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Step outside and smell the vetiver!

post #1 of 14
12/8/11 at 5:21am
Thread Starter 
Hi guys - am I crazy, or does vetiver actually smell through much more clearly outdoors than indoors? It's a strange phenomenon I noticed many times, and at least in my case it holds true for lots of vetiver-heavy fragrances - VE, RdV, Sycomore, etc. - that the vetiver accord intensifies remarkably when you smell the perfume outside. In fact, to my nose some vetiver scents become recognizably so only when smelled outdoors - inside a room or store, Vettiveru is all about citrus, and VT almost exclusively a tonka bean affair, but they both instantly turn into impressive vetiver statements the second I step outside.
I don't know if it's just me, but by now I've made a habit of literally leaving the store and walking around the block or something, when I'm testing vetiver-dominant scents, because that's really the only way I can get a full picture of how the accord is being used in a scent. It gets kind of funny sometimes - during a recent trip to Brussels, the staff at Senteurs d'Ailleurs looked at me all confused because I kept doing it: "uhm... why do you walk in and out like that all the time?!" "I know, I'm sorry, I just can't smell vetiver very clearly indoors. It somehow gets all muted..."
Now, am I crazy, or do any of you have similar experiences? Any idea why vetiver behaves like that? Or have you noticed if the same thing is true for other accords, as well?
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post #2 of 14
12/8/11 at 6:12am
I agree absolutely with the outdoors vetiver thing.

Earlier this year I was at a beer/ music festival with various members of the family. Future Son In Law was wearing the TF Grey Vetiver that I had lent to him a week or two previously. In the marquee, out of the wind, it smelled sublime. I think it was probably 'lifted' by the grass & earth trampled underfoot.

So, if anybody wants to know what to wear at an outdoor music festival...
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post #3 of 14
12/8/11 at 7:24am
I think it might just depend on the person wearing it. I don't notice any difference in the scent whether I am inside or outside.
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post #4 of 14
12/8/11 at 7:39am
Quote:
Originally Posted by hednic View Post

I think it might just depend on the person wearing it. I don't notice any difference in the scent whether I am inside or outside.

Here the same.
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post #5 of 14
12/8/11 at 8:09am
I've noticed this occasionally with some fragrances, though I haven't come to the conclusion that there are any rules - such as that vetiver fragrances are particularly prone to this happening. Sometimes it seems that a frag needs to have the air around it moving in order to work to the fullest.
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post #6 of 14
12/8/11 at 8:22am
This happened 2-3 times at most to me, during summer, while I was outdoors, enjoying a long walk, mingled with some light jogging, and indeed, I was wearing Guerlain Vetiver and it smelled a slight bit more intense, more moist and more soapy
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post #7 of 14
12/8/11 at 8:25am
Interesting idea. I must give this one a test.
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post #8 of 14
12/8/11 at 9:41am
Very interesting and very probable. I've noticed a similar phenomenon with patchouli.
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post #9 of 14
12/8/11 at 9:51am
Are you noticing this phenomenon with only vetiver scents? I would think any flush of fresh air (oxygen) will enhance any fragrance, regardless of the notes.
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post #10 of 14
12/8/11 at 2:16pm
well, its mainly woods so you get the vibe more when you're outside. I love my vetivers in the cold
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post #11 of 14
12/8/11 at 2:40pm
I only notice a difference in cold weather vs. hot weather. In the dead of a mid-west winter Vetiver wears so, so on me. In the heat of the Summer I notice that most Vetivers that I own the heat seems to make the notes bloom, and basically pop off my skin. If that makes any sense.
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post #12 of 14
12/9/11 at 3:24am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by mikeperez23 View Post

Are you noticing this phenomenon with only vetiver scents? I would think any flush of fresh air (oxygen) will enhance any fragrance, regardless of the notes.

Yeah, I think you're right about the fresh air and I suspect it might also be true for other accords than vetiver (like Jardanel mentioned patchouli, for example). I just only noticed it happening very clearly with vetiver (and not with amber, oud, or incense, for example). Maybe it's a feature of earthy, "dark" accords...

Thanks, all, for your feedback. It seems we're split here - some of you having had experiences similar to mine, and others detecting no particular difference whether in- or outdoors. Very interesting...
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post #13 of 14
12/9/11 at 1:09pm
...
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post #14 of 14
12/9/11 at 10:12pm
I notice that scent for me has to do with the time of day. My sense of smell is much stronger in the morning.
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Basenotes › Basenotes Forums › Fragrance Discussion › Male Fragrance Discussion › MFD Archive › Step outside and smell the vetiver!