Davidoff Adventure = LdDM + TdH

The title is heresy, right? Well.. read on!

I admit, I only tried one spray (which is still quite detectable a few hours later), but yes, as crazy as it sounds, Adventure is like a mix of TdH (Hermes Terre d'Hermes) + LdDM (Tauer's L'Air du Desert Marocain) to this nose. It's got the spices and sweetness and a note remeniscent of the tar note of LdDM along with the pepper, Iso E Super (or perhaps it's a lot of some other lifting agent - it reminds me a bit of the lift/warmth found in Timbuktu), and the "lift" and more ethereal nature of TdH.

I'd say it's more like LdDM in overall scent profile but not in "weight" where it's much more like TdH. The chili pepper and sesame in the heart of Adventure share some semblance with the tar note in LdDM and the mineral note in TdH, although there is more sweetness present and it's not as upfront and center as it is in TdH.

There seems to be a large quantity of some synthetic 'lifting agents' present, which does give it a more synthetic feel than LdDM (although I think TdH smells just as if not more synthetic with its huge dose of Iso E Super). I can only think that those who found this scent extremely weak and fleeting are anosmic to whatever lifting agent is comprising a large portion of this fragrance. I have a question for those who find this fleeting - do you also find either TdH or L'Artisan's Timbuktu fleeting (I actually think the chemical present here is the same as in Timbuktu.. it has the same warmth and feel to me.) For the record, I find Timbuktu to be extremely long lasting. It easily lasts all day. So please tell me if you find either TdH or Timbuktu fleeting along with the perceived longevity of Adventure - I'm pretty sure we can find a correlation.

I need to test this one some more, but I really like what I've sniffed so far. I just hope the musk base doesn't overpower everything.. we'll see where it goes from here.

edited to add: I almost didn't try this on at all after hearing so much negative hype about it around here. Despite trying to be open minded, prior to spraying it on I was really expecting to dislike it.

I hope someone else can see the similarities and confirm that I'm not off my rocker. I'll admit the scent seemed quite fleeting at first, but later bloomed and got louder from about the 1-3 hour mark. I've got it on my left arm and a dab of LdDM and Timbuktu (my TdH sample is empty, sadly) on my right arm. Adventure, about 3 hours in, is definitely remeniscent of the LdDM on my right arm, but with the lift of Timbuktu or TdH. The more I sniff them, the more I think I should have compared Adventure to LdDM + Timbuktu, as I think that is more accurate than LdDM + TdH.

Well, I figured since L'air is written with an apostrophe I'd treat it as one word. Sorry for any confusion.

I think it's the same chemical as in Timbuktu, which also turns a bit sweet on me. I'm quite sure its the musk in the base, and yes, Adventure, now almost 4 hours in, is starting to get sweeter and a bit more powdery, with hints of the sesame and spice from the heart still present. Of course, LdDM has a sweetness present throughout, and the sweetness in Adventure seems similar although not as smooth and deep. The sweetness in LdDM seems more like real vanilla, while here it's more like some kind of transparent white "with some hints of vanilla" musk.

TC, what kind of longevity and sillage did you get from this? Right now I'm guessing longevity with a proper full wearing would be about 6-8 hours which is just right given my tastes. Also, what kind of longevity and projection do you get from TdH and Timbuktu, if you've tried them?

About 4.5 hours into it, the musk and sweetness has subdued and a slightly powdery vetiver note is now present. Quite a complex scent, actually.

Well, the primary drawback to Adventure is the late stage drydown which is a fairly typical white musk aroma with just hints of vetiver. That being said, I could still smell it faintly 12 hours after application.

Honestly, Adventure is one of the most interesting designer scents I've come across in a long time and I'm a bit sad to see people write it off so quickly. The sesame in the heart notes is superb. It walks a fine line between the gourmand qualities of LdDM and the earthy/mineral aspects of TdH, and I think fans of either would enjoy Adventure if they gave it a chance. I'm going to try and score a sample soon so I can give it a few proper wearings. I really feel that's the only way to make up one's mind about any scent.

I'm tempted to pick up a bottle of this though - and at $39 for 100ml at Perfume.com it's hard to resist. IMO it is unquestionably more interesting than Timbuktu. Of course, people's preconceived notions will interfere with their perception of this one. *sigh*

It seemed to do this on me too - I tried breathing on the spot where I sprayed and it came back to life so I knew it hadn't vanished entirely. About 45 minutes later, it re-emerged much stronger than before, with the prominent chili pepper/sesame notes, surrounded by a bit of orange from the top and some cedar and other woods. It smells like there's an overdose of some chemical in this one and I'm wondering if it isn't triggering olfactory fatigue quite quickly in many.

Have you tried Timbuktu? What kind of longevity do you get with it?

Weird, on me it definitely lasts all day (12+ hours).

Well, if you ever get a chance you should give Adventure another spritz, ideally while wearing/testing nothing else. As I said, it took awhile for it to bloom on me.

It still smells nicely on the card 2.5 days later.

Well yes, I agree that it's not like that TdH in scent, but more like TdH in its heaviness.. or rather, it's sort of 'ethereal lightness.' As mentioned, it's far more like L'Air du Desert Marocain as far as the actual scent goes.

I'm curious as to why you say "obiviously hermes is better and more complex" as if there is some objective scent evaluation metric out there that I'm unaware of.