Realities for Men 
Realities Cosmetics (2004)

Realities for Men by Realities Cosmetics (2004) is a strange, mostly-unadvertised little scent, and part of a pair alongside the relaunched Realities by Realities Cosmetics (2004). You might be asking; why relaunched? Well, the answer is because Liz Claiborne reached out to Ann Gottlieb and together they launched the follow-up to the eponymous Liz Claiborne (1986) and called it Realities by Liz Claiborne (1990). That fragrance had a relatively short life by standards of the day, lasting only eight years on the market, which nowadays is an eternity even for successful fragrances that get discontinued at the first sign of sales slowing; but the reason Realities was axed was less about failed sales, and more about Claiborne Cosmetics trying to launch a new division within itself to be more like Estée Lauder. I'd say after Liz herself passed in 2007, all hopes of that were dashed and it's no wonder this brand saw no support, ultimately ending in the demise of Realities by the time Elizabeth Arden bought Claiborne Cosmetics.

So my guess is this fragrance launch was meant to be part of a rollout for more-serious and grown-up fragrances, cosmetics, and skincare, because the packaging is very plain, the advertizing spartan outside of a long-gone website, and no association to the more-colorful and youthful Liz Claiborne brand whatsoever outside sharing an address. The scent of Realities for Men in particular is pretty close to Dolce & Gabbana pour Homme (1994), except a bit drier and more rounded. There is absolutely no DNA from Curve for Men by Liz Claiborne (1996), which is a first after so many years since its launch, and performance is reserved but long-lived. Citrus, lavender, white florals, and aldehydes open Realities, while white florals, sage, ginger, and dry patchouli fill the heart. The base is a leafy tobacco from tonka, oakmoss, cedar, and some cashmeran that gives a slightly cleaner profile than you'd expect.. Expect about 8 hours of close but detectable wear. Best use for me would be an office or as a casual day-wear in spring and fall.

The old story about Realities for Men being a cheap alternative to older batches of Dolce & Gabbana pour Homme no longer applies due to its discontinuation and slowly rising price, although I guess surviving bottles are still cheaper than old bottles of the D&G. I don't think they compare so closely myself, as there is just a certain smoothness in the old D&G that Realities lacks due to its dryness and overall more-synthetic feel. PLus, Realities for Men has this green soapiness that makes it feel more like a fougère than the D&G. Lastly, modern batches of Dolce & Gabbana pour Homme are vastly superior to this, so unless you're comparing to a lackluster Made in UK bottle of Dolce & Gabbana pour Homme produced by Proctor & Gamble around the time Realities for Men released, this is in no way an alternative. Realities for Men is a good scent though, if you want something in this style, but don't pay a vintage finder's fee for it, as it is so definitely not worth that. Thumbs up

Bought this as a cheap alternative for Dolce & Gabbana Pour Homme Eurotalia/Made in Italy version. When worn side by side or layered, you can really spot the chemical/synthetic notes. But when worn solo, it does resemble D&GPH pretty well.

Longevity is on par with an EDC, and sillage is nothing to write home about. But for today's cost it is a bargain compared to D&GPH vintage. It has been discontinued, so I imagine price will rise as availability falls. At which point it will no longer be a bargain, or a substitute for D&GPH vintage.

This was my summer scent for several years. Granted I wore it more than a lot of my other colognes and owned it longer, but it has received more compliments than any other cologne in my collection. Fruity scent with a subtle woody undertone. Find it hard to believe anyone could hate this scent.

Unusual to find a US perfumer coming up with a unique scent, something off the usual wave lengths of oceanic/woody generic. This is a light, vanilla-like, powdery scent that is most probably better utilized by an older gentleman than a younger.

It's very nice and gentle and rather sexy in a romantic sort of way. I can imagine in intimate moments that this will easily melt down any resistance.

Good for Realities for taking a chance and creating something quite nice and very affordable.

Realities For Men really does smell almost exactly like Dolce & Gabbana Pour Homme - a powdery green citrus and spice scent for men. The only difference I can smell is that it's drier, a little bit lighter and less powdery, and less sweet than D&G, meaning therefore that I like Realities better. Realities smells like a powdery version of Irish Spring soap, and I like that.

If you like powdery spicy scents that have a touch of freshness as well, then you should consider Realities For Men. It projects well without being offensive and you can smell it all day. It's a real bargain.

MY RATING: 7.5/10

I'm amazed at how people mention how this smells similar to d&g and how much they love that fragrance yet they give realities a mediocre review! If that isn't a textbook defintion brand of bias then I don't know what is!

This is a GREAT scent, similar to D&G but i'd say it's a "lite" version - it's cheaper, it's more versatile, it's very agreeable to most people that smell it around you. It's a great overall scent and the fact that it comes close to being one of your favorite scents is an excellent thing!

Very decent price. This is another one of those areas where if you see it at tjmaxx,ross,marshalls etc. . . then it's a no brainer to just buy it. You won't be dissapointed.