ScentBriefs

Time 2020-10-28 17:03:42

Web Name: ScentBriefs

WebSite: http://www.scentbriefs.com

ID:97358

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Hello friends. Today, I am going to use this review as an exercise in brevity. The name of the website after all is Scent Briefs. Which was was the plan all along, to keep it brief and to the point. So without further prolonging let us discuss Chanel Sycomore (2008).There are plenty of blogs that go into in depth backstory about Sycomore. All I care to mention is that it was a collaborative effort by Christopher Sheldrake Jacques Polge. Polge being the longtime in-house perfumer for Chanel, and Sheldrake of Serge Lutens fame (my favorite perfumer).Notes included: vetiver, sandalwood, cypress, aldehydes, juniper, pink pepper.Sycomore is a complex fragrance in design, yet executed with simplicity. As a vetiver dominant fragrance, you will smell the rooty grass from initial application thru to the end. It does start off with some bright sparkling aldehydes which are common in Chanel fragrances, and then transitions into what I will simplify as a mostly vetiver sandalwood affair.This fragrance is a must smell for anyone who claims to be a fragrance lover or aficionado. I cannot over emphasize that point. So what does one experience when wearing this fragrance? A feeling of wearing one of the most luxurious fragrances ever created. Bold yet understated. Complex yet simple. Mysterious yet forthcoming. You can wear it in a comfortable flannel shirt or to a black tie affair. Suitable in all seasons. Who do I picture wearing Sycomore? Someone with confidence who has a few years of life experiences behind them. This is my favorite vetiver fragrance. This is my favorite sandalwood fragrance. A modern masterpiece. I m very happy today to discuss one of my favorite summertime fragrances.I first experienced L Humaniste (2009) a year and a half ago during my stop to the famous Scent Bar while on a trip to Los Angeles. I was immediately impressed and a few months later I purchased a full bottle. It has been a warm weather mainstay for me since. As you can see above in the picture I took, I have already gone through almost half of it.The pleasant mix of notes include: citrus, bergamot, cardamom, bay berry, black pepper, juniper, nutmeg, thyme, peony, gin, oakmoss, tonka bean.Frapin L Humaniste opens up like a freshly made gin and tonic. Sparkling citruses mixed with juniper. There is also aromatic pepper combined with other light spices that gives this fragrance definition. Underneath this blend you will find oakmoss and smooth tonka bean.When I smell this fragrance I think of the color white. It s casual and relaxed, but classic and refined. It makes me want to get outside and enjoy the summer. Going to various events and local gatherings. Enjoying afternoon cocktails in a backyard with a group of friends. L Humaniste is social, friendly, self-confident and well-dresed.Summer is the season to make lasting memories. Find yourself a good fragrance to accompany you and later when you spray it the good times will come flooding back. The steady rise in popularity of high end niche fragrances over the last 20 years has sent the traditional designer brands scrambling to reclaim their market shares. The game plan (whether it works or not) is obvious: continue putting out their regular mass market releases; also offer a separate more expensive collection to the clientele who shop in their luxury boutiques around the world.A few of these lines have been around for awhile now, but most of them are only a few years old. No doubt an incomplete list, but here are the ones I could think of: Les Exclusifs de Chanel; La Collection Priv e Christian Dior; Armani Prive Collection; Van Cleef Arpels Collection Extraordinaire; Tom Ford Private Blends; Prada Exclusive Collection; Hugo Boss BOSS The Collection; Ermenegildo Zegna Essenze Collection; Hermes Collection Hermessence; Dolce Gabbana Velvet Collection; Cartier Les Heures de Parfum; Pal Zileri Collezione Privata; Yves Saint Laurent Oriental Collection and La Collection YSL.As you can see, the marketing teams for these brands are not very creative.A few of these brands have, however, put together some really nice fragrance releases. Chanel, Dior, Hermes, and Tom Ford being the most successfully executed. They typically range in cost from $150-$300.I have been fortunate enough to try most of these lines, and I do plan to eventually write about all of them.The first of these I want to discuss is Hugo Boss BOSS The Collection. I figure we might as well start with the worst.BOSS explores the essence of finest fabrics through an exclusive fragrance by introducing the BOSS collection; five new elite fragrances for men. These rare scents are inspired by the feel, texture, mood and heritage of the luxurious fabrics that are intrinsically woven into their creation. A fresh take on a classic scent, it is inspired by the fine quality of BOSS tailoring and explores a world where fabric and scent are fused.BOSS The Collection was launched in 2011 with five fragrances: Cashmere Patchouli; Cotton Verbena; Silk Jasmine; Velvet Amber; Wool Musk. They come in 50ml eau de toilette and the prices are $140 at the time of this writing.I went specifically to a Hugo Boss boutique to try these. I went in with high hopes, but they quickly evaporated. No pun intended. The first thing I will mention is presentation. The bottles were all disorganized on the display; crooked and disheveled. Two of them were practically empty. I asked the sales associate if he had test strips to use. He said he did not. Grrreeeat. His remedy was to take receipt paper out of the cash register printer and tear it up into strips of paper for me to use. Classy!I tried to put the experience up to this point out of my head and just smell the fragrances on my receipt paper. I had not read anything ahead of time about what to expect. In fact, I still haven t looked up the note pyramids or what other people think of them. Why? Because they were horrible. Cheap and offensively synthetic chemical concoctions. I honestly couldn t muster the strength to sit there and torture myself trying to pick out notes. I would never wear these.Other thoughts Would you be surprised if I told you they are adding an oud fragrance to the line this year? No, of course you wouldn t be now. Also, in my research I couldn t find a listed perfumer for BOSS The Collection. Heck, if I was commissioned to make these I wouldn t want my name credited either. It s like a dirty secret you never want let out.I m honestly offended Hugo Boss try to sell these. Dior Fahrenheit (1988) belongs in the hall of fame for sure. It has sold very well since being introduced, it s well known by many, still retains a strong following, and has a very unique smell.Notes include: bergamot, hawthorn, honeysuckle, nutmeg, violet leaf, sandalwood, cedar, tonka bean, patchouli, leather.My opinion of what it smells like is slightly tainted seeing as I read what to expect before I smelled it for the first time. However, I took my mom shopping while visiting her and she instantly perceived it to smell exactly like what many other people think it smells like. Gasoline. Yes you read that correctly. Fahrenheit is floral and green with a heart of gasoline and leather. Imagine smelling your hands after spending the afternoon cutting the grass and refilling the lawn mower. Even in its unique smell, this often oversimplified fragrance has a classically composed structure of top, mid, and base notes that can be picked out with experience.Here comes the letdown. If you have read other reviews on this fragrance some keywords you might have seen include: ultra masculine; tenacious; powerful. Unfortunately, over the years this fragrance has been reworked and weakened due to international restrictions on allowed ingredients. Dior might share some of the blame either thru cutting costs or trying to update Fahrenheit to be more appealing to the modern masses. Believe me though, it still smells like petrol which for some people is a real turn off. I have smelled some of the older juice, and the current version doesn t seem to have that real wow like it used to. That super macho smell has been dialed back and I even get a certain level of soapiness. It also doesn t last nearly as long as it used to.If you have never tried it, I would highly recommend that you do. The smell is very intoxicating to me. Test it out and see how it works for you. I would go to your local store and try to get a few samples to test on your skin. ***Make sure that the tester is the current formulation*** I have included a picture below of what the current bottle looks like. The picture at the top of this post is what the old bottle and packaging look like. Note how the bottles have different writing and the box has different coloration. I have seen a few stores that were selling the new, but the tester they had out was the old. You might try the old stuff and then end up buying something that is quite a bit different in smell and performance.As of today, I only own the current fragrance. I quite enjoy it. I think it is one of the best designer scents of all time with the caveat that it has slowly been downgraded over time. In being honest, I admit I don t wear it out at night very often. I just don t get that standout performance. I personally think it does better in the daytime and warmer weather. This way you are still pushing the boundaries of what is acceptable in those conditions which is the original purpose of this fragrance. Perhaps a few sprays to wear to work or apply liberally on a warm casual afternoon when you are strolling around town. Of course don t let that stop you from wearing it at night when you feel like it.If you do try it out and end up falling really hard for the smell of Fahrenheit like me, then hunting down an old bottle on eBay or your local flea market is your best bet. The old bottles are fairly hard to find locally, but on eBay you can track them down if you are willing to pay the high price. I really only recommend this to the biggest of Fahrenheit fans.So maybe more with Fahrenheit than most you really have to ask yourself, why would I buy this? Back in the late 80s 90s you could pick yourself up a bottle of Fahrenheit and comfortably know that you were purchasing something that really stood out. It was very masculine and daring. Nowadays, depending on what kind of performance it has on your skin if you wear it out at night it s possible you or others around you may not smell it. Again, I recommend testing it out for yourself. See how it works for you. See what others say. Determine why, where, and when you would wear it. I love it for the smell and it s history, but I know other people add to their collection based on functionality.I knew from the outset I was going to end up discussing performance reformulations. This is often the case with fragrances that have been on the market for several years. Typically I don t like getting too involved in this, but in this case I felt it was useful because many of the other reviews and opinions I see out there fall more in line with what it used to smell like, rather than what it currently smells like. Not only has the smell been altered, but I find its most suited occasions for wearing have shifted as well. Ok. Timbuktu (2004). You can certainly go read the marketing material accompanying this fragrance. Supposedly inspired by perfumer Bertrand Duchaufour s travels to this old African city in Mali and a magical love ritual blah blah blah. That being said, I do have to admit the name Timbuktu does have a certain appeal and allure to it that cannot be dismissed. I doubt I would have taken quite the interest in this fragrance if it were named L Artisan #4 or something bland like that. While I am making confessions, I must also fess up I do tend to gravitate toward several of these African Middle Eastern inspired blends: Timbuktu; L air du Desert Marocain; Poivre Samarcande; Ambre Sultan; Fumerie Turque; Aoud Cuir d Arabie.I do recall Timbuktu being one of the very first niche fragrances I had read about, and therefore one of the first niche fragrances I ever sought to try. I remember smelling it at Barneys in downtown Seattle. I also remember it was not a love at first sniff.Timbuktu claims notes of: green mango, pink pepper berries, cardamom, karo karounde flower, incense, papyrus wood, patchouli, myrrh, vetiver.It is a well crafted fragrance and has no single note standing tall over the others. Having access to the note listing makes describing this fragrance immeasurably easier. Timbuktu is considered a woody fragrance, however I would not be surprised if a lot people who smell it would not even realize this. I find the pink pepper to show itself more than some of the other notes. It s a little green. The patchouli vetiver add earthiness. The myrrh adds a slight medicinal effect with a bit of anise. The incense, papyrus wood, and perhaps some sandalwood combine to give it a smoky woody base.After reading that description most would assume that it is a heavy winter use only type fragrance, but on the contrary it has a bracing freshness to it. It is dry and fairly transparent which makes it work beautifully in warm weather and can be worn in most thinkable scenarios. I love wearing dry fragrances in the summer as an alternative to citrus or oceanic fragrances. You ll really stand out too as an added bonus.One thing I have avoided in this review is imagery. I could have spent three paragraphs telling you that you will feel like an ancient Egyptian pharaoh, an ultra suave Frenchmen, a Middle Ages spice trader, Hindu temple priest You get the idea. This is a timeless fragrance. It s beautiful actually. This fragrance has lived many lives and has many stories to tell. It is very human. When it was very first released I wasn t that big on Dior Oud Ispahan (2012). I tested it at the Dior boutique on paper and also left with a spray on my hand. I didn t find it to be an exceptional rose fragrance, nor the mystical oud fragrance of my dreams. There were some positive reviews of it put out after that about the smell and also how good the longevity was. I sort of brushed that aside for awhile. A few months later I saw a good price on a sales thread for a 10ml decant and decided, agh whatever lets get it and test it out further.I have worn it out 4-5 times in the past few months. It has great projection and great longevity. 1 spray will get you noticed, 2 sprays is plenty, 3 or more sprays and you are basically seeking attention (which isn t always a bad thing). I swear that I do not prioritize compliment factor as the main reason I wear fragrances, but I must admit with Oud Ispahan it has probably moved up a few points in my book because it so far has received several wonderful compliments.It does have a fair amount of sweetness, but I do enjoy that aspect in Ispahan. I would almost describe this fragrance as a sort of rose cocktail. I still do not think this is a holy grail rose or oud fragrance. I do think it is fairly priced in it genre (no higher than the other La Collection Priv e fragrances either), and less pretentious than many of the other high priced rose/oud fragrances who claim to use real agarwood extract. It is in my estimation more wearable and tolerable to people around you than some of the other ones as well. I will still be on the hunt for a fragrance that really gives me the feeling of being an Arab sultan wearing the finest sourced materials available.I would say this is a good purchase option if you are looking to add a going out/nighttime fragrance to your wardrobe as I think that is where it shines the best. It is different than what other people (especially guys) are wearing while still being people pleasing. It has so far kept my interest as well. I am not sure how my feelings will be after I go through a full 10ml, but as of now I would love to own a bottle of Ispahan as well as it s less civil sibling Leather Oud. Overall, a solid release from Dior. Next up in my Slumberhouse series is Jeke (2008). After reading about each fragrance from the Slumberhouse website, I was most excited to try Jeke. The thought of humidors, cigars, leather, spice and woods sounded like any man s fantasy fragrance.Notes include: tobacco absolute, cade, patchouli, labdanum, benzoinUpon initial application, I was extremely excited from what I was smelling and where I was hoping Jeke was going. There was a lovely mixture of tobacco and leather emanating from my skin. It also had a nice undertone of woody smokiness from the cade, a species of juniper from the Mediterranean region. The aroma certainly was reminiscent of a cigar bar or country club men s lounge. A walk-in humidor, leather couches, and men enjoying a nice hand-rolled Dominican perhaps while playing a game of poker or gin rummy.I am unsure how I was hoping the fragrance would develop. A nice aroma, but unfortunately I found it to settle down and lose it robustness. Similar to smoking an actual cigar, I enjoyed it for a time, but after awhile I lost interest in Jeke and was ready to be done with it. As we continue our Slumberhouse journey, Vikt (2009) takes us back to the woods of Norne. The notes given are oud, styrax, laurel.No doubt this is the most difficult of the Slumberhouse fragrances for me to describe. The description that Slumberhouse gave is that of rich syrupy saps oozing from dark woods. When smelling Vikt, my mind is filled with thoughts of resins and oils freshly pressed and extracted for eventual incense burning. I say freshly pressed because it is not smoky. In fact, Vikt has a lot of greenness to it coming from the Madagascan laurel called ravensara. Ravensara has a mildly camphorous scent, reminiscent of but milder than eucalyptus. I like this addition as it mixes well and helps balance out the sweet metallic sap. In the drydown, the sweetness fades and fragrance becomes more woody.I would guess that marijuana lovers would enjoy the smell of Vikt. I am not saying that it smells like cannabis, but the sticky resins mixed with the green notes do share some similarities. Perhaps this is where perfumer Joss Lobb found some inspiration.The only downside I am noticing is that it seemingly doesn t last as well as some of the others. I do not know if this is solely a fault of the fragrance or if in fact olfactory fatigue plays a part.Overall, Vikt is one of my favorites from the Slumberhouse line. It is more than a fragrance, but an olfactory experience. One that I hope you will try.

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