Fraîcheur Végétale de… Cèdre Bleu Yves Rocher 2004

Before I tried Monsieur Yves Blue Cedar, I didn't really know what cedar smelled like *cough*. Nevertheless, I was brave and ordered this cologne blindly along with the matching shower gel. No mistake!

The scent is immediately present with a strong, spicy wood note that, for me, is like a strange mix of sweet and bitter, simultaneously cool and warm, feminine and masculine. It confuses me and fascinates me in a way. As a test, I initially sprayed it in the (empty) bathtub in the evening, so to speak as a room spray, just to roughly gauge the note (I was already wearing another fragrance, hence this somewhat awkward approach).

Mon Dieu! My heart raced when I re-entered the bathroom after a few minutes. The scent was grand, gentle and aggressive at the same time. Simply... special. I didn't expect that; I was thinking more of a bitter-fresh herbal cologne, but certainly not such a peculiar unisex scent mélange.

So this is what cedar smells like, aha. This olfactory impression even occupied my dreams; I dreamt of Uncle Yves Cèdre Bleu, and of trying to categorize it scent-wise, which I couldn't manage.

Today, it had to go on the skin, logically. Essentially the same result as with the scent-in-bathtub, but the Blue Cedar develops even more beautifully now. After the intoxicating spice wood invasion, the scent quickly becomes calmer, softer, and rounder, yes: distinctly sweeter and more feminine. It merges beautifully with the skin, giving it a warm, powdery, sensual, skin-like scent touch without mustiness or rot.

Unfortunately, the longevity is predictably low, but with the affordable giant bottle, one can confidently reapply more often. Monsieur Rocher: Chapeau!