Benzoin
Rose
Musk
Oakmoss
Honey
Citrus notes
Sandalwood
Patchouli10/13/2012
Sherapop
1239 Reviews
Sherapop
2
Dry Woody Oriental Chypre
Montale ORIENT EXTREME is a bizarre creation. It lacks most of the qualities we currently associate with oriental perfumes, above all, any source of sweetness or culinary spices. Instead, it packs a punch of dry, dry, dry wood, which smells like firewood after the fire has gone out and is no longer even smoldering. Very stern, like a plank of wood used to punish an errant child. No, this is not a warm cuddly oriental perfume. Far from it, in fact.
Still, I think that ORIENT EXTREME has its virtues. For one thing, it is very unique. The only perfumes I remember being this dry and woody are incense perfumes, but this does not smell at all like incense. It's rather like an incense perfume with charred wood instead of incense. It called to my mind one of the Chanel special edition (exclusifs) perfumes--was it SYCOMORE?--I'll have to go check. Whichever one it was, it reminded me of a campfire. Not a seductive elixir at all, but truly thought-provoking.
That's about how I feel about ORIENT EXTREME. This is a thought-provoking composition, not very inviting in the usual way, and not at all cuddly but fascinating nonetheless. It reminds me a bit of some of the Serge Lutens creations, as a matter of fact--not in terms of the composition itself but in terms of the challenge it poses to the nose and also to one's mind. This is a challenging perfume which requires some patience to appreciate.
Still, I think that ORIENT EXTREME has its virtues. For one thing, it is very unique. The only perfumes I remember being this dry and woody are incense perfumes, but this does not smell at all like incense. It's rather like an incense perfume with charred wood instead of incense. It called to my mind one of the Chanel special edition (exclusifs) perfumes--was it SYCOMORE?--I'll have to go check. Whichever one it was, it reminded me of a campfire. Not a seductive elixir at all, but truly thought-provoking.
That's about how I feel about ORIENT EXTREME. This is a thought-provoking composition, not very inviting in the usual way, and not at all cuddly but fascinating nonetheless. It reminds me a bit of some of the Serge Lutens creations, as a matter of fact--not in terms of the composition itself but in terms of the challenge it poses to the nose and also to one's mind. This is a challenging perfume which requires some patience to appreciate.
