8
Top Review
Juicy, thick, and dark green - An alternative to Zegna?
My enthusiasm for patchouli has been limited so far, but since discovering the essences of Ermengildo Zegna at KDW, my perspective has changed. Its softness struck me immediately - so much so that for my nose, "Javanese Patchouli" has remained the reference scent for patchouli until now.
On paper, a wonderful bergamot emerges, which, however, loses its presence a bit faster both there and on my skin. After about a minute, it is gone - this citrusy juicy side that immediately evokes the dark green leaf with a drop of dew on the jungle floor of Java. After that, a light, dry, very airy patchouli follows, which seems a bit sweet and rather transcendent-white to me. When I occasionally sniff it, just like now, when I have it on my hand, I can detect a slightly citrusy lime-like nuance (maybe also mandarin/orange), which shows up fleetingly, whispering by and allowing for associations with dark earthy green. During my first attempt in a restaurant in La Spezia, shortly after acquiring it, I had indeed overdone it a bit: with a slightly intoxicating effect on me, it took its revenge - there, in the summer evening night, it felt downright sultry and thick, viscous, gliding into powdery and then again sour. However, if you don't overdo it, I rather get a creamy, balsamic effect that I really like and which, by the way, layers well.
That is also my objection with the Monothemes: they quickly become boring for me! I feel similarly about the vetiver from the same house; somehow I miss the twist and the story after several hours of wearing it. While I can listen olfactorily to Ford's Grey Vetiver for hours, the fascination with Monothemes Vetiver-Bourbon fades quickly for me; it lacks a strong second theme, just like here - the bergamot seems a bit too weak for that, unfortunately being overshadowed by the patchouli towards the end - at least that's my impression; beforehand, it fights against it more sourly than beautifully.
The bottle is beautiful and classic, the packaging also shines with understatement, but the cheap-looking cap with the flat M really doesn't, in my opinion. It's actually nice that the Italians can also be "subdued," but who from the marketing department messed up this flat halo in plastic? If it weren't for that, the more than fair price (14.99 in Italy!) would really be hard to guess. A sin of Italian cockiness - it makes me think of the downright ugly bottle of Valentino's Uomo and grin.
Sillage is rather on the lower side depending on usage and relatively close to the skin if you don't overdo it; the longevity on the skin is about 6 hours, which is okay, while on clothing it's almost "beast mode"... I still get something from it the next day. All in all, the bottle keeps me from having to save up for the 150 bucks of Zegna's patch, because for occasional excursions into the angelic realm, which come to me at most once or twice a month, it's more than enough to have this beautiful Monotheme in my collection.
On paper, a wonderful bergamot emerges, which, however, loses its presence a bit faster both there and on my skin. After about a minute, it is gone - this citrusy juicy side that immediately evokes the dark green leaf with a drop of dew on the jungle floor of Java. After that, a light, dry, very airy patchouli follows, which seems a bit sweet and rather transcendent-white to me. When I occasionally sniff it, just like now, when I have it on my hand, I can detect a slightly citrusy lime-like nuance (maybe also mandarin/orange), which shows up fleetingly, whispering by and allowing for associations with dark earthy green. During my first attempt in a restaurant in La Spezia, shortly after acquiring it, I had indeed overdone it a bit: with a slightly intoxicating effect on me, it took its revenge - there, in the summer evening night, it felt downright sultry and thick, viscous, gliding into powdery and then again sour. However, if you don't overdo it, I rather get a creamy, balsamic effect that I really like and which, by the way, layers well.
That is also my objection with the Monothemes: they quickly become boring for me! I feel similarly about the vetiver from the same house; somehow I miss the twist and the story after several hours of wearing it. While I can listen olfactorily to Ford's Grey Vetiver for hours, the fascination with Monothemes Vetiver-Bourbon fades quickly for me; it lacks a strong second theme, just like here - the bergamot seems a bit too weak for that, unfortunately being overshadowed by the patchouli towards the end - at least that's my impression; beforehand, it fights against it more sourly than beautifully.
The bottle is beautiful and classic, the packaging also shines with understatement, but the cheap-looking cap with the flat M really doesn't, in my opinion. It's actually nice that the Italians can also be "subdued," but who from the marketing department messed up this flat halo in plastic? If it weren't for that, the more than fair price (14.99 in Italy!) would really be hard to guess. A sin of Italian cockiness - it makes me think of the downright ugly bottle of Valentino's Uomo and grin.
Sillage is rather on the lower side depending on usage and relatively close to the skin if you don't overdo it; the longevity on the skin is about 6 hours, which is okay, while on clothing it's almost "beast mode"... I still get something from it the next day. All in all, the bottle keeps me from having to save up for the 150 bucks of Zegna's patch, because for occasional excursions into the angelic realm, which come to me at most once or twice a month, it's more than enough to have this beautiful Monotheme in my collection.
Translated · Show original
4 Comments
I find Patchouli Leaves quite nice, but also a bit boring.