Aigues Vives by Galimard

My interest in this perfume was piqued by the idea that it smelled of Eau Sauvage; I am aware that some time ago, Galimard copped a walloping somewhere here on BN for producing fragrances that copy successful designer classics, and being blobs of fragrance, i.e., they don't dry down interestingly enough. Well, Galimard men's fragrances I will admit do seem inspired by some designer fragrances. Lacking in dry-down and out-right copies, I think not. The dry-downs are a bit like a cello version of the violin top notes. But there is a dry-down, and it is always lovely. Sometimes one wants a perfume that smells great and lasts for all its genre's lightness, something that doesn't change too drastically. Aigues Vives fits the bill for that. So, Aigues Vives. They are right, it does smell a bit like Eau Sauvage. I've also seen it compared to Eau du Sud (disagree), but no one has raised comparisons with Acqua di Parma or YSL Pour Homme (red cap). And that is precisely where it gets interesting; Aigues Vives, in EdT (got a lovely 250mL "refill"--very presentable as a simple and easy to use splash bottle on its own, and at a very, very fair price, mind you!) strikes me as a cross between Eau Sauvage, Pour Homme, and Acqua di Parma. The citrus top notes are both warm and fresh at the same times, as in Acqua. The petit-grain, jasmine (no hedione here!), and coriander, while not sparkling, are cloud-like as in ES. And the vetiver, carnation, and wood are solid and Mediterranean as in YSLPH. The over all effect is something that must be considered as one whole; you can't separate out all the notes in Aigues Vives, let alone most Galimard fragrances. They must be appreciated as a complete work. And so I undertook to do with AV, and it worked. It filled an empty spot left by the last, terrible reformulation of ES, and serves as a personally loved and well complimented go-to when I want something fresh, masculine, tasteful, and respectable. Layer EdT over EdP for the best effects. 4/5 for me.

Aigues Vives:

I recently made a blind purchase of a bottle of Aigues Vives based on the previous review here that compared it to Diors Eau Sauvage, a long time favorite of mine. What a fortuitous decision. This juice is wonderful!

Tifone is correct to compare Aigues Vives to Eau Sauvage, as they have much in common. Id say that AV is what one would get if one set out to recreate ES using only natural essences and traditional techniques. The overall initial impression I have of AV is of a fragrance that is slightly more citrus in its opening than ES, with a noticeably more pronounced lime note and a generally warmer, more harmonious feel. It is as the heart notes develop that I detect the greatest difference in the two fragrances, as the ES has a sparkling quality that I attribute to its hedione note , whereas the AV unveils a subtle spiciness that the Basenotes triangle attributes to cinnamon, but which the Galiard site gives as coriander; I think there might be both. But it is when the base notes appear that this beauty really shines. AV has an amazing fruitiness in its base that is unlike any other Ive yet encountered: warm, sweet, understated, almost moistlike mulled wine. Very unique and beautiful.

I also must comment on AVs citrus notes. This fragrance has the longest lasting citrus notes Ive ever found. Being very volatile, the citrus accords are usually the most fleeting in any fragrance. Not so in AV. I have no idea how Galimard manages it, but Ive been able to detect that lovely lime note on my skin hours after Ive applied it. I suspect it is partially because this is an EdP instead of the more usual mens fragrance strength EdT.

Im not sure how Galimard has escaped the notice of the wider world for so longaccording to their website they are the oldest perfumery in the worldbut if AV is any indication of their abilities then they are a house that really deserves much more of our attention.