Men's Cologne Recommendation Please: Dry Green Animalic - Page 2  

Thanks Gido, I'll keep an open mind for sure!

Hmm we had unscented soap growing up, but Ivory is definitely the soapy standard. I find Grey Flannel super soapy (other than its brilliant violet leaf opening). I would never ever ever wear it, but I like it as a bathroom deodorant. It reminds me of an overpriced hotel bathroom.

Update on Yatagan: really enjoying it. I have to be careful upon reapplication, because the castoreum is the longest note and kind of "doubles up" on reapplication, resulting in a kind of body odor effect which isn't terrible but not great either. Its sillage and duration aren't superior at all for such a powerful concoction (once you get a good whiff).

I need to try Bandit and will do more research on some other scents that have been suggested. Probably do another decant pack from the Perfumed Court.

So far, what I'm looking for falls somewhere between Bois d'Orage/French Lover and Yatagan. More vegetal-green and less sweet and animalic than Yatagan, but a little more gutsy and full, and less floral than Bois d'Orage. Vetiver Extraordinaire was too intense/dry/woody for me, but was definitely awesome... something in between those three would be great. Any other ideas besides Bandit?

Okay you guys! I have been waiting till I had the time to research all these excellent suggestions. Here are the first results of my research and my plans to move forward with finding my elusive goal.

- Citrus Paradisi
doesn't sound green enough. but interesting, might sample.

- Dirty English
boozy, doesn't sound green enough, but it's cheap so I might get a bottle

- Vetyver Lanvin
sounds like too much vanilla

- One Man Show
sounds really interesting & dirt cheap. will buy a blind bottle

- Bogart
also interesting sounding & cheap. will buy blind bottle
edit: accidentally bought Bogart pour Homme which is totally pedestrian, already sent it back. in Bogart however, birch sounds like a prominent note in the base -- going to pass on this

- Bandit
will be ordering a sample

- Green Irish Tweed
sounds too floral and marine

- Fahrenheit
reformulation sounds ruined

- Quorum
worth a shot for sure. cheap! will buy blind bottle

- Route du Vetiver
sounds like sycomore which i love. will sample

- Djedi
would love to sample but not willing to pay $20 for less than a ml...

- Original Vetiver
sounds too soapy

- Vetiver Tonka
sounds too sweet/caramelly

- Encre Noire
interesting sounding vetiver. sample or bottle not sure

- Davidoff Zino
vanilla drydown = no

- Eau de Campagne
might be a match! will order sample

- Papyrus de Ciane
sounds great, pricey but will order a sample

- Etro Vetiver
sounds pretty basic, might sample

- Parfum d'Habit
sounds like a sandalwood yatagan or something. will sample

- Wood & Absinth
pricey, maybe if i can find a sample i will

- La Nuit
all 4 with similar names sound wrong for me

- Futur
sounds too soapy

- Skarb
sounds really weird! i'm interested. might sample

- Swarowski
$$$$$$$$ ... probably can't even find a sample but i admit it sounds like a match

- Complex
close, might be too much birch tar but will order a sample


That's it! Feel free to comment. I'll be moving forward with the orders I can afford this week.

So I got my first comment on the Yatagan! I was at the grocery store and struck up a convo with this HOT cougar. She said I smelled really good and asked what I was wearing. I played coy and told her we'd discuss discuss the mystery fragrance when we hung out

I really enjoy my bottle of Yatagan, thanks so much for that you guys!

Got samples or bottles of all the frags in the last list in bold, plus Citrus Paradisi, Dirty English, Wood & Absinth, and Etro Vetiver. Also threw in Kouros and Comme des Garcons Calamus just out of curiosity.

Just sampled the Pino Silvestre that arrived yesterday on a scent strip. Ugh, too much linalool! Thought it would be a drier pine. Smells like a poor Italian immigrant, definitely a "New Jersey Guido" thing. Is that racist? I'll try a spritz one of these days, but I have a feeling I might want to trade it for some other cheapo frag... either that or use it as bathroom deodorant.

Has a "marine-ozone" accord. I have never smelled a marine fragrance I liked.

Wearing Yatagan again today. It's the only one I've found and can afford that I consistently enjoy wearing out in public. However, it still remains to try a number of fragrances I've recently ordered.

Here are some that I've had a chance to get around to wiping onto scent strips:

Comme des Garcons Calamus: Light and floral with a slight woody/reedy mid note. Drydown is sweet and faceless, pastels. Very feminine; fail. I'm going to simply go with recommendations from you geniuses instead of reading BS marketing copy, even for samples.

Boadicea the Victorious Complex: utterly dissonant and bitter opening, the blackcurrant leaf providing some berry to dirty it up even more. I was intrigued until the birch tar came in. I guess I'm just not that hip to it. Reminded me a bit of a drier Knize Ten. An hour in, it was all leather/birch tar. Kind of boring, and I don't like birch tar much (so far). What a great experience smelling that top chord though; really gutsy that they even sell this stuff.

Route du Vetiver: Wow this stuff is powerful & dry. It's got the harsh solvent and funky earth of vetiver, with almost none of its dark richness. The opening is rubbing alcohol and pepper, really gutsy. . . miles away from "pretty." The drydown keeps it dry but it develops a bit with some other notes. Not particularly green or animalic in my opinion. This is the brown/black side of vetiver. Parched soil and dessicated roots. Amazing, and probably not what I'm looking for, but I will likely wear this a bit just to make sure. The comparisons to Sycomore are understandable, but this has a lot less wood and a lot more dank dry earth. . . and less depth. Definitely uncompromising!

Sisley Eau de Campage: This one is also rather uncompromising. It's definitely green and a little animalic. I find the top accord quite harsh citrus: it smells of lemon myrtle, whose essential oil is almost entirely citral. A persistent sour note, probably the tomato leaf, dominates after this blast of pure citral/geraniol and overshadows fresher, greener notes in the heart. This fragrance has an otherworldly strangeness, like conscious plants on a distant planet. Something seemed strange and off in this juice. I wore it to dinner and everything seemed mildly disturbing (except my food thank goodness). After doing some research, I've read that this one suffered from reformulation in recent years. Does anyone know anything about this? EdC has been around a long time, so perhaps some of you have smelled old and new and can shed some light.

Importantly, I'm noticing a pattern that I'm not looking for "sour" notes (cf. Timbuktu) other than citrus in my signature scent.

Dude start a new thread; that is totally OT. Then come back here and delete your post.

I like your perspective man. I might save up for a bottle of Sycomore at some point. I really loved it on the strip. Being super sparing with my 1ml sample at the moment.

Re: Exhale, not looking for smoky at the moment. I'm very focused on finding my fresh green dry animalic!

In the meantime, Yatagan is still making me happy. My shirt smells gooooooood

Clarification: I mean "dry" in the sense of "not sweet." I do not mean "dry" as the opposite of "wet." Actually I think the fragrance I'm looking for should be fresh and green; it could feel a little wet in fact. Somewhere toward the middle of the "wet-dry" spectrum I'd assume.

Not digging the extreme leather of Complex at all. The light leather in Yatagan is fine though.


sounds great!


Vetiver Extraordinaire and Route du Vetiver are a little too much for me tbh...


awesome!


I hope you're right!


Ugh floral leather does not appeal to me.


Probably worth a shot.

Conifers are not really a goal of mine with this fragrance, but it's good as a supporting role.

Thanks again alfarom!

Tried the other two samples I received tonight on scent strip:

Skarb: A brave attempt at a salty marine accord. This one may just have a bit of real seaweed in it, if memory of my absolute serves correctly. But as usual, the marine note is still too loud. Synthetic marines have yet to be handled with adequate subtlety and balance in the fragrances I have smelled. Interesting, but definitely not a match. Edit: anonymous but balanced oakmoss drydown.

Citrus Paradisi: A skilled experiment in civet grapefruit. I pick up a touch of jasmine rounding things out with the clary sage in the heart accord, and the drydown is a classic mid-century moss that in a less daring frag would have followed a rose bouquet. Strange overtones of chlorine and detergent accompany the opening trajectory, yet it remains balanced throughout. I could imagine a powerful woman of fifty pulling this off. Definitely not for me, but thanks for the suggestion. Rather fascinating olfactory art in fact. Edit: drydown is nicely sweet and clear.

Nice spectrum here it looks like.


alfarom recommended -- I will be trying.


Sounds fun, will try.


Sounds interesting, hope it's dry too. Will order


The soap doesn't sound like a match, but after reading the reviews I've got to try it.


Wormwood makes it sound like a good candidate. will order


Polo regular is so boring to me, so I'm very hesitant about this one. Light soapiness supposedly... pass for now


Couldn't find Artek... Hinoki maybe not animalic enough. My hinoki wood essential oil from Japan is amazing though!

Two new samples today.

Papyrus de Ciane: Yet another birch tar floral. What an overused note, birch tar. So far I've found it totally unconvincing, from Knize Ten to Complex to this. Blech. No more birch tar leathers, please.

Encre Noire: Wearing it right now. So far it's the only vetiver setting that doesn't overshadow the subject's multifaceted character. Really nice! Contender for my vetiver frag, maybe pick up a bottle at some point. Certainly not the winner for this thread; I find vetiver only slightly green actually, and this frag doesn't exaggerate vetiver's greenness. Nor is it animalic. Nevertheless I'm enjoying wearing it. Edit: longevity is rather poor.

Also tried some popular fragrances at CVS on test strips tonight just for fun.

Tommy Girl: Dried fruit and rose, pretty intense stuff! Phew. Wouldn't dig it on a girl I think -- too heavy and cloying. Surprised LT says it's a feminine for guys.

Azzaro Chrome: Faceless. Metallic without being interesting. Surprisingly heavy and floral too.

Aramis: Wow this one is a real crazy powerhouse. Spices, civet and musk. Probably too sweet for me to ever wear, but I can definitely see how it's a classic. Super animalic, and not with bullsh&t birch tar, either. Definitely a "dirty underwear" type of frag! This is how I imagined Kouros to smell, and now I'm really scared because it sounds even heavier and more animalic & funky than Aramis!

Yes, that's why I want to try it. Complexity is good for this project. Though so far leather has not worked well for me unless it is a mere accompaniment to the composition as in Yatagan.


Sounds good. When I'm searching for a vetiver, I'll consider it.

Bandit: Another birch tar fragrance. Though this is a bit drier than Knize Ten, the opening is still quite sugary. To me, birch + tar = wintergreen + bandaids. Sweetish and minty. Also, this fragrance is not green in the slightest. Total miss for this thread.

Suffice to say that birch tar is not a note I desire in my signature scent.

More samples and bottles on the way, cross your fingers!

Okay I just received my shipment from Lucky Scent. They are really fast! My new go-to sample site. (Maybe they're shipping from the store in Los Angeles? I should just go over there instead of ordering these silly vials for too much money.) I'm excited about these 3 since they seem like closer matches than many of the other suggestions.

Okay I've just thrown all three onto some 3x5s, and I have to say, I really like all three so far. That's the first time I've ever liked three in a row. It's still in the top accord of them right now...

(later)
Oops, the Eloge du Traitre, about which I had such high hopes, is all birch tar. I must have an extreme sensitivity to this stuff, since every fragrance that has it smells like sweet wintergreen with a little leather. Because of this sensitivity, I think I could only handle a fragrance with a tiny amount. How strange that everyone else perceives birch tar fragrances like Knize Ten, Bandit, and this one as dry ... they smell sweet and minty to me. Yes, there's also complexity there too, but the birch tar for me wallops everything but the top notes. EdT has a great top accord, really bitter and green, just how I like it! But unfortunately all my nose registers after that is birch tar with a touch of oakmoss -- all greenness gone, just like Bandit. Ah well. Side note: I agree with Off-Scenter's review that the resemblance to Yatagan is purely superficial.

Profvmvm Victrix: Absolutely gorgeous. This one has got to be almost all natural with just a little synthetic structure to provide the bones, since it scintillates with natural greenness. It has a gentle softness to it. I would love a candle of this. I'd love my house to smell like it all the time. It has the green fresh-cut flowers smell (without much flower), but also a little meadow and a touch of hay. It reminds me of Jardin du Nil but it's simpler, purer, and deeper. It has absolutely no hard edges or notes protruding -- extremely balanced. Fantastic, but far too nice to be my signature scent. Maybe I'll save up for a bottle because it smells so damn good.
Edit: Upon a full wearing, I find this juice annoyingly aquatic. Not Calone, but something synthetically marine. No-go.

Monocle Laurel: This one is also delicious. I love Bay Laurel leaf -- I have an excellent essential oil of it -- and this one delivers on that front, while providing some additional interest. Relatively bitter. . . I can definitely see why it was recommended to me! I'll have to try it on my skin. Might have a little calone or something, because it has a transparent freshness that herbs alone wouldn't account for, but it's nice and subtle. A little sweetness is coming in now. . . at least on paper, it's still a bit too sweet for me. Nothing animalic yet.

Will report on the drydown later, but these two are real gems. No wonder they cost so much; they are obviously composed with very high-quality naturals.

I appreciate your guys' curiosity and assistance in my mission. To be perfectly honest, nothing I have smelled is adequate. Apparently there are very few bitter green animalic colognes. Who knew.

As noted, Yatagan and Bois d'Orage are the closest, but neither hits it. In fact those two are the only ones I would actually wear out and consider moderately representative of my vibe. I'm very happy I found even one, especially one so cheap! (I suppose I'll have to save up for the Bois.)

Note: Having worn my decant of BdO a few times, I must say its angelica is a bit stark for my vibe. I prefer more dense animalic compositions for every day wear. The perfume concept and execution are of the highest order here, however.

But I have not yet found my signature scent. I haven't lost all hope -- several more samples are on their way to me -- but it's getting a little frustrating, I must say. Not surprising though -- I'm definitely a snob with other sensual experiences, such as music, food, clothes, art, movies, literature, etc.

I wore the Route du Vetiver when hanging out with my dad today. I found it quite nice. Not particularly green however, but good. The drydown is subtle -- a warm light musk quite similar to Eau de Guerlain's. Smells a lot like my own skin when it's really on the sweet side.

Here's a fun aside. I found myself down in Orange County today and dropped by TJ Maxx, where lots of basenoters pick up commercial frags on the cheap. I had never been. I decided to go with three bottles just for the heck of it.

Halston 1-12: I found this one the best of the bunch. It's a lot like Grey Flannel, but a little sweeter and way less of the explosive heart note (violet?). I might wear it some morning wearing my bathrobe while reading the New York Times website on my balcony. It's kinda soapy & classy and a bit safe, but nicely balanced. Meh.

Halston Z-14: This one has some top notes in common with Yatagan, which is great. Then the cinnamon comes in. I like the smell of cinnamon, but with the base notes it basically adds up to dentists' polishing paste / toothpaste. Gross! I was really hoping I'd like this one since it was created by Yatagan's Vincent Marcello. Guess I should know better than to expect something up my alley from a drugstore frag. Though I admit the toothpaste note is done with a lot of class and balance. I will surely try it at least once more just to make sure, because I have so much respect for Yatagan and it took me a couple wears to really get that frag. Definitely unusual though.
Note: This is a review of the reformulated swill. Here is my review of the good old juice:
http://www.basenotes.net/threads/287...=1#post2420728

Red for Men: This Giorgio classic's reviews here on bn had me intrigued. Unfortunately when I sniffed it I was quite repelled. Just a really in-your-face mess. It's very conventional, yet totally loud: a horrible, syrupy disaster. I will definitely be placing this baby on the trading board.

Heading to Luckyscent now. My expectations are low. :/

Good analogy gido. I'm keeping an open mind. I haven't ruled out wearing a variety of scents in general and have been buying blind bottles of cheap stuff with an eye to wearing the ones I like -- so far I've found Yatagan which is great. I think that everybody else likes sweet smells more than I do, so I know it won't be an easy journey. I've had some great suggestions, such as Eau de Campagne, which is indeed not sweet at all, though I found it had a disagreeable note. I definitely would have recommended a number of these frags had I read this thread. You guys rock.

Update on Halston 1-12: it has a nice musky drydown that reminds me of a warmer, less sophisticated version of Eau de Guerlain's musk. Definitely wearable around the house, especially for doing some work that involves alertness, or reading, etc. A wearable version of Grey Flannel (which I find an ideal bathroom deodorant) and a great value for sure.

Yesterday I went to Luckyscent's Scent Bar here in Los Angeles! What a great store. I tried a number of frags for the first time, notably Nasomatto's Hindu Grass and Absinth. I found them both a bit fibrous/dried mat/reedy for my taste, especially Hindu Grass. However it was very educational to smell a couple niche greens full of costly naturals that are very different from most greens on the market. Absinth was better on the strip; I will be trying it on my skin. Rachel gave me samples of those two and Memoir Man (which I found too resinous and sweet).

The most balanced and beautiful fragrance (not related to this thread) I tried was Trefle Pur by Atelier. Beautiful citrus, quite similar to Eau de Guerlain, but with a different drydown -- mossy instead of EdG's subtle warm musk. I tried Fat Electrician, whose graphic is hilarious, and this Odin Petrana stuff, which was rather unusual and good.

Also, Al Gae happened to be there which was great. We had a good chat about scents.

This morning I tried CdG/Monocle's Laurel on my skin. It lasted about 2 hours. I found it a rather pedestrian herbal (despite the excellent bay leaf oil), though pleasant for the most part. There is a synthetic melony note in there (calone?) that while subtle is still an annoyance. Definitely not worth the investment at this time.

Got a handful of samples today. Will be sampling...

accidental duplicate post. this site is experiencing major issues for the last 2 weeks

accidental duplicate post. this site is experiencing major issues for the last 2 weeks

Okay today's batch of samples was exciting! I feel I'm really getting somewhere here. Sprayed em onto cardstock about 90 minutes ago.

Etro Vetiver: This vetiver focuses on the earthy, crisp side of vetiver, fairly simple. If I want to get a pure vetiver frag I'll be comparing this to the others out there. However I'll probably get Chanel Sycomore instead which is half dry (sandal)wood and half vetiver, which is more interesting, though a bit pricey. After all I already own terrific Haitian vetiver oil I can slap on. Not sure why it was recommended ... not particularly green. Vetiver is one of my favorite scents though so it's a nice one.

YSL Kouros: Got this one for fun and because the reviews are so hilarious on here. Whew this is some powerful sh*t! Extremely sweet/cloying. Like standing in the bathroom hallway of an Indian restaurant, with typical super sweet Indian synthetic incense burning, cheap bathroom deodorizer, bathroom smells, and spices from the kitchen. It definitely has a unique character with a certain depth. The bathroom side is actually interesting, but the sweetness is so over the top! I see this one as unisex for sure.

MPG Parfum d'Habit: Starts with a nice green herbal accord, not bitter/dry enough for me, but still nice. Very well constructed sandalwood-leather. There are some warm/fresh florals that really work. There's a bit of an intense synthetic note (flower or wood?) that is harsh and a little sweet, but the rest of the palette is kinda nice. I'll try wearing it but it's probably a miss due to the synthetic wood or amber or whatever that is... very commercial/old school and a bit cheap smelling to me. Note: I think there may be a small tad of birch tar in this one. If so, I consider it a successful dose, nice and subtle.

Esencia Loewe for Men: I saved the gem for last! Well I'm not to the base accord yet, but this baby really delivers. Genius recommendation for me. It's very bitter and green! Finally. The opening is an inventive accord with bitter wormwood and classic juniper, a note I associate with boring 80s colognes, but here it works much better. It's green and bracing, while exuding some balance and class too. Esencia lies sort of between Yatagan and Eau de Campagne, without the former's brutally ballsy castoreum or the latter's strange, bracing vegetal harshness. Instead of these, it's got a fresh juicy (not sweet) heart accord that is a great take on clary sage, flanked by a little dry rose and geranium. The linalool is not annoying as in Pino Silvestre (pussifying the conifer effect) or in Z-14 (bad combo with cinammon). The great thing is that a dry-bitter herbal note cuts through these notes, possibly wormwood stem, which gives EL a multifaceted character (hence "gem"). Some sniffs I get friendly, slightly sweeter juicy notes, and some it's dry herbal. Great contrasts! I will edit with more info on the drydown -- I think I smell cedar so far, which is a great match for any bitter green frag (cf. Bois d'Orage).

One cool thing is that instead of ordering a small sample, I actually bought a couple 2ml sample vials, which I'm really happy about now. Just based on what I've got here I can pretty much guarantee I'll purchase a 1.7oz. It's only 2x as much as Yatagan, pretty affordable! This will probably be my choice for a "classier" fragrance that is still somewhat representative, though it's not animalic really.

I feel extremely happy that LiveJazz recommended this one! Now I have a great triangle: Yatagan, Bois d'Orage (saving up, but knowing it exists is good for now), and Esencia Loewe, which surround the mystery spot of my "ideal" fragrance! That's three frags that are very much in the ballpark. YES!!!

Read my intro thread to see why. Obviously I won't be posting anymore new threads on this board, but since we're already here...

http://www.basenotes.net/threads/277304-My-Introduction

Ody, great to see you on the thread. Another welcome voice. I have been researching your recommendations -- some seem like good contenders (on the coniferous side, natch). The challenge as usual is "is it dry enough?"

Update on Esencia Loewe: Wore it today and its longevity on my skin is quite poor. It dries down to a quiet, pleasant musk in less than three hours, though I suppose it's possible I applied too little. But still, I really dig it. Definitely going ahead with a bottle. There are some 5oz testers being sold for about $65, good value for the quality. I have a feeling I'll be applying it generously this Summer.

Meanwhile I'm bidding on some Sycomore on ebay, wish me luck... love that stuff (unrelated to this thread as it's not green).

I really appreciate the opportunity to try Skarb. It's not like any other fragrances and was definitely evocative of tidepools in an interesting way. (I don't want to smell anything like them however.)


I will definitely put a saved search on Ebay for it. Let me take this opportunity to just say that it is IDIOTIC to sell a fragrance ONLY in a bottle with overpriced crystals on it. I am hesitant to try it because I don't want to desire a bottle! It does sounds excellent of course. After doing some more research, I have to say it doesn't really sound green at all -- earthy and woody more like. I don't find vetiver all that green. What note(s) do you find green, Sculpture?

Thanks for the explanation! I will definitely score a sample if I can.

However, you should understand that Bois d'Orage and Laurel are not too rough/scratchy at all for me -- they are right up my alley. Bois in particular I could definitely wear every day. My taste in fragrance is much less sweet than 99% of people it seems.

I wore the Halston 1-12 today. Not anything to do with this thread of course. It's ok -- a well-contructed synthetic. I'll keep it around for trips to the DMV, the courthouse, and other official places where I wish to project a clean, inoffensive vibe. There aren't many of those places


Jardin sur le Nil is just so mild and soft. It's not bold enough. Eau de Campagne is still a bit offputting on paper, but it's undoubtedly a well-constructed juice -- I'll keep at that one. The tomato leaf is a bit overwhelming still.


Okay. It wasn't boldly coniferous for me. All that linalool really cheapened the picture for me... I'll try it again but I think my uncle's getting my bottle!


Victrix is definitely the better of the two, I agree. I wonder if Profvmvm makes candles...


Sycomore. I am fascinated by that one. Though actually I don't consider it a pure vetiver frag. However that's okay with me.


Incense notes kind of "freeze" fragrances for me; they stabilize too much for what I'm looking for in this thread. I like very alive notes (=vibrant green and animalic).


L'Eau Guerriere doesn't sound that green after the opening. Pass.
Eau de Gloire sounds a bit incensey but I'll give it a shot.
Li Altarelli has a marine note which makes me wary, but it sounds interesting.
Sud Est sounds like an intense, herbal take on traditional cologne. I will give a shot since it's so dry.


Spirit sounds like something I'd dig, will order a bottle. Whoever heard of upscale body spray?
Grain de Plaisir sounds like a serious contender. Will sample
Fou D'Absinthe sounds great, will sample


En Sens de Bois: more incense huh. maybe...
Fleurs de Sel sounds like a version of "beach" that's up my alley. will sample


Cypres-Musc sounds a bit traditional. Would definitely sample if I weren't concerned I might fall in love and not be able to afford more.
Epicea doesn't seem like a match for this thread, but I will likely try it because it sounds interesting.


Potpourri: why the hell not

Got three more samples today.

Comme des Garcons + Artek Standard: urinaceous herbs give way to an incensey and unique heart. interesting, but not green enough for me. Turns out I'm a green monster. Incense in general feels rather static to me and is not the right direction for this thread. The cedar note is superb though.
Update: On the skin, it's all pepper for the first phase, which gives way to neutral woods and a touch of musk. A bit too straightforward, and not particularly green.

Van Cleef & Arpels pour Homme: all I smell is a high-quality orris/iris note. extremely soapy and dry. not particularly green after the opening. Iris is definitely not a note I'm looking for in this thread. Interesting that others register iris as "dark" when it smells blindingly bright to me (Ivory soap in a bright bathroom).

Xeryus: got a bottle of this one because it was so cheap, but I doubt I'll use much of it. I might even trade it. A rather pedestrian oriental fougere, quite synthetic but well-balanced, and with a tart mandarin+herbal top accord. Warm spices are not at all what I'm looking for here. Bit of a yawn, this one. It smells like a cheaper version of another fougere, I think it might be Chanel pour Monsieur but it's been a few weeks since I sampled that one. Will try it on my skin as recommended in the reviews section though.

Oops I meant chypre. I enjoy its citrus opening, though the spices/florals in the heart are a bit sweet and safe for me. This does feel like a stripped down version of something in Turin's top 10, a warm, mossy frag.

Good question Laureline. Absinth, on the whole, was too sweet for me. I can see why the perfumer chose that route though, since the drink is sweet and bitter. It felt quite static to me as well, incensey notes. The drydown is a bit "fiber mat" too, sort of like Hindu Grass but not as extreme. It didn't feel as sharp or bitter as the drink is, which was a little disappointing. I have a 1ml sample though and will eventually wear it at least once to get a better feel. However, of the fragrances I sampled that day, Absinth was the closest match to what I'm looking for. Just not close enough.

I ordered two more blind bottles last night, Sud Est and Gran de Plaisir. I'm still waiting on a few bottles to arrive. . . cross your fingers! We're nearing the end of this search.

Update: tried Xeryus again before bed. It's pleasant! Reminds me a little of New York but with moss. Too sweet for me to wear out often, but very nicely constructed.

duplicate post due to slow server

I tooled around town today and finally tried Dior's Fahrenheit -- careful to pick the regular Fahrenheit, not the other ones named similarly. I assume the reformulation (or deformulation as the case may be) is responsible for this smelling of chemical fruit cocktail with black pepper. Truly horrific, and unfortunately it doesn't smell anything like a garage, scenternerian. Also picked up a plastic bottle of P&G Old Spice at Target. I'll be curious to see if it smells like my Old Spice classic deodorant from the late 80s.

I got home and had two samples waiting for me. I just wiped em on some card a few minutes ago.

Guerlains Sous le Vent: Quite similar to Xeryus so far, with a bit more complexity, and less spice. But still lots of powdery carnation. Definitely not manly enough for me. . . much too traditional.

Acqua di Parma Cipresso di Toscana: Nice! So far, it is VERY similar to Esencia Loewe which came out a decade earlier. Will report back on how it develops . . . it's so similar thus far that I think I would only buy one or the other, whichever I like better.

Update: It seems Cipresso dries down immediately after the excellent top accord into . . . nothing. Lasts barely 30 minutes. So, I will be going with Esencia Loewe. Great suggestion though!

I've been waiting on a bunch of bottles. One retailer, Radiant Gear, just sat on their hands and I had to dispute the charges.

Anthony Logistics Spirit: Opens like a synthetic version of Cipresso di Toscana, quite nice. Then the sweet floral accord (geraniol/lillial/linalool?) comes in, boring and too sweet. Definitely not a match. Gave the bottle to my brother who said he liked how it smelled. I found it halfway between Cipresso and Pino Silvestre (which I'll be giving to my uncle -- very synthetic and cheap smelling, also too much linalool).

Edit: Wore Esencia Loewe again today, fantastic stuff. I noticed that Spirit actually resembles it, but Esencia pulls off the florals with not only sophistication and complexity, but dryness too. Good suggestion, regardless!

Question: while doing research on Cuba Green (just bought a blind bottle), I ran across a reference to Dipyque L'Eau Trois. Any reason why no one recommended? Too much incense for me you think?