Chamen's Party by Honoré de Prés, 2008

What an intriguing scent! Very mysterious, reminiscent of a recently doused fire. Makes me think of happy campfire memories. Definitely a story in this one... I call it char-man's party :~)

Chamans Party starts quite strongly as a tar fragrance. It quickly turns more incense like and woody. Within an hour it stays very close to the skin. The projection is poor. On my cotton t-shirt after an hour it is more herbal and I detect basil. On my skin too mellow basil is distinguishable but the overall feeling is that of dry wood and incense. I would have liked more basil and certainly more projection and longevity. This is an organic (according to Honoré de Prés site) fragrance, and as you can read every where on the net its bound to be lighter than conventional fragrances. This, as an Eau de Toilette, is even weaker. For the price tag this is a disappointment while it has the potential. For those of you interested in body mists Chamans party may be a nice alternative to the mainstream products available. But I would certainly look around for discounts. Chamans Party is unisex but I think that it is ideal as a men's body mist with its woods, tar, incense and dryness. Dont be overwhelmed by the opening; it settles down in just a few minutes.

What is this? Le Labo's Patchouli 24 with the drydown of Guerlain Vetiver? Great!

Am juggling between a thumbs up and a neutral. Chaman's Party is hardly a favourite from my vetiver collection. I'd like to compare this with Tom Ford Grey Vetiver. Grey Vetiver, to me, is more subtle, and more aromatic. Chaman's Party begins with a burst of green notes, where the vetiver and basil are noticeable. I love the green notes, but there's also a harsh-ish alcohol top, which, to me, ruins the green opening. The dry down is more pleasant though, with the vetiver becoming more pronounced. Longevity is above average. Considering the price tag, I would probably recommend Grey Vetiver rather then Chaman's Party.

Chaman's Party smells to me like a smokey campfire in the woods. The vetiver is there, but it's hardly noticeable, as the campfire smoke and guaiac wood is so strong that it masks everything else. It's very strange yet surprisingly wearable. Lasts especially long for an all natural fragrance, somewhere along the lines of 3-4 hours. My only gripe is that there is too much ambrette seed (natural vegetal musk) in the base.

A good one, although not totally my thing.

8/10

Hallucinogenic mud rituals. I loved Sexy Angelic despite the fact it fades so quickly. When i tried this I pictured myself struggling through the jungle, battered, covered in mud, exhausted, slightly insane with fatigue and hunger, bursting from the trees and confronting startled hotel guests by a luxury pool, wondering if I had imagined everything. I can still hear the beating of the drums, smell the smoke, feel the animal in me trying to get out. Great experience to pack into a lunch hour. Sadly like all things up, the down is terribly disappointing.