Vetiver EDT by Lorenzo Villoresi

Year: 1994
Nose: Lorenzo Villoresi

The opening is just great: a powerful, invigorating, super-classic vetiver, harsh and savage, with a bold and earthy patchouli-oakmoss accord (I also feel some cocoa beans dusty sweetness), some delicate floral notes (lavender, neroli) which shape and restrain the rawness of the green/woody notes, and a refreshing accord of bergamot and citrus which then sweetens progressively. Straightforward, earthy and dense: a beauty. After a while you also feel some spicy/peppery notes, and the oak moss note emerges more clearly in all its barn-like splendor, together with a really pleasant salty note. But then, all of a sudden, here comes the downpart: it all sags down a bit. Too soon. It still remains great, pleasant, natural, vibrant, with a superb balance of components; but still, all just "tones down" far before you expected – and wanted, since as I said, it smells gorgeous, so you wouldn't really want it to wash away so quickly. This is the only "con"; apart from this I really like this scent. A pleasant, vibrant, elegant and persistent "eau de cologne" which deserves its place in the "classic heritage" side of vetiver fragrances.

8/10

Trayee EDP by Neela Vermeire

Year: 2011
Nose: Bertrand Duchaufour

Delicate, natural ambery-vanilla base surrounding a beautiful dense accord of jasmin, fruity notes, ginger and resins, all perfectly balanced, sparkling and colourful like a pavé diamond. Fresh herbal-earthy base notes of patchouli and basil, with just a tight but rich heart of darker notes (oud). Rich and textured but not cloying, in fact it's all lively and graceful. It eventually get more dense and vibrant as minutes pass, also more resinous and spicy, reaching a splendid peak of savoury richness with a bold balsamic feel. A really evocative, aerial, vivid, romantic and "pictorial" scent, although not that distinctive - more "really good" than "great". It is complex, in a perfect Duchaufour style, but still you can easily "see" each note and accord on its own. The projection is a bit more closer to skin than you may think, and the drydown is long-lasting, mostly comprising a cozy and warm resinous-balsamic accord – which eventually gets a bit medicinal. To be really honest the drydown is a bit disappointing, as this final accord you get is a bit generic and weak – especially if comparing with the greatness of the initial stages. Strangely I feel the oud is very light here (which is a "pro" to me!).

7,5-8/10

Chia EDP by Farmacia SS. Annunziata

Year: Unknown
Nose: Unknown

A pleasant gourmand scent comprising vanilla and almond with tasty and dense floral notes on an ambery/musky base. A particularly nice, distinguished and "organic" gourmand, nor cloying neither amplified or sickening; sweet but balanced, silky, dusty, so in a word, "simple". The almond note in particular is good: I don't like almonds (I mean real ones too), but here at least it's not that usual heavy/resinous "accord of" almond many scents have, rather a single, real, almost slightly roasted almond – which works fine and discreetly. There is something dissonant, a bitter note which I don't get precisely, that somehow tones down and restrains an otherwise "total" sweetness – and I like that too. As minutes pass it slowly blossoms and opens up in a real nice and lively floral scent, while the initial bold sweet notes gently "settle" down on the base. Everything's simple, bright, relaxed, really elegant and refined while keeping it delicate. Not my cup of tea, personally, and a bit... apparently dull, perhaps, or to say it better, "shy" or pale; but it has its own and peculiar not-that-common refined simplicity which makes it worth a try.

7/10

1826 EDP by Histoires de Parfums

Year: 2001
Nose: Gérard Ghislain

The opening is quite much different depending on whether you test it on paper or on skin. I usually don't use paper strips, this time I did it just for curiosity and once I tried this I was like "I love this!"... well lucky for me I also tested it on skin before both writing a review and deciding if it was purchase worthy (spoiler: it wasn't). Basically it opens with a peculiar and bold accord of violet-lilac, mellow white musks and a patchouli note which is so velvety, dusty and sweet that together with ginger and cinnamon it basically creates a sort of "choco-like" accord with a resinous/spicy feel. And that is precisely what I do not like here much – it is kind of "too much" unbalanced a bit overhelming, shouting over the rest of the notes, notably the floral notes. On paper this smelled just perfect and far more balanced – it was heavenly. It is silky, soft, almost milky and quite elegant, with a slight earthy-herbal-balsamic accord... but also much sweet all over. Besides, the drydown eventually evolves towards a rather generic, vaguely ambery/woody aromatic, kind of ambrox smell, not that natural either. So it's kind "too much" at the beginning and "too little" at the end. Perhaps I was unlucky with my skin, but I find this a bit wrong at a couple of stages. Nonetheless, if you like that type of accords I named and/or this works differently on your skin, than it may turn into a great scent as it initially was on paper for me – I'll just say: not for a blind-buy, better try it and wear it before.

6/10

Patchouli Patch EDT by L'Artisan Parfumeur

Year: 2002
Nose: Jean-Claude Ellena

Honest, linear, mild and discreet patchouli, with a substantial earthy-dusty sweet side (cocoa beans like), a mellow sandalwood base and a subtle but refreshing herbal/floral breeze, really pleasant and unique. A month came to my mind: September. It has that same quiet, smoky and malinconic suspended understatement that characterises that month - summer is over, autumn is not there yet, we kind of wait for something to happen, days shorten, the weather is warm and pale... oh, well. It eventually evolves moving on a more balsamic/herbaceous territory, always quite soft, round, restrained and docile – L'Artisan signature lightness, in short. It is undoubtably well composed, as you feel all the notes clearly and they smell great: it is a light and lively patchouli with a peculiar base carefreeness and brightness which make it stand apart. Carefree but also evocative and meditative. Despite I personally prefer other patchouli scents which amplify and shape better its raw earthiness – notably, for example, Patchouli Nobile by Nobile 1942 – I must admit this take by L'Artisan is really pleasant, a bit shy and delicate but elegant, balanced, smart and worth a try (even a blind buy in case of bargains!). Quite close to skin but also quite persistent.

7,5/10

1889 Moulin Rouge EDP by Histoires de Parfums

Year: 2010
Nose: Gérard Ghislain

Powerful, powdery iris, at least another pair of fresh, crunchy floral notes I do not get clearly (gardenia, geranium...?), a rose heart, green aromatic notes, ginger and pepper, and patchouli. Lively and sensual with just a hint of decadence: quite a good depiction of a Moulin Rouge dancer, somehow innocent and somehow naughty, young and pale but "experienced". The powerful and bold opening tones down quite early, it gets graceful and pleasant although not that unique – basically a spicy floral with a balsamic breeze and a nice interplay between silky flowers and earthy patchouli, with just a bit of spices and musks. Overall refined and cozy, pleasant and elegant, but not much memorable and also, sadly, a bit short-lasting.

6,5/10

Olympia Music Hall EDP by Histoires de Parfums

Year: 2012
Nose:  Gérald Ghislain

The opening is beautiful and bright: luminous, floral, elegant, fresh and romantic, with a hint of a classic "aldehydated" feel and talcum on the base. The evolution is equally great, the lilac note, the fruity accord, the suede-incense shady accord and the subtle but bold patchouli-woods base slowly emerge and take shape, each in its own subtle and balanced way, all in a musky-cocoa beans soft and discreet roundness. All remains however graceful and transparent, it's like "seeing" these notes floating beyond a frosted glass. It eventually becomes a bit more spicy, losing just a bit of light and brightness. I particularly like the subtle earthy note: if all this may make you think of a shy, pale and refined young countess, this shady earthy note is her little, nocturnal naughty secret. The drydown is great as well, the suede note turns eventually into a slight rubbery/dry feel, which however works great in keeping alive this tiny "gloomy secret side" of the scent. Also an unexpected green/balsamic/calonic light breeze comes and goes. My personal rating for this scent is favorable, but I agree with what diamondframe wrote on Basenotes – this kind of spacious and breezy "aeriality" would maybe work better for a room than on skin, hence my "not-that-enthusiastic" final rating.

7,5-8/10

L'Air du Desert Marocain EDTI by Tauer

Year: 2005
Nose: Andy Tauer

It took me a while to come up with a decent review of this (this does not imply the following actually is decent). I love this scent, but the only thing I could think of when spraying it on was: "it's so good, I love it, but I can not get why and what this smells like". In fact, this scent smells quite like nothing else. It is really unique and almost simple, meaning that once you spray it, you can instantly recognise it if you smell it later on elsewhere; but it has a really complex and tight texture, mostly synthetic for me (and not in a bad meaning), with a great balance and a superb evolution. The opening is really dense and breathtaking, and ambery-spicy accord which is hard to "enter". You have to just wait for it to open. Bold incense feel, in quite a contemporary and "chemical" way – I'd guess mostly due to the infamous ambroxan. I also get bergamot, lavender, cinnamon, cedar, vanilla, oak moss, some balsamic/stale vibes, with a super warm and vibrating silky heart. Not saying all that is here, it's just the suggestions I get. Plus, the architecture is really great, I rarely get in touch with such vaste, multidimensional, powerful and architectural scents. And the best is still yet to come. As minutes pass, and without losing a gram of power, it slowly opens up like a sunrise, the warm heart you felt somewhere there at the very center of the scent just comes closer and blossoms up, literally enlightening the fragrance. That is just great, I know it's perhaps a "synthetically-achieved" effect, but who cares; it's brilliant. It's like watching a dawn, it all becomes aerial and spacious, dimensional, and smells just great, slowly becoming cozy, dusty, ambery on a base of dark and dry woods and spices. I never felt the "air of Moroccan desert" in person, but this definitely depicts the ambiance really good. Great projection (a modern powerhouse, I'd say!) and an everlasting persistence.

9/10

Update: no Iso E as I presumptuosly blind-guessed, thanks Andy for your generous explanation & support!