Homme Costume National 2009

I've already been through a bottle of Costume National Homme, indeed this is the fragrance that made a Dominique Ropion fan out of me. Needless to say when the opportunity arose of once again purchasing it from an online discounter (it's becoming harder and harder to find), I jumped at the chance.

Costume National Homme reminds me a little of Neela Vermeire's Trayee, but in a more honest and structurally minimal way. In a side by side test the similarities are undeniable, probably having something to do with the Clove/Cardamom/Cinnamon accord present in both and also the inclusion of Patchouli and Sandalwood. The difference is that Trayee eventually leans more toward the bitter end of the scale, while Costume National Homme is quite gourmand in its sweetness.
The notes here conspire to produce a 'honeyed tobacco' sort of feeling ... like cherry pipe tobacco without the cherries :) ... strange, I know, but completely gratifying. The incensy vibe from the Labdanum is great as CNH approaches dry down with the sweetened herbs and spices still playing their song in the background.
Projection and longevity here are absolutely stellar! In fact, this would be the deciding factor if I had to choose between CNH and the aforementioned Trayee. Fortunately I don't have to, as I love both of them equally!

M. Ropion is a genius imho. Costume National Homme is one of those fragrances that is slowly disappearing from the marketplace, which is a rather sad state of affairs. A few backup bottles of this are in order, I think. It's just marvelous!!