Reviews of Padparadscha (2006)
by Satellite

Notes: pepper, cedar, sandalwood, juniper, amber, musk

A startling opening of cedar and pepper—very aromatic, very dramatic, and quite dry… The aromatic accords of the opening are unique; they are exotic and warm and yet, very quickly they all come well within the parameters of wearablity. They are coniferous-woody and pepper-spicy and they are presented with flair and passion. The fragrance, though, doesn’t have very much sillage—it stays close to the skin providing an exotic cedary / juniper ambiance but for too short of time. Even though the fragrance appears to be constantly morphing into woody variations, it never seems to reach much of a sandalwood presence, and its amber also holds back, leaving it quite dry even in the dry down. Its main characteristic is that of a beautiful, resinous cedar that reminds me a bit of Sequoia by CdG, but Padparadscha is more challenging and, after the initial burst, less aggressive. Padparadscha is a unique unisex woody / spicy fragrance that is refreshingly exotic, surprisingly wearable, but could use much more longevity. (Rewrite of 24 April 2007 review.)

I have to agree with most of Foetidus' points here. What I fell in love with in this fragrance is it's exotic, naturalistic peppery cedary coniferous top and mid notes. These are obviously high quality ingredients and well blended, however I do find as well that the wonderful opening is too short-lived and after a few hours the fragrance gradually dies down to a light skin musk with a hint of amber and cedar. Not an unpleasant drydown, just not enough there to hold ones attention.

That being said, I love this fragrance and it haunted me until I finally broke down and bought a bottle. I'm waiting for colder weather to really bring this one up to the top shelf. Seems much better suited for a heavy sweater and, who knows, maybe even a crackling fireplace.