This week has seen me cap off very heavy round bargain shopping at Filenes basement/TJ Maxx. Some quick reviews of the scores.
1) Lanvin Vetyver $10 for 30ml. Scentimental's review is spot on. This is a very well blended fragrance (only 14 ingredients) that evokes an abstract vetiver in the context of a aquatic base. This is different than traditional vetiver's (e.g L'occitane's Vetyver) that use vetiver on a woody/brown base. It's understated and does not project much, so its good for office use or in situations where you want to be sniffed at close range and not at long range.
Reasonably long lasting, though in general you want to apply it liberally, about 1/3rd of the way though you start to get flashes of vetiver. There is some calone in the top notes, so I see it as being in some way related to Lanvin's Oxygene.
2) Christian Lacroix Tumult: $15 for 50ml: This is a guys only fragrance, and it is very different from other common men's fragrances. In this respect I think it similar to Lolita Lempicka for men, which is also outside the usual range of men's fragrance. Tumulte is based on Cedar. This fragrance is roughly 93% cedar and 7% other stuff. The other stuff being a dash of juniper/cade oil adding a very slight tarry character to the core cedar accord (composed of four difference types of cedar, including the camphoracious Texas cedar), and some insense that emerges later in the dry down. At all times cedar is front and center.
This won't be a good seller in stores, since on a testing card, the cedar is overbearing and obnoxious. This fragrance can create some olfactory habituation, you will get flashes of it over several hours as your nose saturates/desaturates from all the cedar. This is fragrance is most conceptually similar to women's soliflore, and IMHO creates a new category of "solibois".
3) Lanvin Oxygene Homme $15 for 100ml. A very well done aquatic/ozonic. The BN reviews are all over the place on this one. For me, after the top notes come off, you are left with a long lasting (8hr plus) engaging aquatic accord that smells like fresh pure spring water. Definately few cuts above the typical ozonics.
4) Purple Water $20 for 100ml: I'm keeping this sealed for a day when I want to try something new.
5) L'occitane's Cade Shower Gel: $10 for 200ml. Even at this price an extravagance, to say nothing of full retail @ $20/200ml, which will run you about a dollar or two per shower. Very nice shower gel that makes a good bubble bath for the morning. Nice juniper scent. I haven't seen any other l'occitane stuff anywhere else, which is sad.
Misc sightings (of interest).
TJX: B*Men, Arpege PH, Gianfranco Ferre GF pour lui, Drakkar Noir (100ml), various Bvlgari, Polo Safari, Paul Smith London for Men.
FB: Various Givenchy (Xerxys, X rouge, Gentlemen), Arpege PH, Full Burberry line ex London, Lolita Lempicka au Masculin (rare).
1) Lanvin Vetyver $10 for 30ml. Scentimental's review is spot on. This is a very well blended fragrance (only 14 ingredients) that evokes an abstract vetiver in the context of a aquatic base. This is different than traditional vetiver's (e.g L'occitane's Vetyver) that use vetiver on a woody/brown base. It's understated and does not project much, so its good for office use or in situations where you want to be sniffed at close range and not at long range.
Reasonably long lasting, though in general you want to apply it liberally, about 1/3rd of the way though you start to get flashes of vetiver. There is some calone in the top notes, so I see it as being in some way related to Lanvin's Oxygene.
2) Christian Lacroix Tumult: $15 for 50ml: This is a guys only fragrance, and it is very different from other common men's fragrances. In this respect I think it similar to Lolita Lempicka for men, which is also outside the usual range of men's fragrance. Tumulte is based on Cedar. This fragrance is roughly 93% cedar and 7% other stuff. The other stuff being a dash of juniper/cade oil adding a very slight tarry character to the core cedar accord (composed of four difference types of cedar, including the camphoracious Texas cedar), and some insense that emerges later in the dry down. At all times cedar is front and center.
This won't be a good seller in stores, since on a testing card, the cedar is overbearing and obnoxious. This fragrance can create some olfactory habituation, you will get flashes of it over several hours as your nose saturates/desaturates from all the cedar. This is fragrance is most conceptually similar to women's soliflore, and IMHO creates a new category of "solibois".
3) Lanvin Oxygene Homme $15 for 100ml. A very well done aquatic/ozonic. The BN reviews are all over the place on this one. For me, after the top notes come off, you are left with a long lasting (8hr plus) engaging aquatic accord that smells like fresh pure spring water. Definately few cuts above the typical ozonics.
4) Purple Water $20 for 100ml: I'm keeping this sealed for a day when I want to try something new.
5) L'occitane's Cade Shower Gel: $10 for 200ml. Even at this price an extravagance, to say nothing of full retail @ $20/200ml, which will run you about a dollar or two per shower. Very nice shower gel that makes a good bubble bath for the morning. Nice juniper scent. I haven't seen any other l'occitane stuff anywhere else, which is sad.
Misc sightings (of interest).
TJX: B*Men, Arpege PH, Gianfranco Ferre GF pour lui, Drakkar Noir (100ml), various Bvlgari, Polo Safari, Paul Smith London for Men.
FB: Various Givenchy (Xerxys, X rouge, Gentlemen), Arpege PH, Full Burberry line ex London, Lolita Lempicka au Masculin (rare).
I hope I find more L'occitane stuff at TJX/FB as I could never afford as much of it as I want in real life. The Cade aftershave balm is really nice. I'm surprised they never made a Cade EdT (only aftershave), I think Christian LaCroix suceeded with a single note Cedar fragrance, so why not cypress?
