“I’ll preface this by saying that I prefer citrusy/grassy/herby scent profiles and generally dislike sweet profiles, so keep that in mind with my review of each below. Prior to trying these guys out, my favorite has been Acqua di Gio (Armani). I also absolutely refuse to spend more than $100 on a bottle of cologne, so you Tom Ford $300+ sonsab****es, you can just sashay right along. This here review is for reg’lar fellas.
Thee opinions that I feel should be shared up front about the entire set:
1. The scents are nice, but do not seem to last very long. 1-3 hours or so.
2. I was disappointed that not all of the non-Founder’s Reserve scents are included in the starter set. I bought a full bottle of the Mikul because I was *very* excited about that scent based on its description and ingredients; after trying it out, I have to say I would not have bought the full bottle if I had been able to try it out first.
3. They all smell good, but only two of them really stood out to me.
Now, in order of how much I like em:
Vince: the clear winner in my opinion. Gives a strong impression of a gin & tonic or mojito, two of my favorite cocktails. I have ordered a full bottle based on the sample.
Jefe: the (close) runner up. More subtle with the orange/citrus than I was hoping for, but it’s definitely still there. A pretty girl told me she liked it, but she’s already married, so whaddayagonnado. I will be ordering a full bottle next payday. Smelling delicious on a budget here. (Tom Ford buyers, if you’re still here: a “budget” is when you have to think about your money before you spend it)
Marra: I have to say, I get a lot of citrus from this one despite no citrus in the listed ingredients. Pleasant. Definitely towards the top of the list.
Mikul (**not in starter set**): nice; doesn’t really stick out though. I was really excited for the basil and oakmoss but its overall effect isn’t very herby or grassy. i now use it to scent my sheets before bed. Or other activities.
JP: also nice, but I can’t find a lot to say about it and nothing really sticks out; not gonna blow your socks off but still very pleasant.
Tyler: this one is “coconut forward”, so a bit sweet for me, but the sage and juniper round it out a bit.
Preston: my least favorite by far. Very apple forward; honestly, kind of reminds of the green Airheads candy from back in the day. Too sweet for me.
Listed separately because he’s definitely his own man:
Nelson: I would say this is the oddball of the lot. Truthfully, it strikes me as a bit pickle-y, like…think when you open a fresh jar of pickles. Definitely not unpleasant, but also maybe not what most people are looking for in a cologne. I have to say I appreciate it’s a bolder move and I definitely like how it’s not at all sweet. I mean, I’ve already talked about it more than any of the others, so. Go nuts! Be bold!”
“I needed a new fragrance and this was perfect. It’s exciting trying new ones. I can’t wait to decide which one I want to get with my code. I love how you get to pick a bottle after”
“Had such a tough decision on my hands after getting the starter kit. Really liked 5 of the 7 scents but finally decided on the JP. But now I think I may have to get a Jefe and Preston”
“I'm slowly discovering which of the scents in the sample pack is my favorite. I enjoy how the scents lasts all day and the packaging and shipping was done very well.”
“The starter kit did allowed me to try a number of different colognes. Not only for me to determine which cologne I liked, in addition taking a survey from others what they thought. I have chosen my favorite, Preston. It works well with my body chemistry, not overwhelming, and it attracts others to me. I will be ordering more.”
