EauKay

This is so, so close to a winner! The pepper and woods craft this perfect scent memory of hiking in the Rockies, and the tobacco is complementary to that without being overbearing. Plum, one of my favorite scent notes, is present but very, very quiet and light. The drydown pushes the tobacco forward with something of an ashiness to it. The only thing holding this back for me is the lack of projection. It only goes an inch or two past my skin, and while I’m usually not a stickler for projection, I really want more from something that smells so good and brings back good memories.

Gallagher, let me know if you ever make a Cadence Intense!

I have sampled and owned a variety of fruit-forward fragrances (say that 3x fast), and I haven’t really settled on whether I like peach or not. Tonkapeach opens juicy, sweet, and true-to-life with both champagne and tonka bean adding some welcome depth and effervescence. But to my nose, something happens in the drydown. It gets a bit “dirty,” which could be a good or a bad thing, depending on your taste. I think I may have expected more out of the neroli, iris, and rose water but got the patchouli instead. Good but not quite great. I found Tonkazure a little more intriguing.

For me, the opening is the star of this fragrance. It is gentlemanly, complex, and herbal in a really pleasant way. It almost reminds me of something Penhaligons-y. But that opening is short-lived, and the drydown, though pleasant, isn’t as exciting. It also gets quite close to the skin, which is fine. I don't feel like this is the kind of scent that needs to project and announce itself.

I think this would make a good scent for working in a quiet office.

8.5 / 10 opening, but 6.5 / 10 after that.

Certain sharp citrus-fruity fragrances can come across smelling like cleaning liquid. While I wouldn’t say Mists of Time is there, I think it does come a little close. The various fruit notes can run together and are more tart than juicy. Maybe that's what makes it "candied" orange.

It isn't just a wash of notes running together, though. If you try, you can pick up different layers. This is a scent that rewards putting your nose close to the skin. Just be aware that, if you’re not taking in the cypress and patchouli mixing with the bergamot, candied orange, and lime zest, et al., it can smell like a freshly-cleaned hallway. Those extra layers make it more interesting, but ultimately it's not for me.

Sample enough fragrances and read/watch enough reviews, and you'll get used to the subjectivity of olfactory appeal. A fragrance that somebody loathes, somebody else will love. A fragrance someone washes off right away will be someone else's addiction.

I'm one of those guys for Vetiver Musc. This is just what I needed.

As others have pointed out, if you're looking into this scent for a vetiver-forward experience like that of Guerlain or Lalique or Tom Ford, you're setting yourself up for disappointment.

I feel that Vetiver Musc is a pretty linear scent. It might take a few minutes for the vetiver and spices to come in, but what you smell is pretty much what you're going to get all the way through. While it might not have a shifting progression, it does have layers, like ogres and onions. This isn't top/middle/base notes, exactly; I kinda visualize it as three curtains, each hanging behind the one before.

The first curtain is occupied by musk and geranium. This is, first and foremost, a creamy, soothing, cooling fragrance. It is clean. It is calming. As someone who tends to be high-strung and eager to relax, this is exactly what I need. It chills me out in a way that few fragrances do, and the only one that comes close off the top of my head is A Balm of Calm by Penhaligon's. If you don't get along with this 'curtain', you're unlikely to enjoy Vetiver Musc. If the fragrance were nothing more than this, it would be boring, but fortunately, there are two more curtains.

Hanging behind that first curtain, the second is where the vetiver comes in, with the cypress and nutmeg. The cardamom's probably in there, too, but my nose isn't so particular to that scent to identify it. The combination gives this rich, dark green background to the soft musky and floral first layer. It's not very woodsy or earthy, just green with the spices giving a little texture. It's masculine for the man who doesn't need to prove it.

Further down, the last curtain is a very subtle aquatic current. It's not strongly seaweed-marine-y or anything, and I'm not sure if the algae note is carrying this all on its own or not. But there is just something about it that's ever-so-quietly aquatic. This, combined with the first curtain, makes me put Vetiver Musc in the extended family of Zaharoff Signature Seraphim Red, which is a bolder, more expensive, more floral musky-aquatic, still calming but also a very happy summer scent.

I understand that what I find so revitalizing and soothing in Vetiver Musc may be a boring letdown for others, but this showed me a kind of scent I didn't know I wanted. I'm definitely keeping my eyes (and nose) out for variations on this theme. In the meantime, it's great to have a signature scent available at very reasonable prices.