1828 Histoires de Parfums 1999

This is my first trial to write a review in English. I chose a men's scent because at a first sight of a scent I pay attention to the name followed by the summary of the fragances. Jules Verne the romantic author of science fiction novels. When I was a child I read them almost all. They seemed to me only old-fashioned but thrilling phantasy-stories. But now I recognize the humour and the political absurdities not only of those times. I even recognize the surrealism of the stories as well. Reading Jules Verne now is a different excitement with different fun because of knowing a lot more of history, science and philosphy. Clearly I expected a special tangy scent: Except of pine and mint it contents no fragances of the middle of Europe. But pine is my favorit coniferous tree and incence is one of my favorit fragances. If Jules Verne imagined to travel round the world within 80 days this collection of fragances reflects this. When I tested this parfume dedicated to Jules Verne the first time it teared away my breath. 1828 is like firy ice. At the same time it is the cool pine-forest in the high mountain and the sparkling eucalytus-trees while they are burning in Australia. Cool smoking incense in a catholic church and the arid scent of the areas in Africa where the scent trees are growing mixed up with the vetiver of South-Asia. 1828 smells clear, rough, smoky, hot and cold. Neither lovely flowers nor sweet fruits are cheering up the senses. Here we are almost landing at the moon. A long time later the grapefruit, the lemon and the tangerine appear softening and calming down the furious travel of fragances. Now the fast travel of Jules Vernes comes to an end and stands still to the more meditative view of the "Green Beam" a humorous love-story of Jules Verne. Lemon-green, something sweet and a little pouder-smell are appearing. At the end of the story the men are looking mesmerized at the green beam. The only woman who forced the men to search for the exact moment of the raising of the green beam is obeying one of these men...
1828 Jules Verne is a scent which rouses me out of exhaustion. It does not calm me at all.

Histoires de Parfums dropped the "Jules Verne" addition to the name 1828, which is likely a wise decision. This is not quite as adventurous as you might expect from a perfume with that subtitle. Here we have some old-school manly man stuff. It does what it is supposed to do and it does so properly, without going off-track or taking risks.

1828 is basically a woody-spicy that goes from cool eucalyptus-citrus to lukewarm incense-woods. Nutmeg and black pepper are the spices of choice here. Particularly strong in the opening, giving off that traditional masculinity together with those fresher notes. That razor-sharp freshness wears off pretty fast and then the various woody notes take over, with a little incense for support.

If you are looking for a bit of traditional spicy freshness, this may be for you. I will leave it at this one time.

Very typically masculine with its woods and citrus, but more interesting than most for the aforementioned spice and a fresh eucalyptus note. Highly recommended for fans of traditional masculines.

I've been trying to find some fragrances that are appropriate for the warmer months and daytime wear, and this is a lovely option. The nutmeg keeps the woodiness a little sweet and light as the citrus fades while avoiding the creaminess some woody scents can reach that I enjoy smelling but not wearing. It feels both classic and playful to me: traditional, but without feeling old fashioned.

It think it definitely skews masculine (and I suspect the house agrees with me, since it's under their For Him section) but is unisex enough that I anyone who's fond of the notes could enjoy it. My partner, who's less of a fragrance enthusiast, also immediately complimented how it smelled rather than just noting that I was wearing something.

Repetition & redundancy are 2 things that I don't care to have in my modest collection. Overlap from 1 to another, completely different for me, but I like keeping what I have on the smaller side (relatively speaking, of course) so having a minimalistic approach is my way.

With all of that said, the first thing that I get is a nice, invigorating blast of nutmeg. It sticks around for some time but the majority of what I get it an almost creamy pine scent with some sweetness from the vanilla (but thankfully it's a far cry from what we get today). I find it incredibly relaxing & soothing in the same kind of way that Xerjoff's Torino 21 hits me. Not to say that they smell anything alike because that's not the case, but the they both make me feel the same, creating a serene & comforting sense in very similar way to me.

This also doesn't project or last like a beast but I wouldn't like it anywhere near as much as I do if that was how it performed on my skin. I tend to get some 6-8 hours-ish & I'm more than happy with it. I've got perfumes that last longer & push out further but they generally don't have the same kind of vibe that I get from this gem.

If you're looking for an interesting personal space fragrance & appreciate a modern-esque twist on what could be considered a classic, 1828 might be good to try out.