ScottMcArron

Edit: finally got a full bottle. This is not the same fragrance I’ve had multiple samples of over the years. Less deep, less complex, less natural. I’ve heard some rumors that newer Roja’s have been reformulated and I’m starting to believe this as they have been cost-cutting in other areas as well. For instance, saving pennies by removing the gold lettering on their bottles. Reformulating to cheaper juice would follow suit. Take my review and statement below with a grain of salt. Would not buy again.
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Many a fraghead shy away from citrusy perfumes. I think it’s an unwritten rule in the sub-culture (I’m more than pleased to be a part of, however finicky). Most would scoff at this one as well. I, however, enjoy it very much given the practical opportunity: warmer weather.

Do you know the famous and popular Bvlgari Tygar? 3 notes: Grapefruit, ginger, and ambroxan. Actually quite nice. Constructed by the legendary Jacques Cavallier. Tygar is hidden here, as in a bush, behind leafy mint and spiced rum. Less BR540 airy, as Tygar is, relying on that ambroxan for that near invisible push that others enjoy and you will rarely experience after the initial sprays. This is more standard fare in such regards. You will enjoy it throughout.

It is long lasting for its genre, very pleasant, and never boring. I have to give kudos here.

Some say it’s like a mojito. I can’t disagree. It’s much more bright and citrusy than the other mojito experience you might find in Guerlain’s Homme, which is about 1/10th the price, btw, and far more floral than citrus in comparison.

Liken to colors and textures, Burlington is bright, sparkling gold-hued yellow while GH is velvety bright pink. Both are great in their own right! I get FAR more mint in Burlington, and as much of a fan of Guerlain as I am I must admit the Roja smells much more luxurious (as usual, and why I am such a fan).

There’s much more going on here than I give justice to. In the end, if you know Tygar and like the idea of that with an addition of potent mint supported by rum then you won’t go wrong here. There is certainly a Tygar hiding inside Burlington 1819.

I have to say, I’m normally into very particular scents; those that are complex, often challenging, something that can literally change or enhance my mood or give me a nose-gasm. Like vintage masculines from the ‘80’s (Kouros, Antaeus), funky ouds from Areej le Doré and Bortnikoff, daring niche fragrances, and of course some exquisitely constructed luxury perfumes like Roja.

Somehow, some way, I actually love this supremely exquisite, simple perfume from the famous Jacques Cavallier! 3 notes? 3 notes. But absolutely beautifully done.

Magically sparkling citrusy grapefruit on the top, spicy ginger, and there’s an amberiness in the drydown that is quite lovely, if not a bit synthetic. Generally, it’s an airy experience, think Baccarat Rouge 540, and chock full of Ambroxan just the same. This means you may not smell it on yourself after a short time, but others will, no doubt!

Take for example, I sprayed it on a couple hours before going out with friends to the bar. At this point 2+ hours in, I could barely smell a thing on myself. When I walked in the door of the bar, the very beautiful bartender girl who stood about 8 feet away (2.5 meters) instantly said “OMG, who smells so good!?” My friends pointed at me, of course, being the only one of us who was wearing perfume. Win!

I typically only wear perfume for myself, but now I may make an exception for Tygar. I enjoy it, others enjoy it, and I will continue wearing it when the occasion calls (particularly when I go to this bar since I have a bit of a crush on this bartender ;) ).

I was highly interested in experiencing this one given the myriad reviews that it was similar to Bvlgari’s Tygar (which surprisingly I recently found out I like despite it being the polar opposite of my usual tastes) for a more mature audience. Alas, for me, it did not quite live up to my expectations.

Whereas the grapefruit note in Tygar is exhilarating and sparkling, here it’s muted and smoothed off. In the air, I find the experience generally… sour. This I would attribute to the very synthetic salty aquatic note from the cascalone.

I’ll put it another way, if I were to describe the difference between these two. Take Tygar, remove the beautiful sparkle from the top, tone down the sweetness, add salty aquatics, smooth off the edges, and switch out the airiness for typical perfume sillage: L’Immensité. Dang, now that I read that back it’s almost like a completely different perfume experience! That’s because it is.

Performance-wise, I wore it several days this week spraying liberally and rarely did I get a single waft, even with a gentle breeze outdoors bringing the odor up to my nose, to experience what it had to offer. It lasted a long time, no problems there. But if I am to enjoy wearing a fragrance, I want to experience it. If I’m not smelling it on myself (apart from sniffing the skin where I sprayed), I’m not experiencing it.

I’ve come to the conclusion that I don’t like it near as much as I should have given others’ reviews, and the performance for me doesn’t allow me to enjoy what might have been enjoyable if I were to enjoy the scent. Lol. To each his/her own.

I do enjoy Ombré Nomade and Les Sables Roses, fwiw, within the context of luxury designers. (If you want real oud and rose perfumes, you’d do better seeking out Areej le Doré and Bortnikoff, both of which are cheaper for MUCH higher quality ingredients. Albeit different audiences.)

Aside: I’ll note that Tygar is the first perfume for me ever to elicit unsolicited compliments from a beautiful girl (a bartender I have a bit of a crunch on), so I may be biased. Haha! Although I wear perfumes for me, not for anyone else (so I tell myself. But I will certainly be wearing Tygar again, at least when I go to that bar… ;P. Thanks for that, Jacques Cavallier!).

I don’t leave reviews often, but this one inspired me based on the popularity of it in contrast with my experience.

The brief must’ve been “Jacques, make the most boring, pleasant, fresh scent reminiscent of laundry detergent.” Nailed it.

I’ve been wearing this one all week to see what the hype is about. Trying to find an excuse to buy a bottle, because dang it, it’s #1 on the men’s perfumes chart! I really wanted to give it a chance.

Opens nice enough with the citrusy top. If you dig deep enough you get the listed black tea note with a hint of cinnamon. After 30 minutes or so it dries down to some rather boring, pleasant, clean smell reminiscent of dryer sheets or fabric softener. Any rough edge has been carefully smoothed off. I don’t have much more to say than that. That’s what you get scent-wise.

There is nothing here that makes me feel anything. Nothing pulls at my heart. It never says “yes! Wear me today!” Nothing exciting about it, at all. And I think that’s exactly what the kind of people who like this are looking for. And that’s okay! Wear what you like when you like.

I could not imagine (pun intended) a scent more aimed at those looking for a blasé, über-pleasant, non-intrusive-under-any-circumstance, clean, fresh fabric softener smell. If that’s what you’re looking for, look no further. There’s not one person in the world that would find this in any way offensive (or attention-grabbing, for better or worse). It is the antithesis of Kouros and raw animalic ouds. It is, to me and my nose with my experience, the archetype of blah.

In any case, as a collector, it may end up in my collection some day simply because I have nothing else quite like it. For those days that I just want something… meh. Something that doesn’t alter my mood, or make me think, or distract me from the day’s tasks at hand. Heck, I might get it simply to spray down my clothes or bedding after they come out of the dryer. Would be perfectly suitable! Although I’m sure there are cheaper ways to do this…

Disclaimer: this is not intended as either a negative or positive review. It is only my thoughts as they are written down to best describe my personal experience with this perfume.