Emporio Armani Stronger With You
Giorgio Armani (2017)

I first smelled this when it came out in 2017, but I never really revisited the line. Now there are about 6–7 flankers, so I figured I’d give it another shot. Varanis was on the fence but still gave it a thumbs up—I’m not quite that generous, especially since some of the flankers improve on this.

There’s definitely ambroxan here, but it’s not as screechy or obnoxious as I expected. It feels like it pulls inspiration from a bunch of different scents. There’s a hint of that “bubblegum” sweetness, but it doesn’t overdo it, and it’s balanced with a slight sourness. There aren’t really any clear citrus notes, yet I still get a subtle citrusy touch that helps tie everything together.

It’s also not as thick or cloying as I expected—there’s a bit of airiness to it. Overall, it’s not a bad scent, but it doesn’t really intrigue me either. Compared to its flankers, it’s not that sweet. Maybe it’s just me, but I don’t pick up much vanilla. What I do get is a light mix of fruity, citrusy, slightly sour and tart elements, with the rest leaning toward a general fougère profile.

If you find the flankers too sweet and want something more inoffensive and basic, this works fine. Performance is moderate, and you could wear it pretty much anywhere, though it leans more casual to me. It’s still a bit pricey even at discounters, so I’d recommend testing it at Sephora if you’re interested.

After reading many positive reviews, I purchased a decant. Initially, I thought SWY gave off a vibe similar to something offered by Bvlgari, Encre Noire, or He Wood by Dsquared². However I ended up settling on it being an amped up Paco Rabanne Privé. It's a very warm, spicy fragrance with very good performance at a reasonable price. It's not a full bottle for me just because I already have others in this neighborhood.

No one mentions the overpowering wood aroma chemical that makes this smell like rubbing alcohol. Underneath that I can smell soft powdery notes; barbershop lavender on the masculine side but paired with fruity florals on the feminine side. It leans more to the feminine side on me, very delicate and soft and faintly pink, but over everything is that blast of sharply woody chemical that kills it all dead. Bleu Turquoise did this on me, too. I adored everything else about it, but this wood aroma chem (Screamwood, in the parlance of my sister and myself) overwhelms all and it lasts for the life of the fragrance. A total waste of time unless you are fond of screamwood/wood alcohol paired with powdery florals.

The extreme sweetness and mint reminds me of Versace Eros. I didn't immediately place it but it hit me later in the drydown. Sampling the opening again, it does smell like Eros but the vanilla is warmer and not quite as strong and airy. It also feels a bit smoother than Eros, making this perhaps the slightly more refined or even "grown-up" version of Eros. Both are heavy, sweet scents that women should enjoy smelling on men and possibly themselves.

It lasts all workday and has good projection on my skin.

A waste of time and resources.

I sampled on my skin twice. This is sickly sweet and headache inducing. It smells ok in the surrounding air but for the wearer, this is painful to live with. I'm normally pretty open to generic sweet fragrances but this is next level chemical sweetness. If you want a similar vibe (but MUCH better quality), go with YSL L'Homme Parfum Intense. I can't even tell you the individual notes that I pick up from SWY because it's all just one big mess. With the compared YSL counterpart, I can easily pick out the apple, orange blossom, suede, and ginger notes.

A hard pass and instant scrubber for me.