Coeur de Vetiver Sacre by L'Artisan

Bergamot, Black Tea, Dried Fruits.
Saffron, Ginger, Pink Berries.
Vanilla, Incense, Musk.

I keep all my samples in storage after wearing them. I do this with the intent that the ones I gave bad reviews to or was seriously underwhelmed by may be tried again at a later date. Most seem to have the exact same effect on me as before, but there are exceptions. It's only fair that I get back to all of them.

A few years ago, I wore Coeur de Vetiver Sacre multiple times like I do with all the others. I didn't care for it and was more unimpressed than anything. I'm always glad to have my mind changed and it seems that my former, inflexible attitude toward L'Artisan in general is waning. I've become more receptive to the subtler interpretations and not just from this house.

Coeur de Vetiver Sacre opens with a well done accord of tea, saffron and berries on my skin. From the very beginning, the incense is churning underneath and propelling the fragrance onward.

The suggestion of earth is a nice touch. I'm not sure if I can attribute this to the combination of all the dominant notes. It's there however and accented with a wispy smoke. I detect a subtle pepper note much more than I do ginger. Between that and the saffron, there's just enough bite here to compliment the smoky tea and incense.

The longevity of the heart accord is rather impressive. I seem to have missed the boat on this fragrance the first time around and hence my being compelled to revise it. This is one of the better saffron-incense combinations you're likely to come across.

I expected Coeur de Vetiver Sacre to evolve a more vanillac tone once the base and drydown stages began. That didn't transpire and the tuning of the vanilla note feels more like a brush stroke than a noticeable transition. There's just enough to smooth and round out any edginess.

I'm glad for the opportunity to experience a change of heart with Coeur de Vetiver Sacre. I only wish that I retried more that had the same results. This is somewhat elegant and the berry note is an unsung hero. Sillage is moderate and longevity is actually very good if you take into account the time spent performing as a close scent. I get about 5 hours from small applications. Thumbs up from Aromi for L'Artisan's Coeur de Vetiver Sacre.