parfums*PARFUMS Luxe: Patchouli (2007)
by Comme des Garçons

This is complex. A rich, spicy, sugary, very dark patchouli that is since the beginning smoky (sweet smoke) and with a sheer tarry and balsamic note of licorice in a link with something like anise or angelica (may be the bearberry) all surrounded by resins of oak, myrrh and vanilla. The aromatic blend ends smokey because of the influence of burnt woods from the top to the bottom but is aromatic and surprisingly green and earthy because of the influence of vetiver, bearberry and feengreek. The interaction of pepper, smoke, patchouli and  tarry-aromatics (immortelle, bearberry, feengreek?) grounds a very dark appalling structure  flanked by greens, hints of camphor and finally civilized and smoothed by a huge amount of balsams and resins. The fragrance itself is a tangle, the mildness is made of balsams and woods (sandalwood and cedarwood), the patchouli is well flavoured and hidden in the middle of a black  bitter-sweet shadow that is aromatic and earthy, tarry and mellow at once. All the elements are in a perfect balance. Ubermodern, futuristic fragrance with a huge amount of texture in my opinion, really searched and luxurious, perfect for clubbing in all the cozy, velvety, dark-violet club of the down town.

10th October, 2011. (Last Edited: 22nd November, 2011.)

Quite a powerful whammy of a start to this patchouli . It's a beautiful perfume, leans more towards masculine to me . It lasts forever on my skin. Strong ,slightly sweet to start,somewhat perfumey ,very full bodied. I am not a patchouli person but I can at least stand this one compared to Montale's Patchouli Leaves.

18th May, 2010.

Wow! Comme des Garçons Luxe Patchouli whacks you over the head with its opening. Forget about the usual top notes. This slugger hits you with smoky woods, patchouli, and sweet resins in a very heavy, dark, viscous accord that hovers between a spiced dessert and a Turkish bazaar. Fenugreek is a conspicuous component of this fragrance, and it establishes a tangy/bitter/sweaty undercurrent that runs right through into the base notes. There's plenty of the expected patchouli earthiness in this blend, but it comes wrapped in the heavy maple syrup decadence of immortelle. The drydown has the sweet, sticky, and opaque texture of molasses, and I find it oppressive to wear.

5th January, 2010. (Last Edited: 18th May, 2010.)

This is not the dirty/earthy face of patchouli, this is warm and woody and smells vaguely, aromatically "organic" - I haven't smelt actual patchouli leaves but I imagine they'd smell something like this. I kept thinking I recognised the scent, not from any other patchouli scent but from something else. My girlfriend suggested licorice and although I can see her point that's not quite it. Then I read cpk's review below and realised, oh, it's the immortelle! I'm not a huge fan of immortelle notes but I definitely prefer this rendition to the too thick and syrupy Sables,

22nd November, 2009.

Strangely enough this is the one scent that really stands out from the CdG line. Patchouli like no other. Or not? I am 100% with Trebor in that it shares a lot with Borneo 1834. Probably the same origin of patchouli. The greatest differences are the incredibly strong immortelle note in the opening of Patchouli which is replaced by the light camphore note in Borneo. In fact it is immortelle/fenugreek/curry/basturma all mixed together and only for the brave. The topnotes also have an increddible texture, thick, resinous and salty.You can almost feel the scent in your nostrils. If you don't enjoy the initial shock and awe of the opening this will equal an assault with gas. But if you like immortelle and shocking scents you will be rewarded by smoky heartnotes and the driest illusion of chocolate. The chocolate notes with a hint of smoke stay on the skin for a good 24 hours.
Well let's get to the point: is it worth the money? If you are looking for a patchouli signature scent that you are going to wear every day, then probably yes. And you will get your money's worth because it will stay on you for the whole 24 hours. This is parfum strength.It is stunning. Drier and more commanding than Patchouli Leaves. In any other case probably not. But if you are patchouli fan try to find a sample of it.

23rd October, 2009.

A very powerful angelica root note overpowers this fragrance - almost like a homemade perfume which uses too much of it. Underneath that lies a sweet violet note which seems to be some sort of synthetic irones (the "violet" component of orris). If you are looking for a true patchouli, you won't find it here. I would vote neutral, but for the $200 per ounce price, this imbalance is inexcusable.

19th July, 2009.