O/E Bogue 2015

Composing an original AND top-notch citrus-centred fragrance is a tough nut to crack. There are two major problems with this category of scents: first of all, many of them have very little or nothing new to add to the genre idea-wise (the infamous “been there/done that” effect). Secondly, even if they present a novel idea, the initial excitement is often swiftly subdued by their miserable longevity. “O/E”, Antonio Gardoni's follow-up fragrance after the highly-praised “Maai” is a take on the citrus theme. Even though I suspected (or wished?) his treatment of the genre would successfully avoid the typical pitfalls, I approached his perfume with a fair amount of trepidation.

In no way does “O/E” hide the fact that it's a thoroughbred citrus fragrance. The initial blast of a plethora of citric notes (according to Pierre de Nishapur's blog there´s bergamot, lemon, lime, lemongrass, neroli – you name it!) is both powerful and complex. They are so well-blended that although the head is unmistakeably citrus-based, it´s quite hard to dissect it into individual notes. The magic, fortunately, does not stop at this point. After the citric extravaganza settles down, spices (cloves, eucalyptus and pine in particular) and woods (cedar) come to the forefront. Coupled with oakmoss, they give “O/E” a very classical feel, not too dissimilar from 70s/80s masculine colognes, such as Saint Laurent's “Pour Homme”. This is not to say that I see “O/E” as a masculine fragrance; it just possesses this funky retro air. Reportedly, Gardoni also added Iso E Super to his composition in order to contrast natural and artificial ingredients. I must admit my nose does pick up a slight (artificial?) haze in the heart which, during some wearings, turned a little harsh, but it´s not something that would disrupt the overall structure of the composition. When you think you've reached the end of the road, “O/E” pulls one last rabbit out of its hat: an animalic note (it smells like civet to me). Since it pops up in the extreme drydown, instead of roaring it purrs. Nevertheless, it provides the fragrance with a pleasantly tongue-in-cheek signoff.

I'm not sure “O/E” will be embraced as warmly as its elder sibling “Maai” by the perfume community, but in my opinion, despite not being perfect, “O/E” is an impressive attempt at creating a solid and versatile citrus fragrance. It's an effective fusion of the modern and the classical, using high-quality raw materials. Finally, its longevity and projection are way above average for this sort of scent, which must cheer the heart of every citrus perfume lover.

I’m very puzzled by the distance between the hype which has graced this brand from the very beginning of its journey into niche, and the actual quality of their fragrances I’ve tried so far. Both MAAI and Cologne Reloaded seemed to me some very dull and pedantic exercises around very classic structures, something I guess pretty much any nose working for any company anywhere between the 1950’s and the 1990’s would have been able to compose blindfolded; and now this, “O/E”. If on one hand it’s at least a bit more modern and more creative than the other two, on the other hand it kind of reinforces my conclusion that toying around classic structures seems really the main and only skill of Gardoni, or whoever is the nose behind Bogue fragrances. Because O/E smells horrid. A trainwreck. Pardon my French but it really is. Theoretically it would be a “citrus-green leather chypre”, so to speak, so imagine – on paper – a very bold citrus-green top accord built on a dark, herbal, even skanky and slightly powdery-vanillic foundation of woods, oakmoss, and some rusty tan leather.

The problem is that it seems the brief was then handed to a clueless janitor with the specific request of cutting costs and sourcing materials in his storage closet. The citrus-green top accord smells astonishingly cheap, acrid, artificial, flat and harsh, something way more suitable for cleaning tiles than scenting skin. And it’s just clumsily sticked as-is on a more than mediocre leathery chypre foundation, which smells no better than any robust pre-world war II drugstore aftershave did. Mennen quality, to get you an idea. The notes smell from bad to dull per se, and they’re significantly poorly blended, thrown one against the other like a toddler would do with his toy cars. All topped with spices, with the same grace (and purpose, ultimately) of someone rapidly throwing a handful of sand in your face to rob you and run away. I’ve nothing against modernity and “clashy” compositions, as long as there’s some talent behind them. Here I don’t really see any. It’s just noise, cheapness, itch. A decent idea completely gone wrong. Persistence is remarkable though, which is good if you’re into scrubbers; evolution is close to zero, just some lemon and herbs fading away and (surprise, surprise) synthetic cloves growing in presence together with some vanillin and cheap leather aromachemicals. Probably the nicest part, if compared the early abysmal stages. Nothing different from the drydown of any 1 dollar aftershave, but at least it’s wearable (at 180 times more the price). I wish the best to Bogue but seriously... not with this, really.

3/10

O/E opens with a highly aromatic mixture of slightly sharp lemon and bergamot driven citrus, camphorous lavender and an assortment of culinary herbs. As the composition moves to its early heart the aromatic herbal lavender and citrus remains but slightly lower in intensity as the overall accord is joined by deep clove and an odd ammonia-like undertone. During the late dry-down the aromatic elements recede to reveal hints of slightly sweet tobacco, gentle syrupy vanilla and relatively transparent vetiver in the base. Projection is minimal, as is longevity at about 4 hours on skin.

O/E is supposedly the reinvention of my favorite Bogue composition, Eau d'E (covered in a separate review). I was a bit skeptical when I heard of changes being made to the original, but Gardoni has proven he can do a proper reformulation as the reformulation of Cologne Reloaded actually smells better than the original. Unfortunately, I am sorry to say that in the case of O/E history has not repeated itself, as this reformulation is far to the worse. The original Eau d'E was a tremendous old world style Eau de Cologne-like composition that had hints of modern aspects to keep it fresh. It was relatively minimalist, used top quality vintage raw materials and featured super-smooth transitions. O/E in contrast tries to bulk up the original with odd additions like ramping up the O'driu-like culinary herbal aromatics while adding an off-putting ammonia undertone found in the mid-section and additional base notes like tobacco that don't really mesh with the rest. In effect, the brilliant Eau d'E formula is ruined by the unsuccessful attempt to modernize and expand the composition with disastrous results. By "disastrous" I don't mean O/E smells bad, but as an owner of Eau d'E who knows what the composition used to smell like in all its greatness, O/E just does not come close to getting the job done and easily pales in comparison; sometimes less is more. Those that smell O/E without knowing what the original smelled like may find this outing impressive, but once you have smelled the good stuff there is no going back, and paying double the cost of the original for an inferior composition with dismal performance metrics (something the original additionally didn't suffer from) can't help but leave a bad taste in one's mouth. I love Gardoni and think he is extremely talented, but O/E is not my beloved Eau d'E, not even close. The bottom line is the $180 per 30ml bottle O/E is a disappointing re-imagining of Gardoni's best original work (Eau d'E), earning an "above average" 2.5 to 3 stars out of 5 and a neutral recommendation (but a strong avoid if you own the far superior original Eau d'E already).

I write this review based on a sample I blindly smelled. An exercise I can wholeheartedly recommend to anyone. Smelling something without any prejudice or any info about the notes is fun and honest. Here we go.

The perfume opens fruity. Feels like it wants to be citrus but it isn’t, it’s too sweet or herbal. Then right after, something animalic rears its head. Nothing from the barn, more like a light bee’s wax. It takes shape of pissy flowers.

The pissy urinal association gets stronger and stronger. Until a peppery dry-down kicks in after an hour or so. Getting sour a bit. Like maggi or lovage.

It reminds me of a perfume I hated at first but went 180 degrees on: Colonia Il Profumo Yet that one succeeded to turn the urinal association into a more classic feel with a cool musky edge (although that’s not listed). The pepper is a bit of a turnoff for me, I’m not craving another wear.

The beginning is very lemon-bergamete, even an extract of these fruits. You can get the impression of some strong citrus, mega-strong. For some it may be a plus, for others it may be a minus. Do not rest on this first impression as this smell varies greatly over time. There is a lot going on in it. Juniper, rosemary, thyme, cedar and cypress are starting to come out. Lots of conifers and spices, which in my opinion will sound better on a man. Yes… in my opinion they have a male tilt. After some time, all these citrus fruits begin to give way to the above-mentioned notes and, additionally, some 'dirtier' notes (I do not know what Antonio Gordoni hid, but slightly animal for me), plus tobacco. A really interesting and very good player in my opinion. Personally, I often have a problem with 'summer' smells, but summer, or rather hot, in zones where it is at least plus 30 degrees. Then I like some vetiver and a few 'fresher' scents, but after 2-3 days of use-they bore me terribly (eg aqua di sale, the lobster, squid, gray vetiver). I like them very much, but 3-4 days max. In this case it is different, probably because of this variability over time, the later darker notes and the non-obvious nature of this perfume.

Ingredients by some sites:
bergamot, grapefruit, lemon, neroli, clove, black pepper, rosemary, thyme, camphor, cedar, juniper, cypress, rose, jasmine, vetiver, benzoin, tobacco, resins, sandalwood.