Equistrius Parfum d'Empire 2007

AugustA tries a drop. And with the opening, I immediately say three times in a row, delighted: “Hmmm!” Interesting what you get to smell, not just fresh or anything, no hesperides, no citrus, no pharmacy, but right in the middle of the fragrance action: Iris with chocolate patch and ambrette. The top note doesn’t wait around for me. And it doesn’t become too heavy or oriental right away. As if the base had swung into the head on a swing and now has to fall back to make room for others. A memory of those old glue bottles with the rubber applicator also floats by. I used to love smelling that stuff, that was many years ago. Now I throw caution to the wind and go in for a proper dose - this will surely not be a headache scent. You have to try it in its full size and form.
Now, more body: I smell milky sandalwood and yeast. And the dry iris root unfolds, pushing further through. I find iris together with wood particularly beautiful. Now: The violet. Over minimal cookie sweetness, no gourmand touch, strength, cookies that have been lying around a bit too long. Slightly rancid. Maybe a dried date with its own herb-malty sugar smell. And all of this in the first 10 minutes.

Wow.
Not a scent that you apply and forget about right away.

What does Equistrius mean again?
Ah, a beloved tournament horse.
Shiny warm coat to stroke, I can accept that with this scent. Freshly groomed, velvety. But rather not: racing, rider-horse noise or such hoof trampling. Or maybe, in the distance?

Iris, the messenger of the gods - a rainbow - rather.
For the scent spans from the floral side with the iris at the center, in an arc of earthiness and heavenly transparency, the violet adds a slight evening violet to the sky, which only carries a few wispy clouds.
And yet they also cast shadows. A romantic play with light and dark.

Buttery, earthy iris root and dry powderiness blend with the steam of rice. Next to it lies a piece of dark chocolate, the already mentioned date, the old cookie.
A drop of rosé in a glass. Fits with the slightly fermented note that now greets me as I come closer.

Equistrius is not heavy, it soon merges completely with my skin, which smells and feels slightly spicy. The scent manages to create a special materiality that you can feel just as much as you smell.
An iris and rice powder cloud that hovers over the skin, enveloping, like a warm glow.

There’s also a leather aspect, perhaps from the horse? Violet and iris leather, gloves, harness or something; cocoa sometimes has that herb-bitter tanning note. Very dry. On the skin, the leather radiates warm and fragrant, just like this scent. That’s it. Not too much of it at all.

In the base, after 3-4 hours still the iris powder, but distinctly woodier, a remnant of bitter chocolate, ambrette and: vetiver. Through its companions, the vetiver here is sweet, nutty, green-powdery. A fresh hint of grass and air is also present.
Again, the scent spans the olfactory arc from the root to the blue sky. That’s how I like vetiver.

A comprehensive fragrance experience.

Today, I didn’t know right away which sample I wanted to test. So I just grabbed one. Et voilà! This is truly a well-rounded, unusual scent! Definitely unisex, as the male and female components and codes support each other wonderfully, and I’m sure it will unfold in different emphases on every woman’s and man’s skin, and whoever has completely shed these attributions. It will surely remain exciting; we won’t let this one go.