parfums*PARFUMS Series 2 Red: Palisander (2001)
by Comme des Garçons

I thought the opening smelled a bit like wet clay. Not very appealing. The middle was better with some dry woods and a hint of chili pepper. It was the myrrh that really put me off this one though. I prefer Diptyque's Tam Dao.

27th January, 2010. (Last Edited: 18th December, 2010.)

When I approach a Comme des Garçons fragrance I expect something a little bit whacky - if not outright shocking - but also very blunt and honest. Palisander is blunt and honest, but also rather plain: a well put-together, yet conventional woody fragrance with a congenial heart and a rich, soft drydown. It's nice enough, but it doesn't distinguish itself from any number of other good woody scents, and I find it disappointing coming from this house. Do try this if you want a smother alternative to Diptyque's Tam Dao, but I'm going to pass.

5th January, 2010.

You're in an upscale shopping mall on your way to the food court. You pass a Christmas display that brings a woodsy scent to mind, though for legal reasons the display itself is not actually scented. You know you're almost at your destination because you can smell the Cinnabon station around the next corner. This is Palisander.

Palisander differs from the (seemingly endless) collection of CdG fragrances with prominent wood notes in that after the first 15 minutes, the wood is more of a supporting player than the star. The saffron transforms it into something of a patisserie note, and in fact, I would categorize this as a gourmand fragrance.

It smells good. I like the saffron note quite a bit more here than I did in CdG's 8 88. However, the overall effect is a bit banal. I feel like I'm buttering myself up for a dinner date with Hannibal Lecter.

18th November, 2009.

After the top notes burn off, there is almost nothing to this scent. A slight soapy character and not much else. I am afraid there is not to much to like or dislike about the frag.

11th September, 2009.

Smells very much like cinnamon with woods in the opening, despite the fact that there’s not supposed to be cinnamon in the blend.

Cinnamon with woods shines all the way through the drydown too, and makes me really wonder why there is not a mentioning of this spice in the list of notes - or where that cinnamon-y smell is coming from….

To me Palisander is a very simple and linear cinnamon-wood fragrance with detectible saffron note. For sure I get the (slightly smoky) myrrh too, but it is very much engaged to that wood theme in general.

Nice scent, but that’s it.

3rd February, 2009.

The only fragrance I would buy as of yet with a hint of heaviness. One of the four, so far, that I would ever buy a full size of.
Smelling this scent, I imagine myself lounging on a bunch of pillows in a warm open-air room. Maybe I'm smoking a hookah, I can smell a touch of smoke in the notes. And I made it all happen myself.
I find Palisander so empowering, relaxed, and sexy. Smooth, despite the pepper note. I can definitely smell the androgyny but it's so wearable for a woman.
I would wear this out for a night of partying or at a concert. I wear strong, tough clothes with it.

18th November, 2008.