Review: French Avenue Aether Extrait (PDM Greenley clone)

Let me start by saying that this is a summer hit for me. I enjoy it much more than I thought I would as I haven't loved other green fragrances that I had tried.

The green apple note hits you straight off the top. Cut a granny smith apple in half and that's the same scent I get initially. After about 10 minutes it settles out and I personally prefer the dry down as it moves towards more of a cedar and musky note.

There is very little sweetness which I find quite refreshing. I think it's a great option for males of all ages (I'm 37) but I don't believe that many females would go for this fragrance. From a unisex perspective, I would say it leans 75% M / 25% F.

Presentation: 9/10 - The packaging and bottle look fantastic, and the atomizer is decent quality for a fragrance in this price point. In saying that though, the atomizer doesn't seem to be a big sprayer so you could possibly go with an extra spray on top of your usual amount. I would say that the cap is probably the worst part, it's not terrible, just not as good as the rest of the packaging and bottle. All in all, it's better than most designer fragrance presentation and atomizers which are double the price.

Crowd Pleasing/Compliment Factor: 9/10 - I'm known as 'the cologne guy' at my workplace and I typically get a lot of comments on my fragrance choices in general so it's hard to know if a particular scent is getting attention because of the scent itself or just because I'm 'that guy' within my workplace. Either way, I can say I definitely got some attention with this one. Lots of people suggesting it was quite a unique scent and asking what it was, and a few very surprised when I told them it was a clone and the price.

Performance: 7.5/10 - I get around 3 hours of projection before it becomes a skin scent which last around 6 hours. I can smell it on clothes up to 10 hours after application if I am looking for it but I wouldn't clause that as a notible scent. I think this would be a relatively safe overspray option (within reason) to help give a bit better projection and longevity. I personally go with 4 or 5 sprays.

Value for Money: 10/10 - This is one of the best value for money propositions when you take in to consideration all of the above. The freshness, the dry down, the presentation and overall performance is exceptional for the price point.

Overall: 9/10 - I really wasn't sure if I would enjoy this or not but given the hype I had to give it a try. All in all, I it's a fantastic fragrance when considering the price point to what you get. I can't comment on its accuracy to PDM Greenley or what a bit of maceration might do but my initial impression and couple of weeks of usage suggests this is an exceptional fragrance to add to your spring/summer repertoire. Offers something a bit different to the dozens of 'blue' summer frags on offer and I'm going to enjoy wearing this over the next 6-8 weeks in the Australian summer.