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Cartier Declaration: What a Fine Scent!

post #1 of 44
11/25/05 at 5:49pm
Thread Starter 
Occasionally I'm moved to praise a frag that I wore as my SOTD and this is one of them.

Having a large collection, and not wearing any one frag too often (say, once or twice a year), I "forget" what many frags smell like, how they wear, sillage, etc.

This one just blows me away. It's probably my favorite "wood" scent out there, even including my precious Fendi Life Essence. It's a very classy scent with great longetivity, but it doesn't create an "aura" around you like, say, Gucci Envy or other heavier wood frags. I could smell it on me all day without feeling that everyone within a 20 miles radius could also.

I checked out the reviews of this classic on the Directory and I was pleased to see that the overwhelming majority of reviewers agreed with me, but a few comments left me puzzled.

First, while my hat's off to gals who wear this scent, I don't in any way consider it unisex, as apparently it was marketed(?). It's very masculine to me, as most wood scents are.

Second, to a few that posted they picked up a body odor(???) note in Declaration, while I respect everyone's opinion, this one baffles me. There's no such note here! IMO, of course! Maybe it's the same note that makes, according to a lot here, Kouros smell like a urinal cake? lol

What's your opinion? This one hasn't been discussed recently, and for those looking for a wonderful, classy and unique scent that may not know this one, I can't recommend it highly enough.
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post #2 of 44
11/25/05 at 5:55pm
What am I doing wrong.........I can't get it to come up with a Directory Search :-?

Dan
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post #3 of 44
11/25/05 at 5:59pm
Ballard - I agree, it (and IMO along with all other Cartier fragrances) is an amazing release. I have the essence release and some day will get the original too. The bois Blue variant is also quite nice, cool and light.. When I first tried this one, I picked up a slight cumin note, this could be where the BO remarks are coming from - that said, the addition of the cumin is a mark of a high quality, rich fragrance - Top marks in my books.

Its nice to revisit forgotten gems in your collection.
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post #4 of 44
11/25/05 at 6:13pm
This one gives me a headache. I don't know what the note is in it, but it's just overbearing. I gave it to my twin brother, and I don't think he wears it, either.
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post #5 of 44
11/25/05 at 6:41pm
I think it is very interesting to see Mr. Michael Edwards consider this one as a DryWoods scent.
It has a heavy birch-leaf note indeed, but to me it is still more of a sweet-woody-musky.

Still a great scent!
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post #6 of 44
11/25/05 at 6:57pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Lightninrod

What am I doing wrong.........I can't get it to come up with a Directory Search :-?

Dan

There's an accent mark over the "e" in Declaration...the Directory Search requires the search be done with the accented "e" typed in. Rather than learn the enhanced keystrokes, I just pull up Cartier as the fragrance house and click the particular link to the particular frag this way.

As for Declaration, I love the scent, but I remember someone saying that they smelled something was burning and pinpointed it on me (wearing Declaration). Oh well, I'll still wear it, just won't spray as much.
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post #7 of 44
11/26/05 at 3:41am
After some graet reviews and repeated samplings I tried to like it but ,alas,no.It really smells somehow feminine to me.Declaration Essence is slightly better,but it doesn't seem like a future's purchase for me.
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post #8 of 44
11/26/05 at 4:43am
Cardamom note in Declaration is somewhat overpowering to my nose, same problem in another Ellena's creation, Bigarade Concentree. I get the body odour note comparison, overload of cardamom seems to create it.
I - in a way - do like the note, but it has a tendency to dominate the drydown.

Offtopic; Bigarade Concentree would be one of my favourite fresh fragrances, if it wasn't for the all cardamom drydown. So, my question is, does Cologne Bigarade have the same problem?
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post #9 of 44
11/26/05 at 7:29am
Colonge Bigarade and Bigarade Concentree' don't, in my opinion, have the same problem. Instead, it simply disappears! Alas, I love this scent but it only lasts about an hour on my skin. I have asked other people just to be sure and they all say no... nothing there. I have taken to spaying in on my chest and quickly pressing my shirt into it so that it lasts a little bit longer. This works and I can get it to last for a few hours. It stays very close to my skin but that's ok. The b.o. note in CB is from cumin and cedar and I love the two.

I have tried Declaration and loved it. Don't know why I don't own it yet. I do know that it is Jean Claude Ellena's favorite creation.

Kelley
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post #10 of 44
11/26/05 at 10:13pm
I do agree that Declaration is a fine scent. It was something I bought
early on as I started getting into fragrance wearing. Mine is in a 150ml
bottle marked "Eau Genereuse." Cartier brings these bottles out each
summer and sells them at a decent price. Is this a summer reformulation,
or is it just the same juice in a larger, more generous size?

I haven't worn this much lately, but I still really like the smoked wood
accord in the drydown.
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post #11 of 44
11/27/05 at 2:45am
I was about to remark on the, "Generuse" version but glad to see you using it. I asked the woman behind the counter at Nordstrom's about it and she admitted that while she wasn't sure she thought it was yet another lighter, slightly more fresh version of an old standard. I thought I got a much more citrus-y presence in it but that may have been a result of her comments.
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post #12 of 44
11/27/05 at 12:00pm
I can't stand Declaration. It's a grotesque green woody fragrance that reeks of watered down BO. Shallow, too. :-(
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post #13 of 44
11/27/05 at 1:04pm
  • Mic
  • offline
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It always gives me a lot of compliments - and I mean always!

Mic.
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post #14 of 44
11/25/07 at 6:13pm
Declaration is one if my favorite scents. I do not understand why more people do not like it. I guess everyone has their one opinions. Everytime I am shopping for fragrances and another shopper/sales person asks what I like I point to declaration. They then smell it and say that that was ok. They then pick up curve or something like that and tell me to try that???? Anyways, It is a great scent.
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post #15 of 44
11/25/07 at 11:31pm
You've resurrected a long-dead thread, but it's a good thread to bring back.
I must agree that Declaration is well-made. I like both the regular and the
Essence versions. It's the best of all the Jean-Claude Ellena scents I've
smelled, with the exception of Rose Poivree, which I think is
superb, but I've not wanted to pay its high price tag yet.

It is a bit unusual with the cumin and burnt wood accord. I think this might
put some people off. I really think a lot of people don't look for "interesting"
scents; they look for "nice" scents, and by that I mean pleasant but not
demanding much of you to understand. There's nothing wrong with that.
A "nice" scent has it's place. But it just doesn't interest me as much.
I'm willing to put up with a degree of "discord" in the structure in order
to keep the fragrance interesting. Now, if a fragrance can be harmonious and
yet interesting at the same time, well, all the better.

Two thumbs up again for Declaration.
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post #16 of 44
11/26/07 at 12:01am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mic View Post

It always gives me a lot of compliments - and I mean always!

That's the problem. It is so universally liked that it has become nobody's scent. Perhaps they should rename this Cliché de Cartier.
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post #17 of 44
11/26/07 at 2:50am
Thank so much for bringing Declaration back to the front of my thoughts.
I used it some time back when it first came out and really loved it.
It has that fine sense of personality without fussiness evident in so many of Ellena's creations. I've been using both Terre and Kelly Caleche lately and this is a nice reminder to go out and get a bottle ...
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post #18 of 44
11/26/07 at 11:36am
Thank you guys!

I hadn't thought yet about my SotD for tomorrow and you provided the answer.

I have a sample of Declaration just calling my name!
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post #19 of 44
11/26/07 at 5:39pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by zenman7 View Post

Thank so much for bringing Declaration back to the front of my thoughts.
I used it some time back when it first came out and really loved it.
It has that fine sense of personality without fussiness evident in so many of Ellena's creations. I've been using both Terre and Kelly Caleche lately and this is a nice reminder to go out and get a bottle ...

I agree - reading this thread makes me wanna go out and replace my bottle I used up years ago. The first thing I think about when I see Declaration is effervescent woods. Kind of like wood flavored club soda. There's nothing quite like it.
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post #20 of 44
11/26/07 at 8:57pm
That Ballardbeau dude really knew his shit!

LOL!!!!
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post #21 of 44
11/26/07 at 9:43pm
I bought a 50 ml bottle just when it popped up. I liked the citrus in it. At about 2/3 of the bottle it turned against me, and from that time I couldn't stand it. Once or twice I tried it then but I had to wash it off.
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post #22 of 44
11/27/07 at 12:17am
i actually own all the versions. really good stuff.
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post #23 of 44
11/27/07 at 9:27pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by TwoRoads View Post

I hadn't thought yet about my SotD for tomorrow

I accidently spilled/used my entire 2 ml sample today.

My wife absolutely loved it - from three rooms away!

It is now after midnight, the dog has stopped howling and is beginning to revive.

I can say that I like it very much and, if I decide to purchase Declaration, I don't think I will have any problem remembering to apply it sparingly!
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post #24 of 44
11/28/07 at 11:31am
A wonderful scent indeed......And No Body Odor with me either.
Gary
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post #25 of 44
11/28/07 at 11:54am
Quote:
Originally Posted by IPaidForThisName View Post

I can't stand Declaration. It's a grotesque green woody fragrance that reeks of watered down BO. Shallow, too. :-(

I like it a lot. I find it suits me better than Cologne Bigarade or Bigarade Concentree from Frederic and that for a fraction of the Malle prices. I got 100ml Declaration in a gift packaging with six or nine, I don't remember, 2ml sprayers for $13,00 on eBay.

.... and most important, it lasts, it really lasts the whole day on my skin.
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post #26 of 44
11/29/07 at 7:34am
It is one of those scents that I like and wantto buy, but end up getting something else. I hope to buy it at some point, but there is always something more exciting or rare.
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post #27 of 44
1/9/08 at 3:58am
How Aquatic or Marine is Declaration ?
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post #28 of 44
1/9/08 at 4:27am
>>> Whats its longevity like ?
Does it say last longer than Michael Kors .
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post #29 of 44
1/9/08 at 11:54am
Couldn't like this one. It was very expensive and on a tester strip it smelled heavenly, so I went ahead and got it. I put it on my skin and after the first few minutes it turns into this soft mellow sweet sickness that I had to get rid off.. Sorry don't agree with the Declaration.
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post #30 of 44
1/9/08 at 11:18pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by sanatik View Post

How Aquatic or Marine is Declaration ?


Not aquatic or marine at all. It's citrus and smoked woods, with a wiff of cumin thrown in.
I like it a lot.
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post #31 of 44
1/10/08 at 10:56am
I bought both Declaration and Declaration Essence today in a local department store for half price in the January sales.

Both bottles are marked "Limited Edition." Does this mean they are different from the standard scents? The Essence is beautful, with a woody scent underpinned by chocolate and citrus. The Declaration is slightly more citrussy, but also has a chocolate note.

The Essence LE bottle is blue with a brown graduation at the bottom. The Declaration LE bottle is also brown at the bottom, graduating upward into a sea-green and then a pale yellow-green at the top.

Can anyone tell me more about these fragrances?
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post #32 of 44
2/25/08 at 9:21am
Quote:
Originally Posted by trumpet_guy View Post

Not aquatic or marine at all. It's citrus and smoked woods, with a wiff of cumin thrown in.
I like it a lot.

thanks.

Quote:
Originally Posted by JanAlways View Post

... Can anyone tell me more about these fragrances?

I did read somewhere that it is similar to terre d´hermes but it seems to be that it is different enough. So it´s in my wishlist.

I had no chance to test it here so i need more infos too for my blindbuy.
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post #33 of 44
2/25/08 at 9:51am
Quote:
Originally Posted by trumpet_guy View Post

Not aquatic or marine at all. It's citrus and smoked woods, with a wiff of cumin thrown in.
I like it a lot.

Bingo!!! if i may add..it has the very same powdery nature of lalique la parfum or a dior homme...
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post #34 of 44
2/25/08 at 6:23pm
Declaration smells fine but after experiencing later Ellena creations it smells like a sparse incomplete framework which he has filled in with his later works. The cumin note stands out at time and may be more perceptible to some.

I find similarities with Bulgari au the Verte, which shares many of the same notes...it lacks cumin but displays a somewhat similar crisp peppery accord with better balanced florals and a kick of green tea. I like the story behind au The Verte...Ellena shipping it around to various houses but none willing to take it on...in the end the fragrance got the success it deserved (via Bulgari) and still stands as one of Ellena's finest works. If Declaration doesn't work for you, give au The Verte a try.
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post #35 of 44
2/25/08 at 6:52pm
I am also a Fan of this House.....Gary
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post #36 of 44
2/25/08 at 8:33pm
It's good to see this thread come back.

The limited edition bottles mentioned above were probably just limited edition packaging.
I think the juice is the same.

I think this is one of Ellena's better fragrances.
--------------------------------------
Quote:
Originally Posted by sanatik View Post

thanks.



I did read somewhere that it is similar to terre d´hermes but it seems to be that it is different enough. So it´s in my wishlist.

I had no chance to test it here so i need more infos too for my blindbuy.


I don't think it's too similar to Terre, but I've only briefly sampled Terre. They are both
from the same perfumer, so there may be more similarity than I've detected.
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post #37 of 44
2/25/08 at 9:25pm
After having my last drop more than 2 years ago, this thread has got me thinking of it once again.
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post #38 of 44
2/26/08 at 3:17am
thx zztop & trumpet_guy

There is also an Bulgari au the Verte EXTREME version from ellena. I hope that thay are not too Neutral. and for declaration i hope i can use it as an office scent.
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post #39 of 44
3/20/08 at 6:27am
how similar ist "Yang" to Declaration ?

& here !
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post #40 of 44
3/20/08 at 7:18am
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Chanel Chance = Baldessarini
Iceberg Twice = Opium PH EDT"

the above two comparisons...right there i dotn agree... yang is tea based...and declaration is kinda gourmand...i like de3claration, but only on others...maybe it doesnt suit my personality..but hey, i always go..wow, tht smells so rich whn others wear it...
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post #41 of 44
3/28/08 at 9:40am
thx.

didn´t recognized that in declaration is a chocolate note. Is that the reason why you call it kinda gourmand ?
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post #42 of 44
3/28/08 at 10:59am
To me knowledge there is no chocolate in declaration and this is the first I've heard of it. To me, it is fresh notes, smoked woods, and a dash of cumin which comes out on some people and not as much on others.
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post #43 of 44
3/30/08 at 3:43pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by mikeperez23 View Post

I agree - reading this thread makes me wanna go out and replace my bottle I used up years ago. The first thing I think about when I see Declaration is effervescent woods. Kind of like wood flavored club soda. There's nothing quite like it.

That's what I get from it too and like so much. I really enjoy the shower gel as well. If this were to turn sweet on myself, I would not be so enamored. It stays cool and woody for me. I'm not a fan of TdH which does turn sweet on myself and renders it unwearable.
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post #44 of 44
3/30/08 at 4:57pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Lightninrod View Post

What am I doing wrong.........I can't get it to come up with a Directory Search :-?

Dan

Dan, I don't know that I would be too concerned about. I don't know why, but I got bad vibes about opening links pertaining to basenotes. Probably nothing, but if I can't access direct from this site I'm not going there.
Regards Ron
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