Equistrius Parfum d'Empire 2007

I almost made a mistake today. I almost sprayed Equistrius on my girlfriend. The thought came to me while having coffee at the computer, where I was turning the sample vial between my thumb and index finger and reading through the fragrance notes. She likes green and violet, she probably wouldn’t notice the iris, and I don’t need to tell her about the chocolate. Then I checked who I actually got the sample from. And lo and behold: from a guy. (Many thanks to Dannyboy at this point.)
At this point, I want to make it clear that Equistrius doesn’t necessarily come across as masculine, but rather that my girlfriend, whose fragrance preferences I can gauge relatively well, would definitely have felt attracted only to the pyramid from about the top to the hips. Then the scent takes a distinct turn. And since I ultimately sprayed it on my own chest, I can say: to its advantage.

Equistrius starts fresh and softly green with herbal hints. If violet is listed in the composition, I would accept that, although you don’t smell much of it. But that’s not important, as the responsible fragrance oil dissipates relatively quickly. So far, the perfume actually smells green and delicate. With the transition to the heart notes, the green shifts into the clean. The iris in Equistrius is not powdery, but soapy, and there’s a bitter, slightly sweet chocolate that comes through. (I know a thing or two about chocolate now; I own Chocolat Amère.) This bitter-soapy quality leads directly into the base. And the base is simply wonderful.
Here, two components can be found that harmonize beautifully, each of which can sometimes seem a bit arbitrary on its own. The soapy iris is now replaced by a creamy, soapy sandalwood note. At the same time, it connects with a green, sparkling vetiver. Although both are pristine clean notes, the base of the fragrance radiates warmth and juiciness on the skin.

Even though the development of the perfume doesn’t announce itself in the top notes, there are fewer breaks to be found here than the first impression might suggest. The perfume plays through variations of clean, which can be found in both the green notes and the sandalwood base. And once again: the scent is definitely a vetiver suitable for women. But what it primarily is, is a multifaceted sandalwood fragrance for anyone who is looking for it.

(This comment is, as promised, for Pazuzu.)