Locke

Yes, I am an absolute lavender lover. That's why I couldn't walk past the beautiful display with a huge lavender flower image on Jermyn Street at Floris - the advertisement for Purple Mémoire. I went in, sprayed, smelled, and bought! Anyone who likes lavender should definitely try this one. It initially comes across as a bit old-fashioned or very classic, but then quickly becomes floatingly elegant and zesty. Well done. Later, it has a sweet, pleasant base. But not so vanilla-like, rather more like cocoa and tonka, maybe with a hint of amber.

For the connoisseur and lover for context: Caron pur homme seems a bit more primal to me, while Caron impact definitely has more punch. But this one is wonderfully elegant and, in my opinion, more radiant and particularly more refined in the base than Brilliantly British. However, Lavande d'Hiver by L'Essentiel de Lavande remains the best value for money.

First of all, Florblanca, thank you for the great discovery of the brand Ramon Monegal. I am really excited overall, but Ion Musk is probably the worst perfume I have ever encountered. An absolute misstep or I simply do not understand the genius of Ion. At first, I only smell a biting note, pure alcohol for me, maybe with something ethereal like mint or eucalyptus. Then a very familiar note comes to me. I used to play a lot of table tennis, and I always cleaned my racket rubbers. The "perfume" smells exactly like my cleaning agent and hardly changes - except that it becomes a bit weaker. This product was not meant for household use with citrus and other fragrant substances. It was more like a fixing agent from the photo lab... Yes, I admit, eventually something like undefinable musk comes through. For that, it gets 10%, and the name is really cool, sounds nice and chemical - yet somehow fitting.
P.S: I am giving away my sample of Ion Musk. Please let me know, first come, first served. If anyone even wants this specialty.

Since I have benefited so often from the Parfumo community, I would like to fill this gap here, also because the perfume deserves it.
Santal Noble fits well into the Maitre line, as it smells beautifully classic and (masculinely) conservative. The opening is intense, and I perceive an animalic note that runs throughout the entire scent progression. I think this gives it depth and the classic appeal. In my opinion, the culprit is the patchouli. The coffee is also nice, which can be easily detected and is similarly found in Grain de Plaisir. By the time we reach the heart note, the sandalwood, which gives the perfume its name, joins in and quickly takes over the scene. The transition to the base note is smooth. For me, a persistent triad of sandalwood, patchouli, and amber emerges. The sandalwood has a slightly powdery quality at this stage. Oakmoss and musk are merely embellishments. I do not detect vetiver. With increasing duration, the animalic and powdery notes fade away, and the whole becomes distinctly vanillic and rounder. From then on, vanilla and sandalwood have good staying power, so Santal Noble can certainly last through a day at the office. I enjoy wearing it at work, but it fits even better for the evening or going out. Seasonally, autumn and winter are the best. So I gladly join the mostly mentioned lower recommendations.

When I asked the owner at the Drogerie Wittelsbach in Munich (located in the town hall building, directly opposite Brückner) for a good vetiver scent, he immediately handed me the one from Carven and praised its natural class - and he is right. This wonderful fragrance perfectly embodies the saying: "A classic is timeless." I truly do not notice the age of its composition at all.
It starts off very fresh with a green blend of lemon and petitgrain that tickles my nose. Yes, lavender is also present. This fades quite quickly, making way for the orange, which is then noticeably more persistent. But even here, with the orange, I can perceive the vetiver - at this point, however, it is still quite light.
In the heart note, I cannot smell Apicius Iris as I did at the beginning. That typical powdery scent just doesn’t come to me. I can certainly agree with his observation of its "transparent" nature. Does anyone actually know if iris and orris root are used synonymously? Perhaps they are slightly different notes. Be that as it may, from here on, everything becomes beautifully dry and woody for me. I think I can smell cedarwood, and I can sense sandalwood. Then something interesting happens: The scent becomes darker without becoming heavy. For me, it is not at all like the commercially available vetiver, such as in Terre d'Hermes, but rather quite unique with that certain something. It is slightly gnarly and smoky yet still finely balanced. Apicius's explanation with the vetiver oil sounds convincing. I wonder if it might also come a bit from myrrh. If so, that would be the base note, as I believe it is not present here in the traditional sense: It remains with the darkening vetiver, which gives off some of its peaks, becomes a bit rounder, and reliably stays with the wearer throughout the day. A fragrance more suited for sunny but not too warm days and definitely appropriate for the office. By the way, the price-performance ratio is also very good.

I acquired this based on the intriguing comment from Chanelle Le Faune on the internet. Overall, the stuff is indeed quite sweet and not a "Must Have" - but it definitely deserves a few words from me about Le Faune. It starts with a nice bergamot note, which quickly fades away. I also smell a lovely combination of airy (as Apicius often writes) lavender and grounded juniper, which I wouldn't have recognized well without help from this site. The two somewhat weaken each other, and then the orange comes into play for me. So far, so good. For me, the barely present or very quickly passing heart note is the problem. I smell neither pepper nor geranium, and only a hint of anise with a bit of goodwill. Immediately, I am confronted with the strongly ambered base note. The amber really comes through and creates the warm sweetness for me in combination with the (not soapy) musk and sandalwood. If you like that, you will feel quite at home here. The amber is too strong for me, but I am compensated by a very nice vanilla note with a bit of patchouli in the final stages of the fragrance development. Overall, this is something for men looking for something sweet. It can definitely also be worn by women.