Un Parfum des Sens et Bois (2006)
by Different Company

Fresh, sophisticated, cedarwoods that subtle and not too intrusive. Stays close to the skin but sticks around for a while. Very nice and good for the office.

Fresh and woody without smelling artificial. I smelled this and liked it even better on my skin than on paper. Speaking of skin, I want to say that this smells like a skin scent; yet it has a definite, if subdued projection. I think it will be good for daytime and casual wear, especially in cool to mild weather. The standout in this one is the elemi, which subtly takes the edge off the ginger, and which also hangs around longer than you would expect for a top note, wafting in and out all during the ride.

The Different Company Un Parfum des Sens et Bois: my fourth TDC, and im thinkin..wow, this house is indeed doing something very differently :)
DSeB lands on skin with very controlled(never too loud), smooth and rich notes of florals (violets) and bergamote with ginger lurking not very far behind, the key to this scent is the way violets have been treated (think of it as a refined, super light version of Boss Selections for reference). There is indeed a watery quality to it, which makes you think wheather it's getting lighter and would disappear in 15 minutes, but, thats when this scent takes shapes and adds a soft cotton like aura of woody notes embracing the floral beauty of violets. by mid notes, pepper/ginger combo adds to the bite of the scent and gives it a dark shade of what was until now very tranparent, almost aquatic note. this accord (pepper and ginger) is quite familiar and is used in various other scents like for eg. Rochas Aquaman. the "difference" is the treatment in this one. the way it balances between clear, almost tranparent notes of woods and violets and on the other hand the spicy nature of pepper and ginger...the mids are truly enjoyable as this accords shifts to a more airy accord...as if what we sniffed until now was dream, lovely notes on (light, mild)incense creeps in and almost gives every note a airy accord. The scent changes it approach in the most seemingly smooth fashion.

Quite intriguing for the first four minutes: black pepper, and citrus presented in a unique aromatic accord. I notice the citrus primarily because I’m looking for it. The (beautifully presented) pepper aromatics dominate to my nose, and, for a while, convince me that I am going to enjoy this fragrance. But that’s gone all too soon. The top notes fade out almost immediately – sucked into the black hole of my skin. The heart notes that replace them are barely competent. The violet is so obscure that it doesn’t even annoy me as violet leaf often does. The spices and greens form a texture that is pleasant but I don’t find it at all unique except for a note in there that I am unable to identify but I quite enjoy – perhaps it’s the elemi. I get very little patchouli in the base. The base’s cedar and incense finally break through the genericness and provide an implication of something great, but the greatness simply doesn’t happen for me. Un Parfum des Sens et Bois seems unable to grab enough identity from my dry skin. On the whole I find Des Sens & Bois well constructed, but it is ultimately a disappointing offering of unfulfilled potential, and that is my typical reaction to many of the fragrances from this company.

Sens et Bois is wonderful, quiet, surprise.

Pepper, cedar, the occasional fleeting note of violet: all come together quite beautifully in this EdP.

The initial note of pepper (recognizable but not sneeze-inducing) is tickles your nose. Within a few minutes, the warm red cedar makes an appearance. Other cedar scents I've tried cause heartburn. Not with this. This is like opening a handcrafted heirloom cedar chest: dry and bright and clean. But light and not overpowering.

The cedar and pepper meld beautifully into a clean, close fragrance. This is a perfect intimate scent: it plays very close to the skin with minimal sillage.

Then, just when you think that's all there is to Sens et Bois, it delivers a beautiful fleeting note ("where did that come from?") of violet highlighted by a simple incense note. Almost like a ghost. Nothing smoky or really floral - slightly more than a suggestion of violet and incense that make periodic repeat performances throughout the day.

This is truly an elegantly crafted scent.

Sometimes words can't do justice, but that's not very helpful here. This is an absolutely wonderful fragrance. The top notes include Chinese cedarwood and black pepper and they mix magically. More notes as it progresses are patchouli, vervain, violet, bergamot and incense -- it is a heady experience. It reminds me very much of Lanvin's Arpege but with an extra spicy kick generated by the peppers and is altogether superior. I believe that in time, this could be in the top 10 of best ever fragrances ever created -- it's that good. Stunning!

Kaern