Brise

Kyoto was one of the first fragrances on my then wish list and subsequent blind buys to bring some variety into my rather monotheistic perfume existence. The fragrance pyramid and curiosity were crucial alongside interesting reviews.

Afterward, this scent belongs to the few for which I was glad to have only ordered a 50ml version. On my skin, it is rather a dispensable perfume variant.

Not that it is really bad. Not at all. Just boring for me. It lingers in my closet without occasionally piquing my interest when I am once again sniffing various spray heads to decide on my daily scent. What a pity.

I also cannot interpret it as a typical incense.
I have long wondered what actually "smells." Of the listed notes, the "straw flower" seems to me the most prominent at first. If you like that sort of thing…
Vetiver cools the straw a bit with its freshness, the woods barely lay down subtly beside it. Coffee and smoke essentially give it a lightly smoked note.

All in all, it presents cool smoked straw on a wooden board. A drop of amber almost imperceptibly connects a floral momentum and gives the scent a certain lightness on its way.
Everything unfolds relatively linearly. For me - Kyoto :-)
Only, why do I always smell a disturbing rubber note after a while?

It does not attract special attention even to my nose. With other fragrances, I quite like to sniff at my collar or shirt in between. Kyoto lacks the fascination that I would have liked to see in it due to the somewhat lyrical comments here.

I have tested quite a few fragrances here. Yes, I have been diligent :-))
Much of it was dispensable.
However, I have particularly lingered with one brand, and that is Lubin.
The Vetiver varieties have especially touched me. But I also find "Idole" and "Akkad" magnificent. That's already four, which I haven't experienced with other brands so far.
Now here is Le Vetiver-Itasca.

Le Vetiver-Itasca was not love at first sight for me. It was the bottle.
The first tests of my then blind purchase were somewhat - how should I put it, strange in their effect?

For a moment, I thought I was scent-wise somewhere in a hospital station in the fifties. Alcohol-dissolved green soap with menthol ensured cleanliness and hygiene. But that was just a short-term irritation - no, more an association that I have since succumbed to. With skin and hair, so to speak.

Rarely have I experienced a fragrance that creates such an enveloping atmosphere, evoking health, well-being, and security. In other words: Good mood and satisfaction.
Le Vetiver-Itasca radiates a magic that suggests a time travel. Back to the deceleration and relaxation of a carefree youth. To where hiking in a forest was still a new, overwhelming experience. With the original eucalyptus candies in the green paper :-)) (which, of course, were not thrown away there).

Today, on some days, I bring it out like a good precious wine to enjoy. It clearly belongs to the fragrances that I never want to do without for the rest of my life.

I spray it on my skin in the morning, and a fresh mélange of green-spicy ethereal notes develops. Like after a sunrise when the warmth slowly evaporates the dew on the flowers of the plants. The scent of the marigold flower has, like the juniper, a significant part in this.

I put on my clothes and notice how the scent slowly creeps through them to the outside, making no stops.
Sage and tonka bean now also dispel the last gloomy thoughts. They clear the head and motivate to new actions.
Anyone who is now dealing with you in a business context will listen to you kindly and grant you any of your wishes. ;-)

The woods of the base, the pine, the fir balsam, yes, what more can be said about that. A wonderful interplay with incense and amber, while still a hint of the ethereal, spicy sage resonates. Vetiver plays only a subordinate role for me here. But you can subtly feel the grass in the basic structure, as it diligently adds its freshness until the end.

For itself, a perfect fragrance, like no other.
In its radiance, something very special, to which I must award the highest rating and additionally add a Michelin star.
Not one for every day.
But if you want to enjoy a good drop all by yourself, to experience a special day. Take this one :-)

PS: Here’s the fine print.
Fragrances are a matter of taste. My assessment makes no claim to universality ;-)

Yes, I am a mint fan.
And yes, I am glad that this little, fine fragrance hasn't gained more attention yet, because it is one of the few independent scents that you can't really show off with :-))

It is more of a "little scent". It comes across modestly. A "come closer if you want me" fragrance.
And yet it carries a little flag behind it to present itself.
To reduce it to just a chewing gum note does not do it justice.

After I finished my Heeley "Menthe Fraiche" sample, I was looking for something similar. The Heeley had something in the base that felt too simple in tone for me. The green tea and cedar distracted too much from my favorite mint and made the already brilliant "Menthe" less "Fresh" and rather dull. That's certainly a matter of taste, but it bothered me.

In "Play Green," the Abelmoschus is a mallow plant. The so-called musk mallow or Indian hibiscus. So nothing animalistic, but floral. It can also be used according to herbal directories as tea, flavoring in tobacco, or as an aphrodisiac.
Regarding the tea, the gentlemen Heeley and Maisondieu probably had a similar intention when creating their perfume. Here, however, the cedar is slightly overshadowed by the fruitiness of a vetiver grass.
The mastic shrub provides, in addition to a type of pistachio, a resin with essential oils. This is also mixed into lemonade, chewing gum, or toothpaste, among many other things. ;-))

And this is exactly where "Play Green" has the nose, quite literally, in front.
To be honest, the two fragrances are quite similar. For me, however, the base in the drydown makes the essential difference. Overall, I find "Play Green" to be a bit - yes, livelier, more floral, with a hint of fruitiness in the "green play." But everyone has to decide that for themselves.

The interplay of the top note is beyond any suspicion and simply wonderful. Here, the juniper berry plays the unmistakable charm of the cypress plants and gives this subtly, through the lime fruity peppermint scent its green idea to take along.
And just to mention in passing; when considering the ingredients of this perfume on their own, they are indeed beneficial to health. I think that should not go unmentioned, as it is not always a given in the world of perfumes.
Play Green

(or: The scent from the crypt :-))

I am really doubting whether James Heeley has made it a bit too easy for himself.

Some time ago, I ordered organic vetiver oil to experience "the original" scent and to form my own judgment about the grass and its composition with other substances (5ml €11.30). In addition, I have various types of organic mint from different suppliers at home.

My vetiver is relatively viscous, intensely green, a rather austere scent, and absolutely identical to "Vetiver-Veritas." If you don't dilute a drop with oil, it remains the base when mixed with other ingredients, meaning that what comes through at the end is particularly intense.

James Heeley's "art" seems to lie in his ability to use his mixing ratio to let the mint play a targeted role. I only see lavender and grapefruit in the listed scent notes. Scent-wise, everything is actually overshadowed by the vetiver. And as mentioned, it is quite austere. The grapefruit becomes intrusive at the end because it supports the firm - heavy vetiver too much. Until the bitter end.

I actually find the scent quite uninspired. I can't and don't want to try all vetiver perfumes, but among those I have tried, "Le Vetiver" by Lubin is the most beautiful interpretation for me(!).

Nothing against purism. But here, the artistic variant is too restrained for me. "Veritas" is too simply structured. It is the most inconsequential scent I have tested from James Heeley so far. Just too much of the good vetiver.
Others might appreciate it precisely for its uncomplicated directness, as for the vetiver purist, it is surely the impressive original to spray on. The combination with just a tiny bit of mint is a fitting idea. But that’s all there is. In the end, the grapefruit dominates quite bitterly - brrrr.

James the rascal. I give him credit for not hiding that (in the title).

Already, a fresh wave from the sea splashes into your face.
This makes it immediately and unmistakably clear where you are.

A fishing boat is sailing in the distance, and a hint of the smell of freshly caught crabs drifts by from the salty sea. Very well captured and not at all overpowering.

Fresh wind that you can breathe in, while the seagulls scream and the surf foams out on the sand. Of course, there are algae lying around, otherwise we wouldn't be at the beach. Just like driftwood.

In the base, there’s a pleasantly sweet nuance from the pheromone musk (very sexy). A hint of the finest leather also develops noticeably.
Nothing feels intrusive. Everything is harmonious and comfortable.

Heeley Parfumes somehow have a subtly herbal-fruity undertone. I think James uses a special blend with vetiver as a base pattern, on which he varies and builds. It’s his style and his secret. This hits the nail on the head for me. The pattern in the base slightly reminds me of his "Menthe Fraîche".