Update after a year: My bottle is empty and I have to adjust my rating upwards. I've left the mandarin fetish behind. Mandarino di Sicilia etc. with dominant mandarin even annoy me today. I also recognize the mystical aspect of the perfume in the meantime. By spring, I will get a larger bottle or even the whole flacon. --------------------------------- The opening is delightful. In the first moments, fresh, mandarin citrus dominates with the magical effect of a holiday Orangina. However, just as quickly as childlike happiness at the beach in Ravenna fades, so does the opening of this perfume, and the fear grows: there will be no refill. Again.
It doesn't take long until Mystic Moss is where expected. Cardamom and the base set the tone. Patchouli, vetiver, and incense create an oriental, mystical aura - primarily oriental, but somehow also mystical, after all. However, I do not encounter the moss that shares the name. Mentally, I keep coming back to "Une Nuit à Bali - Mr. Vetiver | Une Nuit Nomade." There is also moss in it that I do not smell. However, the cardamom has more punch, and the vetiver is clearer and less embedded than in "Mystic Moss | Dries Van Noten." It's a matter of taste what one prefers.
After two hours, I am up close, and the sillage theme is done. I could imagine that summer temperatures would carry the scent a bit further. Unfortunately, due to the lack of summer, that's just a thought. The following stands out: aside from the brilliant opening, the scent is now at its best. A rounded melange, a great whole with spices, citrus, a pinch of the Orient, vetiver, subtle cardamom, and maybe even moss. At least a 9, just far too quiet.
Essence? I can't break down Mystic Moss any further. A summary must suffice. A brief, metonymic Orangina spectacle, then cardamom in the Orient, and finally a conclusion that is as quiet as it is rounded. I will certainly wear the perfume on occasion, but I am mainly occupied with the question of whether there is a masculine scent that preserves the opening. Children must not know this, as Orangina is not only available in the expensive 0.25 glass bottle but also in 1.5L PET. That gives hope.
I was wondering about just how mossy this was. I had hopes. But you've answered that question. I'd never heard of Dries Van Noten and hoped perhaps they were based out of a non-EU country and shunned IFRA's punishing restrictions. I've since learned this house is based in Belgium and so any thoughts of a 70s or 80s styled mossfest have been dashed. Too bad. Still, putting the word "moss" into the name of your fragrance seems a little mean.
Redfish365 1 year ago