Altholz

I have rarely been so excited about a fragrance as I am with this one. The expectations were very high, as all Marc Gebauer scents so far have had a beast mode.

So I am now all the more disappointed…

At first, the blackcurrant and green notes come through well, while the oud and grapefruit completely escape my nose.
In the (short) course, a strange lavender - musk mixture joins in, and then it remains very linear.

The fragrance pleasure lasts about 2 hours on the skin before it completely disappears. We don't even need to talk about sillage here.

Based solely on the notes, I expected something much more intense. Instead, it has become a trivial scent that can move on.

That was a miss, Mr. Gebauer!

With the announcement of this new fragrance line from 4711, I immediately focused my attention on this new perfume, as the ingredient list sounded very good to me:

Cashmere wood - Super!
Black pepper - Mega!
ISO-E-Super - Cool!
Cedar wood - Fantastic!
Ambrox - Well… it depends on the amount!
Musk - OK
Norlimbanol - OK

After the first spray, I knew right away that it was not a bad purchase!

At first, the cashmere wood stands out, but it quickly transforms into a very creamy wood. The pepper is only minimally present, you hardly notice it. Fortunately, the same goes for the Ambrox. We are light-years away from an Ambrox bomb like, for example, Sauvage Eau de Toilette!

After a while, it is the combination of cashmere wood and cedar that sets the tone all the way to the drydown.

All in all, a successful fragrance that resembles "Cedar N' Pepper | Birkholz," but comes across as a bit creamier.

First of all, I must state that I cannot detect anything musty here, in contrast to my predecessors' reviews.

On the contrary, the fragrance convinces me from the very first second of spraying until the drydown fades away.

Slightly sweet - woody with a touch of freshness, this somewhat aged Egyptian comes around the pyramid corner.

Whether it really smells like this in Egypt, I doubt, but that’s actually completely irrelevant. Names are relative…

Lavender, cardamom, and sandalwood are the main players here. Patchouli and nutmeg completely escape my nose, and the leather is rather far in the background. Amber joins in over time and rounds out the overall impression a bit more.

I also cannot detect the often-cited synthetics; everything feels very harmoniously composed and, in my eyes, or rather my nose, has become a good light oriental all-rounder that can be worn anywhere without causing a stir.

This new fragrance from Chopard has been on my wishlist for a long time. I finally found it last week from a single retailer and jumped at the chance.

I must admit that the recent releases from perfumer Alberto Morillas haven't exactly blown me away, but this one had to be tried based on the listed ingredients. Once a cedarwood fan, always a cedarwood fan!

Oh dear… what is this? The first impression after spraying is not what I had hoped for. The grapefruit mixes with something sharp, probably the cypress and the cypriol (nagarmotha).
The different types of cedar are unfortunately very subdued, and the tonka bean adds a faint sweetness.

In the drydown, it becomes increasingly leathery and strays further from my preferred scent profile. I can't understand why cedar is highlighted in the name.

No, Mr. Morillas, another missed opportunity; therefore, this Eau de Parfum must move on.

It opens fresh and spicy with grapefruit, bergamot, and a barely noticeable tiny hint of pepper.

The following geranium pushes the cedarwood a bit into the background, yet both components are perceptible.

In the drydown, vetiver joins in, and it’s of the sweeter kind. I can only slightly perceive patchouli, probably it’s only present in a small dose. A light sweetness hovers over everything, but it can never be described as extreme; it simply rounds off the overall composition a bit.

How did my headline come about? Well, after just a few minutes of spraying, the scent felt very familiar to me. At first, I thought of Timbuktu and then also Terre d'Hermès Eau de Toilette.

Of course, that’s not entirely accurate, as it is by no means a dupe. But something from both of them is definitely present in this Eau de Toilette.
Advocates of the two mentioned fragrances should at least give this one a try, as it definitely goes in the same direction!