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Eau de Gloire vs. Monocle 2:Laurel

post #1 of 20
8/13/10 at 9:06am
Thread Starter 
I'm trying Parfum d'Empire's Eau de Gloire today, and I'm struck at its similarity to Comme des Garcon's Monocle 2: Laurel. Both have a very dusky herbal-green note. In the Monocle scent, it obviously is laurel, also known as bay leaf. In Eau de Gloire, this seems to be coming from the mid-notes of anise and licorice, probably framed by rosemary at the top and tobacco & olibanum in the base. Gloire also boasts of conveying the "Corsican maquis" (a zone of scrubby plants, a synonym for garrigue).
I'd say that those who find Monocle Laurel a little too powerful and monolithic should check out Gloire. The latter is arguably more complex, rounder and smoother -- yet still delivers a special scrubby-herbal note which I find very pleasing.
I wonder if others have noticed this similarity... or see other scents in this style.
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post #2 of 20
8/13/10 at 9:21am
I have never smelled Eau de Glorie. Although I love Scent Two: Laurel's powerfulness.

Is EdG sweeter Ody?
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post #3 of 20
8/13/10 at 9:34am
Thread Starter 
Hi mike, I know you are a big fan of Laurel. I don't find EdG to be sweet at all. It does have leather and tobacco leaf notes. Normally I'm not a particular fan of these, but here I find them to be subdued, background, and not adding any heavy sweetness. EdG is a pretty good scent. As much as I like Laurel, I think I may find Gloire to be the more bottle-worthy of the two. Its complexity and restraint suit me.
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post #4 of 20
8/13/10 at 9:52am
Sounds like EdG is leaning more towards a typical eaux-cologne style, whereas the Monocle x CdG is much more of a straight up fougere.

I sure do wish the STL came in a shower gel.
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post #5 of 20
8/13/10 at 2:30pm
Just thought I'd chime in as somebody who has been a fan of Eau de Gloire for a while and has always wondered why it gets ignored on basenotes while folks talk so much about a few of the other ones from Parfums d'Empire. I've tried CdG Laurel but I'll have to try it again to see if I get the connection odysseusm is seeing. I wouldn't really say EdG is "leaning more toward a traditional eaux-cologne style" though, Mike. It has virtually no citrus and it lasts 12+ hours on me. You should give it a try!
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post #6 of 20
8/13/10 at 4:42pm
Thread Starter 
I'll second the comments of Tonyprince. Gloire has no citrus that I can detect, and is different in style from a traditional EdC. It really is very similar in style and character to Laurel, just smoother and arguably more complex. But it has the same dusky-herbal vibe, and a pretty good power.
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post #7 of 20
8/13/10 at 8:04pm
I'm sorry Ody, by I find absolutely zero similarity between the two. Perhaps in style you could draw some connections, but I find Monocle 2 to be very dry, very spicy and IMO similar to French Lover. Eau de Gloire, again IMO, is actually ever so slightly sweetened, perhaps from the tobacco? But either way, I do get some herbs from Eau de Gloire too, but it's lavender and rosemary primarily but I don't get any of that from Laurel, just pepper and bay.
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post #8 of 20
8/13/10 at 9:05pm
Thread Starter 
Interesting comments, mtgprox5. Ultimately it is totally subjective and based on reactions to one's own skin.
Agreed that Monocle 2 is very dry, uber-dry.
Agreed that Gloire is somewhat less dry, less "harsh" and demanding. But I hesitate to call it sweet. I have zero tolerance for sweet and yet I like Gloire. You say slightly sweetened and I am on board with that, and likely it is the tobacco.
I find French Lover aka Bois D'Orage to be much more incense/resinous than Gloire. Don't get an incense note in Gloire, might get a resin note if I work it.. Again, FL is as dry as Monocle 2, drier than Gloire. I love dry scents but I can find room for Gloire in my repertoire.
Glad you get some herbs from Gloire. But what amazed me was not just that it registered a general "herbal" note for me, but that it did in fact check in with a note very, very similar to Laurel. I can't explain that but I did detect it.
You guys are making me think hard about this scent, and I appreciate that! Cheers, here's to further comments...
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post #9 of 20
8/14/10 at 6:42am
OK. I have both of these on now and I'm trying to find the similarity between the two besides that they both have an herbal quality. I think that EdG is much more complex and changeable. I get wafts of all sorts of things from EdG (tobacco, tea, incense, herbs of various kinds) whereas Laurel is more stable and linear. Every once in a while a get a whiff of something that adds a slightly mentholated quality to both scents. Could this be what you're talking about, Odyssdeusm?
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post #10 of 20
8/14/10 at 8:01am
Thread Starter 
Could be mentholated, that is an accurate label. Also something that is dusky-tangy, like celery leaves. Anise/licorice in Gloire, but if that moves closer to fennel, then that captures what I get in Gloire. And fennel fronds smell somewhat similar to bay leaf, at least to me...
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post #11 of 20
8/14/10 at 8:45am
Quote:
Originally Posted by odysseusm View Post

Could be mentholated, that is an accurate label. Also something that is dusky-tangy, like celery leaves. Anise/licorice in Gloire, but if that moves closer to fennel, then that captures what I get in Gloire. And fennel fronds smell somewhat similar to bay leaf, at least to me...

Yes, yes, yes. I totally agree. You're much better at describing fragrances than I am.

One thing I think may have caused some guys on basenotes to ignore this one is that it is mistakenly listed as a feminine fragrance in the directory, which is totally inaccurate.
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post #12 of 20
8/14/10 at 2:00pm
Thread Starter 
Hey Tonyprince, thanks for the comment. I'm glad my description rang true for you. That's a reality check for my analysis! And yeah, there are many scents inaccurately gender-labeled here. Nothing at all "feminine" about Gloire.
Cheers, ody
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post #13 of 20
8/14/10 at 5:27pm
I've never smelled Eau de Gloire, and this thread makes me want to try it.

But has there ever been a scent that smelled less like you'd expect based on the color of the juice?!
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post #14 of 20
8/14/10 at 7:53pm
Thread Starter 
Colour is a funny thing. As long as it isn't blue (aquatic) or red (spicy) I don't have any expectations. Often, a very green-smelling scent will be a relatively clear colour.
Do check out Gloire, it is pretty good.
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post #15 of 20
8/14/10 at 9:45pm
Ody - is EdG at all like Alt Innsbruck Cologne? They both seem to share that herbal, cool, tobacco description. I loved AI when I tried it...it's on my To Buy list.
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post #16 of 20
8/15/10 at 5:19am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by mikeperez23 View Post

Ody - is EdG at all like Alt Innsbruck Cologne? They both seem to share that herbal, cool, tobacco description. I loved AI when I tried it...it's on my To Buy list.

mike, I don't know because I've never tried Alt Innsbruck. I do remember that Innsbruck is supposed to have a very natural and straight-forward tobacco leaf note. Whereas I wouldn't say that Gloire has a dominant note of tobacco. Gloire is a complex scent and tobacco is a minor element in that mix.
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post #17 of 20
8/15/10 at 1:24pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by odysseusm View Post

Colour is a funny thing. As long as it isn't blue (aquatic) or red (spicy) I don't have any expectations. Often, a very green-smelling scent will be a relatively clear colour.
Do check out Gloire, it is pretty good.

Oh, I've never seen a bottle in real life, but the juice looks quite blue in all the pictures I've seen. I make the same associations as you with blue juice. Not to worry -- I'm eager to try it!

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post #18 of 20
8/15/10 at 2:29pm
Thread Starter 
That is an interesting picture, PaulSc. I'm working off a sample I got at Les Senteurs and the juice is clear. The colour in the picture you've provided is a pretty blue-green, I'd like to dive into a pool with that colour.
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post #19 of 20
8/15/10 at 3:00pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by PaulSC View Post

Oh, I've never seen a bottle in real life, but the juice looks quite blue in all the pictures I've seen. I make the same associations as you with blue juice. Not to worry -- I'm eager to try it!


That pic is a pretty accurate representation of the blue-green color of the actual juice.
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post #20 of 20
8/15/10 at 4:05pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tonyprince View Post

That pic is a pretty accurate representation of the blue-green color of the actual juice.

Again, interesting! I've looked carefully at my "official" sample (printed name on the vial and in a printed box) and it is a very light, slightly cloudy green. Perhaps because of the small amount the blue doesn't register.
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Basenotes › Basenotes Forums › Fragrance Discussion › Male Fragrance Discussion › MFD Archive › Eau de Gloire vs. Monocle 2:Laurel