Cuir de Russie Le Jardin Retrouvé 2016

I am a woman and I have always enjoyed being one. I have never struggled with being one. However, I have had issues with the associated stereotypes, clichés, and injustices, but that is a whole different story. In any case, I like my scents to be floral, sweet, romantic, powdery, soapy, creamy, and even a bit makeup-like. Bring on the entire bathroom palette of fragrances plus a flower garden and a greenhouse of Christmas spices!
And yet: there is also a nerdy little guy inside me who insists on his right to olfactory appreciation. He wants his Tabac deodorant every morning, yes indeed.
So it is absolutely wonderful when such a magnificent unisex fragrance suddenly arrives at my doorstep. The first sniff was an aha moment. A fresh, androgynous scent that I immediately enjoyed all around.
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In my nose, the violet dominates right away. But what a violet! A cool, sunglasses-wearing one, wrapped in cool dark blue. No powder or pastilles here. Arm in arm with buddy juniper, the little flower wafts in. This combination smells wonderfully spicy-floral. Alongside the violet, there are the prickly branches, berries, and everything that comes with the juniper. Before it can gradually drift into a dreamy scent for unshaven roughnecks, a soft, conciliatory sweetness makes its presence known, certainly thanks to the ylang-ylang. Its sunny creaminess here only subtly underscores the cool-spicy beauty of the violet-juniper mélange, coaxing a small, reserved smile from it, and otherwise remains absolutely in the background. Just like the cinnamon, which contributes a barely noticeable, slightly spicy-woody, tingling warmth. I can perceive slightly smoky nuances, but I can't detect any patchouli. Leather?
No, no leather.
And wasn't "Russian leather" as a scent always just meant to scent leather gloves anyway?
Well, in the absence of leather gloves, I happily scent myself with this wonderful cologne, this herbal-spicy violet nose treat.
There is one downside. The sillage and longevity could be a bit better, or rather, more intense. Nevertheless, the scent is beautifully crafted and smells high-quality.
The price was very, very cheap when I bought it. Unfortunately, that is no longer the case. It recently got a new bottle and now costs quite a bit more.
***
Hopeful, I now push the pretty little bottle a bit more to the center of the bathroom shelf. Just in case my husband wants to repay me for all the liters of deodorant I have stealthily taken from him over time.
(I have probably used up his Terre d'Hermès Eau de Toilette all by myself...
Cuir de Russie (2016) is for everyone.
Women, men, and of course also nerdy little guys.