Like Santa Maria Novella's Patchouli (reviewed by me below), Lorenzo Villoresi's Patchouli is all about patchouli and nothing else. There's no vanilla or amber to cover up the animal inside here. Villoresi's patchouli is not a wimpy scent at all.
Also like SMN's offering, the patchouli here is dry and transparent, not sweet and heavy. In fact, at first sniff it's hard to tell the two apart. You really need to wear Villoresi's patchouli and spend some time with it to appreciate its qualities, because they don't hit you in the face. What I like most about Villoresi's fragrance (other than it containing good quality patchouli oil) is how multifaceted it is. Sometimes it smells sharp and woody, almost like cedar. The next moment I'll detect a subtle leatheriness to it, making it smell somewhat like Givenchy Gentleman. Other times I'll detect a very slight anisic quality, and then it takes on a moist, musty smell. Good quality patchouli oil tends to have a lot of depth anyway, but Villoresi managed to expand on the patchouli's inherent complexity without taking away its bite.
I have a few criticisms of this scent, even though they're fairly minor. For starters, I wish this were a bit stronger. Though it's a bold, uncompromising patchouli fragrance, I wish it projected a little farther; on me, this stays pretty close to the skin, and I just wish that I could get bigger whiffs of this during the day, since it really does smell good.
My other criticism is that despite its complexity, it's a little rough around the edges, meaning that it could use just a little bit more polish. Most natural perfume oils, such as patchouli, lavender and vetiver, contain some facets or notes that smell a bit "off"; these notes add nothing to, or may even detract from, the appeal of the oil's overall smell. These are the "rough edges" I'm talking about. A skilled perfumer is able to buff out those rough edges with careful use of other fragrance oils, while simultaneously enhance the main note's best qualities. SMN's patchouli expertly manages to smell both raw and polished at the same time, which is a hard thing to accomplish with any single note, especially patchouli. Villoresi's patchouli smells sort of like it's just missing that finishing touch.
Though I prefer SMN's patchouli due to its better sense of balance and greater potency, overall, this is a very good patchouli scent. There are many people who think this is the best patchouli on the market. I applaud Lorenzo Villoresi for not wimping out and succumbing to the pressure of making the patchouli in this more user-friendly. Judging from the way this smells, I'm guessing that he's a patchouli lover who loves patchouli for its earthiness. Patchouli is definitely a love-it-or-hate-it fragrance note, and it's clear that Villoresi isn't afraid of that. And if you plan on buying a bottle of this, neither should you be.
MY RATING: 8/10
I am just sitting here, on one wrist LV, on the other Mazzolari and on the neck Reminiscence EDT, which doesn't work so good on my skin. There is something like an oily nut for at least an hour. I don't know what it is. It was a blind buy. I am about ordering another Patch and I can't choose between LV und Mazzolari.
ReplyDeleteAnd hello, I am Nil, I am new here and on basenotes, my english is awful I know :)
Hi, Nil. It depends on if you want a dry, raw patchouli or a warm and sweet patchouli. Go for LV if you want raw, and Mazzolari if you like warm and sweet. I slightly prefer Mazzolari's, but LV's has more balls and is more for the die-hard patchouli freak like me. LV's is a lot more reasonably priced.
ReplyDeleteIf you want brutal, nuclear war, take no prisoners patchouli, get Mazzolari Lui.
Excellent review.
ReplyDeleteIt's the "unpolished" aspect of LV that appeals to me.
LV , to me , is high quality and unique which to some may render as unpolished. Have you tried Sandalo and Vetiver? They too are rough yet smooth like a Ferrari.
I like them both..sometimes raw and dry, sometimes warm and sweet. And right now, both at the same time. (left wrist LV, right wrist M). Before I decide, I will order a sample of Lui. Thank you for the advice.
ReplyDeleteThe price difference is not so big in Germany.
Reminiscence on my neck is getting beautiful now. I have to survive the first hour with this scent.
I have tried everything of LV, except Garofano. I had ordered his sample pack with 16 scents. Sandalo and Vetiver are too masculin IMO. I like Alamut layerd with Patchouli. I like Spezie and Incensi very much, but they disappear after half an hour.
ReplyDeleteActually, I like Reminiscence's Patchouli Elixir even better than either LV or Mazzolari's patchoulis! However, Santa Maria Novella's beats all three of them, IMO. When you get into this type of quality, it's all personal taste.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite patchouli of all is still Givenchy Gentleman, both vintage and current versions.
I'm definitely not a raw patchouli person, so this sounds like one to avoid. I recently acquired a bottle of Patchouli Plaisir by Molinard, which was marketed to women but strikes me as unisex. This is the patchouli fragrance for me (along with Messe de Minuit EdC). The patchouli is light but clearly present, and while it hints at the gourmand, it never actually goes there. Patchouli is a fabulous note for fragrances, but it seems like everyone has their own tolerance threshold for it.
ReplyDelete