Escale en Indonésie Les Indémodables 2020

I was really looking forward to "Escale en Indonésie." I became aware of it through the reference to its similarity or "roughly in the direction of..." on the "Eau Sauvage" page. Since I couldn't get a sample, I ultimately felt confident enough, based on the descriptions and listed notes, to take the risk of a blind buy. The curiosity and temptation were simply too great, as "Eau Sauvage" is my favorite fragrance. Even if the Escale were only half as good, it would still be good enough, making a wrong purchase very unlikely.

Filled with hopeful anticipation of a positive surprise, I was more than excited when I finally held the bottle in my hands and sprayed it for the first test. Citrusy, fresh, slightly bitter, classic - I was thrilled and relieved that my worries turned out to be unfounded and the suspicion that I had found an enhancement for my small collection proved to be true. The top notes settle slowly, and something new is slowly but surely making its way... That must be the amber. From this point on, the scent becomes increasingly strange for me. It smells good... but somehow not. No, it's great... or maybe not...

It seems to me that the scent development is a bit like flip-flop nail polish, constantly changing its color and somehow not being easily graspable. Some time passes, and my indecision tends to tip into the negative. It becomes more bitter, herbal. There is a certain minimal sweetness present, but in my perception, it’s more like dissolving a sugar cube in a liter of water. Additionally, the citrus fades away, and I get a slightly animalistic vetiver, which shows its noble side, but somehow also reminds me of past times due to its balsamic nature. I wouldn't even claim that it smells like grandpa; rather, I would describe it as a time travel to much earlier times. This is partly due to the almost exclusively natural ingredients. A very interesting scent, I must really say. Unfortunately, for me, it's not wearable. Too bitter, too herbal, and for me, too old-school, and I personally see the comparison to "Eau Sauvage" as only marginally justified. I really only see this scent on established, very masculine men or nature-loving fragrance enthusiasts who prefer their perfumes to be as natural as possible.