Question:
Hey guys,
I just did something I swore I'd never do... I paid (gulp) retail for a bottle of Creed.
I went to Neimans and tried out the new Creed Virgin Island Water. I'd been wanting to sniff it for a while and today I just had to get it done.
First impression on skin-- coconut all the way. I liked it. I like coconut.
I spent some time talking to the SA and trying out other scents while the VIW was on my wrist. Then a few minutes later, I got the lime (backwards I know--most people get the lime first). Holy crap! That is an AMAZING lime smell. Just like the smell of fresh cut limes on your fingers. The best lime I've ever experienced.
Then I get something milky. Besides the coconut. I can pinpoint this exact edible note as something I detected in B*Men (though VIW is nothing like B*Men-- there is just this one mutual note I'm getting). I also get the ylang ylang which does push this scent a little toward the feminine --which I bring up also because of the bottle that VIW comes in-- it's the "men's style of bottle, but on the top of the cap, the Creed crest is not inlayed in a round shape like all the others, but rather in a square "button" like the womens' I think. Strange. The bottle is really attractive and classy-- the only downside is the curse of the Creed "leaky sprayer" that causes the juice to sometimes run down the side of the bottle. usually this only happens with my newer bottles-- once I've had them for a while, this problem subsides. (Of course, getting this stuff all over your hands is refreshing--like squeezing limes.)
As many have pointed out before, the drydown and constant reappearance of notes at random is startling and unpredictable. Different facets of this fragrance come and go as if breezes were coming every five minutes from a different direction. I've NEVER experienced a fragrance with this phenomenon. I think the Creed boys really nailed the effect they were looking for with this one--It doesn't smell like a unidimensional fragrance. It smells like different smells coming from all directions.
The one "downer" about this fragrance is that sometimes there is that buttered popcorn note always kind of lingering in the shadows-- but it makes sense since coconut oil is what movie theaters use for their popcorn. So this aspect gives VIW its suntan oil aspect. Still though, because all the notes blow around in like hundred dollar bills in one of those game show cash booths, you're always getting different things. And it all balances out. Later in the drydown I start to get the ginger and rum notes. This is really a dynamic fragrance.
It was painful that I had to pay $225 retail for it since it isn't available anywhere else at a discount at the time, but I look at it like this-- I wear my Creeds more than anything else I have. They never go out of my rotation. Plus since Virgin Island Water is such a seductive fragrance and it smells like limes, rum and all that other drink related stuff--with me being a bartender, maybe it will pay for itself in bigger tips !
This is going to be really nice to wear on warm days outdoors. It's VERY different from most of the usual Creed line, but it's every bit as refined with attention to detail. A very solid and unique addition to my wardrobe.
Virgin Island Water rocks!

Answer:
Great review - must agree with you that it's one of the best Creeds. I do not get the 'buttered popcorn' note you mentioned...but got blasts of salty beach air and that on again-off again coconut note that was quite mesmerizing.
Enjoy your full bottle (I'm jealous!) - I have to make do with a little decant bottle that I'm spraying VERY sparingly.

Answer:
That excellent lime note is very similar to the one in Feuille Verte (well atleast some part of that limited edition frag makes an appearance in a new release).

I dont get any buttered popcorn or suntan oil smell in this (for that, try Tom Ford Azuree Soleil, a pretty good frag for its price). What I get are whiffs of coconut infused lime and a boozy note...and it is quite multifarious in its effect and I like it !

I used up my 5ml decant fast and might breakdown and shell out the big bucks for this ..

Answer:
Quote: Originally Posted by Indie_Guy Hey guys,
I just did something I swore I'd never do... I paid (gulp) retail for a bottle of Creed.
I went to Neimans and tried out the new Creed Virgin Island Water. I'd been wanting to sniff it for a while and today I just had to get it done.
First impression on skin-- coconut all the way. I liked it. I like coconut.
I spent some time talking to the SA and trying out other scents while the VIW was on my wrist. Then a few minutes later, I got the lime (backwards I know--most people get the lime first). Holy crap! That is an AMAZING lime smell. Just like the smell of fresh cut limes on your fingers. The best lime I've ever experienced.
Then I get something milky. Besides the coconut. I can pinpoint this exact edible note as something I detected in B*Men (though VIW is nothing like B*Men-- there is just this one mutual note I'm getting). I also get the ylang ylang which does push this scent a little toward the feminine --which I bring up also because of the bottle that VIW comes in-- it's the "men's style of bottle, but on the top of the cap, the Creed crest is not inlayed in a round shape like all the others, but rather in a square "button" like the womens' I think. Strange. The bottle is really attractive and classy-- the only downside is the curse of the Creed "leaky sprayer" that causes the juice to sometimes run down the side of the bottle. usually this only happens with my newer bottles-- once I've had them for a while, this problem subsides. (Of course, getting this stuff all over your hands is refreshing--like squeezing limes.)
As many have pointed out before, the drydown and constant reappearance of notes at random is startling and unpredictable. Different facets of this fragrance come and go as if breezes were coming every five minutes from a different direction. I've NEVER experienced a fragrance with this phenomenon. I think the Creed boys really nailed the effect they were looking for with this one--It doesn't smell like a unidimensional fragrance. It smells like different smells coming from all directions.
The one "downer" about this fragrance is that sometimes there is that buttered popcorn note always kind of lingering in the shadows-- but it makes sense since coconut oil is what movie theaters use for their popcorn. So this aspect gives VIW its suntan oil aspect. Still though, because all the notes blow around in like hundred dollar bills in one of those game show cash booths, you're always getting different things. And it all balances out. Later in the drydown I start to get the ginger and rum notes. This is really a dynamic fragrance.
It was painful that I had to pay $225 retail for it since it isn't available anywhere else at a discount at the time, but I look at it like this-- I wear my Creeds more than anything else I have. They never go out of my rotation. Plus since Virgin Island Water is such a seductive fragrance and it smells like limes, rum and all that other drink related stuff--with me being a bartender, maybe it will pay for itself in bigger tips !
This is going to be really nice to wear on warm days outdoors. It's VERY different from most of the usual Creed line, but it's every bit as refined with attention to detail. A very solid and unique addition to my wardrobe.
Virgin Island Water rocks!
I completely agree about the lime. I would love to have that lime alone in a frag. Unfortunately, it must be coconut scents that I just cant handle wearing on myself. It seems to make me nauseous. If you haven't already, try out Aramis Bermuda Tonic and let me know what you think of that. It puts me in the same frame of mind as VIW.
The buttered popcorn smell comparison is very astute. I am surprised to hear that comparison anymore. My first job was as an usher and they, along with most other theaters were making the switch to canola (saturated fat scare in the 90's). Maybe places are switching back.

Answer:
Your review of this makes me want a full-size bottle of this. RIGHT NOW!!!!!

Answer:
Wow. That is an amazing review and completely spot-on. I had the opportunity to sample VIW this last week and was totally blown away by every note. Talk about master-craftsmanship. Taking into account that it is hard (see nowhere) to find on the internet, I will probably have to pay retail price as well.

Answer:
Great Review, thanks! Sounds wonderful...I plan on trying it this Friday at Nordstrom. I won't, however, be paying retail. $225...ouch! Guess I'll be waiting until this one hits the discounters. No VIW for me this summer. Boo hoo.

Answer:
Thanks for the great review . I would be grateful if you could let me know: does VIW actually have an aquatic note?
Thanks.

Answer:
I got 5 sample vials of this when I bought my AdP from Neiman's...after 1 month of solid testing...nah. Definitely feminine, definitely suntan-like, definitely not for me. This is coming from someone who owns 5+ Creed bottles.
TNMA

Answer:
Quote: Originally Posted by thenmarcher I got 5 sample vials of this when I bought my AdP from Neiman's...after 1 month of solid testing...nah. Definitely feminine, definitely suntan-like, definitely not for me. Not for me either. I don't consider it "definitely" feminine but it's DEFINITELY NOT masculine. I got the slightest hint of the fore mentioned limes ... but, to me ... it's still dominated by the "coconutty suntan lotion" aroma.
I do think it's a well made scent and smells great. But I feel the same way about Serge Lutens Datura Noir. I could never wear it because it leans way too much toward feminine, but it smells fantastic.