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DSquared2 Potion for Men & Potion Blue Cadet ~ fragrance reviews

Posted by Kevin on 1 May 2013 12 Comments

DSquared2 Potion Blue Cadet advert

Dsquared2 knows where its perfume customers are — Europe. Except for its first fragrances (He Wood and She Wood), DSquared2 perfumes just don’t show up here in the U.S. (or in Canada, if the Vancouver, B.C., Sephora is any indication). Perfume launches are expensive, so why spend money on the U.S. when it doesn’t generate a huge amount of revenue? I’ve gotten used to this situation and can eventually find almost all Europe-only perfume launches I’m interested in at online U.S. discounters (even Amazon.com) or on eBay.

DSquared2’s fragrance aesthetic, for men at least, is usually centered around woods — warm and pungent (He Wood Rocky Mountain Wood, He Wood Silver Wind Wood) or cool and aquatic (He Wood, He Wood Ocean Wet Wood). Potion for Men* falls into the first category; it goes on smelling like a cinnamon cookie, its spiciness enlivened with a drop of mint oil (and perhaps a squirt of angelica). This “cookie” is not too sweet because its aroma is layered with toasty, incense-y, cedar wood. Discreet iris/gentian mingles with all the notes, adding softness to the overall feel of the fragrance. A talc-y, semi-sweet amber accord develops during the dry down.

Potion for Men is a nicely composed, simple/streamlined perfume. When I dab on the fragrance, the cinnamon note appears first; when I spray Potion for Men on skin, the incense-wood accord dominates and is followed by the cinnamon “cookie” scent. (So if you sample the perfume on a card, keep this in mind). Potion for Men has good lasting power and close-to-the-body sillage. I’d reach for this fragrance in cool weather; it’s a perfect autumn perfume.

Potion Blue Cadet** is, well, blue (usually a bad sign in fragrance, signifying the “dumbest-of-the-dumb” on the men’s perfume counter). And a cadet is almost always young…and active. I expected Potion Blue Cadet to be a sport fragrance, and I was correct. I was also expecting to hate it…but I don’t.

I first wore Potion Blue Cadet the day after I tested Calvin Klein Dark Obsession. Almost any fragrance is better than Dark Obsession so I was happy with Potion Blue Cadet, but I worried it scored unfair points simply because I was comparing it to Dark Obsession. I wore Potion Blue Cadet two days to make sure I really liked it.

We’re all familiar with “formulas” and “classic” combinations. A peanut-butter-and-grape-jelly sandwich made with white bread is a classic formula. Tweak this sandwich by using toasted sweet potato bread, cashew butter and apricot jam flavored with a drop or two of orange blossom essence. It’s still bread, ground nuts and jam, but livelier, more interesting. Using the classic formula of a sport fragrance — citrus, some bracing/menthol-like element and light musk — DSquared2 "exchanged" some of the ingredients, replacing standard sport-fragrance bergamot with strong “pink” grapefruit (sweet not “sweaty”), using blue hemlock (with a pleasant green-pine aroma) instead of eucalyptus or “sea spray”/ambergris or Calone, and adding a diffuse, almost-talcy “white” cedar/tonka accord in place of a blatantly synthetic wood-musk mixture.

Potion Blue Cadet is perky, fresh and clean, but not banal or drab; best of all, it doesn’t smell like a laundry room redolent of scented detergent, fabric softeners and/or dryer sheets. This is one of the nicer sport fragrances I’ve smelled and worn, and not one person who knows me said: “That smells cheap.” (as they often do when I test sport or marine perfumes…one must have a tough skin when wearing a new perfume each day and encouraging comments!) If you like sport fragrances, give Potion Blue Cadet a try (it has all-day lasting power and just-right sillage).

DSquared2 Potion for Men fragrance bottle

DSquared2 does a nice job on its men’s line of fragrances: these are not challenging or unusual perfumes, but they are well-made fragrances…with a “youthful” vibe. No doubt, DSquared2’s aim is to sell lots of “units,” but the perfumes aren’t foolish or slap-dash — they smell good.

DSquared2 Potion Blue Cadet Eau de Toilette is available for £33 (30 ml), £40 (50 ml) and £54 (100 ml); and DSquared2 Potion for Men Eau de Parfum is £36 (30 ml), £46 (50 ml) and £61 (100 ml) at the DSquared2 online shop or at Escentual.

*Potion for Men (2011): perfumer Annick Menardo; mint, angelica, thyme, gentian, cinnamon, cashmere wood, patchouli, amber, musk

**Potion Blue Cadet (2013): perfumer Mathilde Bijaoui; bergamot, pink grapefruit, mandarin, blue hemlock, balsam fir, white cedar, tonka bean, musk

Possibly of interest

DSquared2 Wild ~ fragrance review
Dsquared2 She Wood ~ perfume review
Dsquared2 He Wood ~ fragrance review

Filed Under: perfume talk
Tagged With: annick menardo, dsquared2, flanker, mathilde bijaoui

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12 Comments

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  1. lucasai says:
    1 May 2013 at 2:13 pm

    Hi Kevin!
    I bought Potion for Men in December 2011 and it was a great purchase. I wore this fragrance a lot during that winter and winter of 2012. It smelled good, warm enveloping, right for the cold weather mood.
    So I will perhaps give Potion Blue Cadet a try when I spot it in a nearby Douglas, which carries Dsquared2 line. Might be a nice scent to try.

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    • Kevin says:
      1 May 2013 at 2:21 pm

      Hi, Lucas, I was surprised how ‘likeable’ Blue Cadet is; too bad I won’t be smelling it here …it’s much nicer than most sport perfumes.

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      • lucasai says:
        1 May 2013 at 2:30 pm

        I will have a look for it when I’ll be in Douglas next time. Or I will ask the SA when they’re expecting it to arrive. I’m planning to pay them a visit as they’re supposed to hade Hermes Mandarine Ambree which I want to try, after the Long May Weekend in Poland is over.

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        • Kevin says:
          1 May 2013 at 2:34 pm

          L: I’m excited about the Hermes too…especially the narcisse one.

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          • lucasai says:
            1 May 2013 at 2:38 pm

            I would say that I’m more curious than excited. I didn’t manage to find any single fragrance from Hermes that I would love and I tried many of them. I want to check this one out as it sounds promising to me.

          • Kevin says:
            1 May 2013 at 2:58 pm

            L, just checked…I have seven Hermes fragrances living with me at present!

  2. Rictor07 says:
    1 May 2013 at 3:26 pm

    Which color on the perfume counter signifies smartest-of-the-smart?

    Good review Kevin. I was sad to see Dsquared disappear from the shelves. i thought they were bringing fairly solid offerings to the table. i guess the majority of us in the US like the more bland generic stuff. Or maybe it speaks to the fact that we are more driven to buy based on the power of a brands name/image, than the actual product itself.

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    • Kevin says:
      1 May 2013 at 4:16 pm

      Rictor…hmmm, I’ll have to say ‘amber’! Ha!

      I would think DSquared2 was as popular as Dolce & Gabbana or Gaultier…but maybe not…I don’t see many DSquared2 clothing ads….

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  3. platinum14 says:
    1 May 2013 at 10:04 pm

    DSquared2 fragrances are very easily available here in Toronto. In fact, there are available at many discounters.
    Potion for Men edt 50ml with shower gel can be had for $15. I bought both the edp and edt and also gave a few bottles away for Xmas.

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    • Kevin says:
      2 May 2013 at 11:14 am

      Platinim: thanks…I guess the US is the odd man out.

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  4. Bee says:
    2 May 2013 at 10:26 am

    I like the original potion, it’s a typical confort scent and MUCH better than the female version, so I’ll try out this blue one too, even if I must admit I normally have prejudices against blue-flankers

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    • Kevin says:
      2 May 2013 at 11:18 am

      Bee: I haven’t had the chance to try any of the women’s fragrances in the line…wonder if women will get a blue flanker as well….

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