Chrisone

For a long time, I held back from commenting on this fragrance, but since I am wearing it again today after a long time, the emotions are boiling inside me, and my pent-up hatred simply has to come out.

What do I feel about this fragrance? Hatred. I already wrote that at the beginning. And why do I feel this way? Not because the fragrance is poorly made. No, I hate this fragrance because it bears the name "Sycomore" and has made the original disappear from the scene. I am talking about the REAL Sycomore, the Sycomore that enthusiasts know, and not this cheap knockoff with the same name. There is nothing in this fragrance that resembles what the fans of the original loved. Instead, we find in the EdP a castrated, this time feminine, and absolutely boring version of Sycomore. Starting with a citrusy and spring-like top note. Great boredom right from the start. Soft, light green, almost neon-colored - a vetiver opening like any other. No scratchy, earthy-nutty composition that immediately brings to mind images of forest and campfire.

In my eyes, the EdP is a vetiver fragrance like any other. No individuality, vetiver smells here like in X-other fragrances.

And then? Nothing. Truly nothing else happens. The fragrance extends for several hours in great desolation, and I wonder where the 300€ are even remotely justified? Why Chanel?! Why have you robbed such a brilliant fragrance as the Sycomore EdT of its potency and changed it from the ground up? All the other Les Exclusifs have remained similar, but in the EdP of "Sycomore," or better said "Syco-Castration," I find hardly any DNA of the original! At least both versions could have been offered. I have visited quite a few exclusive department stores in the last few months, and at the Chanel counter, it’s always the same: The salespeople share my opinion and hear this criticism very often.

Thank you, thank you for destroying my favorite fragrance! :-(

When you delve a little into the fragrance line of Frederic Malle and test some of the scents, you quickly notice that they all have one thing in common: They are different. And by that, I don’t mean "bad different" or different in the sense of better, but simply different different. I find it beautiful that such fragrances continually captivate me, as I just can’t relate to the generality of today’s scents, where fragrance X is as similar to fragrance Y as one egg is to another :-)

It actually goes against my grain to call the Editions of the perfume something truly special. Beauty and uniqueness always lie in the eye of the beholder, of course. Fragrances are often copied, produced under different names at lower prices with slight modifications regarding the scent notes, and presented as novelties by another company. Especially with Oud, I quickly notice that almost everything smells the same, but that is just subjective. Strangely enough, among the Malle fragrances, there is only one that is supposed to smell like another, at least if you believe the legend of "Similar-Smelling Perfumes": Cologne Bigarade and Bigarade Concentree. A comparison:

The day before yesterday, a wonderful package with "Cologne Bigarade" in a 100ml bottle arrived at my place. I thought a good cologne is always useful, and at the time of the "premiere" of this fragrance in 2001, the acquisition of Bigarade oil was apparently quite new. It was simply different, and that’s exactly what I wanted.
By chance, I discovered a sample bottle of the "head note cousin" Bigarade Concentree, partly covered in dust, in a far-off little room, and since these two fragrances are indeed controversial regarding their similarity, it was time for a slow test.
So, I sprayed it on, waited a few minutes, and compared.

1.) The top note is almost the same. However, Bigarade Concentree comes across as much stricter, less fresh, and more intrusive. One might think, especially with BC, that one has just cut open an orange and is now sniffing at the juice-covered fingers. Cologne Bigarade is the reserved, older brother, for whom I can get more excited here, as it comes across much fresher. Just the act of spraying it on is dreamy, which is something all Malle fragrances have in common.

2.) In the heart note, the difference emerges that anyone interested in either of the two fragrances must definitely smell to make a decision. While Cologne Bigarade remains consistently fresh, subtly resting on the skin and providing a pleasant feeling, Bigarade Concentree becomes very floral. The scent conveys warmth, which must be attributed to the rose, and therefore makes it, in my eyes, definitely more of a spring and autumn candidate. The actual summer scent is definitely the Cologne. Ellena surely tried to simply amplify CB, as it appears quite weak in terms of performance, but a completely different scent with BC has emerged. Whether that was intentional or not is another question. But for all "fragrance diminutors" and "scent note sniffers," or for those for whom this small criterion is particularly important.

3.) What remains is a fairly similar dry-down, which comes across as strongly woody for BC in terms of fragrance ratios, while CB stays true to its freshness.

I think this brief commentary is sufficient as a little info. Anyone who has Cologne Bigarade should not automatically forgo Bigarade Concentree. The test must be done.
CB is indeed different, different from BC :-)

..that’s what the Three Kings, Caspar, Melchior, and Balthasar brought to Jesus at his birth. I would argue it would have sufficed if just one of the three had made the long journey to Nazareth (or was it Bethlehem? That question keeps coming up!), because we have all three components in one: Gold like the bottle, soft frankincense in the top notes, and myrrh in the heart. What more can I say about such a fragrance, especially when Dave, Terra, Leimbacher, and co. have already shared their thoughts? :-))

Bois d´Argent is actually.. PERFECTION!! In my eyes, it is the roundest, most balanced, and most refined scent I have ever had under my nose. It fits every time of day, every season (although it becomes more pronounced in autumn/winter), and every other occasion. It has something incredibly mystical about it. Those who know me know I’m drawn to fragrances that evoke emotions in me, and here we have another candidate! I feel the same way as Dave: BdA is perfectly crafted, just like Gris Montaigne. They are the only two fragrances that I must constantly sniff at the Dior counter because both are so multifaceted and interesting. The other Priveé scents are not uninteresting, but they don’t blow me away.

BdA starts with frankincense, but not like in "Encens Flamboyant" by AG and not like in "Avignon" or "Kyoto" by CdG, but frankincense as I only know it from "Bois d´Armenie": with creamy vanilla. It’s not even listed in the fragrance pyramid?! Yes, that’s true, but I smell it throughout the entire fragrance journey, which makes the scent even more attractive to me. The top note lasts quite a while, is incredibly soft and pleasant. I don’t even notice the iris at that point; it comes much later and adds new accents. Honey and woods perfectly round off this fragrance. It feels powdery without being cloying. What sometimes feels excessive in Dior Homme Intense has been perfectly executed here. On my skin, it lasts a good 7 hours. Clearly unisex. The bottle with a magnetic cap is truly elegant. The fragrance has its price, which I am willing to pay. It should be moving in with me soon.

So, a pure fragrance fireworks! Perhaps special attention should be given here to vanilla lovers who are not averse to frankincense. A gift to Jesus and now to us. Wearing this scent is an honor; it should be chosen with care. Perhaps not a fragrance for everyone, but those who resonate with this scent as I do should definitely go for it! A 100% recommendation without a second thought.

P.S.: When I read the comments from others, I feel a bit embarrassed about my contribution again :-) It’s just hard for me to write something equally worthy about such fragrances.

SDV was my first Guerlain fragrance that I tested, aside from the horrifically smelling LIDGE. From the very first sniff, I knew this could be something for me. It contains vanilla, a splash of rum, and plenty of emotion-triggering substances that evoke a winter flashback for me. It starts off vanilla and ends the same way, with no development, no story, just pure vanilla from start to finish for a good 12 hours. I don't need to give a 26th comment on the fragrance itself, but I want to share what it has done to me.

I think since my father has always liked vanilla in fragrances, I inherited this preference from him, quite unlike my brother, who clearly sees a feminine note in it. I've never really cared; as long as I like the scent, that's what matters. I just didn't realize that subconsciously his statement could lead me to write and think so controversially about one of my absolute favorite fragrance notes. Until now, I had considered vanilla to be anything but feminine and had never really cared about gender-related fragrance components, which actually don't exist at all. Still, I had to ponder my brother's comment repeatedly. Well, whatever. First test with "SDV" and "Tonka Imperiale." Clear favorite, SDV! Vanilla, beautiful, and enveloping. Sweet, gourmand? I don't care, it was the middle of winter, and I just jumped on this warming vanilla. Several individual tests and comparisons followed; my nose was already quite dazzled and trained on sweet notes. Flashbacks to family Christmas days, baking cookies and eating gingerbread, drinking warm tea, lighting incense cones, and the softly falling snowflakes in lantern light. Flashbacks that are meant to remind me of my favorite season, and that in a golden-yellow bottle?! Time and again, I was on the verge of pulling out my wallet, showing my card, and transferring the €180 that is demanded for this. Time and again, a reflex held me back. Then the memory of my brother's comment came to mind again...

There are no gender-specific fragrances. Anyone can wear anything. There are floral scents that work better on men and also strong scents that come off better on women. Since then, I've been torn about vanilla fragrances, all because of a casual remark from my brother. Will I wear the fragrance often? Do I want to support the sweet-gourmand style of recent years with their Le Male and 1 Million wearers with a much more qualitative sweetness? What will my surroundings think of me if I, as a man, lean towards the softer and more feminine vanilla fragrances that are generally considered more suitable for the average person? These and a thousand other questions torment me when I think of SDV, Bois d'Armenie, Angelique Noire, and all other gourmands that almost everyone likes to smell but not everyone has the conviction to wear or endure. The fact is, with such vanilla fragrances, my heart opens as a vanilla lover. However, the fact is also: There is no place and no time when I could wear this fragrance as a man. It gives me a feeling of warmth, reminds me of my favorite moments, yet it hardly makes me appear confident. Rather, I emphasize the feminine side that all men should have but no one really wants to show. So will I buy it? I still don't know. There is no occasion when I could wear it outside my home. It would never see the light of day; it would definitely be just for me. A fragrance component that gives me a headache. Why am I writing this about this vanilla fragrance when there are so many other beautiful vanilla perfumes? Clearly, because SDV carries, in my eyes, the most beautifully realized vanilla. Clear, natural, pure.

A confusing comment; I don't understand it or myself... It gets 100%, no doubt. But I feel like I've lost something before I could even possess it.

The title reveals what this is likely about. Are you looking for a scent from the past? Price range around 100-150€? Is Cologne your favorite city? Then Cologne Indélébile is probably exactly what you are looking for.

There aren't many words to say about this fragrance. I was quite disappointed when I tested it a bit more closely today, because I thought to myself, "Man, this is probably going to be another Mallorca hit," and then this. Actually, I really like the Editions de Parfums line and can't say much negative about this fragrance here, only that it was already "mixed" hundreds of years ago (estimated 200-300 years). Two main things bother me about this creation: copying existing fragrances and shooting oneself in the foot with that, especially from a niche brand that I hold in such high regard.

The scent progression is exactly the same as "4711." It starts citrusy with the neroli and then gains a little freshness afterward. The somewhat piercing scent of 4711 is not found here, which was well executed. But is the significantly higher price worth it? In my eyes, no, especially since there are many people who view 4711 as a scent for retirees, even though it is so timeless.

My comment isn't necessarily long or really profound, but it doesn't need to be for this fragrance. If you want to see the development, please look at "Echt Kölnisch Wasser" and imagine the piercing citrus scent significantly softened and made more elegant, then add about 100€ on top, and you have Cologne Indélébile. Not a fragrance you absolutely have to test; it's too lacking in creativity for that. However, I associate 4711 with beautiful or less beautiful childhood memories, like when you made a quick stop at a rest area restroom just before your vacation destination and wiped your hands with the well-known towels because the faucet in the toilet was once again not working or someone exploded during their daily business. That comforting feeling of being able to clean your fingers after those bacterial breeding grounds that are actually called rest area toilets, where Pseudomonas and Legionella probably shake hands, was the best thing that could happen to you after such a toilet visit. Cologne Indélébile now sits with me as a sample/refill, and whenever I feel like something infectious is growing here, I will have to dig out this fragrance to remind myself of the hygienic times on the highway.