Individual Blue for Him
Avon (2003)

Oh look, another Avon aquatic that really isn't an aquatic, but I'm not all that surprised. Avon has been placing aquatic-themed or fresh air-themed fragrances in blue bottles or tinting such fragrances with blue dye since long before the actual aquatic genre was even invented, long before dihydromyrcenol was discovered, and long before the mainstream obsession with synthetic "fresh" mass-appealing fragrances even began. It's no surprise then, that Avon Individual Blue for Him (2003) is another example of such, following in the footsteps of Avon Windjammer (1968), Avon Everest (1975), and Avon Seazone (1992). Granted, there are aquatic elements here, or at least notes that impart such elements, but no direct use of the usual suspects in the genre. Avon would make proper aquatics (strictly on their own terms composition-wise) during this decade, but Individual Blue for Him isn't really among them. What you do get here is a sort of aromatic fougère similar in some respects to Tsar by Van Cleef and Arpels (1989), but lighter like Adidas Adrenaline (2001), both discontinued scents but in a once-popular style this inhabitants, so it's no wonder Individual Blue for Him went on to be a big seller in Europe and spawn flankers.

The opening here is brash with an ozonic grapefruit typical of the 2000's, met with mint, lavender, neroli, and clary sage. The sage is extremely strong and dominant, tamping out many of the other aspects in the initial opening phases, until a pepper and carnation merge with a sweaty spiced balsamic note very reminiscent of both the Addidas and the Van Cleef & Arpels. This combo them comes in to bolster the lavender and a metallic geranium in the heart. The sage merges with the background, which lets the pepper, some rosemary, and the geranium take the fore, while this sweatiness informs the musk and synthetic sandalwood component of Individual Blue for Him, followed by trace amounts of Avon's house amber note and an odd bit of leather left over from Avon Modern Balance (2001) and Paradigm (2002). Overall this remains very sporty and dynamic, something considered of value in the early 2000's, but there is very little "aquatic" feel to it. Wrapping up, this is definitely a "sporty" aromatic fougère with a sharp musky quality, making the appearance all the more baffling. Wear time is decently eight hours but projection drops to a close glow after about 2 hours, being good for casual use in most climates but the coldest.

Individual Blue for Him was quickly discontinued in favor of other blue juices in the then-homebase of the US market, just like most things that didn't sell in gadzooks quanities upon release, as Avon was extremely spitfire about its output in this period; blink and you might miss something. In Europe, the story was entirely different, and Individual Blue for Him was popular enough not only to remain on the market for a number of years, but get a packaging refresh (including bottle graphics printed on the front)and numerous flankers as mentioned above, most of which are impossble to get stateside without importing. Also of interesting note is that the US juice is a very pale steel blue, while the European bottles (with the printed graphics) have a much more vivid blue juice in them, although both smell the same so go for whichever is cheapest to acquire where you happen to live. Another odd but interesting release from Avon, that proves completely non-essential to most people not interested in the brand (unless you're a fan of early 2000's "radioactive grapefruit" sportiness), but remains solidly wearable and even more enjoyable in the face of modern "blue" banality where one can almost predict the smell based on the fragrance color. Thumbs up.

People here are right... it's not the best EdT in the world, but it's more than nice.

I used to have this - it was a nice, fresh summer scent. I also used to get incredibly positive reviews by women when I used to wear this. Women liked it so much, that they bought it for themselves. Women loves this scent more than men used to - especially when it was on sale :p

Icy smell indeed. Fresh & nice, but quite synthetic. Didn't last long on my skin so i quickly gave it away.

Long lasting but truly boring.It smells like ice and metal.Try another one.