L'Essence de Déclaration (2001)
by Cartier

Here are the notes listed on the sample vial card: cedar and birchwood; amber, ciste and immortal [flower].
It is dry and quite woody, with an airy character.
Some spice like cumin certainly is here, and gives a tangy, old-sweat note.
The labdanum gives a vanilla/amber note.
I should like this but I don't. At times, the wood note (with the cumin) veers into a territory like wet cardboard or old, dry cheddar cheese.

11th October, 2011.

Declaration Essence fits perfectly the idea I have about a pretentious and high-sounding mass market designer's fragrance. This is not Declaration Essence by Cartier, it's more DECLARATION ESSENCE BY CARTIER (say it with a snobbish parisienne french accent). Don't get me wrong, this is a nice scent but it has the aim to be sophisticated and it's not.

The opening: appealing and interesting. Spicy!
The Drydown: a potentially amazing perfume layered with a cheap citrus aftershave

6th April, 2011.

The famous note of rare orange of the regular declaration is noticed odd, not ugly, but with a presence like dusty, as "hovering" on the surface.
The orange blossom here seems like the one of fahrenheit 32 but with a spongy texture and much more mixed with amber and earthy notes.
The opening shares the soft and clean style of the regular declaración , but a bit more creamy and invigorating.
Good construction by the Cartier house.

15th January, 2011.

I may not be in tune with the general opinion about this or my nose may just be underdeveloped/touched by olfactory fatigue, but I just love this one. Citrus and spice may be a dominant here, but I also get a touch of "powdery florals", yet still very manly and even slightly dark in this one. Also, a very rich note of exotic woods towards the end, almost in tune with a powerhouse frag from an earlier decade, thus, so far I perceive this one as having a mature, yet not dated or overly heavy styled, in fact, it seems to gravitate successfully between something very ethereal and fluctuating on one hand, something very earthy, burly and masculine in an imposing, yet not overpowering, style.

12nd December, 2010.

I simply don't like it. I was looking forward to the cumin note, which I like, but here it seems like it's crowded out by a bunch of other, common notes (at first, the bergamot with a little orange), and the end result is unpleasant. It's not horrific (if you don't mind the cumin) but it's just an unappealing blast that fades away rather quickly, leaving you with a light and uninspiring drydown. I guess I just find that this combination of notes do not work well together at all. The birch is nice but again, it's like it's being crowded out by other notes. Obviously, it seems to be a matter of taste, so sampling first is probably a good idea. Also, don't expect much sillage beyond the first hour or so. Perhaps this one needs to be sprayed several times each application, but I never tried that because I found the top notes to be quite strong. Any stronger and I think it would nauseate me. I have to give it a negative rating because I don't like it at all, and also because it comes across as a bit "synthetic." It's almost like a guy put his shirt that the wore to play basketball on top of an air freshener.

10th April, 2010.

Though I probably would choose the original Declaration over this if I had to pick one, this one is just a more intense version. If you thought the BO opening to it's original counterpart was harsh, this one will punch your lights out! BO times 10 if you ask me! Yuck! The drydown is very citrusy and spicy and although I somewhat enjoy it, it can easily get cloying and in my honest opinion, the opening is not worth it even if the drydown is enjoyable. Once again, you disappointed me with this one Ellena.

30th March, 2010.