users - the word “blend” supposedly adding a click or two of gravitas.

As far as the fragrance itself is concerned, it actually generates limited quality, is very linear, and lacks both longevity and projection. The dense powdery opening is smooth, lightly aquatic, and modestly spiced. Once the thinnest veneer of citrus has been extinguished in the top notes, it largely maintains the same accord, just on a decaying orbit.

A noble attempt by Estee Lauder to add some modernity to their range, but I find myself underwhelmed

I am not a fan of aquatics & this here did not change my mind. This is another attempt to create a fresh cologne for the summer days, which indeed it is, however it is not interesting what so ever. Highly synthetic & very boring IMO! The longevity is WEAK projection is typical for scents such as this. Aramis continues to produce whack a** fragrances & therefore they do nothing for me. Save your $$$ & get something more appealing such as Bvlgari Aqua if this is your thing.

light and fresh.boring, untinteresting and simple.

a typical producht of our time.nothing you wanna smell a long time ........

This starts well, with brisk citrus notes. Lots of lemon and lime here, and for the most part they ring true though at times they veer into a vaguely synthetic style. Then… it is hard to describe where the scent goes next. It is a vague note, like a combination of leather and Play-Do: slightly sweet, sort of fruity-odd, certainly synthetic. Not anything I'd want to wear.

Indeed a very cooling opening. I could swear I get some brisk effervescent minty notes in the opening, but I could be imagining things. The warmer and smoother notes of cinnamon and sage in the middle are a pleasant surprise, and must be Cool Blend's tip of the hat the original Aramis. These do not weigh Cool Blend down at all, but rather just smooth it out and give a gentlemanly twist to the more common citrus and wood notes. This is not sharp at all, and I love the transition from coolness to glowing warm (but not heavy) notes.The problem here is the longevity. It's very hard to detect after about two or three hours. Still, I'll give it a thumbs up for the smell, and because it would be great in the summer heat

Aramis Cool (2010) is disappointing if one is looking for an updated interpretation of the classic Aramis. I had hoped it would have more of the signature Aramis house scent, but it doesn't. There's not much of anything "Aramis-like" in this. It is modern, light and pleasant. The word pleasant could be applied to many if not most modern fragrances. This is all right, but not particularly distinctive. Modern, pleasant and forgettable in my opinion, I think I will pass, if I think about it at all.

The neutral rating is a lie... The scent itself is a thumbs up, while the longevity / sillage is a thumbs down...For a scent that was marketed as a reinterpretation of the original Aramis, I would expect this scent to have more presence than it does. What I end up with in a discreet, polite scent that while nice, doesn't work for me as anything but a light, citrus scent for summer. That's not to say that it isn't a good scent, because it is. It's just that I have other, better citrus scents to handle that role... One last criticism... I don't smell any of the supposed base notes listed for this fragrance. On me it stops at the heart notes...On the plus side, you can wear this anytime, anywhere, and not offend anyone. The top notes have an awesome lime smell that last longer than most top notes usually do .Also, this would be a great choice for a discreet scent for the workplace. For a new scent, you can't beat the price...Overall it's pretty good and is worth testing, but I think if you're patient and willing to look around, you can do better...

I am wearing Cool Blend as my SOTD today. As with most releases from Aramis, Cool Blend is another high quality winner for a relatively reasonable price. It's basically a cooler and more "acceptable" version of the original (which I also love), but still very individual in its own right. It's also, I guess, an aquatic in that it's light and fresh (despite those potentially rich base notes), but like other Aramis aquatics it's very unique and not another smell-alike. I struggle to pick out ANY of the individual notes in the pyramid, mainly because the stuff is so well blended, but I get blasts of the jasmine and cardamom at random moments, but otherwise it's just a very pleasant aroma with, so far still going strong at 5 hours, pretty good longevity. Sillage is also really good too - I've had lots of compliments from both men and women today and it's one of the best reactions I've had to a frag since ADP Colonia Intensa. Depending where you look, Aramis has this listed as a limited edition. Hopefully that will prove not to be the case as it's yet another worthy release from a house which is too often overlooked.