Chicagoan

Alright, so late last year I rode over a speed bump near my house just a tad too fast thus causing my water pump to shift and leak. Gratefully my car was still under warranty and was able to get it replaced for free (hurray!!). Fast forward to today I spray 4 spritz’s of Halfeti Cedar on and leave out the door to my car. I had been careful over the past few months to be cautious of the speed bump near my house since the incident, but today I got distracted and once more went over the same speed bump a tad too fast. Surly I thought “yep, I’ve done it again.” But preceded to my destination anyway. On my way I was getting wafts of a sweet aroma that resembled maple syrup or a candied like treat; at this point I was sure I shifted the water pump yet again. I get to my destination and the person that greets me says “Wow, you smell like antifreeze.” I quickly sniffed the crease of my arm only to realize on the whole drive I was smelling Halfeti Cedar. The good news is my car wasn’t leaking antifreeze. #trueStory

This smells as if Kilian Musk Oud (2013) and Gucci Guilty Absolute (2017) both Morillas creations had a baby giving us this guy Purple Oud (2018). This to me is a more smoother version of GGA with less of that “hospital smell”. Personally I prefer Musk Oud because of its richness but this one is definitely a solid release

With a name like French Lover you would think the fragrance would be alluring, sweet, and seductive. I wouldn’t say it was quite the opposite it just went in a different path where the fragrance opens up almost vegetal and herbaceous while slightly reminding of an 80s powerhouse (Dior Fahrenheit). This isn’t a fougere but it gives me a freshly well groomed man type of vibe, perhaps 40+. It projects for the first hour about arms length and moves closer to the skin where I was able to detect it for about 5 to 6 hours. Definitely a classy scent, it doesn’t remind me of Creed’s Royal Oud as a scent but are similar in style in my opinion.

Quality fragrance, lasted 10+ hours on my skin and even received a couple of unsolicited compliments. The mint gives off almost a cooling sensation while the basil and rosemary comes alive as your body temperature increases. My only issue is with Jasmine, it turns feminine on my skin to the point it’s annoying. So for now I’ll just stick to my sample and maybe in the future my nose will start appreciating scents with jasmine in them.

It’s wonderful how fragrance can be so subjective because personally I don’t get the any of Guerlain comparisons and it doesn’t smell much like Pardon to me either. That said to my nose it does smell like a lighter slightly muskier and more wearable version of Black Afgano. I prefer the darker richer fragrance of Black Afgano but this is a solid release nonetheless.