Eau de Gloire (2003)
by Parfum d'Empire

I found the opening quite interesting and promising, so much so that it instantly created in me great expectations for its further evolution and development on my skin: somehow before I even realised it, I found myself waiting and waiting for an explosion, a burst, a surprise that actually never came..

This is one of the problems I have with this fragrance (the other being that at times it made me smell like a rosemary cracker and smelling that edible is not always something I enjoy): it seems somehow unfinished, incomplete..

In other words, interesting but not convincing..

20th June, 2011.

Outstandingly well made labdanum based fragrance. Eau de Gloire smells very, very good.

Green, bitter, herbaceous, a bit soapy, extremely aromatic. Practical and very natural scent without any gimmicks or faults. Very long lasting, too.

Mixture of labdanum, moss, hint of anise and, I swear, a dash of birch tar, creates a brilliant impression of luscious dry silver birch rustling in a warm summery evening, sometime in July by a finnish lake. Somewhat same sort of impression can be found in Palais Jamais by Etro.

Immortelle, a listed note, is very subdued in here if notable at all. It's there, no doubt, but if you're a fan of this delicious flower and haunt fragrances with the will of smelling it, look elsewhere.

I've always been disapointed that this wasn't in Perfumes - the Guide. I would love to know what Luca Turin thought of this one.

Eau de Gloire is a brilliant niche take on classic Cologne. Wearable anywhere - anytime and, as others have mentioned, makes definitely a better masculine.

Not particularly original obviously, but when it comes to execution, this is a masterpiece.

12nd March, 2011.

I am men and i like it. Prima!

8th September, 2010.

Eau de Gloire opens with a rather tingly sharp, spicy-green citrus with a raw herbal tinge of lavender. As the sharp opening settles and blows away, the smokiness starts to reveal itself, and I am left with an herbal, leathery, smokey and slightly vinegary base. For an EDT, I am very impressed at longevity and sillage. This is my go-to when I am in the mood for an EDC-type scent.

15th April, 2010.

I came very close to dismissing Eau de Gloire. After all, the woody citrus-chypre territory it occupies has been thoroughly explored in scents like Cristalle (the green approach), Eau d’Hermes (the X-rated animalic approach), Eau Sauvage (the aromatic approach), and Diorella (the exotic herbal approach). So when the first hour’s wear of Eau de Gloire revealed yet another take on the mossy Eau de Cologne-on-steroids formula, spiked with a pleasantly sweet anise note, I yawned. The stuff was nearly indistinguishable from the sample of Diorella I’d placed on my other arm.

As it happens, Eau de Gloire presents a fine case against judging a scent too hastily. The leather and tobacco listed in this scent’s note pyramid don’t emerge for at least an hour or two after application, but when they do, they transform Eau de Gloire into a much more distinguished scent. Indeed, the extended drydown is an enjoyable essay on labdanum, leather, and oakmoss that largely redeems the well executed, though slightly hackneyed introduction. I should note that while Eau de Gloire is not particularly weak, it only reveals its distinctive drydown when applied generously. Light application leaves a less flattering impression.

If you find Cristalle too harsh, Eau d’Hermes too lewd, and Eau Sauvage a bit too staid, then Eau de Gloire offers a viable alternative. It’s still hard for me to recommend Eau de Gloire over Diorella, which it most closely resembles – particularly when the Dior sells for 1/3 to 1/2 the price. Nevertheless, this is a fragrance that merits attention when you want a transparent citrus scent with more endurance and weight than a traditional Eau de Cologne.

15th December, 2009.

This review replaces my previous one of September 2009.
I agree with foetidus, Eau de Gloire is a male-oriented scent (though women could choose to wear it). This starts with good scrubby green notes: they are dusky, aromatic and very herbal. The scent is rich and yet haunting, and it grows on you with repeated wearings. The anise note is pronounced, but nothing like licorice. The very herbal character of this reminds me of Monocle 2:Laurel, though this scent is not as dry and is perhaps less linear. The scent picks up some mossy and very light leather notes in the dry-down. I like it, it has Mediterranean élan.

2nd September, 2009. (Last Edited: 2nd September, 2010.)