Vétiver Dior 2010

I find this one very similar to other "modem" interpretations of vetiver fragrances in that the main note is paired with other complimentary accords. In this case it's dark roasted coffee. I find this one quite similar to vetiver fatal by atelier cologne. It's similar in that the vetiver smells "nutty" and almost has a sweet aspect to it.

I'm not sure if this is a "holy grail" of vetiver fragrances but I certainly like it. I think it's unique enough to own. It's just a shame that it's discontinued.

The opening is very nice but I don't like how the vetiver evolves in this one. It leans too much on the rubbery/sulfurous dirty side of vetiver which clashes with the promise of timeless elegance of the opening.
For a vetiver and coffee fragrance I much prefer Woody Perfecto/107 which I find a lot smoother and overall more refined.
And of course for a grapefruit and vetiver combo, the standard remains Terre d'Hermès Eau de Toilette.

I was very lucky to be able to test and review this scent now that it appears to be discontinued. Dior's answer to Chanel's Sycomore perhaps? I hope you enjoy my take on this original prive collection scent, and thanks for watching.

... and it is closed by coffee. Coffee? What?! Yes, I wouldn't have thought so either, never. But let's start from the very beginning. Since I was able to pick up my girlfriend from Düsseldorf Airport today, I took a few hours beforehand to do some perfume testing on the Kö - once again. This time, I paid special attention to the private lines from Chanel, Dior, and Guerlain. Dior is by far the most expensive line, and until now, I only knew the masterful Gris Montaigne. This vetiver is just from our Top 100. Vetiver has slowly become one of my favorite fragrance directions, especially for warm days. So it wasn't long before the first wrist was stained with this green liquid.

Dry, emaciated, ultra-elegant, and male-serious vetiver awaits you. It is dreamily beautiful, the main component, pure and clean. Additionally, it reminds one of the Malle interpretation and is expected to be good. Then there is a sparkling grapefruit that really makes an impression at the beginning. It is in a festive and cocktail mood and provides a brilliant counterpoint to the dry grass/roots. It is so simple and already perfect up to this point. But what comes next is a stroke of genius and absolutely unexpected, a masterful sucker punch. The vetiver loses more and more citrus notes and becomes different. You have never smelled it like this before, unmistakably vetiver, but incredibly deep, dark, and slightly powdery. I wouldn't have figured it out without the fragrance pyramid, but there is a kind of roasted coffee that joins in very subtly. Fabulous!!!

Bottle: large and stylish, especially the magnetic closures.
Sillage: appropriately masculine and not timid.
Longevity: pure quality - lasting 8-9 hours.

With this, the search for my perfect vetiver scent should be over. You can't conclude the topic more beautifully, straightforwardly, and yet captivatingly.

Aaaahhhhhhh … wonderful! Such a beautiful vetiver, really very, very beautiful! Quite strong and with a hint of citrus, but then really powerfully dark green vetiver, you’re practically with your nose and your soul and your perfume heart right in the grass. Beautiful here. Bittersweet. Quite vetiver bitter, softly vetiver sweet. Not to be compared with the delicious, truly wonderful Vetiver Tonka. This one is an inhalation scent. Very dark bitter fresh, very grassy bitter and also a hint of earthy woodiness. Not at all musty, nor moldy, for me this vetiver is really green, not root yellow, no, I perceive it as very grassy green. Deeply relaxing. For me, the green is even darker than the Dior Privée itself. And the thing with the coffee, well. I wouldn’t have recognized it, but once you know, it adds a charming note, and I’m in the grass with a coffee, and I’m not mad about it.

Almost no Dior Privée has disappointed me, and I suspect what that means, this brand loyalty, but I’m breaking free from it, because this one is really beautiful, honestly. Women can wear it too. Of course, you have to like vetiver, and I like vetiver. But I imagine it with vetiver like I do with tuberose, which I have my issues with: when it’s in there, and it’s recognizable, then the rest can be as beautiful as it wants, the scent is ruined for me, and so it goes for some with the wonderful vetiver, which is a shame, but cannot be changed.

The scent development is largely consistent, the citrus start minimal, the vetiver bitterness beautifully present, the coffee comes slowly. The scent is suitable for all year round and wearable for both everyday and business, the projection is quite decent for me, I have to dose a bit more sparingly, the longevity is good. A candidate for purchase, if there weren’t so many other beautiful Dior Privées…