Top Notes 
Bergamot
Pink pepper
Apple
Heart Notes 
Cedar
Lavender
Cinnamon
Base Notes 
Amber
Tonka bean
Vanilla
Suede
Asphaltblume
133 Reviews
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Asphaltblume
Top Review
9
The People's Endymion
It is not so easy to write a comment about a fragrance for which there are no "official" notes to guide you.
"Vert Galant" was also a blind purchase; not even the name of the designer meant anything to me, the simple white box with equally simple lettering - in sans-serif slender green block letters the name of the fragrance, in silver cursive with a coat of arms-like logo the rest - hung, inaccessible and sealed, in the Snow White coffin at TK Maxx and tempted me with the combination of mystery and low price to take a gamble.
Not even a "pour femme" or "pour homme" gives away the white sphinx easily.
However... true Francophiles or -phones might find a hint in the name:
"Le Vert Galant" is a nickname of the French King Henri IV (the one who wanted every Frenchman to have his chicken in the pot on Sundays) and refers to the fact that he pleased various mistresses even at an advanced age. The nickname is meant to be quite complimentary; I couldn't find an adequate translation into German. At the western tip of the Île de la Cité in Paris, below the Pont Neuf, there is a small square and park named Square or Jardin du Vert-Galant, thanks to an equestrian statue of Henri IV.
(However, I had sensed a connection to Galanthus nivalis, the snowdrop, and expected a cooler women's fragrance. Far from it...
But see for yourself.)
From the eagerly opened box, I took out a classically shaped bottle: a rectangular, angular block of clear glass, with the front and back sides fluted and the narrow sides smooth. The upper half is adorned with a matte silver metal plate, on which, alongside the embossed initials GR in an ornate frame with a crown above, the simply written name of the fragrance is displayed again. The cap is a rectangular block of clear plastic with a matte silver metal plate on top, simply embossed with Georges Rech. Overall, the bottle gives a valuable, classically simple impression.
So what is inside, how does the lightly greenish liquid smell?
My first impression was: Modern, sweet, pleasant, somehow familiar. Warm, woody notes, lavender, coffee, a hint of orange: Vert Galant bears a distinct resemblance to Penhaligon's Endymion, is equally wearable for men and women, but is likely to come off even more seductive on men.
The longevity is commendable, and the fragrance quickly becomes more intimate. Over time, lavender and orange recede more into the background, while coffee and woody notes (sandalwood, a bit of cedar, a hint of vetiver) come to the forefront. I also perceive an amber note and a touch of vanilla. In the dry down, musk becomes noticeable.
In direct comparison, Endymion is indeed significantly more nuanced and stronger than Vert Galant, especially the notes I perceive as "aftershave-like" and masculine are more pronounced in the former. And while Vert Galant evaporates as a soft musk fragrance that has little to do with the top and heart notes, Endymion remains true to itself until the end and is clearly identifiable. However, a general similarity cannot be denied.
"Vert Galant" was also a blind purchase; not even the name of the designer meant anything to me, the simple white box with equally simple lettering - in sans-serif slender green block letters the name of the fragrance, in silver cursive with a coat of arms-like logo the rest - hung, inaccessible and sealed, in the Snow White coffin at TK Maxx and tempted me with the combination of mystery and low price to take a gamble.
Not even a "pour femme" or "pour homme" gives away the white sphinx easily.
However... true Francophiles or -phones might find a hint in the name:
"Le Vert Galant" is a nickname of the French King Henri IV (the one who wanted every Frenchman to have his chicken in the pot on Sundays) and refers to the fact that he pleased various mistresses even at an advanced age. The nickname is meant to be quite complimentary; I couldn't find an adequate translation into German. At the western tip of the Île de la Cité in Paris, below the Pont Neuf, there is a small square and park named Square or Jardin du Vert-Galant, thanks to an equestrian statue of Henri IV.
(However, I had sensed a connection to Galanthus nivalis, the snowdrop, and expected a cooler women's fragrance. Far from it...
But see for yourself.)
From the eagerly opened box, I took out a classically shaped bottle: a rectangular, angular block of clear glass, with the front and back sides fluted and the narrow sides smooth. The upper half is adorned with a matte silver metal plate, on which, alongside the embossed initials GR in an ornate frame with a crown above, the simply written name of the fragrance is displayed again. The cap is a rectangular block of clear plastic with a matte silver metal plate on top, simply embossed with Georges Rech. Overall, the bottle gives a valuable, classically simple impression.
So what is inside, how does the lightly greenish liquid smell?
My first impression was: Modern, sweet, pleasant, somehow familiar. Warm, woody notes, lavender, coffee, a hint of orange: Vert Galant bears a distinct resemblance to Penhaligon's Endymion, is equally wearable for men and women, but is likely to come off even more seductive on men.
The longevity is commendable, and the fragrance quickly becomes more intimate. Over time, lavender and orange recede more into the background, while coffee and woody notes (sandalwood, a bit of cedar, a hint of vetiver) come to the forefront. I also perceive an amber note and a touch of vanilla. In the dry down, musk becomes noticeable.
In direct comparison, Endymion is indeed significantly more nuanced and stronger than Vert Galant, especially the notes I perceive as "aftershave-like" and masculine are more pronounced in the former. And while Vert Galant evaporates as a soft musk fragrance that has little to do with the top and heart notes, Endymion remains true to itself until the end and is clearly identifiable. However, a general similarity cannot be denied.
3 Comments
KingLui
Bellemorte
Zauber600
Jennytammy
Limoamani
Couchlock
