Essence de Patchouli and Ambre Gris share many notes but are completely disparate perfumes. The citrus notes have been toned down, and the dirty and humid ones of patchouli have been added. The formula is entirely distorted to give life to a modern essence that recalls something austere and ancient. This is a calm, tamed, soothed, and cleansed patchouli. Those who loved the smell of hippies will be disappointed, while those who were annoyed by them will be astonished. It's perfect when you want patchouli but without the intrusiveness and arrogance that we can find in "Patchouli| Réminiscence" or
Patchouli Précieux Eau de Toilette for example.
The scent is dark and dense on the nose, with a hint of aldehydes, similar to hairspray, which I hadn't noticed the first few times. He survives a few seconds and then is overwhelmed by the top notes. The moist, musty, earthy scents of patchouli leaves immediately creep between dewy, musky rose and spicy geranium leaf petals. This note is the key to the perfume, which stands out without being intrusive or opulent. There's something so herbaceous and soothing about the geranium here. Despite the presence of some flowers, the fragrance is not highly flowery. The rose is not extreme and often remains in the shade compared to the geranium. From the start, I get an unmistakable hint of really earthy patchouli, with hints of damp earth, but in a modern, cleaned-up way. There's an exotic and lovely quality of the scent.
Essence de Patchouli reveals a powdery heart with a mild sweetness, not candy or syrupy. Orris presents all the powdery and dry aspects without showing any side that recalls lipstick or makeup things. It mixes pleasantly with patchouli, which is powdery, musky, and slightly musty. Orris has almost overdosed and competes head-to-head with patchouli. The result is a powdery, moist, somewhat camphoraceous heart with velvety aspects. I also perceive some dusty nuances of bitter cocoa in the background, like when we pass the cocoa through a sieve to sprinkle a dessert or prepare a dough, one of the thousand facets of patchouli. Still, it is a bitter cocoa powder with no gourmand edges.
The solid base notes make their way between the flowering petals and green leaves. Coumarin accentuates the powdery aspect the iris introduces, which is spicy and dusty without revealing any sweet side. You begin to feel the salty presence of amber, which mixes with the creamy colours of sandalwood and the smoky and tar-like colours of guaiac. Even if patchouli has now assumed a distant position, its presence is still observable, now strengthened by the slightly leathery notes of cistus labdanum. But there is no shortage of warm reflections of the amber accord, sensual, spicy, and sweet. I am surprised by the presence of cedar wood, whose dry and woody notes I struggle to perceive. Instead, there is no shortage of the signature of the sensual, slightly soapy white musk that made #alyssa musk famous. The trail is all about earthy, musky, and woody nuances with baby powder close to the skin.
Essence de Patchouli is one of the well-constructed earthy and powdery compositions; I have smelled many of them. It is smooth, delicate, creamy, a cold weather fragrance. Arrogant during the day and seductive at night for men and women. I didn't detect a dissonant note that would make it too feminine or too masculine. The duration is a few hours of intimate but constant sillage, but you will feel it very close, like a silky caress. I would like to try the Eau de Parfum, which should perform better. However, this eau perfume cost me less than €10 for 100ml, which is a bargain; I can overspray it on my skin and clothes without regrets. Woody, sweet, earthy, powdery, oriental, with a balsamic and spicy touch.
I'm framing my impressions on a bottle I've owned since January 2020 (BC 34 11015A).
-Elysium
Top Notes 
Geranium
Rose
Heart Notes 
Iris
Base Notes 
Musk
Patchouli
Vanilla
Coumarin
Gaiac wood
Cedarwood
Labdanum absolute
Jazzy76
Elysium
Helena1411
Sonjoschka
Lotus
Heikeso
Marilyn25
Gold
Globomanni
Duftglück
