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Best/Most Distinctive Drydowns?

post #1 of 36
5/25/07 at 10:48am
Thread Starter 
I'm interested in members' opinions and suggestions for scents with outstanding or unusual drydowns. Some of my current favorites include:

Villoresi's Yerbamate (Soft, smooth, and bittersweet.)
Miller Harris Cuir d'Oranger (Sexy and surprising moss, leather, and amber with a miraculously lingering orange note.)
Molinard's Habanita (Gentle and powdery under a sultry veil of leather and tobacco.)
Serge Lutens's Mandarine-Mandarine (Another citrus-in-the-drydown miracle; smoky and mysterious bittersweet burnt spices and marmalade.)
JHL by Aramis (Infinitely changeable and unbelievably rich spice, woods, and leather.)
Ungaro II (Animal heaven with a beautifully poised blend of civet and vanilla/tonka.)
Amouage Dia (Ethereal incense and slightly sweet leather.)
Montale's Black Aoud (Decadent leather, oud, and patchouli, but you'll wait 10 to 12 hours to get there!)
Santal Noble (Needs no description.)
Villoresi's Piper Nigrum (Warm musk, woods, and glorius spices that evolve for hours.)
Patou pour Homme (The most complete tranformation I can think of - pepper and lavender to moss, castoreum, leather, and stupendous sandalwood.)

So, tell me all the other greats that I'm missing!
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post #2 of 36
5/25/07 at 11:01am
Pomegranate Noir (dusty, hazy, w/hints of dried fruit, patchouli, woods, and spice)
Arome 3 Tradition - D'Orsay - Beautiful florals, spice, amber, musk...classy stuff
Rochas Lui - when the vanilla and patchouli start singing with the neroli and cedar....nice
Santal Noble - speechless
L'air du Desert Marocain - beautiful dry spice, woods and amber.
Richard James - Roses, Suede, smokey....smooth and classy
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post #3 of 36
5/25/07 at 11:09am
Distinctive drydown?

I've said this before and I'll say it again: On my skin, Terre d'Hermes smells like marijuana (the leaves, not the smoke) and other minerals/rocks in its drydown. Kind of spooks my boyfriend every time I wear it.
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post #4 of 36
5/25/07 at 11:14am
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Davidoff Zino for one

Havana and Havana Reserva for two others
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post #5 of 36
5/25/07 at 11:24am
Distinctive?

YSL M7
Caron L'Anarchiste
Caron Yatagan
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post #6 of 36
5/25/07 at 11:34am
I like your list except that now that I have tried a wide spectrum of sandalwood fragrances, I am less enthusiastic about Santal Noble than I was, say 1-2 years ago. That cedar chest smell is too prominent in this sandalwood fragrance. Its still a good fragrance, but its not the sandalwood powerhouse that I thought it once was. I also havent tried M-Mandarine, Habanite and Dia.

I also like the drydowns of GIT (that ambergris base), Ungaro I (theres no mistaking that boozy wormwood note!) and Kouros (sexy nastiness!).

Creed's wonderful Feuille Verte has a distinctive jasmin drydown. Are there other fragrances which have a jasmin drydown ?
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post #7 of 36
5/25/07 at 11:38am
Floris Vetiver and Iris Taizo by Parfumerie Generale.

edit to add: Amouage Reflection (Man)
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post #8 of 36
5/25/07 at 11:38am
Guerlain Vetiver- it took me a while to get used to the tobacco basenotes on this one. very unique take on tobacco.

Givenchy Gentleman- the civet and leather drydown is one of the most unique drydowns I have experienced.
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post #9 of 36
5/25/07 at 12:08pm
I love the Himalaya's more than any other scent I can think of. Once the pepper stops persisting so much and settles into the heart it becomes smooth and heavenly.
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post #10 of 36
5/25/07 at 2:42pm
Acier Aluminum - so far, nothing else comes close.

Kouros and Michael Kors are pretty nice, too.
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post #11 of 36
5/25/07 at 3:40pm
Second:

Kouros
Ungaro 1

Add:

Obsession
L'Instant
Santos Concentree
Eau Lente
Noir Epices
Aoud Lime
Aoud Damascus
Rose Opulente


And I don't want to forget A*Men--One of the best DRYDOWNS
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post #12 of 36
5/25/07 at 4:57pm
The two drydowns that drive me insane with pleasure are:
Monsieur Balmain, after the Love's Fresh Lemons opening, it settles into the most fascinating grey ash accord, that unfortunately, disappears way too quickly.
The other is Eau d'Hermès - opens with lemon and dries down to a wonderful cumin note, which I find very sexual - others have told me it smells like B.O. Cedarmoth's Basenotes review, 'Grace Kelly's handbag stuffed with Robert Mitchum's jockstrap', hit the bull's-eye!
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post #13 of 36
5/25/07 at 5:23pm
Thread Starter 
On a related note (pardon the horrendous pun), I just had a freaky revelatory drydown experience experience: I've been wearing Cuir d'Oranger lately, and the (magnificent) drydown keeps reminding me of something. What? It finally came to me (don't laugh or throw vegetables please): Patou pour Homme. I kid you not. Just to make sure I wasn't crazy, I checked the notes:

Cuir d'Oranger - Orange oil from Valencia, pettigrain, orange flowers from Tunisia, jasmin from Egypt, iris absolute, leather with birch tar, Spanish ciste, oak moss and patchouli. (Cuir d'Oranger also seems to have a lot of amber in the base, though it's not listed.)

Patou - Basil oil, Clary Sage oil, Lavender, Origanum, Petitgrain
Middle: Carnation, Cinnamon, Geranium, Hay, Jasmin, Patchouli, Pine Needle, Sandal, Vetiver
Base: Amber, Castoreum, Leather, Moss, Oilbanum, Tonka, Vanilla

Granted, there's not a lot of overlap, and the resemblance comes only late in the drydown of Cuir d'Oranger. Still, I'm going to have to do a side by side comparison and see what comes of it. It could be the leather/cistus/amber/patchouli combo, or it could just be I'm crazy.
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post #14 of 36
5/25/07 at 5:49pm
Antaeus
Idole de Lubin
Daim Blond
Chergui
Czech and Speake No. 88
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post #15 of 36
5/25/07 at 6:39pm
Of course, what everybody else has already said, but have you ever smelled the drydown of Balenciaga pour Homme? The ending is a rich combination of precious woods and spices (principally cinnamon), and (I think) something with a heavy dose of cinnamic acid. I would say benzoin, but benzoin would be more powdery, and this definitely is not! Maybe it's Peru or Tolu balsam. The woods-spice thing is vaguely reminiscent of MPG Santal Noble, but only vaguely...

Anyway, an awesome drydown. Check it out if you can find it (though it is getting harder and harder to find).
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post #16 of 36
5/25/07 at 10:37pm
Versace The Dreamer drydown is heavenly...
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post #17 of 36
5/26/07 at 3:03am
The drydown of Caron Le 3eme Homme is a real journey, I really like it. Sweet, sparkling and comforting. As a matter of fact, I think I will wear it today!
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post #18 of 36
5/26/07 at 4:18am
yonggoh i think your other avatar was cooler
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post #19 of 36
5/26/07 at 6:21am
Piper Nigrum, LV Uomo, Musc Ravageur, Vetiver Extraordinaire, Carnal Flower, No. 88, Santal Noble, L'Air du Desert Marocain, M7, A*Men, Fumerie Turgue, New York, L'Homme Sage, L'Homme de Coeur, Citta di Kyoto and Trumper's Spanish Leather, to name a few.
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post #20 of 36
5/26/07 at 6:44am
Quote:
Originally Posted by G Man View Post

yonggoh i think your other avatar was cooler

You a liverpool football club fan by chance?
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post #21 of 36
5/26/07 at 7:20am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dennard View Post

Guerlain Vetiver- it took me a while to get used to the tobacco basenotes on this one. very unique take on tobacco.

Ditto! Coriolan also has a surprising drydown - one of the Guerlain-fragrances that changes the most during drydown IMO. If you wait long enough, you can find some Jicky-fougèreish in it.
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post #22 of 36
5/26/07 at 8:12am
I don't want to repeat the choices so far, so I would mention a new, which is not so popular, yet there were days when I kept sniffing myself don't believing something can smell this good: Dali Laguna PH.
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post #23 of 36
5/26/07 at 10:59am
I love Zino Davidoff's drydown. In the beginning it comes off quite sweet (I always catch blueberries), and it seems like it might be a bit too much. Yet, it dries down very softly. Sexy, romantic, and perfect for night wear. This will be my official summer night fragrance.
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post #24 of 36
5/26/07 at 11:03am
In my opinion, it has always been Lolia Lempicka Au Masculin - I can spot this fragrance drydown from a mile away.

For women? -- Angel, Allure, Coco Mlle as some of the more obvious ones
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post #25 of 36
5/26/07 at 11:38am
I forgot to add, one of the best drydowns for me is Clive Christian X...yummy.

TNMA
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post #26 of 36
5/26/07 at 12:37pm
For me,Black Aoud & L`Air du Desert Marocain.
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post #27 of 36
5/26/07 at 12:45pm
R de Capucci gets my vote.
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post #28 of 36
5/27/07 at 12:12pm
Thread Starter 
Thank you, ladies and gentlemen, for some great ideas! Some of the unfamiliar ones were on my "to try" list already, and now I'm curious about several of the others.
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post #29 of 36
5/27/07 at 12:28pm
Almost all of my favourite scents are mentioned above. The one I would add is relatively mainstream - Chanel Pour Monsieur Concentree. A moss dominated drydown is hardly distinctive (to go back to the original question), but the lingering cardamon notes (and the rest) just keep it evolving and changing like a spiralling jazz riff - (John Coltrane playing 'My Favourite Things' perhaps?)
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post #30 of 36
5/27/07 at 12:57pm
What a fool I am, almost forgot the one nobody else mentioned, yet is really classy and distinctive for a true man: Cacharel PH.
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post #31 of 36
5/27/07 at 11:47pm
Kouros
Fahrenheit
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post #32 of 36
12/3/07 at 12:38am
I test sprayed Calvin (original) on the back of my palm this afternoon and am though the top notes didnt really impress me that much, the drydown is just fantastic. I was thinking of putting my bottle on sale here, but i guess i will give it another try...probably a full wearing before i decide....

gupts
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post #33 of 36
12/3/07 at 10:59am
Michael Kors is good.
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post #34 of 36
12/3/07 at 1:19pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by gupts View Post

I test sprayed Calvin (original) on the back of my palm this afternoon and am though the top notes didnt really impress me that much, the drydown is just fantastic.

I agree - besides the luxuriously comforting way that Calvin smells (it's comforting without teetering into gourmand territory) another wonderful thing about it, is it's drydown. It's almost as good as Heritage EdP by Guerlain.

Another fantastic drydown that has been spoken about on other threads, but I didn't see it mentioned is Sandalwood by Geo F. Trumper my SOTD. Amazing!
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post #35 of 36
12/3/07 at 1:46pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by yonggoh View Post

Versace The Dreamer drydown is heavenly...

Quote:
Originally Posted by mikeperez23 View Post

Another fantastic drydown that has been spoken about on other threads, but I didn't see it mentioned is Sandalwood by Geo F. Trumper my SOTD. Amazing!

I was going to mention both of these, but you guys beat me to it! Also agree with Santal Noble, Patou Pour Homme, Rochas Lui, varied Ungaros, Idole de Lubin, L'Air du Desert Marocain...oh hell...just about everything mentioned in this thread so far!

Not yet mentioned, but notable to me, includes

Hermes Equipage
Monsieur Carven
Jalaine Patchouli
Montale Patchouli Leaves
Voleur de Roses
Spazio Krizia Uomo
D'Orsay Le Dandy
Escada Pour Homme
Sung Homme
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post #36 of 36
12/4/07 at 11:16pm
The sadly discontinued Lagerfeld KL Homme has one hell of a drydown.
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