Vetiver Fatal (Atelier Cologne)

I stopped by the boutique last week, and they had two new scents, Vetiver Fatal and Rose Anonyme. They both contain an "oud accord," meaning they do not use oud oil but recreate the intense woodiness of oud from other ingredients. The rose/oud combination smelled very familiar in terms of composition; the vetiver/oud was a bit more striking. The most notable thing however was that these do not seem to use the same base as other in the AC line, and I mention this because almost without exception everything from Atelier Cologne dries down to something that smells very synthetic/chemically. I don't think it's that they use bad ingredeints; I think there is just something in their house base that strikes my nose as really off--kind of how I would imagine the smell of trying to iron a piece of wood. Thankfully, this note is either basent or hidden in these two scents.

Vetiver Fatal in particular really caught my fancy. The SA said they used a new extraction technique that had turned the industry on its head. I couldn't help but laugh a little. But I must say the vetiver is intense, deep, and very focused. It is stripped of all its rooty qualities and what remains are the grassier and aquatic qualities. The vetiver component in fact reminds me a lot of Sel de Vetiver (which used multiple extraction techniques, including a molecular distillation that isolated a single component of the vetiver). In the case of Vetiver Fatal, however, the vetiver is anchored to the intense autumnal woodiness of the "oud accord."

I wore it on my hand for a couple hours and found it to be very satisfying. I am a sucker for a vetiver with a lot of depth, and this one definitely has it to spare. The composition won't knock you off your feet for its originality (it's definitely in the same neighborhood as Sycomore), but it might outdo some of its predecessors on the basis of its quality materials. Other listed notes are bergamot, lemon, bigarade, orange blossom, violet leaves, black plum, and cedar.

Here's my stunning photo

Update: there is a big juicy blood orange note that lasts well through the first hour that I completely missed the first time I smelled this. It's funny how you can miss things when you're trying so hard to focus on one thing (in this case, the vetiver).



I was moved enough that I plan to head back there today for the small bottle.

VF is vetiver-dominant, even more so than Sycomore. It has very little in common with BN9HOSCLECS in which vetiver plays a very small supporting role. It also feels more "3d" than the BN9, which sits rather flatly on my skin (which is not a criticism--that's part of its charm). In comparison to Sycomore, which to my nose has a rather grand architecture, Vetiver Fatal is more simplistic/minimal.


I think it depends on how much you love vetiver. I find the vetiver of VF to be much better than Sycomore, but I think Sycomore is a more interesting composition. For a vetiver lover, I don't think it's redundant. If you're not a big fan, they might compete for the same place in a wardrobe.

I have neither on hand to compare, so I'm not going off of much. I love vetiver, and it would not occur to me ever that one would be a substitute for the other. I was just thinking that if I weren't so into vetiver, I'm not sure I'd want two compositions pairing it with wood. They are very different, both in terms of the vetiver's character, their structure, and the accompanying wood.

The vetiver of Sycomore is thinner and more diaphanous. In VF, it's very meaty and three dimensional. I remember Sycomore having a dramatic structure: an abyss of smoke, a forest of blond wood, and vetiver in the ether above. VF is much swampier and earth-bound. And the wood note (or "oud accord" as they call it) is far darker and more intense than the light wood note of Sycomore.

Two comments.

1) I did something terrible.
2) It's so funny how, when you're looking for one particular thing, you can miss something else entirely. Threre is a big, juicy bigarade in Vetiver Fatal that I totally missed the first time. It's the size of a small truck, and I completely missed it on first smell. So odd.

Here's the terrible thing:

The idea behind the Atelier Cologne line is that they take cologne-style scents and sell them in EDP concentration. Longevity and projection are not really an issue. It's a matter of whether you like these citrusy type compositions.

I agree about the balance. But it is on the brink of being too much fruit in the first half hour. I really thought it was going to cross the line, but just at the moment when you think the fruit is becoming too much, it recedes and lets the vetiver take over.

The vetiver is definitely there. I find this to be very nicely balanced. It's not going to rock the world or anything, but I do find myself reaching for it more often than I thought I would.

It isn't that special. It is cologne-like in the traditional sense of the word. For what it is, I find it quite satisfying. I would agree though that it's not remarkable perfumery.

I think it has taught me something about the role of the traditional Eau de Cologne. Mostly I put it on before bed. I find vetiver refreshing, and the bigarade is rounded and nice.