It doesn't pay to beat around the bush, so I'll just say it: PS Fine Cologne is Old Spice in EDT form. It's actually strong enough to qualify as an EDP, but the concentration is probably by technicality an EDT. If you like Old Spice and wish it lasted longer, this fragrance is your answer. It possesses most of the same qualities, has a very similar note pyramid, and moves in a similar fashion, from warm citrus top notes, to a smooth, powdery-clean drydown. Bulking up the heart is a sweet amber that threatens but never strays into sugar-shock territory, and the experience of wearing PS feels solid and manly, like you're someone dependable who works with his hands, and has a family at home. It's really good stuff.
The one thing that bothers me about PS is its blending. Some people feel it's blended perfectly, but I actually dislike how sanded and smoothed-out it is. The great thing about Old Spice is that it smells simple but good. Its orange citrus top note is gone in a split second, but it's fresh and realistic. Ditto for its clove follow-up, with a clean, peppery carnation and a legible trio of kitchen spices - nutmeg, cinnamon, and vanilla - gathering into a talcum powder base. There are edgings of tonka and benzoin, which form an uncomplicated amber at Old Spice's core. There are no frills. There is no great attention to blending its materials into a super-smooth accord. It just smells like a harmony of similar elements working together to make a very warm scent.
PS Fine Cologne uses most of the same ingredients, but adds a prominent rose note to the mix, and then loses all texture, to the point where it smells less like an old-fashioned masculine oriental, and more like your middle-shelf department store juice, mimicking Burberry Brit's slick sheen, no doubt due to the rose note. Even though it's an updated and strengthened version of Old Spice, I don't think I'd bother with it, unless the brevity of P&G's cologne started to bug me. You're looking at around four hours with Old Spice after generous application, but an easy nine hours with PS. It's strong and durable enough to be classified as a "powerhouse oriental." But I prefer Old Spice's discreet powdery aura over PS's bombast, and also prefer carnation over rose. Still, this is probably Paul Sebastian's best fragrance, and well worth checking out.
