Voyageur by Jean Patou, 1994

Voyageur opens with an almost aldehyde-like grapefruit top note before quickly transitioning into its herbal aromatic lavender heart, giving the scent a very light fresh almost soapy marine vibe. A very strong oakmoss base note appears quite early in the scent's development, really co-starring with the aromatic lavender throughout. Joining the oakmoss in the base is a cedarwood supporting note that acts as the scent's backbone without calling attention to itself, content to let the oakmoss and lavender drive the scent's general nature through the dry-down. Projection and longevity are both average. Voyageur has undeniable pedigree from its legendary nose Jean Kerleo of Patou pour Homme and Patou pour Homme Prive fame (among many other uber-masterpieces) so it is only natural to come in with super-stratospheric expectations. Those expecting similar greatness to Kerleo's best work are bound to be disappointed and based on the other reviews indeed were, as Voyageur does not deserve being mentioned alongside those Kerleo masterpieces. Setting that aside, Voyageur when approached for what it is (an aromatic lavender composition that was created to compete with the Cool Water aquatics that were so popular in the 90's), I think Voyageur should be viewed in much higher regard than it gets credit for. One primary thing I immediately noticed was the great oakmoss base that dominates the scent and just cannot be found in today's compositions due to restrictions on the ingredient. Those seeking a calone-free aromatic marine-like scent that is "restriction-free" would be wise to seek out this one as it is quite competent and relevant, and the oakmoss makes it easily wearable year-round. At its approximate street price of about $0.50 a ml it really is quite the steal and one of the best options in its genre. The bottom line is while I am not a big fan of the fresh aromatic marine genre, I am very happy to have Voyageur in my collection and award it a "very good" rating of 3.5 stars out of 5. Kerleo at his worst is better than 95% of other noses at their best.

Sheer disappointment...doesn't cover it. I was (stupid enough) expecting something in the vein of Prive (Patou) when the sales assistant directed me toward this.

A waste of my time, and she (the SA)needs to learn her fragrances!

Look, I'm sorry, but Voyageur was just bland, and "uncomfortable" feeling. There was something "off" about it. I got a lot of dried fruit, like the stuff my mum used to shove in my luch-box when I wasn't looking. And it wasn't dried fruit in a gourmand or artistically perfumey-sense; just "wrong" smelling.

A more accurate description of the notes would be: Dried Apple, Dried Apricot, Orange, Grapfruit, Synthetic mosses, Oceanic Accord, Fern Accord, Common extract, Bland Accord.

I thought I might have sniffed an "off" bottle, so I complained, got them to open a new bottle, and it was just the same...then the manager came over and said "No no, thats quite right - I remember that's how it smelled when we got our first order a few years ago in about mid '95, and that was only a year-and-a-half after it was released...We've had a new shipment come in every year since, so it is fresh indeed..."

I just said "Oh, well, my sincerest appoligies - I had heard something completely different about Voyaguer, but whilest I'm hear, I'll grab a bottle of Lagerfeld Classic - haven't seen than in a while...". The manager then replied "Sure thing darling (god I hate it when the do that!!!!), yeah, so I'll just pop over and get the Lagerfeld for you...we have had a few people comming in to try the Voyaguer and leaving in some disappointment every-now-and-then..."