Top Notes 
Mint
Orange blossom
Heart Notes 
Bourbon vetiver
Indian sandalwood
Base Notes 
Gaiac wood
Musk
02/25/2012
Rmf1112
17 Reviews
Rmf1112
Helpful Review
7
Beauty and the Beast
It seems to be a majority opinion that love it or hate it, its a unique fragrance- so I have to try this! I found a great price online, and it arrived today, much to my delight.
On initial inspection, the package is very subtle, a matte black box with just the copper colored bottle shape and L'Anarchist in gloss black-
very sleek. The packaging inside is quite nice, with all black inside embellished with gloss black words (dictionary definitions of 'anarchist' in French), but still classy and not overdone. Venture further inside, and you are greeted with a note declaring how the bottle itself will develop a pitina in the copper (as others have mentioned), making each a unique work of art. The bottle itself I feel is perfect for everything this fragrance aims
to be- charming, very unique and a bit rough around
the edges. Everything about the packaging is very asethically pleasing, especially for my tastes and style. (Let it also be known that I'm a sucker for nice/interesting packaging). If I were to stop here, I would already consider this a worthy purchase.
However, this review is for the scent itself, not just the packaging. Ahh the scent, how very sharp and assertive it is while also warming and a bit smooth. I've been looking for a unique fragrance to be my signature scent, as I find most offerings too sweet, powdery, fruity or worst of all- forgettable. I have to admit, I'm not sure if this qualifies- although I had high hopes.
Let's start from the top- An inital smell from the bottle seemed very complex, many notes vying for your attention, yet none seem to speak out much except some mintish-musk. I feel the opinions of smelling 'blood', 'metal' etc, are from smelling from the bottle, as it can be difficult not to notice the prominent copper scent from the bottle itself. Even this first smell, not yet joined forces with heat or my body chemistry, was very heady while still being a bit dark, dirty perhaps. I try one spray on my chest, and throw a shirt on so
I can see how it translates into real wear. The first notes are definitely a minty-ness with dry orange, a bit toothpastey to reference some others- but its not off putting to me. Here is one of the interesting things to me- if i smell the skin (in my shirt)in this inital phase its very assertive in its toothpastey-ness, but to smell outside the shirt is where it really shines. It has a different feel to it through clothes, a definite smoothness with the
vetiver-sandlewood worked in. Its almost difficult to do at this point, but it smells better and more developed from a distance than up close. Very nice.
On to the middle notes, after maybe 40 min or so, the mintyness settles down slightly to reveal the other aspects of this scent- the sultry vetiver and sandlewood, tempered by the cedar and the almost floral notes of guaiac wood. I feel this is fairly well rounded, though the mint can still be a bit too persistent at times.
At the final phase, L'Anarchiste sheds its minty front, leaving dry orange (peel perhaps) with the vetyver and musk. These combine nicely and have an almost mulled orange smell (fall spices and such).
This phase is the best part for me. Its masculine, woodsy and a bit sharp- not for the timid, that's for sure. Imagine a man who is strong, confident and charming, but is a bit grizzly and can be scathing at times. This is that man.
So, this IS quite a unique scent, definitely not for everyone. I do wish it was a bit less minty and more musky/animalistic, then it would be perfect for me.
Sillage- 3/5 Seems to stay fairly close
Longevity- 4/5 has decent staying power, like it or not
Scent- 4.25/5 Feels fairly well constructed, but it can be a bit sharp. However it's probably smoother from a distance
Bottle- 4.5/5 I feel this bottle is everything the scent wants to be, but pulls it off a little better
Overall- 4/5 It's nice, but I was expecting a more bohemian type of fragrance, more patchouli or incense for example.
(Note, I almost submitted this before the final phase and would have been rather dissapointed. However, with a bit of patience, it develops magically into a very warming scent that I love more each time I smell it)
On initial inspection, the package is very subtle, a matte black box with just the copper colored bottle shape and L'Anarchist in gloss black-
very sleek. The packaging inside is quite nice, with all black inside embellished with gloss black words (dictionary definitions of 'anarchist' in French), but still classy and not overdone. Venture further inside, and you are greeted with a note declaring how the bottle itself will develop a pitina in the copper (as others have mentioned), making each a unique work of art. The bottle itself I feel is perfect for everything this fragrance aims
to be- charming, very unique and a bit rough around
the edges. Everything about the packaging is very asethically pleasing, especially for my tastes and style. (Let it also be known that I'm a sucker for nice/interesting packaging). If I were to stop here, I would already consider this a worthy purchase.
However, this review is for the scent itself, not just the packaging. Ahh the scent, how very sharp and assertive it is while also warming and a bit smooth. I've been looking for a unique fragrance to be my signature scent, as I find most offerings too sweet, powdery, fruity or worst of all- forgettable. I have to admit, I'm not sure if this qualifies- although I had high hopes.
Let's start from the top- An inital smell from the bottle seemed very complex, many notes vying for your attention, yet none seem to speak out much except some mintish-musk. I feel the opinions of smelling 'blood', 'metal' etc, are from smelling from the bottle, as it can be difficult not to notice the prominent copper scent from the bottle itself. Even this first smell, not yet joined forces with heat or my body chemistry, was very heady while still being a bit dark, dirty perhaps. I try one spray on my chest, and throw a shirt on so
I can see how it translates into real wear. The first notes are definitely a minty-ness with dry orange, a bit toothpastey to reference some others- but its not off putting to me. Here is one of the interesting things to me- if i smell the skin (in my shirt)in this inital phase its very assertive in its toothpastey-ness, but to smell outside the shirt is where it really shines. It has a different feel to it through clothes, a definite smoothness with the
vetiver-sandlewood worked in. Its almost difficult to do at this point, but it smells better and more developed from a distance than up close. Very nice.
On to the middle notes, after maybe 40 min or so, the mintyness settles down slightly to reveal the other aspects of this scent- the sultry vetiver and sandlewood, tempered by the cedar and the almost floral notes of guaiac wood. I feel this is fairly well rounded, though the mint can still be a bit too persistent at times.
At the final phase, L'Anarchiste sheds its minty front, leaving dry orange (peel perhaps) with the vetyver and musk. These combine nicely and have an almost mulled orange smell (fall spices and such).
This phase is the best part for me. Its masculine, woodsy and a bit sharp- not for the timid, that's for sure. Imagine a man who is strong, confident and charming, but is a bit grizzly and can be scathing at times. This is that man.
So, this IS quite a unique scent, definitely not for everyone. I do wish it was a bit less minty and more musky/animalistic, then it would be perfect for me.
Sillage- 3/5 Seems to stay fairly close
Longevity- 4/5 has decent staying power, like it or not
Scent- 4.25/5 Feels fairly well constructed, but it can be a bit sharp. However it's probably smoother from a distance
Bottle- 4.5/5 I feel this bottle is everything the scent wants to be, but pulls it off a little better
Overall- 4/5 It's nice, but I was expecting a more bohemian type of fragrance, more patchouli or incense for example.
(Note, I almost submitted this before the final phase and would have been rather dissapointed. However, with a bit of patience, it develops magically into a very warming scent that I love more each time I smell it)
KimJong
DorothyGrace
Elysium
