06/28/2020
Drseid
819 Reviews
Drseid
Helpful Review
2
Old School Oakmoss and Patchouli...
Glastonbury opens with a blast of aromatic lavender with a tinge of underlying green oakmoss before quickly moving to its heart. As the composition enters its early heart the aromatic lavender remains, now in support of co-starring aromatic, earthy patchouli and the now co-starring aggressive mossy-green oakmoss growing much stronger as time passes, supported by underlying softer green tree moss and sharp, woody vetiver. During the late dry-down, the composition stays relatively linear as the aromatic lavender gradually vacates, leaving the patchouli and oakmoss co-stars remaining through the finish, with the woody vetiver just detectable in support. Projection is very good to excellent, and longevity excellent at just over 12 hours on skin.
I first was introduced to Glastonbury through my hobby of traditional shaving, where Stirling is a well-known rapidly growing artisanal Men's traditional shaving company owned by a married couple (the Lovans), both involved in different aspects of the business. The husband, Rod Lovan, among other things is responsible for the formulations of the various shaving and bar soaps, aftershaves, and EdTs. Many of these are "inspired by" compositions that I have not tried, but Mr. Lovan had several original creations including a couple non-IFRA compliant oakmoss laden compositions on the site that looked right up my alley... Varen, and the focus of this review, Glastonbury. Glastonbury is billed as a patchouli forward composition that "will put you in the middle of a field with a soft, grassy breeze blowing while Jimi Hendrix and Jimmy Page engage in an epic guitar battle in the background. " Well, my imagination is not so good as to envision all that, but what it does do is take me back to the great patchouli and oakmoss driven 70s/80s powerhouse days of Givenchy Gentlemen and Giorgio for Men. No, Glastonbury is no clone of either, though certainly the formula in a small way pays homage to those greats and will most likely appeal to lovers of both. The patchouli and aromatic lavender could use a bit more balance with the oakmoss in the EdT reviewed here (somewhat interesting that they are much better balanced in the bar, shave soap and aftershave products), but while the composition might benefit from some polish, its rustic charm comes through giving it some distinctiveness that sets it apart from the pack in an unexpected way. The bottom line is the $25 per 50 ml bottle Glastonbury EdT may be improved by some final tweaking, but perfumer Rod Lovan successfully captures the spirit of the great powerhouse 70s/80s offerings, complete with non-IFRA compliant oakmoss that packs a punch, earning a "very good" to "excellent" 3.5 to 4 stars out of 5 rating and a strong recommendation to old school patchouli and oakmoss driven powerhouse lovers.
I first was introduced to Glastonbury through my hobby of traditional shaving, where Stirling is a well-known rapidly growing artisanal Men's traditional shaving company owned by a married couple (the Lovans), both involved in different aspects of the business. The husband, Rod Lovan, among other things is responsible for the formulations of the various shaving and bar soaps, aftershaves, and EdTs. Many of these are "inspired by" compositions that I have not tried, but Mr. Lovan had several original creations including a couple non-IFRA compliant oakmoss laden compositions on the site that looked right up my alley... Varen, and the focus of this review, Glastonbury. Glastonbury is billed as a patchouli forward composition that "will put you in the middle of a field with a soft, grassy breeze blowing while Jimi Hendrix and Jimmy Page engage in an epic guitar battle in the background. " Well, my imagination is not so good as to envision all that, but what it does do is take me back to the great patchouli and oakmoss driven 70s/80s powerhouse days of Givenchy Gentlemen and Giorgio for Men. No, Glastonbury is no clone of either, though certainly the formula in a small way pays homage to those greats and will most likely appeal to lovers of both. The patchouli and aromatic lavender could use a bit more balance with the oakmoss in the EdT reviewed here (somewhat interesting that they are much better balanced in the bar, shave soap and aftershave products), but while the composition might benefit from some polish, its rustic charm comes through giving it some distinctiveness that sets it apart from the pack in an unexpected way. The bottom line is the $25 per 50 ml bottle Glastonbury EdT may be improved by some final tweaking, but perfumer Rod Lovan successfully captures the spirit of the great powerhouse 70s/80s offerings, complete with non-IFRA compliant oakmoss that packs a punch, earning a "very good" to "excellent" 3.5 to 4 stars out of 5 rating and a strong recommendation to old school patchouli and oakmoss driven powerhouse lovers.