Illusione for Him 
Bottega Veneta (2019)

Like camping high in the mountains with your true love. Spending the day, alone together, while the breeze weaves it's way through the pine neeles, forming subtle, cotton-soft whispers. Another's lovely woody, green and bitter scent by Bottega Veneta. This is for guys who have a penchant for retro, classic flannel and comfortable jeans wearing guys; guys who go out into the world with a face that's been clean-shaven by a straight or double-edge razor.

It just a little bit herbal, classic and enchanted by the old-school ways scent with aromatic opening notes of citrus and spices that give way to a earhy, woody veiver&cedar blend in the middle, those notes then linger into the pleasantly soapy dry down. That reminds me a little Dior Eau Sauvage. Definitely a great choice to smell clean in the office or on a family occasion, definitely not sexy and you wouldn't reach for it for a night. When you wear this scent, you may be all smiles, but the projection from illusione would be saying:" don't let my smiles fool you, I'm all business". Sillage is moderate and longevity is pretty good on my skin.

This is without doubt the classiest, most natural and well balanced citrus fragrance I've come across. It's fresh but warm and rounded. No harsh icy metallic synthetic vibes. It smells of lemons still on the tree baking in the Italian sun...

...but the performance is dire. It doesn't have or need huge silage, but the longevity is really poor and it's so disappointing and frustrating for a scent this good. You can bathe in it in the morning and it's gone by lunchtime. Allure Homme Edition Blanche Parfum happily lasts all day long.

I'd say illusione manages to smells even better than AHEB (slightly less sweet, less vanilla and more natural) but the performance leaves it a runner up. The woods are more subtle and more of a rounded supporting role, compared to the brighter more prominent pencil shavings woods of Cedrat Boise. But again, the performance really lets illusione down again.

Bottega Veneta Illusione for him is a well blended neo-classic woodsy combination of hesperides, cardamom, cedarwood and vetiver. This creation is classy and harmonious with a plain "italian sartorial well-tailored" twist. The composition (once the top notes get fading their initial impact) is subtle and modern (unveiling a sort of apparent tea-like vibe mostly provided by cardamom) despite the main accord tends to retrace classic routes and balances. I see points of sharing with Cartier Declaration which smells spicier and less strong on bitter orange and cedarwood under my fallible nose. Along the way (mostly in the middle stage of developement) the combination of rootiness, hesperides, woodsy elements, "dampness from the forest", piquant spices and cedarwood conjures me significantly the rootier, woodier, wildier and stouter (less tamed by balsams) Terre d'Hermes as well. Opening is a spicy blast of bitter hesperides, green elements and piquant spices. I detect by soon a measured aromatic vibe based on woodsy coniferous elements and a notable presence of rooty vetiver. Along dry down cedarwood (enhancing gradually its strenght) smells dominant (lording) on vetiver and tends to wave around gradually soothed by balsams and tonka. Overall the final effect is satisfactory due its sheer dose of elegance, measure and urban minimalism. Very elegant bottle. A solid italian composition.