Upcoming Reviews, Schedule, & Potential Impediments

I wanted to share some updates regarding the fragrances that are on tap to be reviewed in the short-term and long-term, that are still to be tested, and issues which may impact my review schedule on both a fragrance and personal levels.

There are several different categories of fragrances that I wanted to let you know about: First, the fragrances subject to (most probable) upcoming review in the weeks ahead; second, the ones I haven’t decided whether to review due to availability issues (Agar Aura and Slumberhouse) and which, as a result, I’d like to hear from you about the relevancy of coverage; and third, a broad category that consists of fragrances still to be tested or about which I haven’t yet decided if I like enough to exert the effort the effort to cover; and fourth, fragrances that I really like, such as vintage Dioressence or Tabu, but don’t have the energy or time to do the necessary research required for a vintage review, particularly with regard to the important bottle identification and the necessary comparisons across different vintage formulas and concentrations.

Slumberhouse

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Hermès 24 Faubourg — Part I: The Glorious Vintages (EDT/EDP)

When I was in my 20s, one of my signature fragrances was Hermès‘ 24 Faubourg, an opulent chypre-oriental powerhouse created by the legendary Maurice Roucel. It was centered on luminous, creamy, heady florals which Monsieur Roucel sheathed, first, in multifaceted mossy chypre greenness laced with peach, then in oriental clouds of golden amber layered with real sandalwood, creamy vanilla, spicy resins, and a sliver of leatheriness. The fragrance feels like the more feminine, white floral cousin of Hermes‘ 1984 floral-leather-chypre, Parfum d’Hermes (reformulated and renamed in 2000 as Hermes’ Rouge) and Puredistance M (directly modeled on Hermes‘ 1986 vintage Bel Ami) during their middle chypre-oriental stages. The eau de parfum version even has a phase which is like a white floral twist on the 1930s-1970s version of vintage Mitsouko extrait. On top of that, vintage 24 Faubourg also inhabits the same world of rich chypre-florals as Givenchy‘s famous 1984 Ysatis, although the Hermes scent has a greater oriental underpinning and I would argue that it is much grander. Its richness, heaviness, and ornate complexity not only result in a very baroque regalness, but also somehow manage to ooze money and wealth in the most tasteful, elegant way imaginable. That may be why 24 Faubourg became the signature scent of the most glamorous princess of her era.

24 Faubourg vintage 1990s EDT left and center, 24 Faubourg vintage 1990s EDP on the right. Photo: my own.

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