Reviews by dragoman

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    dragoman
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    Showing 1 to 17 of 17.
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    Passage d'Enfer by L'Artisan Parfumeur

    Match the hatch.... Last night's Easter Vigil ceremony filled me with darkness and light, lilies, and incense - and the external scents were exactly the same as those I was wearing.

    Next time (when I won't have to worry about distracting myself from liturgy), I shall use a bit more, as the two-hour duration was not sufficient for my preference, although the lily scent was still well-balanced with the bright incense accord (who would think it's dark, compared to Avignon?) until the fadeaway.

    8th April, 2007.

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    Messe de Minuit by Etro

    Orange and incense: exquisite, and a new favorite. Sweet, strong, and long-lasting on me. Memories of the oratory and the library at the seminary many years ago.

    8th April, 2007.

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    Rahät Loukoum by Serge Lutens Les Salons du Palais Royal Shiseido

    Used lightly, the cherries-and-cream aroma will develop beyond the Stewart's soda blast, making a calming scent envelopment for relaxation and study which I had previously experienced only with good Japanese bancha tea. Quite pleasant for private times.

    10th March, 2007.

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    Bois et Musc by Serge Lutens Les Salons du Palais Royal Shiseido

    A pleasant balance of wood and musk notes as the name implies, but I wish it lasted longer than 4 - 5 hours at its price.

    24th February, 2007.

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    Chêne by Serge Lutens Les Salons du Palais Royal Shiseido

    Chene is excellent by itself, and layers well (sillage and longevity being similar) with CdG Avignon.

    24th February, 2007.

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    Bois et Fruits by Serge Lutens Les Salons du Palais Royal Shiseido

    Maybe an early inspiration for Arabie? The wood is more dominant here in the drydown, though. Longevity is decent on me (about 4 - 5 hours), but I am spoiled by the 10 - 12 hour experience from Ambre Sultan.

    24th February, 2007.

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    Fumerie Turque by Serge Lutens Les Salons du Palais Royal Shiseido

    This is a powerhouse, but you need to like Latakia tobacco (not sweet at all in my mind), at least for the first hour. Otherwise, let someone else vote Balkan Sobranie. But then the rich development after the strong topnote is worth the wait: exotic all day (12 - 15 hours for me).

    24th February, 2007.

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    parfums*PARFUMS Series 3 Incense: Avignon by Comme des Garçons

    If SL Ambre Sultan reminds me of "wedding incense", than CdG Avignon reminds me of "Holy Week incense" from my seminary days. Several reviews have mentioned the negative church-memory associations which caused a thumbs down for them. I have no problems on that account, but the wearability factor can be modified in the normal way: layering.

    I have found that Avignon and SL Chene match up very well for sillage and longevity (10 to 12 hours), with the incense not melding its presence as obtrusively as it can by itself. If oak bark is not your favorite, maybe a cedar or sandalwood fragrance would be a good alternative to Chene in this combination. Try it!

    A favorite.

    24th February, 2007.

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    Un Bois de Sépia by Serge Lutens Les Salons du Palais Royal Shiseido

    This one is an interesting repeater! The notes come back several times during the day, depending on my activity, slightly different each time.

    Maybe this was an early version of what was later the stronger and longer-lasting Arabie. It is dry and reserved and soft (a good effort from the 1990's).

    19th February, 2007.

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    Santal de Mysore by Serge Lutens Les Salons du Palais Royal Shiseido

    Excellent! Almost 20 hours of richness. It responds to my activity level with a glow of warmth, and my wife loves it on me. At the top of my list, with Ambre Sultan.

    During the recent holiday party with Jill's colleagues, I danced the slow ones with her, but many faster dances with her co-workers whose boyfriends or husbands weren't up to it. Danged if I wasn't getting hugs afterwards! The previous two years that wasn't happening... maybe it had to do with the SdM aura.

    Whoa! I suspect this could be deadly effective for someone who were prowling.

    19th February, 2007.

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    Bois Oriental by Serge Lutens Les Salons du Palais Royal Shiseido

    Oriental, hmm? Well, it reminds me of Salzburg... the passages where beeswax candles are displayed for sale, next to the carved wooden butter molds (rich smells), and the dried-spice-and-flower Buescherl. Maybe a touch of marzipan Mozartkugeln also. If it were longer-lasting (about 5 - 6 hours), it would be even higher on my list.

    19th February, 2007.

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    Bois de Violette by Serge Lutens Les Salons du Palais Royal Shiseido

    My wife likes Kenneth Cole Signature on me, so I wanted to compare the Serge Lutens treatment.

    Very nice - especially the strong violet-leaf introduction for green sharpness, and the feeling that I had just lain in a shady grove, crushing blooming violets (instead of swimming in violet water).

    The woody drydown is not quite as intense or longlasting as my current cedar standard, by Azzaro, so my SL favorites will remain Ambre Sultan and Santal de Mysore.

    19th February, 2007.

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    parfums*PARFUMS Series 3 Incense: Zagorsk by Comme des Garçons

    Quite different - a meditative incense of bright-snow beauty. Precision and elegance, like a Brodsky poem, or a Nadareishvili knight-versus-queen endgame study.

    17th February, 2007.

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    parfums*PARFUMS Series 3 Incense: Ouarzazate by Comme des Garçons

    Wonderful! If the rich sweetness of SL Ambre Sultan incense reminds me of public celebration in a cathedral, then Ouarzazate brings me back to private introspection in a chapel with its satisfying bitterness.

    My body chemistry gets 12 - 15 hours of strength from AS, and about 9 - 12 from Ouarzazate... both are excellent, and are at the top of my list as favorites, along with Santal de Mysore.

    17th February, 2007.

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    Pure Cédrat by Azzaro

    My current everyday choice: the citron lasts beyond the few minutes of initial pungent sharpness, and the cedar presence reminds me of happy classrooms from the past (others might denigrate it as a pencil-sharpener smell, but I enjoyed pencils, books, and slide rules).

    31st December, 2006.

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    Arabie by Serge Lutens Les Salons du Palais Royal Shiseido

    Fig Newtons or poppyseed roll from heaven... but only for a four-hour visit. I wish it lasted longer and stronger on me, as Ambre Sultan does.

    31st December, 2006.

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    Ambre Sultan by Serge Lutens Les Salons du Palais Royal Shiseido

    Incense in a cathedral for High Mass and Benediction, then 12-15 hours through the wedding reception and the first night. Omnes angeli et archangeli, orate pro nobis.

    31st December, 2006.

    Showing 1 to 17 of 17.

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