Last year, I was obsessed with Armani Stronger With You Amber (read my review here), so when a new flanker appeared this season, I paid attention. Armani Stronger With you Powerfully promises a smokier, darker spin on the original, taking its trademark sugared chestnut and threading it through with cherry.
Key Notes
Top note: Cherry Accord & Mandarin
Heart note: Lavender & Spice Accord
Base note: Vanilla, Amberywood & Chestnut Accord
My Thoughts
It opens with a burst of fruit, mandarin and bergamot keeping things bright, before the cherry slips in. Not syrupy, not synthetic, but juicy and restrained, like biting into a ripe one rather than drinking it from a cocktail glass. There’s a gentle smoulder here, too with a a faint smokiness that gives the fragrance a sultry, slightly moody edge.
In the middle, lavender and warm spice add texture and lift, stopping the sweetness from becoming heavy. The dry-down is where it really settles into itself where chestnut and vanilla take the lead, wrapped in amberwood and a soft, lingering warmth. The cherry never quite leaves, but it retreats politely into the background.
It’s smoky, sweet, and a little bit dramatic. One that I think many should give a whiff next time you’re on an Armani counter. And perhaps, if I may say, it would make a lovely Valentines Gift for the man in your life.
Projection
For me, this is very much a masculine scent and the projection is confident… bold, even. This is not a shy scent. In the opening hour it fills a room, then calms down but is still very noticeable. People will smell it on you, whether you intend them to or not.
Longevity
Longevity is excellent. It clings to skin all day. And it seems particularly fond of fabric, lingering on scarves and coats long after you’ve taken them off.
When I would wear it
Armani Stronger With You Powerfully feels made for cold weather and low lighting. An evening fragrance rather than an office one, better suited to bars, dinners and winter nights than fluorescent-lit meeting rooms.
