10 Corso Como (1999)
by 10 Corso Como

10 Corso Como--I think I remember passing by the place in Milan. I avoided shopping much in Milan, the prices were freaking me out.

I never heard of the scent until it was hugely raved about here on Basenotes. I was surprised to find it in Neiman Marcus, however when I tried it, I wasn't so enthused...hmmm, sandalwood and incense, love-love-love, why ever not?? Maybe because a 50ml bottle set me back $85. Ah well...

Flash forward several years and the luck of finding a bottle on eBay for less than 50 bucks. Ah! You're talking my language now.

I identify with sandalwood so much. I don't understand how people can compare this scent to red wine, because it honestly does not smell like sour grapes to me. 10CC smells of rich and powdery sandalwood that gets better as it settles to a clear, mind-opening woody scent, that touches the inner senses.

I just realized why I didn't really care for 10 CC when I smelled it at Neimans. I didn't test it on my skin. At least not fully. Smelling it now I have great sillage and you marvel at its simplicity smelling so complex. This is the stuff you love creating a fine mist all over you because it smells so sublime!

Go get some of this!

Hi, I'm Corso Como and my insides are made of sweet powder and LOTS of
wood and I'm going to give you a BIG headache,ok? Giggle.

A nice blend of agarwood, sandalwood (primarilly), and tiny bit of rose thrown in. The sandalwood isn't as "furniture-y" as Tam Dao, but smoother. Turin says that it used to be a huge agarwood affair and now has changed drastically. Mine is the reformulated version, and it's still damn good, albeit I've never smelled the older one.

As others have already mentioned, skin chemistry plays a very important role here – wearing this could either be a pleasure or simply a nightmare. For me, there is something about 10 Corso Como that I just don't like. On my skin, it smells like cheap red wine (which is supposedly the plum note) – this sharp resinous accord takes ages to subside and irritates more than it intrigues. I did detect some oud but it wasn’t as evident as I had expected. As for the drydown, this was nothing more than a whisper of sandalwood with remnants of what went on before. Although its lasting power is okay, its sillage is below average.

10 Corso Como isn't a complete failure, though – more a sore disappointment. Definitely a case of try before you buy.

[Original submission date: 13 April 2008]

The first note I discern in 10 Corso Como is a very smooth, nutty, and somewhat sweetened vetiver. The vetiver is soon joined by incense, sandalwood, and rose, all well-blended in a very dignified accord. There is some oudh in the mix as well, but it's only a grace note, not a lead player, and like everything else in this scent, it's very smoothly integrated.

"Smooth" keeps coming up as I describe 10 Corso Como, and I realize that this is an exceptionally suave and civilized scent. Surprisingly for a fragrance featuring rose, vetiver, incense, and oudh, it's also quite soft and mild, and wears close to the skin. It grows progressively creamier as it develops, with the oudh lending a certain coolness to the composition. Over the course of hours, 10 Corso Como also sweetens and becomes more resinous, as the gentle oudh and smooth (again!) sandalwood lead it into its clean musk, wood, and incense drydown. This is nice stuff, and I find it very easy to wear. I see it as a solid, sophisticated daytime scent for those occasions where you want to project poise and decorum.

like being hit in the face with a pot of geraniums planted in sandalwood powder. I adore this juice, but it is gone in 20 minutes on my skin. for those 20 minutes I am so soothed my the medicinal zing of those geraniums, and focused by the deep base of the sandalwood. I wish everyone else would smash their bottles of this so it could be all mine, mine, mine.
I have heard it compared to costes, which is another spicy, medicinal, woody favorite. Costes is more masculine, with cleaner lines, clearly made for a big space. 10 coso como is the atmosphere between your shirt and your bra, right over your heart.