Success by Trump  
Donald Trump (2012)

Trump Success really rubs me the wrong away. It has some good, the peach, nectarine, apricot opening, but it's heavily clouded by a horrible fake aquatic (not calone), chlorine water, "wet hair" note. You know what I mean. The same that's in the dry down of Unforgivable, Wall Street, and many others. The smell of Elmer's Glue lingers in there too.

Even if it didn't have these drawbacks, it would be oh so boring, barely enough for a neutral. These gross smelling accords give it a thumbs down for me, for sure.

Success opens with a tonka bean sweetened synthetic smelling fresh fruity vague red berry accord with hints of underlying pineapple. Moving to the early heart the vague red berry morphs to a fresh synthetic smelling tart green apple, with faint hints of an iodine-like metallic accord in initial support. As the composition continues through its mid-section, the synthetic tart apple accord fades to a supporting role, as the iodine-like metallic accord takes the fore as sole star, significantly growing in strength. During the late dry-down the metallic accord remains in full force sans the tart apple support, now joined by co-starring vague synthetic woods through the finish. Projection is average, as is longevity at about 8 hours on skin.

When I blind bought my slightly used bottle of Success for the relatively low price of $1.65, I confess I was highly skeptical as to whether I would enjoy the composition. That said, even my darkest nightmares couldn't prepare me for the hideous concoction I am wearing as I write this. Things start off pretty safe, as the open is quite fresh and generic smelling, but far from off-putting. Unfortunately, there is an iodine-like metallic accord that emerges, then grows and grows in potency as time passes that is truly terrifying to wear. I have only sniffed a similarly fearful accord like this in my two least favorite compositions to date... Secretions Manifiques and Mercury. It is hard to imagine the composition smelling any worse than it did at this point, but "Success" finds additional failure adding an awful smelling vague synthetic woody accord in the base that meshes poorly with the metallics to create what may be the worst late dry-down I have ever encountered. The bottom line is the $20 per 100ml "Success" is anything but, joining a couple others for the dubious "honor" of being the worst compositions I have ever sniffed to date, earning a "horrific" 1/2 to 1 star out of 5 rating and an extremely strong avoid recommendation. I want my $1.65 back Mr. Trump!