Fragrance Reviews by Darkbloom

An enduring work of art. A classic like Mozart's Jupiter symphony or Watteau's Pilgrimage to Cythera. For many years, this was the only fragrance I wore, and I was not the worse for it. Even though I have now diversified and have explored the nooks and crannies of the world of perfumery, a large bottle of Mr. Roudnitska's craft will always be close at hand. Bracing and crisp with brilliant citrus and sharp grassiness balanced by the very subtle warmth of vetiver, Eau Sauvage will forever be my special friend.

Very rich and heady. There is no argument that this is one stunning masterpiece, but I don't think I could wear it every day, just as I couldn't eat Lobster Newburg every day. This is a special occasion fragrance, imo. To wear it too often would be vulgar.

Yes, it's pine needles up the nose, but I kind of like that. It seems awfully subtle to me, but I've received comments from people who smell it on me when I cannot smell it on myself. This is a nice diversion for the holiday season. For the most awesome, NATURAL fir smell evah, try the new Sandalwood from the Art of Shaving. I don't see it listed on Basenotes, yet, but it is wonderful. Many compliments on that one.

This has been a lesson in judging fragrances too hastily. At first, I was very disappointed in the sharp, medicinal quality of this scent and what seemed to be its short-lived and too subtle drydown. Now, like Paul on the road to Tarsus, I have been utterly converted, and the extraordinary qualities of this fragrance have been revealed to me. This is now one of my absolute favorites. The Listerine quality I previously abhorred, I now find bracing. The spiciness of the drydown which seemed too fleeting and faint, is now incredibly nose-tingling and exhilirating and extremely long-lived. I just put on a shirt I wore a week ago, and I could still smell that distinctive, intoxicating spice. I agree with Mr. Slinkard, this is one addictive fragrance. A masterpiece. How could I have been so wrong.

I don't see how there could be a finer patchouli. After a very sharp start, the scent mellows over several hours into a warm, red-gold, pure essence of patchouli. Love it!

I'm still looking for my "holy grail" frankincense; a fragrance which captures the true smell of frankincense the way Fred Soll incense does. Although it's not the hg, Avignon is close. Unfortunately, not much longevity. It's the shortest-lived of the entire CdG incense series. Still, it'll have to do until the real thing comes along. I like wearing Avignon on holy days like Ash Wednesday or the Feast of the Seven Dolors of Mary.

This is really nice. It doesn't smell like the Japanese incense I know, but it does have sort of the pine smell of the ink used in Japanese calligraphy. A beautiful "green" incense. Others complain that it is short-lived, but I experience many hours of a gorgeous, unfolding drydown.