O'Driù brings Niche back to its place (Olfactive Obsessions) - Page 6

Will do. This is sounding better and better. Definitely looking forward to it. :-)

I received my sample of Laurhum due to Alfa's great generosity and of course had to immediately give it a test run. While I have only gotten one full wearing on skin under my belt, the following were my early impressions of the scent...

Up top I get a slight bit of spiced orange, mixed with a nice olive note. It sounds weird, but I have smelled something similar (albeit more aggressive) in one or two of the other O'driu scents and liked it then... and I like it now too...

The scent then takes a sweeter turn with vanilla taking the starring role and keeping it from here on out. I get just a faint whiff of the mould accord from the base notes peeping through (not off-putting in the least), as do I get a bit of the rum, tobacco and cinnamon spice to complement the vanilla, with the spiced orange and olive notes from the open remaining at this point too in a supporting role. The vanilla is indeed not of the powdery variety (thank goodness), and kind of reminds me a bit of the vanilla used in Leva. I would say the scent is sweet overall, but it never veers to the level of "too sweet."

I think Alfa's earlier comparison to a more complex Tobacco Vanille is spot-on. The scents don't smell that much alike to my nose, but they are trying to accomplish similar things, the difference being Laurhum is a much more competent formulation with a lot more going on. I like TV, but *love* Laurhum. I have not worn it enough to do a full review, but I placed an order for a bottle, so I guess folks can read whatever they want into that. :-)

I should have a more complete review up by this weekend after a couple more wearings.

I agree almost always.

What size are the bottles of Lalfeorosa and Laurhum?

Also, I emailed them about the sample program, and they asked me to provide my social security number in the payment form. Did anyone else get asked for their social security number?

I believe the full bottles are 100 ml for Lafeorosa, but 50 ml for Laurhum.

Now that I have a few wearings under my belt, here is my mini-review of Laurhum...

Laurhum opens with a combination of a strong olive note mixed with cinnamon and nutmeg spiced orange, that while on first glance might seem odd, it actually works extremely well. Joining the top notes is a non-powdery semi-sweet vanilla peeping through from the heart notes. The vanilla which starts in a supporting role up top before growing into one of the co-stars of the scent has a strong resemblance to the high quality vanilla used in O'driu's own Leva. Laurel is the other co-star, and it emerges into a sublime "bay rum-like" accord mingling with the vanilla. Speaking of rum, I get a nice rum note that joins the heart notes as support for the starring laurel and spiced vanilla tandem. The base features a gorgeous tobacco leaf note, adding both further support for the scent and depth combining with a very subtle mould accord that does not come off as weird or off-putting at all, instead hanging well into the background creating an old-fashioned touch. Laurhum leans towards the sweet side of the spectrum from start to finish, but never veers too far into that territory where it could become cloying. Projection is average, and longevity is below average to average.

Laurhum impressed early on and only continued to impress throughout. It is a bit less complex and more linear than some of the other O'driu offerings, with the vanilla and laurel as the co-stars nearly throughout, but using some killer quality supporting notes that work so well together and distinguish it. There is just a trace of the O'driu signature house spice in the opening notes with the olive, but Laurhum is a lot more accessible than most any of the other scents in the line. It is the kind of scent that a fragrance aficionado will want to wear for themselves to appreciate the skill and talent readily evident in its composition by rising star Angelo Orazio Pregoni, while at the same time feeling quite comfortable wearing it anywhere with pride and absolute pleasure. I find with every wearing I enjoy it just a bit more and discover hidden facets I missed with prior outings. The bottom line is Laurhum is truly excellent and full bottle worthy. 4 to 4.5 stars out of 5.

A big thanks to drseid for sending me his Ladamo. I love celery and was really disappointed that it wasn't in my sample set. It's a very dry celery, more like celery seed, or perhaps that is simply the effect of celery and fenugreek together. At any rate, this is my second day wearing it as my scent. Yesterday, I applied just a very small amount to my left wrist. It's extremely potent, and that was enough for me to enjoy it throughout the day. It made several transitions as well which were somewhat unexpected (the scents give the impression initially that they will be very linear). Today, however, I applied it much more liberally to the neck, chest, and both wrists. Within 20 mins I was a walking celerybomb. I think I scared someone on the train. There is a sweet, almost nauseating chlorophyll aspect that I became more aware of with the heavier dose, and it's taken a full two hours for the dryness of the celery seed to blow off a little and reveal the sweeter base. In a nutshell, I think I overapplied today. I am seriously considering a full bottle of this once I can figure out whether it's tameable or not.

I've also started my way through the rest of the samples (finally). They were intimidating me. I wish I had Laurhum, but I may try to imagine what it's like by smelling a few of the others together. I think I will definitely end up with a bottle of one of them.

A big thanks to drseid for sending me his Ladamo. I love celery and was really disappointed that it wasn't in my sample set. It's a very dry celery, more like celery seed, or perhaps that is simply the effect of celery and fenugreek together. At any rate, this is my second day wearing it as my scent. Yesterday, I applied just a very small amount to my left wrist. It's extremely potent, and that was enough for me to enjoy it throughout the day. It made several transitions as well which were somewhat unexpected (the scents give the impression initially that they will be very linear). Today, however, I applied it much more liberally to the neck, chest, and both wrists. Within 20 mins I was a walking celerybomb. I think I scared someone on the train. There is a sweet, almost nauseating chlorophyll aspect that I became more aware of with the heavier dose, and it's taken a full two hours for the dryness of the celery seed to blow off a little and reveal the sweeter base. In a nutshell, I think I overapplied today. I am seriously considering a full bottle of this once I can figure out whether it's tameable or not.

I've also started my way through the rest of the samples (finally). They were intimidating me. I wish I had Laurhum, but I may try to imagine what it's like by smelling a few of the others together. I think I will definitely end up with a bottle of one of them.

My friend is in Florence right now. I wonder if she could bring me a sample of Laurhum. Are they sold anywhere there?

Why is that ? No O'Driù in Florence?

I was at Campomarzio yesterday, they showed me O'driu, and recalling alfarom's enthusiasm, I tried Laurhum (and they even gave me a sample too).

I forgot what the top smells, because on my skin it quickly goes to the drydown. To my nose, it smells as one of those skanky animalic substances (civet?) smells when not in dilution. I would describe it as a cross between bad baby breath and dried poop, with urinous undertones. I am all for animalics when well done, but this is unbalanced. Now that I read the reviews, I can see the reference to mold (not that I would want to smell like one) and olive oil (not one I would like to eat). But this is not the first thought. I wish I had one of those perfumer sets to identify the offending substance.

As usual, my nose could be hypersensitive to some particular substance. But this is the second big disagreement with alfarom (after Tirrenico and the HdP ms, that is). There is still plenty of it at Campomarzio though, should anybody be interested.

cacio

sh_tty disgust in a bottle

cacio, alfarom, you are both familair with Rien by ElDo.

How does Laurhum compare? I ask because I realize how challenging Rien is and I love it and wear it.

Hedonist:

nothing in common. Rien is a great leather, with animalic notes. Perfectly wearable in small doses, the problem is only in big quantities.

Laurhum is not a leather. To my nose, it smells like straightforward dried poop and similar, unpleasant at all quantities. Again, it is as if they had taken one of these substances and left it at that. But as you have seen others have different opinions, so it could just be that my nose is very sensitive to this note.

alfarom
my comments were only on Laurhum, I have not tried the others. Ill give another try, I have a sample, just in case I got confused or something.

cacio

This just released by O'driuAttachment 14257Attachment 14258Attachment 14259:

O’DRIÙ presents its three brand new olfactory jewels created by Angelo Orazio Pregoni:
JMT - The globetrotter – 8 pieces
XVERT – The provocation – 32 and half pieces
and
LINFEDELE HAIKU
A musical drama, melody disturbed by discordant noises. Poetic, melodious and sensually allusive, springs a dichotomy between primeval sexuality and superficial conformism.
It represents a “philosophical essence” which comes from the ALCHIMIA DI PROFUMO creations.
Produced in 200 pieces in a continuing series.

Notes and cost breakdown now on the O'driu homepage. I have samples of these guys on the way and look to try them and post my thoughts very soon...

Looking foward to that!

My samples arrived today with my full bottle of Laurhum. A nice surprise to begin my vacation. :-)

I have tried all three and my first impressions are I like XVERT and love JMT and especially Linfedele Haiku. As Linfedele Haiku is the one that grabbed me the most of the three (and is also 180 euros so it is easily the most affordable) I gave that a full wearing today while stuck inside our place in the 100 degree heat with no power... Here are my initial thoughts now the power is back on...

The opening to Linfedele Haiku should be familiar to O'driu fans, as it has the house herbal signature all over it (and in my case I view that as a very good thing, as I love the house herbal combo plenty-well). You get the nice herbal mix including some fiery red pepper, but this time it is tempered with the faintest hint of carnation, then a high quality non-powdery nor super-sweet vanilla (most likely the same stuff used in Leva) that tones the herbs down just a hair to make this a much more easily accessible composition. Under the herbal vanilla mix once transitioning to the heart notes a very subtle pine and coffee combination undertone emerges that can easily be missed if you are not paying close attention, with the vanilla and herbs still the stars. It just melds right in with the rest of the notes to provide a bit of spine to the accord, but never calling attention to itself. Finally, the dry-down sweetens a hair further, using a patchouli and mate tandem taking co-starring roles while the herbal vanilla accord recedes well into the background at this point. This dry-down is new to the line (or at least that I recall) and adds a nice twist to the development. Longevity and projection are both average.

I so hoped I would enjoy Linfedele Haiku out of the samples I received because it happens to be in a price bracket that is much more doable on a budget at least in relative terms at 180 Euros. I am happy to say that I absolutely love, love, love it. I know some have a difficult time with the culinary herb mixture the house frequently uses, but not I... That said, the use of high quality vanilla in just the right amount to tone down the spice and herbs a bit is quite the accomplishment and I think it makes the accord much more approachable to folks that find the "full dose" just a bit too much. The mate and patchouli dry-down is a bit more simplistic than some of the most complex scents from the house, but it smells great and the scent over-all is anything but simplistic for sure. I would say this is definitely right up there with the best the house has to offer, and is easily the best value I have encountered from it to date. It goes without saying I highly recommend Linfedele Haiku and will put my money where my mouth is to purchase a bottle at the earliest opportunity. I give this truly excellent composition 4.5+ stars out of 5.

I must certainly try more stuff - with all the brands they had at the store, I could try only one from O'Driu. I am especially intrigued by JMT - if, as the name suggest, it is an uncompliant jasmine with the middle finger pointed at IFRA, I shall certainly love it (especially after a recent delusion at an emasculated former jasmine).

Re: creating extreme frags - this of course poses challenges, but also interest. We all have hypersensitivies, that is, materials we are very sensitive about and that generate disgust (I am not shy in expressing mine). If a frag hits hard on one of these spots, there's no way around, disgust it will be - not dislike or challenge in the usual sense, just disgust. But then, if another frag instead is based on materials one has an irrational love for, then we have a big winner.

cacio

I did smell one or two upstairs, I vaguely remember orange blossom and coffee, which is what the name says, interesting but I am not a fan of orange blossom. As with all other houses, I only smelled one with the SA, but didnot have the nose to proprely explore the house.

cacio

Thanks to Anna Bagnoli, Alfarom, and Drseid, I have now made my way through the whole line (save for the three new ones), and I have developed quite a passion for...Londa 1005. Yes, I like the one that smells like pickled fish. So sue me.

I'm afraid to ask if there are any still available.

Laurhum is also gorgeous. Gorgeous. I think it will be my second bottle.

This stuff is insanely high quality. They remind me of the perfume equivalent of amari. And I love them for that--so Italian!

I did Thank you so much. More to follow.

I seem to have lost my subsciption to this thread! Boo! Just trying to get it back on!

I might be having some longevity issues with Laurhum. It could also be that I'm slightly anosmic to the drydown. Anyone else?

Definitely agree its longevity is less than I would hope for. That said, I still get about 5-6 hours out of it (for me 8-10 would be average, for reference).

This typical O'Driu "signature" herbal mix much talked about here above. Can someone please tell me which are the herbs which usually stand out most prominently usually ?? ~ There must be one or two that predominate in this herbal accord. Perhaps the perfumer has a particular "favourite" which keeps popping up more than others ??

Have just been wondering if I will get along with these. (As I must admit some herbals I'm just not that much of a fan of.)

Thanx !!

I get a lot of wormwood aka artemisia.

Hiya! If you skoosh back up to post #85 you will see some stuff that I posted about the herbs. You might find it useful? It doesn't describe the signature though. You will need to smell 'em!

Two new vetivers...? I'm definitely interested in how those turned out.

Yes, JMT in particular. Thankfully the much more wallet friendly Linfedele Haiku was the best smelling of the three to my nose. I love JMT as well, but that price will definitely be keeping me away from a purchase for sure... Ouch!

That one sounds incredible...

I think the 1720 euro price is for the half bottle version, which is a one of a kind if I am not mistaken.

I've created a split for Lalfeogrigio. I also contacted Anna, and she says it's still available. Don't know if I can fill it up fast enough, but let's see what happens.

Yeah, I was thinking the same thing. I may have misunderstood the site's description, but I took it as the bottles were 100ml with only 1 complete 1000ml batch made of the juice to draw from in total.

I'm going to confirm with Anna to make sure. Did I miss part of this thread where that was discovered to be a typo?

That would definitely put a damper on things.

Yeah, I think you're right. The extra € must be for the fancy bottle.

Wish I was in Italy....