Drseid

Before addressing the perfume in question, the name Ethos Grooming Essentials may not be well-known to most in the perfume community. Those who also dabble in higher-end traditional wet shaving circles, however, will likely be familiar with both the Ethos house, and the nose behind it, Mr. Frank Lipani (going under the user name Dragonsbeard). The house tends to focus on using all-naturals (whenever possible) in its offerings which run the gamut from perfumes, to shaving soaps and creams, pre and post shaving products, and bar soaps among others, frequently with many difficult to find ingredients. Now that the house intro is covered for the uninitiated, let's move on to discussing Mysore Santal, EdT.

I normally open my reviews with an objective list of notes and accords smelled throughout the perfume's development, but in this case I will just move directly to the subjective portion, as the name "Mysore Santal" is very apropos, with real Mysore sandalwood proving (both the essential oil and actual wood chips) the first, last and everywhere in-between scented ingredient in the perfume. Projection is below average and longevity average at between 8 and 10 hours on skin.

I actually came across the Mysore Santal EdT purely by accident. I had previously used a couple of the Ethos shaving products and was impressed enough to seek out an aftershave offering to match the shaving soap I was using. During the search instead I found and bought a bottle of the Ethos Mysore Santal Skin Food (aftershave) splash, which boasted the use of real Mysore sandalwood essential oil as its near-sole fragrance driver (supported by some actual Mysore sandalwood chips at the bottom of each bottle to bolster its scent performance over time). Fast forward a few months later, I was impressed enough with the Skin Food that I decided to also give the Mysore Sandalwood EdT spray a go which is pretty much a more concentrated version of the Skin Food splash (complete with even more real Mysore sandalwood chips at the bottom of every bottle that seep into the perfume over time) in spray form.

When first sprayed on skin, the perfume has a slightly creamy, dark woody aspect to it that has just a touch of sweetness and nuttiness. It projects at its maximum (which never is at anywhere near powerhouse levels) for the first thirty minutes, before gradually becoming more of a low projecting personal scent, as the dark woody aspect folds into the slightly sweet creamy, nutty facets to create a smooth extremely natural smelling woody focus that is unlike any other kind of sandalwood to those who have smelled real Mysore before. To those that haven't (and the vast majority of perfumes on the market no longer contain any of it due to scarcity and cost), this is a fine reference perfume to get well-acquainted with its true fragrance profile. The whole journey ends in similar fashion, as it remains highly linear through its all too brief finish. I strongly suspect that one's impressions of the Mysore Santal EdT perfume will be highly impacted by what the wearer is looking for. If searching for amazing development and a "full roller coaster journey" with emerging and changing notes along the way, you will come off highly disappointed, as will those seeking projection and longevity metrics that only synthetics allow. To those going in knowing this is about exploring the increasingly rare and expensive real Mysore sandalwood in all its glory and nothing else, it is hard to find any fault in the perfume, and indeed in the opinion of this writer it smells absolutely fabulous! The bottom line is the (now) $80 per 60ml bottle Mysore Santal EdT may not bring lots of changing notes and accords to the table, but what it *does* bring is a reference quality example of what real Mysore sandalwood smells like in perfume form, impressing when worn by itself, or when layered with a number of other perfumes, earning an "excellent" 4 out of 5 stars rating and an easy recommendation to those seeking a reference real Mysore sandalwood perfume without breaking the bank seeking out increasingly expensive vintage offerings.

Yin Transformation (parfum) opens with a brief blast of a mandarin orange citrus and aqueous floral orchid tandem before quickly transitioning to its heart. As the perfume enters its early heart the citrus completely vacates, with the orchid lingering on as it melds with a creamy, milky and just slightly powdery accord comprised primarily of additional ylang-ylang and iris florals thickened by supporting almond milk. As time passes the powdery facets increase slightly with relatively dry, slightly sweet sandalwood balancing the milky florals. During the late dry-down the sandalwood takes the fore, supported by remnants of the now diminished milky floral accord through the finish. Projection is below average and longevity excellent at over 12 hours on skin.

I was introduced to the relatively unknown The Harmonist as a fragrance house a couple years back purely by accident when I was in my local department store buying an unrelated perfume, when I noticed the attractive bottle of the house's warm spicy/patchouli driven Harmonizing Fire on the perfume counter. I got to try *that* perfume on skin (walking away with a sample for further testing), finding it absolutely captivating... until I heard the price of a 50 ml bottle. Fast forward to present time, now having tried a few others from the house with many impressing, but none up until now captivating me like the very first (and evidently their most popular seller)… That all changed with Yin Transformation (parfum). This one is a sneaky devil. From the initial spray it smells absolutely devine, but soon it transitions to the watery milky florals that at first only smell pleasant... but as time passes, as the likely Australian sandalwood mixes with the florals the balance between the creamy florals and the dry woods is just perfect, completely drawing the wearer into its web. Those looking for a big projector will walk away disappointed, but Yin Transformation is more of a personal perfume that only makes itself known to others in a big way if they are relatively close - but those that *do* smell it are in for a real treat. It smells extravagantly luxurious, a perfume befitting its lofty price tag, and its light blue shapely bottle and white cap complement the perfume to a t. To conclude, the heart attack inducing $350 per 50ml bottle pure parfum version of Yin Transformation is a "bank breaker" to be sure, but one of the few perfumes I have sniffed actually meriting a purchase regardless, earning an outstanding 4.5 stars rating out of 5. This one may not be The Harmonist's best seller, but it is their best.

*This review is of the vintage 1981 version.

Burberrys for Men opens with fine bergamot citrus and aromatic lavender with hints of supporting mint and tarragon spice before transitioning to its heart. As the composition enters its early heart remnants of the aromatic lavender remain, now in support of an unveiled natural cedar wood note that takes the fore, with slightly sharp woody vetiver, earthy patchouli, dulled carnation and rose florals and mint-like warm marjoram spice in additional support. During the late dry-down the warm spice and aromatic woods remain, now joining moderately hard leather and slightly animalic musk from the base through the finish. Projection is slightly below average, but longevity is excellent at between 13 and 15 hours on skin.

It took me a bit of time to completely warm to Burberrys for Men. Oh, I always at least "liked" it, but something about the warm spice and aromatics just didn't quite click at first. That said, the more I wear the composition the more I find myself appreciating its seemingly endless list of ingredients that near-miraculously come together to smell quite good on the whole. The composition really isn't overly innovative, but the minty marjoram spice adds a special dimension to the aromatics in particular that set Burberrys apart from its long list of competitors. If I had one wish, it would be to have the projection enhanced a bit, but that is a small "flaw" that I find easy to overlook when taking a macro view of the perfume results. The bottom line is the discontinued $150 per 50 ml bottle on the aftermarket Burberrys for Men (1981) is not the last word of what the best of 1980's perfumery has to offer, but the "very good" to "excellent" 3.5 to 4 stars out of 5 perfume is a winner that gradually makes its case for recommending a sample or even a full bottle buy.

I won't waste any time writing an extensive review with note breakdown of this horrific stinker. Projection is stellar and so is longevity at 20 terrifying hours on skin despite several attempts to wash it off.

While terrified by how bad a release the original Sauvage was, I read enough folks say that Sauvage Elixir was worth a try even if you disliked the original. Well, now having purchased and wearing a sample of Elixir, I think pretty much if you enjoyed the synthetic ambroxan smell of regular Sauvage, you will near-certainly enjoy the overpowering strong, highly synthetic profile of this one too. If your tastes run to more along mine (think 70s and 80s natural smelling powerhouses) steer well-clear of this abomination and insult to the world of perfume. The bottom line is Sauvage Elixir, like its Edt counterpart is scary, nightmarish stuff indeed, "earning" a 1 star out of 5 "horrific" rating and a mega-avoid recommendation. Seek out the spectacular classic *Eau* Sauvage Edt instead, says I.

Blue Lotus opens with a dash of moderately sweet, fruity amyris and a touch of smooth vanilla before quickly transitioning to its heart. As the composition enters its early heart an initially smooth before turning moderately powdery yellow floral ylang-ylang emerges as the star with remnants of the fruity amyris and vanilla now in support, with hints of underlying creamy sandalwood rising from the base. During the late dry-down the perfume turns relatively dry and mildly powdery as the vanilla remains, now as the focal note through the finish eschewing its sweetness, with the sandalwood turning relatively stark as it joins as co-star. Projection is below average and longevity average at around 7 hours on skin.

I had heard so many good things about Blue Lotus going into this review that I strongly considered blind buying a hard to find bottle when it finally showed as again available... I am now glad I resisted the temptation as Blue Lotus really isn't anywhere near as impressive as its reputation, at least not to the nose of this writer. Oh it smells pleasant enough, and I confess I have no idea as to what a Blue Lotus flower should smell like, but if this is a good representation, it smells like ylang-ylang with a bit of sandalwood and vanilla mixed in for good measure. There really isn't anything wrong with that per se, but with an exotic flower name like Blue Lotus, one can't help but feel a bit let-down from the anti-climatic mundane development encountered on skin while wearing the stuff. The powder is also a bit problematic to someone like me who is powder averse. It never crosses the line of tolerance, but comes darn near-close. The bottom line is the $165 per 30ml EdP bottle Blue Lotus smells pretty good but unimpressive coming from such a talented perfumer with its exotic name, earning it an "above average" to "good" 2.5 to 3 stars out of 5 rating and a neutral recommendation to most except powdery vanilla and ylang-ylang lovers.