Reviews of Costes
by Hôtel Costes

For years I wanted this fragrance. I wonder why it took me so long to get a bottle. I REMEMBER! It is dang so expensive. Thank goodness for eBay for the acquirement of a barely used bottle for less than half the retail price.

Costes is a subtle, sharp, but woody fragrance. The balance of this fragrance is impeccable. Therapeutic and makes you feel sophisticated all at the same time. It has a soapy kind of smell to it due to the rose, but it is perfectly tempered by the bay, pepper and coriander.

This is the perfect scent to start you off in the exploration of incense based and niche scents.

Opened subtly spicy...(can you say "cardamom"?) herbaceous flowers drifted in and then a curl of censed myrrh. Wafts nicely. Elusive and classy - I forgive it for not lasting very long!

I largely agree with shifts here, and I'll add that the original CdG fragrance is like the concentrated version of this, in that it has a "thick" quality whereas this is more "transparent." The original CdG also has a strong honey note, which this doesn't. Both have a scented candle/soapy quality. I don't get much incense from Costes (or it may be that it's blended with other notes and gets masked somewhat) and the lavender blends nicely here, unlike so many fragrances where it slaps you in the face. This is not a "beginner's" fragrance. For the novice, I suggest getting a sample and coming back to this every month or so, assuming you are doing some sampling in between. After several months, you will then know if this is for you or not. This is the kind of fragrance a "newbie" buys, hates and swaps off, then smells again months later and is angry with himself or herself for letting it go. Sillage is moderate, while longevity is very good.

At first it smelled like sweat. I thought there was cumin in this but that didn't seem right then it hit me: cloves! Smells like my mother's spice drawer. Interesting scent for an entire hotel to smell like a kitchen. Maybe it's to "feel at home" or something. I wouldn't mind this being sprayed in the air but to wear as a perfume, for me, it's a bit too far out there. Too herbal and edgy, like being brow-beaten.

Spicy cloves, bay, cinnamon, and lavender that reveals a rose laid upon sandalwood that is lightly touched by incense.

Very nice, soapy, and medicinal -- stays close to the skin.

After hearing wonderful reviews about what a lovely spicy woods fragrance this is, I was so optimistic that I would love it. However, on smelling it, I get overwhelming rose, and not much else. I have encountered a few other people on other boards who agree with this assessment, so I am reassured that I am not completely alone, but hmmmm... still no idea why the rose in Costes is so incredibly prominent to my nose. If I liked rose scents, I would probably like this one, but I'm just not a fan in general - preferring rose to be a minor note, when present. AND, I'm hesitant to recommend this scent to people who are looking for a rose scent since so many other people seem to not smell the boatload of rose here that I smell. It's definitely not one to buy unsniffed - especially if youre sort of ho-hum on rose.

Took me a few days to come to terms with this stuff.
Unisex? Sure.
Girly? Not even.
This spicy, herbaceous cologne has a most complex personality; the kind that you don't know if you can get along with until you get to know it better, like some long lost crazy uncle.
Accords are conspicuous and it has impressive lasting power for an e.d.c.
Split personality cologne.

I loved this when I sniffed the bottle at Aedes. When I finally got around to purchasing some, I find I'm not nuts about it. It's a well-crafted scent and probably lovely on the right person. On me, it smells rather like Neutrogena bar soap, which is not a bad smell but not worth the price of a bottle of Costes. Kind of clean and mediciney. Not awful but not something I'll buy again.

what can i say. it smells exactly the way a indian spice chest would smell. every household in india has this small chest filled wiht spices from cumin to anise to cardamon to cinnamon to you name it...it smells exactly like one + incense. just amazing how they captured all this smell, this was my first true introduction to niche, where every note is so clear and defined and most importantly, makes you go wow! one needs to be in a mood for this one..its almost medidative kinds....room lit with scented candles, .lights thru ancient stained glass, heavy carpets from turkey...and freinds performing some kinda.......ritual. Costes is a must have for anyone who appreciates fragrances as a art form. incredible lasting! two thumbs up!!!

An evocative, well constructed fragrance, crisp and clean with a subtle darkness that reminds me of being in a deep alley in a certain part of Paris. The sun's going down, smell of wet stone, beautiful people and creature comforts not far away. You can take a Mercedes or just walk. Same difference. All is well. Sillage is moderate, sublime. Longevity is excellent. My friend told me this is her favorite skin scent, and I understand why. I don't wear it much because Giacobetti could have handled the spices with a little more finesse, and those spices become a little tiresome. But many people love those spices, and that's good, because it's quality stuff that smells sublime on a woman I know. Clean and soapy with an edge.

I was surprised at how much I did not care for the signature perfume from Hotel Costes. I admire and own decants of Diptyque's Tam Dao and 10 Corso Como, the two fragrances with which Costes is most typically compared and thought Costes would be a slam dunk. However, I don't find many similarities. To to my nose, Costes smells like a big bundle of cinnamon bark, with a bit of cheapish sandalwood/musk thrown into the middle notes. I had to wash it off before the base notes appeared as I was about to gag. Sorry 'bout that! (bad reviewer, bad reviewer!) I have heard that Hotel Costes liberally scents their entire hotel with this perfume and if that is the case, I think I'll be staying somewhere else next time my travel plans call for Paris.

Here are the notes, per The Perfumed Court: lavender, bay-tree, coriander, white pepper, rose, incense, woods and light musk.

"Wow" was my initial reaction. I had just been trying Amouage Jubilation XXV and then tried this. Shall we compare and contrast, kids? Amouage was dense and smokey, full of incense, dark and mysterious, and incredibly complex. It is a liaison in winter under fur in front of a roaring fire with your clandestine lover. Not something I could pull off every day. So the contrast to Costes was shocking to me. Costes is stepping out of the hot Mediterranean sun and into the cool foyer of grand old hotel, the curtains gently billowing in the breeze. On me, it opens with a refreshing burst of citrus, clove and pepper. Shimmering underneath are fresh florals (bay leaf and lavender), it is very clean and smooth at the same time. SMOOOOOOOTH. In the dry down I'm more aware of sandalwood and a subtle animalic muskiness that anchor the fresh crisp topnotes and keep this fragrance on firmly unisex ground.

Classy, sexy, refreshing and smooth. Definitely a summer fragrance. This could be my new daily scent.

Gorgeous lavender/spice opening which quickly settles down to rose. But a beautiful, incensed tinged black rose. Smells similar to the Diptyque rose (Opone, i think), but far superior and easier to wear. A queen in the garden. Stunning!

Kaern

I'm 'on again off again' with Costes. But the first time I smelled it, dabbed from a sample vial it was P~a~r~a~d~i~s~e! Clean, medicinal and uplifting. After that I recieved a good sized spray decant. After spritzing on my wrist; all I smelled was dryer sheet! Wretched! Now as I write this, I sit here wearing it sprayed from a 50ml Costes bottle and it's nauseatting. I think Costes is really dependent upon time, temperature and temperment. It's nice sometimes, but not today.

Very nice. Spice, Clove, a bit of florals. I did walk past the Hotel Costes earlier this year. I should have stepped in to compare.

The spicy/cinnamon-y/clove-y opening is my least favorite part of this scent, and luckily for me it only lasts 15 minutes or so. As the spice fades, I am left with just the perfect combination of incense, sandalwood, and musk. I prefer this to Tam Dao, which is too dry and too straight sandalwood (not to mention how fleeting it is) for me. I get decent skin scent lasting power with Costes. I like both this and 10 Corso Como, which I find similar. I'd say Costes is the outgoing and approachable younger sister to 10 Corso Como, whose musk can sometimes get very aggressive on my skin.

Lavender, bay, pepper, and incense are the notes that, to me, stand out immediately upon application. It’s quite a vigorous combination—spicy and retro. Reminds me of (but is much fuller and richer than) a bay rum scent I wore years ago. To me Costes stays linear because of the continued prominence of the bay and clove—an accord that I find delightful. The incense is the fulfiller of the scent: Lightly and perfectly integrated into its movement, it adds the necessarily richness to the abundant vibrancy of the rest of the accords. The musk and sandalwood in the drydown further increase the scent’s classic richness. On my skin, it has very good longevity. A totally pleasant and energetic fragrance—a definite thumbs up even though I, myself, would rather use it as a room spray than as a personal fragrance.

Hotel Costes is vibrant and truly original place in Paris...unfortunately the same can not be said about the scent, that is in spite of its spicy opening (in my nose a little reminiscent of Gucci PH), does not deliver on the next stage and after an hour the scent is too flat to have any mystery or attraction at all left. Something a little interesting to sniff on, but nothing to wear according to me...

I can't help but compare Costes with the original Comme des Garçons EdP, they sure have the same ultra spicy opening. But when the CdG goes on and on and adds that hay note, Costes take on another route into a more airy and softer drydown. I bet there are some sort of flowers or fruit in there too. Quite lovely I must say and will hopefully become one of this fall's fragrances.

Quite good overall and literally "smells" of class. Nice fresh top notes, but spoiled somewhat by a too incense-y drydown.