Revillon Pour Homme by Révillon, 1977

My review for Vintage Revillon Pour Homme - I was very blessed to buy a large, mint condition (with absolutely perfect juice), 8oz flacon from a private estate sale! It is classified as a Woody Chypre (and it is a classic and excellent one that is nearly impossible to find)! Here is the pyramid: TOP NOTES Lavender - Artemisia - Petitgrain - Rosemary HEART NOTES Carnation - Geranium - Pine needle - Cinnamon BASE NOTES Cedarwood - Moss - Fir - Tonka The notes are absolutely true to form. It is a wonderful and aromatic fragrance with Fir and Pine being the two predominant wood components - mixed beautifully with a soft cedar. I would say this is a "sharp" and lifted fragrance with the lavender, artemisia and carnation along with fresh-cut rosemary on the top. The petitgrain is nice here - opening with a green and slightly herbaceous citric aroma. While the cinnamon is just a hint - nothing strong, it creates a slight dusty spiciness to the overall fragrance which is perfect. The Pine needle blends in almost immediately - and this is the key to this fantastic scent. It is as if you are in the middle of a coniferous forest - standing in a beautiful field of flowers (carnation and geranium are blooming alongside the well-integrated lavender), grasses and herbs. It is so very up-lifting for the first couple of hours of wear (again, very forest-like)...nothing synthetic at all here in the slightest. I get a drydown that is wonderful and harmonious that warms up, yet stays definitive. The Fir/Pine needle blend along with the Cedarwood in the heart and drydown are what make this woody-chypre unlike any other I have tried. The Moss is definitely present, but it is not a heavy moss. The pine and floral keep it from becoming musty. I love moss - and it was used perfectly here to add the "forest floor" to the base notes. I get the fresh-cut wood, needles and even some pine resin - but nothing is too strong here, just refreshing and spicy. The florals intermingle and refresh the olfactory senses wonderfully, but don't dominate. What I like about this Woody Chypre is that a wonderful, fresh and invigorating pine is the focus of the scent - not lavender mixed with wood. Lavender is articulated nicely but not overly used. Like the Tonka, it makes a small appearance in the evolving drydown of spice (cinnamon) and wood - adding a sense of warmth and comfort. However, it does not change the fragrance or turn it into something else. This is simply awesome vintage juice, in my humble opinion! I get about 6+ hours out of it in moderate application (it is not overly strong - another plus), yet I find myself refreshing with a couple of dabs or spritzes from a decant I made, just to get to start the pleasure over after 4 hours or so! I prefer to put smaller amounts on several times during a day of wear - similar to how I wear Vintage Paco Rabanne Pour Homme and other classic scents with rich blended notes, so I can enjoy the Top-Middle-Base transition multiple times versus putting on a large amount and having it fade throughout a day. Vintage fragrances should be admired and adorned - pause, breathe, enjoy and even write a little (so we can all learn)...and then capture the essence again while the fragrance is on you by "touching it up". I find that I pick out individual notes better that way as well. For example, the artemisia and rosemary are very key here - I noticed that after a couple of wearings (each with at least two or more light applications). Those components really bring the herbal notes together in this masterful juice. I can now pick them out when I wear this very easily. Revillon Pour Homme may be one that strikes some of you, at first, as a little different (as it is rather unique, but of truly great quality). It took me just two hours into wearing it for the first time to realize how good it is - I was in awe. To compare, I prefer this over Vintage Azzaro Pour Homme - period. I wore the two side-by-side. A small caveat - I love Vintage Azzaro Pour Homme (reformulation is a different story). However, this is a gem from yesteryear that offers a lot of olfactory pleasure! I would rank this Vintage bottle of Revillon Pour Homme a shining 9+/10! Revillon Pour Homme is stunning, spicy and so intricately woven and harmonious...gorgeous! If I ever come across another flacon like it, I would be so grateful and pay virtually whatever was being asked - as this was preserved perfectly. Cheers!