Sammler86

...he would ask Duchaufour how he managed to create Jubilation Man.

When Jubilation Man was created, the good Bertrand must have been in an extremely euphoric mood. I imagine it like in cartoons, where a wizard dances around the cauldron, adding ingredients crushed between his fingertips, saying, "Dum-di-dum-di-dum, a pinch of cinnamon, a pinch of myrrh...". In his eagerness to create something extraordinary, he changes his focus, trying something unusual; "normal" can be done by anyone.
"Lackey, something is missing, peel me a blackberry!" - "Yes, Father." sighs Jay-C.

I do like creators, makers, productive people who do not lament but act and actively intervene in the events, creatively shaping the world as they see fit, leaving nothing untried and not shying away from any hurdle. Such people have a noble quality that attracts me.
Just like Jubilation Man attracts me. One spray on my clothing is enough for me to perceive its scent for another 3 days. The base is a divine completion that presents a light spiciness, so subtle and sophisticated that I would wish for it to be present in almost every perfume. Jubilation Man is unique, undisputedly my number 1, the only one to receive a 10, as I like it so much from the top note to the base note that it makes me addicted. As long as I can smell it on me, I sniff at the sprayed spot.

When I registered, I already formulated a statement and said that it is my reference in all respects. That still holds true today. The longevity is grand, the bottle is beautiful, and the sillage is perfect - not too overpowering, but also not too weak. Moreover, it fits every season and perfectly suits me, I think ;-) In the reviews here and elsewhere, one often reads that people do not know when the right occasion for this masterpiece is.

And so Jay-C asks: "Father, who should wear this scent?" "My son, this scent is for all those who strive for perfection. But even the unknowing will ascend to realms of olfactory heaven with it. This trip will be long-lasting, so that we force the wearer to float in these realms on multiple occasions and realize that this scent deserves to be worn at any time."

This raises the question, why does the collector gather more fragrances? Well, one does not want to enjoy Mediterranean cuisine every day, even if it is the most pleasing to them. I wish there were more of these rich compositions like Jubilation Man, which, however, go in a completely different direction. I find a bit of that in Epic Man and also Memoir Man, but they are not quite on par, and even without being a fanboy, I must say that only Amouage creates these truly extraordinary scents. The other creations from this house are partly too strong and intense for niche newcomers, which fortunately prevents them from becoming mainstream. Jubilation Man, on the other hand, works in my opinion for everyone, both beginners and experienced connoisseurs alike. What is special about it is that despite the many ingredients, none of them dominates excessively and comes off too intensely, which is why it never becomes cloying or too heavy despite its presence and should therefore please everyone. I just hope it never meets the same fate as Aventus, as it has too little "show-off potential".

Thus the creator continues: "But be warned, should a nouveau riche prole, adorned with a coat of pure bee fur, seek access to my creation, then bitch-slap him until he stands in awe and recognizes the true beauty of Jubilation Man. For truly, the behavior of the prole is deceptive, of dazzling intention and destructive power."

In conclusion, I would like to mention that when I was at Harrods, I only wanted to show my cousin the scent and came out smelling differently from the tester there than from my bottle at home. I just hope it was due to the moment and the many other perfumes we tested there on the same day and not due to a reformulation. That would break my heart.

I won't write a tribute here, as my predecessors have done, because this scent doesn't excite me enough yet. It is very good, no question, but it grounds me rather than uplifting me. Unfortunately, the French lover isn't available for purchase in my area, so I had to obtain a sample to test it. The few bucks (or were they frogs?) weren't wasted money, but the longevity is simply abysmal on my skin and clothing. Normally, most fragrances last a bit better and longer, but FL is actually not perceivable on my shirt or wrist or forearm after about 2 hours.
I am quite disappointed because what am I supposed to do with such a fragrance? It olfactorily fits my taste for the office, it could actually be a great signature scent because it is not intrusive. But with the longevity, it simply makes no sense.

When I smell FL, I see a success-oriented suit wearer in front of me. Maybe he is even French, but I would rather say he could be more German or English. A man who appears rather cool, distant, dominant, and intelligent, who doesn't initially give off a lover vibe. However, if he lets a woman get close, there’s no stopping him, and it gets dirty, wild, and uninhibited; some might even call him perverted. However, this doesn't happen often, as he is very selective and hard to excite - so he is rather not the boss who seduces the secretary after work. The French lover likes the special and the challenge.

If I were to try to associate the notes with what I smell, it would probably conjure up some fanciful ideas. I perceive something resinous and smoky that reminds me of Lalique's Encre Noire, but unfortunately, I find no common elements that point to a specific shared note. There are also green and bitter notes that I have noticed in Memoir Man by Amouage.
I would place FL between the two mentioned relatives, but unfortunately, I would have to revise all the reviews here for that. I rated EN an 8.5, Memoir Man a 9.0. Actually, FL would be an 8.5 and EN an 8.0. Maybe I will adjust that soon; perhaps Memoir Man will also get a little bump ;-) Tending to rate FL closer to Memoir Man, it initially receives a very good 9.0 from me for its scent. However, the longevity is the biggest drawback, which is why a proper bottle won't be coming into my home.

...at least it does in the South Asian region. It’s probably the mix of Oud and tobacco, with Oud being something you can always smell in even the smallest village shop in India. Oud Malaki contains something that brings a certain warmth and spiciness. If I weren’t a layman, I could tell you exactly what I smell.
It also smells a bit like rose - at least I always thought it was rose water that I often smelled in India - or some flower that is commonly used for perfuming there. In the heart note, a somewhat bitter/earthy scent comes in. If I hadn’t seen the fragrance pyramid, I would have thought it was patchouli instead of tobacco, but tobacco makes sense too. In any case, this is a very characteristic mix that I have found in the region from Afghanistan through Pakistan to India and nowhere else in the world. I can’t really say whether I like it or not; too many memories are tied to this scent to judge the fragrance itself objectively.

However, it is of high quality, smells absolutely natural, and not synthetic in the slightest. The base note develops really well on my skin. The tobacco fades over time, the spiciness comes through stronger, and it moves a bit in the direction of the base note of Joubilation/Journey Man. This type of scent I really enjoy.

The longevity is relatively good, the sillage is rather weak for my taste, but just right if you want to wear the fragrance primarily for yourself. I constantly perceive quite subtly in the office that I am wearing something oudy/earthy/spicy (depending on the moment) and I keep bringing my nose to my forearm or wrist. For me, it’s a fragrance to enjoy, similar to the Amouages that I use regularly.

Actually, I wanted to write this comment last weekend when I tested The Hero, but unfortunately, I’m only getting around to it now and have to write a bit from memory.

In any case, I visited a good friend, and while we were sitting on his couch looking at his latest artworks that he had created using 3D printing, I noticed that he smelled like Terre d'Hermès. I was quite surprised, as this guy is not at all a connoisseur of niche fragrances and still wears Le Male or its dupes when he goes out. Moreover, he belongs to the type of person who exhibits an anti-brand attitude and would never pay for the name of a product. So, I tried to tease him a bit, "I know what perfume you're wearing, and I know how much it costs...". In hindsight, I kick myself for this statement because it only reinforces his anti-brand stance, and I will probably be teased by him in the future about what I spend my money on.
The situation even threatened to escalate because I initially didn’t believe him that it was a perfume from Rossmann that cost 15 euros - luckily, we hadn’t made a bet. After he showed me the bottle, it slowly became clear to me that it was a rather blatant copy of TdH. The color of the liquid, the shape of the bottle, the Hermès orange appearing on the label, and even the head of the Spartan somehow directly reminded me of Hermès or TdH.

I then generously sprayed myself on the left forearm before driving home, and when I arrived home, I performed the same procedure (though a bit more sparingly) with TdH on the right forearm.

The top note is the biggest difference between the two. While TdH smells herbaceous-earthy, The Hero is more sweet-earthy. Over time, TdH also becomes a bit sweeter, so The Hero captures the heart note of TdH relatively well. Surprisingly, the sillage and longevity of The Hero are also a bit better, although that might also be due to the different dosage. To be honest, I actually prefer the subtle sillage of TdH as it is more pleasant. TdH is one of those fragrances that I wear for myself, one of my signature scents for the office.

The Hero is currently not available and is also not listed in the La Rive online shop. In response to an initial inquiry, I was told that the fragrance (contrary to the information here on Parfumo) is no longer being produced. It's a shame, really, because for 15 euros, you couldn't go wrong. While the price difference isn’t as significant as between Oud Wood and FM335, this dupe is very high quality and, in my opinion, worth significantly more than 15 euros. I would have bought it, but I probably would have gotten TdH again anyway. Just as I will probably end up buying Oud Wood again, because they are never a 1:1 copy, and the original always has something fascinating in it that you don’t want to miss. Moreover, I feel a desire to pay my respects to the creator. Copying is not a great art. Still, the prices of the creators are quite cheeky when you see that it can be done significantly cheaper.

My latest acquisition, after my visit to Ruhr University Bochum, is Fortis by LLI. I actually just wanted to test Knowledge by RUB, but then I was informed at the Pieper perfumery near Bochum HBf that the Prott perfumery across the street specializes in niche fragrances. Apparently, they know it is not a direct competitor. But that really made my heart soar. Exclusively high-quality bottles, many of which I had only seen online and never in person before. The saleswoman was quite knowledgeable and seemed to understand my taste well, as she introduced me to Fortis.

The opening of Fortis evokes very different associations for me, which doesn’t always make it pleasant, but it is very interesting, like a surprise egg. When I look at the fragrance pyramid, I would suspect that it is the cumin (maybe also saffron, but that doesn’t smell as intense?) that sometimes makes the top note a bit too strong when it pushes to the forefront. For me, it becomes too spicy and reminds me a bit of the top note of Creed's Love in Black, which I didn’t like. When the cumin settles down and isn’t too overpowering, I am reminded of raw marzipan, so not too sweet, but rather savory, allowing the almonds to still be detected.

The heart note emerges relatively quickly after about 15-20 minutes and is then spicy, woody, and slightly smoky, I would claim. I still find it difficult to find the right words for it.
The oud is also perceptible to me, but it is present throughout all the notes and not just in the top note. If I had to categorize the scent among the brands I have had/known so far, I would place Fortis with Amouage. In the heart note, it is a mix of Joubilation and Epic Man. Something that, as far as I remember, is also in Interlude Man accompanies this scent. This makes it darker and more masculine than Joubilation and Epic Man, but not as intense as Interlude. It might be the ideal transition for me to eventually include Interlude Man in my collection.

In the base, it becomes a bit of a lucky draw as to what dominates. Sometimes it stays with the heart note, sometimes the cumin comes back through, which was actually no longer perceptible in the heart note.

Overall, it is an exciting, high-quality fragrance that I can recommend if you like spicy woody scents and have no problem with cumin. The longevity is enormous, similar to most Amouages. You have to be a bit careful if you don’t want your clothing (especially jackets/waistcoats/cardigans, etc.) to smell like it for a long time; it’s best to spray body parts that do not come into direct contact with these garments.
The sillage is, in my opinion, above average, but not intrusive.