Hermann à mes Côtés me Paraissait une Ombre Etat Libre d'Orange 2015

The notes listed for Hermann a mes Cotes me Paraissait une Ombre are not what show up on my skin; I don't get a synthetic vibe at all. For me, it begins as a sweetened guiac wood mingled with frankincense and a faint fruity aroma. The sweetened guiac note recedes, swapping places with pepper. The silage starts at and remains at 6" through the life of the fragrance. Aside from the quick change to a fruit-laden incense, the scent is linear. I enjoy the aroma and it garners compliments from the opposite sex, but the four synthetic notes give me pause. I'm not against synthetics per se, but I am aware that they are being created and launched into a void created by the IFRA and other busybodies.

The Lynchian product video suggests a multiplicity of spiritual tensions in its stark blacks and whites. The fragrance name translates as "Hermann to my sides / Seemed to me a Shadow", which is from Victor Hugo's Poem "What Two Horsemen Were Thinking in the Forest". Apparently I was supposed to get a brooding, dangerous, and yet charming vibe, but I did not.

I am left with a faint sense of loss, a missing the mark, perhaps on the part of Libre Etat D'Orange, but perhaps on my part. I am unable to detect the notes listed and I cannot participate in the effect this was designed to create. I find it appealing nevertheless, but question the need for synthetic elements.

Perhaps I am experiencing aphasia with my alternate self?

"Dark was the night and the gloomy forest.
By my side Herman was like a spectre."
Line taken from one of the lyrics of Victor Hugo's "Les Contemplations": one of the rare romantic poems of the era that is meant to focus on always having a shadow walking beside us, at all times, and if you read Hugo's biography you will understand that he went through a lot of darkness.
Who this presence might be is unknown to us, but even I am sure that each of us has it, physical or intangible.
An outstanding fragrance, from an exceptional nose, Quentin Bisch.
Spicy, fresh, almost woody scents give the illusion of something misty and smoky, almost incensed.
An introspective walk through the meanders of our soul.
"The two faces of the soul" painted by Siudmak.

Where do I even begin?

The opening is earthy, full of rose, pine, resin, and moss: green, damp, floral, woody, like standing in a misty glade. It has hints of spice deep within it, something clove like, and something ever so gently smokey and peppery. It has an ozonic quality, ushering it towards something ghostly or otherworldly. The incense and patchouli work to move this misty and damp forest closer towards life, towards seeming lived in.

You stand in a misty forest, the dusk sunlight barely breaking through the heavy tree tops. you see, in the distance, a stone church, that looks as if it's at risk of collapsing in on itself. you swear you can see someone inside beckoning you closer, and you feel inclined to listen.

colors: smoke grey, pine green, blush pink, hickory brown

Feeling like a fairy in a damp forest during summertime but this is no Disney!

On me, the opening is screaming PEPPER and I love it. Sharp while fresh. A spicy kick that invigorates the spirit. Seems based on a recipe from a witch potion book.

As it dries on my skin, it gets really smoother and that's when the forest comes out for me. It's earthy and sweet. Picture wild roses growing beside an eerily beautiful pond. It gets more subtil and easier to wear. It stays fresh in a musky and natural way.

I'm new to the fragrance game and as of now, I really love the smoky-boozy-leathery ones but they don't always fit the vibes of a sunny spring day. I'm glad I found this one! It matches both my personality and my environment.

What a joy!

I had this one for a while and oh my god I can't seem to stop myself to sniff it every few minutes. I love it so much.
It smells so fresh but not in a floral type of way, but in a clear rain water type of way, or almost like a clear lake near a forest during a fresh spring day type of way.
It smells churchy with the faintest trail of incense, but what you get most is the blackcurrant and rose notes. To me it's almost like you're taking a spring time walk through a mossy forrest and suddenly there's a downpour of rain and the only place where you can take shelter is between a rose bush and a blackcurrant bush.
I also have a feeling that garden or forest gnomes might smell exactly like this perfume.
If you are striving to become a forest dweller you should definitely try this one!