Close your eyes, and imagine yourself in a field in Provence. Fresh lavender stretches out in an aromatic purple expanse as far as the eye can see. Slashes of white are interspersed throughout, heliotrope whose delicate blooms launch a powerful cascade of vanilla, marzipan, fresh anise, and powdered meringue. Running through the heart of field is a river of vanilla, silky and creamy, coiling its way around the purple and white flowers to create the scent of lavender ice-cream dusted with meringue and anise. The earth below them is made of patchouli, its spiciness complemented by something a little extra that smells of cinnamon, cloves, and chili-pepper. All around, encircling the field like a dark wall, is a forest filled with myrtle, wafting its unique aromas of spicy herbs, fruity sap, herbal flowers, and green woods. Cedar grows there, too, along with green vetiver that first smells mineralized, mossy, and minty, and then, later, smoky and woody.
Category Archives: Patchouli Fragrances
Frederic Malle Monsieur
Patchouli, how I love thee. Let me count the ways: spice, chocolate, woods, tobacco, smoke, earthy glows, and golden warmth, you’re such a thing of beauty in my eyes and your intoxicating richness may run through as much as 70% of my fragrance collection. So, I was thrilled to hear that Frederic Malle was going to focus on one of my favourite notes for his newest fragrance, Monsieur. Not the hideous, purple-skewing fruitchouli gunk that makes up so many modern fruity-florals, but on the real thing. Unfortunately, Monsieur ended up being a fragrance that this “Patch Head” wouldn’t wear under any circumstances.
Nobile 1942 Patchouli Nobile, Malia & La Danza delle Libellule Exceptional
Nobile 1942 is a line I’ve wanted to explore for a while, ever since I tried their boozy, whisky-wine, leather, immortelle fragrance, Rudis, in 2014. They have a rather intimidating number of fragrances, though, and I only managed to get through a few of them when I was sniffing in Rome last year, so when I saw Luckyscent had the latest release, Malia, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to test other things from the line. I was interested first and foremost in their Patchouli Nobile (or Patchouli Nobile Colonia Intense), but then I noticed Nobile had a new apple fragrance with cinnamon and vanilla, and I became strangely obsessed with trying it. So, today, we’ll explore a gourmand, a dark patchouli oriental, and a white floral oriental (with tangerine, neroli, and tobacco blossom).
YSL Tuxedo (Le Vestiaire des Parfums)
A tribute to Yves Saint Laurent‘s most iconic fashion creations and his legendary tuxedo, Le Smoking, should automatically be an exciting thing, but L’Oreal (which now owns YSL Beauté) hasn’t done anything to merit or live up to the great Saint Laurent name in my eyes. It would be quite accurate to say I despise L’Oreal and the way they’ve gutted my favorite house created by a flawed genius whom I admired and loved like no other in the fashion world, and whose creations were a big part of my childhood via my mother. Now, when I try one of their new releases, I have the lowest expectations and tend to brace myself for disaster.
So you can imagine my surprise when I tried the new Tuxedo and found parts of it were mildly decent, comparatively speaking. No, it’s not a truly good fragrance, and I think it’s over-priced for what it is, but at least it’s not a toxic waste dump or a gooey, painfully commercial, unbalanced and hideous travesty — two things which basically encapsulate my recent experiences with the brand. Compared to those fragrances, this is… not revolting? Well, adequate, at least. And the drydown was moderately nice.