Smirky

Targhee Forest is a great fragrance that, from the start, brings to mind a classic 1980's style fougere, although done with a more artistic hand. Very subtle florals are present at first, but quickly disappear. The oakmoss, pine, cedar, resin and musk rule here resulting in a very smooth scent. In addition, there's also an earthy accord that brings to mind the forest soil but not in a heavy way, allowing Targhee Forest to retain some freshness.

A very masculine fragrance that strikes as being very versatile as well, working for most occasions, day or night, winter or summer and in between.

Longevity is very good. I got about 9 hours out of it. Projection is more moderate. After the first half hour or so, Targhee Forest clings close to the body.

Pine in the Sun is the first sample of eight I have from Scents of Wood. Having been on a sample testing binge with a dearth of anything new or unique, I was pleasantly surprised with Pine in the Sun. It's definitely unique and unlike anything I've smelled before. It's rather linear but outside of mellowing out a bit and the slight change noted below, it's pretty much the same from beginning to end.

So, what does it smell like? The main accord I get from it is "green". It's definitely a green scent with an interesting balance of resin and spice. The green here is vegetation - leaves and such, not conifer, pine or Christmas tree. As it dried down and mellowed out there was a very slight fougere hint. Could that be from the oakmoss and lavender? Maybe, but it's very subtle. All in all, very unique for my nose.

Performance was decent. It's not a stink bomb, but lasted about 9 hours for me. Projection was more modest after about the first 30 to 60 minutes.

My verdict - let me first give you a suggestion. If you find my description above intriguing, get yourself a sample and try it. For me, Pine in the Sun didn't work for me somehow. I didn't really care for the combination of green, spice and resin. Just didn't sit well with my nose. Nevertheless, I have to give credit to Scents of Wood for coming up with an interesting fragrance.

From what I've read, Drakkar Noir was very popular in the 1980's and into the 1990's, making it the Aventus of its day. It's a stunningly good fougere with a super citrusy-lavender opening that dries down into great oakmoss and conifer with a touch of cinnamon and some bite from the carnation. Typical fougere with 15+ notes. Unfortunately, the longevity and projection are at the low end of moderate. It's best to use Drakkar Noir as a strong aftershave rather than an EdT. I use it as an aftershave when I'm not really worried about the scent fading. Smells better than Lomani pour Homme to which its compared and has better performance than the Lomani (that is, both are pretty disappointing in the performance department). Drakkar Noir EdT is available for under $20 and for $35 in a gift set with EdT, aftershave and deodorant spray. The EdT can be found in most Walmarts. Great scent to have in a guy's collection and a part of fragrance history.

Poudrextase opens with an extreme floral-powdery scent and along with the animalic accord from the civet, it smells like grandma perfume. As it dries down, the flowery accord pulls back a bit and it smells almost like Johnson baby powder. Super powdery and a very feminine perfume, probably better for older women. Sillage is pretty strong for the first 30 minutes or so at which point it pulls back significantly to a skin scent. Longevity moderate as well.

Poudrextase was the last of my Marlou samples. Nothing from this brand really impressed me. Perhaps worth sampling due to the hype but nothing beyond that. Won't be missing any of the Marlou scents.

Corpalium's opening reminded me immediately of unwashed hair. It's at this point that there is some sort of projection. As it quickly dries down (after about 15 minutes) it loses its projection and the woody/earthy aspects become more prominent. I did notice Fenugreek, but it's very subdued and subtle. Corpalium took on less of a hair smell and more of a skin or body smell. Not body odor, just the earthy type of smell of someone at the end of the day not wearing any scented product.

Corpalium is a curiosity - something that was interesting to sample but not something I'd bother with anymore. Guys looking for a skin/body scent type of fragrance would be better off with the Signature Royale line from Zaharoff (Signature Royale X, Royale XXX and Royale XXXL). They each offer more in a fragrance and emphasize slightly different accords.