Costes (2004)
by Hôtel Costes

Wearing it right now and here is what I think of Costes. First of all, the rose in this scent has made me less wary of rose going forward. Given that I am usually baulk at the mere mention of rose and denounce it as feminine and not for my tastes. Perhaps they refined the rose note and surrounded it with lavander and incense to make it more wearable and less flowery. The result is puzzling as it is at once lithe, fresh and confident while still holding an air of affluent modern decadence. I imagine chic trendy hotel corridors with successful assertive hipsters of all ages as the clientele. As for the fragrance, sleek and urbane and what Nicole Kidman and her hubby might share. Do I like it ?..... not for everyday but it has a place in my collection. i am surprised the cinnamon resemblence has not turned me off as of yet. More of a fragrance of novelty value rather than something that will reach for when the need for a safe scent choice arises.

I have to downgrade my previous rating of Costes to neutral based on wearability issues in the long run. Somebody else remarked of its value as more of a home fragrance . Now I agree.

4th November, 2011. (Last Edited: 2nd December, 2011.)

I love the smooth and delicate wood/incense background of this scent. However, I do not like rose scents. This smells like rose potpourri. Once I smell that, the fragrance becomes rose, rose, rose, and I cannot get past it...Also, for me rose is not a masculine scent and if I wore this in public, I would be looking over my shoulder all the time to see is anybody was staring at me - "what's with that guy and the roses?" Silly but true. Too bad, it is a nice scent, thumbs up for women and guys less insecure than me.

10th October, 2011.

Very good but if you asked me, this is a feminine fragrance. still very nice though

13rd April, 2011.

My 2nd favorite rose scent behind Windsor.

This is somewhat of a combination betwwen some of the fresher spicy/peppery scents like Opus 1870, and some of the better Rose scents like No. 88. It's about as masculine as 88, but not as masculine as Windsor.

The Rose here is the main star, and it is of higher quality and richness of tone than some other highly touted Rose scents here on BN, such as Amouage Lyric and Caraceni 1913 (I like neither), and the spices (mainly pepper) are the most prevalent note following. The woods/resins are light in the base and provide the masculinity, enough so, that the Jasmine and Lavender notes don't make it too overtly feminine for a man to wear.

I personally wouldn't wear it, but it's a very very good scent. I especially appreciate the incredible opening.

15th August, 2010.

A gorgeous scent I just recently discovered. I was sitting next to a guy at a party and loved the warm and spicy yet clean and soapy scent he was giving off. I didn't know the whole Hotel Costes marketing machine even did scent, but apparently they have a knack for design on a variety of fronts. Very recommendable as a pleasant unisex/masculine.

13rd March, 2010.

This is a scent I can imagine dancers putting on before they go out and do the paso doble. It is fun, festive, spicy and electrifying. It's just too bad the festivities only last for a couple hours, at best. This is one of the best woody spices I've sampled, but I can't justify the price tag for something that is so fleeting. Note to industry: Please give Giacobetti a bigger budget, her intuition is impeccable but the quality and staying power of the final result is not doing her justice

27th February, 2010.