Sybaris by Antonio Puig, 1988

The Baron de Charlus once told me: "I recall the time when I was a houseguest at the London apartment of Oscar Wilde. He gave us each a bottle of Sybaris eau de toilette from the House of Puig. 'You know, de Charlus,' the celebrated wit, poet and playwright informed me, 'although I prefer the opening notes of the golden oil of Sybaris - sensual, seductive, ancient, barbaric - to its later leathery denouement, I still believe I arrived at the definitive summation of this fragrance when I said that it was as if Oscar Wilde had met Attila the Hun in the harem of an Oriental prince. A rather fine description, don't you think?' ' Indeed I do, my dear Oscar,' I assured him, 'so fine a description that I wish I had thought of it myself. But, come to think of it, I believe I did describe it in just such terms several years ago, as a passing remark on Sybaris in a review of Puig's Boston Man. Perchance you read my review and, in a moment of confusion, have attributed it to your good self?' Somewhat piqued by this information, and no doubt also by the snickering it elicited from his bosom companion, Lord Alfred "Bosie" Douglas, the great man snatched back the bottle of Sybaris which he had given me and demanded that I leave his house forthwith."

I read about this one first at Perfume Emporium, a site that advertises itself as carrying 'Cheap Perfumes' --and arguably cheaper reviews.

As of today there were four for Sybaris. Two giving it the worst 1 star rating, They were entitled 'mustard gas' and 'bug spray' respectively: which frankly sound somewhat negative to me . . .

Two others gave it their highest 5 star rating. One of those reviwers assured us that it was better suited for those sophisticated Europeans. The other knew his stuff. ---He mentioned Guerlain Heritage, Patou Prive, and Hermes Equipage, and thought it was best suited for the over 30 crowd.

I got a bad bottle. (NOT from PE) The Green topnotes of lemon, mandarin, etc. were completely missing.
Instead there was a kind of synthetic lipstick smell, which mercifully receded after 5 minutes, and then Sybaris started rising on the machometer.

I did get the middle and basenotes, and they're exceedingly well blended. This is a leather scent but skip it if you're looking to get strong, dominant leather. Here it's only a part of the theme.

Altogether I found Sybaris refreshingly light on its feet yet possessing a dark undercurrent. Perhaps best suited for a boxer with a fast jab?