Spirit
Antonio Banderas (2004)

Maybe this was reformulated because after reading reviews, I expected a lot more than what I get from Banderas Spirit. This is very cheap and ordinary smelling to me.

There is a little bit of spice in the opening, but everything is so weak, it's hard to say there are any notes going on.

It reminds me of the current version of CK Eternity, which is not a compliment. Very 90's and watered down.

Low projection but I did find it hanging around for many hours.

A great little bargain bin fragrance, appropriate for the cooler months of the year, particularly late fall and early winter. The note pyramid can give you a good idea of what this one smells like: There's a nice, spicy cinnamon note blended into a heart accord of ambery woods. I'd describe Spirit as spicy first, but also warm with a dark, semi-sweet character resulting from the incense/amber blend. Although Spirit isn't "fresh" in the typical sense, the fragrance itself has a nice buoyant, piquant sort of quality, so it never feels heavy or sticky, or like it's dragging itself around. In that sense it's just as good indoors as outdoors, and is an easy, comfortable wear. Performance isn't bad at all for the price--I get a solid 4 to 6 hours with pretty good projection from 4 or 5 sprays. I've noticed in the reviews that Spirit gets comparisons to many different fragrances, most of which I don't think it really smells similar to. However, in that woody-spicy-amber genre it indeed seems to have a little bit of everything, so I understand why the comparisons are there. So while it's not a clone of anything that comes to my mind, it also isn't especially distinct, which actually works in its favor here. I'd give Spirit a solid 8/10 as I really like how it smells and don't have any performance issues with it. Spirit is worth a blind buy for those looking for a quick addition from this genre, but not wanting to commit to something more expensive or distinct at the moment.

Side Note: I really think this would make a good option for a high school kid looking to add something in the spicy-woody department, but not not looking to spend more than his minimum-wage part-time gig at the deli allows. It's really an easy one to wear that has a pretty distinct, memorable smell and suits the fall and winter well. It also doesn't feel to heavy or 'thick' to wear indoors, and shouldn't be overpowering in an environment like a classroom.

Spirit opens with a sharp spicy blast of cinnamon and other spices, with a faint sweetness of...something else synthetic. But as others have mentioned, if you can find this at clearances then this makes for a great winter cheapie.

A rather common scent, nothing that makes it stand out of the crowd, but it is cheap and somewhat pleasant.
I would not go out of my way to get it, and I will not replace my 3.4 oz bottle once is finished, and that should tell you exactly how I fee l regarding this fragrance.
Opens with a ambery/citric note followed by a patchouli dominant heart with hints, and I mean hints of cinnamon and incense. The drydown is a musky patchouli.
A good value for the price, but I can not give my thumbs up to a perfume that has no character of its own.
Sillage and longevity are below average.

My husband got this as a gift and it is nice but too light and kinda blah on him however I love wearing this.. Soft but sweet, smokey and spicy. I'm not great at individual notes but I can detect the amber and cinnamon easily with the neroli, frankincense and a touch of patchouli backing them up.. Warm and comforting, I actually prefer this to the woman's version which I also have.

Throw is low at skin to a couple inches only and lasts 4 hours on me. Easily passes as a woman's scent

Spirit is a pretty nice spicy cheapy. It smells pretty common, nothing extraordinary, but good for its price point. You could get a 3.4 oz bottle for under 20 bucks, and this is better than most designer fragrances in its note/classification. I own both this and the VIP edition, the differences are subtle, and I prefer the original slightly more, because it emphasizes more on the apple note instead of the spices.

Spirit opens up with a blast of apple, cinnamon, and amber. This gets compared to Carlos Santana, I can see that, but Santana is far more powdery, and Spirit is much more resinous. As Spirit dries, the patchouli really comes out, and it blends well with the amber, apple, cinnamon. There may be a little musk there in the base, and possibly even ginger somewhere in the mix. Overall it's pretty linear, doesn't change much. The first time I tried it, I thought it smelled like cat piss. I guess the cheap apple note mixing with the amber were giving that effect, and rubbing me the wrong way.

For comparisons, it reminds me of a mix of Carlos Santana and Jacomo Aura, but more dark. The VIP edition is even darker, with an added dark chocolate note and more emphasis on the spices.. probably ginger. They are both pretty similar though. Longevity on this is anywhere from 4-6 hours usually, closer to the 4 hour mark. Not the best, considering it's a spicy fragrance, and I would expect to get at least 8, but it just doesn't happen. Projection is nice, but subtle, does much better on clothing than skin. Compliment factor is high with this one for me. I don't wear it too often, but it always seems to get compliments, which is a plus.