Coeur De Vétiver Sacré by L'Artisan Parfumeur, 2010

I have been enquiring into CdVS for some time now. The reviews have been ambivalent all over Internet (not only Basenotes). I hesitated to blind buy when the price was right. Yesterday, I got the opportunity to try it on my skin. Since most reviewers agree that the name of this perfume is misleading I won't bother to describe my impressions based on the listed notes. I will only speak of accords. And from the initial impression and for a couple of hours what I get is a strong "boozy" accord that at the opening is sharp with a rich tangy smell of ripe fruit, and as the time goes by it mellows down to first sweet "rum" and later to a dryer "rum". I know "rum" is not listed in the notes but that is what I get. I can't explain it and I will not even try. This seems to me to be an interesting fragrance with warmth (a lot of it) and an old-fashion feeling. At times it is comforting like the smell of the interior of the old handbag of your grand mother or an aunt. I can imagine people wearing and enjoying this but not me. CdVS lasted on my skin 4 to 4,5 hours but the last at least 2 hours it became a close to the skin scent. The final dry down was actually the most pleasant phase of CdVS. Realizing that 75 perfumes are listed being created by L'Artisan Perfumeur I can imagine that they must have tried to offer quite a few fragrances that appeal to very particular tastes (it's called marketing I guess). Anyway, this has got to be a neutral for me.

L'Artisan is a house that I have struck out with many times in the past with no hits, so I sampled Coeur de Vetiver Sacre with extremely low expectations. Despite my reservations on the house it came from, since Luckyscent recommended it after I filled out an extensive questionnaire as to my preferences, I felt I *had* to at least try it... and I am very glad I did. I love vetiver scents, but this one is quite different to the vetivers I have smelled in the past. It is extremely subtle, slightly sweet, and the vetiver is not the primary note to my nose (despite the title). I get a lot of bergamot and black tea up top similar to the beautiful smell of Earl Grey (and into the heart notes), with a nice vetiver supporting note that is of the non-smokey kind, mixing with a heavy dose of saffron that stays around throughout the scent's development. Other supporting notes that take even more of a background role to the bergamot, vetiver and saffron, are dates and hints of cedar in the heart, and later-on light musk, semi-sweet amber and castoreum forming the base notes. Projection is minimal to below average, and longevity is above average. Those looking for a raw vetiver dominant scent are bound to be disappointed, but if you want a subtle, classy skin scent that uses vetiver as a supporting note well, but features other notes like bergamot, black tea and saffron at the fore, then Coeur de Vetiver Sacre is bound to impress. This one has gotten no love on Basenotes, but *I* love it and it will be the first L'Artisan that is added to my collection. 4.5 stars out of 5... Superb, and highly recommended.