Top Notes 
Cardamom
Bergamot
Grapefruit
Heart Notes 
Glycyrrhiza glabra
Maté
Elemi resin
Base Notes 
Burley tobacco
Haitian vetiver
Leather
Woods
Ambroxan
Sweet clover
Meggi
339 Reviews
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Meggi
Top Review
22
A Coincidence?
Even a person who does not believe in fate cannot ignore occasional coincidences: Two days after reading the comment from DasguteLeben, a small box was on the bargain table at the Hamburger Hof Parfümerie: 50ml of ‘Contre Pouvoir’ at a three-fifths price. Briefly tested, found to be good, and taken home. It had an easy time, as sweet wood (Süßholz) always finds open doors with me.
And the same has long been the heart and core of the fragrance. I can't really detect much progression, rather a careful shifting, a gradual moving aside. Throughout the day, the sour components of the supposed top note are more or less perceptible - until I eventually notice that they, so I suspect, have long been supported by vetiveryl acetate à la ‘Molecule 03’, if not subtly substituted.
On the other hand, from the very beginning, the flattering, smoothing contribution of Ambroxan is inextricably involved. Generally, I am not a fan of synthetics that develop their own ambitions instead of remaining a servile spirit. Here, I can only agree with my predecessor: Ambroxan's "helping hand" gives the fragrance an enveloping aura, sufficiently smoothing out potential edges to ensure universal wearability.
Only around noon do darker and stronger nuances begin to seep in. Again, a note can be well traced, namely tobacco. Later, smoky aspects seem plausible to me, which I had already pondered over during the day. They all initially gather around the sweet wood as the spiritus rector, before the fragrance eventually becomes primarily a vetiver(yl-acetate) scent in the evening.
The very low projection has rightly been pointed out several times. However, I do not perceive it as a flaw this time - the reason for this is strictly pragmatic. There are days when a fragrance that roughly goes in this direction - ‘20Mars2022’ by Rundholz, one of my favorites! - is not indicated. On such (and all other) days, I am well served with ‘Contre Pouvoir’, as I simply lacked a go-to fragrance with sweet wood.
Conclusion: Not a "Great." But a Good.
And the same has long been the heart and core of the fragrance. I can't really detect much progression, rather a careful shifting, a gradual moving aside. Throughout the day, the sour components of the supposed top note are more or less perceptible - until I eventually notice that they, so I suspect, have long been supported by vetiveryl acetate à la ‘Molecule 03’, if not subtly substituted.
On the other hand, from the very beginning, the flattering, smoothing contribution of Ambroxan is inextricably involved. Generally, I am not a fan of synthetics that develop their own ambitions instead of remaining a servile spirit. Here, I can only agree with my predecessor: Ambroxan's "helping hand" gives the fragrance an enveloping aura, sufficiently smoothing out potential edges to ensure universal wearability.
Only around noon do darker and stronger nuances begin to seep in. Again, a note can be well traced, namely tobacco. Later, smoky aspects seem plausible to me, which I had already pondered over during the day. They all initially gather around the sweet wood as the spiritus rector, before the fragrance eventually becomes primarily a vetiver(yl-acetate) scent in the evening.
The very low projection has rightly been pointed out several times. However, I do not perceive it as a flaw this time - the reason for this is strictly pragmatic. There are days when a fragrance that roughly goes in this direction - ‘20Mars2022’ by Rundholz, one of my favorites! - is not indicated. On such (and all other) days, I am well served with ‘Contre Pouvoir’, as I simply lacked a go-to fragrance with sweet wood.
Conclusion: Not a "Great." But a Good.
15 Comments
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