Being myself a Comme Des Garcons aficionado, I don't deny that the news about this collaboration with Pharrell Williams left me a bit surprised. Yes, CDG delivered a bunch of *fancy* streetwear-inspired collections in the past (especially in their *Play* line) but, for the most part, I think their aesthetic is very distant from diamond rings / earrings and revised ranger's hats. I'm surely missing something here because there must be something else beside, um, mere commercial purposes that links these two entities but, when I think about Comme Des Garcons, what immediately comes to mind is their unmistakeable drop-crotch pants or their most avant-garde / punk-ish designs. I can't help it. Bascially because that's what I always liked about the brand. I can honestly live without their doodle-style red-hearts logos.
With that said, the fragrance is nothing more than a decent spicy woody concoction with floral facets. It opens with a leafy / green violet note paired to pepper. A smooth and kind of milky accord provide a fig-like vibe and some entertaining juxtapositions between transparent notes and opaque ones. The fragrance then turns into a darker synth woody / incensey drydown that dangerously borders into plastic-y woodyamber territories. That's it.
It's nice and, depending on your tolerance to woodyambers, it's also pleasant to wear but, while feeling *smarter* than most celebuscents available on the market, it really adds NOTHING to the Comme Des Garcons roster. In other words I would say it's a trite CDG and a good celebuscent but given that my interest towards this fragrance was mainly because of the CDG's involvement, I'll have to stick to the *trite* aspect of it.
All in all I would suggest this to either Comme Des Garcons novices or to the brand's completists. People who don't have a special fondness towards the brand and are simply into *interesting* fragrances, might want to look somewhere else.
Given Kaws' involvement in the design of the bottle, this might become a collector's item pretty soon.
I'm pretty ambivalent about Wonderoud as my assessment goes in two different directions depending on how how approach it.
As a Comme Des Garcons lover, I think this brings almost nothing new to the table of woody fragrances they delivered thus far but, at the same time, if I approach it as a whatever mainstream wood-centered composition, this is vastly head-and-shoulders above the average quality available from similarly targeted / priced offerings. This is basically an average quality niche type of fragrance, sold at department-store prices.
In my perception, Wonderoud basically starts from the same bone-structure used in CDG's previous Wonderwood (and to a lesser extend Blue Santal). A combo of cedarwood, pepper, vetiver and sandalwood to which they now added a smooth but remarkable oud note. The final effect is of an intensely woody fragrance with greenish nuances. Dry but not harsh, mannered but not too affected, safe but not dull and pretty well rounded.
At the same time though, I find it a bit nondescript and not particularly distinctive. The cedarwood is not as prominent as in others deliveries by the same house and, as usual with CDG, they're still able to skip that woody harshness (typical of certain woodyambers) that seems to overpopulate department-store type of masculines. It's a well done fragrance, pleasant to wear and pretty long lasting…yet, I can't say I'm completely sold.
Downline: I think Wonderoud would make a nice option for anyone looking for a safer scent but wants to avoid smelling like a whatever department store shelf. It'd also make a nice introduction to the most daring deliveries by this house and, more in general, to western oud-themed stuff. CDG's aficionados might find it a bit redundant…
On a side note, it's pretty clear that the branch of Comme Des Garcons owned by Puig (basically all the fragrances that come in the oval-shaped flacon) are targeted to a more *generic* audience and , in this context, they still fear no rivals IMO. A bit of a disappointment though, came with the fact that Wonderoud is more expensive than your usual Puig-CDG. Is that because it includes the word *oud* in its name?
Comme Des Garcons For Stephen Jones - Wisteria Hysteria
Chromatic scale: White, more white and even more white. Lilac, silver, neon white, microscopic black dots, imperceptible light-blue nuances, steel-cold grey.
Rosey / floral notes with a bright metallic presence and a overall synth-pop vein. The florals are the most distant possible from the real thing. Instead, they're a super abstract rendition of the smell you could expect from a olfactive holodeck on DS9. Incense is here in full force and together with spices provides quite a thick and potent bone-structure.
As I said, the fragrance starts bright, clean and cheerful but the feeling it evokes is anything but natural. It's sort of like a sense of inner euphoria filtered through chem drugs. Hallucinations and horizontal dancing, mind trips at the borders of cosmos.
Incense takes over considerably and, together with sweetish notes give birth to a dry'n'sweet
accord that, at traces, brought to mind of Eldo's Archive 69 (overlooked gem IMO) minus the camphor.But beside the incense, they also share a certain lived-in vibe. It's not lived-in as in remarkably dirty but more like *humanized*. It's the warmness of clean skin with subtle animalic (humanoid) facets.
Smartly placed juxtapositions provided by clove and smoky mate notes, preserve the fragrance from becoming too bright and cold yet, at the same time, they paradoxically enhance the overall metallic vibe.
I can't say Wisteria feels warm but it doesn't feel cold or detached either. It surely has both the elements of warmness and coldness but they're so smartly paired to give birth to a completely new feeling. Again, it's like showing to a alien reptile race what *body warmness is about*.
Potent, very long lasting and with a great projection. In this context, Wisteria feels like a collaboration between Comme Des Garcons and Thierry Mugler...if Mugler actually still had taste.
Rating: 7.5-8/10
Comme Des Garcons - Serpentine
Chromatic scale Serpentine evoked: White / Fluo Green / Silver / Black / Pale Pink / Dark Grey
Some random impressions. Boatloads of aldehydes, *gunpowdery* spices, musks, incense, woods, iris-y notes.
It evokes brand new spaces as opposed to brand new objects. Big warehouses. Concrete, wet white paint, linoleum, immaculate walls, industrial lighting, cars, subways, ads...
To all of the above, add a smooth powderyness probably linked to some orris-related accord which provides a subtle perfumey vibe necesseary to preserve the fragrance from becoming a mere exercise in style.
Absolutely wearable, novel and modern...which I guess are all adjectives to describe CDG.
Once more, Austuguevielle's artistic direction doesn't let me down and, when it comes to modernism, CDG is confirmed to not fear any rival. A big winner.
Antoine Maisondieu at his best. It's absolutely incredible how little elements it takes to create something special when you have a solid concept and an incredible artistic direction. Sugi is minimalism at its best as opposed to the plethora of simplistic pranks we are too often asked to buy as minimalistic and modern forms of *art*.
Sugi is an entire composition based around the most fascinating synergies amongst otherwise pretty common notes. What comes out is something unique, novel and totally plausible at the same time. Something that doesn't need to try so hard to be unique. Something that is refreshing for its natural simplicity. No make up, no gimmick, no special effects and no hype.
The fragrance opens with freezing dark green notes (cypress) paired to pepper. The pepper
here is not of the most usual quality but, instead, it verges towards the aromatic spiciness of Long Pepper which is a lot hotter than the more common Piper Nigurm. The opening is quite something for anyone into CDG's quirkiness as the pairing of these two notes, give birth to something extremely novel. Sharp, freezing and nose tingling. A rooty orris note breaks in right away and together with vetiver and smooth woody notes, start fascinating synergies between all the elements that strike for being both gentle and sophisticated as well as abstract, futuristic and rough-ish. There's an overall earthiness going on that brings to mind of wet concrete as well as an outdoorsy vibe that feels both naturalistic and industrial at the same time. Sort of a futuristic urban agglomeration surrounded by a forest. The fragrance is simple yet anything but simplistic. A gem of minimalism from people who know their stuff.
Longevity is extremely good (yes) while projection is a bit tricky. Definitely not a projection monster but sort of like you think it's gone and then BAM.
One of my favorite fragrances of 2013 and the best in the Monocle Series.
An *Humanized* version of Odeur 53? Well, sort of…
The main theme here comes directly from those clean yet austere woody fragrances such as Gucci Rush For Men, Tam Dao and Wonderwood but Blue Santal brings to the table a bunch of juxtapositions that most of the above fragrances lack. The overall vibe is made of the same clean-metallic-woody-incense combo of Odeur 53 but it's sort of tamed, more human and less abstract. A thick synth sandalwood base a-la Wonderwood serves to add some extra body giving birth, at the same time, to a warm juxtaposition with the metallic incense while peppery nuances recall the austerity of Gucci Rush For Men. This is basically the bone structure of Blue Santal but the fragrance has something more to offer…the CDG's twist.
The above scenario is successfully enriched by a pine-juniper combo which is absolutely awesome. It strikes with a freezing effect and a plethora of micro-facets generated by the interaction of these two elements with the rest of the composition. They go go from turpentine undertones (originally extracted from pinewood) to gunpowder via immense landscapes, dark-green elements, snow-covered forests and, at the same time, summer-ish spices, gin, frozen glasses and sparkling skies…
I would rank this at the same level of Blue Encens and despite I've not appreciated Blue Cedrat as I expected (hoped), I strongly believe this is a pretty solid trio. Another fantastic option to enter the CDG's world.
Blue Cedrat is probably the most commercial delivery in the Blue Series (or whatever they call it) and, admittedly, I was ready to dismiss it and bash it right after my first test on paper because of the strongly generic opening. Fortunately, knowing that Comme Des Garcons is not new to tricky fragrances, I decided to give it a second chance by grabbing a sample…and I'm (partially) glad I did.
A full wearing revealed a simple yet quite evolving fragrance. The opening still strikes as extremely generic in its somewhat trite iteration of the woody-citrus accord but the composition quickly opened to a *majestic* angelica accord that felt almost astringent in its incredibly green nuances while a subtle rose oxyde note, provided the usual metallic facets of many CDGs. In this phase Blue Cedrat was very earthy, refreshing, dry and incredibly radiant but, something else was just about to happen…
A smooth, dry, woody-incensey note makes its appearance and joined by a massive vetiver base slowly takes over to give birth to what can be considered the real essence of Blue Cedrat. This is actually when I began questioning the fragrance again…
On one side, I loved that the fragrance had three distinct phases that alternated theirselves so smoothly and naturally generating quite some pathos. On the other hand, I'm getting a bit tired of dry woods. I've to say though, that no less than 3-4 years ago, I would have probably went completely head over heels for whatever fragrance playing a similar theme. Today, as a matter of fact, this is probably my least favorite in the new *Blue* trio but, at the same time, it's far from being unremarkable especially when it comes to the quality/price ratio. If one's into dry woods, green fragrances and vetiver, this is something worth checking out. No doubts.
This is what I expected from Amazingreen but it probably would have been more appropriately labelled as Nicegreen. I believe this is going to be the real *hit* as far as commercial potential.
A few keywords: French Lover, Terre D'Hermes, L'Homme Infini, Anat Fritz Tzora, Kenzoair, Comme Des Garcons 3, Fleurs De Sel, Jardin Du Poete.
Another attempt by Comme Des Garcons at catching the attention of the mainstream crowd but, unlike their previous Amazingreen, this time they nailed it. Blue Encens is probably not as artsy as other *edgier* deliveries from this house but it is SO nicely played to result incredibly likable while still skipping dullness. Safe? Yes, probably safer than, say, SKAI! Boring? No.
One of the keys to properly evaluate BE, is to get rid of the prejudices that might come with the *Blue* part of its name and with the overall sporty vibe that comes with the packaging and marketing. THIS IS NOT A SPORT FRAGRANCE. The concept here is to take previous CDGs themes (Hinoki, H&M and Dover Street Market come to mind) and give them a mainstreamish twist by adding, in this case, a solid cinnamon-cardamom combo which seem to be two of the flavors of the day. What comes out is a slightly metallic amber-incense fragrance in the typical CDG's style with a fresh and persistent spicy accord. The cardamom is the real star here and it's the first time that enters the CDG's world. Plenty of it throughout, while cinnamon supports the incense base enhancing the freezing effect together with subtle calone-y undertones. What really makes the difference from most designers, is how at CDG they keep on skipping those massive woodyambers that currently overpopulate the mainstream market. Another interesting aspect is that Blue Encens has no citruses whatsoever (not a good thing per se but definitely something to increase the distance from sporty stuff). The fragrance wears smoothly but it's pretty radiant, feels perfectly sized, safe but not generic. An easy wear just like a basic t-shirt. They apparently all look the same but, depending on fabric, cut and style, they wear incredibly different.
I've seen someone complained somewhere saying we didn't need another incense fragrance by CDG. Well, I think that's somehow a wrong assessment. Incense is to CDG exactly as vanilla is to Guerlain, iris to Chanel and hay to Parfums De Nicolai. It's in their DNA, it's their signature, it's part of their heritage and, most of all, they're very good at using it. With that said, I'd personally classify Blue Encens as a cardamom-driven fragrance built around a spicy-incense base so, if you're ok with a *safe* Comme, go ahead, Blue Encens is probably not groundbreaking but it's delightful nonetheless.
Downline: Blue Encens goes together with Wonderwood, CDG2Man, The Cologne Series and The Sherbet Series. "Intelligent Pop". Safe and honest.
Finally! By far the best Comme Des Garcons in years (if we exclude the magnificent EDP 2011 in the melted bottle). After disappointments such as Amazingreen which was anything but amazing and the new Play series (nice but IMO nowhere close to CDG's standards) finally something to rave about. Probably not as arty as some of the house's most abstract offerings such as their Synthetic Series, Guerrilla 1, Stephen Jones or even Odeur 71 yet an incredibly accomplished composition I'd rank among their most commercial / versatile releases such as CDG2Man and Standard. A restrained concoction of unsweetened black licorice (not the anise-type), tar, pepper and the usual woody-incense which has now become the house's hallmark. A tad of the sweetish iso-pepper-vetiver found in Kenzoair, the balmy-darkness of Black Tourmaline and the typical CDG's metropolitan and uber-modern twist is what comes to mind. Restrained yet striking, modern yet anything but dull, minimalistic yet not simplicistic. Novel and accomplished while still resulting anything but odd. Extremely versatile and easy to wear. If I'd have to choose a signature, this would definitely be among the candidates. Total endorsement. A few words of caution: Longevity is average. Projection is below average. This is quite a skin scent and needs to be massively applied to be properly enjoyed. Rating: 8.5/10
It seems like CDG is traying to desperately go mainstream which, to me, means everything but good news...
I'm an hardcore CDG fan but Amazingreen is probably the most disappointing delivery in their "ovaloid bottles series" since 8.88. The fragrance strikes as incredibly safe and modern (in the uninspiring and uninteresting meaning of the words), green and kinda watery with loads of woody amber. It opens peppery and fizzy with a huge dose of calone, just vile. The drydown is slightly better. Some vetiver, woods and a slightly pungent undertone which I guess being what they call gunpowder. Nice yet incredibly far from being groundbreaking or even attention worthy...
Personally I wasn't expecting something weird or even avant-garde but just a solid mainstream release a-la CDG2Man. It was about time to get a new blockbuster from Comme Des Garcons but, IMO, Amazingreen is very far from being a valid candidate.
If the word "garage" brings to your mind of Harley Davidsons, trucks, bycicles, cars or whatever you may have inside your garage, this is NOT for you. Comme Des Garcons rendition of the garage it's definitely more futuristic than a post-seventies motorcycle rider with a long beard and a leather jacket working on his bike. This is more the smell of a maintanance area where they repair and polish aseptic white androids designated as supportive doctors on an interstellar base.
Yes, it smells of grease, oil, traces of kerosene, rubber and various lubricants but it's overall clean, extremly bright and...plasticky. It's a tidy garage, almost aseptic, with metal walls and a clean white floor illuminated by neon lights. Wearable? Probably not as much as the other fragrances in the Synthetic Series yet incredibly compelling and futuristic. More an odour than a proper body fragrance but nonetheless worth experiencing for its unquestionable uniqueness.
Tar is actually much less scary than it may sounds. Yes, it smells of pure asphalt and it is somewhat weird but, as usual with Comme Des Garcons, it results wearable, absolutely unique and very distinctive (assuming you're fine with the typical avant-garde aspect of most of the house's deliveries).
Upon application, Tar delivers an industrial accord of black asphalt juxtaposed to a slightly strident note of bergamot. The overall effect is remarkably modern, sort of urban-industrial in a very artistic way, unconventional yet very compelling. In this phase Tar brings to mind of large clean basements, modern art exhibitions at the Hamburger Banhoff, minimal techno parties taking place in ex-warehouses now turned into alternative clubs, brand new modern buildings, high speed trains, cabs, temporary Guerrilla stores, rainy days, wet asphalt. Tokyo, Berlin, New York...
The fragrance evolves into an amazing styrax driven drydown that while being slightly more approachable than the opening, it's still far from resulting conventional. Insensey, woody with just a hint of sweetness and with the typical synthetic facet that's the house's hallmark. Probably not a fragrance to anyone's taste but, if you're up for something really avant-garde, there's nothing like it.
Once again, when it comes to the binomial "weird and wearable", there's nothing like Comme Des Garcons.
Lounge music is a retrospective description of music popular in the 1950s and 1960s. It is a type of mood music meant to evoke in the listeners the feeling of being in a place — a jungle, an island paradise, outer space, et cetera — other than where they are listening to it. The range of lounge music encompasses beautiful music-influenced instrumentals, modern electronica (with chillout, nu-jazz and downtempo influences), while remaining thematically focused on its retro-space-age cultural elements. The earliest type lounge music appeared during the 1920s and 1930s, and was known as light music. Contemporaneously, the term lounge music also denotes the types of music played in hotels (the lounge, the bar), casinos, and piano bars.
Guerlain Aqua Allegoria Pamplelune
I purchased Pumplelune in a big department store where they were selling a bunch of superknown perfumes for $10 and $20 because their original boxes had been damaged in a warehouse accident. Tones of "unboxed" scents throwed in big baskets for you to choose. A funny picture of dozens of people fighting to get their own bottle of the latest Gucci or Dolce & Gabbana release for $10. While I was looking at all this as if were civil war or maybe a supermarket assault after a cataclism, I saw 2 unattended bottles on a side. I got closer to them and realized they were Guerlain's Aqua Allegoria Pamplelune and Herba Fresca. I rapidly grabbed them both and rushed to the counter. I wasn't expecting too much and actually I wasn't so curiosus about them, but for $20 I gave them a chance.
Pamplelune is nice. Very realistic in the opening with a big dose of tart, freshly squeezed grapefruit joined by bitter green leaves. It rapidly turns sweeter and a bit warmer with clean musk, vanilla and a "shy" patchouli note. Unpretentious and honest. I won't consider it as an office fragrance but I'll surely enjoy it in the summer after a day of work and a stone-cold shower.
Rating: 7.5-8/10
Maitre Parfumeur Et Gantier Bahiana
Bahiana is basically a woody citrus with some floral thrown in but, whereas other fragrances of the same genre tend to dry down to harsh and overly synthetic woody bases, this one smells extremely well balanced.
The usual woody-citrus structure is enriched by a remarkable tropical fruit vibe and slight clean-musky/ambery undertones. The fruity notes are photorealistic but, again, they smell so natural and sophisticated as opposed to the usual plasticky and sticky vibe I get from other fragrances with similar notes. Overall, Bahiana strikes as a modern composition but the srong heritage of Maitre Parfumeur Et Gantier is clearly remarkable throughout and serves as a big plus to turn this fragrance in one of the best in this genre. If you're looking for a unisex summery fragrance that's easy to wear yet anything but dull, this is one to keep in consideration. Very nice.
Rating: 7/10
I Profumi Del Forte Tirrenico
I had a sample of Tirrenico a few monthes ago and, as I'm generally not into aquatic scents, I forgot it in a box. One day I was removing a few books from a shelf and I found the decant again so I gave it a try and I totally got suprised. Tirrenico is litterally amazing and stunning. No ozone bull***t here, but a real marine fragrance. IMO the only one really recalling the wet sand, marine wet woods and shells giving you the feeling of an exclusive, paradisiac beach. Floral patterns (mainly jasmine) and fruity hints provide sophisticated refinements. Great sillage and an amazing lasting power for an aquatic fragrance (10-12 hours). Another good point is the drydown. Many fragrances of the same genre tend to turn into a harsh chemical woody/amber. Tirrenico dries down to a clean musky/mossy base with fennel galore. Fresh throughout, pleasanly bizarre (the marine notes have a slightly stale vibe that may vaguely resemble Secretions Magnifique), anything but dull.
Obviously I immediately decided I needed bottle...and I got it! Together with Sel Marin, one of the very few "aquatic" fragrances that is worth owning.
Rating: 7/10
Comme Des Garcons White
Another Comme Des Garcons I've been using for quite a while in the past. An extremely exotic concoction of cinnamon, other spices (a lot of) on a woody/floral/fruity base. The whole fragrance has the typical CDG's incensey signature, but here it's drastically toned down to intentionally become barely perceptible. It's more like an overall vibe than a real note/accord.
Intense, important and very very (very) distinctive. One of the best and most influential compositions by Mr Buxton. A personal favorite!
Rating:8.5/10
Lush Inhale
Ok, first of all, this is weird! Unfortunately "weird" doesn't always mean successful. Inhale is an exotic mix of melony notes (read calone) and plasticky white florals laying on a sweet base. The fragrance has an overall synthetic (and sort of cacophonic) vibe that is as much appealing and exotic as contracting one of those rare diseases while visiting a tropical island. Me? I stick with the tsetse fly.
I can't believe this one paired with Exhale, gave birth to Breath Of God...
Rating: 4/10
Ulrich Lang Anvers
Anvers opens with a fresh herbaceous accord immediately joined by honey and violet. The whole fragrance is made of a pleasant and gentle sweetness as the honey note is cleverly freshened by herbs and surrounded by a tropical fruits feeling that make this fragrance quite distinctive. On the other hand I get a few "ordinary aspects" that made me think about others generic mass market fragrances especially in the drydown where IMO Anvers lacks in personality. Overall this is a nice scent and quite an easywear. Nothing really necessary but if you're lucky you can find it for $20 at a discount store (as happened to me).
Exhale, accidentally layered with Inhale gave birth to what have become one of the most praised deliveries by the guys at Lush: Breath of God (originally released by the now extinct english firm B Never Too Busy To Be Beautiful).
While Inhale represents the bright fruity side, Exhale is entirely built on a woody/earthy vetiver accord enhanced in its smokiness by tarry notes and some leather. The overall effect will make the joy of any hardcore vetiver lover who likes its vetiver dark, smoky and slightly animalic. Excellent.
Recently reintroduced in the Lush range as an oil.
Rating: 8.5/10
Lush Breath Of God
Original Review April 2011:
Everybody suggested Breath Of God as one of the weirdest fragrances around and as I'm always very curious about strange perfumes I immediatley decided to try it. A bizarre composition with mint, smoky incense/vetiver and fruits that's quite weird indeed. Linear and just a tad loud but definitely distinctive and (somehow) pleasant. It opens with incese juxtaposed to melon to then "evolve" into a smoky vetiver and a sort of woody-fruit-salad that's fresh and dark at the same time. Funny and very wearable, but far from being the masterpiece I expected.
I think I made a big mistake with Breath Of God as the first time I smelled it, I was at Lush surrounded by the loud and cacophonous chemical aroma that is typical of this kind of stores and, as the sense of smell is inarguably bounded and related to memory, my brain is no more able to dissociate the smell of BOG from the fake "natural-justmade-cosmethics&soaps" odor of Lush's points of sale. I decided to buy a 10ml vial anyway and maybe, one day, I'll be able to fully appreciate Breath Of God.
Edit July 2011:
After several wearings I can say I'm addicted. The smoky vetiver juxtaposed to the general fresh vibe is extremely compelling and absolutely unique. Kudos.
Rating: 8.5-9/10
Etat Libre D'Orange Fat Electrician
This is what I call a different take on vetiver. A solid interpretation that is able to emerge in this crowded territory. A fine mixture of opoponax and vetiver laying on a slightly sweet vanilla base and enriched by hints of incense and resinous elements throughout. Easy to wear yet distinctive, simple yet perfectly refined. A nice everyday's fragrance and one of the best releases in the Eldo's range. A valid option if you're looking for a modern masculine but you want to avoid the usual clean-laundered synthetic-citrus loaded with woody maber.
Rating: 8/10
Torre Of Tuscany Vetiver Moderno
Vetiver Moderno has the typical transparent aspect of many modern niche fragrances. The usual green-citrusy opening it's paired with a smooth yet quite complex floral pattern that's pretty well executed but probably not so original. During this phase nutmeg provides an overall spicy-pungent aspect while the florals work as a sort of kaleydoscopic machine continuely changing from soft white flowers to hints of rose and iris. I can't actually put my finger on what other fragrance Vetiver Moderno reminds me of but, the feeling of deja-vu is quite strong.
The drydown is clean, musky and woody and it's where a restrained vetiver note plays its main part. Not bad if you like the genre but very far from being outstanding or worthy of being classified as a vetiver-centered composition. Check it out if you're looking for a spring/summer fragrance in the typical transparent style of modern niche perfumery.
Rating: 6.5-7/10
Lalique Encre Noire
A great, clean vetiver with a dark twist. I find Encre Noire to have 3 quite distinct phases while keepeng the same characteristics throughout. The opening is potent, earthy, dark and a bit pungent, then it settles down to a mid phase where vetiver plays its main role with a transparent and clean intepretation. It's bold and somehow polite, clean but not affected and it still mantain the "dark nuance" that makes it so fascinating. In the final phase, the vetiver is enhanced in its licorice aspect and, together with musk and woody notes, give birth to a delighful drydown (assuming you don't mind a consistent dose of Iso E Super). A discreet scent, quite close to the skin but absolutely beautiful in all its parts, bottle included. Not as good as Sycomore but if you're on a limited budget this is a winner.
A crowdpleaser.
Rating: 8/10
Kenzo Kenzoair
An underrated gem.
It happened by accident that I layered two fragrances. I was testing Encre Noir to write my final review and instead of spraying it on an unscented smelling strip, I sprayed it on a piece of paper on which I previously tested Etro's Anice.
What a suprise to smell the anisic aspect of vetiver amphasized by the real anise note. Especially in the drydown when the two perfumes blended perfectly together.
Well, I found Kenzo Air Intense / Kenzo Air to have a very similar vibe to the above scenario and despites probably not being as praised as Encre Noir, it still has a great charme. Peppery, anisic, funny. Chemical? Yes, most definitely, but very well blended. Does great in warm weather.
If you're wondering about the differencies between the "intense" version and the original, well, I haven't found a substantial one. The "intense" is exactly like the original version but a little bit stronger, that's it.
Groovy bottle.
Rating: 7.5/10
Comme Des Garcons Series 4 Cologne: Vettiveru
I can easily say that Vettiveru is a valid candidate to be considered one of the best bang for the buck when it comes to vetivers. An incredibly nice composition that improves the eau de cologne formula with a slightly "dirty" vetiver note. The overall effect is quite intriguing with the clean aspect given by the neroli/bergamot/florals combo juxtaposed to a dominant vetiver note that add a earthy/salty vibe that's at the same time refreshing and invigorating. Great lasting power, nice projection, very reasonably priced. One of the best "fresh" vetivers around. Recommended!
Music for tripping, for relaxing, or for making us uneasy and challenging us with a new perspective.
At the start of the third millennium music to chill-out to makes perfect sense. As the Western world becomes faster, more complex, more rife with nervous energy, the joy of listening to instrumental music that expresses both our external environment (both man-made and natural) and our inner spaces (both emotional and mental) is now more popular than at any other time in the history of recorded sound.
Play at maximum volume...
Guerlain Apres L'Ondée
Anybody looking for a light, gentle and heavenly floral fragrance should definitely smell Apres L'Ondée. This "piece of art" from the past century can be considered as one of the greatest, if not the best, creations in its genre. A delicate, almost fragile, composition made of heliotrope, violette and iris that gently touches your skin as a slim and smooth female's hand and sings to your ears a sad but reassuring melody with a faint voice that's almost a whisper. The usual Guerlain's baritone chorus (vanilla / musk / amber) is there to add consistency and depth to this very ethereal melody, but it's drastically muted to leave space to the celestial solo voice.
Apres L'Omdée is tremendously familiar, comfortable, reliable. Someone says it smells like clean skin, someone else associates it with his / her mother's smell, a beloved aunt, talcum powder, childhood, romance...As a matter of fact Apres L'Ondée is a smell that everybody knows, consciously or unwittingly. Mandatory!
"Luxury is something pretty and discreet. Luxury must not be something brash".
Rating: 10/10
Andy Tauer L'Air Du Desert Marocain
The smell of silence. Meditation incense, deep amber, spices. Isolationism, immense desertic landscapes, silence. An extremely rich oriental composition that is incredibly able to mantain a perfect balance between deepness and lightness, opulence and wearability. An intense blend that smells like a successful levitation phenomenon by a trascendental meditation master.
Not the masterpiece I expected but surely an evocative fragrance. No more words, enjoy the silcence.
Rating: 8.5/10
Parfumerie Generale Papyrus De Ciane
Many Guillame's perfumes are basically like movies trailers. They show in 3 minutes all their best, so you get hooked. But the whole film is often (not always) different. When I tested Papyrus De Ciane on paper I was totally impressed." Oh finally, the green scent I was looking for"... I was ready to buy a FB then a tiny little voice pushed me to sample it first. Thanx, I can only say thanx to that tiny voice. After the amazing opening with dry green notes, galbanum and a super fresh cut-grass / cactus effect, the fragrance turns incredibly soapy, green flowery and a tad too "pretty" (at least on my skin). Don't get me wrong, this is not a generic fresh-and-clean composition but more of a dry-green, meditative frankincense that while being very distinctive and intriguing it's a tad too mannered and affected to my taste.
That being said, if you're into transparent incenses you should definitely give Papyrus de Ciane a chance. Well done.
Rating: 7.5-8/10
Divine L'Homme Sage
L'Homme Sage opens like a firework. A tiny and barely perceptible (mandarine) shot towards the dark sky that explodes with a magnificent and stunning effect (saffron). Wow! At this point the firework usually starts to fade out but with L'Homme Sage it's like witnessing to the "gran finale" as smoky frankincense, cardamom and woods immediately start to shine surrounded by a consistent dose of sweet amber and achieving an incredible lasting power.
Overall, after the sparkling opening, L'Homme Sage has a warm character, It's comfortable, deep, velvety and kinda meditative. A bold (but not loud) composition that has a solid structure and some weight and remarks its presence with a very distinctive allure.
L'Homme Sage is here to prove that in modern perfumery is still possible to produce a concoction of ingredients that deserves to be called a FRAGRANCE! Very Good!
Have you ever wondered how heliotrope smells like? Here it is in all its glory with just a little addition of other flowers and white musk. Not my cup of tea but I can't deny this iteraton of the heliotrope is terrific. Just next to Apres L'Ondèe.
Rating: 8/10
Comme Des Garcons 2 Man
This is very easy for me, beeing in the past my signature fragrance for quite a while. What really compells me about CDG2M is Buxton's ability to give it an overall incensey waxy feeling that's at the same time very realistic and completely synthetic. Let me put it in a different way. CDG2M smells like smoky-frankincense but it's clearly not made out from frankinense. It has the same astringent citrusy feeling but it's somehow smothered by a large dose of aldheydes that add an odd and barely sweet touch to the overall effect. Unique, abstract and very distinctive.
In my opinion, they just made one mistake at CDG, they should have named it Odeur 72!
Rating: 8.5/10
Other fragrances you might want to check:
Lorenzo Villoresi Sandalo Lorenzo Villoresi Piper Nigrum Comme Des Garcons Avignon (Review) Comme Des Garcons Kyoto Armani Privè Bois D'Encens (Review) Heeley Esprit Du Tigre Calè Mistero Calè Fulgor Miller Et Bretaux #2 Spiritus/Land Les Nez L'Antimatiere (Review) Lush Exhale Le Labo Vetyver 46 (Review) Hermes Osmanthe Yunnan S-ex (Review)
