Stulle

Lavender soap with rosemary, clary sage green, quasi-citrus overtones.
As the fragrance progresses, it becomes somewhat smoky; not sacred, but more campfire-style.
And then a tiny honey note also emerges.
Much later, the (obviously dialed down) human note typical of oakmoss finally appears, and for me, that is simply the most beautiful thing about these old oakmosses!

I confess: I am definitely a friend of reformulation-related gutting of old bangers. Although the depth and richness of the old originals is always lost, it does make many a creaky camera wheel wearable today without denying its origins.

Of course, Paco Rabanne pH is not for twenty-year-olds on the prowl. But when life calms down a little, perhaps you have gained some focus and clarity - then you can try it out. And relax and enjoy.

For me, TF EXTREME is the spicy, unfruity version of TF MEN. Just as relaxed and elegant, but with a balsamic-woody scent. A hint of rum, a bit of vetiver. Not loud, but understated.
At the beginning, I detect a cardamom-like cistus, minimally flanked by saffron. I attribute the fruity note to the combination of these elements, as there is no smell of real fruit here. Perhaps a µ of fig, which I don't like very much, can be detected. In this homeopathic quantity, my disdain for it is quite limited.

The base note is incredibly cuddly, leathery and sanded, fir balsamic and still very lightly spicy. I even seem to catch a small, shy wisp of smoke. Everything here is so wonderfully softly blended and interwoven that it's a real pleasure!
It's a shame that TFE no longer exists - it was probably just not spectacular enough and the clientele punished it with contempt. He would have been my prey.

Why not a review?

That's what I asked myself when I looked at my much too long statement. Then, here's some information spiced up with a bit of opinion.

Aldehydic-soapy with bright citrus, juniper, tart camphor finely blended, floral accents, galbanum. Soft, tarry base, camphor & vetiver clearly, but very smooth and without sharpness. Aftershave vibes.

Surprise on textile: totally soapy and clean, the beautiful details remain largely hidden under the limey soap at first and then appear over the course of the hours.

For me, this is definitely the brand's most successful fragrance to date, also because it is more masculine than the slightly more pleasing other shades of gray, but without smelling old.
I'm also absolutely delighted that someone in 2023 has the courage to make such an allusion to the 70s - and that it hits the mark.

Top and almost timeless!

After the first tests, I had categorized the fragrance as an aquatic scent in the broadest sense, but PRIVATE NUMBER is a little different when worn for longer. Even two short puffs from the cuddly little bottle pack quite a punch! Please be careful when trying it out, right?

Lavender is clearly perceptible in a rather artificial fruitiness, although it is more sweet than herbaceous. I can't detect bergamot, slightly bitter galbanum only in very small doses. In my opinion, more green would have done PN a lot of good, but that may not have been Aigner's intention in 1992.
At least I can see a small (and well chlorinated) forest swimming pool in my mind's eye. What I think I recognize as clary sage takes up quite a bit of space in the middle, flanked by some rose - not necessarily the most natural - and a balsamic note. Yes, the latter could already be the fir (Ha! The swimming pool in the dark forest!), but very restrained (unfortunately) and also not in a masculine form (even more unfortunately).

The base tends to be ambery, pimped up with some soft musk compound and a clearly perceptible tonka bean. I can't detect oakmoss or cedar for the life of me. If you sniff the shirt again the next day, you will discover a creamy finish; synthetic sweetness does not necessarily shine with restraint.

My summary: fruity-ambratic, somewhat lavendery, a little green, strongly synthetic-sweet and quite special.
I can understand that some people don't like PRIVATE NUMBER and find it old fashioned. But it is often the fate of intense and eye-catching fragrances that they sometimes simply don't age well. A hero quickly becomes a fool.

The EdT will still smell good on the right wearer - if the dosage is right. For me, it is just at or below the wear limit of 6.5 points, depending on my mood on the day.

Actually I wanted to get rid of here only times a small history of the Balearic Islands.

After I successfully refused to visit these islands all my life for reasons of foreign embarrassment, I finally let myself be persuaded a few years ago by vehemently insisting Spanish friends to spend a few days in their cottage in a small and quiet village in Mallorca.

What can I say: deepest, cold and dark winter in Germany, but spring on Malle - a dream. I spare you further details in these somewhat travel-restricted times, although already the great Joseph Hader knew: "The imagination grows with the limitation of possibilities" (or something like that).

The abandoned tourist strongholds only once quickly driving through to know how it looks there, we spent most of the time in nature. Behind our little village it went right into the mountains, and our extended walks led us past an old Palacio, near which were fields with tons of orange trees. There was of course picked from the tree, eaten and packed what could only so, because these gardens were quite obviously no longer managed for years.

Sitting by the fireplace of the old, cozy farmhouse in the early evening, there was then storytelling, laughter, dinner planning, and eating from the freshly picked oranges.

The problem with my Spanish is that I guess I speak it too well to get any great consideration, but too poorly to catch any detail thrown sideways out of the corner of my mouth.
The definitive piece of information I missed this round was, "Eat all the oranges you want, but not THAT ONE there, that's an inedible bitter orange."

[SLOWMOTION]

....in which I peel in slow motion this very bitter orange, look at it drooling with pleasure, and then bite into it with the greatest delight....

[END SLOWMOTION]

What followed was an incredibly powerful physical experience, probably comparable in intensity to few legal things. No, no, it was not intoxication, but: this simply inconceivable bitterness that gripped my body was so gross that EVERY single hair of my body stood upright.

My hair, which was only moderately luxuriant, stood up steeply in the air. The bitterness gripped me with massive force, every millimeter of skin - and it was so unbelievable that I had the most legendary, tearful laughing fit of my life. Speaking due to the laughing fit was absolutely impossible for five interminable minutes.

Of course, due to my impaired articulation, I couldn't explain to anyone what had happened, and then when I could halfway breathe again, I pointed to the orange remnants laughing, sniffling, and snorting. And then it started all over again, because everyone suddenly understood what had happened and lay bawling on the floor. Sure, every Iberian knows of course that you can NOT eat these things.

Well, anyway, the evening was henceforth for me in orange light dipped and my Mallorcaaufenthalt had found another, if not THE highlight.


¿But how smells then now CHINOTTO DI LIGURIA?

Bitter orange with a tart and juicy fruitiness everywhere, but no orange juice note (as for example with Orange Sanguine by AC), which often leaves me cold. Immediately, the dark floral and aromatic fullness of jasmine flowers also comes into play, which reminds me a bit of the warmth of AZZARO pH.
That one probably smelled completely different than I remember it, but I always associated with it a poignant and warm physicality that is also cited by CHINOTTO DI LIGURIA.

Soft musk rounds the fragrance down, but at no time takes away the pinch of masculinity with its clear, but not overpowering patchouli note. This is also the part of the fragrance, which makes him for me no longer seem so right lady-compatible, but that decides yes each nose quite subjectively for themselves alone.
The patchouli, by the way, I only really notice when I wear the fragrance exceptionally on the skin. Otherwise, I prefer to wear on textile; on the one hand, to protect the body & the skin, on the other hand, the fragrance then retains by far longer the freshness and acidity of the wonderful top notes.

AdP has some beautiful fragrances at the start, besides BERGAMOTO DI CALABRIA (the Mrs. Stulle has torn under the nails) CHINOTTO DI LIGURIA is in any case so far my favorite