Top Notes 
Bergamot
Lemon
Heart Notes 
Bulgarian rose
Cinnamon
Myrrh
Base Notes 
Peru balsam
Patchouli
Vetiver
Profumo
288 Reviews
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Profumo
Top Review
23
This Gallic knight knows how to wield a sword!
‘Galaor’ is a challenging fragrance: a rather lush rose, oh what am I saying: a whole bouquet of roses, headfirst dipped into a barrel of Peru balsam.
To be honest, I don’t really know how Peru balsam smells, so I have to proceed here by the process of elimination. Bergamot, lemon, cinnamon, myrrh, patchouli, and vetiver are recognizable to varying degrees, especially the rose, but there is a dark balsamic undertone in this fragrance that flows through all the known and identifiable notes like a deep organ tone. I guess this sweetly warm, vanilla-like dark background noise is due to the use of Peru balsam.
Bergamot and lemon accentuate the balsam with a sour-bitter sharpness, and the cinnamon contributes its penetrating sharp and dry aromas. The combination of bitter-fresh, spicy-aromatic, and balsamic-floral sounds quite harmless as a concept and anything but exciting. However, the result is a rather screechy affair: barely sprayed, the fragrance almost explodes, and the shrill and moderating components engage in a bitter dispute. Even now, I wish the fragrance were much, much quieter, more moderate, with airier accents, but ‘Galaor’ remains relentless and hammers like possessed in capital letters on my olfactory receptors: LEMON, ROSE, CINNAMON, BALSAM - Bang!!!
Phew, one wants to kneel down and give up... I did just that the first time I tested the fragrance: I sprayed a bit on my arm but had to instantly tear it away from my nose. I did not expect this olfactory punch. Immediately, I had the association of a can of hairspray aimed directly at me. I know, that sounds terrible at first, but anyone who remembers the 80s, when entire hair towers were fixed with copious amounts of hairspray, also remembers how some bathrooms smelled, where it would have been better not to light a match - it would have gone up in smoke without a word. On the other hand, these sharp-sticky, shrill spray notes also had something - they were loud, colorful, and literally ‘breathtaking’. The sheer opposite of restrained subtlety - typically 80s. It is exactly those overly loud vibes of this screechy colorful decade that ‘Galaor’ spreads.
Subtlety is not a characteristic of any of these Aristia fragrances. They are all extremely potent specimens, and this one in particular. In contrast to the others, especially the two I like best, ‘Sinbad’ and ‘Condottiere’, ‘Galaor’ does not remain particularly persistent in its presence. The fragrance is indeed terribly loud at first, yes intrusive, but calms down after a while and ends in warm-balsamic harmony. It becomes increasingly quieter, and that is a good thing, because the shrill start is truly nerve-wracking. ‘Sinbad’ and ‘Condottiere’ do not start quite so loudly, but they have significantly more stamina and a better balance towards the end.
‘Galaor’ is, on the other hand, a sanguine fragrance - lively, temperamental, and explosive, but that has its charms as well.
I discovered those only during the second test. Again, I sprayed it on, but this time I was prepared for the fragrance assault, standing up to it, pushing through to the depths: Wow, what an attack! This fragrance makes it clear that the Aristia line is dedicated to warrior legendary figures. This one, according to tradition, was a Gallic knight who went into battle against the soldiers of the Western Roman Empire. Following the fragrance named after him, he knew how to wield a sword - the strike lands, immediately. At the same time, he is said to have had a romantic heart and indulged in courtly love, as all knights are rumored to have done. Here comes the rose into play, with which he presented himself to the beloved princess Briolanie, at whose court the sorceress Urgande was up to all sorts of balsams and incense.
So much for the inspiration that ‘Galaor’ is supposed to depict in scent.
In the case of ‘Sinbad’ and ‘Condottiere’, I can somewhat grasp the connection with the respective legendary figures, but here...
Somehow, I can't quite reconcile the smoky-spicy orientalism with the location in Gaul. But it doesn’t matter, there are roses in Gaul too, and the oriental setting indeed conjures up the aforementioned Urgande.
Like all other Aristia fragrances, ‘Galaor’ is a veritable perfume. The longevity is worthy of a burdock, and one spray is almost too much. So be careful with the dosage!
If applied too liberally, it not only attacks your own sense of smell but also that of everyone else and quickly sucks the last little bit of oxygen out of the air.
But even when applied sparingly, it initially means: grit your teeth and push through - it gets better!
As I said, a challenging fragrance that sometimes fascinates me, sometimes repulses me - but never leaves me cold.
To be honest, I don’t really know how Peru balsam smells, so I have to proceed here by the process of elimination. Bergamot, lemon, cinnamon, myrrh, patchouli, and vetiver are recognizable to varying degrees, especially the rose, but there is a dark balsamic undertone in this fragrance that flows through all the known and identifiable notes like a deep organ tone. I guess this sweetly warm, vanilla-like dark background noise is due to the use of Peru balsam.
Bergamot and lemon accentuate the balsam with a sour-bitter sharpness, and the cinnamon contributes its penetrating sharp and dry aromas. The combination of bitter-fresh, spicy-aromatic, and balsamic-floral sounds quite harmless as a concept and anything but exciting. However, the result is a rather screechy affair: barely sprayed, the fragrance almost explodes, and the shrill and moderating components engage in a bitter dispute. Even now, I wish the fragrance were much, much quieter, more moderate, with airier accents, but ‘Galaor’ remains relentless and hammers like possessed in capital letters on my olfactory receptors: LEMON, ROSE, CINNAMON, BALSAM - Bang!!!
Phew, one wants to kneel down and give up... I did just that the first time I tested the fragrance: I sprayed a bit on my arm but had to instantly tear it away from my nose. I did not expect this olfactory punch. Immediately, I had the association of a can of hairspray aimed directly at me. I know, that sounds terrible at first, but anyone who remembers the 80s, when entire hair towers were fixed with copious amounts of hairspray, also remembers how some bathrooms smelled, where it would have been better not to light a match - it would have gone up in smoke without a word. On the other hand, these sharp-sticky, shrill spray notes also had something - they were loud, colorful, and literally ‘breathtaking’. The sheer opposite of restrained subtlety - typically 80s. It is exactly those overly loud vibes of this screechy colorful decade that ‘Galaor’ spreads.
Subtlety is not a characteristic of any of these Aristia fragrances. They are all extremely potent specimens, and this one in particular. In contrast to the others, especially the two I like best, ‘Sinbad’ and ‘Condottiere’, ‘Galaor’ does not remain particularly persistent in its presence. The fragrance is indeed terribly loud at first, yes intrusive, but calms down after a while and ends in warm-balsamic harmony. It becomes increasingly quieter, and that is a good thing, because the shrill start is truly nerve-wracking. ‘Sinbad’ and ‘Condottiere’ do not start quite so loudly, but they have significantly more stamina and a better balance towards the end.
‘Galaor’ is, on the other hand, a sanguine fragrance - lively, temperamental, and explosive, but that has its charms as well.
I discovered those only during the second test. Again, I sprayed it on, but this time I was prepared for the fragrance assault, standing up to it, pushing through to the depths: Wow, what an attack! This fragrance makes it clear that the Aristia line is dedicated to warrior legendary figures. This one, according to tradition, was a Gallic knight who went into battle against the soldiers of the Western Roman Empire. Following the fragrance named after him, he knew how to wield a sword - the strike lands, immediately. At the same time, he is said to have had a romantic heart and indulged in courtly love, as all knights are rumored to have done. Here comes the rose into play, with which he presented himself to the beloved princess Briolanie, at whose court the sorceress Urgande was up to all sorts of balsams and incense.
So much for the inspiration that ‘Galaor’ is supposed to depict in scent.
In the case of ‘Sinbad’ and ‘Condottiere’, I can somewhat grasp the connection with the respective legendary figures, but here...
Somehow, I can't quite reconcile the smoky-spicy orientalism with the location in Gaul. But it doesn’t matter, there are roses in Gaul too, and the oriental setting indeed conjures up the aforementioned Urgande.
Like all other Aristia fragrances, ‘Galaor’ is a veritable perfume. The longevity is worthy of a burdock, and one spray is almost too much. So be careful with the dosage!
If applied too liberally, it not only attacks your own sense of smell but also that of everyone else and quickly sucks the last little bit of oxygen out of the air.
But even when applied sparingly, it initially means: grit your teeth and push through - it gets better!
As I said, a challenging fragrance that sometimes fascinates me, sometimes repulses me - but never leaves me cold.
9 Comments
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