Top Notes 
Heart Notes 
Base Notes 
05/01/2021
Elysium
814 Reviews
Elysium
2
More Bang for the Buck
A few days ago, I wrote the Vétiver (2014) review, saying how much I am in love with this greenish herbaceous note. It seems that the fresh combination of spices and vetiver appeals to me a lot! I just bought a bottle full of this beauty. Terre d'Oriente is genuinely relaxing and brings my mind to a relaxed and confident state. The scent smells like a hay of dried vetiver roots sprinkled with bitter citrus and peppery grains. As an intensely masculine yet excitingly airborne mix of orange, pepper, cedar, and vetiver, there's a balance to the scent, which remains fearlessly modern. I wore Terre d'Hermès Eau de Toilette as soon as it came out on the market, exclusively for almost a whole year, and it was my first love. Every morning, a fragrance greeted me with its sour citrus opening, brightly painting memorable moments in my life. Uncannily, these two colognes have more than one vibe in common.
I get a burst of citrus and spicy notes right off the top. In a while, the peppery notes emerge and interact with the citrus notes to create a complex picture full of persuasive fruit. What makes Terre d'Orient's opening slightly different than your average citrus cologne is that the grapefruit note smells like the white part of the grapefruit peel--it is zesty and somewhat tarty.
The added floral aromas of geranium offer a pleasant sweetness to its structure, so it's not overly bitter. The spicy nuances of black pepper spread from the heart loud and clear, while it only hinted at geranium—a spicy and citrusy heart. There is a mineral vein in the background that reminds me of dusty stones under a backing sun.
Finally, the base is balsamic and slightly bitter with a chalky flint finish. Vetiver, woods and the mineral note dominates the dry-down. With its nutty reflections, warm vetiver interacts with musky and earthy patchouli, while benzoin creates bitter and aromatic vanilla notes. The vetiver in this fragrance is earthy, grassy, woody, and green that feels very refined. Faint hints of grapefruit and pepper remain, adding an element of freshness to the final drying. Vetiver dominates, while dry cedar, calm patchouli, and finally, resinous benzoin follow in single file. The patchouli fits behind the vetiver, reinforcing its green accords with a mild, earthy, and herbaceous note.
The triad orange, pepper, and vetiver are the perfume backbone. Overall, the fragrance is tempting with a cascading crescendo of notes. Terre d'Orient begins with a few notes that slowly build up through continuous transitions. The ultimate result is a profoundly resinous and harmonious composition, which soothes and excites. It somehow reminds me of an antique wood furniture store, but not in the wrong way. In a unique sense, if Encre Noire Eau de Toilette were a forest at night, Terre d'Orient is that forest during the day. While the sillage is relatively subdued and leaves only a faint trace, the projection performs very well when the wearer is stationary. As for performance, it offers average longevity with durability that will last half a day. Although it is a perfect perfume during milder months, for spring and autumn days, I like to wear it on summer evenings, when heated skin increases the release of green and resinous notes. Featuring a solid and bittersweet note with a sticky and tantalizing base, Terre d'Orient is a virile scent, a proud yet elegant statement.
I based the review on a 100ml bottle I have owned since April 2021.
-Elysium
I get a burst of citrus and spicy notes right off the top. In a while, the peppery notes emerge and interact with the citrus notes to create a complex picture full of persuasive fruit. What makes Terre d'Orient's opening slightly different than your average citrus cologne is that the grapefruit note smells like the white part of the grapefruit peel--it is zesty and somewhat tarty.
The added floral aromas of geranium offer a pleasant sweetness to its structure, so it's not overly bitter. The spicy nuances of black pepper spread from the heart loud and clear, while it only hinted at geranium—a spicy and citrusy heart. There is a mineral vein in the background that reminds me of dusty stones under a backing sun.
Finally, the base is balsamic and slightly bitter with a chalky flint finish. Vetiver, woods and the mineral note dominates the dry-down. With its nutty reflections, warm vetiver interacts with musky and earthy patchouli, while benzoin creates bitter and aromatic vanilla notes. The vetiver in this fragrance is earthy, grassy, woody, and green that feels very refined. Faint hints of grapefruit and pepper remain, adding an element of freshness to the final drying. Vetiver dominates, while dry cedar, calm patchouli, and finally, resinous benzoin follow in single file. The patchouli fits behind the vetiver, reinforcing its green accords with a mild, earthy, and herbaceous note.
The triad orange, pepper, and vetiver are the perfume backbone. Overall, the fragrance is tempting with a cascading crescendo of notes. Terre d'Orient begins with a few notes that slowly build up through continuous transitions. The ultimate result is a profoundly resinous and harmonious composition, which soothes and excites. It somehow reminds me of an antique wood furniture store, but not in the wrong way. In a unique sense, if Encre Noire Eau de Toilette were a forest at night, Terre d'Orient is that forest during the day. While the sillage is relatively subdued and leaves only a faint trace, the projection performs very well when the wearer is stationary. As for performance, it offers average longevity with durability that will last half a day. Although it is a perfect perfume during milder months, for spring and autumn days, I like to wear it on summer evenings, when heated skin increases the release of green and resinous notes. Featuring a solid and bittersweet note with a sticky and tantalizing base, Terre d'Orient is a virile scent, a proud yet elegant statement.
I based the review on a 100ml bottle I have owned since April 2021.
-Elysium
